The Whiskey Bottle in the Wall — Kathleen Valentine

The Whiskey Bottle in the Wall: Secrets of Marienstadt, a novel in eleven stories, is set in the fictional town of Marienstadt, a Pennsylvania Dutch community in the Allegheny Highlands. Marienstadt's vibrant, versatile characters include Father Nick Bauer, the priest who wants to revive local heritage; handsome, sexy Chief of Police Henry Werner; Gretchen Fritz, owner of The Calico Cuckoo Quilting Fabric and Supplies; lovely, elusive strudel artist Lola Eckert; and the huge but reclusive woodsman, Oliver Eberstark. These stories will charm you with their wit, poignancy, and colorful supporting characters including a dance champion turned pig farmer, a nun who runs a snowplow, a shopkeeper building a guillotine, a 17-foot tall fiberglass woodchuck, moonshiners and hippies, woodhicks and chainsaw artists, ladies fighting over dumpling recipes, the multi-generational Winter family, secret identities and secret loves long hidden. Marienstadt and its citizens will tantalize your senses and warm your heart. The Stories 1 - Peeper Baumgratz and the Sister's Snowplow 2 - The Whiskey Bottle in the Wall 3 - The Great Dumpling War and Dance Competition 4 - The Confession of Genny Franck 5 - Drugs, Alcohol, Bacon, Firearms 6 - The Day The Viaduct Blew Down 7 - Of Beautiful Strangers, Woodchucks, and Bearded Ladies 8 - The Legend of Father Cuneo's Grave 9 - The Reluctant Belsnickel of Opelt's Wood 10 - Wapiti 11 - A Long Day's Journey Into Light