In the Heart of Texas - by Ginger McKnight-Chavers (Paperback)

About the Book

After spicy, forty-something soap star Jo Randolph manages in twenty-four hours to burn all her bridges in Hollywood, along with her director/boyfriend's beach house, she spends a crazy summer back in her West Texas hometown--and it makes her question whether her life in the limelight is worth reclaiming.

Book Synopsis

Named a "Top Pick" by RT Book Reviews
Named a "Fall Must-Read" by RedbookMag.com * PopSugar * Parade Magazine * Brit + Co * SoulCycle
Hailed as a "Best Fiction Book by Women of Color" at Bustle.com
Pitched as "a poor man's Halle Berry," forty-one-year-old soap star Jo Randolph, has successfully avoided waiting tables since she left Midland, Texas at eighteen. But then, in the span of twenty-four hours, Jo manages to lose her job, burn her bridges in Hollywood, and accidentally burn down her lover/director's beach house--after which she is shipped home to Texas by her agent to stay out of sight while she sorts out her situation.
The more Jo reluctantly reconnects with her Texas "roots" and the family and friends she left behind, the more she regains touch with herself as an artist and with what is meaningful in life beyond the limelight. The summer of 2007 is cathartic for Jo, whose career and lifestyle have allowed her to live like a child for forty years, but who now must transition to making grown-up decisions and taking on adult responsibilities. In the Heart of Texas is a wry, humorous commentary on the complexities of race, class, relationships, politics, popular culture, and celebrity in our current society.

Review Quotes

"A laugh-out-loud look at growing up at any age told with honesty and warmth."
--Books & Life

"Funny, smart and compulsively readable! Ginger McKnight has a hit on her hands. And Terry McMillan fans can rejoice that they can add a new favorite writer to their list!"
--Heidi W. Durrow New York Times best-selling author of The Girl Who Fell From the Sky

"Everything is bigger in Texas--the hair, the real estate, and the drama in the pages of In The Heart of Texas. Forty-one-year-old soap star Jo Randolph manages to lose her Hollywood dream and burn all Tinseltown bridges in the span of 24 hours--literally. Caught in a PR nightmare, her agent ships her off to her Texas hometown and she desperately tries to reconnect to life beyond the limelight."
--PopSugar

"Ginger McKnight-Chavers expertly fuses politics, pop culture and hot topics surrounding race to create one of the most rousingly inspiring reads of fall."
--Redbook Magazine

"Readers seeking a peek behind the scenes of Hollywood will want to rush out and get this debut novel. First-person narrative can be tricky, but McKnight- Chavers nails it."
--RT Book Reviews, Top Pick

"There's quite a bit to like about McKnight-Chavers' debut novel...The bold move of writing about the challenges of a interracial relationship offers a fresh take on romantic comedy themes."
--Library Journal