In Weave Me a Song, Lila Hopkins skillfully paints a picture of the Blue Ridge Mountains and its people; it is an image of love and hope that takes its reader deep into the backwoods of the Carolina mountains and into the creative consciousness of its dedicated artisans.

Out of the characters comes a basic truth - the need to create, to find a place where mother nature and human nature are encouraged to be the best they can be: "I tried to tell the woman about weaving. Told her I wanted to make something splendid. Told her I wanted to do something worthwhile with my hands." Gram embodies the duality of physical sustenance and spiritual empowerment: "I don't weave in order to eat. I reckon I can just sing with my fingers, when I don't know other way. For me it's cause I need to express what's inside."

Gram is the holder of a lifetime of creative designs and inspiration, and her life calls attention to and runs parallel to the heroine's journey. Hopkins explores issues that everyone faces--following in our parents' footsteps, having the freedom to make our own choices, ultimately choosing to follow our own drummer. Freddie, the main character, fights the demons of pride and fear, and finds in Pax a man who will support her nurturing and creative spirit. It is only after she allows him to love her that she loses the terror of the dark dreams that haunt her, "I am really, finally, home at last."

In a story of setbacks and greed that underscores media exploitation of poverty and the stereotypical notions of hillbillies that remain, Hopkins bravely reveals the strength of character that resides in the real mountain men and women, and in their zest for life. For anyone who loves the ripe turn of a phrase little heard in today's world, the descriptions and dialogue will enchant: "I don't want no woman reporter, especially one with a double hinged name like that [Kim Rosser-Gibson], to come poke around my place."

It is the magic of the mountains that embraces these people, who may leave, briefly, but who always return to that which makes their hearts sing and their spirits soar. It is this creative heart and the importance of tradition and family that leave the reader of Weave Me a Song with a renewed sense of wonder for the gift of life we all share. It is a return to the best in each of us.

Lila Hopkins' award-winning earlier works, Talking Turkey and Eating Crow, followed young people through coming-of-age battles, much in the same way that Weave Me a Song tracks the footsteps of adults in their search for meaning.

Hopkins is true to her creative muse in writing, just as her characters are true to theirs: "I started Weave Me a Song as a juvenile book, but Freddie appeared on my computer one morning, full grown, and would not go away, insisting that I tell the story her way. I'm glad I listened."

Weave Me a Song is sure to become a beloved reflection of the mountain culture it so richly depicts, and is available through High Country Publishers, Inc., located in Boone, North Carolina.

-- Carolyn Howser, High Country Writers VP/Program/Publicity Chair

An absolutely delightful story interlocking love examples throughout- kin, friends, animals, mountains, loss followed by redemption. Lila Hopkins is blessed with a keen eye and ear. She weaves her tale using love and bits of poetry, making "something splendid," "something worthwhile" with her own hands and crafted a delightful and lyrical story.

--Alyce Nadeau, author of  Observations of an Uppity Woman

Lila Hopkins has done a superb job of capturing the beauty and the flavor of the Blue Ridge mountains in this heart warming story of young love and going home. In these days when terror seems to rear its ugly head on every front, it is refreshing to read a story that leaves you wanting to know more about the people whose lives unfold here.

Ms. Hopkins has distinguished herself over the years with her writings for children, but this book moves her to the next level as an accomplished novelist who has something to say to the rest of us.

--Lee Dye, nonfiction author, former science writer for the Los Angeles Times, weekly columnist for ABCNews.com

From: Carolina Mountain Living

Set among the proud craftspeople of the North Carolina Appalachians, Weave Me A Song deals with an unexpectedly complex question: what does it mean to be loved unconditionally?

With this novel, Mrs. Hopkins evokes a romance tradition rarely seen in the last hundred years. Time was when the best novels could be read aloud to mixed company in a lady's parlor, without raising either a blush or a snicker. Mrs. Hopkins's charmer fulfills these crieteria cleanly and engagingly.

Some say that there are only two stories: "a stranger comes to town," and "someone leaves home." Mrs. Hopkins's heroine, Freddie Gouge, is no stranger, and returns home--ostensibly--to care for her grandmother ("Gram"). The reality is that, battered and cheated by the wide world, Freddie's return is a retreat more than an errand of mercy.

Back at home, her problem is not to win forgiveness from Gram--an internationally renowned master weaver--and a former love, Paxton Palmer--who manages the gallery where the work is sold--but to deal with the fact that no forgiveness seems called for. Bewildered, Freddie isolates herself in a prodigal's cage of guilt.

Paxton's upscale crafts gallery is undergoing a variety of troubles. A vindictive journalist twists words and circumstances to ruin Pax's credibility; a flood threatens to destroy the gallery's inventory; a potentially crippling injury threatens his independence and the breathlessly renewed love he shares with Freddie. Feeling like an outsider,Freddie wishes desperately for a way to help save Pax's gallery and Gram's art. Mrs. Hopkins's characters do not preach so much as live their author's ideals. This really is a book that anyone can read aloud anywhere. Mrs. Hopkins's style is smooth and graceful, as befits a traditional romance. The only caveat is that a sophisticated penchant for racy literature is no way to approach the leisurely pace and old-fashioned morality in Weave Me A Song.