This photo is of a WV friend’s granddaughter. But she fits my idea of Gentry perfectly!

Once upon a time, when I signed a new contract, I’d get a serious looking packet in the mail with lots of legalese. Once satisfied, I’d sign the contract with my favorite pen and mail it back to the publisher for a countersignature.

These days, I get a digital packet to read through and electronically sign. Which makes it tough to take a fun “Signing my new contract” photo! I guess I could do a shot of my finger hitting ENTER on the keyboard. But it’s not the same.

All of which is to say . . . I’ve signed with Bethany House to write two more novels!

The first is slated to release in April 2024 and the second in 2025. I know, it feels like a long way off, but it takes me a minute to write one of these. In the meantime, here’s a peek at what the first novel is about:

BOOK #1 – Set in Asheville, NC, in the early nineteen hundreds (teens and twenties), the story follows Lorna, a gifted weaver working for Biltmore Estate Industries. There’s also her fiery, young apprentice, Gentry, and solid, dependable Arthur who heads up woodworking for BEI. The great flood of 1916 plays a significant role and while this is NOT a book about Biltmore Estate, the Vanderbilts and their amazing house and property won’t be left out! Oh, and Grove Park Inn gets some time on the page as well!

I worked for Biltmore Estate for six years in the public relations department, so it’s fun for me to revisit. I didn’t think I’d ever set a book at Biltmore since my Appalachian fiction focuses on the everyday folks in the region. But Biltmore Industries offers a fascinating way for me to have my cake and eat it too! I’m learning all about weaving, woodworking, and the dulcimer. Pray I don’t get pulled down too many rabbit holes . . .