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A Journey Full of Hope… Escape into a riveting story based on the mystery of the Lost Colony of Roanoke.
Author Shannon McNear portrays history with vivid authenticity.
In 1587, Elinor White Dare sailed from England heavy with her first child but full of hopes. Her father, a renowned artist and experienced traveler, has convinced her and her bricklayer husband Ananias to make the journey to the New World. Land, they are promised, more goodly and beautiful than they can ever imagine. But nothing goes as planned from landing at the wrong location, to facing starvation, to the endless wait for help to arrive. And, beyond her comprehension, Elinor finds herself utterly alone. . . . The colony at Roanoke disappeared into the shadows of history. But, what if one survived to leave a lasting legacy?
I have always been intrigued with the Lost Colony. My daughter and I traveled to Virginia and went to the site—a forest trail with tall trees and whispers and traces of a settlement, nothing more. Eerie. Shrouded in mystery. I bought a few books—one non-fiction that read like fiction, the mystery sort.
The author’s characters breath life into the colony, a place of hope and great potential. Oh, the elements of nature and the manmade barriers and prejudices! Could I have left civilization—albeit, dirty, crowded, and unhealthy London—to carve out a home in the wild, virgin wilderness? What would it have been like to birth the first child in the new colony? I couldn’t have done it, but someone did.
The characters bring warmth, purpose, and hope to the pages and my imagination. What a journey!
About the Author
Transplanted to North Dakota after more than two decades in Charleston, South Carolina, Shannon McNear loves losing herself in local history. She’s a military wife, mom of eight, mother-in-law of three, grammie of two, and a member of ACFW and RWA. Her first novella, Defending Truth in A Pioneer Christmas Collection, was a 2014 RITA® finalist. When she’s not sewing, researching, or leaking story from her fingertips, she enjoys being outdoors, basking in the beauty of the northern prairies. Connect with her at www.shannonmcnear.com, or on Facebook and Goodreads.
More from Shannon
Why did I write this story? Well, God shoved the opportunity under my nose, and I didn’t want to be guilty of taking the easy way out, by saying no.
Really, while the concept was fascinating, the execution was daunting, and sometimes terrifying. The Elizabethan Era—before the King James Bible and even before Shakespeare was popular! As a student of the Revolutionary War and surrounding times, I felt very much out of my depth.
Though the research sucked me in, it was also daunting. Sifting through various interpretations of the primary accounts and their own speculations on why they felt things must have gone a certain way. Trying to “find” my story amongst all the theories and opinions. Above all, getting to know my characters and letting them come alive in my own imagination.
And come alive, they did—in full color, with a vividness I did not expect. I hope I was able to translate even a portion of what I envisioned to the page, so that you also can see them!
Happy New Year! I hope you all find peace among the blessings of 2022.
I’m sharing some information about Because Fiction Magazine’s December edition. There are many giveaways in each catagory. I’ll put the links for the magazine, historical fiction, and my page. But you can go to any genre and enter every giveaway.
#BecauseFiction December Editions!
Hello Readers!
Welcome to the December edition of the #BecauseFiction Magazine!
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas celebrating our Lord’s birth. It was an extra special blessing to be with family this year because last year, we all had Covid and could not be with our family. We learned not to take being together for granted.
The last month has been all about Christmas books! The Nutcracker’s Suite was my favorite for the year. It was so clever and the mystery was SO fun! Another favorite was A Holiday by Gaslight. This reminds me so much of North and South and the narrator reminds me so much of Richard Armitage. Who can go wrong with that?
Other Christmas books I enjoyed were: Tinsel in a Tangle – A cute story about an Elf that just doesn’t fit in; Wish Upon a Star – a novella with in depth characters you can really relate to; and Saving Ebenezer – It picks up where A Christmas Carol left off and exposes behavior modification vs God really changing you.
I know Christmas is past but any of these books would be a great start to your year!
How about you, reader friends? What was your favorite Christmas book that you read last year?
Until the next time, May the Lord bless you in the upcoming year!
Connect in Fiction with Marguerite Gray 