COVER REVEAL & GIVEAWAY!

 SHE'S HERE!!! 

And she's a beauty!

I'm absolutely thrilled to reveal the cover of my next book, 

THE POET OF MOONSHINE HILL!

1933. Hot Springs, Arkansas. While her father runs illegal moonshine in the Ouachita Mountains, Rosaleen Finnegan works long hours at the Lamar Bathhouse in Hot Springs to pay for her mother’s medical care. She dreams of becoming a writer, but pressure to join Pa’s operation—and the arrival of a handsome young preacher urging a better path—pull her in opposing directions. Reluctantly drawn into her father’s dangerous world, Rosaleen soon catches the eye of a wealthy bootlegger. But when a careless mistake leads to tragedy, she’s forced to make a decision that will haunt her for decades.

1983. Nashville, Tennessee. Andie Waggoner, one of the few women working as a computer programmer with the National Park Service, is on the brink of a long-awaited promotion when she visits her increasingly confused grandmother and uncovers a mysterious photograph of a girl beside a moonshine still. Then she stumbles across a decades-old arrest warrant in the agency’s database bearing her Gram’s maiden name, which is deeply troubling since her job requires security clearance and disclosure of close ties to anyone with criminal backgrounds. As her grandmother’s fragmented memories lead to more questions than answers, Andie heads to Hot Springs in search of the truth, both for herself as well as her grandmother . . . and soon discovers Gram’s past has implications for her own future. 

THE POET OF MOONSHINE HILL 

will release April 6, 2027. 

PREODER is available NOW!

THANK YOU for celebrating with me!

Blessings,

~Michelle

Frankie: The woman who inspired my all-time favorite character

When I began writing Under the Tulip Tree in the summer of 2018, I thought I knew where the story was headed. I'd discovered the slave narratives several years earlier while researching slavery in Texas for my plantation novels, so I was very familiar with the word-for-word first-person stories told to employees of the Federal Writers' Project by former slaves in 1936. My goal in writing Under the Tulip Tree was to capture the raw realness of the narratives by creating a character that would bring them to life for readers in the same way they'd come to life for me. The problem was, as I began writing Frankie's story, something was wrong. She was flat. A cardboard cutout of a woman who'd endured one of the most shameful practices known to man. I could have kept writing and hoped for the best, but ultimately I knew something major needed to change. I just didn't know what. 

Getting the character of Frankie right was vital. Not just for the sake of the story, but for the sake of the history behind the story. For the real people whom my characters would represent. The former slaves who shared their stories with strangers back in 1936 deserved my very best in 2018. To accomplish that, I needed to dig deeper. Deeper into Frankie, and deeper into myself.  

I returned to the narratives. While I prefer to read them in their unedited state, with the storytellers' own pronunciation and wording, the little research book I'd purchased about slavery in Tennessee is edited for clarity.  I picked it up, as I'd done dozens of times, and thumbed through the pages, wondering what I was missing in Frankie's story. Because it would be impossible for me to understand what life was like for a person kept in bondage, I relied heavily on the narratives themselves to guide me. 

After searching the pages without success,  I closed it, frustrated. I couldn't keep working on my book until I figured this out.

That's when my eyes fell on the woman gracing the cover of the research book. Of course I'd seen her picture many times before, but this was the first time I truly looked at it. What I saw was an elderly Black woman sitting on the porch of a simple dwelling, deep in thought. There are other details to notice--her braids, her ring, the hole in her blouse--but it was her hand in her lap that captured my attention. 

In the photo, it doesn't seem quite right. The knuckles look too big and there may be a finger or two missing.

"What happened to her hand?" I gasped.

That question---and the answer I eventually imagined---completely changed Under the Tulip Tree and Frankie's story. I won't give any spoilers, but for those of you who have read the book, you know what I mean. Frankie's story poured out from that picture. I did some investigating and discovered that the woman pictured was a sharecropper in Mississippi.  Her name, however, was unfortunately not recorded. 

(Note: I eventually found a second photograph taken from a different angle and it does appear that all her fingers are intact.) 

Cotton sharecropper. Library of Congress.

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2017770271/

For me, this precious woman has become Frankie. I hope one day I can hug her and tell her about Frankie and how her picture and her life changed me. 

