Contact Rachel

Contact email: Hillbetty@readrachel.com

Based in: Northwest Georgia

Instagram: @readrachelsbooks · @hillbettybooks

Messages go directly to Rachel. She replies as soon as she can, usually within a few business days. 

Rachel Smalley portrait, smiling in front of a tree with green foliage, wearing a sleeveless cream-colored crocheted top.
Rachel Smalley portrait, smiling in front of a tree with green foliage, wearing a sleeveless cream-colored crocheted top.

Media Contact 

For interviews, media coverage, podcast appearances, review copies, event information, speaking inquiries, or approved images, please contact: 

Rachel Smalley Author of TUFTED · Founder, Hillbetty Books, Northwest Georgia Hillbetty@readrachel.com

For deadline-sensitive requests, include the publication or broadcast deadline in the subject line or message. 

Pattern of squares with flower-like shapes in shades of purple, pink, and blue arranged in a repeating geometric sequence.
Illustration of an old-fashioned wooden wagon with large spoked wheels, labeled 'U.S. MAIL,' and a donkey hitched to it.

Media Summary

Rachel Smalley is a children’s author, former elementary school teacher and founder of Hillbetty Books. Her debut picture book, TUFTED: The Stitch & Story of Catherine Evans Whitener, will be published on August 18, 2026. 

Illustrated by Katie Hickey, TUFTED introduces young readers to Catherine Evans Whitener, the Northwest Georgia girl whose hand-tufted bedspreads helped revive a craft, create opportunities for women, spark a cottage industry, and shape the textile history of Dalton, Georgia. 

The book connects a local story to larger themes of women’s entrepreneurship, Appalachian history, craft, innovation, visual storytelling, material culture, community identity, STEAM, and the importance of preserving overlooked history for children. 

TUFTED is a 56-page landscape hardcover written for ages seven through twelve, with grades two through six as its strongest curriculum fit and read-aloud possibilities for younger elementary students. 

TUFTED is $19.99 online, plus applicable tax and shipping.

Net proceeds from the first printing of TUFTED support the Appalachian Historic Preservation Fund at the Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia.