Indie Spotlight is my effort to help Indie authors with marketing. You can help too by sharing this post far and wide. Below is my review of The Weight of Snow and Regret by Elizabeth Gauffreau. I reviewed it for Historical Novels Review, the magazine of The Historical Novel Society. This is one of those books that is so well written it makes me feel as if I can’t do it justice, but my effort is below.
BOOK REVIEW
Louisiana, June 1967. Claire is working for her husband Roland’s furniture business. She has a good home and a daughter, but this is about to change. She suddenly begins to hear music which draws her inexplicably to its source, a bar where white people don’t generally go and where a musician works his magic. Before the summer is over, she will have walked away from her husband and daughter to follow the music, and by the dawn of 1968, she is sent to the Sheldon Poor Farm in Vermont.
Vermont, 1927. After her father dies, Hazel, her mother, and her brother end up at the Sheldon Poor Farm, which houses the elderly, mentally ill, and others in need. Before long, Hazel has faced more death, is alone, and is sent away to work. But then she meets her husband, Paul, and years later, desperate for jobs, Hazel and Paul are hired to manage the Sheldon Poor Farm.
This masterfully written, heartbreaking story begins with Claire’s arrival at the poor farm, describes the “Summer of Love” in 1967 when she ends up “crossing the line,” looks back to 1927 and beyond with Hazel, and ends with the closure of Vermont’s last poor farm in 1968.
The personalities of the Sheldon Poor Farm residents are so vividly painted that I could see and hear them as clearly as if they were in the room with me. They and the caretakers are the essence of the poor farm at the end of its “life,” for the farm’s closure is like a death. Claire’s journey is one of inexplicable choices, loss, and regret, but closes with some hope. Hazel’s story is layered and richly woven, and through her we see the literal meaning of the title, The Weight of Snow and Regret. Highly recommended.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elizabeth Gauffreau writes fiction and poetry with a strong connection to family and place. Her work has been widely published in literary magazines, as well as several themed anthologies. Her short story “Henrietta’s Saving Grace” was awarded the 2022 Ben Nyberg prize for fiction by Choeofpleirn Press.
Liz has published a novel, TELLING SONNY: THE STORY OF A GIRL WHO LOVED THE VAUDEVILLE SHOW, and two photopoetry collections: GRIEF SONGS: POEMS OF LOVE & REMEMBRANCE and SIMPLE PLEASURES:HAIKU FROM THE PLACE JUST RIGHT. Her second novel, THE WEIGHT OF SNOW AND REGRET, based on the closing of the last poor farm in Vermont in 1968, was published on October 1, 2025.
Liz’s professional background is in nontraditional higher education, including academic advising, classroom and online teaching, curriculum development, and program administration. She received the Granite State College Distinguished Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2018.
Liz lives in Nottingham, New Hampshire, with her husband.
**If you read the book, please be sure and leave a review on Amazon and other sites where you review books.. This is so important for authors because Amazon will promote books based on the number of reviews they have. The review does not have to be a masterpiece. Just a sentence or two about how the book made you feel will be perfect and will make the author’s day.
This was a pretty normal week, except for a painful visit to the dentist, which resulted in an almost root canal, which is not a term you hear often, but it appears I may not need to have one, and the pain is slowly going away with medication.
I’ve been reading a lot of books for The Historical Novel Society. Historical fiction is usually my go-to, and I am getting the opportunity to drop into fictional worlds set during so many time periods and events-the French Resistance, the Trojan War, 17th Century England, post WWII San Francisco, and more. It’s been a pleasure, and I always learn something new, which is what I love about historical fiction.
I’m set to post historical fiction reviews and Indie book reviews and promos. I will participate in Top Ten Tuesday if time permits.
BOOK HAUL
Amateur sleuth Queen Elizabeth II is back on the case in 1960s England in the fifth installment of this historical mystery series the New York Times Book Review calls “sheer entertainment,” perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen and Richard Osman.
1961, England. The Queen is spending a night on board the royal train with her entourage and her sister, Princess Margaret. But before they reach their destination, an unreliable witness claims to have seen a brutal murder from one of the carriages.
The Queen and her assistant private secretary, Joan McGraw, get to work on their second joint investigation. No one else saw the crime. If there is a victim, could he be the missing photographer friend of Margaret’s new husband, Tony Armstrong Jones?
This time, the Cold War threatens to undermine the Queen’s upcoming visit to Italy. She and Joan must tackle dark forces that follow them all the way, in a tale of spies, lies, and treachery.
This historical mystery series starring a young Queen Elizabeth II looks like a lot of fun!
It’s release day for The Miniaturist’s Assistant, which I reviewed for the May edition of Historical Novel’s Review, the magazine of The Historical Novel Society. The review is below, and the author graciously agreed to do a Q&A, so be sure to check that out as well!
BOOK REVIEW
In Charleston, South Carolina, in 2004, Gamble Vance is an expert at restoring miniature portraits. But there is one that she can’t forget—a woman with hazel eyes. Why does she look familiar? Then Gamble sees a young woman in Stoll’s Alley in old-fashioned dress. She appears to be a ghost, or a memory, and looks very much like the woman in the portrait. The woman even speaks to her. Gamble is impatient to share this with her best friend Tolliver. Tol is of the Geechee people, who believe in ghosts, and he will not think she is crazy.
