'A lot of people think because it's written in diary form that she left diaries that I found and published, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Here are some of the highlights, edited for clarity. We interviewed Turner, who now lives in Pinetop, before finishing the book, so our conversation was totally spoiler free. Two of those are sequels to the award-winning 'These Is My Words.' Turner now has five historical fiction novels behind her. That's only after Turner sent her work to at least 40 agents.

The first few chapters of the book are based on that document.īecause Turner grew up hearing tales of Sarah, she decided to imagine a life for her great-grandmother.Īfter about 18 months, that homework became her first novel 'These Is My Words,' published in 1998 by HarperCollins Publishers. Unexpectedly, the memoir placed the family in Southern Arizona. She signed up for a fiction writing class because it fit into her schedule and looked like an easy A.Īn assignment to write a short story about a deceased person of interest corresponded with Turner's father's genealogy research, which unearthed a memoir written by Sarah's brother Henry Prine in the 1920s. She eventually earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona. She started at Pima Community College in her 40s with aspirations to teach high school English. She spent much of her working life as a secretary and never aspired to be an author. Turner moved to Tucson in 1992 with her husband and two children. But don't let deadline stress keep you from picking up a good book. This is the calendar we'll follow this month.

Sarah agnes prine series