Category: the Midwest

Hallmarks’ Merriest Christmas Town 2026 – Carlinville, IL

Published on by Linda Mahkovec - Author2 Comments

What a thrill to hear that my hometown — Carlinville, Il https://www.carlinville.com/ — has been chosen by Hallmark as this year’s Merriest Christmas Town! https://merriestchristmastownscontest.hallmarkchannel.com/

Aerial view of a snow-covered town square illuminated at night, featuring a central gazebo, decorated trees, and surrounding buildings with festive lights.

Santa’s House on the Carlinville town square. Credit: Roger Doolin/TenSixteen Photography

And deservedly so. Carlinville (pop. 5,500) is a charming small town that has always sparkled at Christmastime. Several articles and posts on the Hallmark contest point out unique features that make Carlinville stand out: It’s located on the legendary Route 66, is home to Blackburn College, has the largest collection of Sear’s catalog homes (I was actually born in one!), and is noted for its picturesque town square and gazebo, the “Million-dollar” court house, the Historical Society (Anderson’s Mansion, as we always called it) https://macoupincountyhistoricalsociety.com/, and the list goes on.

I left the town many years ago, but as Longfellow writes, “the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts,” and the heart of the town has always stayed with me. As a writer, it has found its way into most of my stories, in one way or another.

Carlinville and the surrounding area feature largely in my Christmastime WWII series. Though most of the action is set in Manhattan, there is a parallel story line that takes place in a small central Illinois town. I was able to draw on my parents’ memories and stories from their generation — characters such as the old farmhand Ed and the stoic farmer Abe Creight have their origins in a real time and place. Kate and her children, as well as the town itself, are rooted in the people and landscape of my youth. Even the German POW plot line has its genesis in a persistent memory that my mom spoke of now and then.

(See my Pinterest boards “Kate’s Farm” and “Christmas: Rural and Small Town” for nostalgic and picturesque seasonal images: https://www.pinterest.com/lindamahkovec/_saved/)

My novel And So We Dream is even more closely based on Carlinville (renamed Greenberry in the novel). It takes place one summer in 1970 and features scenes of the county fair, the town carnival, the train that runs through the town, Anderson’s Mansion (it was still abandoned back then), bike rides through the country, strolls around Blackburn College and the town square — and the neighborliness and friendliness that is part of small-town charm.

A scenic forest path lined with vibrant purple flowers.

(Here’s a link to a post on the novel with photos I took of Carlinville and the countryside: https://lindamahkovec.com/2022/07/25/summertime-in-greenberry-1970-and-so-we-dream-a-novel/)

Carlinville is a beautiful place to visit spring, summer, and fall. But for a taste of small-town Christmas magic, stop by Carlinville during the holidays and enjoys its many charms!

From NBCChicago.com: “Located between Springfield and St. Louis, Carlinville was recognized for its historic square, which hosts a light-filled holiday ceremony and for the town’s many festivities, which make it a “holiday destination.”

“For years, we’ve heard visitors say Carlinville looks like something straight out of a Hallmark movie, so to have Hallmark itself recognize our town in this way is incredibly exciting,” Karin Doolin, executive director of the Carlinville Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement. “We’re proud of the traditions and community spirit that helped get Carlinville here, and we hope this gives even more people a reason to come experience our town for themselves.”

A beautifully decorated gazebo at night, adorned with festive lights and holiday decorations, surrounded by trees and people enjoying the festive atmosphere.

Carlinville’s annual Christmas Lighting Ceremony in the town square. Credit: Roger Doolin/TenSixteen Photography

The CHRISTMASTIME series – Stories of love and family set on the WWII home front. Paperbacks available on Amazon and B&N (and check your local library).

Ebooks for Christmastime 1939: Prequel to the Christmastime Series – https://a.co/d/fkjgolG and Christmastime 1940: A Love Story are $0.99 for the month of November ( Amazon, B&N, Google Play, Apple, Kobo).

You can also read the prequel, Christmastime 1939 for FREE on Substack: https://lindamahkovec.substack.com

Harvest Time 1947: A Love Story – Book 10 in the Christmastime Series

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The latest book in the Christmastime series, Harvest Time 1947: A Love Story, is now available — just in time for fall! The back cover reads:

It’s October in New York City and fall activities are underway. Gabriel and Billy devise a Halloween event at The Red String Curio Store to help Tommy and Mickey raise funds for summer camp. Lillian embraces her life as an independent illustrator, while her friend Izzy grapples with the new role of motherhood.

On the farm in Illinois, Kate must come to terms with the changes that time inevitably brings, and Ursula finds an unexpected reason for happiness. Meanwhile, one of the sisters-in-law is seeing ghosts! and Jessica is determined to solve the mystery.

