MARY LOU CHEATHAM is an author who writes about life in the early 1900s on the farm and in a small village. She was born in Mississippi and moved to Louisiana in her twenties before settling down in west Texas. She is the author of The Dream Bucket, Letter from Belleau Wood, and All Her Dreams of Love. Her books are filled with danger close to home, romance, and moral conflicts .

KIRKUS REVIEWS calls Mary Lou Cheatham’s prose “compelling,” also “textured and finely tuned to the time period and setting.” Referring to Letter from Belleau Wood, Kirkus Reviews says, “Emotions involved are universal.”

Her readers delight in the way she goes deeply into her characters’ emotions often in historical settings. Reviewer Jonni Rich says Mary Lou’s characters “endure tragedy and from tragedy seize all life has to offer them.”

CHRISTIE MARIE UNDERWOOD loves animals and people. She enjoys taking long walks in the community with her husband Brandt and visiting neighbors along their way. Drawing is one of her hobbies, and her style is drawing through the eyes of a child. Her signature style in life is vibrant colors, well-suited to her personality.

COVINGTON CHRONICLES

A south Mississippi railroad and timber town with neighboring farms is the location of fun-filled, socially conscious novels of various genres. Most of the action takes place in the second decade of the twentieth century.

SECRET PROMISE, the first, is a romance with similarities to Mary Lou's favorite childhood story, "Cinderella." Come meet the lovely Caroline.

Social issues: family abuse, bootlegging, and Jim Crowe lifestyle.

THE COURTSHIP OF MISS LORETTA LARSON, the second novel, another romance with suspense, shows mature adults in love.

Social issues: women's rights, persecution of Italian immigrants.

THE DREAM BUCKET, the third novel, shows a family surviving tragedy. It contains a tender romance and introduces Trudy, the readers' favorite character.

Social issues: poverty, crime, family abuse.

MANUELA BLAYNE, the fourth book, is a novella told by Trudy about a young Black girl, whose hopes are dashed.

Social issues: Blacks treated as less than humans.

TRAVELERS IN PAINTED WAGONS ON COHAY CREEK, the fifth novel, combines a coming of age story with the interaction of down-home Mississippi folks and a clan of Roma people. (Co-author, Sarah Walker Gorrell)

Social issues: family abuse, children as caretakers of sick parents, the lifestyles of the Romani.

HOUSE OF SEVEN, the sixth book, is a short novel about seven unlikely people living together in a family. This satire combines romance, mystery, and comedy.

Social issues: racial discrimination, hate crime, caring for the elderly.

LETTER FROM BELLEAU WOOD, the seventh in the series, is a World War I romance. Trudy goes to college.

Social issues: war, influenza pandemic.