Welcome To

The Story Keeper!

Celebrate September With Something New!

Happy First of September! Around here, the house is quiet again, and the college boy is off to another year at school. Huckleberry hopped in the truck and tried to go along.

Fortunately, Huck's too young and... well... furry for college. It's a good thing, because I'd be lost without my favorite editor.

The Story Keeper Gets Picked!

Huckleberry and I are thrilled to share that the new book has garnered a Southern Independent Booksellers Association OKRA Pick, a Pulpwood Queens Book Clubs selection, and an RT Bookreviews Top Pick!



Book Tour 2014, Coming Up!

I'll be heading out on a book tour this fall to TX, TN, GA, NC, SC, VA, MO, and OK. If you're anywhere along the way, come say hello at a book event! Bring your friends and book groups, too. Some fabulous gatherings have been planned!



For 2014 Tour information and event reservations, click here.

To read an excerpt of The Story Keeper, Click here.

Purchase The Story Keeper here: Buy The Book

While I'm on tour, Huckleberry will be home minding the Facebook pages and blogs. He wants us to take tour pictures and send them home to him, so he can post them. Neat, huh? He's such a little worker bee.

The History Mystery Behind The Story Keeper
Who were the Melungeons of Appalachia?

Click here to watch The Story Keeper mini-movie trailer

Click to watch The Story Keeper mini-movie trailer

The Story Keeper is a tale of two women living over one hundred years apart, yet connected by a mystery. The story shares ties with The Prayer Box through a long-held mystery involving the mountains of North Carolina and the Outer Banks. You'll also see a very different form of prayer box in the story. In 2015, a third novel will wrap up the series.

But before we get ahead of ourselves, let me share a bit of the mystery that inspired The Story Keeper...

Long ago, the first British explorers to push into the Appalachians reported the strange discovery of "blue-eyed, reddish-brown complexioned," people. The explorers were baffled by what they referred to as "blue-eyed Indians," who spoke a language neither the explorers nor their Native American guides recognized. In future years, this group, known as Melungeons, would suffer the stigma of prejudice, myth, and unflattering mountain lore.

Who were these reclusive people? To this day, no one knows for sure.

After reading about them late into the night, I fell asleep and literally dreamed a story. I saw the tale of a busy New York editor who finds an old manuscript She's captivated by the story of Sarra, a young Melungeon girl being sold off in a card game in turn-of-the-century Appalachia. The search for the manuscript's author takes the editor on a journey to the heart of The Blue Ridge... and into the secrets of the past.

I've never "dreamed" a story before, so writing The Story Keeper was a uniquely wonderful experience. It literally fascinated me. If you've never heard of the Melungeons (or even if you have), take a minute to Google the word. I think you'll be as caught up in the history as I was!

Share the News Giveaway!

To celebrate the release of The Story Keeper and to help spread the word, we're having a fun giveaway. There are several ways to enter, including purchasing the book, posting a review, or sharing news of the book on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, etc.

Click here for the entry form!

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Books Update!

The Sisterhood of The Traveling Books 2014 is wrapping up. Early copies of The Story Keeper traveled to thirty states in twenty-three sister circles. What a joy to watch these books come home to Texas and to think about all the places they've been. Huckleberry and I are enjoying the comments in the margins! Stories connect us in the most amazing ways.

To see all the places the books traveled this summer, check out the SOTB Facebook Page or the SOTB Pinterest page!

Appalachian Applebread Pudding

Here's the official recipe card for The Story Keeper. This bread pudding is a keeper around our house. Topped with ice cream and a little caramel sauce (make your own or buy the bottled variety), it's perfect for family dinners, potlucks, and gatherings!

Enjoy the bread pudding this fall as the apples and pecans come in!

Blessings from our house to yours!

-- Lisa

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