Fred Schloemer

Where the River Birches Beckon Fred Schloemer

SOMETIMES THINGS AREN'T WHAT THEY APPEAR TO BE...

Sarah Brinley is a plain spinster from Pittsburgh, recently impoverished by the death of her abolitionist parents. Desperate for work, she accepts a post as governess for the son of a wealthy Kentucky planter. Once there, she finds the job, the plantation, and its people far from what she expected.

She struggles with her own feelings about working for a slaveholder. Her young charge is withdrawn and mute after witnessing the violent death of his mother. And as a series of mysterious events unsettle her, she resists falling in love with the charismatic planter. When the truth finally surfaces, she is astounded.

Where the River Birches Beckon explores life in Kentucky during the buildup to the Civil War. The story merges historical events and people with imaginary ones in a suspenseful tale of love, loss, courage, and loyalty.

Advanced Praise:

"A gothic romance, skillfully interwoven with the history of the Underground Railroad. The peaceful rural setting of Where the River Birches Beckon is also the hunting grounds of vicious brutes, lusting to brutalize anyone they suspect of aiding runaway slaves seeking liberty and human dignity." --Otis Amanda Dick, Kentuckiana historian, actress, and storyteller