Somewhere Still

For Readers of Before We Were Yours and the Orphan Train and lovers of The Great Gatsby 



Roaring Twenties. Kansas City. One woman's transformative journey of love, betrayal, and redemption.

Somewhere Still, a historical fiction book explores the Roaring Twenties through the eyes of a young woman coming of age in Kansas City and offers a unique window into the history and culture of the city at a turning point in its development.  Denitta Ward, author of the Somewhere series, blends history and fiction to tell the story of one young woman's transformative journey of love, betrayal, and redemption.

From the day Jean Ball lands a job at the elegant Empire hotel, modeled on Kansas City's once-famed Baltimore Hotel, she quickly learns the secrets of the entitled class. Dazzled by a Roaring Twenties society on the cusp of radical change, this innocent young woman finds herself dancing, bobbing her hair, and falling for Elden Whitcomb, the handsome son of the wealthy hotel owner. The stakes rise when the Whitcombs’ powerful secrets are revealed and loving Elden comes at a price – one that may be too high for Jean to pay.

Shattered and alone, Jean's in the battle of her life in a city alive with romance, smoky speakeasies, jazz music and scandal, but divided by race and class. With the help and encouragement of influential women, Jean may find what she has always needed, though her choices could echo through generations.

Denitta Ward uses historical sites and real events to explore Jean's transformation from an innocent young girl to a self-assured woman, making her way in a society in transition. Somewhere Still aims to give insight into 1920s Kansas City, a city on the cusp of significant change. During this time, the city's society women united to urge social advances, the jazz culture was born, baseball's famous Negro League was formed, and the city had a burgeoning Prohibition bootleg trade. Featured locations include Kansas City's Petticoat Lane, Swope Park, the Emily Bird Thayer Dry Goods Company, the Savoy Grill, and Wentworth Military Academy.

Find Denitta on the web at www.denitta.com and sign up for the Somewhere series newsletter for behind the scenes details about the book and Roaring Twenties era.