About this Event
This event will be hosted in the Strand Book Store's 3rd floor Rare Book Room at 828 Broadway on 12th Street.
Can’t make the event?
ACCESSIBILITY:
Strand Book Store is an ADA compliant venue. The event space is accessible via elevator.
ASL interpretation is available for this event by request only. Please reach out to our events team at [email protected] by Oct. 5 to request.
Please ask a Strand employee upon arrival for directions to accessible seating if preferred.
For further information on accessibility in this space, or to make a request, please contact [email protected]
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A teenage girl uncovers the dark secrets of her Smoky Mountain town while searching for a missing classmate in this gripping coming-of-age mystery perfect for fans of Where the Crawdads Sing.
Nestled in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, Beulah has always seemed steady—rooted in tradition, shaped by generations, and slow to change. But in 1986, the ground has shifted, and no one feels that more than fifteen-year-old Barrett Childress Owens. Between her parents’ unraveling marriage and a school full of kids she can’t connect with, she feels invisible in her own hometown.
When Lacy Gunderson, the captivating new girl everyone is curious about, suddenly vanishes, the town’s calm surface fractures. Search parties comb the woods. A police investigation begins. Rumors multiply. Families close ranks. And Barrett begins to sense how much the adults around her choose not to say. As Beulah clings to its usual rituals—including the annual Miss Kudzu pageant, which has shaped local girlhood for decades—Barrett is forced to navigate a community where loss lingers in the air and secrets are carefully kept. Her journey through the uncertainty reshapes her understanding of friendships, family, and the complex place she calls home.
A rich coming-of-age story with a pulse of mystery and a budding romance, What Happened in Beulah explores the fault lines of a small town and the courage it takes to face the truths people would rather bury.
Christy Scott Cashman is an award-winning author, actress, producer, and passionate advocate for literacy and the arts whose second novel, What Happened in Beulah, will be published on October 20, 2026. Her bestselling debut novel, The Truth About Horses (2023), earned multiple literary awards and acclaim for its emotionally resonant storytelling and exploration of resilience, family, and hope. She is also the author of the children’s books The Not-So-Average Monkey of Kilkea Castle, Petri’s Next Things, and The Cat Named Peanut Shrimp Cookie Fry Muffin Who Lives on Staniel Cay.
As an actress and producer, Christy has appeared in more than twenty feature films, including American Hustle, Joy, The Women, Ted 2, and The Forger.
Committed to nurturing creativity and the next generation of storytellers, Christy founded YouthINK, a nonprofit mentorship program connecting young writers, filmmakers, actors, artists, musicians, and other creatives with accomplished industry professionals in the United States and Ireland. She is also the founder of YOUthink Creative Wellness and Writing Retreats, which bring together writing, creativity, and wellness while supporting YouthINK’s mission.
Christy serves on the Board of the Associates of the Boston Public Library and on the National Council of the American Film Institute, and she supports the Wahlberg Youth Foundation and other organizations dedicated to literacy and the arts.
The second youngest of ten children, Christy was named after Catherine Marshall’s beloved novel Christy. She grew up in North Carolina, where her lifelong love of horses began, and today divides her time between New York City, Martha’s Vineyard, and her farm in Pennsylvania with her family, four horses, and two dogs.
Event venue & nearby stays
The Strand, 450 Columbus Avenue, New York, United States
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