Book Fact: Bella's Point
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| Available for 3.99 on Amazon |
I scratched my head. Bella's Point was set in the mountains of North Carolina during the Restoration Period following the Civil War.The entire premise of the story, aside from the romance, is based on the crippled south and the scrabble to re-establish a society from the ruins of war that could rise like a Phoenix, better, fairer, than the one that came before it.
So how did that get labeled a western?
Then it hit me. In the story, I had characters who were Cherokee and most people think of Native Americans as only being in the west. I probably could have avoided this confusion by leaving them out of the story, but the history, culture, and legacy of the Cherokee in that area was too interesting to be ignored.
In writing Bella's Point, the story started in the coastal region. But I needed a "point"...a mountain that looked over the land. So, to meet that plot point, the story had to be moved inland. As I started researching the Snow Bird Mountain region, the Cherokee presence had to be incorporated into the story. As a nerd, I love interesting facts and when I come across tidbits that can blend in with the plot, I like to use them. One such legend that made its way into Bella's Point was the story of Rosa laevigata, or the Cherokee Rose.
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| The Cherokee rose |
And this seemed to work well, until gold was found on their land and the government wanted it. Suddenly, they became a problem and needed to be moved to reservations. In the 1838, President Jackson, defying a US Supreme Court order against it, ordered militia groups to forcibly remove the Cherokee from their homeland and march them by gun point to reservations in the west.
That march became known as the Trail of Tears because not only did they lose their property, many lost their lives-- as many as a third to a half of all who left.
According to legend, the Cherokee Rose sprang from the tears of the mothers who lost their children during the march and grows along that trail from North Carolina to Oklahoma. The white petals symbolize the innocence, the gold center for the stolen gold, and the seven leaves for the seven clans that were moved.
Time for my small things check-in. Thanks to our hosts Lexa, L .G, and Tonja Drecker for this weekly reminder to look for the good things in life!My husband celebrated his 49th birthday on Wednesday. We've been celebrating birthdays together since he was 19. That's 30 years! Time really does fly when you're having fun, because it doesn't seem like 30 have gone by. Though, this year, instead of pizza or tacos, his birthday dinner was baked fish...heart consciousness is now a concern, so we can celebrate 30 more together.
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| Join Misha for this monthly goal check in |
Trail of Tears started in North Carolina? I'd forgotten that. I think the only reason it was labeled a western was because of the time period. Many think anything set in the 1800-1900's is a western.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday to your husband!
I don't know if it started there, but they were run out off their land in North Carolina. There's another interesting story about the land they got to keep. Maybe I could share that another time. :)
DeleteEnjoyed the backstory. I have Cherokee and Apache, from two sides of my father's side (Kentucky and New Mexico). I wish I knew more of those people. I'm from the black sheep side, who moved west, way west, and severed any connection with the folk back east.
ReplyDeleteThey have an active tribe in North Carolina and they seem really nice and helpful. I never visited the reservation, but my mother did and she took a list of questions I wanted answered and they were nice enough to answer them all. A very interesting people, you should be proud.
Deleteoh...and happy birthday to Hubs
ReplyDeleteThanks. I'll pass it along.
DeleteVery interesting to hear the story behind the Cherokee rose. I won't look at that flower the same way again. Happy birthday to your hubby. I'm of that age where I should probably be eating more baked fish and less pizza as well. Have a great weekend :-)
ReplyDeleteWe don't do it all the time, just going for a balance-- we'll be eating McDonalds this weekend. Big Macs are a husband favorite.
DeleteI get lost in researching for books myself. It's fascinating. Happy (belated) birthday to your hubby!
ReplyDeleteSet me loose in a library and I'm a happy nerd. I know you feel the same.
DeleteCongrats on 30 years! We are also moving to a heart-conscious home as well. That's some really cool background on Bella's Point. I love how you were able to work it in.
ReplyDeleteResearch may be the funnest part of the writing.
DeleteSounds like a good book. (I just ordered it!)
ReplyDeleteWe've been to the Cherokee reservation in NC. The whole thing was very interesting, but for some reason, one of the things I remember best is what one of them told us about their drumbeats. Know how in movies they always have the DUM-da-dum-dum, DUM-da-dum-dum sound? He said that's wrong. Their drumbeats actually emulate the rhythmic sounds of the human heart.
Happy birthday to you hubby. Um, we're having homemade pizza tonight. We SHOULD be eating more healthy than that, and we usually do. (Okay, okay... we SOMETIMES do.) But our ages, we figure something's gonna kill us. Might as well be raw oysters or a pizza :)
Visiting the reservation is on my bucket list. I went to a pow wow when I was a kid on the Outer Banks. There was the music and the story telling by the fire. So much fun.
DeleteWe aren't nearly as health conscious as we should be. We're shooting for a little better balance. Last night we had pizza, tonight it's Big Macs. Half the week healthy, horrible the other half. LOL
Thanks for buying it!! I hope you enjoy it. It's my book baby, but no pressure.
Sounds really neat, but yeah, genre labeling can be annoying. I've literally had the same book simultaneously promoted as historical, romance, and even literary, YA, and Fantasy. It's like come on, pick one;)
ReplyDeleteI can see that. It's a multi-faceted tale with many different dynamics going on...which as a reader, I love!
DeleteI've come across the Cherokee Rose legend in my own research, but I've never seen one before.
ReplyDeleteAll the best with your writing goals! Please don't forget to post your link at gotgoalsbloghop.blogspot.com. :-)
I have seen them before I knew what they were.
DeleteAnd I posted the link!
Time period and the Cherokee probably did it. But geez, hard not to have them in it after such research. Hope your husband has a happy birthday and here's to 30 more too.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's not a big deal. I love westerns, so it's not like it's an insult.
DeleteFascinating story, but sad. I can see how some would think "Western" if any Native Americans are involved. Congrats on the WIP progress, that sounds like a great start to the year!
ReplyDeleteHi human, Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteSuch an informative, thought-provoking read, my kind human friend.
I'm delighted that January has been a pawductive month for you. Happy belated birthday wishes to your husband.
Pawsitive wishes,
Penny 🐶😀
I’m glad you incorporated the Cherokee presence in your story. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a sad story. I don't know much about American history, but the snippets I discover are fascinating and thought-provoking. Happy birthday to your husband :-)
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday to your husband.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting reading about that time period. Though I don't know much, whatever I know I discovered through reading.
It is indeed a sad story.
ReplyDelete