Posted Monday, 6 April, 2015 by jorielov A Novel of the Underground Railroad, Indi Publishing Group, Judith Redline Coopey, Redfield Farm 0 Comments
I am finding myself gravitating towards seeking out more biographical (historical) fiction stories whereupon the writers have found a beautiful impetus to write compelling dramas and novels spun out of the fabric of their ancestral past! Stories where the living persons who lived are part of the writer’s family, and within this nexus of choices, they are uncovering honest impressions of life from centuries not too far into the historical past which compel us to re-examine our own thoughts on not only these life-affirming subjects and topics but to pull back the veil on time a bit more to discover how far we’ve progressed forward whilst noting how much work is still left to do to resolve any leftover grievances.
I love curling inside historical fiction as a genre, because where else can you find the warmth of living inside an era you were not bourne into but with the safety of walking onto the holodeck? I like being able to time travel to any century of my choosing whilst finding stories seeking to endeavour my heart to find a new reason for a repeat visit. Writers have a way of inspiring their readers to find new niches of time and history to explore, and when it came to reading about Redfield Farm my own heart fluttered a bit because I had members of the Underground Railroad in my own ancestral past!
Unlike Ms Coopey’s connection to the Railroad being presumed rather than confirmed, I have found historical evidence where other members of my extended family unearthed confirmations where my great-grandfather not only had a stop on the Underground Railroad but he put his land and family at risk to save the lives of those who passed through.
No matter what your familial connection is to this tumultuous time in history, it was defined by the brave souls who not only ventured out of the South into the North, to start their lives over in a place where they were no longer judged through their differences but it is a testament to the moral will of man to stand against oppression and right the wrongs where history tries to forget where mankind erred on judging in lieu of accepting a tolerance for our own uniqueness which gives our world a melting pot of culture, tradition, and history.
I was thankful I had the opportunity to ask a few questions about the story itself as well as how uncovering hidden history and ancestral data can be exciting for a researcher! I hope you will enjoy reading the conversation as it unfolded!
Book Synopsis of Redfield Farm:
Ann Redfield is destined to follow her brother Jesse through life – two years behind him – all the way. Jesse is a conductor on the Underground Railroad, and Ann follows him there as well.
Quakers filled with a conviction as hard as Pennsylvania limestone that slavery is an abomination to be resisted with any means available, the Redfield brother and sister lie, sneak, masquerade and defy their way past would-be enforcers of the hated Fugitive Slave Law.
Their activities inevitably lead to complicated relationships when Jesse returns from a run with a deadly fever, accompanied by a fugitive, Josiah, who is also sick and close to death. Ann nurses both back to health. But precious time is lost, and Josiah, too weak for winter travel, stays on at Redfield Farm. Ann becomes his teacher, friend and confidant. When grave disappointment disrupts her life, Ann turns to Josiah for comfort, and comfort leads to intimacy. The result, both poignant and inspiring, leads to a life long devotion to one another and their cause.
Redfield Farm was inspired due to a real-life (potential) connection to the Underground Railroad, which perked my own interest to ask how did the story take it’s genesis from a plausibility undocumented to a novel in hand?
Coopey responds: The idea that my ancestors might have been involved in the Underground Railroad intrigued me and piqued my interest in the Underground Railroad itself. So I started to read about it, first to try to find some documentation of my ancestors’ involvement, but also because I found the whole operation fascinating. People willing to put their business and social ties on the line, willing to risk ostracism, jail, fines or even their lives. Wow! That’s dedication beyond anything I’ve ever been asked to do. So I wanted to know more, and the more I learned, the more the story emerged from my research. Read More
Posted Monday, 6 April, 2015 by jorielov in 19th Century, African-American History, African-American Literature, Biographical Fiction & Non-Fiction, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Bookish Discussions, Compassion & Acceptance of Differences, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Equality In Literature, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, History, Indie Author, Multi-cultural Characters and/or Honest Representations of Ethnicity, Quakers, Reader Submitted Author Interview, Story knitted out of Ancestral Data, Underground Railroad
Posted Friday, 27 March, 2015 by jorielov iUniverse, Letters to Kezia, Peni Jo Renner, The Puritan Chronicles 0 Comments
Acquired Book By: I was selected to be a tour stop on the “Letters to Kezia” virtual book tour through Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. I received a complimentary paperback copy of “Letters to Kezia” direct from the author Peni Jo Renner, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
I had attempted to borrow the first novel in this series via ILL’ing it from my local library, however, as there was only one copy available through the inter-library loan catalogue it was unable to be borrowed. Therefore, in order to help myself become acquainted with the series, I followed the original blog tour which I have linked at the bottom of this post. I shared the links which I found pivotal to understanding how the Puritan Witch Chronicles began and hope it will help my readers and visitors proceed forward into “Letters to Kezia”.
