Talkshow Thursday: Jo-Ann Roberts A Civil War Trail of Tears

A Civil War Trail of Tears

by Jo-Ann Roberts

It’s lovely to be here today on the History, Hope, and Happily Ever After blog. Many thanks to Linda for inviting me to share my upcoming April release, Book 2 in the Mended Hearts series.

For those who don't know me, I'm Jo-Ann Roberts. I write sweet historical and western romances and have been a published author both independent and traditional since 2019. I’m fascinated by the Old West and always felt I was destined to travel on a wagon train following the Oregon Trail. My romances take readers back to a simpler time and place with strong, determined, and courageous women and men who carved out their legacy in a new land.

…and Sofie Bishop and Seth Ramsey are no exceptions.

A few years ago, I watched a story on PBS about a little-known event of the Civil War, telling myself that if I ever had the time, I'd love to create a historical romance based on the life of one of those women who was branded a traitor and sent North.

Fast forward to 2021 when I created the Mended Hearts series. Each book is based on true facts during the latter half of the Civil War. Marrying the Major released in November 2021, and Winning the Widow's Heart will release April 26th, finally telling the romance that had been in my heart and head for so long. The plight of the Roswell women has long been lost to the forgotten passageways of history, and this story is to give voice to one woman’s tragic tale.

Theophile Roche, a French citizen, had been employed by the Ivy Woolen Mill. In an attempt to save

Ivy Mill Ruins, Courtesy NPS

the mill, he flew a French flag in hopes of claiming neutrality. However, the letters CSA (Confederate States of America) were found on the cloth. For two days, the mill was spared, but on July 7th, after it was proven that the claim of being neutral was false, General Sherman ordered everyone connected with the mill to be charged with treason, and the mill destroyed.

Mill workers, mostly women and children, were arrested, charged with treason, and sent to Marietta. From there, they were loaded into boxcars and given several days' rations. Not knowing where they were going or if they would return, they were not even given the opportunity to leave messages for their loved ones.

I hope Winning the Widow's Heart will do the women's story justice.

_________________

She was branded as a traitor to the Union.

He was her sworn enemy.

A marriage of convenience would be perilous…wouldn’t it?

In the summer of 1864 in Roswell, Georgia, widow Sofie Bishop struggles to manage the small family vineyard on her own. The War Between the States took her husband and her way of life. Now, with her home in ruins her only option was working at the Ivy Woolen Mill. Her woes go from bad to worse when the Yankees arrive on Roswell’s doorstep. Courteous and kind, Captain Seth Ramsey is not what Sofie expects from a Union officer. However charming he might be, she’s determined to keep her distance. Even when she finds herself branded as a traitor, arrested, and transported north to an uncertain destiny, she didn’t think she could lose much more to the Yankees.

But she was wrong.

Will his vow of love mend her wounded heart? Or would a marriage of convenience be the best she can offer?

Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3INFcIB

If you enjoy reading sweet historical romances, I invite you to take a look at my books at https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jo-Ann-Roberts/author/B07YRW9XD

Website: https://www.jo-annrobertsauthor.com/

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