Summers County fiction writer Betsy Reeder is holding her breath as a publisher reviews her third book in a series of historic fiction.
Author of “Madams Creek,” published in 2017 and sequel “Broomstraw Ridge,” in 2019, Reeder has just completed “Salt in Boiling Water” and hopes to see it published in the very near future. Her two previous books have been sold at Tamarack, Otter & Oak, and both are available in paperback and ebook online. The books can also be found on the shelves of the Summers County Library.
Reeder, who moved to the area 14 years ago, has been enamored with the abundance of local history. Her books, she said, contain “characters made up or partially made up, and historic references to many of the historical things in and after the Civil War.”
Readers will find that “Salt and Boiling Water” is a continuation of her previous novels. According to Reeder, “The new novel, set in the late nineteenth century, involves a crisis, brings illiterate fifteen-year-old Caleb Wallace and his mother to the Lilly farm,” amidst what she described as “the breathtaking New River landscape of Appalachia. Caleb completes his growing-up years with Jenny Lilly as friend and tutor. While Caleb struggles with self-esteem, Jenny, a sensitive insomniac, suffers her own anxieties. Both feel like spectators of their lives who must fight to take the reins.”
Reeder continued to describe “Salt in Boiling Water” as a tale “following Caleb’s mother’s death and Jenny’s spurning of his romantic overture, Caleb leaves to create a new existence. He works at a Charleston livery stable until harsh disappointment returns him to the farm, just as Jenny departs. In his desperate darkness, Caleb experiences epiphany. Jenny begins her exploration of the world, which includes confronting a severe phobia and the rigid restrictions imposed on women. She must also face her own bitter hurt when, following a disastrous cave outing, the man she has fallen in love with rejects her. Grieving and stunned, she returns to the home where Caleb waits. Or does he? He has shaped his own plan.”
Ultimately, Reeder continued “both Jenny and Caleb must learn to rely on themselves to chart life’s course. Once reunited, will they serve or thwart each other’s dreams?”
Reeder also said while “Salt in Boiling Water” serves as a sequel to “Madam’s Creek” and “Broomstraw Ridge,” her newest story, “Salt in Boiling Water,” stands alone as a coming-of-age novel with an uplifting message.
Reeder moved to Jumping Branch to work with the Department of Agriculture’s black fly spraying program.
The years she has lived in Summers County, Reeder said, “have been the best part of my life. The beauty of the area, the ability to be immersed in nature, the friends I have made and the many stories from people here” have enriched both her life and imagination.
“I couldn’t be happier than I’ve been in Summers County. It’s the place I think I should’ve been my entire life,” Reeder said.
