Jan Dearman is a native of southeast Tennessee, born into a family that has called the land of the Tennessee River Gorge at the foot of Suck Creek Mountain home for seven generations. Hardy Scottish forefathers and the native women they married produced a people who, still today, cling to the land as their heritage and to the now-tamed Tennessee as not only a giver of life, but a receiver of lives.
Author of the River Sisters Trilogy
Jan’s newest book, Coyote Landing, now available!
With a broken heart and dreams in ashes, Jemma Garrison is determined to use her talent, supportive family, and abiding faith to forge a new life in the region of her birth—rugged, wintry “Big Sky Country.” She leaves behind the lush, seasonal mountains of East Tennessee to return to the somber, snow-capped Bighorns of Wyoming.
With an exceptional record of nursing skill as her passport and a loving great-uncle to mentor her, Jemma finds in her new surroundings the purpose and meaning for which she has been yearning. But purpose and meaning come at a cost—with blessings come the requisite, strengthening challenges. Jemma learns faith and love grow beyond loss and adversity, beyond sorrow and tears; a true friend gives peace and comfort; labor brings focus and clarity; and the sweetness and innocence of a child can bring families, even nations, into a sharing, caring relationship.
The peace and prosperity of Nancy Hilderbrand’s existence on the banks of the Tennessee, the ancients’ Giver of life, is disrupted by the Removal of 1838, when native peoples are stripped of their lands by Federal powers greedy for gold and fertile soil. “The finest seamstress outside New Echota,” Nancy, widowed, with child, and awaiting deportation from the miserable internment of the stockade near Ross Landing, joins forces with Kaquoli Hicks, a devoted teacher left without students, and Sara Colaquee, a young girl left without parents. Their talents and strengths make them a formidable assemblage.
Nancy had determined: “The men in blue might strip them of their heritage and steal from them their home, but they could not taint the color of their blood, the nobility of their character. Their big knives were no match for the long, gleaming, razor-edged blade of hatred sheathed in her soul. Their big knives could only pierce the body—at worst, setting the spirit free. Hatred could do so much more.”
River Sisters, the Giver is the account of these courageous women, as they escape captivity, make their way back to the river valley, and, ultimately, gain entrance and acceptance into “white” society. Nancy declares: “The future is in our own hands. We must make a way for ourselves. Whether it be white, Cherokee, or something in between—it must be a way that is right and good for us. And I must make a way for the children.” Like the Giver itself, the lives of the “sisters’ take unexpected turns, sometimes churning and with hidden dangers. Motivated by the past, accepting the challenges of the present, and unable to anticipate the future that lies ahead, the “river sisters” preserve the mark of their noble character on generations to follow.
River Sisters, The Giver
"Rarely do I find a book so enthralling.”
"I was invested in these beautiful characters from the very beginning. The author took us on a journey that I won't soon forget."
"If you love well-developed characters, a flowing story told as though the writer was watching it unfold, and written from a perspective of real life, you need to read this book!!"
"Can't put it down! You're going to love this! Great read!"
River Sisters, The Receiver traces the heritage of culture and courage passed by Nancy Hilderbrand, protagonist of River Sisters, The Giver, to her great-granddaughter, Eliza McNeal. A "mere whit of rawhide," tough, independent, yet, compassionate, Eliza is one of the first female Rural Free Delivery mail carriers. Riding horseback twelve hours a day, through rugged terrain, crossing creeks, avoiding ruts and potholes that can break a horse's leg, she is responsible for postal service along the legendary Trail of Tears. Eliza is the eldest of three sisters, who face serious personal and familial challenges, as they stake their lives and fortunes on the banks of the Tennessee River-not only the ancients' Giver of life, but the Receiver of lives caught in its tumultuous currents and depths.
Jan’s great-aunt provides inspiration for the character of Eliza McNeal: A 1985 newspaper article on her life calls her “the last known living person in the Chattanooga area to have carried the U. S. mail on horseback.” Living to be 100 years old, this spirited woman and those of her generation still reside, with pride and affection, in the hearts and history of their progeny, who remain along the Trail and the banks of the Tennessee.
River Sisters, The Receiver
"A great read! I just completed Jan's latest book, The Receiver. I could not put it down until I finished. There was both tragedy and triumph in this book written with such beautiful language and imagery.
I hope there's another book soon!"
River Sisters, the Strangers completes the "River Sisters" trilogy. Great-granddaughter of Nancy Hilderbrand, Eliza McNeal, with her husband and former river boat pilot, Josh, are settled in their city home, enjoying the blessings and challenges of rearing teenaged children-Nancy Jewel, namesake of her foremother Hilderbrand, and John Henry, better known as "Hank," named in remembrance of Eliza's father. The story revolves around the lives of these youths and their closest friends, a trio of couples, typical teenagers and young adults of the time and culture of post-depression America. The junior year of high school was to be the "best of times," as one teacher had read the words of Charles Dickens. But on December 7, 1941, the world was turned "upside down and backwards." Overnight, teenagers became adults, having to endure what had become "the worst of times," and charged with the task and responsibility of righting their world. The youth, who had everything before them, became the adults for whom "everything" was at the end of a tortuous dark trail, littered with bodies and broken dreams.
They are our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents-a generation almost past but not forgotten. This story remembers them with love, admiration, and respect.
River Sisters, The Strangers
“This third book of ‘The River Sisters’ is so captivating that the story carried me on a trip right along with the characters. They are developed into people, not just words on a page. It is so wonderful to be swept through a story written in a loving and faithful way!”
Calliope is a unique, eccentric soul, in touch with nature and with the poetry that lives in her incredible mind. Functioning in an alien world, in which emotions sometimes confuse and confound her, nevertheless, she has the love and acceptance of an adopted family and friends, who know, in Calliope's own words: "My soul does not sing, but hums, With measured notes, discordant." The simplicity and beauty of Calliope's view of life brings clarity to a precocious young girl struggling to understand and accept tragedy to move into a new life in the mountains of Southeast Tennessee, in the valley of uwohali, the eagle. Calliope is a story of faith, family, and eternal values, largely forgotten or denied, but sorely needed in this contemporary society—values that are alive and well in the hearts of those who seek and find more than this troubled world has to offer.
