Burnt Orange : A Novel

Erin and her twin sister, Erika, are growing up in the early 1990s in small-town Orange, Texas, which is racially segregated by white and black color lines and separated by train tracks.

Erin’s biggest fear is her abusive daddy, who hates being a father and never goes to church. Her timid mother often blames Erin for her husband’s violent rage.

Erin’s safe haven is Grandma Mary, who lives two blocks away near the housing projects. However, after Grandma Mary reveals a shocking family secret, it leaves Erin and her twin sister wounded. Erin strives to hop on one of the daily Amtrak trains that travel through town in order to escape.

Burnt Orange is a coming-of-age story where Erin and her twin sister, Erika, experience pain, heartache, tragedy, and triumph. For two decades, the two peas in a pod struggle to erase what they have been labeled.