Candace Cox Wheeler, a fourth-generation Biloxi resident, will sign copies of her new novel, “Squall in the Gulf,” at the Winston County Library on Friday, Oct. 14 at 11:30 a.m. The Friends of the Winston County Library will provide complimentary boxed lunches to the first 24 attendees.
A work of fast-paced historical fiction, “Squall in the Gulf” is set in Wheeler’s beloved hometown and centers around the practice of rum-running, or the transportation of illegally produced liquor up and down the Mississippi Gulf Coast. There’s even a cameo from Al Capone, who once owned a home in Ocean Springs.
“Squall in the Gulf is the sequel to my first novel, Cradle in the Oak,” Wheeler said. “Cradle was set early in the twentieth century in Biloxi and a book whose protagonist, Carrie Burns, is a young mother who wakes up one morning to discover that her husband had left in the middle of the night with their little boys and the sitter. She eventually turns sleuth and travels far from home to find her sons when the police are unable to help.”
She continued, “In Squall, the second generation of those in Carrie’s world take centerstage, and it was both fun and challenging to put the offspring, who Cradle in the Oak readers knew as teens or young children, into situations as adults where they had to make difficult choices. And I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to blend the backdrop of Roaring Twenties-era Biloxi with the fast-paced suspense of Squall.”
A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi and the University of Mississippi Law School, Wheeler and her husband, David, have operated Wheeler & Wheeler, PLLC, since 1981.
“Squall in the Gulf is not only a page-turner, but it’s layered with the rich, unique history of the Mississippi Gulf Coast,” said Joe Lee, Editor-in-Chief of Dogwood Press. “The characters will stay with you long after you’ve turned the final page, and you’ll almost feel like you’re a part of Biloxi’s identity. That, for me, is what makes it such an essential read and a true beach book.”
First edition signed copies of “Squall in the Gulf” will be available at the Winston County Library for $24.95 each plus tax. To reserve signed copies, call (662) 773-3212. The library is located at 100 W. Park Street.
