As some of you may know, I started writing novels a few years ago and I have now finished my fourth novel. It is a story based on my grandparents' early marriage and it's very dear to my heart, so I am shopping it around to agents in hopes of getting it published traditionally. I am proud of my first three novels, though, as they represent a lot of time and effort, and more importantly many readers told me how much they enjoyed my books, which is really important. I have been a book lover most of my life and I love how books can transport someone to another world. It's sort of like taking a mental vacation -- and much cheaper than a real vacation, especially right now. I thought I'd give brief explanations of my first three novels and link to them on Amazon, so you can order copies if you like...
Dee
Ghosts in the Garden City
I started writing this about five years ago and it quickly sort of took over my life. I would find myself thinking about the characters while washing dishes or walking the dog, and, well, let's just say a lot of food got burned because of my preoccupation. It's set partially in Atlanta [where I live now] and partially in Augusta, Georgia, the city of my birth. When I got it finished I gave it to my mom to read and she read it in one afternoon! It is a full-lenth novel but Mom was a fast reader. She said "It's as good as any book I've ever read that was published traditionally!" She read a LOT, her whole life. She didn't like stories with ghosts or supernatural elements but she said those parts of the story didn't bother her. It's not a "religious" book in any traditional sense, but it's a book basically about forgiveness, and she liked that aspect of it.
I could see Selena Gomez as Leigh and Kit Harrington as her boyfriend. The role of Leigh's mother is really juicy and Jennifer Anniston would be awesome as her mother. Halle Berry would be awesome as her grandmother; not that she looks that old but because most of that story is set in the 1930's and 1940's. There's a terrific role for a Leigh's aunt, and I could see Susan Kelechi Watson in that role. [Yes, I confess that in my idle moments I picture all my favorite actors and actresses in movies made from my books!]
Plot:
Months after her father’s death, Leigh Harrington inherits from him a suitcase containing old clothes and other items owned by his mother, Rose, the grandmother Leigh never met. It appears that Rose secretly gave birth to a child in 1942 that was not her husband’s child. Leigh sets out to learn what happened to that child. Leigh soon realizes the contents of the suitcase also tie in to her need to uncover a traumatic memory from her childhood that ultimately resulted in her parents’ bitter divorce.
While she is looking for answers, Leigh uncovers a long-hidden secret about her family that greatly affects her already-strained relationship with her mother, a social butterfly who has never had much time for her daughter. Leigh also falls in love with Jack, the investigator she hires to help her find answers.
Fun Fact: When I was designing the cover I asked my cousin Linda to take a photo of a particular old home in Acworth, Georgia, and Linda kindly went over and snapped a ton of photos. I sent her mother a copy of the book, and her mother called me and told me that some of her cousins lived in the house many years ago and she had visited them there many times! Linda and I no idea about that. It's now a wedding venue called The Cedars.
Click HERE to order Ghosts in the Garden City.
Leaf Season
The main character of Leaf Season is a lawyer in his 50's so it's pretty easy to see where I got my inspiration. It's set mostly in the North Georgia mountains, an area I love. Leaf Season is not easily categorized because it's basically a mystery and a love story and a ghost story. I am proud of the fact that the love story involves people in their 50's because that's not too common. I would love to see it made into a series for Amazon or Netflix or Hulu. There would be lots of great roles for older actors and actresses. I can see Wyatt being played by Brad Pitt and Sally by Julia Roberts or Sandra Bullock. There's a character named Roberta who is sort of comic relief and Kathy Bates would be wonderful in the role -- and I was picturing her as I wrote it.
Plot:
When two young teens meet in 1975 neither one realizes it’s a momentous day. Wyatt is visiting next door when Sally spies him and instantly develops a mad crush. After that first meeting, though, many years and miles separate them.
Wyatt grows up affluent in Atlanta. Sally grows up working class in the mountains. Wyatt and Sally spend years apart, but then a sudden death draws them together and Wyatt returns to the mountain house. Wyatt and Sally ponder several mysteries. Why did Wyatt's uncle die behind a high wall at the family home place? Is the home place, built before the Civil War, haunted? What is in the secret cellar?
After years of trying to forget the lanky blonde boy, when she runs into Wyatt again, Sally's life feels like it’s filled not only with questions, but also with possibilities. Wyatt finds himself drawn to Sally, and to the peace of the Blue Ridge Mountains, but life gets in the way. A runaway teenager and the town busybody create issues for Sally. Ghosts, gossip, extrasensory powers, messy legal problems and a death further separate Wyatt and Sally. Can they overcome the obstacles and make peace with their complex and painful pasts? Can they sustain their love despite the painful baggage they both carry? Can they find peace in the mountain town that seems so tranquil but actually holds so many secrets?
Fun Fact: One of my cousins on Dad's side used to own an old hotel in Clayton Georgia and I set the novel in that same area because I know it pretty well. I have cousins on Mom's side who live nearby.
You can order Leaf Season HERE.
Heart of My Own Heart
I have always loved stories about time travel and about witches. I think in centuries past women were often branded as "witches" when they were not bad or evil at all, but because they had knowledge of how to cure illness with herbs and that was considered dangerous and pagan by the church. I think sometimes women were labeled as "witches" just because they were very smart, and/or they dared to question their role in society.
I am also fascinated with English History, particularly with Elizabeth I. She transformed England into a stable and prosperous country, and started it on its path to becoming a true empire, and she was brilliant and complex. She is a character in my book, as well as Dr. John Dee, who was a real person, a close advisor and astrologer to Elizabeth.
To continue with my little daydreams about movies made from my books, I would love to see a movie or miniseries based on this and starring Reese Witherspoon or Amy Adams as Sarah and Jonny Lee Miller as Azor. There are many great roles for actors and actresses in this one.
Plot:
Sarah Walker is a village wise woman in Elizabethan England. She leads a quiet life as a village midwife and healer until the terrible day when Matthew Hopkins, a notorious witch-hunter, rides into her village. Suddenly, Sarah's life is in danger. After a terrible loss, Sarah journeys to the New World. America proves to be a place of renewal, as Sarah is able to rebuild her life there.
On the eve of the Salem Witch Trials, Sarah escapes through time and journeys to 1770's South Carolina. There she finds her descendant Ann, and she becomes Ann's governess. Ann's family holds terrible secrets, though, and Sarah finds herself trying to protect Ann. Her next time jump holds more challenges. In 1864 Sarah has to contend with the dangers of the Civil War and its aftermath in rural Georgia, hunger and deprivation, and the threats of a devious sorcerer. Sarah’s descendant Mary is an extraordinary young witch, though, and Sarah delights in Mary’s skills.
Throughout all her journeys, a dark man, who Sarah believes is a demon, shows up in every location. Not knowing anything about him, he terrifies Sarah, until finally she cannot avoid a confrontation in the twentieth century. What he reveals shakes Sarah to her core, disclosing a terrible betrayal.
After more than four hundred years of traveling through time to guide and nurture her descendants, can Sarah protect her newest and most vulnerable descendant in 1914? Can she find true love? Can she overcome her biggest challenge in four centuries, when confronted with a fellow time traveler?
Fun Fact: One of my cousins on my Dad's side who has an interest in geneaology traced our history back to John of Gaunt, which means I am related to Elizabeth I and many English kings and queens. I may also be related to Thomas Jefferson, Georgia Washington, and Robert E. Lee. However, another cousin thinks the research on that is unreliable and we may not be connected at all.
You can order Heart of My Own Heart HERE
