Rougarou Press has rolled out the second installment in Jann Franklin’s Small-Town Girl series, “Shining Stars and Mason Jars.”
In the Grand Cane author’s new book, “The Town of Graisseville, Louisiana, is in crisis, and the mayor needs Jen Guidry’s help! Jen has finally embraced small-town life with open arms, but now she’s facing new challenges that test her faith. She struggles to balance family and her desire to help, but her husband Mike prefers she leave well enough alone.
“While working with the mayor to save the town from financial crisis, she discovers others who also need her help. With Jen’s hilarious enthusiasm for navigating her career, friendships, and matchmaking schemes, she nearly loses sight of God’s blessings for her family,” the synopsis states.
Franklin graduated from Baylor University in 1989 with an accounting degree. She and her husband, John, moved to Grand Cane in 2019.
Franklin continued her accounting career until October 2021.
“I quit my work-from-home job because I really didn’t like it. Writing the column (for the Mansfield Enterprise) was lots of fun, but it didn’t occupy all my time,” Franklin said. “As I searched for ways to occupy my days, my mind drifted back to the ideas I’d jotted down. My first thought was a series of short stories, because I didn’t think I had enough patience to write an entire book. It turned out that I did.”
Her character, Jen, is partly based on herself.
“Jen is based on me as a mom, trying to raise my kids while dealing with life. I also moved to a small town, but after my kids had grown. When creating Jen, I quickly realized the story would be richer if she had to deal with young children, besides a new town,” she said.
“Shining Stars and Mason Jars” is available on Amazon, Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble Nook, and Kobo for $5.99. The paperback edition is available at $9.99, and the hardcover edition is $15.99.
