My soon-to-release novel, When Silence Sings, is set in part in Thurmond, WV. While there’s plenty to make this southern WV town interesting, one of the main things is that in the early 1900s it was a rich boom town. Today, it’s essentially a ghost town owned largely by the National Park Service. Of course, the thing that’s nifty about […]
My next full-length novel will release on November 5–less than two months away now. I’m excited to introduce readers to the Harpes and McLeans–feuding families in southern West Virginia. I found it oddly refreshing to write a character who’s . . . well . . . a little bit terrible. Inventing Serepta McLean was the most fun I’ve had writing […]
I’m so excited! I’ve had the opportunity to teach classes at several regional writing conferences and book festivals (this past weekend I taught at a Pennwriters event in Leesburg, Va.). I really enjoy sharing the tips and tricks I’ve learned and hearing from writers at all different stages of the process. I’m always excited about leading a class. But I’m […]
I’m super excited to be appearing at the 2019 SIBA Discovery Show in Spartanburg, SC, this September. (That’s the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance.) The event is primarily for independent booksellers from throughout the south who come to learn best practices and to hear what’s new in Southern fiction. And since I have a story releasing in November–that would be something […]
It was 89 years ago today. The notorious Dunglen Hotel in Thurmond, WV, burned in what was then reported to be faulty wiring, but is generally believed to be an act of arson. Although–to this day–the arsonist has never been named. The popularity of the Dunglen may have had something to do with the fact that it served alcohol–which was […]
It’s been five years since Miracle in a Dry Season first hit store shelves. Giddy days, those! And while I’ve been fortunate to see more stories published (and others yet to come), that first novel is the one that will always hold a dear place in my heart. And somehow, even after five years, readers keep falling in love with […]
I was joking around with a librarian friend about how working a day job really cuts into my readerly and writerly activities. A regular job means I have less time to read, write, go to conferences, and just hang out with friends talking about books! She offered to write me a note to give to my boss if I need […]
