It’s the spring before high school, and Desiree (Desi) and Robin have little in common.
Robin has lived in the small town of Shady Gully, Louisiana her whole life, while Desi comes from the big city of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Robin’s family is devout, reserved, and dedicated to church. Desi has never been to church, her parents are divorced, and her mom, Sunny, is as flamboyant as they come.
When Desi is introduced in class, Robin hates her on sight. But fate draws these two alienated girls to one another, and an alliance born of necessity soon evolves into an affection that endures. Together they become a force strong enough to overcome mean girls, weight hang-ups, and disturbing family dynamics.
As their paths diverge and they raise families of their own, rumors of a shocking betrayal ignite old insecurities, and the three-strand cord of their friendship begins to unravel.
Just when it seems they have lost everything, the truth brings them full circle … to Desi’s long buried trauma, and to Robin’s obsessive quest for perfection.
In their brokenness they come to realize there is only one true way to fill the emptiness inside, to quiet the lies, and to ultimately become… fearless.
About the Author
Born and raised in Louisiana, most of Hallie Lee’s screenplays and novels are set in the south. Inspired by a landscape rich with cantankerous, salt of the earth folks, Hallie’s characters tend to be dramatic, but kind, and quirky, but smarter than they appear.
A move to the creative community of Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2005 gave her the opportunity to take up screenwriting. As her screenplays were recognized with awards and placements in various contests, she had the opportunity to learn from award winning talents like Kirk Ellis (The John Adams miniseries) and Ronnie Clemmer (A League of Their Own).
But alas, her heart is southern, and when she and her family made another move to Kentucky, it renewed her passion for writing novels. And southern story telling.
Paint Me Fearless is the first in The Shady Gully Series, a series which promises thought provoking, relatable journeys whose cast of characters tend to be ornery, but loveable.
It’s women’s literature. It’s book club fiction. It’s faith based. It’s Hallie Lee.
Tour Giveaway
Two audiobooks of Paint Me Fearless by Hallie Lee (US)
Two audiobooks of Paint Me Fearless by Hallie Lee (UK)
Ends October 6, 2021
(Desi)
That night, long after Mr. Tom had gone to bed, I heard Sunny coming down the hall to my bedroom. I didn’t hear her, per se. I heard the clinks of the ice in her glass. Winston’s tiny tail thumped under the covers beside me.
“Hey, kitten, you asleep?”
I smiled in the dark. “No, I’m too excited about the bonfire.”
Mama laughed in that deep-throated way I loved. It was her really-happy-in-a-Sunny-kind-of-way laugh. “It’s going to be special for you. We’re going to make it a bonfire that kids will talk about for years to come.”
She sat on the edge of my bed, and I reached for her hand. As always, it was there.
“I thought we could put lights in the trees, make like a little canopy,” she said. “We could do blue and white lights. Would that be good?”
I sat up in the dark and leaned against my pillow. “That would be the best! I’m so excited. I’m so happy, Mama.” The moonlight shone through the curtains just enough for me to see the blond curls falling around her ears.
She squeezed my hand. “Good. I want you to always be happy. You’re so special, Desi. I know great things are going to happen for you.”
The way she said it, with such certainty and conviction, I almost believed she could make it happen through sheer will.
Excerpted from Paint Me Fearless by Hallie Lee, Copyright © 2021 by Hallie Lee. Published by WordCrafts Press.
