Sunday night I turned in my galleys—the last time an author sees her book before it heads to production—for In These Hills, and oh does it feel good!

And now, the cover. I honestly never expected a woman sitting on a whiskey barrel, but I LOVE it!

Is the name Jack Daniel familiar? 
What about Miss Mary Bobo. . . and what she owned? 
How about the town of Lynchburg tucked into the hills and hollers of middle Tennessee?

This fall, journey with me in a new standalone novel inspired by the true history of two beloved Tennessee treasures

Writing about the history of JACK DANIEL’S DISTILLERY and MISS MARY BOBO’S BOARDING HOUSE was challenging, to say the least, but also very rewarding.

Jack Daniel and Miss Mary knew each other, of course. Lynchburg was only 400 people strong back in 1905. So it’s a great place for a suffragist on the run to hide. Or at least one would think…

And here’s Miss Mary Bobo in latter years (she’s younger in the book) . . .

In anticipation of the fall release, Tyndale invited me to Chicago to present at the sales and marketing meeting last week. A quick overnight trip, but such fun. So much fun, I forgot to take many pics.

While on a tour of the building and warehouse with the vivacious and fun Wendie Connors, Tyndale’s Author Relations Specialist, we came across my editor Kathy Olson’s cubicle. Wendy asked me to hop into Kathy’s chair so she could snap a quick pic. I’m sorry to say that Kathy and I didn’t get a pic together. Next time!

But I do love her chair.

A huge thanks to my daughter Kelsey who went shopping with me for something other than Gram-Tam yoga pants and sweatshirts. She saw that green blazer and said it screamed In These Hills, LOL. So home it came. Love that girl.

Tyndale Publishers had a nice “Welcome” in the lobby . . .

I really appreciated the time to meet with the various teams—publishing, copyediting, design, marketing, PR. What a fabulous group of people.

Later Tuesday afternoon, I was on my way to meet my ride to the airport when I remembered that Karen Watson (Publisher, Fiction) and Stephanie Broene (Associate Publisher, Fiction) and I hadn’t gotten a picture together. So here I am back in my comfy Gram Tam clothes. So much for wanting to appear professional. LOL

I’m grateful to Tyndale and specifically Karen Watson for wanting this story that holds so much Tennessee history, including some personal history for me. More about that next time.

Have you ever been to Lynchburg, TN and visited Jack Daniel Distillery? Or Miss Mary Bobo’s? And, like me, do you ever forget to take pictures?

Much love from Nashville,

P.S. CLICK HERE to see what I packed in my carry-on to take with me to Tyndale as a small “thank you” for everyone—72 of them! Such fun. I have to admit, I was a little surprised the TSA agent let me through. But as soon as I explained what they were and the occasion, he just smiled and said, “You go, girl!”

P.S.S. Thank you to everyone who shared stories about their precious moms in response to my last post. Means the world to me.