Dear Readers,

Get ready to enjoy your first “bowl” of GRITS. Confused? Let me explain. I’m not talking about “stone-ground dried hominy, slow-cooked in water or milk and served piping hot with a pat or two of butter.” No, in this case I’m referring to the acronym for: Girls-Raised-In-The-South. As is the case with each of my novels (except WISH), I create main characters who are strong, creative, successful Southern women—GRITS, if you will. No, they’re not perfect, but they grow and overcome some pretty big obstacles, coming out stronger and more confident at the end. I didn’t really plan a series; it sort of just happened that way. Personally, I think the characters wanted the series even more than I did. I had no choice but to give in and let them have their way.

In this book, I’ll take you to my new favorite place…Savannah, Georgia. I discovered this wonderful historically rich city a few years ago when my husband and I celebrated our anniversary there, and I fell in love with it. Researching this novel was pure joy. I love history, and that’s something Savannah practically oozes.

Unfortunately, Savannah is plagued with the same problem facing so many cities today: homelessness. Researching those kinds of statistics was heartbreaking and made me wonder what I could do to help. One thing is to make people more aware of the problem by writing about it, but even more than that, I’ve decided to donate a percentage of Red Curtains’ sales to the Stand Down program that I mention in the story. It may just be a drop in the bucket of what’s needed, but I’m sure every little bit will help. Who knows, maybe reading about it will encourage others to help in some small way, too.

I alternate points of view between Cleo, Jonas, and Lily. Each chapter will tell you from whose eyes we’re viewing the story.

So here’s your “bowl” of GRITS. Pull up a chair, dig in and enjoy!

Blessings,

Leanna