Here we are readers! Can you believe it? Not me! I wrote the first post for #thesaintsofswallowhill on May 14th, 2021. (For some reason that song I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together from the Carol Burnett show is now playing in my head. ????)
For thirty-six weeks we’ve spent every Friday together (except Christmas Eve), digesting and dissecting these sentences, and I hope it has been as enjoyable, and as much fun for you as it was for me!
Now, on to our last sentence!
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It seems fitting the final one is from Rae Lynn’s perspective. Why? Because while the book starts off with Del Reese, and this story is truly as much his as it is hers, her experiences, the choices she had to make were more drastic and profoundly affecting. I loved writing both characters, but the tenacity and bravery of Rae Lynn, I believe, is something readers will cheer.
In this sentence, we get a hint of the possibilities that lie just around a corner.
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Chapter 36
Rae Lynn
Rae Lynn drove her old truck down the dirt road and pulled it under a large pecan tree by the farmhouse to keep it in the shade.
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????First Sentence Friday FINAL GIVEAWAY!!!????
For a chance to win the FINAL ARC plus the BOOK BOX (shown here), tell me – what is the most interesting thing you learned during First Sentence Friday?
Winner will be announced on Monday, January 24th!
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GOODREADS GIVEAWAY
My VERY generous publisher is holding another Goodreads giveaway! You guessed it – one hundred books available! Go HERE to enter!!!
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Kensington Publishing Corporation GIVEAWAY!!! (Not a Goodreads Giveaway!)
Can you believe it??? Here is yet another way for you to win one of a hundred copies of the book! Go here!
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NETGALLEY
Are you a NetGalley reviewer? The Saints of Swallow Hill remains available for request!
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Last, but not least, don’t forget to:
- Add The Saints of Swallow Hill to your Goodreads “To Read” shelf
- Follow me on Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, Bookbub, or my blog
Doing so supports the author! ????
So many words that I had never heard of!! Like cat faces on the Longleaf pines – my favorite! Chippers, dippers, tacklers, to name a few. Oh the awful box they put people in for punishment!!
I learned all that too, while writing – so it’s been an eye opener for me as well. And yes, the dreaded SWEAT BOX. Whew, those were tough scenes to write!
Learning about the sweat box had me in tears. You really captured me with your words.
Thank you so much, Deborah. It’s sort of my “goal” to put readers right there in the moment. That tells me I did my job! ????
As you know, I read a very early arc of this book. First Sentence Friday reminded me every week what a great book it was and sometimes I went back to the book to see what was going on in that chapter. Even though I’ve read the book, the book box looks fantastic. I collect tote bags! Can’t wait until next week when this books get out to the world!
Yours was a standout review because it was one of the first. I recall thinking, wow, if she said that about the book, maybe others will too! The book box is filled with things the publicist felt held meaning, from the harmonica (Melody!) to the small handkerchief given to Rae Lynn by Warren before they married. Pine cone decorations, a candle, and I tossed in the t-shirt! ????
learned your husband’s birthday is on New Year’s Eve
We went out on NY’s Eve one time and the restaurant was advertising if it was your birthday, you ate for free. They didn’t believe him! (which I can understand) They checked his license – free meal came. 😉
I’ve learned what an interesting book this will be to read and how dedicated you are in putting out your weekly newsletter. Most newsletters I sign up for don’t arrive weekly. I always make sure I look for yours every Friday.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! I won’t know what to do with myself now.