Book Two, The Legacy, was published
October 3, 2023.
Book two, The Legacy, explores the mystery of who made the red and green Civil War era quilt and whether the Underground Railroad came through Jubilee Junction. Gracie’s paternal grandmother Molly gives her a quilt and asks her to verify if it dates to the Civil War era and discover who made it. Sarah, Gracie’s great-great-great grandmother, narrates her story of taking five slaves to freedom with the help of four Union soldiers from Jubilee Junction. Gracie has a new boyfriend, David. He proves invaluable, as they uncover some surprising twists in Gracie’s family tree and deal with the consequences of racism and a White Supremacist group.
A journey to freedom
Here is the cover of the second novel, which I love! It shows Rebecca, the freed slave, and Sarah, the young widowed schoolteacher. Sarah is the narrator of the Civil War story. My publisher used AI to put these two women's pictures together.
I decided to celebrate the arrival of the second book by dressing up in Victorian garb--a skirt and blouse. Plus an old fashioned purse called a reticule (think 1800's fanny pack!) that I found on Etsy.
Fall 2023. Melody Parker interviewed me over the phone about Book Two, The Legacy. She used a lot of photos from a year ago, when she brought a photographer to my house. However, I've lost more than 50 pounds since then, so there was a mix of old and new photographs in the story!
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Cedar Falls author's new book 'The Legacy' inspired by 1860 'Rustic Rose' quilt.
Fall 2022. The Waterloo Courier's Melody Parker came to see me several weeks ago and we had a great chat about my quilts, the series Grandmother's Treasures, and my first book, The Gift.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1i4Y9GECsQ
Snippet of an interview with Melody Parker, from the Waterloo Courier's Dec. 11 edition.
“Cherie Dargan captured my imagination with the first heartwarming book in her five-part “Grandmother’s Treasures” series, “The Gift.” It was inspired by her marvelous collection of antique quilts and other heirlooms and the strong women in her family, especially her mom and aunts, who have been Dargan’s lodestars.”
Melody Parker, “Five Memorable Stories” (Waterloo Courier)
Here I am, getting the shipment of paperbacks, below. The new map for Book Two, The Legacy--the frontier town of Jubilee Junction.
Last Updated January 12, 2024