In 1805, Daniel Petigru paints miniature portraits for Charleston’s wealthy. He is missing Gamble, who has left him and gone back to her time. She appeared in October 1804, brought home by his sister Honor, who announced she’s been seeing this woman in Stoll’s Alley since she was 12 years old. But the connections are deeper than all of them know, and Gamble is destined to come back.
This is a story with deep meaning and a message that some souls are meant to meet, regardless of where and when they happen to be. They must meet sometimes as part of their own fates—their own lives or deaths, and sometimes it is for reasons they cannot begin to understand. There do not seem to be fast rules of time travel in this novel. The rules are fluid and subject to change. The method of time travel appears to be a place, but also possibly a person. As the lives of those affected flow into each other, so do the rules and methods of time travel. The relationships—friends, lovers, siblings, parents, and children—are all well written and profoundly felt. This is an emotional and impactful novel. Highly recommended.
My rating is 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 on sites with no half-star option.
I received a free copy of this book via The Historical Novel Society. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Katherine Scott Crawford is the award-winning author of The Miniaturist’s Assistant and Keowee Valley. A former backpacking guide, newspaper columnist, and recovering academic, she’d rather be in the woods with her dog than anywhere else. She enjoys curious people, adventure, and snow — and believes historical fiction the best way to time travel. An eleventh-generation Southerner, she lives with her family in the North Carolina mountains.
Q&A with Katherine Scott Crawford
Bonnie: Hi Katherine, and thanks so much for answering my questions today. Let’s go beyond the bio. Tell us something about yourself that we might not know from reading your bio.
Katherine: Thanks so much for having me here, Bonnie! Hmm, let’s see: I tend to be an open book, but something many people may not know about me is that I love to draw. My parents gifted me with art classes at the Greenville Art Museum in South Carolina (where I grew up) when I was very young—and it turned out to be a class filled mostly with adults. I loved it. I constantly sketch when I travel or am researching, in the notebooks I use, of the scene I’m looking at, a piece of historical clothing, a sword, etc. I’d love to find the time for art classes again one day.
Bonnie: The Miniaturist’s Assistant is a dual timeline novel. What were the challenges in writing dual timelines?
Katherine: I didn’t find too many challenges in moving from one voice to another with The Miniaturist’s Assistant, which may seem odd, as the 2004 chapters are told from Gamble’s (a 21st century woman’s) first-person perspective, and the 1804 chapters from Daniel’s (an early 19th century man’s) third-person perspective. Their voices, thankfully, came easily to me. What was trickier was figuring out how to braid the very distinct timelines, and time periods, in a way which not only would make sense to the reader, but also would hopefully feel seamless—meant to be. I wanted every authorial choice I made in the story to reflect its main premise: that time is fluid and porous. I hope it worked!
Bonnie: One of the main characters is a Miniaturist, of course. Describe the research you did in order to create his world and show the reader his art convincingly.
Katherine: I am a sucker for research. I’m an 11th generation South Carolinian with long ties to the Lowcountry and Charleston, and my first novel was set in the Revolutionary-era Carolinas, plus I’m a huge history dork—so luckily, I already had some historical knowledge about that time period in Charleston. But I knew very little about portrait miniatures. After I discovered the incredible Miniature Portraits exhibit at The Gibbes Museum in Charleston, and decided to base one of my characters on noted Charleston artist Charles Fraser, I found an “in” into the research. I researched heavily in online archives, onsite and online at The Gibbes, and was graciously connected to an expert in miniature portraits and art conservator who shared other resources and her own experiences with me.
Bonnie: This is really Part 2 of the previous question. Much of the unveiling of Daniel’s art was done through Gamble, an art conservator, 200 years later. Before you started the novel, were you familiar at all with art restoration, and how did you approach that research?
Katherine: I’d attended grad school at the College of Charleston, which has a historic preservation program, and was lucky to spend a summer studying Italian art and literature in my 20s, so I had a bit of general knowledge about art conservation just from being around those programs. I approached that research like the ex-academic I am: I dove in headfirst, read scholarly articles, graduate theses, and interviewed people on the topic. I figure, the more I learn, the better. Not all of it shows up in the novel, but because I have that knowledge, Gamble does. I think it makes a difference.
Bonnie: I’m a huge fan of time travel fiction, especially when it’s a historical fiction mashup. What made you decide to jump into this subgenre, and have you read other time travel fiction that inspired you?
Katherine: Honestly, I did not expect Gamble to time travel. When I began the story, I’d imagined a more linear dual-timeline, with the lines crossing in more traditional ways—maybe through discovered letters, etc. But Gamble is unlike any character I’ve written, and she was determined to go back.
I’m actually not a big reader of time travel fiction. But two historical novels I really love—as a writer and a reader both—utilize the device so well: Susanna Kearsley’s The Rose Garden, and Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander. I guess this is to say that while I’m not a natural skeptic, I have to buy into the premise as a reader: it has to make sense on both a story and emotional level, and those novels lead us willingly headlong into an adventure we feel like we take ourselves.