Sadly my copy of “Letters to Kezia” was impended from reading on schedule (as my review posted late) not just due to personal reasons but because my copy was glued together! As in the pages themselves were glued and stuck onto each other, and as I carefully pulled them apart, pieces of ink and words caught together, erasing bits of the text yet enough staid to where I could read enough to gather the gist. The only time this has happened previously was when I read “Vintage”. I thankfully had a better reading experience with Renner than Gloss.
A curious moment: where the second novel sparks your interest in a series:
I remember a bit vaguely when Puritan Witch hit the book blogosphere last Spring (2014) whilst touring with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours; one of the book touring companies I had started to work with the previous Autumn (2013). It is hard to believe I am nearly about to welcome in my second full year of book blogging, as when I reflect back upon the stories, writers, and memories I’ve experienced through Historical Fiction solely based on the books alighting in my life through the outreach Ms Bruno conducts through her touring company, I am quite literally a bookish heart full of joy and wonder!
Most of the stories are by independently and self-published authors, of whom I might not have met as quickly or at all, if it hadn’t been for their blog tours; on this one level of gratitude, my heart is overflowing with positive recollections of their stories who have left an etching on my imagination. Even the books where I might not have soaked inside quite as readily or felt as moved as others, each story had it’s own merit of discovery and time inside my hands, as I attempted to read outside my comfort zones and dig deeper into the historical past, through generations of insight and numerous eras of timescape.
Letters to Kezia
by Peni Jo Renner
Source: Author via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours
It is 1693 in Hereford, Connecticut, when Mary Case, the spinster daughter of a Puritan minister, finds herself hopelessly smitten by the roguish thief, Daniel Eames. Betrothed to a man she does not like or love, she is soon compelled to help Daniel escape from jail. Suddenly, she finds herself on the run, not only accused of being Daniel’s accomplice, but also of murder.
The fugitive pair soon finds solace-and a mutual attraction-among the escapee’s Algonquin friends until two men from Daniel’s dark past hunt them down. After Mary is captured and returned home to await trial, a tragedy takes the life of her younger sister, revealing a dark secret Mary’s father has kept for months. But just as Mary learns she is pregnant, she makes a horrifying discovery about Daniel that changes everything and prompts her to develop an unlikely bond with his mother, Rebecca, who soon saves Mary from a shocking fate. It is not until years later that her daughter, Kezia, finally learns the truth about her biological father and family.
Letters to Kezia shares a courageous woman’s journey through a Puritan life and beyond as she struggles with adversity and betrayal, and discovers that loyalty can sometimes mean the difference between life and death.
Genres: Biographical Fiction, Historical Fiction Places to find the book:
Add to LibraryThing
Series: The Puritan Chronicles,
Published by iUniverse
on 14th January, 2015
Format: Paperback
Pages: 208
Published By: iUniverse (@iUniverse)
Book One: Puritan Witch: The Redemption of Rebecca Eames (Book Synopsis on Riffle)
Available Formats: Paperback and Ebook
Converse via: #LettersToKezia, #LetterstoKeziaBlogTour and #PeniJoRenner
About Peni Jo Renner
PENI JO RENNER is the author of the IPPY award-winning novel, Puritan Witch: the Redemption of Rebecca Eames. Originally from North Dakota, Peni now lives with her husband in Maryland where she is currently researching for the third book in the Puritan Chronicles series.
