There were no roads to LeConte. It wasn’t a Mount Mitchell, a Mount Washington, or a Mount Evans with winding, paved roads spewing out passengers for ten-minute photo opportunities with a summit sign. To arrive at LeConte, one must hike. Even the llamas hike, but helicopter pilots got a pass.
Mountains, Malbec, and Men
Noelle Cumberland
My Story
Noelle Cumberland was born and raised in a pre-Katrina New Orleans. She’s never far from a mountain whether it’s a quick trail run on Chattanooga’s Lookout Mountain or hanging prayer flags in the Himalayas. When not living her best mountain life, she works hard for the money, partakes in the lost art of porch sitting, and enjoys a good laugh with the real characters in her life. Sweet Charlotte is her first published work, and she is currently working on her first novel, Mountains Malbec and Men.
My Works
Mountains, Malbec, and Men
Allyn Thompson thrives by setting and accomplishing goals. Engineering degree? Check. Own home? Check. Husband? Check and uncheck. Baby? In progress. After another negative pregnancy test following her last IUI (intrauterine insemination) round, Allyn questions if the universe agrees she’s unfit for motherhood: her mom discouraged pregnancy throughout her life, her ex-husband said she’d be a horrible mom, and even her ex-boyfriend, Ryan, refused to try to conceive. Allyn confides in her therapist that she’s spiraling, not knowing if she should continue fighting against her diminishing fertility odds and the fear that she’s chasing a checklist in hopes of finding fulfillment. Her therapist encourages her to focus on another goal—a Cordillera Huayhuash trekking trip—to gain clarity. But the clarity she seeks while training on trails creates further confusion as she’s confronted with changes within herself and a changing America that she can no longer ignore. Before Allyn’s trip departure, Ryan asks to rekindle their relationship and father her child. She agrees but can’t ignore the gnawing suspicion that the life she has been curating won’t bring her happiness.
Sweet Charlotte
When Vic and her boyfriend Rafe take a trip to his hometown in Southern Georgia, she’s worried that his parents haven’t warmed up to her but believes a marriage proposal is imminent. While visiting, she learns his hometown is obsessed with the origins of a new fruit - black watermelon. She too becomes enthralled as she tries to decipher if its sweetness is sinister.
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