Why I Wrote Thorns In Eden & The Everlasting Mountains

Back at the turn of this century, I had it on my heart to write a novel set in the area in which I live during the

start of the American Revolutionary War. I wanted to delve into a history that was not well-known that you would not find in history books. And so, I went to the local library and read through a thick volume of historical accounts transcribed in the early 1800s about the settlement of central and western Maryland.

What I read was indeed fascinating. There was the settler whose entire family was massacred by Indians, and he taken prisoner to be either a slave or a sacrifice. He escaped and described his harrowing journey homeward through the mountains, how there was no sound, not even a bird, only the sound of snow falling. He shouted 'Help', and crawled back to Fredericktown.

There was a mention of some backwoodsmen seeing an Indian canoe coming up the Potomac with a young Indian girl in it. The Indians told the men she'd been captured from another tribe and was destined to be sacrificed to the forest gods.

In Book 2, The Everlasting Mountains, is a scene where my hero John Nash and his Rangers come to a burned out cabin and find the Folk family dead, their bodies hacked and given to the pigs. This was a true account I read in the historical records as well.

Then there was the massacre of Chief Logan's family. He was a peace-loving man, apt to help strangers, white, black, or Indian. But when whites killed his father, wife, sister and her unborn child, he went on the war path. We can only imagine the horrific event caused his mind to snap. There are various accounts on what actually happened, so I strove to bring forward the one most believed.

All these events are harrowing indeed, and you may wonder why you should read a novel that contains them. Believe me, they are not in such gruesome detail to prevent you from turning the page. I wrote them in because these events were common for the time, they were part of the dangers of living in the wilderness, events that have pretty much been forgotten over time.

Not far from Frederick, MD along the Potomac, stands Fort Frederick, built during the French and Indian War. It is a marvel of historical detail. But when I ask people in town if they've ever been there, they look at me baffled and say they've never heard of it. How sad. Remember the days when schools would take children on field trips? Fort Frederick is not among them.

So why did I reissue this 2 in 1 collection? First of all to give my readers a respite from the world. Books take us into another time and place, and get our minds off our troubles for a while. Secondly, to share some history that has been forgotten. And third, to bring to my readers a stirring lovestory between two people struggling to build their legacy in a time when the firebrands of Revolution were hot.

Stop and wonder. What historical events happened in your town that have been forgotten?

Rita's Website: http://ritagerlach.blogspot.com

Thorns in Eden & The Everlasting Mountains
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