I always enjoy hosting a Women’s Fiction Day giveaway, but this year is very exciting because I’m giving away a preorder of my debut novel. The Gardins of Edin comes out on January 9, 2024. This giveaway is a little tricky because we haven’t announced a cover or preorders yet, so whoever wins this giveaway will be ahead of the curve. Okay, now let me tell you about the book!
Here’s the description:
Though regarded as a close-knit family and pillars of the community of Edin, Georgia, the four women of the Gardin family privately know their relationships are rapidly fraying. They struggle to hold the family and its multimillion-dollar peanut business together, as a looming crisis threatens the legacy of their formerly enslaved ancestors.
Distrust and misunderstanding plague the women and prevent them from moving forward. Ruth, who married into the family and is still trying to fit in, longs to fulfill her deceased husband’s goals for the company even as she grieves his death. Martha’s jealousy leads to increasing mistrust and tension with Ruth, who wants to take charge of the family enterprise. After failed expectations in New York, Mary struggles to find her place in Edin and wrestles with her sisterly role in addressing Martha’s malicious treatment of Ruth. Naomi, the matriarch who raised the sisters after their parents’ death and supported Ruth in her grief, wants the women to work out their mistrust, hurts, and mistakes. As the Gardin women grapple with mounting relational and business challenges, a fresh health scare brings to light deep wounds. Will they be able to preserve their family legacy and heal? Though regarded as a close-knit family and pillars of the community of Edin, Georgia, the four women of the Gardin family privately know their relationships are rapidly fraying. They struggle to hold the family and its multimillion-dollar peanut business together, as a looming crisis threatens the legacy of their formerly enslaved ancestors.
Distrust and misunderstanding plague the women and prevent them from moving forward. Ruth, who married into the family and is still trying to fit in, longs to fulfill her deceased husband’s goals for the company even as she grieves his death. Martha’s jealousy leads to increasing mistrust and tension with Ruth, who wants to take charge of the family enterprise. After failed expectations in New York, Mary struggles to find her place in Edin and wrestles with her sisterly role in addressing Martha’s malicious treatment of Ruth. Naomi, the matriarch who raised the sisters after their parents’ death and supported Ruth in her grief, wants the women to work out their mistrust, hurts, and mistakes.
As the Gardin women grapple with mounting relational and business challenges, a fresh health scare brings to light deep wounds. Will they be able to preserve their family’s legacy and heal?
The characters’ names may seem familiar to some readers. The characters are loosely based on women of the Bible, and my novel answers the question of what happened after the stories found in the Bible. I took lots of creative liberties, and religious experience or knowledge is required to enjoy the book. If you enjoy messy family dramas with a happy ending, this book is for you. Comparable books include The Chicken Sisters and Queen Sugar.
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In addition to my giveaway, I’m also offering FREE access to my flash fiction collection (very short stories of 1000 words or less each). You can read each story in about 5 minutes. The collection is called Beautiful, Complicated Family. It celebrates relationships between family members and friends—the ups, the downs, and everything in between. The stories in the collection capture struggles that are common in today’s families—secrets, mother-daughter conflicts, coping with aging family members, and a more subtle question of what makes a family. Like most families, the relationships in my uplifting collection consist of intricate elements. Sometimes things get messy, but it’s always beautiful.
Volume 1 of my collection is FREE via most ebook vendors in the US, and you can get Volume 2 for FREE by subscribing to my website (you can buy it from ebook vendors, if you prefer). Use this link to access my two free books. If you live outside the US and want free access to Volume 1, send me a message on my website’s contact form. I’ll respond and provide a link for you to download it at no charge.
Check out the other Women’s Fiction Day giveaways here. I hope you have fun discovering some new authors and books.
