The Last Quiet Autumn

About the Book

Author: Loni Kemper Moore

Genre: Christian historical fiction with strong faith themes

One letter stitched a family together. Now, with war on the wind, only love—penned note by note—holds the threads in place.

Autumn 1941

Three young women—strangers to one another—each receive an alluring invitation they cannot and dare not refuse—Thanksgiving dinner in Texas with a mysterious ninety-year-old woman.

Virginia Campbell, a poised Boston socialite on the brink of marrying into a powerful political family, is entrusted with a delicate family mission—one that could jeopardize the perfect wedded life she so carefully planned.

Eulalia Bell, a spirited nursing graduate, earned her scholarship in Nebraska thanks to the Orphan Train. But the truth of her past threatens the career she’s fought hard to build.

Francesca Smythe, a resilient wife and mother on an Oklahoma ranch, survived the Dust Bowl and Depression. She longs for the warmth and connection of a true family. When the letter arrives, she wonders if it holds the key to the belonging she’s yearned for all her life.

As secrets unfold and pasts entwine, these three women are drawn to a truth that will reshape their lives—about love powerful enough to face a potential world at war, desires too strong to be silenced, and the courage to claim their place in history.

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About the Author

Loni Kemper Moore is a sports-cheering, Diet-Pepsi-sipping, Rocky Mountain–adventure-seeking storyteller who longs to reflect God’s beautiful love through life’s hardest places, especially for remarkable women around the globe.

A preacher’s kid at heart though her father joined her mother in Heaven, Loni’s wanderlust was sparked early by family and missionary stories. She has visited more than a dozen countries, learning from other cultures while often experiencing life as “the other.” Though she attended multiple schools as a minority and later discovered African heritage through DNA testing, she approaches those experiences with humility rather than assumption.

Loni earned bachelor’s degrees in Education and Biblical Studies from the former Denver Baptist Bible College and completed graduate work in Education at the University of Evansville.

A Jesus-following history enthusiast, Loni was named Leonnie Sue after generations of strong women. Leonnie was her maternal great-grandmother, who died during the Influenza Pandemic, leaving behind her husband and four teenagers. Sue traces through the family tree to Susanna Dean, who stepped off a ship in Korea, Maine, in the 1640s. These inherited collections of more than 500 spoons; stories of faith, endurance, and love deeply shape Loni’s writing.

Her novel The Last Quiet Autumn came to life after cousin reunions on both sides of her family stirred memories of childhood gatherings at her grandparents’ homes—one on a Loudoun County, Virginia farm and the other on a southern Colorado ranch. Reflecting on shared family experiences and her parents’ childhood just before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Loni began to wonder how different her life might have been without nearly two dozen cousins spread across four time zones. That question sparked a story that grew far beyond her original imagination.

When she isn’t writing, Loni is visiting friends, studying history, and exploring meaningful places—like the Cherwell River near Oxford, UK where J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis once walked. During a trip to Swindon, England, she visited the Eagle and Child pub, where the Inklings met, a moment that proved especially encouraging.

Loni is the proud mom of Adam, a CAD engineer and YouTuber; Becca and Anthony, who made her a delighted grandmother of her “GrandMiracles,” Naomie and Zemira; and a frequent traveler with her beloved “Hugsband,” Robert, an embedded engineer. A granddaughter of ranchers and farmers, Loni holds close the legacy of trusting God through tragedy—faith that carried her grandparents and parents through the World Wars and continues to anchor her stories today.

More from Loni

I can still picture my grandmother standing at her farmhouse stove, cracking open precious eggs she’d just sold back to herself. The surplus eggs were sold to allow her to buy rationed products.

One recipe she made regularly was this ‘Wacky Cake’—a chocolate cake so frugal it needed no eggs, butter, or milk. While historians debate the exact origin of the name, the most likely explanation is that it earned its playful moniker from the unconventional method of mixing everything directly in the baking pan—no bowl required. Homemakers could hardly believe a cake without eggs or butter would actually rise and taste good. But it does!

As a child spoiled by Betty Crocker mixes, I had to admire her ingenuity, even if I couldn’t quite share her enthusiasm for the taste. When my character Chessa bakes in ‘The Last Quiet Autumn,’ I drew directly from recipes like this one. Understanding how women stretched ingredients during wartime rationing helped me write scenes that felt authentic.

Have you tried Depression-era recipes? I’d love to hear about your family’s resourceful traditions from that era.

It reminded me how faith, like that cake, often rises when we least expect it to.

Wacky Chocolate Cake

(a.k.a. Depression Cake or Crazy Cake)

Circa 1940s

Ingredients:

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon vinegar (white or apple cider)
⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup cold water

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F
In an ungreased 8×8-inch square baking pan, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
Make three wells in the dry mixture:

o In one well, pour the vanilla.

o In the second, the vinegar.

o In the third, the oil.

4. Pour the cold water over everything and mix well with a fork or whisk until

smooth.

5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes

out clean.

6. Let cool in the pan. Dust with powdered sugar or enjoy plain.

My Thoughts

The Last Quiet Autumn by Loni Kemper Moore is a historical novel told from the perspectives of three women. The characters are well rounded and from different backgrounds. The author effectively conveyed the historical context, demonstrating thorough research on the era. I could not believe that a trained nurse could not get a job unless she could produce a birth certificate. The alternating chapters made it hard to get into the story at first, but once engaged, I was eager to see what happened next. I thought that the epilogue was unique and suited that period of time. The Last Quiet Autumn is an enjoyable historical tale with a startling letter, train travel, meeting Mimi, a noteworthy Thanksgiving, rodeo nursing, a shattering radio broadcast, and finding family.

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Loni is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card and a copy of the book!! Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click HERE to enter. Good Luck!

The Last Quiet Autumn can be acquired from Amazon*. The first two books in the Silver Receiver Series are Faith Lights a Flame and Hope Travels Through. All three books can be read for free if you are a member of Kindle Unlimited.

I will return on Tuesday, April 14 with The Patchwork Players by Jennifer Chiaverini. It is the twenty-fourth The Elm Creek Quilts novel. My front yard Easter display is down and I am now ready to set up my spring display (flower and cute baby animal inflatables). We shall have to wait and see how it turns out. I hope that you have a lovely spring weekend. Don't forget to enter the giveaway and leave a comment for an extra entry. Take care and Happy Reading.

Kris

The Avid Reader