Reddit mentions of The Mess We're In

Hey guys, here's my book, The Mess We're In. It's a Southern romance (though more love story than Harlequin) with hints of dramatic suspense. Here's the blurb:

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After the shocking death of her sister, Lily’s life is shattered as she returns to her family’s small hometown of Dacre, Georgia, to raise her socially awkward nephew Finn. But then a television show comes to town. When the lead actor Dutch Sturgess takes an interest in Finn’s acting ability, then Lily herself, many around town are not happy. Especially Eli Bradley.

Things quickly turn sour when the paparazzi uncover the secret Lily buried with her sister becomes front page news and unknowingly exposes the painfully abusive childhood Dutch tried to leave behind. The only comfort they have is with each other, but their bond will be tested when Eli and his brothers decide to make trouble for them. Lily and Dutch will take on a centuries-old moonshining feud with the Bradley boys, unsure if the town—and their love—can survive.

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It's also available in paperback. Kindle is $2.99 or free with unlimited, Paperback is $16.99.

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Here's the opening:



We walked the mile from our house down to the City Hall in the gold light of morning, but Finn didn’t notice. He didn’t notice how lovely Dacre, Georgia, was first thing, as the roosters crowed in the distance and the dew glistened on the grass beside us. Not that many eight-year-olds pay attention to those details. No, he just noticed the crumpled pages in his hands, as he mumbled the words on the sheets over and over. Auditions apparently started at 10 a.m. sharp, so when we arrived, there was a line outside the City Hall doors, a range of different ages, all practicing and prancing. Almost every kid in town was here. In a town of just over 800 people, it was easy to recognize them all. 

Finn was the only one in costume—my old, stained overalls which I stitched up to fit him—so everyone glared, the pinpoint of their eyes burned with envy. Every muscle within him tensed, as he leaned into me, heavy and thick.

“Pay no attention. They’re just mad they didn’t think of it,” I whispered to him. He swallowed hard, then held his head up. But those hands. They balled up and slipped down into his pockets without hesitation. 

“But what if…what if it’s like—”

“—It won’t be like that,” I snapped.

Stupid Christmas pageant. 

“It won’t be like that,” I repeated, squatting down next to him.

His lips pinched into a thin line. I sipped my coffee, trying not to recall that first audition. It was just for a local Christmas pageant and it ended with Finn having a panic attack, curled up in the back seat of my Jeep, whiter than fresh cotton after a wash. Behind us, the theater dissolved into a plume of yellow and orange as the fire department fighting to save the building. 

 “I just want to try. I just want to be better. Like other kids. You know, ornamentary,” he managed to push through the fleshy pink strips of his mouth. A dark cloud hung over him, as he played with the pages of lines in his hand, slowly folding into an origami version of his feelings, rolled and twisted at my words. 

“Ornamentary? You mean ordinary? No, you don’t want to be ordinary. Or ornamentary. You want to be Finn Reynolds, awesome kid.” Finn smiled as his head bowed slightly, hiding the pink on his cheeks. My finger found his chin and pulled his face to me. 

“Alright, let’s do it. If you want to try, then we’ll try. There’s no harm in trying,” I stated, pushing back the brown strands of hair from his eyes. His body slowly released, one muscle at a time, as I nodded to him. “We’ll do this. We can do this. Come on. It’ll be fine. You’re the best runner in all of Dacre, after all.”

He smiled, his brown eyes twinkling with a mixture of excitement and fear. I knew that twinkle. His mother had the same twinkle in her eye too many times. A shiver raced through me, as my hands ran down his tiny arms. 

He’s not like his mother, I reminded myself. 

I stood, only to find Harvey Daniels standing in front of me, a shit-eating grin on his paunchy face. His thick hand reached up to the few hairs on his head and slicked them down, though it did precious little to hide the white glow on his head.

Just what I need right now.

 “Oh, I see you got an audition, Finn, but it looks like the entire town did. Guess they’ll look at anyone, eh?” 

Finn hemmed, shoving his fists deeper into his pockets. “I don’t see you auditioning, so I guess they do have some standards,” I growled. Harvey stared. A small curve to his upper lip appeared just before he spoke. Finn pressed deeper into my leg, his breath hot against my skin, as he fought the panic rising in him. 

“It's always a pleasure to see you, Lily.” Harvey joined us with a bright smile and a red bowtie, which was slightly askew. I thought of straightening it, but I just returned his smile and left it at that. Harvey slumped behind his niece, forcing a smile, while the sun blasting down on the small bald spot on his head. The gray streaks were beginning to show around his temples, which dulled his blonde hair. He wasn’t a bad looking man at one time, then Dacre happened. It has a way of getting to people.

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Here are my trailers, if you'd like to take a look:

Dacre, Georgia Promotional/Tourism Video: https://animoto.com/play/8JLvnfPn2YiWijvXF1Fm9g

Introducing Lily Shaw: https://animoto.com/play/xE77bTQyOCJ3UtkrpZKPSA

Meet Dutch Sturgess: https://animoto.com/play/wNZTTi2lS9RGCSh0PRHoRg

You can also find some information on Dacre as well as a short story (only one at the moment, more to come) here under the Welcome to Dacre page on my website.

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I think that's all I have. I feel like I've given too much, but thank you for being patient with me if I have. Have a great day! Looking forward to read through these titles and find some new books! Congrats to all!