A richly rewarding novel about family bonds, the power of words, and the resilience of mothers and daughters in 1930s Appalachia.

The folks in the Kentucky Appalachians are scraping by. Coal mining and hardscrabble know-how are a way of life for these isolated people. But when Amanda Rye, a young widowed mother and traveling packhorse librarian, comes through a mountain community hit hard by the nation's economic collapse, she brings with her hope, courage, and apple pie. Along the way, Amanda takes a shine to the MacInteer family, especially to the gentle Rai; her quick-study daughter, Sass; and Finn, the eldest son who's easy to warm to. They remind Amanda of her childhood and her parents with whom she longs to be reconciled.

Her connection with the MacInteers deepens, and Amanda shares with them a dangerous secret from her past. When that secret catches up with Amanda in the present, she, Rai, Sass, and Finn find their lives intersecting--and threatened--in the most unexpected ways. Now they must come together as the truth lights a path toward survival, mountain justice, forgiveness, and hope.

Blaylock, Bonnie

After changing locations frequently in a military family, Bonnie Blaylock finally put down roots in Tennessee, where she co-owned a veterinary practice with her husband for twenty years. They live on a small-acre farm where they raise chickens, donkeys, and bees, and they achieved a family goal to travel to all fifty states before their children graduated. Bonnie writes about the South, family, growth, and more on her personal blog and is a contributing writer for various online publications. A graduate of the University of Tennessee, she lives near Nashville. Learn more at www.bonnieblaylock.com.