Her first book, Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen, was called a "stand-out coming-of-age novel" by NPR critic Alan Cheese.
[1] Her most recent novel, The Funeral Dress, was described as a "revelatory novel that offers an evocative account of the lives of Appalachian working women" by Kirkus Reviews.
Following a stint as staff writer for the Chattanooga News Free Press, Gilmore relocated to Pasadena, California, freelancing for such periodicals as The Los Angeles Times, The Christian Science Monitor, Parenting, and Garden & Gun.
Her essay, "An L.A. Beagle," appeared in Good Dog: True Stories of Love, Loss, and Loyalty (2014).
Her first novel, Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen, was published in 2008, followed by The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove (2010) and The Funeral Dress (2013).