The Story of Keilah by Joann Keder [BLITZ]

[Pepperville Stories - Book 1]

Keilah moved to Sandy Salts, Iowa in search of a fresh start. Little did she know, acclimating to the quirky town in the middle of nowhere would be more complicated than she anticipated.

Her elderly landlord, Dee, has a dark secret that has followed her since childhood. Dee’s younger brother was kidnapped decades ago and never found. While the spunky woman tries not to talk about the painful ordeal, the mystery of his disappearance constantly haunts her.

Digging into the cold case residents have all but forgotten, Keilah unwittingly discovers shocking secrets from her own past. The explosive truth she uncovers could change the town of Sandy Salts and Keilah, forever.

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Adult | Contemporary | Humor | Small Town

Published: February 6, 2023

Length: 321 Pages

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The Excerpt

The day Rosabel McCallister entered my life was the first day I breathed. Not like an infant does, with no sense of the world. But a real breath, absorbing the colors and smells and sounds. She did that for me. She had a way of making everyone better, just by being in her presence. She saved many lives in one way or another. Rosabel McCallister certainly saved me.

“I’m doing some… research. The lady I live with is very interested in Pepperville history. She thought the story of our place seemed really unique.” I’ve barely mentioned the farm to anyone. The memories I do have are too painful.

“Oh… I see.” Her voice softens. “Isn’t that nice of her. Well, let me go through that trunk with your grandfather’s things after my bridge club and I’ll see if we kept that letter.”

I let out a loud sigh. “When will that be?”

“Oh, this evening I 'spect. I was goin’ to make a lemon cake for dinner at Kyan’s tomorrow, and maybe pull the outdated canned tomatoes from the shelf. Is it real important to know soon?”

“Yes, it is, Mother! There are things that I need... want to figure out. Just as soon as you can. After bridge.”

The Salty Sun, Established 1925

Vanessa Withers, Reporter

Jenny Jacobson, age 82

Our dear Jenny went to be with the High and Mighty yesterday at 4 p.m. She wasn’t upset about dying. As she told this reporter during a chance encounter at a coffee shop, “This lady has gotten her work done and you can only lounge in the sun so long before the sand in your crack becomes unbearable.”

Jenny was born in Wallyville. Her folks were out shopping for a new car that day and lost track of time. She barely outlived her mother, who died at the age of 103 a week ago last Thursday, after finding a big spider’s nest in her bathtub.

Most of Jenny’s life was spent giving to others. After graduating with a teaching degree, she moved to Canada where she taught English and P.E. for twenty-five years. Upon retirement, she decided to move back to Sandy Salts to open a secondhand goods and firsthand ice cream store, called D’ Ya Want Seconds? Folks who couldn’t afford the ice cream could trade clothing or good, used appliances for a scoop. Nobody went away hungry.

She closed the place two years ago in order to fulfill her lifelong dream of traveling the world with a younger man. After finding her companion via an online ad, Jenny and Javier spent time in Spain, Greece, New Zealand, and Cancun. She died last week in the garden of her Sandy Salts home with a smile on her face.

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USA TODAY bestselling author, Joann Keder spent most of her years in the Midwest, growing up and raising a family on the Great Plains of Nebraska. She worked for sixteen years as a piano teacher before returning to school to receive a master's degree in creative writing. A mid-life move to the Pacific Northwest led her to re-examine her priorities. She now creates stories about life and relationships in small towns while her ever-patient husband encourages her on.