About the Author
Ella was born and raised in North Carolina. She lives on a farm with her husband where they raise cows and pigs, sell hay, and run a small sawmill. She has been a songwriter for many years. In 2021 she wrote her first novel, God is Harder on Girls, which was published by the Chapel Hill Press in January of 2026. She is currently working on a sequel, Good Land of the Living, which will be available in the Winter of 2026.
Featured Books
God is Harder on Girls:
“I don’t think I can stand one more person telling me ‘He’s in a better place now.’ Of course he’s in a better place, any place that isn’t North Carolina in late July is a better place.”
In the rural county where Lily Loy has lived all her life, a death in the family means people pray for you and cook for you, but twenty-two-year-old Lily has found that there’s a certain freedom in losing your faith. From tractor pulls to nights spent at the local bar, from falling in love to falling apart, Lily is helped along the way by her loyal neighbor, reckless best friend, and devoted dog.
Good Land of the Living:
Ever since Lily’s marriage to Dixon, the question has been, “When will she have a baby?” What no one’s bothered to ask is, “Does she want one?”
In the rural North Carolina county where Lily Loy has lived all her life, not wanting a baby is just unnatural. Luckily, she has Atley who, as usual, is ready with a comeback- “What’s unnatural is forcing a ten-pound baby out of your hoo-ha and then spending the next eighteen years trying to keep it out of trouble until it’s old enough to make its own bad decisions.” Meanwhile, Atley has troubles of her own. The closer her wedding gets, the more penned in she feels, and when Lily’s cousin, Tallahassee Spradlin, shows up, he proves to be just the wrong thing to come along at the right time.
With everything readers have come to expect from Ella Dodson following her debut novel, God is Harder on Girls, you’ll find yourself laughing out loud with a beloved cast of characters in a town you won’t want to leave.