HICKORY NUT GORGE

Senehi's Sixth Novel takes place in Fairview at
the Hickory Nut Gap where the gorge begins its
climb. Publication Date: February 2012

Advance praise for Render Unto the Valley
"Render Unto the Valley is a many-stranded tale of three
generations of a star-crossed family struggling to mend
itself and preserve something of its rightful heritage. In
the midst of this tempestuous story stands Travis
Whitfield, as stony-hearted a bad hat as you are ever
likely to meet. But the female forces arrayed against him
are formidable. Are they strong enought to prevail? Read
and you'll find out. But be warned: It's a breathless ride."

--Fred Chappell, North Carolina poet laureate emeritus and author
of Ancestors and Others and Look Back All the Green Valley.

"All my life I have loved hearing people’s stories, and during the
writing of my Blue Ridge Series, I was enthralled with the rich
history and tales of the Southern Blue Ridge.
“Researching Render Unto the Valley, I found that the
challenges the early settlers faced in this often harsh,
hard-scrabble environment forged a unique American character
that exists to this day in these mountains, hamlets and farms.
“Render Unto the Valley takes place in Fairview, NC, where the
Hickory Nut Gorge spills through the gap onto a beautiful valley
surrounded by layers of hazy blue mountains. In fact, the
photograph on the cover of this book was taken from Route 74
looking onto this valley from the gap.
“I wrote this story to express my empathy with the universal
desire to hold onto one’s land and heritage against the forces
that are changing the places we love.
“Render Unto the Valley is the third novel in my Blue Ridge
series, The Wind in the Woods, the second, and In the Shadows
of Chimney Rock, the first. They are all stand-alone stories that
can be read in any order, but readers will start to recognize
many of the characters I’ve created as well as actual places in
the Hickory Nut Gorge, Asheville, Fairview, Hendersonville,
Chimney Rock and the Lake Lure area.
“Part family saga, part mystery, part love story, the books in my
Blue Ridge series tell of the rich history and lore of this historic
area as well as the heroic efforts of the people who are working
to preserve the beauty of these mountains by staving off
unplanned overdevelopment.”
“Throughout these books, I have strived to portray historical
events as accurately as possible. I do hope you enjoy them.”
"I will be doing an extensive book tour in the Southeast next
February, March and April and am always delighted to meet with
and talk with groups and organizations. Just email me at:
rsenehi@earthlink.net.