Deep in the Heart of Dixie

17-year-old Jamie Ray hasn't had it easy. Her father died the day she was born and her mother, Laura, struggled to raise her alone. For the first four years of her life, she was poor but only knew love. Enter Owen Granville and life at the hands of an abusive drunk who took his anger out on Jamie and her mother. When her mother dies, Jamie runs and heads South to become someone new.It had been only a matter of hours since her mama had been laid cold in the ground and Jamie Ann Ray wasn’t letting the grass grow beneath her feet. With her mother’s “Do Over” coffee can stash, a hastily packed bag, and a freshly- grown spine, she made tracks before she could feel the sting of her step-father’s hands or the lash of his tongue again. For nearly all of her seventeen years, Jamie and her mother had worn the stamp of his mean streak. Over Mama’s dead body, she made them both a promise—no more. Leaving the damp and bitterness of the Northeast behind, along with all traces of the girl she used to be, she lands south of the Mason-Dixon Line. A home, a job, and a few good friends later and the girl who was once invisible becomes Dixie Mason, trailer queen, someone meant to be seen. Add a sweet, down-home boy with a healthy dose of Southern pride and some of it is bound to rub off. This time, when the past comes knocking at her door to nip her in the butt, Dixie’s is ready to bite back. For any girl who has felt alone and very small with problems that are too big, Dixie proves everyone has what it takes, even if it means backing up and starting from scratch. Just dig down deep in your heart and find out who you’re meant to be. Take a walk in Dixie’s shoes in Deep in the Heart of Dixie and enjoy watching a young girl coming into her own. As an adopted child, I’ve had a great deal of practice imagining my beginnings and who else I might have been.The love of reinventing myself comes to play in each character and scenario that comes to fruition in my stories. I look forward to sharing them with you.