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An Introduction to Noir

Southern psychological noir about women shaped from the inside out who save themselves — no wimps, no apologies, just storm-gray morality and the cost of owning the consequences.

Welcome. I write women carved out of consequence — Southern women who don’t wait for permission, redemption, or rescue. Women who hold their ground even when the ground is shifting. Women who enter the dark and come out changed, bloodied, or burning, but never quiet.

If you’re here for tidy police procedurals, you won’t find them.If you’re here for grit, truth, and psychological heat — pull up a chair.

Where to Start

Franklin County Series (Published)

Rural noir. Historical crime. Appalachian secrets with long memories. Four books steeped in loyalty, grudges, justice-by-hand, and consequences that echo for generations.

Books: Snake Pond, A Quiet Death, Between Hope and Hell, Hell to the Bone

Nashville Series (Published)

Legal noir + psychological suspense. Women up against power, corruption, obsession, and the lies polite society depends on.

Books: Lakestone School for Boys, Losing Shane

Lincoln County Series (Published)

Southern psychological noir that cuts deep. Smart, capable women pushed to their breaking point — and saving themselves when no one else will.

Book: Peace of My Heart

Writing as Dannah Lynn (Published)

Road-trip historical noir with romance woven into the grit.

Book: On the Dime

Coming Soon / In Progress

The Cromartie Arc

Southern gothic crime. Serial predators, generational trauma, psychological warfare, and a woman who refuses to look away. Part of the Nashville Series.

Coffee County Series

Historical Southern crime exploring the darker corners of 20th-century justice.

Grundy County Series

Appalachian suspense steeped in secrets, violence, and survival.

What You’ll Find on This Blog

• storytelling craft through a noir lens

• behind-the-scenes writing and editing

• Southern crime themes, history, and strange truths

• short pieces, micro-essays, and atmospheric notes

• dispatches from the writing life

• the darker corners that don’t fit anywhere else

I don’t sand the edges. I don’t soften the truth. And I don’t write about women who break quietly.

If You’re New, Start with These

These posts open different doors into the world I write:

• Where the Darkness Comes From

• A Little Truth Before We Continue

• A Working Lexicon for Southern & Rural Noir

Start with whichever one pulls you in.

Stick Around for More Noir

If you want Southern psychological noir with teeth, join the mailing list. I promise grit, consequence, and stories that don’t let go.