It is estimated that 3 million men fought in the American Civil War.
Over 600,000 soldiers were foreign-born immigrants.
58 were Asian Americans.
This is the story of one.
Winner, INDEPENDENT PRESS AWARDS, Multicultural Fiction, 2021
Finalist, WISHING SHELF BOOK AWARDS, Adult Fiction, 2020
COLD MOUNTAIN meets The Color Purple!
An epic American Civil War literary saga that explores the intimate relationships between folk of diverse cultures during an era of suffering and hate; spanning cultures, continents, and generations. Narrated in the Antebellum tradition.
Shay is an orphan. A young Asian boy with no link to his past – except for a mysterious jade amulet – and no idea what fate has in store for his future. Not until an American merchant captain raises him to be a man, who becomes a valiant Union Army scout during the height of the American Civil War.
Across the oceans, a young girl is ripped from her African homeland and tossed aboard a ship set sail for America. She is sold to an Alabama plantation like livestock; her name, her identity, and her life are stripped from her. Now, she is considered nothing more than a slave.
When their two paths cross ten years later, they immediately intertwine, driven by a connection so strong it could only be forged by destiny. But love is forbidden, and darkness surrounds them. Written in the Antebellum tradition with spoken dialects characteristic of the period. The reader is invited to view the perspectives of each character and the decisions they make, leading to life, love, or loss.
"My books are about the reality of life and death, joy and pain, victory and defeat. Through it all, I aspire to reveal the power of love." - C.J. Heigelmann, 2020
C.J. Heigelmann is a freelance writer and an author of Contemporary Fiction, Historical Fiction, and Psychological Thrillers.He produces literature that focuses on the human condition through character perspective and realism. Ever evolving, but yet retaining his core signature of sharp-edged realism, his writing style brings deep and compelling meaning to every plot and storyline while maintaining the integrity of the subject matter at hand. His ultimate goal is to stimulate a reader's mind, intellect, and emotions while being legitimately informative and intentionally provocative.Visit www.MustReadCJ.com to learn more.He is a member of the Authors Guild, the Historical Novel Society, and the South Carolina Writers Association.AWARDSNational Indie Excellence Award, Finalist, Military Fiction, 2022, Crooked Fences.Independent Press Award, Winner, Multicultural Fiction, 2021, An Uncommon Folk Rhapsody.Elizabeth Boatwright Coker Fellowship for Fiction, Finalist, 2021, The Other Side of the Hill.Wishing Shelf Book Award, Finalist, Adult Fiction, 2020, An Uncommon Folk Rhapsody.New York City Big Book Award, Distinguished Favorite, Military Fiction, 2020, Crooked Fences. Bestselling Amazon Author: Contemporary Literary Fiction, Depression, Racism and Discrimination, African American Literary Fiction, Historical Thrillers, Historical African Fiction, and Vigilante Justice."I express my characters in their pure flawed form because all of us are flawed. I don't shrink from using stereotypes whether positive or negative. Instead, I promote them and in the next breath completely shatter them. This exposes the error of subjugating individuals to intellectually lazy social labels, compelling the reader to confront the empirical nature of a character while lending insight into true understanding.""Readers are not one-dimensional, and the stories they read shouldn't be either."C.J. Heigelmann
