Finalist in Historical Fiction for a Foreword INDIES Awards
Three Weeks on the Oklahoma Best Sellers List
Three First Place Awards at THE BOOK FEST - Fall 2023
AUDIOBOOK now available wherever you buy audiobooks
"Like a love song to my Oklahoma roots, Henderson House offers a sweet window into a past when lives and loves moved to the gentle rhythm of small-town cafes, front porch swings, and old two-lane highways."
— LISA WINGATE, bestselling author of Before We Were Yours
In May 1941, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, hums with talk of spring flowers, fishing derbies, and the growing war in Europe. And for the Blackwell sisters, who reside in a quiet neighborhood boarding house, the winds of change are blowing.
Bessie Blackwell, copy room manager at Phillips Petroleum and faithful churchgoer, is the reluctant owner of a new pair of glasses. The young women in the office swear by Bessie’s romantic advice, despite the fact that she’s a self-proclaimed spinster. Frank Davis, Henderson House’s newest tenant, throws that status into question with his gentle eyes and ready smile. But the scar on his forehead and rumors of divorce speak of a troubled past.
Bessie’s sister, Florence, a sales assistant at the men’s clothing store downtown, knows all about troubled pasts. Her husband is dead, and it’s only with her sister’s help that she’s able to raise Johnny. Life at Henderson House is luxurious compared to growing up in Cherokee Indian Territory, but Florence wants more for her boy than a rented room. When the flagship store in Tulsa offers her a management position, Florence sets her sights on the future and keeping the family together. And neither future nor family includes Frank Davis.
Mrs. Henderson, the landlady, cook, and adopted matriarch of the Blackwell clan, possesses an uncanny intuition about all her boarders. She knows true love when she sees it. But soon even her vision becomes clouded as Florence schemes to undermine her sister’s budding romance. In a desperate attempt to keep Bessie by her side, Florence exposes the sisters’ darkest secret. A secret that will change their lives, and the lives of those they love, forever.
Author’s Note:
My great-aunt, Beulah Taylor Allen, was the inspiration for Henderson House. Aunt "Boo Boo" was born in Oolagah Indian Territory in the 1890s, she worked at Phillips Petroleum in Bartlesville for most of her life, and she was an old maid living in a boarding house when a divorced man moved in and they fell in love. She was a member of First Baptist Church and never missed a Wednesday Night Supper. One member of the congregation I spoke to said, “Anytime the doors were unlocked, Beulah was in that church.” Aunt Boo Boo continued to teach Sunday School even after she went blind—quoting Scripture from memory. She lived to be almost one hundred years old.
Aunt Boo Boo was the inspiration, but the novel is a work of fiction. I created a boarding house, filled it with characters from my imagination, and let those characters play out the story they wanted to tell. Mrs. Henderson, in particular, was a driving force in completing this novel. Mrs. H. is the character who woke me up in the middle of the night. She demanded a larger role in the narrative. She guided me as to how she wanted the novel to end. I have heard writers talk about their characters taking over the reins, but this was the first time I experienced it for myself. It was truly exhilarating.
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about Henderson House. I hope you will order a copy. Mrs. Henderson and I appreciate your support.
