“The strong put off their hate and proceed unfettered while the feeble wear the hate as an anchor, slowing their journey.”

“Randy Judd has done it again! He has created a page-turner with an uplifting theme and you get to go through superb storytelling to get there.”

In the aftermath of the American Civil War, two families make contrasting decisions on how they proceed. The Chisms—owners of a cotton plantation—continue to hold a grip on their past traditions. The Stones—owners of a lumber mill—accept the changes and look for ways to adapt. Their different approaches to slavery, emancipation, and reconstruction cause a rift between the two families, which develop into a century-long feud.

Forging Nails is a family saga recounting the different paths the families took and how one family held onto the hate while the other one purposely let it go. The novel reveals the pain caused by the hate for more than a hundred years. The ongoing feud resulted in abuse, kidnapping, and even murder.

While the book is a prequel/sequel to Randy Judd’s first novel, The Art of Straightening Nails, the works can be read in either order without spoiling the plotline.