The Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina provide the early setting for "Tales of Two Gails." Two friends, both named Gail, close for more than sixty years, share true stories of meeting challenges and overcoming hardships with stories of inspiration, faith, and humor.

Gail Shepherd Diederich and Gail Kelly Lester began their friendship as tiny babies in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Grandparents for both provided support and love, guiding two little girls through family hardships. In the years that followed high school, the lives of the two Gails went in different directions; during decades of professional success, marriage, and raising children the two rarely saw each other but never lost contact.

Their strong bond of friendship held them close in heart. Then e-mail came along; the distance between them was bridged, and the two friends were close again. One Gail was a news writer, and both enjoyed writing a good story. They took off on a late-in-life adventure, telling of the people and events that led them successfully through their lives. Their stories are told with humor, strong faith, and hopes that the stories will inspire others to move past negatives and find the positives in life.

The Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina provide the early setting for "Tales of Two Gails." Two friends, both named Gail, close for more than sixty years, share true stories of meeting challenges and overcoming hardships with stories of inspiration, faith, and humor.

Gail Shepherd Diederich and Gail Kelly Lester began their friendship as tiny babies in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Grandparents for both provided support and love, guiding two little girls through family hardships. In the years that followed high school, the lives of the two Gails went in different directions; during decades of professional success, marriage, and raising children the two rarely saw each other but never lost contact.

Their strong bond of friendship held them close in heart. Then e-mail came along; the distance between them was bridged, and the two friends were close again. One Gail was a news writer, and both enjoyed writing a good story. They took off on a late-in-life adventure, telling of the people and events that led them successfully through their lives. Their stories are told with humor, strong faith, and hopes that the stories will inspire others to move past negatives and find the positives in life.