D8 Commonwealth Journal Sunday, December 20, 2009 Somerset, Kentucky

KRISABSHERSales Agent

875-8890111 W. Hwy. 80 Ste. ASomerset, KY 42503

"Merry Christmas Somerset, and thank you for your business in 2009"

$209,400

$249,900

$279,900

$299,900 $329,900 $369,900

$285,000 $297,500

$559,000 $1,599,000

$299,900 $299,900

$259,900 $259,900 $259,900$259,900

$215,000 $239,900 $239,900 $239,900

463 Overview Ct. TwinLakes. Somerset. Large covered

front porch, situated on a level lot. fullbasement, new hardwood floors, for-mal dining, master suite on main floor,

and much more. MLS#1930607

112 Conner’s Way. Somerset.The Pines. Custom brick home, 6’ pri-

vacy fence, custom deck, large patio, hottub, formal dining room, granite, and

more. MLS#1930682

73 Creekview Dr. Somerset.Slate Branch area. This brick one story

home is the last home on the street. It has a 2-car garage on the main, 3 bedrooms, and 2.5

baths, and full walkout basement with a .8 acre lot.

MLS#1930634

Lot 65 Andover Dr. The Re-serve, Somerset. This is a new brick

home with a nice level lot. The interior hasa large open great room with carpet in the

bedroom and hardwood and tile every-where else. BASEMENT.

MLS#1930630

348 Woodside Dr. BentCreek. Somerset. New extra wide

natural hardwood with built-ins around abeautiful gas fireplace. Kitchen, fomal

dining room, mature trees. Nice coveredfront porch. MLS#1930057

Frank Denham Rd. Somerset(by Baker’s Carpet Barn). New 4plex.Each unit has 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom,living room, kitchen, paved parking. 2

4plexes for sale. MLS#1930705

100 Silver Creek Dr. Somer-set. Slate Branch area. Full finishedbasement with kitchenette, hardwood

floors, a deck overlooking woods, a 6 ft.wood privacy fence, a den, and a good

formal dining room. MLS#1930165

Townhome with year aroundlake view. Walk to Lee's Ford or the Har-bor Restaurant. Two story cape-cod style

townhome with hardwood, tile, an almost allglassed back, and a walkout basement.

MLS#1930470

This brick home has an awsomeview of Lake Cumberland. The lot is partially

cleared and partially wooded with mature trees.The home is located in a well established area of

Burnside. The back deck is private with a lakeview. The floors are hardwood and tile and there

is a formal dining room. MLS#1930641

101 Silver Creek Dr. Somerset,Slate Branch area. This is a unique 2 story

brick home with a finished basement and levellot. There is a 2 car garage on the main as well

as the master suite and living room. MLS#1930633

One of a kind home in EaglesNest on Woodhaven Drive. This home has

been completely and professionally decoratedand remodeled inside. From the stone fireplace tohardwood floors this place has it all. Totally con-temporary kitchen and bathrooms with granite in

the baths and top of the line stainless appli-ances. This home is also selling furnished.

MLS#1930690

80 Creekwood Dr. Somerset. Slate Branch area.

Finished basement, trees, hardwood,open floor plan, vacant, fully

landscapped. Over 3000 sq. ft. 4bdrms. & den, 3.5 baths.

MLS#1930632

Somerset. This home sits on 6acres, has an inground pool, 2 garages, a

huge barn, a utility building, hardwood floors,a family room, 3 fireplaces, and a custom

kitchen. Ferry Road. MLS#1930526

102 S. Linnwood Ct. Maple-wood. Somerset city. Lg. lot, huge

deck, awesome heated/aired sunroom,vacant-show anytime, granite, customcabinets, fireplace, 4 bdrms., 2 baths,

2500+/- sq. ft. MLS#1930699

316 College St. Somerset. 5unit brick apartment. Extremely welll

kept. 1 3 bdrm., 2 bath townhome rentingfor $499/mo. and 4 flats, 2 bdrms., 1 bath,

renting for $399/mo. Renters pay all utilities. City sewer.

MLS#1930740

3606 Clubhouse Dr. Eagle’sNest. Somerset. Custom built two

story classic home with an extra large lot,private back patio and fully landscapedyard. Large family rm., fireplace, den,

extra garage.MLS#1930644

Lot 40 Creekview Dr. SlateBranch area. Somerset. Awesome

mountain views, finished walkoutbasement, granite countertops,

upgraded trim, hardwood, two driveways. MLS#1930720

Lot 97 Allen’s Landing.Somerset. This is an executive stylehome with stone, hardwood, woodedback ot, and walkout basement. This

custom kitchen offers granite countertops.

MLS#1930611

Lot 11 White Tail Run.Somerset. 6000+/- sq. ft. Lake-view,finished basement, stone fireplace,balcony, tile floors, covered back

porch, a stunning foyer, fenced lawn, 9acre lot.

