Gail Priest is named Writer of the Year by the South Jersey Writers’ Group!
Awards for SOUL DANCING
The American Writing Awards 2024 Fiction Book of the Year
The Book Fest Fall 2024 Awards: First Place in Women’s Fiction, First Place in Romance-paranormal Fiction, and First Place for Cover
Firebird Book Awards: First Place in Cross Genre and Second Place in Women’s Fiction
2024 American Fiction Awards: Finalist in Women’s Fiction
2024 Independent Author Network Book of the Year Awards: Finalist in Paranormal/Supernatural Category
2024 Kindle Book Awards: Semi-finalist in Romance
Praise for SOUL DANCING
A captivating look at motherhood and romance with a unique twist… Kirkus Reviews
A charming, pitch-perfect ballad of forgiveness, second chances, and romance. The unique premise and memorable characters will captivate readers, and stay with them long after the last page is turned. Christine Nolfi, bestselling author of The Secret Library of Hanna Reeves
Gail Priest’s latest novel SOUL DANCING offers an imaginative and fresh story that seamlessly blends complex characters, a deep understanding of humanity, and a great story all with a paranormal twist. I read it quickly!! Ann Garvin, USA Today Best-selling Author of There’s No Coming Back from This.
Soul Dancing captivates from the very first page leaving readers enthralled. From themes of second chances and motherhood to addiction, redemption, and love, Priest’s narrative is an exploration of the human experience. Hope Gibbs, award-winning author of Where the Grass Grows Blue
Certain novels stick with you, and Soul Dancing is a novel I won’t forget. I know it will live in my psyche, bringing hope and the power of enduring love during hard times. An imaginative, emotional, romantic, original, seriously-couldn’t-put-it down book! Five big juicy ‘you don’t want to miss this one’ stars from me! Lainey Cameron, award-winning author and host of The Best of Women’s Fiction Podcast
Soul Dancing is a tour de force of the imagination. Gail Priest’s narrative skill is on full display as she expertly crafts a story that blurs the lines between reality and the supernatural. Grace Sammon, Award-winning author and radio host
Gail Priest’s Soul Dancing is a beautifully rendered novel of second chances. Priest takes the reader on a wistful, heartfelt exploration of what it means to live, love, parent, and to forgive. Robert Gwaltney, awarding-winning author of The Cicada Tree, and 2023 Georgia Author of the Year
Gail Priest delivers a riveting story of love lost, love found, the grief of shattered dreams, and the wonder of life’s — and death’s — surprises, challenging readers with a timeless question. If you were given a second chance at life, would you take it? Kathleen Long, USA Today Bestselling Author
Soul Dancing held me hostage on the couch for two days until I breathlessly read the last word. It’s an incredible story that invites you to savor so many layers of love: husband and wife, newfound soul mates, and the boundless love for one’s children. Your heart will ache for a happy ending and won’t be disappointed. Paulette Stout, Multi-award-winning author, speaker, and podcaster
Praise for ANNIE CROW KNOLL: MOONRISE Kindle Book Awards Semi-Finalist and the Annie Crow Knoll: Trilogy
Annie Crow Knoll: Moonrise is a richly complex and satisfying read, with a cast of characters so real I felt they could be my own neighbors. Beautifully written, thoughtful, and deep, Moonrise will speak to anyone who has faced loss and emerged on the other side of it. Martha Conway, Author of Sugarland and Thieving Forest
MOONRISE is Gail Priest’s third, and most moving title in her Annie Crow Knoll series. Like Sunrise and Sunset before, the story of four generations of family on Maryland’s Eastern Shore is rendered with achingly beautiful power and sensitivity. The characters, led by the strongest of intelligent women, are all finding their way forward with tremendous wisdom, tears, and courage following a horrific tragedy that scars them inside and out. A literary tale of deep pain and every manner of healing, I wholeheartedly recommend Moonrise, and all the Annie Crow Knoll titles, to our most demanding readers, and yes, to Hollywood as well. Robert Blake Whitehill, Author/Screenwriter, The Ben Blackshaw Series
MOONRISE, by Gail Priest, is a special story. The third book of the Annie Crow Knoll series, brings to a conclusion a family story of rising above tragedy, heartache, personal challenge, and virtually all the real-life obstacles we all face. The words to describe it are loving, heartwarming, sensitive. The books take place at Annie Crow Knoll on the eastern shore of Maryland on the Chesapeake. The descriptions are photos, the characters are enveloping. Moonrise is a story of the 4th generation of a family with its conflicts, fears and its ability to overcome diversity together. If you want to read a wonderful, provocative story, read the Annie Crow Knoll trilogy. You will find it compelling. Michael Stern, Author of the Quantum Touch Series
