Jane Lee Rankin is single, 37 and a recent breast cancer survivor when she finds out she is pregnant.
Author's Personal Thoughts
As soon as I learned to read, I discovered a voice in my head that spoke the words. It was the same voice that became my inner storyteller, day processor, and observer of the world around me. Ask me a question, and I instantly heard an answer. A journal became my first place to record my unfiltered thoughts. School work and assignments challenged me to hone and focus the words I heard inside. I spent hours creating make believe worlds in the woods, in silent inner conversations with real or imagined characters and eventually trying to capture my thought stream onto paper.
While I was still in elementary school, a new neighbor and best friend, Susie, introduced me the world of books like The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. I was instantly hooked and became an avid reader slipping into the pages of a book for hours. As a high school student, I came to life as I studied creative writing under Charlie Fothergill and my secret desire to be a writer was born.
My path has twisted and turned since then through business, non-profit, culinary, real estate and farming worlds. A steady companion has been reading and journaling. Reading gives me perspective and putting my words on paper lets me know what I am thinking. I cherish the moments words flow onto the page unfiltered.
The writing of Cookin Up a Storm in the late 90’s came with some urgency as I wanted the story told, recipes written and book published, while Annie Johnson was still alive. The first seed of the story was planted during a meditation when I realized the powerful impact Annie was in my growing up and I was filled with gratitude. An emotion and a story combined forces and grew quickly into the idea of a readable cookbook.
The idea for Farm Family started as a non-fiction book to tell the story of what, how and why Apple Hill Farm came to be. It morphed into a memoir early on during a workshop with Jeffrey Davis as he highlighted a difference in memoir as having an antagonist and protagonist. I innocently stood up and asked “What if your antagonist is reluctant?” From that moment the book became a memoir with my father cast as the ‘reluctant antagonist’.
The journey of writing this memoir has been the cathartic healing as I processed through stories of Will growing up, animals as they were born and died and as I discovered old emotions tucked away inside. The surprise for me is forgiveness: for myself, family and many traumatic experiences. I am left with a sense of peace and contentment.
Morning is my writing time, as the night turns gives way to sunlight. I spend my days devoted to mountain top farm full of fuzzy animals, the business of running a farm and the people who come to visit. I look forward to meeting you on the page and in person.
Jane Lee Rankin is a farmer and founder of Apple Hill Farm, an award-winning first-generation farm in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina.