Life is hard for Ruby growing up in poverty on the wrong side of the mountain on her grandfather's farm where literally the sun didn't shine. The Appalachian setting isn't her friend as she searches for an easy life at the "tippy-top" with contentment and security. Ruby makes a series of bad decisions, causing her life to tumble into an unexpected outcome.
Joseph knew that he always wanted to be a teacher. His family, one of the more prosperous on the mountain, surrounded him with love and support and encouraged him to find happiness with a family of his own.
Leon, a former farm hand on her grandfather's farm, darts in and out of Ruby's life on his way toward a life of crime.
The Four Winds
meets
Blind Tiger
in this tale during Prohibition Era Appalachian Tennessee, set in the early 1900s, where setting and mountain community become other characters of the story. Based on a real-life tale of the author's grandmother, the reader gets immersed in Ruby's choices as she searches for worthiness and belonging. Was the adventure worth the loss of her family? Will Ruby find what she is looking for?
"In this gritty tale of danger, daring, and morally ambiguous women, Kimberly Nixon shows her talent for creating flawed but compelling characters. At times both tense and touching, Rock Bottom, Tennessee is powerful in its humanity. With a richly detailed setting, the story captures its era well."
~Kim Lozano, writer and editor
"Nixon's original and unflinching prose reveals Ruby Sullivan's hardscrabble odyssey from Appalachian poverty towards self-worth and belonging."
- Elizabeth Sumner Wafler, author