*IndieBRAG medallion recipient.*Shelf Unbound finalist for 2022 Best Indie Book Award.*Next Generation Indie Book Awards 2022 finalist in the category of general fiction.*Readers' Favorite Book Awards 2022 finalist in the category of Southern fiction.*Chanticleer International 2022 finalist for Laramie award in Americana fiction.*Literary Titan Gold Book Award, June 2022.*Book Excellence Awards 2023 finalist in the historical category.*National Indie Excellence 17th Annual Awards finalist in the category of Regional Fiction: Southeast.*Coffee Pot Book Club 2023 Bronze Medal in the category of 20th century historical fiction.*Longlisted for Chanticleer International's 2023 Best Series Award (as part of The Silk Trilogy)."I ain't gonna cater to none of that foolishness, so if you expect me to feel sorry for you, you got another thing comin'."Shame and humiliation racked Gaynelle's body. It was true, she realized-she did care too much about everyone's opinion of her, and she hadn't worried for a moment about spreading lice to the rest of them. No, she was too wrapped up in her vanity. When the boys cast glances at her, her chest fairly swelled with elation. She reveled for minutes on end when anyone flattered her about her hair. Mama was so right.If your stepmother were a sociopath, how would you know? And who would you turn to?Life is not as ordinary as it seems for Gaynelle and Vivian, who only understand that the woman they now call 'Mama' is complicated and difficult to please. Is the romantic love that Gaynelle finds at a too-tender age going to last? And will Vivian uncover the truth about her parentage while recovering from a strange illness?Rural South Carolina meets the Roaring 20's in this tale of two sisters who face separation and trauma with the resilience of the young and find their way, despite everything.
