New Books Network Teddy Jones, "Far From Uncertain: One Woman’s Life of Crime and Other Righteous Deeds" (Stoney Creek, 2026)
Mar 31, 2026
Teddy Jones, a former nurse-educator turned novelist, revisits her Texas-set heroine Frankie in this tale spanning 1925 to 2000. The conversation follows Frankie’s flight from abuse into bootlegging, grooming and addiction, her recovery in a hospital laundry, and the moral work of nursing and redemption. Dual timelines and archival research shape the vivid historical texture.
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Dual Timeline Enhances Memory And Present Tension
- Jones chose a dual timeline inspired by narratives like Alan Gurganus's The Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All to balance long past events with present-day storytelling.
- The older Margaret framing the tale lets the novel juxtapose memory and a reporter's present-day reactions for added depth.
Use Local Archives To Anchor Historical Details
- Do archival research when setting historical scenes; Jones used the Briscoe Center and microfilm local newspapers to verify prices and daily life.
- Local papers supplied concrete details like pork prices and regional habits that grounded 1920s Panhandle scenes.
Reporter Charles Holds The Audience For Margaret
- Charles Bailey is a young reporter from the Panhandle who grew up with grandparents after his parents died and is sent to profile Margaret, the oldest practicing nurse.
- Margaret deliberately withholds her story until Charles listens, seeing him as someone who might amplify it.
