So far, I've written three historically accurate novels, refusing to publish till the summer of 2020 for a very good reason. History requires a lifetime of study, and oftentimes while working on one book I stumble upon material I can use in another. My continuing research unravels mysteries hidden in time and my work remains fluid, corrected, and enhanced as I go. Nor'easter was published in 2020 to commemorate the Plymouth Colony’s quadricentennial. It's soon to be republished in eBook format, enhance with additions and corrections as the second half of Heat Lightning & Nor'easter.
Much of Nor'easter is set in the Plymouth colony. The story begins in the early summer of 1623, three years after the Pilgrims landfall. The storyline follows the historical records, but my fictional family and dialog bring history to life. Aleyn James, his life-partner Acoona Stonefire, their children Alan and Tara, and shipmates Haley and Galen escape Spanish Florida, sail up the eastern seaboard, and wreck their diminutive sailing ship Virginia on Cape Cod’s outer coast. They join the colony at New Plymouth, where the resourceful family helps the colony build a trading outpost on the very river Aleyn sailed fifteen years earlier while fishing for George Popham’s doomed colony. Plymouth’s fortunes turned around when they exploited the growing demand for fur in Europe with this post on the Kennebec.
Nor’easter is a transitional novel. Humphrey, part of the first native-born generation, takes on the pitfalls and rewards of forming a new country. As Aleyn and Acoona age, their children “Hump” and Tara evolve. Born and bred in the colonies, they number among the colony leaders. As the colonies grow and native landholdings shrink, they're plunged into the horrors and aftermath of the Pequot War, the colony’s first major military conflict. The protagonist changes from Aleyn to Humphrey as “Hump” goes off to war against the powerful Pequots.
Nor’easter covers a full generation ending with their protagonist changing once again as Hump's son Ned, a captain in the Plymouth militia, joins Ben Church in creating the first Army Ranger unit during King Phillips's war. Historically accurate, they distinguished themselves from other units by turning the Indian's own tactics against them. Whether you’re a history buff or an adventure fan, Nor’easter offers a different perspectivfe on the forces and factors that shaped today’s America.