River Sisters, the Receiver
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 Dearman’s life-long avocation has been writing fiction, especially that has roots in the history, heritage, and beauty of the Tennessee River Gorge near Chattanooga, ancestral home of her family for seven generations. 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 Tennessee.
About Jan Dearman (Chattanooga, Tennessee Author)
Writer, 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.
"My goal is to produce high-quality writing--that is, writing that is interesting, well-written, at times touching, and always moral. My characters sometimes may have conflicted values and troubled consciences, and they may deal with challenging situations, in which they wrongly choose 'evil' over 'good.' But, it is my strong belief that entertaining, worthwhile fiction does not have to include profanity, graphic sexuality or cruelty. I want my work to be considered 'wholesome.' I want a reader to conclude a book feeling uplifted, encouraged, or, at least, glad he or she took the time to read it--and, hopefully, ready to read another!"
