Shallen Anne Chitwood
Author Biography
Shallen Anne Chitwood was born and raised in the Midwest. The time she spent on her grandparents' farm down South and the stories she heard as a young girl influenced her writing and her way of life.
After earning her Master of Science in Education from Southern Illinois University, she moved to Tennessee where she and her husband live on their own farm.
When she isn't writing stories or poetry, Shallen can be found in the garden or tending to her furry and feathered friends. Among the many animals they love and care for are two of their dogs, Big Love and War Horse.
Debut Novel
In the wake of the Great Depression, during the 1942 bombings off the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the Deacon family has lost the life they knew before the Second World War. As the family and their closest friends struggle to make sense of the secrets they keep from one another, their dogs—Big Love and War Horse—help them find the strength and endurance to survive the aftermath of devastating loss and adversity.
Abandoned by their father, Luke, after the sudden death of their mother, fifteen-year-old Jonas and his younger sister Kay are coming of age in a world shrouded in secrecy and uncertainty. Luke’s sister Linnie steps in to help mend the broken family, but haunted by her own hidden truths, her life is shattered by the past.
Through the intimate perspectives of the Deacon family and their dogs, this intricately woven tale of tragedy and love reminds us of the power of the human spirit to rise above seemingly impossible circumstances.