Margaret of Thibodaux: A Novel

In 1974 Louisiana, fourteen-year-old Margaret Thibodeaux's world shifts when her father proposes to Muriel, a local doctor. Six years after her mother's mysterious death, Margaret fears that Muriel's presence will erase her mother's memory from their home and diminish the spiritual visits she believes she receives from her. Set on rejecting Muriel despite her friends Honey and Robert's approval, Margaret discovers a poem at her mother's grave in unfamiliar handwriting. This mystery deepens when she befriends Jezebel, a local recluse with spiritual abilities similar to her own. Through this friendship, Margaret begins to question her assumptions about her mother's death and uncovers a shocking revelation. As unexpected events unfold during the last summer before high school, Margaret must come to terms with her own humility and accountability. She learns that life and what she holds dear can change suddenly, and that love and nurturing can arrive in unexpected forms. Winner of the IndieReader Discovery Award for Coming of Age Fiction (2026), Silver Medal IPPY Award for Regional Fiction, South (2025), and Silver Medal from Readers' Favorite for Southern Fiction (2025).