The Dream Bucket

Mary Lou Cheatham

Fundamental Principles of Life 

The Dream Bucket shows life in a simpler time–1909–and yet the Cameron family’s problems resemble those we face today when things go wrong. This novel, told from two points of view, portrays mystery, romance, grief, and courage.

Special Recognition 

International Writers Alive Contest Winner

Audio Creation Exchange Stipend Recipient

(ACX)

Qualified Independently Published Status for Author

(QIP, ACFW)

 

 

Living in a Shack

As long as she can remember, Trudy Cameron has adored Papa, who calls her his little princess. In the night when the moon is going down, she hears her father abuse her mother in the next bedroom. All Zoe, her mother, wants to know is where he has stored the family fortune.  Trudy realizes William Cameron is less of a person than she had believed. She wishes he would die. While she is at school, the family home burns, and Papa dies in the fire.

Her mother takes Trudy and her brother Billy Jack (Will) to live in a sharecroppers’ shack, and they struggle to survive with no money. Predators, both human and animal, threaten the family. A gentle neighbor stands by. Kind people from the town of Taylorsburg help as much as Zoe will allow

One of the Unforgettable Subplots of The Dream Bucket

A coalminer named Elvin leaves his wife, children, and father-in-law in Paradise, Kentucky, to go pick oranges in Florida. On the way, he jumps off the train in south Mississippi, where he meets Zoe Cameron, Trudy’s mother.

The Sequel to The Dream Bucket 

Readers have said they wanted to know what happened to the family next.  Manuela Blayne  is a short book told in first person from Trudy’s poing of view. Readers who love The Dream Bucket need to purchase  Manuela Blayne.