My apologies for not keeping faith with all of you, dear readers.
It was a very busy spring and summer. I finished THE LAPORTE INHERITANCE, which turned out to be a real labor of love.
For those who aren't aware, this is an historical fiction book about the founding of French Azilum, told through the fortunes and fates of one of Azilum's main families, the LaPortes. I fell in love with my hero, Bartholomew LaPorte, writing this book. There isn't much extant about him: a few letters by other people referencing him, a couple of passages in a couple of other people's books or journals, and one precious letter penned by Bartholomew himself. Alas, it's about sheep, and doesn't shed much light onto his personality.
But that's kind of the fun in historical fiction. You do your best, or I do at any rate, to find out details on your real life characters, and then what you truly cannot find, you create. I call it 'informed imagining,' and while I researched the LaPorte book heavily, when I couldn't discover facts on a particular incident or characteristic or event, I did have the latitude to imagine what it plausibly would have been.
So the LAPORTE INHERITANCE, all 400 pages of it, takes the reader from France during the French Revolution, to Philadelphia, and finally to the banks of the North Branch of the Susquehanna River where the colony was founded. It spans some 60 or so years, and follows Bartholomew and his great friend Omer Talon as they meet up with investors in Philadelphia and help to hatch the plan to establish Azilum. It was hoped that Marie Antoinette would escape France and the guillotine, and find her way to Azilum. Of course, that didn't happen, but some 200+ nobles did manage to get away, sail the Atlantic and arrive in the U.S. They heard about the Azilum, and decided to settle there and make a new life for themselves...and there begins the tale!
As always, THE LAPORTE INHERITANCE is available on Amazon in Kindle and in Paperback formats.
And next Sunday, October 22 at 8 p.m. on Pennsylvania Cable Network, you can watch an entire hour about the book! The program is called 'PA Books,' and I taped the segment a couple of months ago. Anyone with cable TV in or near Pennsylvania should have the PCN channel and will be able to watch it. I talk in depth about the reasons behind writing the story, how I went about it, and what I think of it, as well as give information on French Azilum itself. (The site is still operated as a living museum, and is open to the public!)
So check out THE LAPORTE INHERITANCE on PA Books next Sunday evening, and if you'd like to read it, head over to Amazon!
Meanwhile, I'm still mounting two period clothing exhibits: one at The Oldest House in Laceyville, and the other at the LaPorte House at French Azilum. I also still visit other historic homes in appropriate garb along with friends Karla, Lisa, Mike and others...and sometimes by myself. The weekend prior to Hallowe'en for those of you in the Wilkes Barre PA area, I'll be a special guest at the Dennison House in Forty Fort where I'll be helping out with their Hallowe'en festivities. Do check the Dennison website for more details, but it's Friday and Saturday, 6-9 both days, and I will say it should be a deliciously creepy and informative experience!
We've got a good slate of events planned for next year at the LaPorte House, too. I generally mention these and advertise them on my Facebook account, Deborah deBilly dit Courville.
Please send me a friend request, and I'll be sure to respond. Also, I've got a page Deborah L. Courville, dedicated to just my books, and another page for my English Country Dance group, and a third page called the Historical Costume and Fashion Society. The last one talks about events I and my friends attend in garb, and we always post photos, so check it out. If you live in the area and would like to join us on any of our events, just let me know on Facebook, or you can email me at debcourville@gmail.com.
Thanks, as always, for reading and I promise to post again soon.
