Dancing Backward In Paradise: A Novel

At the Paradise Trailer Park in Hixson, Tennessee, life for Grace Place is all about sucking on “meat jerkys” and having amorous encounters with Lenny Bean, her handsome lover. However, Grace’s mother has loftier plans for her daughter and insists that Grace save her money and move to New York City so she can find fame and fortune as an actress.

Intent on pacifying her mama, Grace works as a cleaning lady for wealthy Betty Ann Houseman so she can pool her pennies for the trip north. Grace soon discovers that Betty Ann has a passion for men more pronounced than her overbite, and it isn’t long before she’s parting the sheets for Lenny Bean. But just before she leaves Hixson, Grace uncovers an insidious plot the eccentric Bean family has devised to steal Betty Ann’s estate.

Filled with anger but intent on keeping her promise to her mama, Grace and her best friend, Ginny Jo, flee to New York City. Amid the drama of the 1960s, and the absurdity of her life, Grace faces her darkest hours and her greatest opportunity to flourish. In a world of surprises, and unforeseen events, Grace truly discovers paradise.