I hope you'll choose to read Under the Tulip Tree and get to know Frankie and Rena. Click the link on the sidebar of the cover for purchase information or you can find the book wherever books are sold.

You can also read why I believe forgiveness is important, even in fiction, HERE.

Every blessing,

Michelle 

Why I Wrote UNDER THE TULIP TREE

Hello!

I continue to be immeasurably grateful so many new readers are discovering my historical novel

  UNDER THE TULIP TREE! 

Thank you! We're closing in on 20,000 ratings on Goodreads, and the book has been an Amazon #1 Bestseller in different categories off and on for several months now! 

Whoop!

While I fully understand there are readers who did not like the book--and that's okay!--many of you are curious as to why I chose to write about slavery. 

To answer that question, as well as many others, I made a video for a book club a few years ago that explains it all. I talk about discovering the Federal Writers Project Slave Narratives, the development of Frankie's character, and how my own background plays a role in my desire to celebrate diversity through my novels. 

Click the link and take a listen! 

WARNING: If you haven't read the novel yet, be aware that there are a few spoiler-ish comments, although I don't give away details of the story itself. 

If you haven't read the novel yet, here's some purchase information!

Blessings,

Michelle

Link to video: https://www.facebook.com/michelle.shocklee/videos/513184534313672

Publishers Weekly Review of THE WOMEN OF OAK RIDGE

 I'm always grateful when Publishers Weekly 

reviews one of my books! 

Not every secret needs to be told.

Some just need to be forgotten.

In the hills of Tennessee, two women work at a Manhattan Project site during World War II and uncover truths that irrevocably change their lives in this captivating new story from award-winning Southern fiction author Michelle Shocklee.

1944. Maebelle Willett arrives in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, eager to begin her new government job and send money home to her impoverished family. She knows little about the work she will be doing, but she’s told it will help America win the war. Not all is what it seems, however. Though Oak Ridge employees are forbidden from discussing their jobs, Mae’s roommate begins sharing disturbing information, then disappears without a trace. Mae desperately attempts to find her but instead comes face-to-face with a life-altering revelation—one that comes at significant cost.

1979. Laurel Willett is a graduate student in Boston when she learns about the history of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where thousands unknowingly worked on the atomic bomb. Intrigued because she knows her Aunt Mae was employed there, Laurel decides to spend the summer with her aunt, hoping to add a family connection to her thesis research. But Mae adamantly refuses to talk about her time in the Secret City. Mae’s friends, however, offer to share their experiences, propelling Laurel on her path to uncovering the truth about a missing woman. As Laurel works to put the pieces together, the hidden pain and guilt Mae has tried so hard to bury comes to light . . . with potentially disastrous consequences.

• Standalone Southern historical fiction great for fans of Lisa Wingate, Donna Everhart, and Lynn Austin
• A compelling dual-timeline novel set during WWII and the 1970s about the weight of secrets and the power of forgiveness
• Includes discussion questions for book groups
• RELEASES September 9, 2025

To PREORDER, click HERE!

To read the full PW review, click HERE!

COVER REVEAL & GIVEAWAY!

 Hello, all!

I'm thrilled to share the title and cover of my upcoming 2025 release with you! 

Here she is!

Isn't she gorgeous?! I'm positively in love with the details of this cover, because it gives readers a wonderful glimpse into the story. I wasn't sure how the designer would incorporate all the fascinating historical details that make up the setting of Oak Ridge in 1944, but she surpassed my expectations! The factory you see behind Mae, the main character in the World War II story, is taken from a photograph of one of the plants that enriched uranium for the atomic bomb! 

Here's a summary of the story:

“Not every secret needs to be told. Some just need to be forgotten.”


1944. Maebelle Willett arrives in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, eager to begin her new government job and send money home to her impoverished family. She knows little about the work she will be doing, but she’s told it will help America win the war. Not all is what it seems, however. Though Oak Ridge employees are forbidden from discussing their jobs, Mae’s roommate begins sharing disturbing information, then disappears without a trace. Mae desperately attempts to find her but instead comes face-to-face with a life-altering revelation—one that comes at significant cost.

