Thank you for making UPON THE HIGHEST BOUGH an Amazon #1 New Release!
Thank you for making UPON THE HIGHEST BOUGH an Amazon #1 New Release!
Readers and fans-
I am touched and so very honored that you have visited my website and even, perhaps, read one of my books. I love reading your reviews, meeting you in person at book clubs and book signing events, and just “running into you” out and about in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina.
In “My Story”, I will try my best to give you a little more insight into me, my family and favorite places, and what inspired me as I wrote The Broad River Trilogy, The Wings Saga, and other books that are in the works.
My name is Jordan R. Samuel . . . but not really. That is certainly my pen name for the fictional works I have published, and one I am very proud of as I see it in print on my published novels. My “real” name, however, is Dixie Friend Abernathy, and I have written other works, all scholarly, research pieces (and most definitely non-fiction) under that name. I am blessed to currently serve as an Associate Professor of Education at Queens University of Charlotte, where I work alongside some amazing colleagues and friends and with wonderful undergraduate and graduate students. I am the wife (for thirty-three years) of a great guy named John, who happens to own his own business, and the mother of three beautiful children: Samuel, Rachel, and Jordan. (By now, you may have guessed where the inspiration for my pen name originated.) My son, Sam, graduated from East Carolina University and is an IT guy. My daughter, Rachel, is a customs consultant for a New York-based company and a graduate of UNC – Charlotte and Leeds University in England. My daughter, Jordan, is a college student at North Carolina State University, currently enjoying life on campus! As a family we love traveling, enjoying great food, and spending time together!
I have two less important but also significant “loves” in my life . . . McDonald’s coffee, and walking! I try to walk between four and six miles each day, and have even included a picture below of me doing both of these things at the same time!
For a significant portion of my life, my favorite place to visit has been the Lake Lure and Chimney Rock area of the western region of North Carolina. I guess we all have those special places in our lives where all stress and worry seem to leave our minds, and we find ourselves truly feeling peaceful. For me, Lake Lure and Chimney Rock are such places. Therefore, it was an easy decision I made for The Broad River Trilogy to be set in this amazing area. (More about those areas specifically later on).
Enjoy the pictures of my family below, and then keep reading for more about the books and these special places!
As mentioned earlier, I love the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, and most specifically, Lake Lure and Chimney Rock. If you’ve lived in North Carolina for a while, most likely you’ve experienced these iconic areas for yourself. In fact, I’ve never met anyone who has been to Lake Lure and Chimney Rock who has not had fond memories of their time there. The lake itself is small, but lovely, as it sits right in the middle of a perimeter filled with mountains. It has four “arms”, as I like to call them, that jut out from a middle section. For many years, my husband and I have visited the Rumbling Bald Resort, which sits on the northern shores of the lake. Chimney Rock, a little village on the western side, features souvenir shops, great restaurants, and the iconic mountain. The south “arm” reaches to the public beach, the famous Lake Lure Inn, and other interesting and historic sites. It is on this end of the lake, readers, that you will find the Lake Lure Police Department (and hopefully, Lucas Montraine!).
Have you ever been to the charming village of Chimney Rock? I love it! (No wonder the entirety of On the Eighteenth of May is set in this great little place!) Below I’ve included some pics from my treks to the top of the mountain as well as enjoying amazing wine at the Burntshirt Tasting Room in Chimney Rock. You’ll even see a pic of my dear friend Greg and my husband, John, enjoying lunch at one of the awesome riverside restaurants in the village. And YES, all of these locations are featured in scenes in On the Eighteenth of May.
As mentioned above, Rumbling Bald Resort has long been a favorite spot for my family to vacation and just to visit for a quick day trip. The view from the Legends Restaurant balcony is one of my personal favorites, and I also love taking long walks through the resort itself. There are two golf courses there that I’ve played (very poorly, I might add, but at least I tried!) as well as a private beach on the lake itself. I would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a place for a relaxing, family-friendly Lake Lure vacation spot! And, of course, I had to have Johnny Royal visit the resort in Book One of The Wings Saga: Of All the People in the World.
