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| Southern historical fiction |
"The protagonist's voice was so unique, vivid and 'real' that I found I wanted to know her story... I loved the world I found myself in."
-Nhys Glover, romance author
"A strong novel from the busy brain of a born storyteller - Southern Fiction at its truest."
Nora Cravis, a quirky and curious young woman, experiences life in Granville County, North Carolina, with her family. Unable to conform to the expectations of an early twentieth century woman, Nora struggles to maintain a meaningful relationship with her parents after her younger sister, Shailene, disappears. While trying to reconcile the devastation of her loss and care for an ailing husband, clues soon emerge, leading Nora down a murky path of family secrets to a lover's betrayal.
Had you asked me before I married Rathe, before she left us, what the world was like, I would have said God shaped the moon in the likeness of Shailene's full cheeks. I would have been careless not to mention the delicate touch of her fingers on the material she so often sewed with Momma in the glorious light of the front window. How her giggle pulled a shadow of a smile from our daddy when I said something terrible under my breath.
Shailene and I spent our nights counting stars, wishing on the ones we thought went most overlooked. And when the world flipped inside out, it stole Shailene and all the stars, leaving me in a frightful darkness. I became a different person without a moon for balance.
EXCERPT
We ran outside to the front lawn as my daddy and brothers rode up. The dust the horses riled up was almost suffocating this early, when the soft aroma of the morning dew was still fresh.
"What is it, Daddy?"
It felt like everything was frozen in time. Nobody spoke. They looked practically too scared to move. All except Daddy. He was the only one to dismount.
I asked, "Where did you find her?" He closed the distance between us until he was standing directly in front of me. "You did find her." I didn't know if I was saying it as a question or an order.
His lip trembled.
I began shaking my head. "No. You wouldn't stop looking if you didn't find her, Daddy. Tell me you found her."
He grabbed me into his arms so I couldn't see the shame in his eyes.
"We found her satchel. By the pond. The deep one."
I tried to keep my tone neutral. "That don't mean nothing."
"James found one of her shoes along the bank."
I began shaking my head frantically. "No."
When he spoke next, I heard it. I heard his worst fear coming to life when he said, tight-jawed, "Looks to be she fell in."
"No!" I wailed into his shoulder. "No!"
He refused to let go, squeezing as my body convulsed with grief.
"She can swim," I promised over and over again.
"Not like you and your brothers." He held me by my shoulders and looked me in the eyes. "You do understand, don't you? You know what I'm telling you, don't you, Nora?"
I tore from his grip. Through gritted teeth, I raised my head and stared right through him. "You're telling me lies. You're a liar."
Before he could finish saying, "I ain't," I sprinted through the yard, hopping the fence, and ran to my mare, Brownie.
A fire ripped through my mind, burning every part of who I was. Possessed by rage, I screamed, "Liars!"
Before anyone could stop me, Brownie jumped the fence and we sped down the road faster than I'd ever ridden. Things passed by like flashes of lightning. The wind ripped at my eyes. And when I heard voices screaming behind me, it only made us take off so fast I thought we'd start flying any second.
