A TIMELY, UPLIFTING TALE - set in the Shenandoah Valley during the Civil War & Great Depression eras.

Along the Red Dirt Road is about a reveal that helped to liberate a small southern town some 80 years ago. Tale is told as a flashback from around 2018. Expect an uplifting story packed with twists, turns, fascinating characters, and many emotions - plus a nice helping of hints and sub-plots for imaginative readers.

The year is 1933. As the Great Depression wreaks havoc on the plains, Dr. Carter Young, Ellen Young, and their 12 year old daughter Annie abandon the Oklahoma Dust Bowl for a fresh start in the Shenandoah Valley. Their new community harbors old wounds from the Civil War and strange undercurrents that defy reason or virtue. Annie is befriended by a mysterious boy soldier, an African American family, and a grand old lady marked by scandal. All are hostage to the same horrendous secret locals have harbored since Civil War times - a secret that ultimately draws Annie to its epicenter.

WHO LOVES THIS BOOK? This authentic/timely tale speaks to people of many cultures/circumstances - with special relevance to socially conscious women, men, baby boomers, teen girls. A book club favorite. Contains mildly colorful language and non-gratuitous violence, but no vulgarity, graphic violence, or sex.

GENRE: Blends Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction, Mystery Fiction, Mainstream Fiction, Family Saga, Southern/Black History, Literary Fiction, and Young Adult Fiction. Not a romance novel.

MAIN SETTINGS: Shenandoah Valley, Oklahoma, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina. Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington, D.C.

THEMES & TOPICS: Alalia syllabaris (stammering). American Civil War. Army of Northern Virginia. Authenticity. Boy soldiers. Bullying. Confederacy. Corruption. Courage. Decency. Dust Bowl. Elitism. Fear. Federal Army. Feeble Mindedness. Friendship. Generosity. Great Depression. Home Guard. Homicide. Honesty. Hope. Immunization. Inheritance. Interracial friendship. Interracial love child. Jim Crow. Joy. Justice. Juvenile conscription. Isolation. Lost Cause. Materialism. Medical care. Mental Heath & Institutions. Mortality. Mystery. Old Guard. Peer pressure. Perseverance. Personal/social empowerment. POWs. Pregnancy. Quakers. Race/Gender Equality. Racism. Rebel Cause. Rural Medicine. Rule of Law. Scandal. Secrecy. Segregation. Slavery. Social Empowerment. Sundown Town. Tuberculosis (consumption). Tragedy. Truth. Underground Railroad. Upward Mobility.

AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION: This author's books meet/exceed key guidelines established by A.L.A. for book selection.

NOTE FROM AUTHOR: My shtick is authentic, timely storytelling. Through a cast of entertaining characters, readers encounter some societal issues that currently divide us. As common ground takes view, I hope a few walls may be replaced with bridges - among friends, within families, and within communities. When that happens, there is reason to smile and feel better about the world around us.

I'm a proud indie author whose books sell by the 1000s (not millions). I studied creative writing at the University of Oklahoma, taught AP English, and had a successful career with a major publisher, yet it was after my 70th birthday when I wrote my first novel. I by-passed the usual channels and did it my way - thus avoiding the influences of big publishing. Thanks to that decision, the stories 'in my head' actually made it to print - and in my lifetime! Some months, my books turn a profit, and sometimes not. My greatest reward, by far, is interacting with readers - especially those who participate in my free author talks that are available to book clubs and libraries. I hope our paths may cross soon. My website ashfoard.com.

Peace, love, and good reading,
Jane Yearout, author