Where did a Coward’s Solace Originate?
The idea for Book III of the Locket Saga: A Coward’s Solace came into being while I was editing Soldiers Don’t Cry. I wondered what would happen if one of the characters who was supposedly dead at the beginning of Soldiers Don’t Cry wasn’t dead after all. I went back to Soldiers Don’t Cry and didn’t kill off one of the characters who was supposedly killed during Soldiers and this person returns from the supposed death. Since you know this now, you may be able to figure out who wasn’t dead by reading the sample pages from Soldiers Don’t Cry
One of my goals in this book was to start moving the family from Massachusetts back to the wilds of Pennsylvania, but with the Revolutionary War going on, I couldn’t get them there just yet so I decided to get them at least as far as Valley Forge and at the end of the book it got them as far as the frontier town of Pittsburgh in Western Pennsylvania.
Until I did the research, I didn’t see how close the Americans had been to losing the war in 1777. If it weren’t for the surrender of Burgoyne’s Army to Horatio Gates at Saratoga that fall, the year would have been a total disaster. This victory was the only reason that France agreed to assist the Americans in their fight to shake off the shackles of British rule. Not that Horatio Gates had much to do with it. It was his quick-witted subordinates Benedict Arnold (yes, that Benedict Arnold), Enoch Poor, Benjamin Lincoln, and Daniel Morgan who gained the victory that day.
So, who did I consider the coward in A Coward’s Solace? Well, I think some of the Americans could have seen George Washington as the coward. I didn’t realize how close George Washington came to losing his place in leadership with the American forces either. If it weren’t for the fact that many of his troops and leadership including Lafayette loved him, he might have been replaced. The way he handled and encouraged his troops at Valley Forge was amazing, and I hope I reflected that in A Coward’s Solace.
Head of Stone (not his real name, but you’ll discover that on your own) considered himself a coward in this story as well, as he even tells Martha in the story.
I don’t see either of them as cowards, but both found peace or solace after all was said and done.
I hope you take this opportunity to read the free sample of A Coward’s Solace on Amazon:
When you love it, you can purchase a kindle copy or get it at no extra charge on KindleUnlimited
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Author Cygnet Brown 