In 1985, when I assumed executive leadership, the Jesse Stuart Foundation was an organization that lacked leadership and direction. Those early board meetings, between 1979 and 1985, had a clown-car atmosphere.
I brought the Jesse Stuart Foundation to Ashland through the generous leadership of Judy B. Thomas, president of the Ashland Oil Foundation. Judy chaired our Board of Directors for 17 years. During that time, we transformed the JSF into a regional publishing house. In the last 41 years, we have published more than 155 books, many of them have gone through numerous printings and editions.
Many of our early authors were famously-successful writers whose books had gone out of print with commercial publishers. Over the course of our first two decades, we signed publishing contracts with Billy C. Clark, Thomas D. Clark, Loyal Jones, Allan W. Eckert, Harry M. Caudill, Edwina Pendarvis and many others.
By the late 1990s, the JSF had become a successful publishing house. As we grew, I decided to offer publishing opportunities to new authors, too. The JSF was able to jump start the publishing career of Mark Maynard, Dr. Robert French, John McCauley, and many others including local journalist Pam Hall whose novel “The Johnsons of Appalachia: What the Heart Endures” will be in print by September. A synopsis of her 390-page book follows:
When Jesse Johnson loses his Quaker wife, Nancy, just minutes after she gives birth to their second child, he has no idea how he can tend his farm and care for two helpless, dependent children. He knows he will never love again, yet his children need a mother and he needs a housekeeper. When Nancy’s cousin, Nancy Anne, steps in to help, Jesse proposes a marriage of convenience, determined to honor his wife’s memory. However, Nancy Anne’s steadfast devotion and gentle spirit begin to awaken feelings Jesse never thought he could have again. Can a man who fears that loving again dishonors the past find the courage to embrace the future? Will Nancy Anne’s patient love be enough to heal a heart that has been broken by loss? Set in the hills of North Carolina and eastern Kentucky, “The Johnsons of Appalachia: What the Heart Endures” is a historical romance of sacrifice and second chances that reminds us that, even after profound loss, love can bloom again.
Pam Hall is a native of Ashland, Kentucky and has lived here all of her life. She is married to Timothy Hall and mother to two children, Brittany and Andrew. She sang professionally in Southern Gospel music for many years and is a published songwriter with BMG Music Group, Daywind Music Group and BMI in Nashville. In addition to being a historical romance writer, she writes for the “Greater Ashland Beacon” and “Greenup Gazette” newspapers. In 2023 she won second place in the state for her article about her husband’s family and their 100 years of firefighting service in Kentucky. She serves on the Board of Directors for The Friends of Keith Whitley Corporation based in Elliot County. She also has an Associate in Arts Degree, emphasis in Humanities, from Ashland Community and Technical College.
Mrs. Hall’s new novel, along with hundreds of other pieces of regional fiction, is available at the JSF Bookstore or by calling 606-326-1667.
By James M. Gifford
JSF CEO & Senior Editor
In 1985, when I assumed executive leadership, the Jesse Stuart Foundation was an organization that lacked leadership and direction. Those early board meetings, between 1979 and 1985, had a clown-car atmosphere.
I brought the Jesse Stuart Foundation to Ashland through the generous leadership of Judy B. Thomas, president of the Ashland Oil Foundation. Judy chaired our Board of Directors for 17 years. During that time, we transformed the JSF into a regional publishing house. In the last 41 years, we have published more than 155 books, many of them have gone through numerous printings and editions.
Many of our early authors were famously-successful writers whose books had gone out of print with commercial publishers. Over the course of our first two decades, we signed publishing contracts with Billy C. Clark, Thomas D. Clark, Loyal Jones, Allan W. Eckert, Harry M. Caudill, Edwina Pendarvis and many others.
By the late 1990s, the JSF had become a successful publishing house. As we grew, I decided to offer publishing opportunities to new authors, too. The JSF was able to jump start the publishing career of Mark Maynard, Dr. Robert French, John McCauley, and many others including local journalist Pam Hall whose novel “The Johnsons of Appalachia: What the Heart Endures” will be in print by September. A synopsis of her 390-page book follows:
When Jesse Johnson loses his Quaker wife, Nancy, just minutes after she gives birth to their second child, he has no idea how he can tend his farm and care for two helpless, dependent children. He knows he will never love again, yet his children need a mother and he needs a housekeeper. When Nancy’s cousin, Nancy Anne, steps in to help, Jesse proposes a marriage of convenience, determined to honor his wife’s memory. However, Nancy Anne’s steadfast devotion and gentle spirit begin to awaken feelings Jesse never thought he could have again. Can a man who fears that loving again dishonors the past find the courage to embrace the future? Will Nancy Anne’s patient love be enough to heal a heart that has been broken by loss? Set in the hills of North Carolina and eastern Kentucky, “The Johnsons of Appalachia: What the Heart Endures” is a historical romance of sacrifice and second chances that reminds us that, even after profound loss, love can bloom again.
Pam Hall is a native of Ashland, Kentucky and has lived here all of her life. She is married to Timothy Hall and mother to two children, Brittany and Andrew. She sang professionally in Southern Gospel music for many years and is a published songwriter with BMG Music Group, Daywind Music Group and BMI in Nashville. In addition to being a historical romance writer, she writes for the “Greater Ashland Beacon” and “Greenup Gazette” newspapers. In 2023 she won second place in the state for her article about her husband’s family and their 100 years of firefighting service in Kentucky. She serves on the Board of Directors for The Friends of Keith Whitley Corporation based in Elliot County. She also has an Associate in Arts Degree, emphasis in Humanities, from Ashland Community and Technical College.
Mrs. Hall’s new novel, along with hundreds of other pieces of regional fiction, is available at the JSF Bookstore or by calling 606-326-1667.
By James M. Gifford
JSF CEO & Senior Editor
