In the gas-lit streets of 1830s New Orleans, every piece of silk hides a secret, and every shadow tells a lie.
Vivi St. James is the "Last Pearl" of her family's prestigious modiste, a girl destined for the glittering ballrooms of the French Quarter. But the St. James legacy is not built on beauty alone. It is held together by an "Iron" resolve and a debt ten generations deep-a curse of emerald eyes and a "life for a life" bargain that has finally come due.
When Vivi is found breathless on the banks of the Mississippi, the city mourns a tragic accident. But Vivi is not gone. Trapped as a "Mist Person" between the world of the living and the deep silence of the dead, she discovers a devastating truth: her death was no accident, but the final price demanded by an ancient debt.
To save what remains of her bloodline, Vivi must reach across the veil to Jordan-the brother she never knew existed. A boy of the swamp with a leather patch over a secret he doesn't yet understand, Jordan is the only one who can help Vivi break the Emerald Thread. In finding him, the treacherous waters of a vengeance that spans centuries and the iron-walled secrets of Rue Royale will finally be revealed.
In a city where the dead never truly leave, Vivi must untangle a web of century-old secrets and confront her family's legacy before the shadows claim the only person she has left to save.
A haunting Gothic tale of legacy, sacrifice, and the unbreakable bond between siblings, The Emerald Thread explores the price of freedom in a world where the past refuses to stay buried.
Stephanie K. Butler, aka S.J. Laurent, is a native of New Orleans who never intended to become an "expert"-just a storyteller who followed a therapeutic spark. Her debut novel, The Emerald Thread, began as a creative exercise fueled by a lifelong love for the research and lore of her beloved hometown.
At twenty-one, she traded the bayou for the road, beginning a twenty-year journey as a military wife that took her from one end of the country to the other. Throughout thirty-five years of marriage to her husband, Leon, she has worn many hats, but her favorite roles have been as a mother to her two sons: Leon (Léo the baker) and Jordan (pronounced with a proper French flair).
Now a true empty nester, Stephanie spends her days in San Antonio, Texas, staying active in her church and occasionally disappearing down a YouTube rabbit hole. When she isn't documenting historical fashion, she can be found diamond painting for her "exclusive" audience on her YouTube channel, Diamonds and Lagniappe-which currently boasts three videos and a loyal following of three (mostly her husband and kids). She shares her home with her husband and her two beloved fur babies: Moxie, the resident crazy one, and Poppy, the house's old soul. While this marks her first foray into fiction, with her creativity finally unleashed, it likely won't be her last.
