Liar's Winter: An Appalachian Novel
"The choices you make determine who you are. Not no mark."
Lochiel Ogle was born with a red-wine birthmark--and it put her life in jeopardy from the moment she entered the world. Mountain folks called it "the mark of the devil," and for all the evil that has plagued her nineteen-year existence, Lochiel is ready to believe that is true. And the evil surely took control of the mind of the boy who stole her as an infant, bringing her home for his mother to raise.
Abused and abandoned by the only people she knows as family, Lochiel is rescued by a peddler and given the first glimpse of love she has ever known. The truth of her past is gradually revealed as is the fact that she is still hunted by a brother driven to see her dead. Unsure if there's anyone she can truly trust, Lochiel is faced with a series of choices: Will she continue to run for escape or will she face her past and accept the heartbreaking secrets it reveals? Which will truly free her?
Set in the wild and beautiful Appalachian Mountains of nineteenth-century East Tennessee, Liar's Winter is an unflinching yet inspirational exploration of prejudice and choice.
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"Liar's Winter is delicious Southern storytelling. Cindy Sproles's excellent use of dialect along with the realistic setting and story line combine to tell the second of her Appalachian stories in a don't-miss-it way."-- (06/14/2017)
"In Liar's Winter, Cindy Sproles proves again that her storytelling ability rivals that of the mountain women she writes about, those whose lives and loves depended on their stories. I held my breath for most of the novel, aching with the main character, what happened to her, and the lies burned into her soul. This is a story that will resonate with many who will see their own hurts etched into the pages, their own disillusionments spelled out, their own voices in the dialogue . . . and their faith awakened as the tale unfolds."-- (06/14/2017)
"As with Cindy Sproles's first novel, Mercy's Rain, Liar's Winter captures flawlessly the voice and setting of a nineteenth-century Appalachian mountain valley along with a powerful redemptive message. One oft-repeated word evokes the story's theme--choice. The choice to love instead of hate. To return kindness for cruelty. To believe, despite all appearances, that in this world's darkest valleys there truly is a Good Shepherd who guides, comforts, restores, and ultimately leads us home. In the end, the liar's winter proves its own illusion, leaving the reader--and the protagonist herself--with spring's new life. No light read this, but worth every inevitable tear and smile."-- (06/14/2017)
"You will love the voice, the characters, and the compelling story Cindy Sproles has spun in Liar's Winter. You will long remember it. You may be haunted, even changed, by it."-- (06/14/2017)
"Infused with the rich culture of Appalachia, Liar's Winter is a vivid journey into a world many of us will never experience firsthand. Lochiel, a girl born with a birthmark that many mountain folk interpret as the devil's handprint, lives a lonely and loveless existence. Through her realistic and sometimes tragic search for acceptance, we witness the strength of family and the power of a loving God demonstrated through His people. Sproles not only stays true to the beliefs and dialect of the mountain people, she immerses us in their society so completely we feel as if we've walked in Lochiel's footsteps."-- (06/14/2017)
"Beneath the hardness of life lies something beautiful. This is the theme of Liar's Winter. The story clings to your senses and won't turn you loose, like Cindy's own description of being caught in a spider's web that 'stuck to her like molasses.' Cindy has a unique voice and shockingly wonderful ability to tell an Appalachian story while weaving the magic of her mountain metaphors. This is another winner, like her best-selling debut novel, Mercy's Rain."-- (06/14/2017)
