Category: Fiction

Appalachian, Books, Fiction, Literature, Novel

Five Oaks: Emotionally engaging, exceptionally memorable, and unreservedly recommended

rdean2014

July 15, 2025

In her review of Five Oaks for Midwest Book Review, Kitty Johnson describes the novel as “A deftly crafted combination of a coming-of-age novel and a family/sisterhood story” before going on to call it “Emotionally engaging, exceptionally memorable, and unreservedly recommended.”

You can read the full review by clicking the the link above and scrolling to the General Fiction Shelf. And, of course, once you’ve read the novel I’d be so thankful if you added your own review on Amazon, GoodReads, or any other site that let’s you have your say.

Appalachian, Books, Bookstores, Feminist, Fiction, Literature, Novel

Five Oaks is #1 in Southern Fiction!

rdean2014

On Monday, I woke up to the news that Five Oaks had landed at #1 in Southern Fiction on Amazon’s Bestseller List. It was also #2 is Sibling Fiction. Thank you all so much for your support of this book. I have so many events planned through the summer and into the fall, and I couldn’t have dreamed a better start than this. Hopefully, I’ll see you all down the road, be able to say hello, and sign your copy of the book.

Appalachian, Books, Bookstores, Fiction, Literature, Novel

Get Five Oaks at Your Favorite Indie Bookstore.

rdean2014

One of my favorite things to do is stroll the aisles of a bookstore just to see what catches my eye. It’s even better if that bookstore is owned by a true book lover, maybe features some comfortable seating, or at least has a store cat.

In my neck of the woods (Kentucky), you can’t go wrong with Read Spotted Newt in Hazard and The Taleless Dog in Berea. There are several more I could name, but better still, it’s easy to find your local indie bookstore [ and my new novel 🙂 ] with a simple search online.

My go-to for a search is IndieBound where you can find a great store and buy local online or strolling the aisles (which is, of course, the best way to meet cool cats).

Appalachian, Books, Feminist, Fiction, Literature, Novel

Five Oaks Ready for Pre-Order

rdean2014

You can start building your summer reading list right now by pre-ordering my debut novel, Five Oaks.

In the Arkansas mountains, three generations of fiercely determined young women are poised for self-discovery in a decades-spanning novel about the bonds of family and secrets.

Spending summer away from home for the first time, fifteen-year-old Wren Stone and her younger sister, Sylvie, arrive at Five Oaks, their grandparents’ Arkansas lake house. As it was for their grandmother and mother before them, it’s a place for coming of age, first love, triumphs and failures, and keeping secrets.

Free release day delivery on May 27 via Amazon–just in time for the beach, the lake, or wherever you like to cozy up with a good book.

Books, Feminist, Fiction, Literature, Novel

A New Novel in 2025!

rdean2014

I’m so excited to share that my agent, Laura Usselman (Stuart Krichevsky Agency) has found a wonderful home for my novel, Five Oaks, with Lake Union Publishing. I’m hard at work with my editor, Chantelle Aimee Osman, and the rest of the team at Lake Union, and the book will be ready to launch in spring 2025.

Publishers Marketplace announcement from May 16, 2024
Books, Bookstores, Fiction, Poetry

Bookstore Review: Brier Books in Lexington

rdean2014

BrierYou shouldn’t judge a bookstore by its cover. Or should you? Brier Books is located in the heart of the Chevy Chase district in Lexington, Kentucky where boutique shops and delicious eateries abound. Good–albeit, corporate–coffee and kitschy bars stand at the ready as well. The store itself occupies the first floor of a lovely cottage and shares some of the space with an art gallery. The inviting rainbow sign out front is hard to miss, and your GPS won’t have any trouble locating 319 S. Ashland Avenue in case you do happen to get distracted searching for parking. But there’s good news on that account too. Brier has a few spots out front and several more in its tidy parking lot around back.

When you step inside, you’ll find books from the big New York publishers as well as top indie and local presses tastefully arranged on bookcases that make it clear these titles were chosen and not spilled into a bin like the catch of the day. Owners Jay McCoy and Savannah Sipple are poets (each with several, wonderful publications), so asking for a book recommendation is always a great idea. And if you can’t find what you’re looking for on the shelf, they’re happy to track it down for you and have it delivered to the store.

Author events are also plentiful, so it’s never a bad idea to check their events calendar and time your visit to match a reading you’d want to go to even if you weren’t planning to buy a book: https://www.brierbooks.com/event

From the ambience to the offerings, Brier captures the essence of what an indie bookstore should be. If there were a guide to amazing indie bookstores, you’d dogear the page Brier Books is on and flip to it often.

 

Appalachian, Feminist, Fiction, Literature, Nature, Novel-in-stories, Poetry

New interview in Appalachian Heritage

rdean2014

I’m so pleased my interview in the Winter 2017 issue of app-heritage-lgAppalachian Heritage puts me in the same company as former Kentucky poet laureate, George Ella Lyon; my former student, Tasha Cotter; and so many other established and emerging writers. Thanks to editor, Jason Howard, for making me part of this outstanding journal.

Appalachian, Feminist, Fiction, Literature, Novel-in-stories

“Hensley’s language in painting Appalachian communities is haunting and beautiful, and each story. . .falls into place as a chain in the unforgettable ring that is Landfall: A Ring of Stories.” -Allyson Hoffman

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newpages-logo           I’m over the moon with Allyson Hoffman’s review of Landfall at NewPages.com. The quote above sums it up nicely, but if you care to read the review in its entirety, you can do so by clicking here. Thank you, Allyson. Thank you, NewPages!

Agriculture, Appalachian, Feminist, Fiction, Literature, Low-Residency MFA, Motherhood, Nature, Novel, Novel-in-stories, Uncategorized

Latest review of Landfall

rdean2014

I recently received some happy news from my M.F.A. Alma mater, Arizona State dec2016mag University. The December 2016 issue of ASU Alumni Magazine includes a review of my  collection, Landfall: A Ring of Stories, in its Shelf Improvement section.

To read the full text, click here.

And, of course, Go Sun Devils!

 

 

Appalachian, Feminist, Fiction, Literature, Novel, Novel-in-stories

Sneak Previews and Pre-Orders

rdean2014

My novel-in-stories is available ahead of schedule! Friends are already receiving their Morris Bookshoppre-sale copies of Landfall: A Ring of Stories. This is the book that Michelle Herman selected as the winner of the 2015 Ohio State University Press Non/fiction Prize and Rilla Askew selected as the winner of the 2006 Everett Southwest Literary Award. (Many, many years in the making, it was conceived as my MFA thesis back at Arizona State University.)

Landfall chronicles three generations of several families in Conrad’s Fork, a fictional Appalachian town. I’m lining up lots of readings and book club visits starting this summer, including some via Skype. Email me if you’re interested.

Fitness LadiesYou can order Landfall: A Ring of Stories as a paperback or e-book through Ohio State University Press or through dozens of other online bookstores such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble.