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Friday, October 24, 2014

. Settings and Wars - Patriots and Patriotism

FOUR SUMMERS WAITING  was my first published print book. Its setting was Long Island,New York, 1861 Washington City, and the battlegrounds of Virginia. . It is a Civil War saga that emerges as a love story between my true Simms family ancestors, Maria Onderdonk and Henry Simms. Maria and Henry exhibit spirit and courage as they struggle through epic events of a nation at war.
The book has had three editions, 1st, Large Print, and presently is an eBook available on Amazon, Smashwords, B&N, Apple and Kobo.

Almost a century before the Civil War,  teen-aged Patriot, Joseph Onderdonk, (Maria's ancestor) lived on the farm land of Long Island, NY during The American Revolution. The Cow Neck  Long Island Patriots were one of the first groups to organize and declare their desire for independence from England. Joseph exhibits exceptional courage during the terrible time of British occupation  of New York. in my story THE RED COCKADE. I revised and published  this story with the hope that it would inspire Young Adult and Adult readers to learn about early patriots who helped establish our nation. I also wished it would inspire patriotism at a time when it is sorely needed by many adults in our country.

The thought that both books had similar settings, and  that both contained true ancestors and real people and events from two different wars fought in our country didn't occur to me until I began to think about a theme for this blog.  The creator of both beautiful covers for my eBooks  is a gem. She is Patty Henderson at: http://www.boulevardphotografiica.yolasite.com .



At a time when most young people have Iphones, Ipads, tablets and laptops, either of these books will be a good choice to impart a little history to our country's future citizens.

Four Summers Waiting was chosen for Thorndike Press's "Clean Reads " series. Need I say more when you are thinking of gifting today's teens with a love story?
The Red Cockade was chosen for an NEH grant, but it was put on a shelf when the grant was not received. I hope the revision will be enjoyed by all ages.

7 comments:

Jacqueline Seewald said...

Hi, Mary,

The cover art is striking, perfect for your books! How wonderful to be able to trace your ancestry and use those people in your fiction.

Mary F. Schoenecker said...

Thank you, Jacquie. I had a little problem trying to put the cover art in place so that writing around them would work. But yes, I'm very pleased. They are terrific covers.

Susan Oleksiw said...

History is so much more alive if we find a connection to the event through an ancestor. Your links sound very inspiring. I hope your book does well.

Susan Oleksiw said...

History is so much more alive if we find a connection to the event through an ancestor. Your links sound very inspiring. I hope your book does well.

Carole Price said...

Loved The Red Cockade. Interesting cover, too.

Mary F. Schoenecker said...

Thanks, Susan & Carole for your comments. The research was interesting because of the family connection, but also very time consuming.That can be seen by the bibliography at the story's end.So happy you liked it, Carole.

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