The Civil War love story – Just another Gone With The Wind?

Gina Danna is here today and she’s talking about Civil War Romance!

The Civil War love story – Just another Gone With The Wind?

Romance and the Civil War. Is it possible? Or is it nothing more than another telling of Gone With The Wind? And worse, I was told repeatedly no one would buy a Civil War romance. Civil War fiction yes – just look at Jeff Shaara who has several out…

When I started my writing career, I came to the table (or computer) with two degrees in History (my BA & MA) with several hours done for my PhD, specializing in the American Civil War, medicine to be particular. On top of that, I’m a Civil War reenactor, had been a museum educator at Jefferson Barracks Historic Site (military post 1826-1946) and later a curator at Missouri State Museum.

So with all this knowledge and research abilities, I should write a Civil War novel, right?

Because of my training, my love for the era, my own demands it was done right, I found it the hardest to write. All my novels, whether its about pirates, vampires, male courtesans in the Regency or gladiators in Ancient Rome, have me researching the era, to make sure my tale is correct in setting, mores, culture, society and smooth enough it draws the reader back to that era. Make that time come alive, the characters breath and the relationships smolder.

My first Civil War novel, The Wicked North, is deeply researched. The people/culture/politics/lives are drawn from diaries, newspaper accounts, official records, biographies and texts. It is my longest story, at 370 pages, starting in 1854 and ending in May 1863. Jack and Emma make us relive a turning point in US history. But can I sell the book to publishers or agents, especially when word is out no one buy Civil War novels? Well, I did. I got my agent and the book is out to be published. It is one of a series. The second one is Unconditional Surrender, starting off at the end of the first novel but with new characters that tie in with the first novel. This novel takes place in 1863, during the campaign and siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, the place I’m currently residing in while I work at the Vicksburg National Military Park. Meanwhile, the characters from the 3^rd novel, yet to be named, are screaming to be heard and it too has been started.

Can love be found in the war-torn South? Can the savage and bloodshed forge new alliances between the North and South, where the ultimate winner is love? Stay tuned, I’ll let you know when The Wicked North is out – but to give you a favor for this triumph in the time of war, is an excerpt of Jack & Emma’s tale.

The Wicked North

Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can, and strike him as hard as you can. And keep moving on!

General U.S. Grant

Virginia, June 1862

Emma Silvers was not afraid to shoot Yankees.

She leveled the .57 caliber Enfield rifle toward the line of blue coats standing before her porch at Rose Hill that evening. She counted ten men, fully armed and wielding torches. They reeked of wet wool, sweat and gunpowder–a noxious mixture with the pink roses surrounding the house. Bile rose in her throat. She swallowed hard.

The officer took a step forward. In the dim light, she couldn’t discern his face, though she saw him flinch as she pointed the muzzle at him.

“I want you off my land, now,” she demanded, her voice remarkably even despite her pounding heart. At twenty-two years and virtually alone, she knew one able-bodied man could easily overwhelm her. With no able men and few slaves remaining, she only had bravado left.

“Now, ma’am,” the Union officer began. He spoke like a gentleman, but, dressed in blue, he was a farce as far as she was concerned.

Jeremiah, just behind her right shoulder, cocked the hammer on his rifle—a welcome sound to her ears. Good boy, Emma thought. If the Yankees didn’t believe she was a threat, she hoped the armed slave boy next to her got the message across. She wasn’t allowing any soldiers on her property again.

The Civil War love story – Just another Gone With The Wind? 2

The rifle felt heavier by the minute, making her muscles ache, and she feared she’d drop it. The weapon was foreign to her hands, but as the war raged closer to her home, she learned to use it. She wasn’t very good at it, but as close as the Yankees were, she was bound to hit one of them. She didn’t want to pull the trigger. The gun’s recoil would knock her off her feet, throwing her aim off. With so few bullets left, she’d hate to lose the shot.

The light streamed through the open front door across the officer as he stepped onto the porch. She saw his face and the nose of the gun slipped. Jack Fontaine, that good-for-nothing traitor. How dare he come here, especially after what had happened last summer. Rage took control and gave her the added strength to pull the muzzle up to his chest as she cocked the trigger.

“Emma, please,” he said softly. He looked at her the same way he had that night months ago, his green eyes glowing like emeralds in the light. She remembered those eyes, those mesmerizing emerald eyes. They were all hers the night she had lost her heart to him. The night he had betrayed her. Her anger flared. No. Not this time. Not again, she vowed. Gritting her teeth, Emma narrowed her gaze.

“Get away from me, Jack, or I swear to God, I’ll blow a hole through you and send you straight to hell!”

Inside the house, the scream of a babe wailed. Emma instinctively turned. Jack reached for her and she panicked, squeezing the trigger. The rifle exploded, throwing her backwards, pain shooting into her shoulder. But instead of falling, she found herself in Jack’s arms as they wrapped around her, shielding her back from the impact of the wooden floor.

The patrol stormed onto the porch and into the house. Lying in his embrace, his body shielding hers as his troops marched past them, Emma couldn’t breathe. Her eyes were wide open. She felt the heat of him around her. The scent of him invaded her senses. Warm, masculine, and spicy rolled into one. She fought the heat in her belly, but it was hard as his eyes locked onto hers, his lips only inches away.

She closed her eyes. Behind her, the wailing continued, and she heard the thud of soldiers’ boots inside. Her jaw tightened as she glared at him. “Get off me, Jack.”

www.ginadanna.com

The latest – Great & Unfortunate Desires, part of a mega-historical romance box-set of 10 novels by 10 authors: Tempted by His Touch. Available only to 9/21/14!!!