I’ve begun my next series, Women of Eden, and the first female lead is Jord Sheafson. Anyone who’s read my Everyday Goddesses series has already met Jord. She’s Miko’s friend, and a house preservationist, who takes classic homes and restores them to their former glory.

Here’s a sneak peek into how Jord came to be.

I watch a lot of HGTV. I love it when a woman happens to be project manager for some project and the idea of writing a story about a strong woman who happens to swing a hammer for a living piqued my “what if” curiosity. One of the shows I’ve binged on is Restored with Brett Waterman which led to Jord’s specific expertise. A lot of the work done on Restored takes place in California, where there are so many different styles in need of transformation, such as Arts and Crafts, Victorians, Mid-Century modern ranches, Spanish colonials and bungalows, Dutch colonials, and English cottages. So of course, Jord had to hail from California, specifically the San Bernardino area. She was well-respected in her field and her reputation was on the upward swing.

So why did Jord leave?

Heartbreak and betrayal, of course.

How did Jord end up in Eden?

Miko (Everyday Goddesses)had just moved to Eden with her husband, which meant I could build a connection between Jord and Miko, going back to college. A life crisis precipitates a visit and an eventual cross-country move. Cerri’s (Everyday Goddesses) brother Derek owns Moore Construction and it seemed the natural place for Jord to land.

In one of the first couple of seasons of Property Brothers Brother vs Brother, one of the members of the crew was a woman who sculpted with metal, so I thought it might be an interesting thread to bring into Jord’s story.

How did Jord become so proficient at “reading houses”?

Her Dad taught her everything he knew. Her first memory was driving in a dump truck he’d leased for a project, and her second was the plastic tool set he’d purchased for her when she was four. She’d bang away on the same 2×4’s as he did, learning how to hit the nail straight and true. By the time he passed away, she was a pro.

Who is she becoming attached to in Eden?

She’s playing basketball with Cerri, did a renovation for Ina (Everyday Goddesses) and Kaeo (Hina’s brother from Everyday Goddesses) is on her newly formed crew. She’s selling her sculptures at Marmalade, owned by Sophia Sass, (In a Jam Women of Eden) and she stops occasionally at O’Farrell’s Pub which is owned by Mari Zambrano.

Oh, and then there’s Noah, but talking about him will give too much away.