The story keeper /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

From the #1 New York Times author of Before We Were Yours !"Wingate is, quite simply, a master storyteller. Her story-within-a-story, penned with a fine, expressive style, will captivate writers and nonwriters alike." -- Booklist "Not since To Kill a Mockingbird has a story impacted me like this." --Colleen Coble, USA Today bestselling author of Seagrass Pier Successful New York editor Jen Gibbs is at the top of her game with her new position at Vida House Publishing--until a mysterious manuscript from an old slush pile appears on her desk. Turning the pages, Jen finds herself drawn into the life of Sarra, a mixed-race Melungeon girl trapped by dangerous men in turn-of-the-century Appalachia. A risky hunch may lead to The Story Keeper 's hidden origins and its unknown author, but when the trail turns toward the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a place Jen thought she'd left behind forever, the price of a blockbuster next book deal may be higher than she's willing to pay.2015 winner of both a Christy Award and a Carol Award.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Jen Gibs is finally getting her life back together after her breakup with her on-again, off-again boyfriend. She has a new job at a publishing house and is ready to dig her way out of debt and away from the clutches of her dysfunctional family. When one of the manuscripts from the "slush mountain" mysteriously shows up on her desk, Jen starts reading and is immersed in the narrative of Sarra, a mixed-race young woman living in Appalachia at the beginning of the 20th century. Written in a "story within a story" format, this novel will intrigue readers with its dual narratives: Sarra's tale and Jen's perspective as a young woman living in New York who fought her way out of those same Blue Ridge Mountains. VERDICT While this offers a different read from Wingate's typical novels (The Prayer Box), fans will not be disappointed. Light on the Christian spiritual elements, it will also appeal to readers of women's and historical fiction.-Shondra Brown, Wakarusa P.L., IN (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

New York editor Jennia Beth Gibbs begins her dream job at the legendary Vida House Publishers. Mr. Vida himself has eschewed many of the modern ways of the industry, including electronic submissions, and has one of the few actual slush piles in the business. In fact, his towering stack of nearly rejected manuscripts is referred to as Slush Mountain. One day one of these yellowed submissions mysteriously appears on Jen's desk. She has no idea who has left it there, or who wrote it, and finds the story fascinating, if frustratingly unfinished. Overwhelmed by curiosity, Jen is determined to find the author as well as the ending to the manuscript. She's come to care for the main character, Sarra, a Melungeon girl in Appalachia who's treated as though she's a slave even though the Civil War is long over, and is anxious to learn what happens to her. Wingate (The Prayer Box, 2013) is, quite simply, a master storyteller. Her story-within-a-story, penned with a fine, expressive style, will captivate writers and nonwriters alike.--Mosley, Shelley Copyright 2014 Booklist

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Lisa Wingate is an award-winning journalist, magazine columnist, popular inspirational speaker and a national bestselling author. Recently, Lisa's Blue Sky Hill Series received national attention with back-to-back nominations for American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year Award for A Month of Summer (2009) and The Summer Kitchen (2010). In 2011, Lisa's Novel, Never Say Never, won the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year Award.

Lisa is also the author of The Tending Roses, Daily Texas, Moses Lake, and the Texas Hill Country Series.

(Bowker Author Biography)