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
Posted Friday, 27 March, 2015 by jorielov in 17th Century, 18th Century, Animals in Fiction & Non-Fiction, Apothecary, Based on an Actual Event &/or Court Case, Biographical Fiction & Non-Fiction, Blog Tour Host, Colonial America, Death of a Sibling, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Diary Accountment of Life, Epistolary Novel | Non-Fiction, Equality In Literature, Family Life, Feminine Heroism, Herbalist, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Historical Romance, History, Indie Author, Inheritance & Identity, Medical Fiction, Mother-Daughter Relationships, Multi-cultural Characters and/or Honest Representations of Ethnicity, Native American Fiction, Naturopathic Medicine, Realistic Fiction
Posted Friday, 9 January, 2015 by jorielov Secant Publishing, The Oblate's Confession, William Peak 0 Comments
Acquired Book By:
I was selected to be a tour stop on the “The Oblate’s Confession” virtual book tour through Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. I received a complimentary ARC copy of “The Oblate’s Confession” direct from the publisher Secant Publishing, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
The Oblate's Confession
by William Peak
Source: Publisher via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours
Set in 7th century England, The Oblate’s Confession tells the story of Winwaed, a boy who – in a practice common at the time – is donated by his father to a local monastery. In a countryside wracked by plague and war, the child comes to serve as a regular messenger between the monastery and a hermit living on a nearby mountain. Missing his father, he finds a surrogate in the hermit, an old man who teaches him woodcraft, the practice of contemplative prayer, and, ultimately, the true meaning of fatherhood. When the boy’s natural father visits the monastery and asks him to pray for the death of his enemy – an enemy who turns out to be the child’s monastic superior – the boy’s life is thrown into turmoil. It is the struggle Winawed undergoes to answer the questions – Who is my father? Whom am I to obey? – that animates, and finally necessitates, The Oblate’s Confession.
While entirely a work of fiction, the novel’s background is historically accurate: all the kings and queens named really lived, all the political divisions and rivalries actually existed, and each of the plagues that visit the author’s imagined monastery did in fact ravage that long-ago world. In the midst of a tale that touches the human in all of us, readers will find themselves treated to a history of the “Dark Ages” unlike anything available today outside of textbooks and original source material.
Genres: Historical Fiction Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
Also by this author:
Published by Secant Publishing
on 1st December, 2014
Pages: 404
Published By: Secant Publishing (@Secantpub)
Available Formats: Hardback, E-book
Converse on Twitter via:
#TheOblatesConfessionBlogTour, #TheOblatesConfession, & #WilliamPeak
About William Peak
William Peak spent ten years researching and writing The Oblate’s Confession, his debut novel. Based upon the work of one of the great (if less well known) figures of Western European history, the Venerable Bede, Peak’s book is meant to reawaken an interest in that lost and mysterious period of time sometimes called “The Dark Ages.”
Peak received his baccalaureate degree from Washington & Lee University and his master’s from the creative writing program at Hollins University. He works for the Talbot County Free Library on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Thanks to the column he writes for The Star Democrat about life at the library (archived at http://www.tcfl.org/peak), Peak is regularly greeted on the streets of Easton: “Hey, library guy!” In his free time he likes to fish and bird and write long love letters to his wife Melissa.
Photo Credit: Tom McCall
Follow Peak on LibraryThing
Website | Blog
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
Posted Friday, 9 January, 2015 by jorielov in 7th Century, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Blog Tour Host, Debut Author, Debut Novel, England, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, History, Indie Author, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Literary Fiction, Monastery, Monk, Reader Submitted Author Interview, Religious Orders
Posted Friday, 9 January, 2015 by jorielov Secant Publishing, The Oblate's Confession, William Peak 0 Comments
If you were going to ask me what first percolated an interest to read a densely researched novel about a 7th Centurion monk, I might not be able to fully address the enquiry as whilst I was contemplating hosting this particular novel and author, I had stumbled across another religious historical fiction by way of Taking the Cross by Charles Gibson. Even before my review on behalf of that particular story out of the Crusades, I started to wonder if perhaps I ought to read both: separated only by a few months, and hosted by two different blog tours!