Annie Crow Knoll: Sunrise This beautifully written epic follows one woman’s journey through a changing landscape of race relations, marital expectations, and family dynamics. Priest’s evocative writing immerses her reader in life along the Chesapeake and keeps us turning the pages as we travel with Annie from childhood to marriage to parenthood and beyond. As rich with meaning as it is beauty, Annie Crow Knoll: Sunrise delivers a tale of determination and heart and a reminder that fate’s bumpy road often leads to a life previously unimagined, yet perfectly imperfect. With a protagonist full of grit, honor, and loyalty, Priest serves up a timeless reminder to hold tight to the people and places that make your soul sing. I devoured every word. Kathleen Long, USA Today Bestselling Author
I dove into this book and didn’t come up for air until I finished the series. A perfect vacation on the Chesapeake with a colony of quirky, all too human characters who broke my heart and gave me hope as they navigated their lives. You don’t have to wish you were here. You are. Liane K. Hansen, National Public Radio Personality
It’s not just the people of Annie Crow Knoll who will keep you turning the pages of this trilogy. What sets Gail’s novels apart is the strong sense of place she has created. The upper Chesapeake Bay is a major character in each of the books. Gail’s abiding love for the Chesapeake is unmistakable. The descriptions of nature’s constancy across the seasons and the years serve as a beautiful backdrop for the story of Annie Crow and her family. Mary Scherf, Chesapeake Style Magazine
Praise for EASTERN SHORE SHORTS International Book Awards Finalist
In Gail Priest’s Eastern Shore Shorts, nine intertwined stories weave a tale of family, friendship, and following your heart. Priest’s world is at once compelling, charming, and full of the wisdom, warmth, and beauty that is the Eastern Shore. Come for a visit, lose yourself between the pages, and savor every moment. Kathleen Long, USA Today Bestselling Author
Just spent the past several hours bingeing on Eastern Shore Shorts, and if there were more, I’d keep reading. Gail really captures the essence of the shore . . . She knows her stuff. Love her characters and how they navigate their lives and how they decide whether to stay or go . . . I want to know what happens next to these folks. Really couldn’t put it down. Liane Hansen, National Public Radio Personality
A collection of stories that reflects the unique character of these Eastern Shore towns and the intricately woven relationships of the people who call these places home. Rachel Simpkins, Ward Museum, Salisbury, MD
This collection of short stories is a joy to read. Each one is like a lovely quilt square, perfect on its own, but when joined together and seen as a larger whole, the pieces form a breathtaking work of art. As I followed the thread of characters, I felt more and more connected to the larger story. The sign of an excellent book is that it lingers in the mind for days, and I definitely feel as though I’ve enjoyed a particularly sweet vacation on the Eastern Shore, where I’ve made many friends whom I’ll remember fondly for a long time. Tawdra Kandle, Author of the Love in a Small Town Romances
I love the way the characters in these stories are connected and pop up in different ways—like real life here on the shore. Jane Richstein, Sundial Books, Chincoteague, VA
Gail Priest’s Eastern Shore Shorts is a heart-warming, sometimes gut-wrenching collection of vignettes set between the brackish Chesapeake and salty Atlantic backdrops in her closely observed Bay Hundred culture . . . Every reader will identify with the dynamic way Priest weaves grandiose dreams with the simpler, powerful truths of small town life. In Eastern Shore Shorts, love can harbor cruelty; loneliness can be a path to romance; old souls can feel like old friends in a heartbeat’s glance. The denizens of Eastern Shore Shorts are long on driving passions and thriving spirits. Robert Blake Whitehill, Author/Screenwriter, The Ben Blackshaw Series
Gail Priest’s Eastern Shore Shorts effortlessly weaves together narratives that not only realistically represent the glory and beauty of Delmarva’s Eastern Shore, but also introduce the reader to a diverse array of believable characters connected through blood, friendship, passion, or loss who, through their own unique and compelling journeys, come to the same understanding that love really does conquer all. Superbly written and a joy to read. Michael Sprouse, On-Air Host, The Arts & Entertainment Report, WRDE NBC, and Coastal A&E, Delaware 105.9 FM
Praise for A Collingswood Christmas, A Novelette The American Writing Awards First Place
Reviews:
Book: A Collingswood Christmas
Author: Gail Priest
Genre: Holiday Romance Novelette
Publication Date: October 1, 2024
Favorite Quote(s):“It’s a complicated assortment much like the old-fashioned Christmas candy that used to stick together in the box. I can’t separate one emotion from the other.”