MLS#1930164

Farm & Estate Home 90+/-acres

405 Barnesburg Rd. Somerset. Twobarns, fenced acres, a fireplace, a finishedbasement, a pond, security system, 3 car

garage, so much more!!MLS#1930342

Brand New Listing

Melissa Newman, Knox Countyneighbor publishes five star novel

By SONYA JONESSpecial to The CJ

Our neighbor over in KnoxCounty has published a novel.

Our neighbor’s name isMelissa Newman, and shecurrently serves as director ofthe Union College AlumniAssociation.

Not long ago MelissaNewman was known in theseparts as editor and publisher ofthe London News Journal. Shestarted as a cub reporter andworked her way up.

The title of Newman’s novelis Sister Blackberry, and it’salready posted on amazon.comto a five star rating.

Sister Blackberry is dedicatedto Melissa Newman’s mother,Nellie Louise Martin-Dozier(1936-2001). Newman says shehas papers to prove that almostevery Dozier in the state ofKentucky is related to the nextone, and she’s related to themall.

Readers have madecomments such as, “I couldn’tstop reading this book.” Or, “Itreally ought to be made into afilm.”

Since much of the crucialaction in Sister Blackberry isset on a farm off Hwy. 80, weget the picture early in the bookthat Newman is writing aboutrural Kentucky. Her scenes areset just down the road from us.

When Newman was a child,her family spent many summerdays in a cabin on LakeCumberland near Burnside.Newman says she has strongmemories of our town by thelake, and they show up,transposed to fiction, in hernovel.

Some of Newman’s bestwriting in Sister Blackberrydeals with the Kentuckylandscape. Clearly, she lovesthe state’s mountains andlakes.

Sister Blackberry is amystery, so it would be unfairto you, the reader, to divulge

the plot fully – or all of thesecrets that drive the story line.

Suffice it to say that wordssuch as “compelling” and“gripping” manage to conveysome of the urgency Newmanpacks into the story of Doris,who runs away to Cleveland totry and escape the cruelty ofgossip leveled at her becauseshe is different.

Doris eventually comes backhome to Rayes County with herhusband Freeman. Before theydrive back south, however, weget to meet a host of interestingcharacters in Madessy’s dinerwhere Doris, known up northas the royal “Miss Deegee,” andFreeman, an affectionate andclumsy intellectual who knowsmost everything aboutliterature, meet. Their comingtogether is one of the mosttouching moments inpostmodern fiction.

Told primarily through theeyes of 87-year-old ViolaGarland, or Mamaw, Newman’snovel may remind readers ofthe high days of the SouthernLiterary Renaissance whenRobert Penn Warren, whohailed from Guthrie, Ky., waswielding his pen.

Sister Blackberry is multi-generational, and whatunforgettable charactersNewman doth create with herear for Southern speech andlyrical prose.

Newman’s sense of humorhelps to leaven a situation thatcould be overly dramaticwithout a little laughter to helpthe granddaughters digest thelast tall tale their Mamaw hasin store for them.

Mamaw doesn’t get to playthe last card, however, as asheriff named Rosen steps in totrick her into thinking that thebody that has been discoveredafter 60 years’ duration is awoman instead of a man.

Improbable as it may sound,Mamaw stole a baby half acentury ago that prompted themurder of the child’s abusingfather. Out of love for thechild’s mother, her good friend,Janie Cole who is murdered ina fit of rage by her husbandBick, Viola raised the child,who turns out to be Doris, asher own.

Viola and Janie werepregnant at the same time, butViola’s child was stillborn.When a Pentecostal ministertried to kill Janie’s babybecause she was born“deformed,” Viola stepped in tosave the child’s life. She carriedthis secret with her into anursing home where, at longlast, she felt compelled to sharethe truth with hergranddaughters.

Melissa Newman draws fromthe time-honored Southerntradition of using characterswho differ from Mr. and Mrs.Main Street to say that “theheart is a lonely hunter” in itssearch for acceptance and love.

Langley, for instance, isstraight from the pages of thesmall town South with its loveof the Gothic. He is a gender-bender for certain, and it is hishonesty in seeking to return a$2 bill that puts him in a

position to become a hero in thenovel.

Newman’s shifts in timeframe, from 1936 to thepresent, work to fortify thestructure of the book. Herpacing is excellent. Her abilityto hold the reader’s attentionnever sags.

Newman is scheduled to holda book signing at Joseph BethBooksellers in Lexington Greenon Saturday, Jan. 16, at 2 p.m.If you want your copy of SisterBlackberry sooner, or if youneed a last minute holiday gift,you can order Sister

Blackberry, published byWhiskey Creek Press, fromamazon.com and get yourpackage back in two days bypriority mail. If you don’t readanother book in the new year,treat yourself to this one. SisterBlackberry is a delicious feastof Southern speech and easternKentucky culture, a mysteriousunfolding of the heart’s abilityto find its way home to love, asEudora Welty once wrote, evenwhen it forgets.

Melissa Newman is thefreshest talent I’ve seen sinceCarson McCullers.

Melissa Newman