Anita Roper Foster

Being a newly published author of fiction, I am so excited that my book Piney Hill, a novel, was selected for the Regional Writers section of the Dahlonega Literary Festival. While I have had small pieces published in the past, this event will give me a wonderful opportunity to meet folks that are interested in my story based on growing up with an Appalachian heritage.

I have loved writing stories and poems since learning how to form a sentence. The idea for Piney Hill, a novel, came from my childhood growing up in a small farming community in Cherokee County during the 1960s.

The Appalachian vernacular and lifestyle are quickly disappearing from our mountains. I wanted to preserve that lifestyle in story form. I enjoyed creating Piney Hill with all its colorful characters, mystery, Appalachian folklore, and Georgia historical events.

My husband Ricky, and I have two sons and daughters-in-law, and four grandsons. We live in Fairmount, Georgia with our Brittany named Belle. On our small farm we raise fruits and vegetables, herbs, flowers, and chickens. I preserve our vegetables and make homemade jelly. And have been awarded first prize for my country-cooking by my family!

Piney Hill, a novel

Piney Hill is a small, farming community in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Georgia. It is a wonderful place to grow up.

In nineteen-sixty-eight, a little girl nicknamed Brownie kept a diary documenting a year’s worth of her life. There were eccentric local personalities, celebrations, and daily life to record. Appalachian customs and folklore are common place.

Then, of course, there is the night that the Landers’ Place burned to the ground. The fire at the Landers’ Place was determined to be arson, but who did it? This piqued the interest of Brownie and her cousin, Trixie, who take it upon themselves to conduct their own investigation.

The events that unfold in the wake of this fire brought more danger to young Brownie than she could have ever imagined.