Award Winning Author
Fault Lines
When hoarder Jacob Barlowe dies alone and unnoticed, his estranged family descends upon his home to prepare it for sale only to discover that memorabilia isn’t the only thing Jacob has been hiding—he’s been hiding secrets as well, secrets which hold the power to heal the family or tear it apart for good.
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No one noticed when he died—until they saw what he left behind.
College freshman Nate Watanabe last saw his grandfather, Jacob Barlowe, eight years ago, the night his grandfather killed his grandmother in a drunken rage. Nate’s memories of the night are as fragmented as his family which fell apart in the wake of his grandmother’s death. But when his grandfather dies alone and unnoticed outside his Seattle home, Nate returns with his mother, Vicky, to prepare the house for sale. The pair is shocked to discover the home in disarray: Jacob died a hoarder.
Seeing dollars in the delays, Vicky decides to call in the junk haulers. She is adamant they not miss the spring market. But realizing the home and its contents may hold the answers to questions surrounding the night of his grandmother’s death, Nate has other ideas. He convinces his mother to let him sort through the chaos, promising to finish the work before the spring semester starts. Now, he has only a handful of weeks to clean out the house and discover the truth, a truth that has been hiding far longer than any of them realize.
Unable to solve the mystery alone, Nate turns to others for help: his estranged aunt and a nosy neighbor he neither remembers nor fully trusts. They soon realize they must work together and heal old wounds before they can learn the truth. There’s only one problem: what they uncover may just tear them apart for good.
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Andrea Yarbough
Author
My Story
Keys clacking beneath my fingers, I hovered over the desk typing faster than my young brain could think. Which is why I misspelled the same word differently on at least five separate occasions.
Thus began my first foray into writing. I didn’t give writing much thought for a few decades after that (okay, more than a few decades). But eventually I got over my shame and tried again. This time, with a bit more success.
Although my writing journey didn’t travel along a direct path, I’m happy to have finally arrived at my destination. If I’m being honest, I’m still finding my way around. I get lost frequently and sometimes my writing, like my mind, takes unexpected detours. But I love the freedom of the written word, the ability to bend reality, to envision what could be instead of what is. But what I love most about writing is the language: the way a skillful turn of phrase can capture the essence of life in only five words, can surprise you, can change you. Words are powerful. I love that I get to play with them every day.
My Writing
Level up your core ELA classes by incorporating meaningful creative writing into regular instruction. Artfulness makes it easy!
Discover Andrea’s award-winning nonfiction narrative: On a Sunday Morning in the Golden & Teen Nib 2023 Anthology.
Read Andrea’s latest story, “Slipping Away” in the anthology, The Cost of Our Baggage, and discover other great writers while you’re at it.