Ana Leigh Watkins escapes to Bitter End, Tennessee for a little R&R and to get to know her great-aunt. Instead, she becomes entangled in a decades-old feud tied to forbidden love between a moonshiner’s daughter and a preacher’s son.
Award-winning women’s fiction author, Amanda Cox, invites you to discover her latest novel, The Bitter End Birding Society, now available for preorder!
Hometown hero Ana Leigh Watkins ventures to Bitter End, Tennessee, to help her great-aunt get her house ready to sell. Bitter End seems an ironic place for Ana to refresh her weary spirit, but she’s desperate for respite from her community’s attention and unwarranted admiration.
While on a hike in Roan Mountain, a ragtag group of bird watchers take her under their wing–a little against her will. However, she quickly warms to these genuine souls seeking solace in the great outdoors.
Ana’s adventures in Bitter End lead her to a severed branch of her family tree–one that involves the forbidden love between a moonshiner’s daughter and a preacher’s son. What began as a quest to study Appalachian birds becomes a transformative journey to reunite two women who have been estranged for sixty years, even though they live on the same street.
Immerse yourself in the lyrical prose of award-winning novelist Amanda Cox. She offers up a story of finding reconciliation and second chances in the most unexpected places.
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The Bitter End Birding Society Book Club Kit
Is your book club reading The Bitter End Birding Society? Visit the book club page to get your free book club kit. The kit contains a note from Amanda Cox, a discussion guide, recipe, a fun quiz, and activity suggestions.
How did the quirky town of Bitter End, TN get its name?
Amanda Cox invited readers to imagine their own origin story for the (real, but long-forgotten) Appalachian town of Bitter End. Click below to read the 5 theories that received the most votes!
Featured Interviews:
The Poisoned Pen Podcast: John Charles in Conversation withe Amanda Cox on The Bitter End Birding Society
More to Life guest post by Amanda Cox: A Book for the Birds
Because Fiction Podcast: Chautona Havig in Conversation with Amanda Cox on The Bitter End Birding Society
Rapt Interviews: Amanda Answers 8 Questions you Won’t Expect
Benefits of Birdwatching
Birdwatching does more than spark wonder—it can actually nurture your mind and soul. The articles below reflect what the characters of The Bitter End Birding Society discovered on their walks in the woods.
Here are a few links to get you started on your own birdwatching adventure.
Time magazine: Birdwatching Has Big Mental-Health Benefits. Here’s How to Start
Audubon Magazine: Birding With Benefits: How Nature Improves Our Mental Mindsets
Audubon.org: How to Start Birding
Birdwatching Weekly: The Ultimate Birding App Guide [2025]