Bonnie: Is this a standalone or will there be a Book 2?
Katherine: The Miniaturist’s Assistant is a standalone. (But never say never.) At present, I’m working on an entirely new historical novel.
Bonnie: I believe this is your second book, but the first book with Regal House. Can you tell the aspiring writers who read this blog something valuable you learned on your journey to get published?
Katherine: Yes, this is my second novel: my first, Keowee Valley, was published in 2012 by Bell Bridge Books, a small press based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Miniaturist’s Assistant is with Regal House Publishing, an independent literary press out of North Carolina. There were over a decade of years, two children, one graduate degree, many jobs, and lots of life lived in between.
My advice would be to remember that your writing journey is your journey, and no one else’s. Own it. All that matters is what it looks and feels like to you.
Bonnie: Katherine, thank you again! I truly enjoyed The Miniaturist’s Assistant.
PURCHASE LINK
Click on the image below to purchase the book on Amazon.
Mattie Taylor arrives back in Tullahoma, Tennessee in 1969 to see her dying mother before it is too late. She left her parents’ horse farm in anger a year ago after her twin brother Mark was killed in Vietnam. Mattie blamed her father for his death, as he had not tried to keep Mark from volunteering to go to war. Her brother’s best friend Nash McCallum is now working at the farm. Nash had joined the military the same day as Mark but lost his arm in battle and was sent home. Maddie’s mother Ava does not have long to live but has requested that Mattie read some old letters Ava has stored away.
In 1942, Ava has received word of her husband Richard’s death at Pearl Harbor. She is living on the Delaney farm with her mother-in-law and is grieving for a man she barely knew, as they were only married for a short time. In need of money and a way to keep busy, Ava applies for and is accepted to a job at a military base, Camp Forrest, which she soon learns is being used to house German immigrants in an “internment camp” situation. As Ava becomes closer to one of the Germans being held against his will, Gunther Schneider, she faces scorn and judgment for their friendship.
This heartwarming but sad novel sheds light on the internment of thousands of innocent people in the United States during World War II, as well as the healing and recovery efforts for wounded Vietnam veterans. The themes of grief, forgiveness, and faith are addressed throughout the book. There is also the question, “Why does God allow good people to suffer?” The revelation of long-held secrets is heart-touching and compelling. The main characters are easy to connect with, and the story is enjoyable. Recommend.
I received a free copy of this book from Tyndale House via The Historical Novel Society. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR (FROM HER WEBSITE)
Michelle Shocklee
(In Her Own Words) I have always loved the written word. As far back as I can remember I’ve enjoyed books. My mother, an elementary school teacher, read to my four older siblings and me a lot while we grew up in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains in Santa Fe, New Mexico. After I learned to read on my own, books were part of my daily life. When I walk into a bookstore, I take a deep breath, inhaling that wonderful, unique aroma. Ahhh. (Sorry techies, but ya just can’t do that with a Kindle!)
So it wasn’t a big surprise when I discovered how much I enjoyed writing my own stories. I filled pages of notebooks and eventually computer screens with tales of love, heartbreak, drama and humor. Although I write various genres, historical settings are my favorite.
When I’m not writing, editing, or dreaming up new stories, my husband and I work as Estate Caretakers, which means we live and work on beautiful private properties and help the owners with just about any need that comes up! We also enjoy spending time at the beach with our two grown sons and their beautiful wives.
*This is a book I reviewed for the February issue of Historical Novels Review.
BOOK REVIEW
Ireland, 1765. When young Mary Kearney is sent to work at Goward Hall, she joins her brother and sister in service and lightens the load of her impoverished father, who has too many mouths to feed. She begins to wait on the very married Lady Mitchelstown, who is involved in a scandalous romance with Lord and Lady Goward’s son James. James eventually arranges for Mary to learn to read and write, and as they become much closer, the outrage of both the upper and lower classes descends upon them. They enter into a secret marriage, but in the eyes of the world, Mary is a mistress, and only a few at the time know that she is James’ wife. And nearby, an evil man waits, determined to ruin Mary for good.
Late 18th to early 19th-century Ireland comes alive in this book, as the characters speak to us from the past in a dialect true to the time. There is a great deal of epistolary work, and it is woven in beautifully. Letters, articles, documents, and diary entries highlight the many voices, bringing each character to life with great effect. The novel begins with the dictated words of Mary’s father, who cannot read or write. The letters contain everything from love to gossip to threats, depending upon the writer. The class differences of the time are highlighted well, and the Catholic versus Protestant conflict is explored. The attempted uprising by the United Irishmen is well researched, and its consequences spill across the page. The captivating love story of James and Mary endures many hardships, including plotting and scheming from wicked people. Honest and intriguing, this gripping saga will transport and inspire you, and it just might break your heart. Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via The Historical Novel Society. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Katherine Mezzacappa is Irish but currently lives in Carrara, between the Apuan Alps and the Tyrrhenian Sea. She is the author of The Maiden of Florence (Fairlight, 2024) and The Ballad of Mary Kearney (Histria Books, 2025). As Katie Hutton, she has published four historical novels with Bonnier Zaffre (2020-2023), The Gypsy Bride, The Gypsy’s Daughter, Annie of Ainsworth’s Mill and The Maid of Lindal Hall. Katherine’s short fiction has been published in a variety of journals worldwide.
