Lin Stepp

Author of the upcoming release The Foster Girls

Cover Art

The beautiful works of art featured on the covers of these books were painted by the well-known regional artist Jim Gray.

Jim Gray is a nationally proclaimed artist who has been painting Smoky Mountain scenes and southern landscapes for over thirty years. In 1966, Gray and his family moved to east Tennessee so that Jim could explore and paint the beauty of the countryside surrounding the Smoky Mountains. Today, Jim Gray has three galleries in east Tennessee and one in Alabama. He has sold over 2000 paintings and 125,000 prints to collectors in the United States and abroad. Jim is listed in Who’s Who in American Art and has been featured in many publications, including National Geographic and Southern Living.

Artist's Website

Prints of these paintings can be purchased in Jim Gray galleries or ordered through Jim Gray’s website.

Jim Gray’s business address is:
GREENBRIAR INCORPORATED
P. O. Box 735, Gatlinburg, TN 37738
Business Phone: (865) 573-0579

The Smoky Mountain Series

The Smoky Mountain Series is a linked series of upbeat, sentimental contemporary romance novels. Each novel is set in a different area of the Smoky Mountains so that the reader gets to experience a visit to a new area of the Smokies along with the rich pleasure of a good Southern story about memorable characters. Familiar characters and places tie the stories together in an enjoyable way for readers who like a series they can settle into. The Foster Girls is the first of twelve novels in the series. The second book, Tell Me About Orchard Hollow, is due out in the Spring of 2010.

Tell Me About Orchard Hollow - Book Two

leaf It is difficult to recover when hurt by those we love and trust - but in this second novel in the beloved Smoky Mountain Series, a young woman finds healing and new confidence while staying in a mountain cabin on the quiet side of the mountains.

New Yorker Jenna Howell has spent many pleasant hours listening to her older neighbor, Sam Oliver, spin stories about his beloved home place on Orchard Hollow Road in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. This rural world is far removed from Jenna's life in downtown Manhattan, but when several shocking events and marital betrayal come her way, Jenna - a previously sheltered girl - decides to take Sam up on his offer to visit his cabin in the mountains.

At Sam's place in Townsend, Jenna meets many new friends, including her good-looking neighbor, artist Boyce Hart. A quick attraction sparks between Jenna and Boyce, proving to be both exciting and confusing at this time in Jenna's life. It is not the right time for a new relationship for either Jenna or Boyce. However, as spring blooms in the Smokies, Jenna blooms. She gains a new appreciation for unselfish love and simple pleasures, develops confidence in herself and her talents, and begins to find new understandings about faith. Just as she is finding happiness and beginning to heal, an unexpected tragedy forces her to return to New York City. Here she has to test out her new-found strengths, resolve the problems in her life, and decide on the direction for her future. Choosing the right course proves to be more difficult than expected - as two very different lives vie with opposite allures for Jenna's heart.

The Foster Girls - Book One

leaf The deep secrets – that restrict us and limit our lives – are at the heart of this first, engaging novel in the new Smoky Mountain series.

Vivian Delaney – in The Foster Girls – arrives in the quiet Wear’s Valley, on the backside of the Smoky Mountains, carrying a heavy load of hidden problems – and eager to find a quiet place to escape the recent troubles of her past. However, secrets are hard to keep, and right away Vivian encounters unexpected challenges with her landlord, Scott Jamison. From Vivian’s first meeting with Scott – at the end of a rifle barrel – Scott seems purposed to push past all Vivian’s defenses and to find a way into her heart.

Just as Vivian begins to trust Scott – and is able to share her secrets with him and new friends in the valley – love for a little foster girl, Sarah Taylor, challenges Vivian and Scott’s new relationship. When Sarah is lost in the mountains, the suspense and conflict build – with the lives of several characters caught tantalizingly in the balance.
Readers will quickly become wrapped up in the magic of this heartwarming story set against the backdrop of the beautiful Smoky Mountains National Park. They will heartily enjoy the likable cast of main and secondary characters along with the sprinkling of Appalachian flavor that generously enhances this inspirational regional story.

Book Tour & Appearances

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I will be making a number of stops in the South-Eastern United States this year. Here is the current schedule of appearances:

2009-2010 BOOK TOUR - The Foster Girls

Tell Me About Orchard Hollow, book two in the Smoky Mountain Series, is due for release in 2010.