CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Author Khristeena Lute is coming to Fort Defiance in July to read from her novel, “Finding Grace & Grit” (Thorncraft Publishing, 2021).
The work of historical fiction is based in part on the real-life story of Civil War-era author Grace King, according to the Thorncraft website.
“New Orleans author Grace King’s childhood turns from Civil War-era refinement to navigating the bayous with her family on a flatboat and then emerging to a different life in New Orleans after the war,” the site says in describing the story. “In the present day, Meredith Mandin becomes fascinated by the life of Grace King after her husband returns from the war in Afghanistan, and they begin a new direction for their family.
“In her debut novel, Lute shows how Meredith and Grace risk poverty and social suicide as they carve daringly different futures than the ones society had prescribed.”
Lute, a writer and professor, attended Austin Peay State University and went on to obtain her Ph.D. She now lives in upstate New York.
The author talk and signing will be July 10 at 2 p.m. at Fort Defiance, 120 Duncan St. For more, visit the Thorncraft Publishing website.