BLESS

After departing their old plantation home along with the plantation’s headstrong and resilient mistress’ and half-sisters, Abigail and Bless, with guidance from a Union patriot, a Buffalo Soldier, and an Indian scout of mixed parentage, the group begin a long arduous journey to flee the ravages of slavery and the uncertainty of emancipation in a quest for a new life in the wild and open frontier. Bless’ one and only purpose in life is to be free. The decision to leave Louisiana means survival and a chance at a life none of them would have if they’d stayed.Brimming with subtle humor and wit, the presence of fear in the midst of struggle, heart wrenching life challenges and overwhelming obstacles, secrets are brought to light as the stories of the main characters unfold and family bonds are restored. The novel’s tender display of God’s faithfulness and love, and his redeeming grace towards humanity, when they learn to forgive and trust him, and each other in life’s most difficult moments and journeys, is highlighted throughout the novel. The thirty settle in Nowhere, Arizona in the middle of Apache country. Soon enough, Bless and the ex-slaves become pioneers in a part of the country that is just as hostile and unwelcoming as the one they left behind in the South. Even after innocent Indians are accused of the murderous bushwhacking of members of the U.S. 9th Calvary and are hung, the thirty are more determined to build a new life on their own terms. As the truth begins to unravel, the group must rely on their faith, the hospitality of the land’s indigenous people, displaced Native Americans, soldiers, and the new Union Pacific Railroad to survive and thrive. But will Bless and the others find a way to overcome abuse, exploitation, broken promises, the stain of injustice on the doorstep of their new home, and lacerating personal tragedies to do so?The story culminates as this historical journey takes a family of former enslaved people decades into the future, breaking familial curses and traumas into the second and third generations when they return to the place where it all began.