Katherine has been the recipient of residencies from the Irish Writers Centre, the Danish Centre for Writers and Translators and (to come) the Latvian Writers House. She also works as a manuscript assessor and as a reader and judge for three fiction competitions. Katherine holds a first degree in History of Art from UEA, an M.Litt. in Eng. Lit. from Durham and a Masters in Creative Writing from Canterbury Christ Church.
Q&A WITH THE AUTHOR
Bonnie: Hi Katherine. Thanks so much for visiting with us! You mentioned to me that you started The Ballad of Mary Kearney in about 2016. Can you tell us the story of your initial inspiration for the book and your journey to get it published?
Katherine: That was my second full-length novel (the first can just stay in the drawer…). The inspiration came on a visit to the Gibside estate in northeast England, which had belonged to the Bowes-Lyon family, the Earls of Strathmore. I had done some research on the Bowes’ presence in County Durham while working for a museum in the area, some years previously. Thackeray had worked for John Bowes as his election agent; Bowes had indiscreetly told the novelist the story of his grandmother’s two marriages, which inspired The Luck of Barry Lyndon. I was interested in this woman’s son’s story, however. On the last day of his life, he was carried on a litter into the fashionable church of St George’s, Hanover Square in London, to marry the servant he had been living with for years and with whom he’d had a son (Thackeray’s erstwhile employer). In that parkland, in the front of the Bowes-Lyon chapel, inspired by Palladio’s Villa Rotonda, I ‘saw’ that story, but transposed to my native Ireland. What if an Ascendancy noble in 18c Ireland married his servant, but in secret? He’d be breaking the law, for a start, as he would be Protestant and she would likely be Catholic. And meanwhile, the stormclouds that broke as the United Irishmen rebellion of 1798 were gathering: a rebellion, it’s often forgotten, led by enlightened Protestants.
The book got quite a lot of interest, but no agent nor publisher. However, as it was doing the rounds I was already writing the next book, as I was terrified that if I paused I wouldn’t get back into writing again. That book, as Merripen (later The Gypsy Bride), was longlisted for the Historical Novel Society’s novel prize and was published in 2020. But, I didn’t lose faith in Mary Kearney. It went through a number of redrafts before I realized that the market I really ought to be aiming for was Irish America, so I started submitting in the US and found Histria Books.
Bonnie: I assume there was a great deal of research required for this book. How did you approach the research?
Katherine: I read everything relevant that I could get my hands on, starting with William Edward Hartpole Lecky’s magisterial, if biased, A History of Ireland in the Eighteenth Century (five volumes; he earned his statue outside Trinity College Dublin). I absorbed a lot of novels of the period, which explains why some of my book is epistolary, in search of the right ‘voice.’ I also read journals such as: The Leadbeter Papers, written by the Quaker Mary Leadbeter in Co Kildare; the sometimes highly-coloured memoirs accounts of the Dublin lawyer Jonah Barrington; court proceedings for the trials of the United Irishmen and so on. The late Dr Brian Traynor, formerly the director of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, was a great help and support.
Bonnie: The book is set in a time when women, especially poor women, had few rights and few choices. Some authors are tempted to insert modern circumstances and outcomes into their stories. Was it difficult to stay true to the period while still portraying a strong woman in Mary Kearney, and how important was it to you to do so?
Katherine: It was of crucial importance that I got the context right. Mary’s agency is indeed limited, whether as servant or fine lady (though she never quite feels that she is the latter), so her choices are indeed circumscribed. A book can’t claim to be a historical novel if all the author has done is put modern characters in historical costumes and make them refer to a reticule every third sentence. Shows like Bridgerton are great fun, but they are not history; I’m not referring to the color-blind casting, but to the fact that people of that class at that time would not for the most part behave as they do on screen, at least not prior to marriage. There was a particular challenge in writing the character of Mary Kearney because accounts of the lives of women like her are pretty thin on the ground. Some of the character of Mary Milner, the mistress of the Earl of Strathmore and my Mary’s prototype, came into play. While she was Strathmore’s mistress, she was reticent about meeting people from his social stratum, so while she lived with him as though she was the countess, she would disappear when his family members called. After his death, she was very dignified and truthful in giving evidence in their son’s failed attempt to be declared legitimate.
Bonnie: I’m a fan of great epistolary work in a novel, and there is a lot of it in this book, such as letters, records, diary entries, etc. It is a wonderful way to show the personalities of many of the characters. I haven’t read your other books yet. Is this the first time you have done this type of writing in a novel, and how would you describe the epistolary writing experience?
