Spanish Doors

Near thirty, Arden Sidonia is a talented nutritionist who aptly nourishes patients at the hospital and cares for her Gramma Kaira at home. She has found romance and security in a compelling doctor and finally embraces the hope of a family of her own, which she has missed since the desertion of her father when she was nine. But in the blink of an eye, all seems lost. Both career and family crumble when a doctor sets her up to take the fall for the death of one of his patients, and Gramma Kaira who knows she is dying reveals the shocking news that Arden’s father is alive and well, living in Spain. Outraged by the deception and with nothing else to lose, Arden journeys to the Iberian Peninsula to confront a man she hardly remembers. In her search, she encounters a magnificent country and its people, all part of her heritage, but she must learn to forgive and allow herself to be taken care of before she can cross the threshold of these newly opened Spanish doors. With heaping portions of good food, good wine, and beautiful, far-off lands, Diana Renfro’s debut novel, Spanish Doors, is sure to leave the reader hungering for the next course. Like all good Southern writers, Renfro writes with a strong sense of place where tantalizing food is on the table and there’s plenty of good wine for everyone. She’s also one heck of a storyteller.

In her debut novel, Spanish Doors, Award-winning writer Diana Renfro offers readers a heartfelt and unforgettable drama that shows how a woman makes sense of her childhood losses. Nutritionist Arden Sidonia is devoted to her patients and cares for her Gramma Kaira at home, though Arden too is in desperate need of care. Nearing thirty, she is easily swept off her feet by a compelling surgeon and ready for a family, but soon after he proposes marriage, both career and family crumble when Arden is set up to take the fall for the death of a patient. Then, Gramma Kaira reveals the shocking news that Arden’s father, presumed dead, lives in Spain. Outraged by the deception and with little left to lose, Arden journeys to the Iberian Peninsula to confront the father who left her behind. In her search, she encounters a magnificent country and its people, all part of her heritage. Gradually, as she travels through Spain, she uncovers family secrets once shrouded in mystery and begins to understand her parents as well as her past. But she must face her fears and learn to forgive before she can claim her heritage - and accept a new kind of love. With heaping portions of good food, good wine, and beautiful, far-off lands, Diana Renfro’s debut novel, Spanish Doors, is sure to leave the reader hungering for the next course. Like all good Southern writers, Renfro writes with a strong sense of place where tantalizing food is on the table and there’s plenty of good wine for everyone. She’s also one heck of a storyteller.

A native of Alabama, Diana Renfro lived most of her life in Charlotte, NC, where she worked in clinical nutrition before turning to creative writing. Inspired by Spain and its people, their foods and their wines, she completed her first novel, Spanish Doors with the help of a grant from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Arts and Sciences Council. She later received a grant from the NC Arts Council and worked as Writer-in-Residence at Headlands Center for the Arts in California. She now lives on a farm in Grassy Creek, NC, where she is nurtured by prolific gardens, animals and the wide-open sky.