The Empress of Cooke County: A Novel By Elizabeth Bass Parman

In the heart of rural Spark, Tennessee, thirty-eight-year-old Posey Jarvis reigns as the self-styled “empress” of Cooke County. A Jackie Kennedy look-alike with a gin habit, Posey’s life revolves around managing her dysfunctional family and her high school reunion at a crumbling mansion inherited from her eccentric Aunt Milbrey. Despite the mansion’s deplorable condition, Posey is determined to use the event to reconnect with her long-lost love, whom she hasn’t seen in nineteen years.

Eighteen-year-old Callie Jane, Posey’s daughter, finds herself trapped in a life she never chose—engaged to a man she doesn’t love and destined to work at her father’s emporium. Her only escape seems to be moving to California, but breaking free from her mother’s control and the expectations of her small-town life proves daunting.

As Posey battles her own frustrations and Callie Jane grapples with her dreams versus her reality, the town’s gossip and the looming 1960s changes add layers of complexity. The Empress of Cooke County is a vibrant tale of personal growth, family dynamics, and the pursuit of authenticity. Through humor and heart, it explores how self-acceptance and courage can transform lives, even in the most unexpected ways.