Little Hannah, The Accidental Juror, and Little Round Top

I’ve not posted in almost five months, which must mean my life is in one of those periods of routine events taking over. Not blog-worthy. In my world since the end of May, it’s been a hotter-than-hell summer in Texas, with week after week temperatures over 100°.  Even more importantly to Nita and me, our sixth grandchild, Hannah Mae McBride, was born on August 22.  She’s a doll, isn’t she? 

 

And, the sweet girl's birth interrupted the final wrap-up of my new novel, The Accidental Juror.

TAJ is my tenth novel, each having sprung from a yearlong gestation and a final grateful birthing. TAJ took me into new ground as ‘modern’ historical fiction. It’s a fictitious story of a young woman who is the first woman in her county to be summoned for jury service. Historically, women in Texas were not allowed on juries until an amendment to the state constitution passed in November of 1954, so the first women to sit in jury boxes did so in 1955. This was 35 years after the women’s suffrage movement won women the right to vote in 1920. 

My tale is about Lynn Edwards, a 28-year-old-mother who ‘accidentally’ receives a postcard in the mail calling her to jury duty. I won’t be a spoiler, but Lynn encounters resistance and support from unexpected places. Writing about 1955, when I was six, was great fun and little touchy. The fun part was including houses with no air-conditioning but with attic fans, big black corded telephones, the early days of black-and-white television, big flashy cars with big fins, and young men with ‘Elvis’ hair. The touchy part was addressing our segregated society in a way that was realistic. Deciding on an appropriate crime for the trial was important, and I think, but I’m still not really sure, I came up with one that is serious enough and interesting enough to make a good courtroom story.  All to say, please take a look at The Accidental Juror on Amazon. You can read the first chapter by clicking ‘Look Inside.’ Then you can make me happy by buying a Kindle or a paperback version.

Here's the link to the Amazon page:     https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BF2ZRXP4

You may be one of my friends whose connection is through Civil War reenacting, which I’ve regretfully aged out of, helped along by the years of COVID cancellations of events. While I’m not reenacting any longer, I’m still a Civil War nut, having returned to tabletop wargaming with miniature soldiers. Here’s a pic of my brother and me this summer refighting Hood’s assault of Little Round Top at Gettysburg.

Otherwise, it’s the season of the Longhorns and Cowboys, both of which may have long seasons.