Buried in Time, my sixth novel, is complete and ready for purchase on Amazon in paperback form. The Kindle version will be available shortly.
This is an historical fiction novel, set in north central Florida in 1964 and 1884. It combines memories of events from my life, family and friends along with historical events from each time period. There are many people who helped to make this book a success. Below I have included a copy of my acknowledgement page that should help to give you a bit of the flavor of this story. In a later Blog I plan to include some teasers from parts of the novel to hopefully encourage you to make a purchase. Thanks!
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to the following people for their assistance in seeing this novel through to its completion:
Bob Lee and Jack Owen of the Putnam Writer's Group were instrumental in pushing along the writing and concept of this book. We spent uncounted hours together which added up to many days of intense manuscript critiques. Unfortunately, Jack Owen passed away in late 2020 and is sorely missed. His dry British wit and long time writer's insight have been invaluable in this and other of my manuscripts.
Special thanks to my sisters, Patti Golden and Wendy Norris, who gave generously of their time to edit and proofread numerous times, and to Jeanie Ginn for loaning her Aunt Margaret A. Rosenberger's journal from the nineteenth century which provided a unique period insight. Additional thanks to Alan and Lori Screen for the baptism anecdote which was adapted for chapter four.
Thanks also to the town of Melrose, Florida which I always name as my second home because of all the wonderful times I spent there growing up and for the amazing and generous people who have lived there since its founding.
Some events depicted in this novel actually took place historically while others portray the prevailing culture and morals of the time. On February 29, 1884, the steamboat, F.S. Lewis, actually sank in the canal linking the Santa Fe lakes with Lake Alto, which connected Melrose to the railroad lines in Waldo.
From 1871 until 1891, Paynes Prairie filled with water and became Alachua Lake, whose waters were plied by steamboats transporting produce and other products. The reasons it filled and later drained is not fully understood.
With the ending of the Third Seminole War in 1858, small bands of Native Americans ventured through different parts of Florida. After the end of the Civil War in 1865 there were also some former slaves who were displaced and moved from place to place seeking ways to make a living.
Fashions in Europe and New York drove up the price of feathers until they were worth their weight in gold. Unscrupulous fortune hunters nearly wiped out the entire wading bird population in Florida at this time to enrich themselves. They often came into conflict with farmers, settlers and ranchers and anyone else who they felt was encroaching on their hunting territory.
The main idea for this novel came from Hal Griffis whose great-grandmother was abducted by a small group of Seminoles when she was six years old. Ten years later she was asked if she wanted to remain with the tribe or return home. She opted to return.
Original book cover illustration was created by Katy Jordan.