“I’m terrified she’s going to break my heart, but I can’t stop myself. I’ve been cautious my entire life. This is very new to me. I’m drowning, and I have no intention of getting out of the water.”
In the tender tapestry of life, Kyle found himself entwined in both heartache and hope. He had once married his beloved best friend, Darlene, and together they dreamed of a future bustling with the laughter of children. But fate, in its cruel twist, brought forth a shadow as Darlene was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, taking her from Kyle far too soon. For almost three years, Kyle bore the burden of grief, until one Thanksgiving when his sister Ellie and their mother encouraged him to join his twentieth class reunion. They hoped it might rekindle a spark of joy and help him move forward. Meanwhile, Megan, Kyle’s high school crush, returned to her roots, seeking solace after a heart-wrenching decision. Her marriage to Charles had faltered as their dreams diverged—Megan yearning for a family, while Charles remained steadfast against it. With the holidays approaching and her mother swept up in a new trend of abandoning festive traditions, Megan’s heart ached for warmth and familiarity.
Her mother, seeing Megan’s despair, proposed a deal: attend the class reunion, and they would decorate a Christmas tree together. Reluctantly, Megan agreed. As Saturday evening dawned, both Kyle and Megan found themselves at the location of the reunion, only to discover they’d arrived a day late. Instead of letting her sadness over Charles consume her, Megan wiped away her tears, and she and Kyle took the opportunity to reminisce and reconnect.
As the evening unfolded and the week went on, Kyle’s long-held affection for Megan blossomed anew, while Megan felt the stirrings of something profound with Kyle. Yet, their burgeoning romance was not without its trials. Megan’s estranged husband, Charles, suddenly reappeared, pleading for reconciliation. Torn between the glimmers of a dream with Kyle and the echoes of her past with Charles, Megan faced a heart-wrenching decision. Would she embrace the new love that promised fulfillment, or honor the history and commitment she once shared with Charles? In this delicate dance of emotions, Megan found herself at a crossroads, where the heart must choose its own path amidst the echoes of love lost and found.
In “A Collingswood Christmas,” author Gail Priest delivers a heartwarming holiday romance that beautifully captures the essence of love, loss, and second chances. The novelette intricately weaves the lives of its protagonists, Megan Murphy and Kyle Keephart, into a narrative that is both touching and relatable. Gail Priest’s skillful storytelling and vivid character development make this holiday tale an engrossing read. The characters, each with their own emotional depth, invite readers to experience their joys and sorrows as if they were their own.
Gail Priest excels in crafting wonderfully detailed characters, allowing readers to deeply connect with their emotional journeys. Kyle, a widower who still mourns the loss of his beloved wife, Darlene, is portrayed with such tenderness that his pain and hope become palpable. Meanwhile, Megan’s inner conflict—caught between the echoes of her failed marriage to Charles and the new possibilities with Kyle—is rendered with authenticity and nuance. Through skillful use of flashbacks, Gail Priest enriches the characters’ backstories, adding layers of complexity that make their present struggles and decisions more poignant.
The scenery in “A Collingswood Christmas” is beautifully constructed, painting a vivid backdrop for the unfolding story. Gail Priest’s depiction of the quaint town of Collingswood during the festive season is enchanting, capturing the magic of Christmas with exquisite detail. From the twinkling lights adorning the streets to the cozy high school theater, the settings enhance the emotional beats of the story, transporting readers into a world where the essence of Megan and Kyle thrives with energy and color.
Themes of love, redemption, and new beginnings resonate strongly throughout the novelette. Gail Priest deftly explores the delicate balance between honoring the past and embracing the future, a theme that is particularly poignant during the holiday season. Both Kyle and Megan are faced with decisions that challenge their hearts but ultimately lead them toward healing and hope. The story’s message of finding joy amidst heartache is one that readers will find both comforting and inspiring.
One of the most compelling aspects of “A Collingswood Christmas” is its use of multiperspective storytelling. By alternating between Kyle’s and Megan’s viewpoints, Gail Priest provides a comprehensive understanding of their inner worlds and the forces that drive them. This approach not only enhances the emotional depth of the narrative but also allows for a richer exploration of their evolving relationship. As readers journey alongside Kyle and Megan, they witness the transformative power of love and the courage it takes to pursue happiness.
Overall, Gail Priest’s “A Collingswood Christmas” is a captivating holiday romance that will leave readers with a glow of warmth and a renewed belief in the magic of love.
Tambi Smith, Mystic Shadows Book Club
