When you get as old as I am, there isn’t much to do other than worry about your family. You try to help them make the right choices, and when they don’t, you have to make those decisions for them. At least that’s what I believe. I don’t have much family left, just my two granddaughters, so I put all I got into them.

As of a week ago, I’ve outlived all of my children. Four boys. Burying the last one today. Jasper. He was always getting into trouble. That’s why I helped him raise his two girls. They mean the world to me, but Nona is the one I worried about the most. She had so much sass and energy when she was younger, but now . . . well, she has become someone different since she left Natchez. I can’t say that I make any difference between the girls, Nona and Julia. Julia’s had her problems, too. And she’s got a teenage boy to contend with—mind you, he’s a good boy—but Nona seemed to be lost. Couldn’t find herself. Yes. I may have something to do with that, but it still don’t make any sense the way she keeps dwelling on what has happened.

People may think in my old age I’m onery, but I’m not, what I am is honest. Two different things, although they end up with the same result–letting people know the truth. I tell it like is. The truth is the best medicine for whatever ails you.

Most people my age talk about the past more than anything else. That’s because we’ve lived our lives. But young people, like my granddaughters, shouldn’t dwell on what has happened, they need to look forward. To the future. They have time to make up for their mistakes, correct them, be happy. They shouldn’t let misunderstandings keep them apart. But they have. No need to worry about that though, cause Mamaw gonna fix everything.

Where Wild Peaches Grow
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Release: August 2022
Purchase Link

In a deeply emotional novel of family, cultural heritage, and forgiveness, estranged sisters wrestle with the choices they’ve made and confront circumstances beyond their control.

Nona “Peaches” Davenport, abandoned by the man she loved and betrayed by family, left her Natchez, Mississippi, home fifteen years ago and never looked back. She’s forged a promising future in Chicago as a professor of African American Studies. Nona even finds her once-closed heart persuaded by a new love. But that’s all shaken when her father’s death forces her to return to everything she’s tried to forget.

Julia Curtis hasn’t forgiven her sister for deserting the family. Just like their mother, Nona walked away from Julia when she needed her most. And Julia doesn’t feel guilty for turning to Nona’s old flame, Marcus, for comfort. He helped Julia build a new life. She has a child, a career, and a determination to move on from old family wounds.

Upon Nona’s return to Natchez, a cautious reunion unfolds, and everything Nona and Julia thought they knew—about themselves, each other, and those they loved—will be tested. Unpacking the truth about why Nona left may finally heal their frayed bond—or tear it apart again, forever.

About the author
Cade Bentley, also writing as Abby Collette and Abby L. Vandiver, is a hybrid author who has penned more than thirty books and short stories. She has hit both the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller list. Abby spends her time writing cozy mysteries and women’s fiction, as well as facilitating writing workshops at local libraries and hanging out with her grandchildren, each of whom are her favorite.

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