I am a bit of a paradoxical reader as there are moments where I have the inclination to delve into topical research with centuries I barely know a whisper of a breath about and/or I happily take up the challenge to read a well-researched tome of a novel which has a righted place at a University library due to the efforts on behalf of the writer to clarify it’s contents to layreaders who are keenly interested but not as well versed as the one who penned the story! In this way, my best way to explain my interest in The Oblate’s Confession is simply to say, when I read Illuminations by Mary Sharratt (in 2013) I started to gather a prospect of seeking out other stories of cloistered life.
I even elected to broach this particular vein of thought with Mr. Peak in our conversation, as I was curious if others had felt as inclined as I did to understand what might be challenging at first to accept but where enlightenment might touch you as you walk through the text itself. I felt quite inspired about the subject within the novel, even prior to fully appreciating reading it as I wanted to give enough time to Mr. Peak to collect his thoughts on the questions I was asking of him. When I post my book review, I’ll share the interview he gave by radio that gave me the groundwork knowledge of where most of my own enquiries came to light.
I hope his dedication to publishing an enriched historical narrative will find an open-mind in the reader who likes to take on thought-provoking stories whilst immersed in the historical past! As much as I felt quite happy to notice in the author’s acknowledgement sections, he mentioned one of my favourite monks as being part of his own inspiration: Thich Nhat Hanh! Read More
Posted Friday, 9 January, 2015 by jorielov in 7th Century, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Blog Tour Host, Debut Author, Debut Novel, England, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, History, Indie Author, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Literary Fiction, Monastery, Monk, Reader Submitted Author Interview, Religious Orders
Posted Wednesday, 7 January, 2015 by jorielov Laura Joh Rowland, MacMillian Publishers, Minotaur Books, Sano Ichiro Mysteries, St. Martin's Publishing Group, The Iris Fan 0 Comments
It isn’t often when I have the chance to *catch a series* whilst the breadth of the series has been written, released, and on the fringes of bowing out of the public eye! A few of the series I am attempting to read further inside during 2015 dance around this same fact, as I haven’t been able to read the books as quickly as they have been produced! However, it was such an honour to host Ms. Rowland on the curtain call for her series set in 17th Century Japan! There were moments of the story wherein I found myself a bit unsettled but overall, I felt a growing curiosity in seeking out more information surrounding Reiko and Sano — how their lives would continue to knit together and what might befall them in the end!
I had no idea as I was reading the stories I had selected from the Sano Ichiro series, that within The Concubine’s Tattoo would await the fuller back-story on how Reiko and Sano came together! I never would have guessed Rowland might have considered giving Reiko a lesser role of importance in the series — as I must confess, I appreciated the change of broadening her appeal and giving her such a strong presence within the interior structures of where the stories within the series take the reader! To me, Reiko was quite the asset to have alongside Sano!
As I mused about what I wanted to focus my conversation with Ms. Rowland upon, most of my emerging questions were fuelled by wanting to understand her journey with the series, and how the series evolved from Book 1 to Book 18; there were twenty years between the two bookends, and for me, it provided me with an unending muse to draw out the questions I wanted to broach of her! I hope as you read this conversation, you will not only be inspired by her answers, but perhaps, will feel inspired to tackle reading a series of this length and/or of attempting to write an ongoing series if your a writer! Read More
Posted Wednesday, 7 January, 2015 by jorielov in 17th Century, Blog Tour Host, Crime Fiction, Family Drama, Family Life, Ghost Story, Good vs. Evil, Hard-Boiled Mystery, Haunting & Ethereal, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Historical Mystery, Historical Thriller Suspense, Japan, Japanese Fiction, Japanese History, Library Love, Local Libraries | Research Libraries, Martial Art History, Reader Submitted Author Interview, Uncategorized