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February 7th, (A blizzard of great news!) My return home was eventful. Several inches of sn
FREE MEN and DREAMERS Despite the excitement of the snow, developments during the promotional trip for "Dawn's Early Light," book three of Free Men and Dreamers, were even more eventful. The signings were wonderful. Thanks to all the friends, old readers and new, who came by the various stops to say "hi!" This was, without question, my most delightful promotional trip. And I absolutely loved my visits with my favorite book club, the ladies of the Willow Creek ward, and the sisters who invited six LDS authors, myself included, to their RS meeting on literacy and literature. Thank you, thank you for making us all feel so welcome! I'm beginning a new promotion this week. The prize package will include autographed books as well as a special "Free Men and Dreamers-version" of Sterling Obsession's "Liberty" necklace. So check my "PROMOTIONS" link in a few days for details! I love Free Men and Dreamers. I believe the history imbedded within my stories is important, not only so we can remember and learn, but so we can be grateful. Still, five years of war research is wearying, so I'm diverting my attention for a few weeks to a lighter project, detailed below. As soon as this new book is off to the presses, I'm back to work on book four, and we're moving it's release date up to get the remaining books in the series out with smaller delays between each.
NEW PROJECTS! Prior to my trip, I was contacted by a publisher and we arranged a meeting. The result is particularly exciting. They've accepted a manuscript and it's already in the production process with plans for an expedited release in late February or early March. The title is being changed and I don't have a cover yet, but it's a literary drama/romance with a thread of comedy, the genre Nicholas Sparks currently dominates. I hope to be able to post some pages here soon!
is available in stores and online!
For my library readers, call your local library and ask them to place an order for copies. The ISBN number for ordering is 978-1-4392-5475-2.
For my new readers--If you're a fan of this site and my books, then you know the story behind my Free Men and Dreamers Series, but if you're new--Welcome! I hope you'll be as excited about this series as author Kersten Campbell, (Confessions of An Insane Mother) was: "I loved this book! Full of fascinating characters and edge of your seat suspense, this novel entertains, educates, and satisfies in a deep way. It will make you ponder your own values and how much you're willing to sacrifice for a way of life we take for granted. I felt the desperation of the characters and the times. In short, after reading Laurie's book, you'll never be the same." (Catch Kersten's review and entire interview)
Pretty exciting first comment! Now, click here, or here, to preview a few of the chapters!
The Bicentennial of the War of 1812 and The Star Spangled Banner is fast approaching, but many of the wonderful events and lessons of that period have already faded into folklore, while others are being forgotten by a new generation. Free Men and Dreamers is my effort to capture a critical, fading historical period and retell it through a beautiful story of sacrifice, patriotism and family. Book two, Twilight's Last Gleaming, carries us into the war, to the Chesapeake. Love, loyalty, duty to God and to family are explored as the British assault on America's coasts and borders propels men to war leaving women and freed slaves to protect their homes.
CLICK the book to read)
Some of the most inspiring and painful stories in American history surround this oft-forgotten war. For instance, did you know that:
* The War of 1812 was the litmus test of the first American-born generation of U.S. citizens' will to defend the Founding Fathers' vision?
* Three of four soldiers fighting in Fort McHenry the day the bombs burst in air were foreign born?
* Prior to this war, the American flag was not carried into battle?
* States were threatening to secede from the struggling union and the Constitution was being challenged on every side?
* The federal government was nearly bankrupt?
* A riot broke out in Baltimore over the principle of "freedom of the press" and several Revolutionary heroes--the very men who had fought to establish this right--were tortured by their own countrymen for defending it?
* Great Britain refused to acknowledge U.S. Citizenship and impressed (kidnapped) over 4000 American citizens off American ships, by threatening to try them as traitors.
* Commodore Joshua Barney devised a plan to challenge the greatest Navy the world had ever known with a fleet made of small, armed barges manned primarily by private citizens?
* Because the British are now our nation's greatest ally, one verse of the Star Spangled Banner, whose lyrics are critical of the British, is almost never sung?
* The seizure of a U.S. citizen led to the writing of the Star Spangled Banner?
* Our nation's capital was sacked and burned by the British?
These are just a few of the topics covered in this historical fiction series. If you've already read books one and two--"Dark Sky at Dawn" and "Twilight's Last Gleaming" , the wait for book three is nearly over. Click the cover above to read the first three chapters, and keep checking back for release info.
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ow had fallen while I was in Utah on the promotional trip for "Dawn's Early Light," but news of a blizzard barreling towards Maryland was worrisome. Tom was still in LA and we had to scramble to get him home before the airports all closed. We've got about twenty-eight inches of snow on the ground and we're still not completely dug-out, and news of another storm due in two days is taking the "thrill" out of our winter wonderland. 
email: lclewis2007@gmail.com |
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