The post-war world is a jumble of contradictions. While many still recover from trauma and wounds, others welcome the bright new future with open arms. Through the enduring traditions of the season itself—complete with hayrides and haunted houses, pranks and costumes—lovers, family, friends, and neighbors find a way forward together.

Harvest Time 1947: A Love Story is the first book cover in the Christmastime series to get a new look. The other covers have been designed and will soon be available for purchase. Here’s a sneak peek for you.

I hope you make yourself a cozy drink and sit back to enjoy this fall read.

(Images are from my Pinterest boards —https://www.pinterest.com/lindamahkovec/_saved/ )

Thoughts of spring – Kate’s farm in winter (the Christmastime series)

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At this time of year, I begin to wonder what Kate and her daughters would have done to get through the long, cold winters on the farm. Especially on days when they were snowed in, or the outside world was too frigid for enjoyment.

I imagine Kate would have kept busy with mending and darning and the daily chores of farm life. But I also see her in the kitchen, making something special for her family. An unexpected surprise that would warm the kitchen and fragrance the farmhouse.

In addition to their other chores, Ursula and Jessica would have been busy with weekly laundry and ironing – perhaps remembering springtime clotheslines as they gathered the cold laundry off the line.

As they listened to the radio at night, they might have crocheted or embroidered the flowers they longed for, as a way of creating a bit of springtime.

They would have continued their projects with the dried lavender gathered over the summer, making oils for baths and sachets to fragrance bed linen and nightgowns – a way of encouraging memories of spring before asleep.

I see them all pausing at the windows, searching for color out in the snowy, white world

and imagining the garden in bloom, the beehives full of honey.

Such thoughts might prompt them to make a cup of tea with honey, to warm up and savor the hint of wildflowers.

Maybe they would have gone into town with their brothers to run a few errands and catch up on the local news, finding warmth and vitality in the company of friends and neighbors.

In short, they would have done many of the things they did throughout the year – but everything now would be tinged with a wistful longing for the colors and scents of warmer months. It was second nature to them to bring touches of springtime into their lives and spread a little warmth and sunshine into the heart of winter.

(Though Kate and her family are mentioned in the earlier Christmastime books, the farm plots really blossom beginning in the 1943 book.)

https://a.co/d/dXITJZu

My short, short books.

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My first two books, The Dreams of Youth and Seven Tales of Love, are also my shortest. They can easily be read in an hour or less. They are collections of short stories and sketches that, overall, tell a larger story.

Particularly with The Dreams of Youth. In large part inspired by my mom’s life (though with plenty of creative license taken), six interrelated pieces tell the story of a lifetime in 48 brief pages.

I have a soft spot for these two books. They were compiled years ago on discovering that I could publish my books through Amazon – no agent or publishing house needed (both were first published in 2012, then re-published with indie-author-friendly Bublish in 2016). My lifelong dream of being a writer was now possible, with me in full control! Because I originally wrote them under a pen name (Agnes Irene), I felt free to be a little more creative with the form, mixing sketches with poetry, sometimes using impressionistic language, and tapping into the other eras, particularly WWII.

And in The Dreams of Youth, I used lines from Longfellow’s poem, “My Lost Youth,” as chapter headings. I was always deeply moved by the refrain from that poem – “And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts” – and allowed that inspiration to shape the book. Most of my subsequent books are written in the traditional novel format – except for The Notebooks of Honora Gorman, which is also a compilation.

I don’t often promote my two short books because there isn’t much of a market for them (and to avoid getting negative reviews by people who are disappointed by their length). But for the month of June, I’m lowering the price of The Dreams of Youth to $0.99 in hopes that it will be read and reviewed by readers who are familiar with my style of writing. https://a.co/d/0nIjxUn

To all my readers who have already read and reviewed this book, THANK YOU! And to any new readers, I hope you enjoy it!

https://a.co/d/0nIjxUn – ebook on Amazon. Also available on Google Play, Apple Books, Kobo, and B&N. Soft cover available on Amazon and B&N.

Apple season

Published on by Linda Mahkovec - Author1 Comment

There is something inherently cozy and comforting about apples.

Besides being beautiful and wholesome, they mark the beginning of the fall season — back to school, cooler temperatures, harvest time.

In the Christmastime series, apples abound. In New York City, Lillian packs them for sack lunches, and Mrs. Kuntzman uses them in her baking.

On Kate’s farm in the Midwest — and of course, at Annette’s upstate New York orchard —

apples are grown and turned into foods that can be enjoyed throughout the year, such as apple butter and applesauce.

There are apple pies and apple tarts.

Apple cider and apple cider donuts.

And there is apple picking, and walks through the orchard, where Lillian finds inspiration as an artist.

The fall and harvest time is upon us. Why not indulge in a caramel apple, bake an apple pie, or simply bite into a crisp, flavorful apple.

