RENAISSANCE: THE NORA WHITE STORY IS AVAILABLE NOW

CLICK HERE TO ORDER IN EBOOK OR PAPERBACK

When seventeen-year-old Nora White successfully graduates High School in 1922 Mississippi and is College bound, everyone is overjoyed and excited. Everyone except Nora. She dreams of Harlem, Cotton Clubs, Fancy Dresses, and Langston Hughes. For years, she’s sat under Mr. Oak, the big oak tree on the plush green grass of her families five acres, and daydreamed of The Black Mecca.

The ambitious, young Nora is fascinated by the prospect of being a famous writer in The Harlem Renaissance and decides she doesn’t want to go to College. Despite her parent’s staunch protest, Nora finds herself in Jacobsville, New York, a small town forty-five minutes outside of Harlem.

Shocked by their daughter’s disappearance, Gideon and Molly White are plagued with visions of the deadly south, like the brutal lynching of Gideon’s sister years ago. As the couple embark on a frightening and gut-wrenching search for Nora, they are each stalked by their own traumatic past. Meanwhile, Nora learns that the North is not all it’s cracked up to be.

Can Gideon and Molly overcome their disturbing past in time to find their daughter before it’s too late?

“The author really did her research, touching on the feud between Zora and Langston over a play written by both, but only Zora was given credit. The way she wove Nora into the middle of the feud was genius. It was reminiscent of Forrest Gump a bit. (That, in my world is a HUGE compliment – I love Forrest Gump)” – Lisa W. Tetting

“When I finished reading Renaissance: The Nora White Story I actually shouted. I loved, loved this book. From beginning to end. The characters are still alive inside my mind. The setting as well. I could smell the hot soup the girls had or the rain on the hot earth. The dialogue is superb; I can still hear the soft southern accent in my mind.” – Adele Marie Park

SNEAK PEEK:

When Nora opened her eyes, the sky was dark, the street lights replaced the sun, and the roads turned into the busy section of “The Black Mecca”. Nora didn’t need to visit Harlem to fall in love with it. On that windowsill, she stood in the crossfire of people and lights and cars and bobbed her head to the beat of ragtime syncopation and driving brass bands to soaring gospel choirs mixed with field hollers and the deep-down growl of the blues. Soon she was dressed in a peach dress and white blouse that illuminated the richness of her creamy brown skin, thick course hair, and brown eyes.

She danced to the groove of Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, Jelly Roll Morton, Willie “The Lion” Smith, Bessie Smith, Billie “Lady Day” Holiday, and Chick Webb. Legs swinging, roof rocking, neighbors knocking, and body incapable of standing still. Nora stood up on her toes and let her partner throw her over his back, let him throw her into the air again, and then slithered like her body was made of jellyfish underneath his legs. She danced as if she’d never had legs before, gliding and shaking in ways her father would never approve of. Nora flipped and split and cartwheeled around The Negro Club alongside Louis Jordan and The Nicholas Brother’s until the sweat began to congregate alongside her forehead and trickle its way down to her chin.

“Nee-Nee!”

Just like that, it was over. The people scattered, the sky opened and the dirt roads reappeared along with the face of the world’s most annoying little brother. Dream deferred.

“What?” Nora couldn’t wait until she turned eighteen and could pursue her writing career on the first train smoking to New York, or so she hoped.

“Ain’t you hot sitting out here in the sun?” Walter had noticed the water sliding down his big sister’s face, and wiped his own with the shirt hanging outside of his overalls. It was filthy.

“Ain’t you supposed to be in somebody’s wash tub?”

Sunday night baths were the norm, but the boys got so dirty in the field that Mom was bathing them every night. Nora and Walter would take turns drawing the water up from the well on the land, Nora would set it to boil on the stove and let sit for cooling. Nobody wanted to hear the boys complain the water was too hot. They’d give any excuse not to get in. Then, Nora and Mother would haul the large round tub into the kitchen—the warmest room in the house—and fill it with the now warm water.

“Daddy want chu.”

Nora rolled her eyes, “For what?”

“I dunno.”

Nora blew a breath before rising from the windowsill. She knew what her father wanted. It was time to harvest the peas.

RENAISSANCE: THE NORA WHITE STORY IS AVAILABLE NOW

CLICK HERE TO ORDER IN EBOOK OR PAPERBACK

About the Author:

Yecheilyah is an Independent Author, Blogger, and Poet. She enjoys reading, writing, traveling, red wine, and movie nights. Originally from Chicago, IL, “EC” studied Professional and Technical Writing at Chicago State University and Medical Assistance at Everest College. Founder of Literary Korner Publishing, LK. Pub. Writer’s Workshop and The PBS Blog, Yecheilyah has been writing for eighteen years and publishing books for ten years. She loves to blog and dedicate her time toward helping and inspiring other writers through her book reviews and Introduce Yourself Interview Feature. Yecheilyah is a member of the Authors / Bloggers Rainbow Support Group and Rave Reviews Book Club. She writes Literary and Historical Fiction as well as poetry and anything else her mind thinks up. She is currently revising Revelation, Book Two in The Nora White Story along with other writing projects. Yecheilyah lives in Shreveport, LA with her husband where she writes full time.  Learn more about Yecheilyah at https://www.yecheilyahysrayl.com/.

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