Music, Moonshine, and Murder unfolds amidst the hills of early 20th century North Carolina, a time when women's rights were scarce. Days were spent toiling in the fields under the scorching sun for meager wages, with Maggie Gross among those facing societal scorn as an unwed mother at just sixteen. Music offered solace in Maggie's life; adept with her banjo since childhood, she harbored dreams of gracing the Grand Ole Opry stage with the Carter Family. Amidst prejudice for her unconventional family, Maggie eventually wed Jim Setzer, settling in a lawless community where moonshine flowed as freely as judgment. Their union faced its sternest test one brisk October morning, an event that would reverberate through generations, reshaping the lives of Maggie's boys in unforeseen ways.

I'm Madge Rebecca Gross, aged seventy-eight, with three daughters and a cherished niece. I wrote 'Music, Moonshine, and Murder' because, of my ten siblings, I'm among the last five alive and wanted to share my grandmother Maggie's story as best I could, though many who knew her are gone. The book is fictional but based on truth. Having attended art school and painted for years, I also love storytelling. 'Music, Moonshine, and Love' is my sequel, focusing on my father, Chelsie E. Gross, Maggie's youngest son. Now in Leesburg, Virginia, with my daughter Melissa, her husband Arek, and their kids Amelia and Adam, I'm surrounded by love. I'll keep writing about the remarkable people of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where I grew up, while cherishing time with my family.