I have loved Jan Watson’s writing ever since I first read Troublesome Creek. And since I met her several years ago, I love her as much as her books. She has such a genuine love for the Lord and for others, she is a joy to be around.
Yesterday, the book club I meet with at Unity Christian Church travelled to Lexington to eat lunch with her at Joseph-Beth bookstore. And of course, to buy her latest book! She shared some about her writing process with us, and some about her own life experiences. She said sometimes we need to do something even if it is hard, just because God is telling us to do it, just like the characters in many of her books. One of my friends in the book club said she used to think writers were not someone she could ever talk to, but after meeting Jan, she said, “She is just like us!”
We had another example of this as we sat on the benches right outside the bookstore where Jan autographed our books. Behind us sat a lady with a cane, resting. I mentioned to her that Jan was a multi-pubbed author and that I thought she would enjoy Jan’s books, too. Jan turned around to talk to the lady personally, found out that she suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, and ministered to her right there in the midst of everyone coming and going at Lexington Green. Jan wasn’t looking for another person to buy a book (although the lady said she would be back to get some later) but was genuinely interested in her and her troubles. Jan said she would have loved to talk with her longer.
Jan’s Troublesome Creek series begins with three books about Copper Brown and her move from Eastern Kentucky to Lexington and back again with a broken heart. Her next was a story of two friends in Sweetwater Run.
The next three novels in this series are mainly about Copper’s daughter Lilly Gray Corbett which I recently read and LOVED. They are chock full of conflict and romance! Great reads! And the last one out is about Lilly’s younger sister Mazy in Buttermilk Sky–the book I can’t wait to jump into as soon as I finish the one I am reading!
If you have not read any of Jan’s books, you are fortunate to have this whole series awaiting you! Available online and at most bookstores! You will love the writing and the characters! List of Jan Watson’s novels in order: Troublesome Creek, Willow Springs, Torrent Falls, Sweetwater Run, Still House Pond, Skip Rock Shallows, Tattlers Branch, Buttermilk Sky.
