New Era native launches book.

Eldonna Edwards

New Era native launches book.

New Era native Eldonna Edwards’ debut novel, is set in fictional Cherry Hill, Michigan. The book features a clairvoyant preacher’s daughter who comes of age in the 1960s. The daughter of an evangelical minister, Edwards tapped into her fertile background to create a relatable cast of characters from the schoolyard to the grocery store to the local church.

Asked if her book is autobiographical, Edwards remarked, “Rev. Carter is very different from my own dad, who served several churches from Muskegon to Hart, Michigan. I did, however, steal a few bits from his habits; namely cutting out grocery coupons, leaving religious tracts in public places and studying for his sermons in the bathroom. The Carter sisters are a quilt of characters molded from my imagination and childhood friends, with an homage to my five real-life siblings.”

“This I Know” is a Publisher’s Marketplace Spring 2018 Buzz Book and Library “Fresh Pick” for May. The book releases in hardcover, eBook and audio formats beginning April 24. The author will sign copies of her books at Barnes & Noble in Muskegon, May 12, at 1 p.m. and at Book Nook & Java Shop in Montague, May 18, at 6:15 p.m.

Edwards is the subject of the award-winning documentary “Perfect Strangers” and author of the memoir “Lost in Transplantation,” both of which follow her choice to donate a kidney to an anonymous person in need. Her debut novel, “This I Know,” won the Lillian Dean Award for fiction based on its opening chapters. A former journaling instructor, Edwards is a born storyteller. The voice in this novel comes straight from the heart. Eldonna currently lives on the central California coast with her long-time partner.