Trauma, Resilience, and Humanity

Cortney Donelson Author Interview

Baby Girl Jones follows a dedicated woman detective who is investigating the mysterious death of a woman found with a note about an abandoned baby girl from years ago. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

In Book One, The Billionaire’s List, I introduced a couple of these characters. When I started to write the sequel, which the readers were expecting, I realized I had to go back in time to answer, “How did they get here” before I could move forward with the story. Much like Star Wars, I wrote a Book Two PREquel. I wanted to know these characters better too. The set-up was to show how lives can become intertwined.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

I wanted to explore the themes of identity, psychology, trauma, resilience, and humanity. As you stated in your review, the world is complex, and so is this story. But fiction is sometimes the gentlest way we can approach and reflect on some of that complexity.

Will there be a follow-up novel to this story that takes place after The Billionaire’s List? If so, what aspects of the story will the next book cover?

Yes! I plan to write Book Three, which will be the sequel to The Billionaire’s List, and close the story completely. Baby Girl Jones is dark. But you need darkness to understand the light.

Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website | Amazon

Book Two: The Prequel to The Billionaire’s List


A baby is born.
Years later, a woman dies.


When a drug-addicted, middle-aged woman is found deceased next to a scrawled note mentioning an abandoned baby girl from decades earlier, Detective Claire Miller must figure out how and why the woman died. Was it a guilty conscience? Or murder? And who was this baby?

The investigation takes Claire through the red tape of the state foster care system. As her journey uncovers more leads, will she determine the cause of death and find the missing infant—now an adult?

A chilling tale comprising three female voices: two harboring traumatic childhoods and a third searching for truth.

Posted on May 11, 2024, in Interviews and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.

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