Katherine: Yes, it is the first time I have done it, partly because of the guide I had from the sources I was using and also because the epistolary form lent itself to what I was doing. People communicated through letters then; they had to. People kept diaries. I have also used it in other books though not to the same extent. In The Gypsy Bride, the hero is illiterate and starts to read and write only when he is in prison, where his attempts at correspondence have a deeper poignancy. The withholding or destruction of letters also has a greater impact than would be the case now; we know when a WhatsApp message has been read. We can also see if someone has written and then recalled their message. A great deal of our communication is fleeting in the way that pen on paper isn’t. In The Maiden of Florence, there is someone writing his ‘ricordanze’, a kind of daybook, a common practice amongst educated Renaissance Florentines, thanks to which we know a lot more about them than we otherwise would.
Bonnie: Are you working on a new book, and if so, can you tell us about it?
Katherine: I am working on a Renaissance crime novel. Crime is a new departure for me, obliging me to plan more than I usually would. My hero is a physician, the illegitimate son of a Florentine banker. The banker existed (his ancestor was the father of Dante’s Beatrice, and the hospital that ancestor founded in 1285 functions to this day) but the doctor is my invention. He trained at the School of Salerno and so was influenced by Arab medicine. Salerno also trained women, but I decided to make my lead character a male to give him greater agency and to enable him to move around the courts of various city states (I plan five books). So right now I am immersed in Renaissance medical treatises and accounts of the organization of hospitals of the period.
I have another novel out on submission currently. It’s the fictionalized story of the mistress of the novelist Samuel Butler and of his best friend and biographer (an arrangement set up and paid for by Butler; the lady’s reaction to this is not recorded), so it’s a tale from the hidden part of Victorian life.
Bonnie: Both of these books sound amazing! Let’s go beyond the bio. Tell us something about yourself that we might not know from reading your bio.
Katherine: I got married to the same man twice. We married civilly in 1995 and ten years later had a quiet religious ceremony with our two little boys present. I made my dress each time.
Bonnie: That’s awesome to have a later ceremony with your children! Thanks again, Katherine, for agreeing to this interview. I absolutely loved your book.
Katherine: I am so glad you did. The Ballad of Mary Kearney means a lot to me.
*This is another review I did for The Historical Novel Society.
In 1812 New York, Easter Hackley is born to a white man and a Native American (Algonquin) woman. She grows up as America is growing. She marries young and accompanies her husband Will to Ohio, looking for land to homestead. As Easter and her family survive on the land, America is struggling. Andrew Jackson has come up with a plan to relocate the “natives.” Congressman David Crockett is horrified, and he joins with John Ross, the son of a white man and a Cherokee woman, to try and stop the removal. As Easter’s family continues to grow, so does America, and with that growth comes the good and the bad.
Easter is described as an amazing woman, and she definitely knows how to survive on the land better than most of the other female pioneers. She provides well for her family by using the skills her Algonquin mother taught her, fighting against great odds and extreme circumstances.
Easter’s story is entertaining, but this book also tells the story of America through the points of view of a large cast of characters, including Davy Crockett. Some of views become almost separate stories unto themselves, as they are not closely tied or tied at all to Easter. This makes the novel less cohesive, but still interesting and informative.
In this novel, Easter is the daughter of an Algonquin woman, Sooleawa. Sooleawa is fictionalized, but it is hard to reconcile the fact that Easter is portrayed as half Native American and still supported Andrew Jackson and willingly took over land in Ohio from which Native Americans had been “cleared.” This makes her appear much less remarkable than she is otherwise portrayed.
I received a free copy of this book via The Historical Novel Society. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
This is another one I reviewed for the May 2024 issue of Historical Novels Review, the magazine of The Historical Novel Society
Set between 1916 and 1923 on and near the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, this is a story of love, loss, betrayal, and weaving. Lorna is working on the estate as a weaver, training the precocious and unpredictable young Gentry in the trade as well. Their friend Arthur, a woodcarver, also works on the estate, and is silently in love with Lorna. Suddenly, Gentry disappears and Lorna becomes a successful designer of remarkable fabric. Then one day it all falls apart, and Lorna begins to search the surrounding mountain towns in order to find Gentry and set things right.
This is a heart-touching book about deception, false friendship, and forgiveness, set in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains. Life at The Biltmore Estate at that time is so well portrayed that the reader will feel instantly transported there. The tragic 1916 flood at Biltmore Village is part of the events that unfold, and it shapes the life of one of the characters, Lorna. The flood and its tragic aftermath are well described. The beauty of the mountains is woven perfectly throughout the novel. The magic of talent, and the desperation to possess it, lies at the heart of the conflict. There are strong themes of betrayal, guilt, and whether forgiveness is deserved or should be freely given. The love story in this book makes it all the sweeter. The author also does a good job of describing the heart of mountain artistry and how it has been passed down over generations. This novel is a tapestry of art, love, history, and betrayal that will delight the reader.
I received a free copy of this book via The Historical Novel Society. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Loudin Thomas grew up on a 100-acre farm in French Creek, WV, the seventh generation to live there. Her historical fiction is often set in West Virginia and celebrates the people, the land, and the heritage of Appalachia.
Sarah is the director of Jan Karon’s Mitford Museum in Hudson, NC. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Coastal Carolina University and is the author of the acclaimed novels The Right Kind of Fool–winner of the 2021 Selah Book of the Year–and Miracle in a Dry Season–winner of the 2015 Inspy Award. Sarah has also been a finalist for the Christy Award, ACFW Carol Award and the Christian Book of the Year Award. She and her husband live in western North Carolina.
