Yes, I have another Civil War novel in the works, though I’m finding less and less time to work on it. The heroine in Above and Beyond is not based on any real person in history, but I have read of accounts such as hers. In a nutshell, she is so convincing at pretending to be a strong Unionist while living in Virginia, that all her neighbors, and even her own brother, believe the ruse. By allowing Federal soldiers to camp on her land and stay in her home she becomes an outcast and a scourge in her own community, but all the while she is passing on valuable information to the Confederacy.
One can only imagine the courage and strong will it would take to be despised and maligned by family and friends while you are nobly serving a cause. It could be argued that it would take more fortitude than fighting an outright battle with hundreds of your comrades surrounding you.
As an author, what is your greatest reward?
My greatest reward is having readers tell me that Shades of Gray made them laugh one minute and cry the next – which I really love to hear! That means they are emotionally involved in the story and that is a great compliment.
Perhaps even more gratifying is to have readers blame me for lack of sleep because they ‘couldn’t put it down.’ That’s a reward for all the sleepless nights I spent writing it!
Thanks for the interview, Jessica!
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