Episode Guide: Dancing at The Orange Peel
A Serialized Historical Novel
Story Synopsis: 1968. Kent Creek, North Carolina.
When nine-year-old Libby and her widowed mother Gwen befriend their town’s first prominent Black businessman, they're forced to come to terms with the reactions of their family and community... and their own. As Libby struggles to understand her place in this world, Gwen grasps for what little remains of her own identity, her hopes, and her dreams.
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Content Notes
Important things to know before reading the novel
While I strive for historical accuracy, believable characters, and plausible events, these elements can sometimes be at odds with my own beliefs and values. In the short story that inspired the novel as well as the novel, language, behavior, and attitudes—including racism and women’s roles, among others—are representative of the cultural climate at the time and in the place of this story: 1960s-70s in the Southern U.S. The values, beliefs, and perspectives of the characters are not a reflection of my own.
Even though Libby, the main character, is only nine years old at the beginning of the novel, this story is NOT middle-grade or young-adult fiction. Without being the primary focus, abuse and its related effects are relevant to the story. Though they are not explicit nor frequent, I’d rather you/the reader know about them in advance. Toward that end, a content note will appear at the beginning of the relevant episodes.
My intention in this telling is to help us remember the people we don’t want to be today.
Episode Guide
A listing of all currently available episodes (this is a work-in-progress), with a short synopsis of each. The short story that created the foundation for the novel, and ultimately inspired the KENT CREEK CHRONICLES, is also provided.
The Story that Inspired the Novel
This short story is the origin and foundation for Dancing at The Orange Peel, and ultimately, for the Kent Creek Chronicles.
Episode 1
Friday, April 5, 1968. From the school bus, nine-year-old Libby Billings observes the alleyway beside The Orange Peel nightclub where her father and her uncle, both deputy sheriffs, were shot three years earlier. She struggles with fear and confusion about the murders and the club’s reputation, contrasting with her otherwise ordinary life and close-knit family. After arriving at her mother’s workplace, the Kent Creek Chamber of Commerce, Libby settles in to do homework until Jeff Misener, a prominent businessman and Chamber member arrives with more than his checkbook.
Episode 2
Local businessman Jeff Misener has come to the Chamber of Commerce with Nate Boniface, the manager of one of his businesses. Libby recognizes Boniface as the new Black member everyone in town is talking about. After Mr. Bolden, the head of the Chamber, refuses Nate’s handshake, Misener and Bolden exchange harsh words. Libby recalls an encounter with Misener’s daughters, and she tries to piece together the interactions between this new member and her mother.
Episode 3
On their ride home at the end of the day, Libby quizzes her Mama about the Black man she’s just seen at the Chamber. Libby worries what the other kids at school will think if they find out her Mama has befriended him.
Episode 4
Saturday, April 6, 1968. Libby eagerly awaits Mama’s return from a Saturday movie with her friend Miss Cheryl. They finally arrive, laughing and chattering about Sean Connery. The mood shifts quickly, though, with the the unexpected arrival of Mama’s new acquaintance, Nate Boniface. Mama makes polite introductions, but Aunt June, who’s been babysitting Libby, is clearly unnerved by his presence. When Mama insists he is welcome, Aunt June departs in a huff of disapproval.
Episode 5
With all their guests gone, Libby is curious about her mama’s new friend. Noticing how different Nate is from all the people she knows, she watches him and Mama closely, her mind filled with questions. Only a few does she dare to ask.
Episode 6
When Grant arrives for supper without his date, Libby is delighted to get all his attention. Gwen, on the other hand, wonders what this loss of yet another girlfriend in a long line of women will mean for the relationship she and Libby have with Grant.
Episode 7
Gwen grapples with her emotions as the evening unfolds in a night of revelations. She finds herself in a complex dance with Grant, who is bound by a promise to her late husband that has blurred their boundaries of friendship and love.
Episode 8
Late night, Saturday, April 6, 1968. As Gwen waits up for Nate, Libby insists she stay awake too. The Cosgroves, their neighbors, come calling, full of questions and suspicious of the colored man who visited Libby and Gwen’s apartment earlier in the day.
Episode 9
With Libby tucked back in bed, the anticipation of Nate’s arrival stirs in Gwen a mix of excitement, guilt, and worry. She attempts to navigate these conflicting emotions, fully aware of the risks of discovery and inevitable judgment from her family.
Episode 10
Sunday, April 7, 1968. As Libby and her mother prepare for church, Libby notices a second yellow rose has appeared in the vase since the night before. Her questions about Nate’s visit get shushed as she and Mama get in the car with family. On their ride to Kent Creek First Baptist, Libby’s cousin Pammy questions the reason for the flags flying half-mast.
Episode 11
Libby envies the attention her older cousin Connie receives from boys and wonders if she’ll ever be noticed that way. Even Granddaddy pays more attention to her. Connie never seems to fret about the possibility of getting in trouble either, and Libby wonders what that must feel like. But she’d never want to disappoint Mama the way Connie upsets her parents. Besides everyone is supposed to behave in church.
Episode 12
After the church service, Gwen is thrown off balance when Nate shows up in the parking lot with a sweet but ill-timed invitation that could spark family outrage. As the watchful eyes of the congregation bear down, Libby is caught between excitement and confusion, and Gwen must navigate a delicate dance between community expectations and her own heart's longing.
Episode 13
Wedged between her warring cousins in the back of Uncle Nelson's station wagon after church, Libby witnesses the ugly aftermath of Connie's humiliation by the other Sunday school kids and Pammy's determination to make it worse. The adults have a heated discussion about Nate's appearance at church, revealing deep family tensions that even Grandmamma's stern "unh uhs" can't fully quiet.
Episode 14
Uncle Dennis's unexpected early arrival from art school brings a wave of joy to the family’s Sunday gathering at Grandmamma and Granddaddy's house, especially for Mama. But beneath the bear hugs and playful nicknames, something feels off about his sudden appearance, and even nine-year-old Libby can sense it.
Episode 15
In her mother's familiar kitchen, Gwen finds herself caught between June's relentless matchmaking, Denny's gentle prodding about her happiness, and her own careful guard over her growing feelings for Nate. June attempts to win Denny on her side and aims a stinging accusation at Gwen. As Denny persists with his sincere inquiries, Gwen has questions for him as well.
Episode 16
Wednesday, April 10, 1968. What starts as an innocent after-school visit to Ivey's Department Store, complete with make-believe shopping and playful banter with Miss Cheryl, turns suddenly serious when Libby stops for a drink of water. Through nine-year-old eyes, the resulting commotion makes no sense at all, but the adults' reactions suggest something far more complicated than her imagined purchases.
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This looks amazing! Im starting from the beginning.