Author's newly published book becomes first Story Book Trail tome

Jul. 4—Cathy Anderson Jones was once known as the Rhyme Time Storyteller, acting out the stories she had written in front of entire schools' worth of students.

But before that, the Ohio native admits she was too shy to preform even in front of her husband.

She started writing, she said, at the age of 19, just after getting married and after accepting Jesus as her savior.

Her husband, Tom, would work third shift, and when he'd come home she would tell him, "I've written a song, do you want to hear it?"

He would say yes, and then she would say, "You have to get behind the door."

And that's how she would sing to him, with him standing behind the bedroom door so she couldn't actually see him.

It might seem a bit of a change, going from that to not only reading her stories to classrooms, but actively signing autographs of her book during the grand opening of the Readers to Leaders Story Book Trail in Eubank Park on Saturday.

But, then again, she will admit she's had a few years to gain some confidence.

"I'm not trying to be rich or famous. I'm just trying, as a senior citizen now," — and here she laughs a bit — "to fulfill my bucket list and get a little book out here and there. I shared them through schools for all these years, and it'd just be a shame for them to sit on the shelf now."

"Flowers of White" is Jones' second published book, which was only released this spring. Her first was written and illustrated by Jean Ann Cossey more than 20 years ago.

Because it had been so long since she wrote that first book, Jones and Cossey decided to update it. Then, while working on that project, Cossey asked Jones if she wanted Cossey to finally finish up "Flowers of White" while she was at it. She had started it many years ago, but hadn't completed it.

Now, the newly published "Flowers of White" has been printed out in large sheets and added to the wooden plaques that adorn a section of Eubank Park's walking trail.

That project, the Readers to Leaders Story Book Trail, was taken on by the Leadership Lake Cumberland Class of 2020. In just a few short months, that leadership class has brought one story book trail to life, and is looking to put up even more, at Cole, Rocky Hollow, Firebrook, Shopville, White Lily and Woodstock parks, plus possibly a few more.

When asked how she felt about participating in the trail, Jones responded, "I can't tell you how humbled [I am], and what joy it brings me to know that children and families will be sharing this story. I don't have the words. I'm just thrilled about it, to be able to share this way."

Jones said when she was contacted about participating in the trail, she said she got the call just as she was getting ready to leave the house.

"I got in my car, and I just started praising God for letting me share in that way, and I had tears running down my face. It just blessed me so much."

She wrote the story down when her now 41-year-old daughter Amanda was still a child. She said "Flowers of White" was a true story, based on something her daughter said.

Jones said one day, Amanda saw flowers in a tree, and she was excited about them.

Jones explained that the flowers would bring apples.

A few days later, the flowers were all on the ground and Amanda started crying. "She says, 'Momma, the flowers are on the ground, there won't be any apples.' and I said, 'Oh, you'll be surprised. Climb up in the tree, you'll see there'll be little apples.'"

And, of course, there were.

"When I went to sit down and write this story," Jones said, "I had written a lot of bible stories for my Sunday School class, and then the Lord just put it on my heart to just to see what I could do on my own."

Then one day, she was invited to tell a story to a class at a school, and her love of storytelling grew until she was going to many different schools, libraries and events with her tales.

"But then, the kids always wanted a book. They'd say, 'I'm going to go to the library and get all your stories.' And I would say, 'Honey, I'm a storyteller, I don't really have the books yet. I hope one day that I will.'"

That's why she published her first book all those years ago, just so children would have something to take home with them.

Now that Jones has more time, she said she plans to work on more books, with the next planned one to be "The Grumpburger," again based on a story she told to school kids years ago.

"It's just my hopes and dreams to be able to make enough money to get my next book out, and then the next one," she said.

While she and her husband are both originally from Ohio, she said her husband's father's family is from this area, or from "Jones Holler," as she put it.

"Flower of White" will be available on the story book trail in Eubank Park for the foreseeable future. Leadership class representative Jessica Carlton said the hope was to be able to switch out books on each trail once per quarter, with some books being rotated around to future trails.