Today I'm welcoming Sherry A Burton and her book - Discovery: The Orphan Train Saga Book 1 - to my blog as part of the blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club (founded by Mary Anne Yarde)
Discovery
While most use their summer breaks for pleasure, third grade teacher Cindy Moore is using her summer vacation to tie up some loose ends concerning her grandmother’s estate. When Cindy enters the storage unit that holds her grandmother’s belongings, she is merely looking for items she can sell to recoup some of the rental fees she’s spent paying for the unit.
Instead, what she finds are secrets her grandmother has taken to the grave with her. The more Cindy uncovers, the more she wants to know. Why was her grandmother abandoned by her own mother? Why hadn’t she told Cindy she’d lived in an orphanage? And how come her grandmother never mentioned she’d made history as one of the children who rode the Orphan Trains?
Join Cindy as she uncovers her grandmother’s hidden past and discovers the life that stole her grandmother’s love.
Publication Date: December 25, 2018
Publisher: Dorry Press
Print Length: 229 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
You can purchase a copy of the book via -
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07KK42KZ1
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KK42KZ1
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/discovery-sherry-a-burton/1129921701
Now for the interview -
In the mid-1850s, over 30k children were living on the streets of New York City. Children as young as four and five had to lie, cheat, and steal just to survive. Some of the children were true orphans; others were not. Either way, their situation was dire, and something had to be done. So, between 1855 and 1929, over 250k children from New York and Boston were sent west on what was later referred to as 'the orphan trains' to find new homes.
When I first overheard a discussion regarding the Orphan Trains twenty years ago, I had never even published my first book, and yet I knew that I would someday write a story about an orphan train rider. At the time, I was dabbling with what would eventually be my first romance novel and assumed that romance would be the heart of the storyline. I jotted a few notes and moved on, writing and publishing mostly romance books.
Then, one day in 2017, while visiting a train museum in Green Bay Wisconsin, something wonderful happened. The voices showed up, filling my head with ideas and telling me that now was the time. I began researching everything I could find on the orphan trains. It took nearly eighteen years from the moment I first heard about the orphan trains until I moved forward with the project. A good thing as the single book idea morphed into a planned eighteen book historical fiction saga (not romance) that revolves around the orphan trains. Not only did the idea morph, but I also found myself as well. Since writing Discovery, the first in The Orphan Train Saga, I've also transitioned, preferring to write historical fiction over anything else. While regular fiction is easier, I find that I love the challenge that comes with writing historical fiction. I also enjoy incorporating history into each book, using mostly forgotten history to tell the child's story.
I introduce seventeen of the eighteen children in Discovery, book one of The Orphan Train Saga. Discovery tells Mileta's story, and each book after that will tell one of the other children's tale. The reader will follow each child from their earliest memory and find out what caused their homelessness. The reader will journey with the children on the train and follow their lives as they grow.
When I began writing The Orphan Train Saga, I thought I was writing for an adult audience. While each book starts with the person's first memory, the children grow up, and there are real-life situations. With that being said, the books are void of swearwords, and there is no overly graphic content. Since Discovery's release in December of 2018, I've received e-mails from children as young as nine, letting me know how much they are enjoying this saga and the history that surrounds it. So, now when I'm asked, I just say it's for ages 9 to 99+.
Lastly, while Discovery can be read and enjoyed on its own if you decide to keep reading -which I hope you do- you'll want to read the books in order. Some of the children's lives are so intertwined that a subsequent book will give you a greater understanding of something from a previous book when told from a different perspective.
Along with writing historical fiction, I also travel the country lecturing on The History of the Orphan Trains. The plight of those children continues to call to me. It is my mission to make sure they are not forgotten. Please help me to keep the children's memories alive by joining me on this journey.
Sherry A Burton
Born in Kentucky, Sherry got her start in writing by pledging to write a happy ending to a good friend who was going through some really tough times. The story surprised her by taking over and practically writing itself. What started off as a way to make her friend smile started her on a journey that would forever change her life. Sherry readily admits to hearing voices and is convinced that being married to her best friend for thirty-eight plus years goes a long way in helping her write happily-ever-afters. Sherry is the author of The Orphan Train Saga novels, a planned eighteen book historical fiction saga that revolves around the historic orphan trains. Books in the saga include Discovery, Shameless, Treachery and Guardian. Loyal, the fifth in the saga, expected to release summer of 2021. Sherry resides in Michigan and spends most of her time writing from her home office, traveling to book signing events and giving lectures on the Orphan Trains.
You can connect with Sherry A Burton via -
Website: https://www.sherryaburton.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sherryaburton
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SherryABurtonauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorsherryaburton
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/sherryaburton
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5233048.Sherry_A_Burton
You can learn more about the author and the book by visiting the other blogs on the tour -
That's it for now.
Till the next time.
Take care Zoe
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