Local Writer’s Debut Novel is a Must-Read Sizzling Southern Mystery

Full disclosure before you continue reading: the "local writer" featured in this story is my wonderful friend Jacqueline Russell. She is even in 'the inner circle', AKA The Fabulous Ladies Reading Club. Our monthly book club meeting is a group therapy session with tea spilling, celebrations, and discussion about what everyone is reading at the moment.

The next time we get together, we'll have a very special new story to dive into because Jacqueline wrote her own novel! The best kind, too. A deliciously descriptive Southern mystery we all can relate to. The Thing She Didn’t Tell Me proves the old cliche is true: a picture is worth a thousand words.

'A lot of folks thought it wasn't an accident'

"Years ago, I was looking at old photos at my grandparents’ house and came across one of a young woman I didn’t recognize,” Russell said. “She looked effortlessly cool wearing her saddle shoes and skirt, perched on an old car, and when I asked about her, I was told she’d died young."

"Then someone leaned in and said, ‘a lot of folks thought it wasn’t an accident.’ That was all anyone would say, but I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Eventually, I decided to write her story, or at least the story I imagined for her.”

For the past few years, that story has been brewing in Jacqueline's mind as she's painted Bea Bennett's world and beyond for the reader to imagine. I don't want to give too much away, but organizing the details was "magical chaos, honestly," she laughed, “There was definitely a point when I looked like a full-blown conspiracy theorist — I had an entire wall covered in Post-it notes trying to keep track of who knew what in which timeline."

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'Fried Green Tomatoes' Vibes

Set in Kentucky hill country, you will be right at home from the first page. I told Jacqueline that while I was reading, her words came to life in a way that had me feeling like I was a fly on the wall. I could feel the heat, smell the coffee, catching every moment of body language.

Jacqueline said, "This book is for everyone who has had something they felt they couldn't talk about. That might be for self-preservation or to protect someone else, but so often we’re all feeling something similar. It’s a good reminder that there’s no truly unique experience, and if we just share a little more of ourselves, someone else will say, “Wow! You feel that way, too? I thought it was just me!”

I have been making my way through a preview copy and LOVING it so far. It's giving "Fried Green Tomatoes" meets something I haven't put my finger on yet. The story feels familiar but still exciting as you uncover "the truths they never meant for us to find."

A Match Made in Heaven

And can we get some commotion for the cover design? Local Photographer and artist, Jamie Plain, absolutely nailed it as she always does. A metaphor that teases in spot-on Jacqueline style. It was a match made in heaven for these two creatives to collaborate, honestly.

"She was one of the first few folks I let read the manuscript, and she gave me really helpful observations and the courage to share it with others," Jacqueline shared, "When it came time to make it a tangible reality, I knew there was only one person I’d want to create the cover because she understood not just me, but also the souls of the characters in the book."

As a marketing professional and freelance journalist, Jacqueline has been telling other people's stories for years. Now she's created her own. “Stories matter,” she said. “The truths we carry — especially the ones we dare to say out loud — can light something in other people. That’s what I hope this book does.”

Find a Copy of The Thing She Didn't Tell Me

Pre-order your signed copy of The Thing She Didn’t Tell Me at jacquelinejrussell.com ahead of the November 12th release date. It will be available on Amazon, Walmart.com, Barnes & Noble, Target.com, and the audiobook is currently in production due out in January. You'll also be able to read the e-book on the Libby app from the library (go DCPL! woo hoo!)

Jacqueline is also excited to have a limited supply at her book signing coming up on November 15th. "I’ve never had a book launch party before, but I plan to sell & sign books, hug lots of necks, and take lots of photos. I’ll do a short reading, share some refreshments, and have goodies like bookmarks and stickers available. I’ll also have a prize drawing for a basket of bookish items."

Hope to see you there!