I never intended to write this sequel, yet readers & book club audiences pummeled me with questions. What happened after Annie left town some 80 years ago? Did Hillview ever forgive what she had done? What followed that autumn afternoon by the old stone wall? What about Annie's granddaughter, Dr. KT Winslow? Did she find the smoking gun that eluded her grandmother? What about Noah, Blink, Miss Mittie, and the rest? Oh, my! Some answers were in my head, but another book was not my plan.
The Civil War, Great Depression, Holocaust, WW2, and current times are crucial to tale. Twists, turns, fear, hate, friendship, and revelation take center stage as KT and others face excruciating choices. The saga ends just before Covid strikes - or does it? So much has happened.
WHO LOVES THIS BOOK? Socially conscious women, men, baby boomers, teen girls. Contains mildly colorful language and non-gratuitous violence, but no vulgarity, graphic violence, or sex.
GENRE: TRO blends historical fiction, women's fiction, mystery/thriller/crime fiction, biographical fiction, family saga, black & southern history, Jewish historical fiction, literary fiction, modern fiction, Appalachian fiction. Not a romance novel.
PLAYING IT FORWARD: The Hill family story (African American) is their deliberate pursuit of the American dream - from Civil War days, the Depression, WW2, to current times. The Wessler story (Jewish) is a long/winding one from Europe and comes to small town U.S.A. Hilllview's story is not so simple as Old South versus New South. Ultimately, it is precious friendship and human decency that makes the difference. GEOGRAPHIC SETTINGS: Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina. Pennsylvania, Maryland, Oklahoma. THEMES & TOPICS: Alalia syllabaris (stammering), Anti-Semitism. Authenticity. Bullying. Bluegrass Music. Civil War. Community. Corruption. Courage. Decency. Diversity. Dust Bowl. Dutch Resistance. Elitism. Ethnicity. Fear. Feeblemindedness. Fraud. Friendship. Generosity. Genocide. Great Depression. Historical Preservation. Holocaust. Home Guard. Homicide. Honesty. Hope. Immunization. Inheritance. Interracial Friendship/Love. Jewish Immigration. Jim Crow. Joy. Justice. Isolation. Lost Cause. Materialism. Mortality. Mystery. Nazis. New South. Old Guard. Old South. Peer Pressure. Perseverance. Personal/Social Empowerment. POWs. Pregnancy. Public Health. Quakers. Race/Gender Equality. Rule of Law. Rural Medicine. Scandal. Secrecy. Segregation, Single Parenting. Slavery. Sundown Town. Tragedy. Truth. Underground Railroad. Upward Mobility. NOTE FROM AUTHOR: My shtick is authentic, timely storytelling. Through a cast of entertaining characters, readers encounter some societal issues that currently divide us. As common ground takes form, I hope a few walls may be replaced with bridges - among friends, within families, and within communities. When that happens, there is reason to smile and feel better about the world around us.I'm a proud indie author whose books sell by the 1000s (not millions). I studied creative writing at the University of Oklahoma, taught AP English, and had a successful career with a major publisher, yet it was after my 70th birthday when I wrote my first novel. I by-passed the usual channels and did it my way - thus avoiding the influences of big publishing. Thanks to that decision, the stories 'in my head' actually made it to print - and in my lifetime! Some months, my books turn a profit, and sometimes not. My greatest reward, by far, is interacting with readers - especially those who participate in my free author talks that are available to book clubs and libraries. I hope our paths may cross soon. My website ashfoard.com.
Peace, love, and good reading,
Jane Yearout, author