The Debut Novel From Harlinn Draper: Sins of a Final Restitution
This is a dark, visceral tale of revenge, justice, and the cyclical nature of violence, centered on the protagonist, Josephine Jean Shepard. An extremely violent story that takes readers into the dark underbelly of human morality on a quest for vengeance. This story plunges into the unvarnished lives of its characters, exposing the razor-thin line between justice and vengeance. It’s a harrowing exploration of how far a mother will go to reclaim what was taken from her, bending and breaking her own morality in pursuit of what she believes is her final restitution. Her journey is as much a descent into darkness as it is a fight for redemption, forcing readers to question where the line between right and wrong truly lies—and whether it can ever hold.
Josephine Jean Shepard
In her pursuit of justice, she becomes consumed with a fierce and determined drive, unleashing a passionate vengeance upon the Rosewoods by scalping them one at a time.
Corbin, Kentucky
In 1895 a village on the banks of Lynn Camp Creek was incorporated and became the town of Corbin. Prior to incorporation, Corbin had been called Lynn Camp after William Lynn, a Virginian, who was lost in the area around 1800. After the Civil War, about six or eight farms were located between London and Williamsburg. Just north of where Corbin now stands, was a mill owned by the McHargues, and a post office, “Whip-poor-will”. There was a post office nearby in Woodbine, kept in the home of Liberty Sutton. A tavern was operated by Mrs. Rosa Graves at Rockholds, and there was another operated by H.C. Gillis. The Old Barton Mill on Laurel River, about five miles from Corbin was there during the Civil War.
The area of Corbin was sparsely settled and some of the earliest settlers, in the 1870’s consisted of the Nelson Cummins family and the John Moore family. Mrs. Moore, Armelda and Mrs. Cummins, Emaline were sisters and the daughters of George Y. Sears, a large landowner in the area. After the end of the Civil War, the railroad was built as far as Livingston, Kentucky. The tracks were extended to Corbin and Jellico in 1883.
The town which is now Corbin was originally named “Cummins” by James Eaton, the first postmaster, after his good friend Nelson Cummins. He received a letter from the U.S, Postal Department advising him to find another name for the town as there was already a post office by that name in Rockcastle County. Mr. Eaton named if after a minister, the Rev. James Corbin Floyd, who happened to be there at that time. This occurred in 1885.
Surrounded by the pristine Daniel Boone National Forest, Corbin lies at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and is home to Cumberland Falls State Resort Park — deemed the Niagara of the South and site of the only known moonbow existing in the Western Hemisphere. Nearby sits Colonel Sanders' original restaurant serving Kentucky Fried Chicken and Laurel Lake with its 206 miles of scenic shoreline.