1979. Laurel Willett is a graduate student in Boston when she learns about the history of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where thousands unknowingly worked on the atomic bomb. Intrigued because she knows her Aunt Mae was employed there, Laurel decides to spend the summer with her aunt, hoping to add a family connection to her thesis research. But Mae adamantly refuses to talk about her time in the secret city. Mae’s friends, however, offer to share their experiences, propelling Laurel on her path to uncovering the truth about a missing woman. As Laurel works to put the pieces together, the hidden pain and guilt Mae has tried so hard to bury comes to light . . . with potentially disastrous consequences.

I had a grand time researching the history of Oak Ridge, known as a "Secret City" during World War II.  I'll share more about the fascinating history that went into the book in the coming months. 

PREORDER is available now!

The book will release in September 2025! 

STAY TUNED to my social media pages and this BLOG for updates!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

IT'S A GIVEAWAY!!

UPDATE:

The giveaway has ended. I've notified the winner, Emily P., via Instagram message.

THANK YOU for helping me celebrate the cover reveal, everyone!

To celebrate the Cover & Title reveal of THE WOMEN OF OAK RIDGE, I'm giving away ONE copy of an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of the book as soon as they're available. To participate in the drawing, you'll need to do a few things: 

• TO RECEIVE TWO ENTRIES: I want to grow my Instagram account. To receive TWO entries for the giveaway, please:
• 1) "FOLLOW" my page 
• 2) "LIKE" the post with the cover of THE WOMEN OF OAK RIDGE 
• 3) TAG a friend in the comments

•  TO RECEIVE ONE ENTRY: go to my Author Michelle Shocklee Facebook page and please: 
• "FOLLOW" my page 
• TAG a friend in the comments on the post with the cover of THE WOMEN OF OAK RIDGE. 

• TO RECEIVE ONE ENTRY: Leave a comment on this BLOG POST and tell me the first thing that comes to your mind when I say "Oak Ridge, Tennessee." (If this is your only entry, please include a way for me to contact you.)

That's a total of up to FOUR entries available for each person!  

The GIVEAWAY ends Saturday, March 15, 2025 at 6:00 PM CST.

USA only. Winner will be notified through Instagram or Facebook. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THANK YOU 

for helping me celebrate a new book! 

I can hardly wait to share this story 

with you!

                       ~Michelle

Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt STOP #20

UPDATE! 

THE HUNT IS OFFICIALLY CLOSED.  THE WINNER OF A SIGNED COPY OF UNDER THE TULIP TREE WILL BE NOTIFIED VIA EMAIL.  

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED!

Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! If you’ve just discovered the hunt, be sure to start at Stop #1, and collect the clues through all the stops, in order, so you can enter to win one of our top 5 grand prizes!

• The hunt BEGINS on 10/15 at noon MST with Stop #1 at LisaTawnBergren's site. 

• Hunt through our loop using Chrome or Firefox as your browser (not Explorer). 

• There is NO RUSH to complete the hunt—you have all weekend (until Sunday, 10/18 at midnight MST)! So take your time, reading the unique posts along the way; our hope is that you discover new authors/new books and learn new things about them. 

• Submit your entry for the grand prizes by collecting the CLUE on each author’s scavenger hunt post and submitting your answer in the Rafflecopter form at the final stop, back on Lisa’s site. Many authors are offering additional prizes along the way!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm so glad you're here! I'm Michelle Shocklee, a fellow reader, but also a writer of historical fiction. As an admitted history nerd, I dearly love digging into the past through research and by visiting musty old buildings, forts, and battlefields, always imagining what it would have been like to live in bygone days. You can find out more about me and my books here on my blog, on my website, Facebook page, Twitter, and Instagram. 

My newest release, UNDER THE TULIP TREE, is a time-slip novel based on the Federal Writers' Project Slave Narratives. It tells the story of two women, separated by age, race, and circumstance, who form an unlikely friendship in 1936. But will this bond of respect, admiration, and friendship be broken by a revelation neither woman sees coming?

"Shocklee elevates the redemptive power of remorse and 

the grace of forgiveness in this moving saga." 

~Publishers Weekly

"With its haunting message of forgiveness, this is a must-buy for 

any Christian or historical fiction collection."

~Library Journal

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you haven't had an opportunity to read the word-for-word narratives of 1936, I highly recommend searching them out online at the Library of Congress. Reading them was life-changing for me. In the meantime, let me introduce you to a few of the people whose stories inspired some of the most unforgettable characters I've ever written.

