Jack Daniel? What about Miss Mary Bobo? Or the town of Lynchburg, Tennessee? If not, hopefully they will soon. Tyndale Publishers is close to finishing the cover for my SEPTEMBER 2026 release In These Hills, my twentieth novel.
As soon as I have the cover, I’ll share.
Until then, here’s the back cover blurb . . .
A female suffragist on the run finds more than refuge in the hills and hollers of Tennessee in this gripping historical romance from USA Today bestselling author Tamera Alexander.
1905. Josephine Dunham is running for her life. After a suffragist rally in Atlanta turns deadly, she buys a one-way ticket on the first train out and lands in rural Tennessee. There, Dodge Coburn—a rough-edged stranger with undeniable appeal—begrudgingly offers her a ride to Lynchburg, a speck of a town where Josephine hopes to disappear.
Battered and desperate, Josephine has little say when Dodge delivers her to Miss Mary Bobo’s Boarding House. Hoping to work in exchange for room and board, she soon discovers the only job matching her skills is at Jack Daniel’s Distillery, an irony not lost on a suffragist committed to prohibition.
Dodge questions Josephine’s tale of running from an abusive husband. But between managing Jack Daniel’s cattle farm and raising his young niece, he has little time or reason to challenge her…at first. Drawn to Josephine’s convictions and compassion, Dodge begins to question the dreams he’s chasing, while Josephine is forced to reckon with a world far more complex than the principles she’s clung to.
As Jack Daniel’s Distillery gains national recognition, Josephine’s secrets resurface. In a place where whiskey making takes time but justice is too often hurried, Dodge and Josephine must decide what—and who—they’re willing to risk everything for, and whether faith will hold when the cost is high and time is running out.
I’m not just excited to share this story with you, I’m also greatly relieved to be at the final galley stage (the last time I’ll see the book before it goes to press). This one was tough to write. But oh the history. That part was wonderful.
In closing . . .
January marked 20 years since my first book, Rekindled, Fountain Creek Chronicles book 1 was published in 2006, followed by Revealed (book 2) and Remembered (book 3). I’m grateful for the chance to update these covers for this 20th year book birthday, and appreciate Ken Raney (husband to our dear Deb) for his expertise in making it happen.
Fountain Creek Chronicles novels—three critically-acclaimed novels about finding love and faith in the rugged Colorado Territory
Much love from Nashville, friends, where we’re finally beginning to thaw out after last week’s ice storm. Times like that always remind me of how fragile human life really is, and of how grateful I am that our Heavenly Father, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, is sovereign over all.
So tell me . . .
Have you ever visited Lynchburg, TN? Toured Jack Daniel’s Distillery? Or eaten at Miss Mary Bobo’s Boarding House? If not, we may need to arrange for a group meet-up there sometime this fall. Just sayin’. ; )
Tammy
Tamera blogs every first and third Tuesday at Inspired by Life . . . and Fiction, a group blog she shares with a wonderful community of authors. If you'd like to join the conversation on this post, Tamera would love to see you there!