As a strange fact of the publishing industry, my books are not coming out in the order I wrote them. A Brighter Dawn is actually the very first book I wrote, followed immediately by Rebel Wind. I sold Rebel Wind first, so it came out first. A Brighter Dawn is a more complex & deeply emotional story, & the plot is more - novel-ish than romance. I feel very - positive! about the way I depicted the Union Army, & it captures my own feelings about our American history accurately. I love that time period - not all periods of history interest me, but there's something about the Civil War that moves me deeply.

Anyway, I wrote 5 books before I went back to set that first story straight. Revisions didn't cut it. I finally trashed the whole thing, kept the battle scenes (because I thought they were good & I didn't want to research them again), & rewrote it from scratch. I sent it to my wonderful editor, Denise Little, & she bought it in a week. The heroine, Verity Talmadge, is the woman I'd like to be, strong & good & determined, and Leigh Greenwood (about my MOST favorite author IN the world) said 'Garrett Knox is everyone's idea of a hero - larger than life.

When I go back & read this book - and I do, sometimes - I remember how I felt when I was writing it, & I find myself moved by the same characters & events, & how it felt to be so totally immersed in this time period. And I am proud that I wrote it.