Good Morning and Welcome Back to Another Edition of Saturday Spotlight!
Today's guest is not new to our blog but he's bringing us his brand new book, Abigail Trench.
Good to have you back, Randy. Your book sounds amazing. Please tell us why you wrote it.
I’ve been interested in the Revolutionary War for years, reading numerous books, fiction and nonfiction and watching movies and shows about the era. More recently, I started learning about the Culper Ring, the secret spy organization created by George Washington. The more I learned, the more fascinated I became, especially since this part of our history was new to me. I don’t think my teachers even mentioned the Culper Ring in my American History classes.
I discovered the Ring consisted primarily of six men and one woman who took the role of secrecy to heart. Most never revealed even to family and friends that they had been spies during to revolution and beyond. This code of secrecy was so well protected that historians took years and sometimes centuries to uncover the identities of the operatives of the ring. In fact, the true identity of the sixth and final man was not confirmed by historians until the 1930’s, a hundred and fifty years after. And historians have never been able to agree on the identity of the lone female operative.
I was so intrigued by this mystery I seized it. ABIGAIL TRENCH is my fictional version of that female member of Washington’s spy ring, and I created a character to step into those shoes. It was great fun digging the historical sources for crumbs I could weave into my Revolutionary War thriller. I’m anxious to see what readers think of my ABIGAIL.
OH WOW, Randy, I did not like any form of History so I'm impressed. That said, I remember reading Celia Garth while in highschool (many, many moons ago) and she was a Patriot spy!
Give us more please...
A vivid, propulsive Revolutionary-era thriller with the spy-craft verve of the streaming hit TURN: Washington’s Spies and the electricity of 1776’s New York that Hamilton lovers will recognize, this story is inspired by the lone female operative in Washington’s spy ring.
In occupied New York, a schoolteacher with everything to lose turns information into a weapon, threading between Redcoats and rebels as plots against Washington gather steam.
After rogue Redcoats assault her and strip her family’s Long Island farm, Abigail Trench fights to survive in New York City—tutoring in a high-ranking British officer’s Water Street household by day, navigating taverns, informants, and soldiers by night. Through Abigail’s keen eyes—and a counter-narrative following a principled British major—the novel renders the moral gray zones of occupation with gritty intimacy. As rumors swirl of a strike at General Washington, Abigail’s vantage inside upper-crust parlors and rough waterfront rooms makes her an ideal courier—and a target.
This historical thriller delivers high tension, textured world-building, and a captivating heroine who put it all on the line for freedom.
And an Excerpt...
As Abigail’s feet clattered on the boards, she thought the whole thing through. If the British started printing fake currency and circulating it, the Continental bills of credit would be worth…nothing. Such a move would infuriate all the businessmen. Even Loyalist merchants would suffer, because they depend on customers, both rebel and Tory. The entire economy of the colonies would collapse.
She stopped and glanced around her at the businesses up and down the street. The furrier, the blacksmith, the dry goods store, inns and taverns—they would all suffer. They wouldn’t be able to feed their families. In the harbor, three merchant ships bobbed in the waves. Who would have money to pay for goods transported across the ocean?
Sweeping her gaze across the workers scurrying in and out of warehouses, on and off the ships, another thought came to her. Without Continental currency, there would be no way to fund the war. The only currency anyone anywhere would accept would be British pounds.
So caught up in her thoughts, Abigail almost missed the turn onto Crown to get to Williams. The wind, which so often blew off the East River, seemed to die down today, making the city streets still. She’d taken a few quick steps down the walkway when she heard a voice from the alley ahead, a voice she recognized. Too well. She froze.
“My money’s as good as anyone else, ya little dollywop!” It was Reeves. Here.
Molly called, “I don’t hafta. Get your hands off me.” Then, “Lemme go. That hurts.”
There, at the foot of the alley she saw Molly squirming in the arms of a much larger man in uniform. The soldier stood with his back to her, but Abigail didn’t need him to turn around. The ugly orange scarf around his neck gave him away. She pounded down the dirt alley and called ahead, “Just let her go, Reeves. Go find yourself another jack.”
Reeves turned at the words, releasing one arm. When he saw Abigail striding toward him, he grinned, a lecherous smirk revealing the ugly broken teeth she remembered from Long Island. “Abigail, er I should say, the fine Miss Trench.”
Uh, Oh, sounds like trouble for sure! How about you give us the lowdown on yourself and tell us where we can get a copy of Abigail Trench, please...
Of course, as you mentioned, folks can find out more about me on my Featured Author Page here on the blog, or on my Website, but I'll share my official bio with you all...
Dr. Randy Overbeck is an award-winning educator, author, speaker and podcaster. As an educator, he served children for more than three decades and has mined that experience to create captivating fiction, authoring two series, the bestselling series, “The Haunted Shores Mysteries,” and the award-winning series, “Lessons in Peril.” His novels have won critical acclaim and garnered national awards including Mystery of the Year (ReaderViews) Best Book Award (Chanticleer Books and Reviews) and the Gold Award (Literary Titan) and amassed hundreds of 5-star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.
Dr. Overbeck also hosts the popular podcast, “Great Stories about Great Storytellers,” which reveals the unusual and sometimes strange backstories of famous authors, directors and poets and can be heard wherever listeners get their podcasts. He is a speaker in considerable demand, sharing his popular presentations about ghosts and the world of book publishing with hundreds of audiences all over the U.S.
As a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Dr. Overbeck is an active member of the literary community, contributing to a writers’ critique group, serving as a mentor to emerging writers and participating in writing conferences such as Killer Nashville and the Midwest Writers Workshop.
When he’s not researching, writing, speaking or podcasting, Randy enjoys traveling with his wife Cathy and visiting both his far-flung family and the scenic locations around this country, often in search of inspiration for his next great story.
Contact him at: randyoverbeck@authorrandyoverbeck.com and connect with him on Facebook, Amazon, Instagram, BookBub and GoodReads.
Abigail Trench can be found at Amazon and other online retailers HERE.
THANK You, so much, Randy for joining us today. We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with your new release AND...
Thank You, Friends, for stopping by and cheering Randy on! You can heck out Randy's prevous post Here and of course, find his Featured Author Page Here.
Until next week, take care, God bless and remember to take time and escape in a great story.
PamT
