Press Release

A Columbus couple has turned their love of mystery novels into a writing career

with the release of the first two books of a series set in Mississippi.

Noon Woods: Lovely, Dark and Deadly and Noon Spirits: Only a Child Can Hear, written under

the pen name Franki O’Neal, are available at Amazon.com in paperback, Kindle ebook, and

audiobook formats.

But the real Franki is actually the married couple of Bill and Carol McAnally, who created their

nom d’ plume from combining the names of their maternal grandmothers. Bill is a retired civil

engineer and professor who worked for the U.S. government for 32 years and Mississippi State

University for 12 years. Carol worked in the non-profit sector for 15 years. They are also the

parents of four and grandparents of seven.

“Living in Mississippi since 1969 has given us the flavor of small town Mississippi,” explained

Mrs. McAnally. “We follow Hugh and Claire as they unwind the tangles and connect the threads

of murder, drugs, cults and day-to-day life in Noon, Mississippi. In the fictional setting of Noon,

life in small-town Mississippi is not the dull routine that most people may think.”

Their first novel, Noon Woods, introduces Claire and Hugh, a married couple with a knack for

solving mysteries. Native daughter Claire comes home to Noon, Mississippi, after 20 years

traveling the world as the wife of an Air Force officer. Hugh, a Californian before his service,

suffers culture shock in the small fictional town in southwest Mississippi.

Noon Spirits, the second book in the series, follows Claire and Hugh’s race to sort out alleged

Satanism, ritualistic animal sacrifices and a gangster-style execution in their new hometown as

Claire tries to protect Cissy, a 10-year-old girl, from accusations of witchcraft.

Editing of the third book in the series is underway. For more information, visit www.

frankioneal.com or on Facebook at Franki O’Neal Author.

Note to editors: Please contact for images and copies of the books for review