"Each chapter is a fresh slice of apple pie, Americana Southern style with East Texas flavor Nova Strickland writes breezy and unconventionally with wit, laughs, and gaiety, often very personally but never without interest.

Thickly scattered, as raisins in a fruitcake, are Strickland's delightful phrases, hilarious remembrances of an unconventional childhood and unique experiences. The book is diverse and excellent entertainment. In it she gives a detailed personal account of her dad, Chester Holts, a legendary county sheriff.

Strickland takes us down memory lane, a trip down a road no longer traveled. A must read, a great gift. I am honored to be included."

Roy Dunn,

The  Record News "Down Life's Highway" Columnist

 -------------------------------------------------------------------

"Once you start 'Bugscuffle...Are We There Yet?' you forget you're reading. You can imagine yourself sitting on the steps of Nova Dee's front porch as she rocks in a chair and tells the tales of her life. She was a child in the Great Depression in Mauriceville, living in a house her daddy built with no running water or electricity or even screens on the windows to keep out the mosquitoes. Then, the family moved "uptown" to the "big city" of Orange and had a bathroom with flush commode and shower. They lived in the downstairs of the Orange County Jail when her daddy became sheriff and inmates sometimes became friends.

Nova Dee Holts Strickland has led a marvelous, charming and funny life. We're lucky she's shared it. Wish we could get some of her momma's homemade cornbread to go with the storytelling."

Margaret Toal

Orange Native and Journalist