Keepers of Blackbird Hill — Lael Littke

After sixteen years in Hollywood, Jayda returns to Blackbird Hill determined to save her childhood home and protect her inheritance of the family property. Orphaned as a young girl, Jayda stands alone against her extended family who want to sell the land to real estate developers. But the developers want all of the property or nothing, and Jayda is convinced that the old house is a powerful symbol of the past and should be preserved. To prove her point, Jayda begins researching the history of the century-old home and her ancestors, whose lives and secrets turn out to be more dramatic than any Hollywood script. Her main ally is a lonely seven-year-old boy, Smoot Ferguson, who lives nearby with his reclusive uncle. Despite opposition, Jayda and Smoot work tirelessly to save the home from destruction until something happens that puts Smoot in jeopardy and forces Jayda to examine her true motives is she protecting the past or hiding from the future?