The Price of Blood: Women’s Voices From the Battle Road
My major writing focus at the moment is my teen novel in verse, The Price of Blood: Women’s Voices From the Battle Road. This unique book will be the first to examine the roles of women on April 19, 1775, in the Massachusetts Colony, a day now celebrated annually as Patriot’s Day. Our view of the events has always been male-centric: everybody knows about Paul Revere (thank you, Longfellow), John Hancock, and the other leaders. But who remembers Sarah Revere or John Hancock’s fiancée Dolly Quincy?
Spending decades at reference desks in two affected towns, Acton and Lincoln, I fielded many questions that piqued my interest, and in 30 years’ research, I have unearthed stories about over three dozen women who played some role on that day. Historians are reluctant to accept the stories because they weren’t recorded (mostly) at the time, leaving me with the difficulty of meeting professional standards for nonfiction. Okay, I counter, I will write a novel.
Then “my women” began speaking to me in verse. Really! The result will be a novel geared to teenaged readers (and of course interested adults) who are learning about women in American history. The book’s chapters (most told from one woman’s point of view) have potential for reader’s theater, with parts spoken by actors.
The book is over half written in draft. Here are some examples for your enjoyment.
