Longtime member pledges debut book royalties to IRE endowment

Nancy Stancill, an IRE member for 25 years and a former board member, has pledged royalties from her debut suspense novel Saving Texas, to the IRE endowment. 

Stancill, of Charlotte, N.C., has pledged the royalties from the first thousand books she sells to support the Godfrey Wells Stancill Small Newspaper Fellowship. The fellowship, established in 2006 in memory of her father, so far has paid expenses for six journalists from small dailies to get training at IRE's national conference. Stancill's father was a longtime editor and publisher in Virginia. 

Nancy Stancill's novel, published by Black Rose Writing of Texas in October, is based in part on her experiences as an investigative reporter for the Houston Chronicle. It centers on Annie Price, a reporter who profiles a modern-day secessionist candidate for governor.  

"I was looking for a way to contribute more to my dad's fellowship and I thought about the book I was writing," Stancill said. "It is a paean to investigative reporting, so contributing to IRE makes perfect sense.

"So many journalists write books that I thought this kind of contribution might inspire others in our efforts to increase the IRE endowment," Stancill said. "I want to do my part to assure that IRE will last forever." 

In Saving Texas, Price faces more than she bargains for, grappling with two murders, political intrigue and a love triangle. She's under pressure to get the truth before her enemies get her or her struggling newspaper takes her off the story.

Saving Texas is available online in print and electronic versions here.