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About the Book

Book: Fences Left Broken

Author: Kristen Terrette

Genre: YA

Release Date: October 13, 2023

Mia’s father is dead, and her mother has left her in the rural Mississippi Delta town of Marigold with family she’s never known. Her two sets of grandparents are separated not only by a fence dividing their properties, but by skin color and a deep-seated hatred for each other which none of them will discuss.
When Mia learns their mutual hatred concerns a long-ago murder, she and her new friends set out to uncover who was murdered and why. Their search leads them to unspoken secrets and buried tragedies, stretching from the years of the Great Depression to the Freedom Summer Movement of ‘64.
Mia hopes to reconcile her grandparents by finding the truth. But can broken family fences be truly mended in the face of decades of unforgiving hate?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author – Kristen Terrette

With a background in education and theology, Kristen served as a children’s ministry director and women’s leader for many years before returning to her first love—writing the stories playing out in her head. She dove into the publishing world writing numerous articles, devotionals, and novels in both the Romance and Young Adult genres. After managing an international blog and a publishing house’s social media feed, she found herself as an intern at the esteemed literary agency, Writers House, in the summer of 2022.

This landed her a job with Martin Literary Management where she now takes on author clients of her own. Stories are her thing and authors are her people. When not on her computer writing, editing, or emailing, or with her nose in a book, you can find her getting a little too loud from the sidelines of a kids’ basketball or football game. She’s also a recent transplant to rural Georgia where she thrives on jogging her forty acres terribly, drinking coffee while birdwatching, and daydreaming of new book characters, plotlines, and making her client’s dreams come true (which are her dreams as well).

More from Kristen Terrette

All you need is a spark.

When people find out I’m an author or have read one of my books, I’m often asked how I came up with the story. My answer is always the same. They all begin with a spark, a small idea, sometimes even taking root first in a remote corner of my mind, that says, “There’s a story there.” And that one spark lights, then it quadruples, over and over until it ends up a bright and thriving fire.

The spark for Fences Left Broken was a documentary from 2016 called Dirt & Deeds in Mississippi which told of “the largely unknown and pivotal role played (in the Freedom Sumer Movement and the Voting Rights Act) by black landowning families in the deep South who controlled over a million acres in the 1960s.” This documentary was fascinating and linked generations who had no idea just how important they would end up being in a much-needed and changing time in history. Black sharecroppers who benefitted from an agricultural program during Roosevelt’s New Deal became landowners overnight. Skip ahead a few decades, and these same landowners, or their heirs, had the power to force change.

In the sixties, Mississippi law said that if you were a landowner, you could vote, which opened doors for black families. But, also, these black landowners had leverage. Land was king. Land was also collateral. So when Freedom Summer came along and the wave of black Southerners tried to register to vote, these black landowners had a unique advantage.

Blacks and whites who were volunteering for the Freedom Summer Movement were arrested, often on bogus charges like disrupting the peace and put in jail. But guess what? Black landowners put their land titles up as collateral and got these people out on bond.

Even crazier, out of the hundreds of arrests and bail bonds issued that summer, not ONE failed to follow through and appear in court. Not ONE person charged with a bogus crime was found in default, their bail revoked, and the bond kept. This means not ONE black family who put their land up as collateral lost it.

Historians have gone so far as to say the success of Freedom Summer and the result of the Voting Rights Act wouldn’t have been possible without these families risking it all for the sake of justice and equality.

This documentary was my spark. I got to thinking about these families. They were real people, now generations of people, living in these intertwined communities. What would this have looked like through the years? What became of these families? Where are they now?

And the rabbit trail of my mind began. That spark ignited, and I followed it, outlining potential events that could have happened to families in Mississippi before and after the 1960s, and it all led to my main character, Mia. And Fences Left Broken was born.

I hope you enjoyed learning some little-known history, and a little tidbit of my writing inspiration. And I hope you are curious to find out more about Mia’s story!

Author Interview with Kristen Terrette

When did you first know you wanted to be an author? 

When I was in elementary school, by third grade!

When you are not writing, what other hats do you wear? What do you do for fun?

Mom, wife, ministry volunteer, but also— I’m a literary agent with Martin Literary & Media Management. I’m in my second year as an agent, and I love every minute of it. I love working with authors and being a part of their dreams coming true. 

What is your favorite genre to read? What about that genre draws you?

It does change often. Right now, it’s solidly Young Adult. That’s what I’m writing, and I have many YA clients, so I read for fun, but also for “work.” Knowing and understanding the market is key to success.

What is your favorite holiday? And why?

100% Christmas. It’s Jesus’ birthday, but I also love the food, traditions, and giving gifts! 

What historical figure do you admire and why?

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Who did you have in mind as you wrote the book?

Fences Left Broken is a timeslip novel, and the “slips” of time go back to true events in history. So, a few names of real people who inspired characters and scenes are Roosevelt’s New Deal, Fannie Mae Hammer, James Chaney, Michael Schwerner, and Andrew Goodman (Mississippi Burning).

Which character did you enjoy writing most?

My main character, Mia. She has a great character arc and comes a long way from where she begins!

Which character gave you the most grief?

Mia’s mom. In many ways, her mom is the polar opposite of me as a mom, so it felt stretching to have her make choices I, personally, would never dream of making when it comes to my family.

What is your current WIP?  What can you tell us about it?

My current WIP is not quite a sequel to Fences Left Broken, but it will take place in the “next county over” and a few Fences characters may make their way into the story. It’s also a timeslip about a group of teens rallying to have a statue taken down in the town square, and part of the storyline involves the “Hanging Bridge” which also makes an appearance in Fences Left Broken. It is also based on historical events. (I can’t help myself!). It’s working title is What Must Come Down. 

As a former K-12 school librarian I have to ask – what is your favorite children’s book?

I’m going with Love You Forever by Robery Munsch (author) and Sheila McGraw (illustrator).

That is a good one.

What advice would you give to a child or teen who wants to be a writer?

Never stop learning. Join critique groups, and clubs, go to writer’s workshops and conferences. Make connections and grow your craft.

Thank you so much for joining us today. It’s fun to learn more about authors.

Views expressed in this interview/guest post do not necessarily reflect the views of this blog host.

Blog Stops

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Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 9

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Texas Book-aholic, March 11

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, March 12 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 13

A Reader’s Brain, March 14 (Author Interview)

The Lofty Pages, March 15

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, March 16 (Author Interview)

Blogging With Carol, March 17

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, March 18 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 19

Guild Master, March 20 (Author Interview)

Becca Hope: Book Obsessed, March 20

Fiction Book Lover, March 21 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Kristen is giving away the grand prize package of a $75 dollar Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2a553/fences-left-broken-celebration-tour-giveaway

Read more Author Interview posts.

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