Struggles with Uprooted by War

I have gotten so much positive feedback from my new release, Uprooted by War, that it's caused me to do some reflection. Many readers have already told me it's the best one yet, and the print version has only been out for a little over a week. I think one of the reasons it's being so well received is that it's set during the Civil War, a fascinating time period for those who like history.

Also, as the third book in the Appalachian Roots series, it has all the characters from the other two books and  many of my readers already know them. The main characters here are Luke and Leah Moretz; but secondary characters include, Emma, Hawk, Clifton, Ivy, Sam, and Patsy. Aaron and Moses are also new secondary characters.

However, I struggled more with writing Uprooted by War than with any I've written. I wanted to show what living through the Civil War felt like for both the soldier and those he left behind, but I didn't want it to become too dark or depressing. I wanted to make sure a cord of hope ran throughout, so I worked hard to give it a balance. I also wanted to make the events around the mountain farm specific to the Appalachian Mountains, where the war looked different than in other regions.

I also did a lot of extra research for this one. I made the events as accurate as I could. Coming from an educational background in history and English, I don't mind research. I had one reader tell me she never realized the war was so hard, and she felt like she was right there living it with Luke and Leah. She also told me how much her faith grew as she read about them relying on theirs.  How blessed this makes me feel!
(All my profits go to a scholarship fund for missionary children.)

_____________________________________