Laurel is Susan F. Craft’s latest release. Susan calls herself a History nerd and does extensive research, spending hours in libraries. She travels to the
locations of her novels to absorb, to breathe in, everything she can: sights, sounds, smells. Her most fun trip was one she took to the North Carolina Outer Banks to do the research for Laurel, which takes place in 1783. Its sequel due out in September, Cassia, takes place in 1799.
From Laurel
Desperate to rescue their kidnapped daughter, Lilyan and Nicholas Xanthakos trek two hundred miles through South Carolina mountains and backcountry wilderness, fighting outlaws, hunger, sleeplessness, and despair. When the trail grows cold, the couple battles guilt and personal shame; Lilyan for letting Laurel out of her sight, and Nicholas for failing to keep his family safe.
They track Laurel to the port of Charleston as post-Revolutionary War passions reach fever pitch. There, Lilyan, a former patriot spy, is charged for the murder of a British officer. She is thrown into the Exchange Building dungeon and chained alongside prostitutes, thieves, and murderers. Separated from her husband, she digs deep inside to re-ignite the courage and faith that helped her survive the war. Determined to free his wife at any cost, Nicholas finds himself forced back into a life of violence he thought he’d left behind.
Following a rumor that Laurel may be aboard a freighter bound for Baltimore, Lilyan and Nicholas secure passage on a departing schooner, but two days into the voyage, a storm blows their ship aground on Diamond Shoals. As the ship founders, both are swept overboard.
Will their love for each other and their faith sustain them as they await word of their missing child? Or is Laurel lost to them forever?
Susan Craft is a friend and fellow contributor on Colonial Quills. We are also both represented by Linda Glaz of Hartline Literary Agency.
She writes inspirational historical romantic suspense. She recently retired after a 45-year career as a communications director, editor, and proofreader. Forty-five years ago, she married her high school sweetheart, and they have two adult children, one granddaughter, and a granddog. An admitted history nerd, she enjoys researching for her novels, painting, singing, listening to music, and sitting on her porch watching the rabbits and geese eat her daylilies. She has two post-Revolutionary War novels being released in 2015 by Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas—Laurel, was released January 15, and its sequel Cassia will be released in September. Susan’s Revolutionary War novel, The Chamomile, won the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Okra Pick.
Laurel – Book Giveaway
To enter the giveaway for a free copy, leave a comment along with your email. The winner will be notified. Giveaway ends January 30, 2015.
You can find Susan at:
www.susanfcraft.com (my website)
http://historicalfictionalightintime.blogspot.com (Historical Fiction a Light in Time; my personal blog)
http://colonialquills.blogspot.com (post fourth Monday of each month)
http://stitchesthrutime.blogspot.com (monthly post)
http://www.hhhistory.com (Heroes, Heroines and History; post on the 31st of each month that has a 31st)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susan.craft.108
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/susanfc/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/susanfcraft @susanfcraft