I reviewed this book for the February issue of Historical Novels Review, the Journal of The Historical Novel Society.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
The bestselling author of The Witch of Tin Mountain and Parting the Veil mines the subtle horrors of 1950s America in a gripping novel about a woman under pressure—from the living and the dead.
The first day of autumn brought the fever, and with the fever came the voices.
Missouri, 1955. Loretta Davenport has led an isolated life as a young mother and a wife to Pete, an ambitious assistant professor at a Bible college. They’re the picture of domestic tranquility—until a local girl is murdered and Loretta begins receiving messages from beyond. Pete dismisses them as delusions of a fevered female imagination. Loretta knows they’re real—and frightening.
Defying Pete’s demands, Loretta finds an encouraging supporter in parapsychologist Dr. Curtis Hansen. He sees a woman with a rare gift, more blessing than curse. With Dr. Hansen’s help, Loretta’s life opens up to an empowering new purpose. But for Pete, the God-fearing image he’s worked so hard to cultivate is under threat. No longer in control of his dutiful wife, he sees the Devil at work.
As Loretta’s powers grow stronger and the pleading spirits beckon, Pete is determined to deliver his wife from evil. To solve the mysteries of the dead, Loretta must first save herself.
BOOK REVIEW
Missouri, 1955. A young girl, Darcy, is missing, which is disturbing enough, but then Loretta Davenport begins seeing visions of the girl’s location, and, sadly, knows where her body can be found. This paranormal ability does not sit well with her husband, a Bible professor at a local college. He’s already upset about her lack of energy and weight gain. Their perfect life seems threatened enough without psychic messages that overwhelm her. After the vision of Darcy, the door to the “other side” seems to open for Loretta, and she begins to see more of the dead. She seeks out a psychologist to try and make sense of it as her life turns upside down.
This story of a 1950s housewife who can suddenly see and receive messages from the dead is so fascinating and compelling that it will be hard to put down. Loretta’s growing abilities and the cracking facade of her life are so well described. The author expertly begins to pull the curtain from Loretta’s marriage and show the truth—her husband is not perfect, and is, in fact, abusive. The combination of a bad marriage and explosive new psychic abilities makes this book shine. The lack of basic rights for women in the 1950s is also explored, as Loretta becomes almost a prisoner in her own home. And a mystery is involved, as Loretta is trying to find Darcy’s killer to save others from the same fate. There is a bit of romance, and a theme of embracing one’s true self. This is a satisfying mix of historical mystery and paranormal fiction that fans of those genres will enjoy. Highly recommended.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paulette Kennedy is the bestselling author of The Witch of Tin Mountain and Parting the Veil, which received the prestigious HNS Review Editor’s Choice Award. She has had a lifelong obsession with the gothic. As a young girl, she spent her summers among the gravestones in her neighborhood cemetery, imagining all sorts of romantic stories for the people buried there.
After her mother introduced her to the Brontës as a teenager, Paulette’s affinity for fog-covered landscapes and haunted heroines only grew, inspiring her to become a writer. Originally from the Missouri Ozarks, she now lives with her family and a menagerie of rescue pets in sunny Southern California, where sometimes, on the very best days, the mountains are wreathed in fog.
Indie Weekend is my effort to help Indie authors with marketing. It’s a daunting task, and if I can help even a little, I’m happy to do it. You can help too by sharing this post far and wide with all your social media followers. Below is my review of Land of the Blue Mist, which I originally reviewed for The Historial Novel Society. The author, Susan Mallgrave, also graciously agreed to be interviewed, so please be sure and check out the Q&A below.
BOOK DESCRIPTION (FROM AMAZON)
In the tradition of Jean Auel, Charles Frazier, and Tony Hillerman comes a work of historical fiction… Land of the Blue Mist: A Novel of Courage, Love, and Survival.
The Principal People, known as the Cherokee by others, have lived for millennia in the place they call the Land of the Blue Mist. Much of their ancestral land has been taken, over decades. But still more land is demanded.
Aster Sweetwater comes of age in this time of fierce pressure on her tribe in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Sent to boarding school to learn so-called civilized ways, she returns home to help her people fight forced removal from their mountains and valleys. But Aster returns home not knowing where she belongs. Who are her people? Should she remain in the Land of the Blue Mist or leave the only home she’s ever known, to search for her missing father?
After gold is discovered in Georgia in 1828 and the Indian Removal Act is passed two years later, the crisis intensifies, ending with U.S. troops invading Aster’s village.
Not all the Cherokee will travel the deadly Trail of Tears to the West. Having escaped capture, but with her family torn apart and her life shattered, Aster must find a way for a remnant of her people to survive in the Land of the Blue Mist.
BOOK REVIEW
The Land of the Blue Mist, or The Blue Ridge Mountains, is the home of The Principal People, also known as the Cherokee. In the 1820s, Aster is sent by her white father to a boarding school to learn the ways of his people. His intent is for her to then teach the Cherokee how to survive in a white man’s world, because he is going far away to avenge the death of his brother in another land. But then gold is discovered, and greedy politicians are determined to remove the Cherokee from their homeland and send them far out west. As Aster fights to find her place in a divided world, she is determined to save her people from removal.
