First a YouTube video to raise that interest :):
My
novel is set during the famous Battle of Gettysburg. I snapped lots
of photos at research trips to Gettysburg. I thought readers might
enjoy seeing a few.
This is Willoughby Run, the creek near Sarah Hubbard’s solitary
home outside Gettysburg. Confederate soldier, Jesse Mitchell, fights
here the morning of July 1, 1863, as part of the 7th
Tennessee Infantry, Archer’s Brigade, Heth’s Division, Hill’s
Corps.
The field where so many died at Pickett’s Charge. Though peaceful now, the land has a story to tell.
I
invite you to read the story that came to me
at Gettysburg in my
newest novel:
A Rebel in
My House.
Book
Blurb:
When
the cannons roar beside Sarah Hubbard’s home outside of Gettysburg,
she despairs of escaping the war that’s come to Pennsylvania. A
wounded Confederate soldier on her doorstep leaves her with a
heart-wrenching decision.
Separated
from his unit and with a bullet in his back, Jesse Mitchell needs
help. He seeks refuge at a house beside Willoughby Run. His future
lies in the hands of a woman whose sympathies lay with the North.
Jesse
has promised his sister-in-law he’d bring his brother home from the
war. Sarah has promised her sister that she’d stay clear of the
enemy. Can the two keep their promises amid a war bent on tearing
their country apart?
Excerpt:
Friday, June 26, 1863
Two miles outside Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Running feet on the dirt road outside quickened
Sarah Hubbard’s heartbeat. Her fingers stiffened on her sewing
machine and her back straightened.
Were they coming? Every conversation these days centered on the Confederate soldiers crossing into southern Pennsylvania.
“Miz Hubbard. Miz Hubbard, please let us in!”
Not soldiers but friends. Sarah’s body sagged
at Elsie Craig’s voice, but why did she yell? Sarah dropped the
gingham dress she’d been sewing and ran to throw open the front
door. Alarmed at the fear lining Elsie’s dark face and eyes as she
clutched the hand of her four-year-old daughter, Mae, Sarah scanned
the horizon for Confederate soldiers. “Hurry inside.”
Elsie needed no second bidding. She guided Mae
over the threshold and closed the door. “Miz Hubbard, you gotta
hide us.” Her tall, thin body leaned against the door. “The Rebs
are in town gathering up all the colored folks they can find. Someone
said they’ll be taking them south as slaves and that they’re
warning folks not to hide us.”
Sarah gasped. “Why do such a terrible thing?”
“Don’t make sense, does it? Some of us have
lived in Gettysburg for years. Others like me have always been free,
but it don’t seem to matter to the Southern army.” A long loaf of
bread peeked out among jars and clothing in a well-laden basket Elsie
set on the rug. She dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around
her trembling child. “I had to leave my house and most of my
possessions, but I’ve got the most important thing right here.”
She looked up at Sarah as she patted Mae’s shoulder. “Last week
my Sam left for Pine Hill, the settlement up near Biglerville. With
it being two miles off the main road to Carlisle, the Rebs won’t
find him there. Sam never expected the army to come after women and
children or he’d never have left us. I miss him something fierce.
We’ll go to him when the soldiers get out of town.”
Tears etched tracks in a smudge on Mae’s
cheek, tugging at Sarah’s heart as much as Elsie’s wide eyes and
trembling hands. Sarah rushed to an open window and pushed aside the
curtain a few inches. The Pennsylvania governor, Andrew Curtin, had
declared a state of emergency two weeks earlier and called for local
militia. Where was their help?
BUY her book here:
https://www.amazon.com/Rebel-House-Sandra-Merville-Hart/dp/1941103383/
About Sandra Merville Hart:
Sandra Merville Hart, Assistant Editor for DevoKids.com, loves to find unusual or little-known facts inMy n her historical research to use in her stories. Her debut Civil War romance, A Stranger On My Land, was an IRCA Finalist 2015. Her second Civil War romance novel, A Rebel in My House, is set during the Battle of Gettysburg. It released on July 15, 2017. Visit Sandra on her blog at https://sandramervillehart.wordpress.com/.
Connect with Sandy here:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/sandra.m.hart.7
Pinterest:
http://www.pinterest.com/sandramhart7/
Sandra's
Goodreads page:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8445068.Sandra_Merville_Hart
Amazon
Author Page:
https://www.amazon.com/Sandra-Merville-Hart/e/B00OBSJ3PU/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Thanks for joining me here today, Sandy.
Readers, do check out Sandy's newest book!
Blessings!
2 comments:
That Lutheran Seminary you had a picture of? It plays a part in our family history. My husband and I became Lutherans about 22 years ago. Then hubby was researching our family history and discovered that an ancestor of his was a Lutheran minister at that Seminary! My hubby went to the Seminary in St. Louis and taught there in STL when he was getting his PHD! Now he is a retired pastor , who preaches occasionally at a church that has no pastor and because our pastor is an Army Chaplain reservist. Thanks for the history lesson!
Interesting, Paula! Thanks for commenting on Sandra's post!
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