Anderson and Minerva Edwards, Ages 93 and 87, Marshall, Texas

Library of Congress, 1936-38

Anderson and Minerva Edwards, a Baptist preacher and his wife, were slaves on adjoining plantations in Texas. Anderson was born in 1844, and Minerva in 1850. They were married after emancipation and raised sixteen children. The first "church" Anderson attended was under a big mulberry tree on the plantation. His master told him that if he was good and obeyed his master, he'd go to heaven. But Anderson felt there was more to it than that, and kept praying until "I felt the change in my heart. I was by myself down by a spring when I found the Lord."

I find their love story and their faith in God incredibly inspiring. The relationship between Frankie and Sam in UNDER THE TULIP TREE is loosely based on them.

Sam Jones Washington, Age 88, Texas

Library of Congress, 1936-1938

His smile is infectious. I can almost hear him chuckling at something the photographer said before snapping his picture. A picture that would, 82 years later, inspire the character of Sam in my novel UNDER THE TULIP TREE.

Sam Jones Washington was born a slave in Wharton County, Texas. He was sixteen years old when the Civil War ended. Like many slaves in Texas, he wasn’t aware of the war or its end until his master told him he was free and would now earn a wage for his work. After the war, he farmed and worked in a factory before retiring. I hope he doesn't mind that I borrowed his name and his smile for my character, Sam.

                                                          Unnamed Mississippi cotton sharecropper

Library of Congress, 1937

I'll never know her name, but her photograph changed my novel.

Her right hand, resting in her lap, looks different. Large and possibly disfigured. As I studied it, I couldn't help but wonder, "What happened to her hand?" That question--and the answer I eventually imagined--changed Frankie's story in UNDER THE TULIP TREE. It changed me, too. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's the Stop #20 Basics: 

• If you're interested, you can order UNDER THE TULIP TREE on Amazon, B&N, ChristianBook, or at your local bookstore!

• Clue to Write Down: that

• Link to Stop #21, the Next Stop on the Loop: Kara Swanson's site!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Before you go, be sure to become a Subscriber to this Blog for a chance to win a print copy of UNDER THE TULIP TREE (US only) or an eBook copy of one of my plantation novels! To become a Subscriber and be entered in this exclusive giveaway, just type your email address in the box on the top-right of this page! Easy and done! I'll notify the winner Monday, October 19.

Every blessing,

~Michelle 

It's Release Day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, 

UNDER THE TULIP TREE!! 

"...for He already had in mind what He was going to do." John 6:6

Today is Under the Tulip Tree's birthday! Whoohoo!! I'm so excited to share this story of unlikely friendship, reconciliation, and forgiveness with readers. I began writing it in the summer of 2018, signed the contract in August 2019, and here we are in September 2020. It's not exactly like the birth of a child, but close. We authors have hopes and dreams for our "book babies." Not just that they will succeed out in the big world, but that they'll serve a purpose that goes beyond sales numbers and reviews. The verse I've quoted above from John 6:6 is the verse I've chosen for this book. Jesus was getting ready to feed the 5,000, but all he had to work with was five small barley loaves and two small fish. Under the Tulip Tree is my loaves and fish. A small offering in the hands of Jesus can do amazing things! 

I'd love for you to celebrate with me. I'll give away a FREE signed copy of Under the Tulip Tree to one of you! Just leave a comment on this post and I'll put your name in a special drawing I'm holding exclusively for readers of my blog. For an extra chance at winning a copy of the book and some other Nashville-themed goodies, all you need to do is become a subscriber to the blog (which currently acts as my newsletter). I promise you won't be inundated with emails--only a few here and there. I'll be giving away several copies of the book over the next months, but only folks signed up to receive the blog via email will be entered as a way of saying THANK YOU for your continued support and encouragement. To subscribe, enter your email in the top right-hand corner of the blog home page. It's easy to unsubscribe at any time...but I hope we'll stay connected here.

Under the Tulip Tree is available online and in bookstores. Visit my website for store options or you can visit my Amazon page. 

Thanks for celebrating with me!

Every blessing,

~Michelle

Calling All Subscribers

As I'm gearing up for the September 8th release of my novel, Under the Tulip Tree--a book that deals with racial issues in 1936 & 1860s Nashville--I'm very aware of the atmosphere and division between the races. It's heartbreaking. As a woman who comes from a family of mixed heritage--my father's family is Hispanic and my mother's roots go back to Germany--I love diversity. Wouldn't it be a terribly boring world if we all looked the same?

