Jessilyn Lassiter never knew that hatred could lurk in the human heart untilthe summer of 1932 when she turned 13. When her best friend Gemma loses herparents i... » 

Jessilyn Lassiter never knew that hatred could lurk in the human heart untilthe summer of 1932 when she turned 13. When her best friend Gemma loses herparents in a tragic fire Jessilyns father vows to care for her as one of hisown despite the fact that Gemma is black and prejudice is prevalent in theirsouthern Virginia town. Violence springs up as a ragtag band of Ku Klux Klanmembers unite and decide to take matters into their own hands. As tensionsmount in the small community loyalties are tested and Jessilyn is forced tosay goodbye to the carefree days of her youth. Fireflies in December is the2007 winner of the Christian Writers Guilds Operation First Novel contest. «