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FIRST, THANK YOU FOR finding this book and reading it. I truly appreciate your time and attention, and if you enjoyed reading this book, please share the word. Posting a review somewhere is great, but I also make my books “lendable” on Kindle, so if you want to share with a friend, go for it.
I also want to thank my family and friends. Many of the fuzzy warm feelings in this book are based on interactions I’ve had with you. So even if you don’t recognize yourself in this book, know I was thinking of you when I created characters like Dennis, Chelle, Mildred, Cindy, and Josh.
When friends read Elegant Freefall, some indicated they wanted to know which characters and events were based on real-life things, so here’s a little about Homecoming:
This story is in many ways a (barely disguised) love letter to the town I moved to in Southern Arkansas in 2017—Camden, Arkansas. We are a small town on the cusp of reinventing ourselves, which is one thing we have in common with the fictional town of Little River, Arkansas.
Some Arkansas businesses alluded to in the book include Artesana Soap in Camden and Arkansas Antique Warehouse in Botkinburg. I wish we had a full-time coffee shop like Cindy’s in town, but hers is a mashup between the awesome baking done by The Backdoor Baker in Camden and PJs Coffee in El Dorado.
Crafton House is loosely based on the historic Stanley A. Umsted House, which did, indeed, serve as a B&B and event space. The house is currently for sale, so if you want to do in real life what Lucy does, look it up online and book a visit. I’m sure the agent will be happy to show it to you, and I promise to be a good and helpful neighbor if you decide to buy. And, no, I didn’t go to high school with the realtor, so I can’t get you a deal there.
Unlike Lucy, I already had my own Arkansas girl when I got here. Dani isn’t the county extension agent, but she works just as hard as Emily Neville does to care for the people who live here.
I have no Samantha in my past as a person; instead, I’ve figured out that my personal Sam is residency. Residency is, much like Lucy’s life in her time with Sam, a time in your life where you relinquish entirely control of choices you’d otherwise get to make. And, like Lucy’s feelings for Sam, my feelings about the four years we spent in Kansas City for residency are mixed. There were good things about those years, including fancy restaurants and easy access to things, but as with any temporary and all-consuming experience, I’m glad we’ve moved on to new experiences.
Nora Anderson is nothing like my mother, Patricia Shannon Rodgers, for which I am very grateful. She and my late father are far more like Mary and Ed Neville. I also have two lovely sisters, and as we’ve grown older we’ve found the kind of easy friendship and closeness with one another that Abe and Emily have always enjoyed.
Like Lucy, I did leave Arkansas for many years, and I didn’t think I’d move back. But, in 2004, I did. My friend Stacy let me live in her guest room while I sorted my life out. And by the time Dani and I left in 2013 so she could finish her training, I knew I’d be back. What I didn’t realize was how a little town would capture my attention so completely.
Also by Angelic Rodgers
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The Olivia Chronicles