BOOK TOUR: A REBEL AMONG US by J.D.R. HAWKINS

Posted on December 12, 2016 by Nadene @ Totally Addicted to Reading in Book Tour, Guest Post / 0 Comments



A Beautiful, Glittering Lie (Renegade #1)

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In the spring of 1861, a country once united is fractured by war. Half of America fights for the Confederate cause; the other, for unification. Rebel forces have already seized Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines, a new Confederate president has been elected, and the Constitution has been revised. In north Alabama, a farmer and father of three decides to enlist. For Hiram Summers, it is the end of everything he has ever known.
After Hiram travels to Virginia with the Fourth Alabama Infantry Regiment, he is quickly thrust into combat. His son, David, who must stay behind, searches for adventure at home by traipsing to Huntsville with his best friend, Jake Kimball, to scrutinize invading Yankees. Meanwhile, Caroline โ€“ Hiramโ€™s wife and Davidโ€™s mother โ€“ struggles to keep up with the farm as her world revolves around the letters she receives from her husband, whom she misses dearly. As Hiram and his son discover the true meaning of war, they soon realize that their choices have torn their family apart.
In this historical tale, the naรฏvetรฉ of a young country is tested, a father sacrifices everything to defend his home, and a young man longs for adventure โ€“ regardless of the perilous cost.

Winner of the 2013 John Esten Cooke Fiction Award
2012 B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree
Winner of Editorโ€™s Choice Award
Honorable Mention โ€“ 2013 DIY Book Festival
Honorable Mention โ€“ 2012 Los Angeles Book Festival
Civil war tore families apart, and many of those families fought to stay together every step of the way. “A Beautiful Glittering Lie” is a novel of the American Civil War, as J.D.R. Hawkins writes of the Summers family and the rift the war brought to their family. Drawing on her heritage to tell the tale, Hawkins presents an insightful and riveting read of a family at war. “A Beautiful Glittering Lie” is a strong pick for historical fiction collections. ~ Able Greenspan- Reviewer, Midwest Book Review



A Beckoning Hellfire (Renegade #2)

During the bloody American Civil War, the stark reality of death leads one young man on a course of revenge that takes him from his quiet farm in northern Alabama to the horrific battlefields of Virginia and Pennsylvania.
On Christmas Eve 1862, David Summers hears the dreaded news: his father has perished at the Battle of Fredericksburg. Reeling with grief and thoughts of vengeance, David enlists and sets off for Richmond to join the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.
But once in the cavalry, David’s life changes drastically, and his dream of glamorous chivalry becomes nothing but a cold, cruel existence of pain and suffering. He is hurled into one battle after another, and his desire for revenge wanes when he experiences first-hand the catastrophes of war.
A haunting look at the human side of one of America’s most tragic conflicts, “A Beckoning Hellfire “speaks to the delusion of war’s idealism.
Hawkins should be nicknamed `Arachne‘ for the beautiful tapestries she weaves of the Civil War. Without a doubt, 5/5 stars. ~ Susan Barton
The author gives the reader a realistic view of the horrors of the battlefield, along with the charactersโ€™ reactions to all that happens around them. ~ Elaine
A Rebel Among Us (Renegade #3)


After David Summers enlists with the Confederate cavalry, his delusion of chivalry is soon crushed when he witnesses the horrors of battle. Shot by a Union picket, he winds up at a strangerโ€™s farm. Four girls compassionately nurse him back to health. David learns his comrades have deserted him in Pennsylvania following the Battle of Gettysburg, but his dilemma becomes much worse. He falls in love with the older sister, Anna, who entices him with a proposition. To his dismay, he must make a decision. Should he stay and help Anna with her underhanded plan, or return to the army and risk capture?

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How do you deal with writer’s block and what advice do you have for aspiring authors who experience this phenomenon.

I find the best way to battle writerโ€™s block is to go for a walk. This gets me away from chores and distractions, and helps spark my imagination. I also like going to places that are good for โ€œpeople watching,โ€ like a flea market, grocery store, festival, or any place where people interact. Eavesdropping works great for coming up with character sketches. I base my characters loosely on people I know. My husbandโ€™s old employer will definitely serve as a villain later on in one of my books!

Word play works well, too. It may sound strange, but opening a dictionary and putting your finger on several different words might spark an idea. There are some good stories in local newspapers that can also serve as ideas for story lines and/or characters. Granted, a lot of the news is depressing, but the human interest stories work great. Basically, every situation has already been covered, but the trick is to put a new twist on it or make the story your own by personifying it. Example: I had a dog since he was a puppy and then he grew old and I had to put him down. What made my puppy, my experiences with my dog, and my reactions unique? Old Yeller and Marley and Me are basically the same story but have different twists (and both make me cry my eyes out).



About the
Author

J.D.R. Hawkins is an award-winning author who
has written for newspapers, magazines, newsletters, e-zines, and blogs. She is
one of a few female Civil War authors, uniquely describing the front lines from
a Confederate perspective.
Her Renegade Series includes A Beautiful
Glittering Lie, A Beckoning Hellfire, and A Rebel Among Us. All three novels
are award winners, and tell the story of a family from north Alabama who
experience immeasurable pain when their lives are dramatically changed by the
war. Ms. Hawkins is a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the
International Womenโ€™s Writing Guild, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and Pikes
Peak Writers. She is also an artist and singer/songwriter. Ms. Hawkins is
currently working on a nonfiction book about the War Between the States, as
well as another sequel to her series.

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