Introducing Lena Crowe: True Crime, Family Secrets, and North Carolina Mysteries

 Introducing Lena Crowe: True Crime, Family Secrets, and North Carolina Mysteries

After completing the June Calloway series, I felt ready to explore a new type of story. Enter Lena Crowe, a true crime podcaster turned investigator. Like June, Lena’s investigations take her across North Carolina, but the tone is darker and the stakes feel more personal.

The first book in the series, The Eighth of Everything, was originally written in 2018 and was inspired by a real-life case I had often heard about growing up—long before I was born. While the case sparked the idea, I fictionalized everything. For me, the story was never just about the crime itself; it was about what happens after someone is accused of something horrific. How do you stay in the same place, live your life, and face a community that may never fully forgive?

Through Lena’s investigation, readers uncover the story of Catherine, a woman whose fortitude and strength allowed her to endure unimaginable challenges—and whose resilience was passed down through her descendants. At its heart, The Eighth of Everything is a story about courage, survival, and the legacies of those who came before us.

With Lena Crowe, I wanted to explore the tension between public perception and private truth, blending mystery, history, and human resilience in a way that feels raw, compelling, and rooted in North Carolina.