Proud of their cousin are Del Rio Elementary School students Amber Wilds, center, and Madelyn Reece, right, both fourth-graders. Their cousin, Robyne Parrish, left, recently published the book, Robbie Lee and the Wilds of Houston Valley, about her grandmother's life in Houston Valley during the Great Depression.

DEL RIO---New York actress and author Robyne Parrish, who has Cocke County roots, delighted students and teachers at Del Rio and Parrottsville Elementary Schools last Friday by telling her audiences about her work as both a performer and writer.

Parrish is the granddaughter of Cocke County native Robbie Lee Wilds Bedenbaugh, who grew up in the Houston Valley community. She recently published a book, 'Robbie Lee and the Wilds of Houston Valley,' a work she terms as "historical fiction," based on the story of her grandmother's family during the days of the Great Depression.

Accompanying Parrish was her mother, Karen Parrish, of Columbia, South Carolina, who read excerpts from her daughter's book to the classes.

"I grew up listening to my grandmother's stories about life in Houston Valley during those days," said Parrish, "and was always fascinated by them. A few years ago I started collecting more detailed accounts of her life here and the result is this book."

Parrish's publishing company, Publish America, selected her work as "Book of the Week," based on sales, reviews, recommendations, and reader interest.

Parrish's visits to Del Rio and Parrottsville brought her into contact with many Wilds relatives who either work at or attend those schools.

While in Cocke County, Parrish also signed books at East Tennessee Coffee Company on Saturday and was one of five authors honored by the Newport-Cocke County Museum at the opening of their new exhibit, "A Gathering of Journalists," on Sunday. Among those attending Sunday's event were Roy D. Brown and Nathan Ford, classmates of Parrish's grandmother.

Parrish's next book, 'Jillian of Peach Creek Stables,' will be released this summer, and she is currently negotiating with publishers for her third book, 'Love, Savannah.'

Parrish describes herself as "raised in the Carolinas by a whole bunch of Southerners from Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina." She currently lives in New York City with her husband James. She holds a BFA in theatre from North Carolina School of the Arts and is currently pursuing her MFA.

"Robbie Lee and the Wilds of Houston Valley," written, she says, in honor of her grandmother, is her first novel.