Vista, CA: Author Julia Park Tracey’s newest novel, Whoa, Nelly! A Love Story* (*with Footnotes), will be published November 14, 2025, by women’s publishing company Sibylline Press. Available now in trade paperback, ebook, and forthcoming in audiobook by Tantor Media.
Lonely librarian Nelly sets out to walk in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s footsteps—only to find that the prairie isn’t as romantic as she imagined. As she confronts the darker legacies of the Little House series—racism, revisionist nostalgia, and the shadowy influence of Rose Wilder Lane—Nelly must reckon with her own buried truths. By the time she boards the train home, Nelly has rescued more than just a child in danger—she’s reclaimed her own story. Whoa, Nelly! A Love Story (with Footnotes) is a sharp, soulful heroine’s journey for the literary misfits, the daughters of difficult mothers, and anyone who ever found solace in a well-worn paperback.
Julia Park Tracey is an award-winning journalist and author of nine books, with an emphasis on women’s history and her female ancestors’ stories. Inspired by a mysterious train receipt in her family’s scrapbook, she researched her Orphan Train roots and continues to write novels about her found relatives. A lifelong fan of the Little House books, Tracey put her train-traveling time when crossing the American prairie to good use when she toured for her previous novels. She is the author of The Bereaved, Silence, and Tongues of Angels. She lives in California.
Sibylline Press was formed to publish the brilliant works of women authors over the age of 50. In this first year of publishing, categories include memoir, narrative nonfiction, and fiction. The company was started in August 2022 during a conversation about the lack of opportunity for women writers over 50. Sibylline Press gets its name from the ancient Sibyls, elder women who produced oracular utterances containing wisdom captured in scrolls that Roman leaders often consulted to rule.
Book Release Events
Nov. 14 – Meet & Greet with Allison Angarim (Nellie Oleson actress from LHOTP series), San Francisco, The Oasis
Nov. 15 – Local Author Festival, Madeleine Helling Library, Nevada City (all day)
Nov 20, Zoom, 5:30 – Interview with writing coach Shirin Leos; Register here to save your seat. (https://shirinyimleos.com/)
Nov. 21, 7 p.m. – Copperfield’s Petaluma; Book talk: “Laura Ingalls Wilder for Grownups”
Dec. 6, 3 p.m. – The Bookseller, Grass Valley; Book talk: “Laura Ingalls Wilder for Grownups”
Dec. 7, 3 p.m. – Page Street Writers, San Francisco – On Acquisitions and more
Dec. 13 – Small Press Fair, Oakland (all day)
January – To Live and Write in Alameda AMA – Zoom, TBA
January — Books, Inc. in Conversation with Bronwyn Emery (TLAWIA founder) – TBA
Jan. 29-Feb. 2 – TLAWIA Amtrak Writers Retreat to Reno/LIVE TikTok AMA – Time TBA
Feb. 12-15 – San Francisco Writers Conference: Various panels and one-on-one (all day)
March 7-9 – Sierra Writers Conference, Rocklin/Grass Valley: “The Silencing of Women” TIme TBA
March 14 – Sebastopol Writing Conference (all day)
March 21 – Speaking with Vicki DeArmon at CWC Peninsula Branch: Women’s Small Presses (time TBA)
April 19 – Sacramento Book Festival (all day)