Good Afternoon

Next Wednesday! Just a week more. :)

Not sure how Apple would feel about that. ;)

Why does everything sound so much better in French! God, I need to get me some Rosetta Stone or Assimil and keep learning. Alors, oui, je suis une fille! :) Unless you plan to revert in age to a toddler I don’t know if you’ll quite like the type of books I want to write haha. Thank you for the lovely messages though!

Happy Birthday. ;)

“Lopez! Is there a Lopez among you lot?”

A few heads turn toward Santana, gazes filled with longing for the same call.

She can’t speak though, let alone muster the strength to rise to her feet.

Another soldier answers for her, pointing in her direction as he hollers aloud, “She’s just there!”

The southerner’s eyes land upon her, squinted in scrutiny. Surely this is some ruse. There is no mention upon the list provided of any women, but than again it was uncommon for the soldiers to ever bring one for exchange. Typically within minutes of capture they would dissolve into sobbing messes that caused him endless head pains. They were hardly worth the trouble and proved even more fruitless when it came to parole. Nurses could always be replaced. His expression turns scornful as he realizes perhaps the sole intention for why he is now calling for her liberation. She is a pretty thing, after all, it’s not hard to imagine her a favorite of the general. Perhaps even a few, he thinks spitefully.

“You’ve been paroled,” he tells her finally, drawing the attention of quite the number of northern captives with his disparaging tone. A few even go so far as to scowl up at him. The southern soldier squares his shoulders, ignoring their obvious disdain as he motions back toward the forest. “Go.”

So far it’s clocking in around 23 chapters, which seems to be my lucky fic number. :)

I update every other week. :) So next Wednesday a new chapter will be out. Thank you so much for the compliments! I’m just happy other people are enjoying the story as much as I am writing it. It’s a fun way to unwind from my workdays. As for what will happen to Emily or if Santana will ever meet her I cannot say. That gives away too much haha!

Hey there lady! :D Do I ever have recommendations for Civil War history books. I only own two but have half read maybe a dozen others haha. I want more but currently I’ve been in a humor mood so I’ve been reading a lot of A.J. Jacob. Loves him.

Anyway good Civil War reads!

Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era by James M. McPherson
I’ve had this book since High School and it’s wonderful. I mean as wonderful as anything can be about a time so horrible anyway. It reads as if you are right there in the thick of battle and congress debates. Lots of the politics and economics are covered which I love since in history class we really only focused on the who, what, when and where and not really the how. The book goes into great depth about nearly everything so I consider it more my overview book than anything else. So it’s a great first read to introduce yourself to what went down and why.

My favorite is The Destructive War by Charles Royster.
The first line in the book is this: “The book deals primarily with one aspect of the Civil War: the scale of destruction to which the participants committed themselves.” Which is a really lofty thing to say but the book really delivers on that promise. I’d say this one is more the psychological effects of the war and follows what the author feels are the two most pivotal Generals, Stonewall Jackson and W.T. Sherman. It’s such a horrific book but there’s something really gravitating about all the morbidity. I read it nearly straightway through. Definitely read McPherson’s book before this though.

What I want to read next is Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz.
My Dad of all people recommended it to me and I plan to hit it up this summer. I’m interested because it’s more an account of what feelings are now about the war, since there are still pockets in the southern states who very much think the war was “unfinished.”

Happy reading! :D

You speak French? Well, in that case, salut! Je parle francais horribles si patient avec moi. Ton anglais est merveilleux! Err… merci pour les aimables paroles? Did I say that right? Haha, well either way seeing as my story helps you with English I’ll just stick what that shall I? ;) You won’t have to worry about a rape scene. I never planned for the story to take that dark a route.

Marginally dark if anything. Somewhere like #000033.

Yes, I do have some very good news! In 1862 (or maybe 1861, I’m fuzzy on dates haha) there was a cartel signed between the North and South. Prison camps didn’t entirely exist and what little did were basically just holding places until another exchange could be made. Most prisoners of war were let go and just told never to take up arms again (crazy right?!). Those that could be exchanged for high ranking officials were, typically other ranking commanders. It wasn’t until the following year that the cartel started to become too much of a burden and both sides ceased following it, thereby leading to horrific prison camp experiences.

So good news is, no one will be tortured, maimed, or raped during their time in Southern capture. They won’t be treated well, of that is for sure, but as many people noted in reviews Santana is wearing her surgeon coat and being of high rank and a post very in demand she will be having to endure the brunt of Southern opposition. Being female certainly doesn’t help either.