THAT PINSON GIRL, Regal House Publishing 2024
In a bleak Mississippi farmhouse, seventeen-year-old Leona Pinson gives birth to a son attended only by her dwarf aunt. Leona refuses to name the child’s father and lives her life in isolation. Her father has died two years before in a shooting Leona doesn’t believe was accidental. Her mother is distant, haunted by her own devastating secret. Luther Biggs, the son of Leona’s grandfather and a former Pinson slave, is her only ally against her brother, Raymond, who inhabits a world of nightriders and violence. When the father of Leona’s child returns with a wife after the war, Leona’s dreams of escape from her cruel existence shatter. Ultimately, the secrets and lies that bind Leona’s family and Luther’s are laid bare, with devastating consequences. Told against a backdrop of the deprivation of World War I, the tragedies of the influenza epidemic, and the burden of generations of betrayals, That Pinson Girl unfolds in lyrical and unflinching prose, engaging timeless issues of racism, sexism, and poverty.
A spellbinding story of murder, grief, and guilt with deeply sympathetic characters and a plot that takes you by the collar and won’t let go. — Minrose Gwin, author of The Accidentals, Promise, and The Queen of Palmyra
. . . a timely debut novel, proving the importance of guiding principles, internal morals, and maintaining your own spirit light. — Margaret McMullan, author of Where the Angels Lived
Wilson’s suspenseful threading of tales has lasting historical resonance. — Katy Simpson Smith, author of The Weeds, The Everlasting, Free Men, The Story of Land and Sea
That Pinson Girl Readers’ Guide
CROSSCURRENTS AND OTHER STORIES, Press 53 2015
The eleven stories in Gerry Wilson’s debut collection, Crosscurrents and Other Stories, span three generations of women: wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, friends. Starkly real yet sometimes mystical, these stories portray women who persevere in the midst of betrayal, loss, and heartbreak. Crosscurrents and Other Stories resonates with the hard truths of women’s lives.
“Gerry Wilson’s vivid debut collection tackles a vast array of human experiences: death, birth, love, abuse, parenting, infidelity, youth, and aging. Rich with metaphor and dark symbolism, Crosscurrents shows women fighting the undertow of their tragedies with wisdom and sincerity.” — Erica Krouse, author of Contenders,
Gerry’s books are available at Lemuria Book Store, Jackson, Mississippi, and other indie bookstores everywhere. Find them online at Bookshop.org (order via a favorite indie), Amazon.com, and Barnes and Noble.
STORM WARNING is available for pre-order (June 2026)!
Gerry Wilson 