She is rich who owns the day…

Published on by Linda Mahkovec - AuthorLeave a comment

I recently came across a line (incorrectly attributed to Emerson?) that nevertheless caught my attention: She is rich who owns the day…

I love the sentiment and recognize the same spirit in my character of The Dreams of Youth, a very short collection of stories that tell the larger story of one woman.

These six interrelated pieces tell the story of Maggie, a vibrant individual who is also Everywoman: daughter, dreamer, nurse, friend, wife, mother. Spanning over eighty-five years, they follow her from her youth in Depression-era Illinois to the time when she ventures forth to 1940’s Hollywood and coastal California, and her return to the rural Midwest. Bittersweet and poignant, celebratory and inspiring, these stories portray the exuberance of youth, the delight of friendship, the adventure of going forth into the world, and the disappointment and heartache that are a part of life.

Maggie.

Always running, dreaming, adventurous, and daring.

Where others saw weeds, Maggie saw wishes.

Leafy treetops were enough to fuel her dreams.

And the dream of the ocean sustained her for a lifetime.

https://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Youth-Linda-Mahkovec-ebook/dp/B01N8QK2S7

(All images are from my Pinterest boards.)

Summertime in Greenberry, 1970 (And So We Dream, a novel)

Published on by Linda Mahkovec - Author1 Comment

A nostalgic look at the summers of not so long ago…

(The fictional small town of Greenberry is the setting for my latest novel, And So We Dream.)

Back when watermelons had shiny black seeds set in deep ruby red.

Back when corn was grown in wide discernable rows, “knee-high by the Fourth of July.”

Back when the sky was clear of satellite dishes and cellphone towers, when a bike ride uptown to the concert on the square or to the ice cream shop was high adventure.

And dreams were the soul and sustenance of three teenage girls — Anne, Vita, and Beth — and Joey, the twelve-year-old boy who spends the summer with them.

Coming from Chicago, “Joey thinks of the small town of Greenberry as ‘boyland’ – a world of riding bikes, fishing, going barefoot, and the county fair.”

A place where summer meant vegetables fresh from the garden,

and evenings were for enjoying homemade ice cream with neighbors.

When the days were filled with lemonade stands and swimming,

and all the skies were cotton candy skies.

And the magic of summer came from the belief that everything begins with a dream.

(Images from my Pinterest boards.)

“A brilliantly engaging, entertaining, and at times poignant coming-of-age story, ‘And So We Dream’ is a compelling read … that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after the book is finished and set back upon the shelf. From the author of the ‘Christmastime’ series, ‘And So We Dream‘ is unreservedly recommended…” -the MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW

And So We Dream – my latest novel

Published on by Linda Mahkovec - Author5 Comments

Anne, Vita, Beth. They were hippie girls. Teenagers. Long flowing hair, embroidered peasant tops, long skirts, dangling earrings, bare feet. Pulled one way by the tradition of their small Mid-Western town, another by the promise of the wide world outside.

Twelve-year-old Joey Roland spends the summer with them while his parents “work things out.” He soon discovers that, like the home he left behind in Chicago, the small town of Greenberry is also filled with sadness – loss, betrayal, fears, and disappointment.

The difference is that the three sisters – especially the middle one who pursues the path of acting – teach him how to infuse ordinary life with magic, adventure, and joy.

The result is a summer of transformation, and, for Joey, new-found confidence in his dream path.

(Most images are from my Pinterest boards.)

And So We Dream

Published on by Linda Mahkovec - Author12 Comments

My new novel, And So We Dream, is now available for pre-order on Amazon, Kobo, and iTunes (and will be available on Barnes & Noble and Google Play in a few days,) with a release date of March 1st.

Back cover:

In this coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, a lonely boy finds acceptance when he spends the summer in a loving family with three beautiful daughters.

Twelve-year-old Joey Roland is sent away to family friends while his parents try to work things out. He’s eager to leave sadness and secrets behind in Chicago and head downstate to the small town of Greenberry, where the Vitale family awaits him. He thinks of their town as boyland—a world of bike riding, fishing, and going barefoot. Though initially shy of the teenaged daughters—Anne, Vita, and Beth—they welcome him into their lives of adventure, beauty, and dreams.

Joey especially bonds with the middle sister, Vita, and her all-or-nothing pursuit of an acting career. Joey’s “there must be more” merges with Vita’s “I must make it happen” resulting in a magical summer where the town of Greenberry becomes the crucible for two desperate dreamers.

Though the story is not autobiographical (alas), many of the details are rooted in my life. The fictional small town of Greenberry is based on my hometown of Carlinville, in south-central Illinois, and I was one of three teenaged sisters during the 1970s (along with two younger brothers). At the encouragement–and example–of our mother, we approached life as a wonderful adventure, with each day to be savored, and dreams to be taken seriously and actively pursued.

As with all my books, AND SO WE DREAM is very much about stepping into a world of beauty, wonder, longing, and, ultimately, transformation.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09SK36812