Marilyn McNew Core was born March 2, 1949, in Panama City, Florida. She grew up in Northwest Florida, in the small town of Kinard, Florida. Her father and mother owned and ran a fish camp, charging a whopping $2.00 for one night's stay. Marilyn's mother, Shirley, died of breast cancer at the age of 29, and her father was left a widower with two young children- Marilyn and her brother, George. Marilyn's father had requested that his father and mother come down and run the fish camp business long before the death of Shirley. Thus, his mother, Ola Grace Ferrell McNew, took on the responsibility of caring for Marilyn and George. "Grandma" had some adventures of her own and loved to share her stories. In the small town of Kinard, everyone looked out for their neighbor. Marilyn wrote the book so that her family would learn about her childhood years, but also to honor those caring Kinard neighbors and friends.