Yet because of the tension we're currently experiencing, I feel strongly that prayer is desperately needed. For our country and our people, but also for Under the Tulip Tree. This is not a plea to pray for increased sales or anything of that nature. It's a prayer request from my heart, because I know the enemy would love nothing more than to distort and destroy the message of the book, which is forgiveness, reconciliation, and togetherness.

When I began writing Under the Tulip Tree in 2018, I had no way to know the cultural climate the book would be releasing into in 2020, but GOD did!! A friend reminded me of that wonderful quote from Esther 4:14: "for such a time as this." My hope and prayer is that my book will join the conversations happening all over the world. That it will be one pebble on the wide road to Togetherness and Unity.

That's where YOU come in, faithful subscribers to my blog! I'll be posting a bit more in the coming months, and I'd love it if you'd simply say a prayer for me, the book, and the issues each time my blog lands in your email inbox. If you'd like to join my Prayer Team for the book, here's a link to it's Facebook page.

As a way of saying THANK YOU for your prayers and support, I'll also be doing SPECIAL GIVEAWAYS exclusively for Subscribers to this blog!! I appreciate each of you more than you will ever know.

If you haven't subscribed to my blog yet, there's plenty of time!! Just type in your email address in the box to the right. Done!

Every blessing,
~Michelle

Adele: The Woman I Named My Heroine After

As an author of historical fiction, history is my passion. Reading about events and people from the past feeds my very active imagination in a way contemporary stories can't. The question, "What was it like to live back then?" is always on my mind. Whether I'm visiting a museum, a pioneer farm, or reading one of my favorite Civil War research books, the lives of people who came before us often plays out in my head like a movie, complete with drama, romance, and intrigue.

For a number of years, my husband and I lived and worked on a 400-acre ranch in the Texas hill country. We often wondered if various Indian tribes might have lived on this land before settlers arrived in the 1820s when Stephen Austin gained Mexico's permission to bring Americans into Texas. We found a few broken arrowheads here and there, so it seems likely there were natives living off the land here at one time.

Adele's final resting place

But sometime in the 1800s, a settler named Adele lived there. Adele was actually her middle name. Her first and last names on the headstone have been worn off over the past 100+ years. Despite attempts to track  down information on her, we don't know when she arrived in Texas nor how long she actually lived on the property. But the few facts we do know about her stirred my imagination to the point I had to name the heroine in my historical novel THE PLANTER'S DAUGHTER in her honor.

So let me tell you a little bit about Adele.

Adele was born in Switzerland on July 23, 1837. She was the wife of Henry James. I believe she was preceded in death by at least two children because the inscription at the bottom of her headstone makes reference to "her babies." She died in 1885 and her resting place now sits beside a small pond just down the hill from the caretakers house. While we lived on the ranch, we referred to her as "our neighbor."

You can clearly make out "Switzerland" beneath the metal bar
that is part of the protective covering over her headstone

Early morning with Adele and a foggy pond

Adele's life in the hill country would not have been easy. I often wondered what her husband did for a living, because cattle ranching in these rocky hills would have been extremely difficult. Farming is completely out of the question. The property is not located near any large cities and the closest town was probably little more than a wide spot in the road (and it still is). Perhaps the town had a mercantile and a few other businesses, but even then it would have taken several hours for Adele and her family to reach it by wagon or horseback.

We tried to figure out exactly where her house might have stood, but other than finding some old square-headed nails and a few other small items, we didn't come to a positive conclusion. I feel certain it wouldn't have been too far from her grave, so we narrowed the location down to a couple different areas due to their being the only flat patches of ground around.

Pioneer home located on the LBJ Ranch

Here is where my imagination takes over. I envision Adele and her family living in a cabin made from logs cut from the property. There are lots of live oak trees, cedar, and other varieties that would have been available in the 1800s. If her husband Henry was young and strong, he might have gathered rocks from the abundance on the property and built a house similar to this one located on the LBJ Ranch a few hours from here. It boasts four rooms in a "dogtrot" style. There was of course no indoor plumbing, so an outhouse would have been situated not too far from the cabin. A washbasin similar to the one pictured no doubt sat near the door for easy access. It gets mighty hot in Texas, so splashing ones face with cool water would have felt really good after a long day of work. Henry would have dug a well and they probably had a windmill.                               

