An Old Familiar Place

Christmas Eve, 2015 To be nearing the end of another Novel of the Old South is a great feeling. I’m sharing a small piece with you in hopes that you will become as excited about this book as I am. It is the sequel to Rachel, After the Darkness, and part of the series , The Mississippi Boys, Isaac's House,  and JOAB. Many of you expressed your feelings about Rachel . You didn’t want it to end. I knew when I wrote the last chapter that it would have to be continued, which suited me fine. I should be finished with the manuscript in less than two weeks. Then for the hard edit, which will take some more time. And the publishing process—well, I cannot put a timeline to that. As soon as it goes to the publisher, I will begin preparing for a month of signings from Memphis to the Mississippi Delta to the Hills of Northeast Mississippi, where I will be at home! Portions of Chapter Nine Light in the Darkness The clock in the hall ticked away at the Jamison farm; Jessie, a nervous wre...

Rachel, After the Darkness— The exhausting job of proofing the book block and cover copy is over, and soon I will see the final proofs before we call this book published! I can hardly wait. This is not easy. The worst part is handing it back to the publisher for the final dip. It has my blood, sweat and tears all over it. There is at least one error in every book that has ever been published, but I crave a perfect book. To clear my personal hang-ups, I went to the shelves at Barnes and Noble and laid my hand on Gone With The Wind . I own a copy of this timeless tome, but I wanted to do it this way, so I opened it, and you know the intimidation of a book designed with two columns on a page, like The Complete and Unabridged Works of  Flavius Josephus ! Yes, I opened it to the middle part of the book and, low and behold, a mistake on that very page. I looked no further. I was convinced. So if you go searching my book for a mistake, please don't tell me. ...

I'm at the finish line with Rachel, After the Darkness . It is all with the publisher, and I am now at their mercy for a beautiful book block and cover. I can hardly wait. It's always fun to watch this part of the process unfold and to see the splendid handiwork of the design team. I do love my publisher! Here's a little excerpt from the story. I hope it will make you thirst for more! By Far the Greatest Rachel glanced toward the door where she had left the dress on the wood hanger her mother had packed in the side of the big box. She knew I would have no way of hanging it, thought Rachel. Madeleine Beauregard does think of everything. Rachel touched it again, lost in the feel of luxurious fabric, the fragrance of store-bought finery. Her head was spinning from the sudden eruption of a thousand possibilities. In an anxious moment, she removed the skirt from the hanger and slipped it to her slender waist, then the jacket, fastening the long row of covered butt...