Something New Is Nearly Ready

One more chat before the porch light comes on.

There is a particular kind of anticipation that comes just before something good arrives.

Not the hurried sort.
Not the loud sort.
But the steady, warm kind — like setting an extra cup on the table because you know someone will soon be coming by.

That is where we are today.

Next Saturday — January 24 — The Hearth & Holler Gazette will make its first appearance here on The Writing Pages! And before it does, this felt like the right moment to pause, take a breath, and talk plainly about what it is, who it is for, and just as importantly, what it is not.

What’s Nearly Ready

At its heart, The Hearth & Holler Gazette is a weekly Saturday morning visit.

A small-town paper from a gentler place and time — filled with short pieces meant to be read slowly, smiled over, and enjoyed with a warm cup of coffee or tea for a moment before moving on with your day.

The Hearth & Holler Gazette is a fictional paper, created for enjoyment and relaxation, drawn from the characters and places of Little Red Bear’s Honey Hill Country.

Each issue will include familiar sections you can come to expect:

— lighthearted community tidings
— gentle humor and country chuckles
— a heartwarming piece from the Heart of the Holler
— and a closing reflection meant to leave you steadier than when you arrived

Nothing long.
Nothing demanding.
Just enough to feel like we passed a little time together.

Who It’s For

This Gazette is for readers who enjoy:

— quiet, comforting storytelling
— old-fashioned newspaper charm
— a sense of place and neighborliness
— kindness without preaching
— imagination without noise

It is for those who like to read with a moment, not race through one.

And What It Is Not

It is not a newsletter competing for attention.
It is not a commitment you must keep up with.
It is not something being sold to you, nor another thing to keep track of.

There are no subscriptions to purchase.
No ads or promotions to navigate.
No extras you must chase down.
No pressure to do anything at all.

If a week comes when you read it — wonderful.
If a week comes when you do not — it will be there when you return.

A Peek at Who You’ll Be Hearing From

Before launch day arrives, it felt right to linger a moment with two familiar figures you will soon be encountering regularly in the pages of the Gazette — each bringing a very different way of seeing the same small world.

Rusty the Fairydiddle — Intrepid Red Squirrel Reporter

Rusty the Fairydiddle approaches reporting the way some folks approach life — at a full sprint, eyes wide open, tail flicking, already halfway into the next moment before the current one has finished settling.

Energetic, fast-paced, endlessly curious, and often uncannily good at finding the interesting angle — sometimes before anyone else realizes there is one. Rusty has a habit of being right where things begin, especially when they are about to go sideways, haywire, or belly up. Rusty will be there covering it all.

Now and then, he has also been known to throw a figurative spanner into the works — not out of mischief exactly, but because his enthusiasm occasionally outruns caution. A bit like Little Red Bear in that way. When Rusty reports a story, it often arrives tilted just enough to make you see it differently than you expected.

He brings motion to the page, surprise to the column, and the reminder that not every truth arrives neatly pressed and folded.

Percival “Percy” Puddlesniff —The Gazette’s News Hound

Where Rusty rushes in, Percy arrives with a measured step and a thoughtful pause.

Percival “Percy” Puddlesniff is steady, deliberate, and observant — a news hound with a keen nose and an even keener eye for detail. He notices what lingers, what does not quite add up, and what might deserve one more look before being put into print.

Percy is known to consider a matter from every angle — sometimes twice — ensuring he has the full scent of the story before drawing conclusions. If that means over-analyzing now and then, he would argue it is simply the cost of getting things right.

His reports tend to arrive calm, grounded, and quietly thorough — the sort that reward careful reading and leave little unanswered.

Two Ways of Seeing the Same Story

Together, Rusty and Percy provide something close to a complete picture.

One brings speed, spark, and the unexpected turn.
The other brings steadiness, patience, and careful clarity.

Between them, the Gazette finds its balance — lively without being careless, thoughtful without being dull — each story shaped by both motion and measure.

And that, in many ways, is how the world itself seems to work.

One Small Thing to Know Before Next Saturday

The Gazette will arrive right here, each Saturday morning, free of charge, through The Writing Pages.

To receive it, there is only one simple thing you need to do — being signed up for the blog here so you receive email notifications when new posts go live. That is all. Nothing more is required, now or later.

If you are already signed up, you are all set.
If not, this is a good week to do so — quietly, easily, and without obligation.