Despite the land not being suited for raising herds of cattle, they would have had animals like pigs, chickens, and horses. A herd of goats would have done well on the rocky terrain and might have provided milk and cheese. A garden full of fresh vegetables would have been a must.

.

In a hundred years, someone will poke around the property, wondering about the people who came before them. Maybe I'll bury a time capsule with a copy of my book and some pictures of what the place looks like now for someone to find.

                                                                              If you'd like to meet Adella Rose, the character named after Adele, go HERE to order your copy. THE PLANTER'S DAUGHTER is getting lots of great reviews and is currently holding at 5-stars on Amazon! Adella's life in Texas was no doubt different from Adele's, but they would have faced many of the same struggles, had many of the same hopes and dreams. I think Adele would be tickled to learn I named my character after her.

It's funny to think the life we are living right now will one day be history! I'm determined to make it interesting!

Have a fabulous day as you make your own history!

~Michelle

Slave Bills of Sale and Other Research

I'm deep into the edits of Book 2 in The Women of Rose Hill historical fiction series. The sequel to The Planter's Daughter, this book is set on the same Texas cotton plantation and takes place five years after the first book. If you know your Texas history, you'll recognize the date of June 18, 1865. That was the day Union Army troops landed in Galveston, bringing with them the Emancipation Proclamation that freed over 250,000 slaves still in bondage despite the end of the Civil War. As you can imagine, many changes will take place on Rose Hill plantation, so stay tuned to find out when the release date will be! If you haven't read The Planter's Daughter, click HERE to order your copy! History, romance, drama, slavery! It has it all and more, and is getting lots of 5-star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads! I think you'll enjoy it! 😄

Since Book 2 won't be out for a while, I thought I'd share some of the research I've done with you to whet your appetite. It was truly a fascinating time in our nation's history!

One item that comes into play in the story is a Bill of Sale. A Bill of Sale was a document given to the purchaser of a slave to prove ownership. When we buy a car these days, we receive a title that shows the car belongs to us. That is what a Bill of Sale did regarding a slave. They were often handwritten, but some slave traders and brokers actually had forms printed and simply filled in the blanks. It is unreal to me that the document pictured below represented the sale of a human being. That human being was named George and he was 23 years old.

In Texas, the largest slave market was located in Galveston. Smaller ones existed in San Antonio and Houston, but because Galveston is a port city, it made sense that slave traders would set up business there. Thousands upon thousands of slaves were bought and sold there. I won't go into the horrific details of what a slave might have endured during these transactions, but suffice it to say animals often fared better.

I've posted about this little book before, but it deserves to be mentioned again because I could not have written about slavery in Texas without it. I Was Born in Slavery provides true narratives of former Texas slaves. In 1936, our government sent out-of-work writers south to interview former slaves so we would have record of their stories. Most were in their 80s, 90s, and 100s, so it was important to hear in their own words what life was like as a slave before we lost the chance. Some of them shared stories about the day "Freedom" came to Texas, and I've incorporated many of their words and reactions into my book. Staying true to the slaves' actual lives and experiences is extremely important to me as an author of historical fiction.

A new character who arrives at Rose Hill in Book 2 is Corporal William Banks. Corporal Banks lands in Galveston with the Union Troops, eager to help set Texas slaves free. As a black Federal soldier, he would have been especially satisfied to see slaves walk off plantations and farms. The young man pictured below looks just like how I imagine Corporal Banks would have looked when he rides into Rose Hill plantation with Colonel Levi Maish, our new hero. I think readers of The Planter's Daughter will be pleased with his story.

So there is just a sneak peek at Book 2!  Go HERE to see some of the pictures on Pinterest that give me inspiration as I'm writing. I truly love all the new characters in the book as well as the returning characters from The Planter's Daughter.  I think you'll love them too! Of course, the book's hero and heroine (a daughter of Rose Hill and returning character) will experience all kinds of difficulties, heart-throbbing romance, and important growth within themselves, just as the characters in Book 1 did. Readers will not be disappointed! I'll let you know the release date soon! In the meantime, be sure to get your copy of The Planter's Daughter HERE. Kindle copies are only $2.99!! Enjoy!

Blessings,

~Michelle