Hello, reader friends! We are celebrating the release of small-town southern contemporary novel, The Cedar Key by Stephenia H. McGee with a quirky quiz and review!
about the author
Best-selling author of Christian novels, Stephenia H. McGee writes stories of faith, hope, and healing set in the Deep South. When she’s not twirling around in hoop skirts, reading, or sipping sweet tea on the front porch, she’s a homeschool mom of two boys, writer, dreamer, and husband spoiler.
Visit her website and be sure to sign up for the newsletter to get sneak peeks, behind the scenes fun, the occasional recipe, and special offers! Connect with Stephenia on facebook and you’re invited to join Stephenia H. McGee’s Faithful Reader Team to learn the latest about her writing and chat about book-related topics. Or follow her on twitter or instagram!
5 Ways to Know if You’re Small Town Quirky
with Stephenia H. McGee
Ready? Let’s play a game!
1 point for each quirk that applies to you…
2 points if you’re a quirky upgrade for that number and…
3 points if you landed in “quirky expert” territory.
#1 – You know the name of everyone in your graduating class.
Quirky upgrade: You know the names of everyone in your high school.
Quirky expert: You know the first and last names of everyone in the school and how they are all related.
B: Okay, I have to hop in here and play along because I am a small-town girl (and I love quizzes)! I only get 2 points here because I can’t keep all the relations straight for the life of me.
#2 – You’re a geographical oddity. Two weeks from everywhere. Okay, so maybe not two weeks. But if you have to drive 30 min or more to get to a Walmart, Target, chain restaurant, or a town with more than one gas station…you might be small town. Where’s the quirky? Well, if you complain about the fact that you have to drive that far while at the same time glad that you aren’t living right next to a box store…you may have found your quirky.
Quirky upgrade: You bought all your groceries at the Dollar General just to avoid the drive to an actual grocery store.
Quirky expert: You bought all your groceries at a gas station for the same reason.
B: Again, 2 points… Our village just got a DG a couple of years ago and it has been life-changing! I refused to grocery shop at the gas station because the prices are outrageous.
#3 Being stuck behind a piece of farming equipment is a valid excuse to be late to any event.
Quirky upgrade: You’ve driven that piece of equipment to an event that has nothing to do with farming.
Quirky expert: You rode said piece of equipment away from your wedding venue.
B: I only get one point here unless a riding lawnmower counts. I grew up in town and although we’re living in the country now, my husband is the one who drives the yard tractor into town should the need arise.
#4 When people ask you where you live, you start the sentence with “just outside of…” because that’s your only hope of them having any idea what you’re talking about.
Quirky upgrade: You are actually more than an hour away from the city you mentioned, but no one would know the difference.
Quirky expert: Forget mentioning a city. Just tell them which region of the state you live in.
B: Yay! 3 points! I’m from southern Illinois! If folks recognize that, I’ll mention Evansville, Indiana (over an hour away).
#5 You’ve attended a party in a field.
Quirky upgrade: It’s a field fenced off for some kind of livestock.
Quirky expert: The owner of said field threatened to shoot if you didn’t hightail it out of there.
B: No points for me here, I’d rather be reading, lol! My husband would probably qualify for those quirky expert points back in our high school days though.
Quirky 1 point bonus: You’ve gotten mad that someone referred to a town with a population of over 10,000 as “small.”
B: YES! We don’t even have that many folks in our entire county!
How’d you score? 1 point for each quirk that applies to you. 2 points if you’re quirky upgrade for that number and 3 points if you landed in “quirky expert” territory. Tally your score and leave it in the comments.
B: This quiz was so much fun! I only earned 9 points but I know lots of folks in my community would easily get a dozen or more, lol! Thank you so much for sharing some small-town quirky fun with us, Stephenia!
about the book
The Cedar Key by Stephenia H. McGee
Could the key to Casey’s future be hidden in someone else’s past?
Casey Adams unexpectedly inherits an old Victorian house full of other people’s memories. Stuck in a quirky little Mississippi town, Casey’s hope for a fresh start died as soon she had to lay the grandmother she’d just met to rest.
But Grandma Ida carried secrets beyond the grave.
Before her death Ida carefully planned a trail of clues to help Casey unlock the Macintyre family secrets and finally explain why they abandoned her. But each of Ida’s letters will only come from Casey’s handsome—and often frustrating—new neighbor.
As Casey pieces together the stories behind the objects filling her grandmother’s house, she embarks on a heart-stirring journey that rattles her foundations, ignites her faith, and leads her to a startling discovery that will reshape her future.
But only if she can face the lies that have been slowly tearing her apart.
my thoughts
Fans of small towns and/or all things southern need to pick up this charming, authentic, and faith-filled story. Don’t be surprised if this reading experience inspires you to make a casserole and share it with your neighbor.
Casey has had a truly rough go at life due to circumstances both out of her control and most recently of her own making. Her struggles and abruptly immersive introduction to small-town southern hospitality send her on an emotional rollercoaster which leads to the sweetest spiritual journey and promising conclusion.
I just want to sincerely bless her heart, bake her a batch of cookies, and wrap her in a big overly long hug. If you live in a small rural community or you’ve ever been remotely curious about folks who do, I highly recommend The Cedar Key by Stephenia H. McGee.
I borrowed this book through the Kindle Unlimited program and was under no obligation to post a review. The opinions expressed are my own.
The Accidental Spy series
Ironwood Plantation Family Saga
also available
giveaway
Leave your small-town quirky score in the comments! One winner will receive a digital prize pack from Stephenia H. McGee including an ebook copy of The Cedar Key, The Cedar Key recipe booklet pdf, The Cedar Key coloring sheet pdf, and Bible verse printables!
ends 10/31 | giveaway policy
enter giveaway here
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js
How small-town quirky are you, reader friends?!
Be sure to add The Cedar Key by Stephenia H. McGee to your tbr!
Faithfully Bookish 
Well, our town isn’t as small as that, but it’s still not too big. I only got 3 points. My husband’s from a town of about 250 with no store and no gas station. It’s several miles to the gas station and 15 miles to small towns in either direction.
Thanks for the laugh!
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I’m from a small town of around 3,000. So, small but not tiny. I only got one point on the quiz. If it hadn’t been so long since I was in high school, I could have gotten a point for knowing the names of everyone in my class. I certainly couldn’t name them now. The Cedar Key sounds interesting to me since I’ve always liked old Victorian houses. It’s also intriguing because of the clues to family secrets. Thanks for the giveaway.
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I only got one point. The town I live in as a retiree is 45 minutes from Springfield, Missouri.
I grew up in a village that was very close to a 60,000 population city, near Chicago.
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Thanks for playing along, Winnie!
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Thanks, Pam!
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I got 8 points in the quiz but was fun.
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That was fun! I scored 6, being from a community of about 250 people (ranching/farming area) which was about 8 miles from a town (county seat) of 3000 people. I have two of your historical books, which I certainly enjoyed.
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I proudly score 2 points. Where i live always need an explanation.
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I got a five, I think. Fun quiz, thanks for sharing and for the chance to win!
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I only got 3 & I thought I grew up in a small town! 😉
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I’m a southern Illinois girl myself originally so what a nice surprise! I’ve been seeing lots of buzz about this book. Definitely adding it to my TBR list!
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