TIFTON – Dogwood Blues, a work of southern fiction by Tifton author Brenda Sutton Rose was recently released by Black Rose Writing, an independent book publisher located in Texas.

In early spring, the most beautiful season in the South, a wind of change sweeps into Dogwood, Ga., a fictional town located near the Alapaha River.

The Honeysuckle Bridge Club, a group of four women who have played bridge together for 35 years, meet weekly at the card table and discuss issues such as the upcoming liquor referendum, a vote that threatens to turn dry Creek County wet. As the women – representative of all residents of Dogwood – feel the effects of a transitioning society, they begin to squabble and take sides at the bridge table during discussions of contemporary issues.

“Dogwood Blues, though often humorous, examines serious issues of prejudice, betrayal, mental illness and the sacrifices we make for love. It suggests that the bonds of love, tolerance, and forgiveness sustain us. The problems of Dogwood can be found in any town in any state,” said Rose. “And because of my own love for music, a rhythm of the blues pulses throughout the book.”

Rose’s short stories, essays and poetry have been published in numerous online and print journals. Dogwood Blues is her first novel. She explained how she often drove out to the woods near the Alapaha River and walked barefoot through the countryside while writing the story. “I needed to feel the soil beneath my feet and inhale the scents near the river. Through all of my senses, I needed to be reminded of the sustaining power of the southern landscape.”

Janisse Ray, award-winning author of Ecology of a Cracker Childhood, and recipient of the American Book Award said, “This sassy first novel from Brenda Rose captures some of the conflicted and captivating characters of a rapidly changing South. The book poises on a fulcrum between cultures, between those digging in and those racing onward. It would be serious business if it weren’t so light-hearted and funny. And like most Southern writers, Rose is obsessed with the mysteries of place – the landscape comes fully alive beneath her pen.”

Dogwood Blues will soon be available in print version from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It will also be available online from Amazon’s Kindle, Barnes & Noble’s Nook. A print copy can be ordered from http://www.blackrosewriting.com/literary/dogwood-blues. In Tifton, the Georgia Museum of Agriculture and Historical Village Country Store and Moon’s Pharmacy will soon be carrying the book. In Nashville, it can be purchased at Nana’s Quilts.

Additional information about Rose and her writings are available at www.brendasuttonrose.com and www.authorbrendasuttonrose.com. Contact Rose at suttonandrose@gmail.com or at 229-386-1861.