How Family History and Legacy Shaped Junie

Erin Crosby Eckstine discusses her debut novel, Junie, and how her family history transformed her life from English teacher to chosen GMA Book Club novelist.

In this episode, Erin Crosby Eckstine shares the storytelling inspiration behind her debut novel Junie, a profoundly personal story rooted in her own family’s history.

Erin reveals how Junie’s character is inspired by her great-great-great-grandmother, Jane Cotton, who escaped slavery and became one of the Black founders of Coosada, Alabama. We discuss the importance of balancing joy and trauma in narratives like these and why it is essential for both readers and those represented in these stories.

You can also discover Erin’s unconventional publishing methods, which led to her becoming a GMA Book Club pick, and how her family legacy catalyzed her going from Google Docs to a finished novel.

Don’t miss this week’s Black History Month book list, featuring 36 phenomenal books by Black authors to celebrate this historic month. All books purchased from today’s list will be fulfilled through Brain Lair Books, a Black-owned bookshop that has been financially struggling and needs your support to keep its doors open.

Patrons can join us for a bonus spoiler-filled conversation with Erin Crosby Eckstine, where we discuss the surprising plot twists in Junie and the details of this story that she has always wanted to share with her readers.

Junie Book Summary

Sixteen years old and enslaved since she was born, Junie has spent her life on Bellereine Plantation in Alabama, cooking and cleaning alongside her family, and tending to the white master’s daughter, Violet.

Her daydreams are filled with poetry and faraway worlds, while she spends her nights secretly roaming through the forest, consumed with grief over the sudden death of her older sister, Minnie.

When wealthy guests arrive, upending Junie’s life, she commits a desperate act—one that rouses Minnie’s spirit from the grave, tethered to this world unless Junie can free her.

She enlists the aid of Caleb, the guests’ coachman, and their friendship soon becomes something more. Yet as long-held truths begin to crumble, she realizes Bellereine is harboring dark and horrifying secrets that can no longer be ignored.

With time ticking down, Junie is forced to ask herself: When we choose love and liberation, what must we leave behind?

Meet Erin Crosby Eckstine

Erin Crosby Eckstine is an author of speculative historical fiction, personal essays, and anything else she’s in the mood for. Born in Montgomery, Alabama, she grew up between the South and Los Angeles before moving to New York City to attend Barnard College. She earned a master’s in secondary English education from Stanford University and taught high school English for six years. Erin lives in Brooklyn with her partner and their cats. Junie is her debut novel.