This is a well-woven book about the events leading up to the Trail of Tears, the impact on the Cherokee at that time, and the fact that some Cherokee did escape from it. As we go with 9-year-old Aster to boarding school, we also watch political events unfolding in the U.S. that will lead to the horrors of removal. The author does a good job of building Aster’s world while also showing the government’s intrusion and her determination to stop it. Real-life events and people are woven in, such as John Ross, Principal Chief, who fought unsuccessfully against the removal. And it’s a fictionalized story of the small group of real Cherokee who fought back, hid, negotiated and were able to remain. Full of action, intrigue, politics, romance, and danger, this book is not to be missed. Fans of Native American History and the history of The Blue Ridge Mountains will enjoy this book.
AUTHOR BIO
Susan Mallgrave’s first novel, a work of historical fiction, is set in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains near her current residence and the surviving bent trees of which she writes. She is currently working on a sequel to Land of the Blue Mist. She also writes poetry, short stories, and creative nonfiction. When not writing, she can be found playing tennis, hiking, traveling, and handcrafting, especially knitting socks for family and friends.
Q&A WITH SUSAN MALLGRAVE
Bonnie: Susan, first of all, thanks for agreeing to answer my questions today.
Susan: Bonnie, it’s my great pleasure! Thank you so very much for reading my book and reviewing it. It’s a lot to ask of another person, a commitment of your precious time and I appreciate it.
Bonnie: Let’s go beyond the bio. Tell us something about yourself that we wouldn’t know from reading your bio.
Susan: I’ve always loved books of all sorts–adventure tales as a child (and now!), classics, mysteries, historical novels, and non-fiction. I’m probably not so different from your readers. I wasn’t one of those folks who always wrote stories though—I envy them! I recently went through journals I had kept intermittently. What I discovered was I had been talking about writing, thinking about writing, and writing about writing for years! I was circling. If I didn’t try, I wouldn’t fail. That sort of thing. I knew, intellectually, that you can only write if you write. But I didn’t believe it. I didn’t think I knew a thing about it. And maybe I didn’t: which is why I would need to write—to learn. Silly sometimes, aren’t we?
With too much time in between them, I wrote a dozen or so poems and a half-dozen short stories. Covid down-sized and then eliminated my remote job (in Communications) and as I lamented having to find another, my husband Harry said, “You keep saying you’d like to write a novel–maybe it’s time to get serious about that?” Well, yay! (He’s my biggest supporter. At one point during my struggle with the first draft, the only reason I kept writing the novel was because I didn’t have the heart to tell him I wanted out.
You can learn the craft of writing, but I believe much of the art of writing comes osmotically, in a way. The language carried me while I learned how to structure a novel-length work. The impetus to write and the words for writing came from my having been in love with books forever. Sacred objects. It’s always been a parallel world, my journey with books.
Bonnie: Your book, Land of the Blue Mist, is set during the time of the Indian Removal Act. What inspired you to write about that terrible time?
Susan: We moved to upstate South Carolina five years ago and I joined a writers’ group. I wrote some short stories to share with the group. Land of the Blue Mist started as one. But the story kept growing and the characters became real and compelling to me, especially after I began researching. I was—and am—in awe of the 19th century accomplishments of the Aniyunwiya—the people that others call Cherokee. I had no idea prior to my research, for instance, that by 1820 they had a system of government modeled on that of the United States. Also, at one point, the Cherokee were the most literate people in the country, due to a Cherokee warrior and silversmith named Sequoyah. He invented a syllabary—a written set of symbols based on the sounds of their spoken language, and it was a brilliant success. The tribe also published a newspaper from 1828-1834, named the Cherokee Phoenix—later renamed the Cherokee Phoenix and Indians’ Advocate. Each article was written in Tsalagi (the Cherokee language) and English, side-by-side. The paper has been revived and is now published in Oklahoma, by the way.
The people and their leaders went to great lengths to assimilate within the larger culture so that they could remain in the Land of the Blue Mist, which is what they called the Blue Ridge Mountains that they had lived in for millennia. I also admire their love of and respect for nature and the environment. They are an admirable people.
I also wanted to give an alternative end to the horrendous journey to the West, during which so many died, later called The Trail of Tears.
Bonnie: Tell us about your research process for this book.
Susan: I read James Mooney’s books, Myths of the Cherokee and The Sacred Formulas of the Cherokee. Mooney was an early ethnographer, working under the auspice of the Smithsonian Institute, who lived with Cherokee clans in the late nineteenth century for several years. He wanted to chronicle as much as possible about the culture before all memory of it was gone.
I also learned from John Ehle, who wrote The Trail of Tears: The Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation. As the title indicates, it included not just the expulsion, but other time periods as well, leading up to that ignominious ouster. I read biographies of Chief John Ross and Major Ridge, both of whom appear in the novel. I visited the Cherokee Museum in Walhalla, SC, gleaned from Native American websites, and plowed through some Eastern Cherokee census rolls. I read some scholarly articles and some editions of the Cherokee Phoenix newspaper. I read books on Cherokee herbology and gold panning. I researched for four months before writing, and then dipped in and out while writing the book.
