Award-Winning Author Julia Park Tracey’s Whoa, Nelly! Is a Sharp, Soulful Heroine’s Journey Across the Modern Prairie

Available Now Wherever Books Are Sold from Sibylline Press

SAN DIEGO, CA, UNITED STATES, November 17, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Sibylline Press is proud to announce the release of Whoa, Nelly! A Love Story (with Footnotes), the newest novel from award-winning journalist and author Julia Park Tracey. A sharp, soulful, and slyly funny contemporary story, Whoa, Nelly! follows a lonely librarian on a cross-country pilgrimage that unravels the myths of the American prairie while helping her reclaim a story she thought she’d lost. The novel published by Sibylline Press is available now as a paperback and e-book everywhere books are sold. It will also be issued as an audiobook from Tantor Media.

In the novel, Nelly sets out to walk in the footsteps of Laura Ingalls Wilder, fueled by nostalgia for the beloved Little House series. But the prairie she encounters is far less romantic than she imagined. As she digs deeper into the series’ darker legacies—racism, revisionist history, and the shadowy influence of Rose Wilder Lane—Nelly must confront her own buried truths. By the time she steps onto the train home, she has rescued more than just a child in danger…she has rescued herself.

A journey for the literary misfits, the daughters of difficult mothers, and anyone who has ever found refuge in a battered paperback, Whoa, Nelly! offers a fresh, wise, and emotionally resonant take on the stories we inherit and the ones we choose to rewrite.

“Julia Park Tracey brings her signature blend of heart, wit, and historical insight to this unforgettable novel,” said Vicki DeArmon, publisher at Sibylline Press. “Whoa, Nelly! is a moving reminder that women’s stories—especially the complicated ones—deserve to be fully told.”

Book Release Events
(all times Pacific Standard Time)
Nov 20, 5:30 p.m. (Zoom) – Interview with writing coach Shirin Leos – Registration link available: HERE
Nov. 21, 7 p.m. – Copperfield’s Petaluma – Talk: “Laura Ingalls Wilder for Grownups”
Dec. 6, 3 p.m. – The Bookseller (Grass Valley, CA) – Book talk
Dec. 7, 3 p.m. – Page Street Writers, San Francisco, CA – Acquisitions discussion
Dec. 13 – Small Press Fair, Oakland (all day)
Jan. 29–Feb. 2 – TLAWIA Amtrak Writers Retreat to Reno / Live TikTok AMA
Feb. 12–15 – San Francisco Writers Conference (panels + 1:1 sessions)

About the Author
Julia Park Tracey is an award-winning journalist and author of nine books, with a particular focus on women’s history and the stories of her female ancestors. Inspired by a mysterious train receipt found in her family’s scrapbook, she researched her Orphan Train roots and continues to write novels about her found relatives. A lifelong fan of the Little House books, she put her own miles of prairie train travel to good use while touring for earlier novels. Tracey lives in California.

Whoa, Nelly! A Love Story (with Footnotes)
By Julia Park Tracey
HISTORICAL FICTION | Page Count: 238
ISBN: 979-8897409860; $18
Published by Sibylline Press — Publishing the work of brilliant women over 50

About Sibylline Press:
Sibylline Press publishes the brilliant work of women authors over 50, exclusively. Founded in August 2022, Sibylline is owned by eight women of a certain age (six of whom are also authors). The press currently publishes more than 50 titles a year. Recently, they launched a new imprint, Sibylline Digital First, to publish more work from women over 50 with new titles published every Friday as part of their “Pub Date Fridays” campaign. Sibylline Press titles encompass the genres of fiction (commercial and literary, as well as mystery, adventure, fantasy, and romance) plus memoir. Sibylline Press takes its name from the Sibylline Scrolls, the ancient writings of wise older women, the Sibyls. More at sibyllinepress.com; and follow us on FB and IG @sibyllinepress.

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