Signing the book contract

I have signed a contract with The Indiana Historical Society to publish my book about two of the early settlers of The Whitewater Valley, Richard Rue and George Holman. The picture above is the house that Richard Rue built after The War of 1812 that is still standing just south of Richmond.  The book is due to be published in 2020.

Although that seems to be a long time to wait, I have a couple of other writing projects going and will revisit my manuscript for final revisions during 2019. It has been a lot of fun to learn about some historical figures from the 1770’s through 1833 and create some characters to interact with them.

I was initially drawn to the story of Richard Rue and George Holman when I read about their escape from Shawnee warriors after almost being burned at the stake. They fought with George Rogers Clark in the Midwest during The Revolutionary War and I researched some of the early battles that took place in what is now southern Indiana and Illinois. Rue and Holman both lived in captivity with Shawnee and Mingo families before finding their way back to Kentucky and then in 1805 to The Whitewater Valley just south of what is now Richmond, Indiana. I became fascinated by the relationship they had with their Shawnee and Mingo families during my research.

I knew I was finally ready to write this book when I sensed some characters tapping me on the shoulder saying, “We’re ready. Let’s tell this story.” Really. I’m not kidding. That is what I wait for. And my research drives that. As I read about how the Shawnee were driven out of Ohio and Indiana, I wondered what my characters would think about that. How would they react to hearing others talk about it. As I read about the clash or cultures in this area – pacifist Quakers living close to settlers who had been Indian fighters but also some from Kentucky who had both fought Indians and seen Shawnee as an extended family – I wondered what would happen if they’re all together in one place.

I’ll write more about Hoosier Beginnings periodically before its publication in 2020. I have a couple of other writing projects  that I hope to get started on and I’ll write updates on those during 2019.