The Big House

"I don't know how Mama knew Daddy was going to hurt us," Minnie says. She yanked us out of the bed and over to the wall. The door flew open. There was a huge explosion! Daddy had fired his shotgun into our bed." Minnie leaves boarding school to spend the summer at The Big House, her cherished Grandpa's home. She enjoys adventure, but she also learns of the dangers posed by the land and a river that can seduce the unwary. The arrival of Minnie's great-grandmother provides her with a fearless female role model, as well as tales of the elderly woman's antebellum past and how she survived the Civil War. She also learns of her Grandpa's struggle to build a post-Civil War cotton and lumber empire in a wilderness of swamps, disease, and treacherous men willing to steal and murder. Minnie's valuable lessons: one must face one's fears head-on, and one must never willingly become a victim. At the close of Summer young Minnie experiences devasting uheaval, but her innate courage allows her to face her fears . . . and to eventually triumph over them. A Gold Medal winner of the 2015 Global eBook Awards, this story is poignant, heartbreaking in turns, and empowering, transporting the reader into the heart and soul of a bygone era. A timeless story, it reflects the very best of the American character when confronting adversity.

"I don't know how Mama knew Daddy was going to hurt us," Minnie says. She yanked us out of the bed and over to the wall. The door flew open. There was a huge explosion! Daddy had fired his shotgun into our bed." Minnie leaves boarding school to spend the summer at The Big House, her cherished Grandpa's home. She enjoys adventure, but she also learns of the dangers posed by the land and a river that can seduce the unwary. The arrival of Minnie's great-grandmother provides her with a fearless female role model, as well as tales of the elderly woman's antebellum past and how she survived the Civil War. She also learns of her Grandpa's struggle to build a post-Civil War cotton and lumber empire in a wilderness of swamps, disease, and treacherous men willing to steal and murder. Minnie's valuable lessons: one must face one's fears head-on, and one must never willingly become a victim. At the close of Summer young Minnie experiences devasting upheaval, but her innate courage allows her to face her fears . . . and to eventually triumph over them. A Gold Medal winner of the 2015 Global eBook Awards, this story is poignant, heartbreaking in turns, and empowering, transporting the reader into the heart and soul of a bygone era. A timeless story, it reflects the very best of the American character when confronting adversity.

Coming-of-age in post-war California, J. Keck grew up with a Southern heritage inside the house, and a West Coast identity outside of what they commonly called the Big House. Their home was a gathering place for extended family and friends many of whom were expatriate Southerners as well. Between the warmth of the home, a two-year stay in Texas, and trips to visit relatives and friends in the South, J. Keck absorbed and was inspired by the culture and the stories of many of these fine and memorable characters. Attending both West Coast and Texas colleges, J. Keck received degrees in journalism and psychology, minors in business, anthropology and geography. Entering business, writing became a pastime for personal pleasure until the publication of a short story and this first novel.