Bio
Diane C. McPhail is an artist, therapist, minister, and acclaimed author of Follow the Stars Home, The Abolitionist’s Daughter, and The Seamstress of New Orleans, which was a finalist for the Mississippi Institute of Arts & Letters Award. A graduate of Ole Miss, Duke Writers, University of Iowa Distance, and the Yale Writers’ Conference, she is a member of NC Writers Network and the Historical Novel Society. She was born and raised in MS only miles from the Mississippi River and now lives in Highlands, North Carolina with her husband, Ray, and dog, Pepper.
Praise for Diane McPhail
“In a time and place when women were relegated to the home, these New Orleans ladies set about crafting their own future. Story threads of missing husbands, menacing gamblers, and a society on the cusp of changing women’s rights weave together to form a riveting tale. The history of the first all female krewe was so captivating that it sent me to do some googling for extra information. McPhail has stitched an impressive work of historical fiction that will fuel plenty of book club discussions.” —Pamela Klinger-Horn, Valley Bookseller (Stillwater, MN) on The Seamstress of New Orleans
A captivating reimagining of the intrepid woman who – 8 months pregnant and with a toddler in tow – braved violent earthquakes and treacherous waters on the first steamboat voyage to conquer the Mississippi River and redefine America.
The Seamstress of New Orleans
The Abolitionist’s Daughter