Another thing I love about the Lake Lure area is the annual Lake Lure Olympiad! About eight years ago, I was relaxing at the Rumbling Bald Resort when I heard an announcement that a 10K race was concluding on the private beach that very evening. Curious as to what was happening, I made my way to the beach, only to watch in amazement as runner after runner crossed the finish line right there on the sandy shores. The runners had started in the Ingles parking lot of Lake Lure and had progressed 6.2 miles to the resort.
Needless to say, I was inspired . . . and thus began my determination to start exercising and to experience the 10K for myself one day.
Fast forward to present day! I have now participated in five total Olympiads, and have been thrilled to not only complete the 10K, but to complete all three races of the Olympiad over the course of the August weekend during which they are always held. The 10K on Friday night. The Triathlon on Saturday morning. The 5K up Chimney Rock Mountain on Sunday morning. These races are so fun – with beautiful scenery at every turn and sweet volunteers who give you water with a smile and yell an encouraging cheer as you go by. Also, participating in these races gave me the chance to meet the former mayor of Lake Lure, Bob Keith, his lovely wife, Pam, and fellow runners Melissa Alexander and Lisa Rome. If you are looking for a great challenge, or just a fun event to be a part of, I encourage you to check out the Lake Lure Olympiad. And, YES, the Olympiad is featured in its own chapter in the third book of The Broad River Trilogy, In Fields of Daisies.
Here are some pics of the 2021 Olympiad (one of me right after the Triathlon Saturday morning, and a couple right after the 5K on Sunday morning, at the top of Chimney Rock Mountain). Many thanks to our good friends Greg and Teresa, who actually made the trip with us to cheer me on!
For those of you who read Book Two in The Broad River Trilogy, Across the Broken Bridge, you may have been curious as to the inspiration for how Venice, Italy, got thrown into the story alongside Lake Lure and Chimney Rock. Specifically, I had two inspirations for that part of the story. First, in December of 2019, I had the pleasure of traveling to Venice with my daughter, Rachel, to celebrate her graduation from Leeds University (her Masters degree). We spent several days enjoying the architecture, the museums, the food and wine, and the little islands that are around the main city . . . those of Murano and Burano. I have included some pictures of us in several famous and significant parts of Venice, including on the boat that took us out to these islands one day.
While in Venice, I was putting the final touches on Book One, On the Eighteenth of May, while sitting on the balcony of our hotel, which overlooked the Grand Canal. Suffice it to say, I was so mesmerized and inspired, that I determined to somehow work Venice into the trilogy. Over the course of the next year, as I wrote Book Two, (and as the character of Burana, named after the island of Burano, came to life) I held fast to my beautiful memories of that trip. Gondola rides . . . the water . . . the beautiful bridges . . . the fountains . . . they all made it into Book Two!
Also in Across the Broken Bridge, however, is the equally enchanting “palace” known as Davenport Manor! While an entirely fictional place that I had great fun in imagining, I must confess that my inspiration for Davenport Estate was to somehow successfully combine the elegance of Italian architecture with the beauty of the Blue Ridge. Thus, I relied not only on my memories of Venice to guide me (the fountain in front of the Manor . . . the marble floors and gold-accented furniture . . . the gardens) but also my many visits to North Carolina’s very own Biltmore House. I have had many readers ask me, “Was Biltmore House your prototype for Davenport Manor?”, and the answer is, in many ways, YES! In fact, the reader is given the comparison on one page of Across the Broken Bridge,as it is noted that Davenport Manor is almost as illustrious, although not nearly as large in square footage. And who among us who have had the pleasure of visiting Biltmore House can forget that view from the back Loggia open-air balcony? Indeed, as I wrote about Davenport Manor, it was always my understanding that this was the same view that Johnathon and Lilliana Davenport enjoyed from their fourth-story, gold-accented bedroom balcony at Davenport Manor!
