Although Edenton’s population is under 5,000 people, those people are passionate about their town. As I did my research, I discovered that many, if not most, Edentonians are very tuned into their history, which made writing Big Lies in a Small Town a bit daunting, since I wanted to present the town as accurately as an outsider possibly could. In that regard, I had a lot of help and I’m grateful to many people for their generosity and enthusiasm.

I’m most grateful to Sally Kehayes and her husband Alex for introducing me to Edenton and being my enthusiastic guides during my first visit. Alex’s father owned the Albemarle Restaurant where Anna occasionally dines, and Sally has served for many years on Edenton’s Historical Commission. She wisely knew I would find inspiration for a story in the little town she and her husband love so much.

It’s often extremely difficult to see a modern day town and imagine what it was like nearly eighty years ago, but I was very lucky. The people of Edenton have long memories. I met with Edenton native Philip McMullan, an author in his own right who has written about the parts of North Carolina he loves so much. Phil helped me reconstruct much of Edenton as it was in Anna’s time. He could remember every store and filling station and restaurant, helping me map out how the town would have looked—and even smelled—to Anna. He helped me figure out where Anna could stay (with the fictional Miss Myrtle) and what scenes might go into Anna’s mural. Thank you, Phil, for your generous spirit.