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Jane Yearout
ALLi Author Member
Location: United States of America (the)
Genres: Literary Fiction, Young Adult (YA), Historical Fiction
Skills: Reading/Literary Event
I was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and grew up in Norman, Oklahoma where my grandparents had settled in 1920, seeking a better education for their children and opportunities for themselves. My home was within a few blocks of OU's campus, and like most of my friends and family, I graduated from OU.
Upon graduation, with a major in English and a minor in Journalism, I accepted a teaching position in Houston, Texas. There, I met my husband, gave birth to our child, and spent several years teaching 8th grade English before co-founding a business with my husband. After 17 years, we became hungry for a four-season climate and fewer seven-day workweeks, so we sold the business and moved to Kansas City.
In Kansas City, I enjoyed a career in the field of educational publishing, but after thirteen years, my husband was offered a promotion that required us to move to the Washington, DC area.
Our home in the historic Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia was to be our home for the remainder of our years. A spot of heaven located in the upper Shenandoah Valley, it offered natural beauty, cultural opportunities, good friendships, and easy access to our grandchildren in Washington. We were there for nearly 19 years. Oops!
Our son's family did what my grandparents did so many years ago. They moved to a community with better schools for their kids and better opportunities for themselves. The place - the Kansas City metro!
After a couple of years, we followed and are happy to be back in the Midwest. We are close to our dearest ones, their pets, projects, and shenanigans. The window of my study looks out on what was once an old farm with a primitive grass runway. I love watching the sweet lady who owns it taxi her small airplane to the end of the runway and take off for a spin around the countryside. I am inspired by my new setting and am more than ready to share a few tales.
Jane Yearout's books
ALONG THE RED DIRT ROAD
The uplifting historical mystery rooted in the American Civil War/Great Depression era about secrecy, scandal, friendship, & truth.
It is 1933, and a pandemic of homelessness, joblessness, despair, and financial ruin grip the nation. Wind and drought ravage the central plains, and an ambitious new president takes office.
Under such circumstances, Annie Young, her parents, and a dog named Bitsy abandon the Dust Bowl for a fresh start back east. Still harboring deep wounds from the Civil War, there are strange undercurrents in Hillview that defy reason or virtue. The innocent girl is befriended by Miss Mittie, an old woman marked by scandal, and a ragtag boy from ages past. Both are hostage to an untold story — one that Annie is compelled to reveal. Fortified by curiosity and two kindred spirits, Annie pursues her goal, one that may change the course for many who are yet to travel the red dirt road of life.
And so it begins, in the historic beauty of the Shenandoah Valley at the very apex of the Southern Rebellion. The road takes us to the parched and impoverished Midwest, then back to the valley in 1933. Too long, old prejudices and secrecy have poisoned the community. It is time for the truth to come forth - to empower her descendants, her kindred spirits, and all who may be touched by this tale.
Three Roads Out: The Sequel to Along the Red Dirt Road
The roots of this story run wide and deep - culturally, geographically. Written during the first outbreak of Covid. No pandemic is mentioned, yet there are signs of impending danger. The story begins in the Shenandoah Valley, six months after epilogue to Along the Red Dirt Road concludes. Elements of the Civil War, Great Depression, the Holocaust, WW2, the Vietnam era, and current times are all crucial to story. Twists, turns, fear, hate, friendship, and revelation take center stage as Dr. KT Winslow, Larry Finler, the Wesslers, and others are barraged by new circumstances and excruciating choices.
The main protagonist is Annie's unmarried granddaughter, Dr. KT Winslow. It's been over eighty years since KT's enigmatic grandmother left town. Did Hillview forgive what she had done? What followed that autumn afternoon by the old stone wall? Annie is gone and now it's all on KT. Can she turn the page on Hillview and chart a new course as Annie had so long ago?
As with Along the Red Dirt Road (the prequel), expect an uplifting story packed with suspense, surprises, fascinating characters, a wide range of emotion - plus an abundance of hints and sub-plots for readers with hungry imaginations.