These are the sentiments of mixed-race thirteen-year-old Lindsey Hollis, growing up in 1967 in small-town Kentucky where intra-racial racism proliferates and where a long-ago murder still haunts the town.

In Miss Virginia and the Sweet Sisters, we are immersed in the Kentucky bluegrass horse country world, coming-of-age wonders, and the mysteries of life experienced by young Lindsey Hollis. The backdrop of murder and the seedy side of small-town life heighten the suspense interwoven with the racial tension of late 1960s Kentucky. With the specter of sinister premonitions and secrets that need to be kept, Lindsey must find a way to bridge the social and racial divides that separate before the killer strikes again…. And time is running out.

For a mixed-race girl, acceptance amid life and death is hard-won.

Miss Virginia and the Sweet Sisters examines the less often discussed intra-racial tension of the Black community in the late 1960s South. Multicultural in scope, readers will learn about the internal struggles of acceptance in an authentic, raw, and honest way.

Some may consider this story’s genre solely coming of age or a combination of a murder mystery and thriller. Although it has those elements, it is however marketed as Women’s Fiction/Historical Fiction/Suspense/Coming-of-Age.

The novel will appeal to readers who enjoy female friendships, the resiliency of female strength, and insightful reflections on racial relationships.