Warren County Days

Slow-paced, 1950s rural Mississippi suited the reclusive Opal Pratt just fine. In this sequel to Opal, you'll see Miss Pratt in new settings and catch up with characters from the first book as well as meet new ones.

The 1950s were a quieter time with no cell phones, texting, twenty-four hour news or social media. Residents of rural Mississippi had more time for unfettered interactions, although in keeping with the strict, but unspoken, social rules that ordered their lives. And then there was Opal Pratt. In this sequel to the author's first book, Opal, Miss Pratt is encouraged to step out of her reclusive comfort zone and learns more about human kind. Sometimes more than she wants. In addition to new characters, the reader will recognize Olivia and Levi, the former hussy Frances/Francine, the immigrant preacher now with a love interest, and Opal's rejected suitor, Lemuel, who assumes a new and special place in her life. Opal is naïve, courageous, and sometimes tragic. Follow her journey in Warren County Days.

A Pushcart Prize nominee, Diane Thomas-Plunk is the author of Opal and its newly released sequel, Warren County Days – Short Stories of Opal Pratt, both short story collections set in 1950s rural Mississippi. Two of her other stories earned finalist status in competitions by Pen2Paper as well as the Nivalis 2016 international contest. Thomas-Plunk's work has appeared in three anthologies and a number of literary journals. She wrote the foreword to the re-publication of Assignment Memphis and co-authored a monthly column in a Southern California magazine. Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Thomas-Plunk now lives in north Mississippi.