Bonnie: Your main character, Aster, appears to be in Georgia during this book. Your biography says you live near the surviving bent trees, which were Native American trail markers. Where are the bent trees located?
Susan: The Cherokee had networks of trails for hunting and trading, as well as for “warpaths,” when engaged with enemies. These ran east to west and north to south. There was a warrior trail that connected Georgia to Pennsylvania and New York. A major trail from Charleston, SC was used to bring goods back from the coast to the northwestern corner of the state, where I live now. Because of these extensive trails, they needed guideposts. It’s speculated that’s the reason they created bent trees, starting with saplings, as “way signs.” A group called Mountain Stewards has mapped several thousand reputed marker trees in 44 states! Most of them, though, appear to be clustered where Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina meet.
Bonnie: Aster is a fictional character, but is she based on anyone in real life?
Susan: No. Well, maybe a composite. She was the trickiest for me to write, but I’m not sure why, exactly. Going Snake—Aster’s grandfather, her adopted brother Little Fox and Jayce, “the cowboy” more or less walked up to me and said “Howdy!”
Bonnie: One interesting aspect of all of this is that Aster’s father is a white man who goes back to England to avenge the death of his brother. Without giving away spoilers, it seems that there is a whole other world to possibly explore in another book. Is that something you have considered?
Susan: I thought the same thing! Great minds…I ultimately took a different direction. But I do like Timothy and may visit his life in the Lakes District of England at some point. I also may write a prequel to Blue Mist, so that I can explore Going Snake’s formative years—much happened in the Cherokee nation during his lifetime!
Bonnie: You are currently writing a sequel to Land of the Blue Mist. Can you tell us a little bit about it?
Susan: The sequel takes place eighty years later, in the small, Southern Appalachian village that Aster and the others settled. The protagonist is Aster’s great-grandson, who returns to South Carolina in 1920 from the world’s war, suffering from shell shock. He finds many changes have taken place in his town while he was gone. Of course there’s a cast of other characters as well, including a young woman suffragist who yearns to leave the small town where they all live and to have a career in big city journalism. The new novel also contains entries from Aster’s 19th-century journal, so that readers discover what happened to the original group after they settled in the shadow of the Blue Wall. This is the Cherokee name for the Blue Ridge Escarpment, the sheer rock-face end of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Bonnie: Land of the Blue Mist is your first Independently published novel. How was the experience of publishing your first book and what did you learn along the way?
Susan: I used Amazon Kindle, which was a learning curve for me, but when all is said and done, it’s quite doable, in terms of formatting and uploading and there’s plenty of guidance online. I also learned I should have done publicity ahead of time and still need much improvement on promotion and marketing efforts. It’s a bit overwhelming, but other writers are helping me—shout outs to you, Bonnie, and Gail Meath!
Bonnie: It was nice to meet you, Susan, and thanks for answering my questions today! Please come back when you publish the sequel.
Susan: I’ll be happy to come back—thanks for the invitation!
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**This is a review I did for the Historical Novel Society. Now that it’s been published on their website, I can post it.
In the 1880s, Doc Holliday has done it all—dentist, outlaw, gambler, and more. But now he’s called a “lunger,” a cruel term for someone with tuberculosis, and he has traveled west to seek out a drier climate. He’s also heard of a fountain of youth that will rid him of his disease, and thus he begins a life-or-death search for a miraculous cure that eventually takes him all over the West, with stops that often end in murder and mayhem.
Along for the ride is one of Doc’s loves, a prostitute, Kate. Wyatt Earp also makes frequent appearances. As the adventure continues, Doc flashes back to his past and nears the end of his life, all the while seeking out a miracle.
This is a very gritty and realistic portrayal of the life of Doc Holliday. The description of the seedy side of the West in the 1880s evokes vivid and lasting images that transport the reader to that time and place. Holliday’s personality comes alive, for example: “Doc revered impropriety in women, so long as they were not his women.” The author does not hold back on the description of Holliday’s life, illness, fame, and sometimes murderous ways, but still manages to show a bit of dignity in the man.
The bloody effects of tuberculosis and Doc’s deterioration are described in realistic detail. The rumored fountain of youth is always just out of his grasp, “a few towns over,” just as all legends are. The reader follows Doc’s journey throughout the West until his last stop, Glenwood Springs, Colorado, and his final futile attempt to find that miraculous fountain. This book is recommended to anyone who is interested in Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp, or realistic fiction about the Old West.
My rating is 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 on sites with no half-star option.
I received a free copy of this book via The Historical Novel Society. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Matthew Di Paoli has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize three times. He has won the Wilbur and Niso Smith Adventure Writing Prize, The Prism Review, 2 Elizabeth’s, and Momoya Review short story contests. Matthew earned his MFA in fiction at Columbia University. He’s been published in Boulevard, Fjords, Post Road, and Cleaver among others. He is the author of Holliday and the upcoming Killstanbul with Sunbury Press.
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