Historical Fiction
Date Published: May 21, 2024
Publisher: Acorn Publishing
Colonist Benjamin Waite, a devoted husband, father, and skilled military
scout in King Philip’s War, reluctantly obeys orders to guide an
attack against a camp of Algonquian Natives.
After the catastrophic event, Benjamin is burdened with guilt and longs for
peace. But the Algonquians, led by the revered sachem Ashpelon, retaliate
with vengeance upon Ben’s Massachusetts town of Hatfield, capturing
over a dozen colonists, including his pregnant wife Martha and their three
young daughters.
Hatfield 1677 is a tale of three interwoven yet diverging journeys of
strength and survival: Benjamin, driven by love and remorse to rescue his
family; Martha, forced into captivity and desperately striving to protect
her children; and Ashpelon, willing to risk everything to ensure the safety
and freedom of his people.
Based on the lives of the author’s ancestors, this riveting and
unforgettable novel gives voice to three vastly different experiences in
North America during a time before the creation of the Declaration of
Independence. Then, the land was but a wilderness and a battleground;
equality was not yet perceived as self-evident; and liberty and happiness
were nothing more than dangerous pursuits.
About the Author
Laura C. Rader earned a BA in psychology from San Diego State University,
where she minored in history and took creative writing and literature
classes. She drew on those passions in her thirty-year career as a history
and English teacher of elementary and middle school students. Now, a
full-time historical fiction writer, Laura also enjoys studying genealogy,
attending neighborhood book club meetings, taking forest walks with her
Rough Collie, and visiting her adult daughter in Brooklyn. Originally from
California, Laura lives twenty miles north of Raleigh, North
Carolina. Hatfield 1677 is a work of historical fiction inspired by a
story Laura discovered about her ninth great-grandparents while researching
her family’s genealogy.
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