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The granddaughter of a coal miner and the great-great-granddaughter of one of the Muscogee people, Donna was raised in the shadows of the Appalachian Mountains, in the beautiful hills of East Tennessee. She was lured away from her mountains by an admittedly gorgeous Italian guy, who married her and carried her off to very flat (they call hills mountains down here) and very hot (no seriously, people bake cookies in their cars) Texas. Donna has made her living doing a little bit of everything, including a stint as an IRS tax auditor, a few years managing bookstores, and a long career writing and managing writers in the corporate world.
Besides writing, and all the wonderful things that go with it, Donna enjoys being walked by her Chihuahua, doing yoga, and reading - LOTS of reading. And you can certainly see the influence of the science fiction books on her keeper shelf - Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, Anne McCaffrey, Lois McMaster Bujold, Ray Bradbury, and so many others - on her books. But the ancient and magical and beautiful mountains that surrounded her childhood are probably the biggest influence on the Books of the Kindling.
Reviewed by Keith Mbuya for Readers' Favorite
After the death of her grandfather, Grace Woodruff returned to Woodruff Mountain, home to many generations of the Woodruff family and its herb business empire, for two main reasons. To settle and manage her grandfather’s sprawling estate, and also seek peace of mind since her dreams and visions, warning her about something being wrong with the mountain, had only worsened. Nick McKenzie, an undercover DEA agent masquerading as a writer in need of the mountain’s peace, earns himself a stay at the property. Nick is secretly investigating a new type of potent meth dubbed Smoky Mountain Magic, which he believes might be on Woodruff Mountain. As the pair spends time together, each tending to their own preoccupations, they’re about to learn not only of their intense attraction to each other but also make unsettling discoveries: Grace about the special power she has inherited from her bloodline, and Nick about his case. Find out how it all goes down in Catching Stars in a Jar: Book One, Books of the Kindling by Donna June Cooper.
If you are looking for a mystical, cozy, contemporary romance flavored with drama, sci-fi, suspense, action, and mystery, Catching Stars in a Jar by Donna June Cooper is a perfect pick. The introduction promises a tale of ancestral magic, family legacy, scientific discovery, and a daring undercover investigation. Cooper weaves a compelling story that lives up to its initial hype and delivers some more. The prose is intimate, reflective, and deliberate. I could feel the “sparks” and sensations running through Grace and Nick whenever they were together. The vivid imagery evoked the settings with cinematic precision, bringing the rustic, serene, and picturesque Woodruff Mountain environment to life on the pages. The dramatic flair accompanying the scenes made them funny. Between following Nick’s introspective thoughts involving the suspect profile for his case and Grace’s conflicting profile, and his conversations with Jamie, I found myself laughing at the suspicion, judgment, and confusion that marked these interactions. This is an incredible debut in the Books of the Kindling series. I loved it. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next installment.
