Julie Cannon – författare

From the author of Truelove & Homegrown Tomatoes comes a heartwarming story of three generations of Southern women working to mend the rifts of the past and set paths for the future. It is summer in Euharlee, Georgia, and Imogene Lavender's garden is bursting with snap beans, okra, and tomatoes. The household -- made up of Imo; her daughter Jeanette and her new baby; and Lou, Imo's niece -- is about to grow as well. Imo's estranged mother, Mama Jewell, has begun to show signs of senility, and Imo has decided that it is her duty to take her mother in. Mama Jewell brings with her some secrets from the past, including the story of Lou's mother, a revelation that sends Lou in search of her ne'er-do-well father. For Imo, who is feeling the squeeze of being in the middle of the generations, Mama Jewell's temperamental nature stirs up long-buried memories of a difficult childhood. And much to everyone's surprise, wild Jeanette is so determined to find a husband that she joins the church choir to be closer to the handsome and enigmatic young reverend. 'Mater Biscuit is a wonderful evocation of small-town life in the South, a world where hard work and prayers unite the community. Life isn't always easy for Imo and her girls, but they have only to look as far as Imo's beloved garden to be reminded that all things change with the seasons.

The heartwarming saga of Imo Lavender and her spirited family continues in a third installment of the beloved Homegrown series. Life is moving on for Imogene Lavender, and reluctantly she leaves her farm in rural Georgia to follow her new husband, Reverend Peddigrew, into town to live in the parsonage. Her struggle to adjust is not what she expects when she begins feeling the all-too-perfect presence of the Reverend''s late wife. The move also leaves Imo''s niece Loutishie resentful and stretching her faith to find a way back to her beloved farm. Imo''s daughter, Jeanette -- a beautician at the Kuntry Kut ''n'' Kurl married to a reverend of her own -- is so afraid of becoming a "church lady" that she secretly enters an erotic bull-riding contest. But a devastating event forces Jeanette to see that beauty is not just skin deep, and when Imo''s neighbors suffer a great tragedy, she learns what it really means to be a reverend''s wife by helping to restore their faith.

From the author of Truelove & Homegrown Tomatoes comes a heartwarming story of three generations of Southern women working to mend the rifts of the past and set paths for the future. It is summer in Euharlee, Georgia, and Imogene Lavender''s garden is bursting with snap beans, okra, and tomatoes. The household—made up of Imo; her daughter Jeanette and her new baby; and Lou, Imo''s niece—is about to grow as well. Imo''s estranged mother, Mama Jewell, has begun to show signs of senility, and Imo has decided that it is her duty to take her mother in. Mama Jewell brings with her some secrets from the past, including the story of Lou''s mother, a revelation that sends Lou in search of her ne''er-do-well father. For Imo, who is feeling the squeeze of being in the middle of the generations, Mama Jewell''s temperamental nature stirs up long-buried memories of a difficult childhood. And much to everyone''s surprise, wild Jeanette is so determined to find a husband that she joins the church choir to be closer to the handsome and enigmatic young reverend. ''Mater Biscuit is a wonderful evocation of small-town life in the South, a world where hard work and prayers unite the community. Life isn''t always easy for Imo and her girls, but they have only to look as far as Imo''s beloved garden to be reminded that all things change with the seasons.

When her beloved husband of forty-eight years dies, Imogene "Imo" Lavender takes solace in her tomato garden and finds her own life beginning to blossom. Raising two young women—her rebellious sixteen-year-old daughter, Jeanette, and Lou, the thirteen-year-old niece she has taken in—demands most of her time, but a friend insists that a trip to the Kuntry Kut ''n'' Kurl and a new man are what Imo really needs. At her prompting, Imo sets off on a hilarious dating spree with a series of unsuitable bachelors. While Jeanette grows increasingly reckless, Lou joins her aunt in the garden, learning lessons about love and life. A shocking announcement from Jeanette and a sudden death then remind them all that life, like a garden, changes with the seasons—and that the healing of a heart comes with time, love, and patience, just as surely as a new crop of tomatoes rewards a devoted gardener.

Kelly Newsome is so ready for a tropical island vacation, but she never expects to meet the woman who could give her her last first kiss.