Plans for a Future of Hope

“Must read-Interesting and believable characters. It is also well researched and historically accurate. Overall a great read.” 

ABOUT THE BOOK

The citizens of Vicksburg never wanted secession, much less a war, but when Mississippi secedes from the United States, they throw their support behind the Confederacy.  They hope the battles will stay far away from their bustling trade center, but they realize the importance of their town, perfectly situated atop a hill at a bend on the mighty Mississippi River.  Then the siege comes…

Victoria Turner must overcome personal doubts and fears when the war brings a special person from her past to Vicksburg.  Tabetha Norton leaves her West Michigan home to atone for her perceived sins and finds herself in more danger than she could ever have imagined.  Mary Green longs for the antebellum days of parties and socializing, but must learn to live a simpler, and at times terrifying, life.  Hannah Wheeler has been running her farm and raising her son since the death of her husband in an accident several years ago.  How will she now contend with raids from both the Confederate and Union armies? Jessica Spencer wants to leave her home in the north and make a difference in the lives of the newly-freed Negroes.

Will the people of Vicksburg survive this horrible Yankee siege?  How will the war change their lives?

BOOK REVIEWS:

“Must read-I enjoyed reading this book because it has interesting and believable characters. It is also well researched and historically accurate. Overall a great read.” 

“Just finished the third book in the Turner’s Daughter’s Series!! Wonderfully written books...hard to put down! Love Civil War era novels, and these did not disappoint!”

“Well, sadly I have finished the three books about the Civil War that you wrote. I did not want them to end. I could not put them down. Thank you for taking me on a journey into the past. I pray for continued success in your writing!"

SAMPLE SECTION:

January 9, 1861~Vicksburg, Mississippi

That evening, Victoria sat in the parlor and looked at the mail she had picked up during her earlier errands.

“Anything good in the post today?”

Victoria looked up and smiled at her younger brother, Gregory as he entered the room.  “Nothing for you.  Uncle Matthew wrote to Father and there were some other missives for him, but not much else.”

“Not much else,” he said.  “Which means there was something else.”

“Perhaps, but for me, not you.”  She fingered the letter in question.

He smiled and sat down.  “I heard you had an interesting conversation with Mr. Jeremy Thompson atop Sky Parlor Hill.”

“That I did,” She replied.  “Did you hear that from Father?  Jeremy was going to speak with him as soon as possible.”

“No, Jason told me.”  Gregory replied.  Jason was Gregory and Victoria’s older brother.  “He said you two were seen together at the Hill, quite close, so he went and spoke directly with Mr. Thompson.”

Victoria’s head shot up.  “He didn’t!”  She loved her oldest brother dearly, but he could be ridiculously overprotective at times.  

“Of course he did.  You do realize that Jason doesn’t really care for Mr. Thompson, correct?”

“He never mentioned that to me,” Victoria said, then bit her lip.  She usually appreciated Jason’s opinion on many matters, and he was an excellent judge of character.

“I have never had an issue with the man, personally.  Jason just wants to make sure that the man you marry is right for you.”

“Well, thank you both for that.  I just hope my dear brother didn’t scare him away.”

“If my conversation with Jeremy Thompson scared him away, then good riddance.”  Jason Turner strode into the parlor.  “If he wants to be a member of this family, he should be able to take my jesting.”

“Your intimidation, you mean.”  Victoria gave her brother a hard look.  “So help me, Jason Matthew, if you have ruined this for me…”

Jason sat on the settee and kicked his feet up, lounging comfortably.  “I haven’t.  Worry not.  He said he’ll do right by you.  I’m not sure I like the idea of you living in the Confederate capital, though.”

“What’s that, now?”  Gregory sat up, a lock of brown hair falling in his face.  “Why would you move?  Where does Thompson plan on taking you?”

“He’s going to be a member of our new Southern government.  Moving to Alabama with the rest of the politicians.”  Jason answered for Victoria.

“Government?  The yellow dog won’t even fight?”  Gregory shook his head.  Victoria bristled at the insinuation that Jeremy was a coward.

“Gregory Turner, how dare you say that?”  Her stomach churned.  “Wait.  Does that mean you…?”

“Plan on enlisting?”  Gregory smiled.  “Absolutely.”

“What about school?”  She asked.  Gregory was getting his education, studying to be a lawyer alongside their father.

“I’ll simply take a leave of absence from school.  They say the war, once it starts, won’t last but a few months.”

“Yes, but…” Victoria was at a loss for words.  She couldn’t believe her baby brother, just nineteen years old, was going to enlist.  She turned to Jason.  “And what about you?  Are you going to leave us as well?”

“Not exactly.”  Jason put his hands behind his head.  “I’ll stay in Warren County.  The militia will be quite busy keeping the Yankees away from Vicksburg.  It will be high priority, what with our position on the Mississippi.  I plan on staying right here.”

Victoria was quiet for a moment contemplating.  “Have either of you heard what Father plans on doing?”  She couldn’t see her father donning a uniform and fighting, although it was hard to imagine Gregory in that role as well.  “What about Abraham?  Will he leave Mary Grace to fight, do you think?”  Mary Grace was their sister, born between Victoria and Gregory.  She and her husband, Abraham ran the local haberdashery, selling men’s hats and other accessories.  They had three children already, two-year-old twins Gabriel and Adam, and three-month-old Hope.

“I don’t know about Father, but Abraham will enlist with me,” Gregory said.  “He’s not one to stay behind if most of the other men are signing up.”

“I believe you’re right about Abraham, unfortunately for Mary Grace,” Jason replied.  “In regards to Father, I don’t know what his plans are either.  He likely wants to confer with Mother first, as he does with all major decisions.”

“They do at that,” Victoria murmured. 

Finally, deciding that his sister was distracted enough, Gregory made his move and lunged at Victoria, quickly plucking the letter from her hand. 

“Ha!”  He called out victoriously.  “Now we’ll see who you have been corresponding with.”  He looked at the postmark.  “Fredericksburg.”  He looked puzzled.  “Why would you be so secretive about a letter from one of our cousins?”

“Unless it’s not…”   Jason took the letter from Gregory.

“You oafs!  Give me that back!”  Victoria didn’t care that she was acting juvenile, as her brothers were acting the same way.

“Not quite yet, this is masculine handwriting, if I am not mistaken.”  Jason opened the envelope.  “Aha!”

“Jason!”  Victoria stood and tried to take the letter back.  Jason swung his legs off the settee and stood, holding the letter away from Victoria and reading it.

“Mr. Nathaniel Prentiss.  Of course, I recall him.  Good man, he seemed.”  He read the letter further.  “And a brave one, it appears.  He says he plans on enlisting once Virginia leaves the Union.  Wants you to know he thinks of you often and that he wishes he could see you again.  He loves receiving letters from you and hopes they will continue even when the war, that is sure to come, actually begins.”  Jason finally relented and handed her the letter.  “I always liked that man.  Better than Jeremy Thompson, that’s for sure.  Why did you never court him?”

“Because he never asked.”  She said quickly.  “It has long been my belief that he has feelings for our ever-so-perfect cousin, Belle.”  She smiled brightly, trying to hide the fact that she would have said yes immediately to a courtship with Nathaniel.  “Besides, I have Mr. Thompson now.  Nathaniel and I will remain just friends.”