The Story Behind The Language of Sycamores

The Story Behind "The Language of Sycamores"

Shortly after TENDING ROSES was released, readers started asking if I would ever write a sequel about the family, and particularly about what happened to Dell Jordan, the young neighbor girl who became so close to Grandma Rose. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to know what became of Dell, how Kate and Ben fared after taking over Grandma Rose's farm, and whether the family members would eventually repair the rift in the family. I was writing GOOD HOPE ROAD at the time, which was about a related branch of the family living in a nearby town. When GOOD HOPE ROAD was published, readers wondered if I would write a sequel about Jenilee Lane and her family, and how they fared after surviving a devastating tornado. After I thought about it, I wanted to know, too.

So, in answer to all of those questions, and my own, I began writing to story of Kate's (Tending Roses) all-too-perfect older sister, Karen, who has never been very interested in the family history or Grandma Rose's old farm. After a series of upheavals in her life, Karen needs a soft place to fall. An impromptu trip back to the farm for a mini family reunion with her sister and her long-lost cousin Jenilee Lane suddenly seems like a perfect diversion. But as Karen's hectic schedule falls away, she finds herself once again hearing the soft, secret language of the sycamores, opening to the unexpected, rediscovering connections with her grandmother, and finding a lost part of herself.