Shannon McNear |
What got you interested in the colonial time period?
Well, if a decade or
two of breathing the air of Charleston, South Carolina, won’t do it ... :-)
Seriously, what really fired my imagination was attending my first
Revolutionary War reenactment in 2006, the 230th anniversary of the
Siege of Charleston. From that day, I was seriously hooked—and this in an area probably
best known for Civil War history.
What inspired your latest colonial work?
Story after story of
the conflict between Americans who fought for independence and those who chose
loyalty to the king.
Do you have a favorite colonial place you like to visit
and why?
Old Fort Dorchester
State Park, now known as Colonial Dorchester. It’s one of the few local sites
that hasn’t been built over, which means there’s a wealth of archaeological
finds just twelve inches or so down. Also, since it’s one of the lesser-known
area attractions, it tends to be quiet and peaceful—a great place I can let my
family run and play. And I love the fort and church ruins, and the cemetery.
If you care to say, you can tell readers where you live
and what colonial places you have in your state or your home state if
different.
We live on the
outskirts of Charleston, South Carolina, and there are too many places to list!
Seriously, Charleston was the busiest seaport on the southern coast during
colonial times, possibly the richest. We have plantations, town homes, forts,
churches (some ruined and some not), buildings of commerce, and old jails.
Inland and upstate are battlefield sites in various states of upkeep (one is
half under water now). Kings Mountain, which I wrote about in Defending Truth, is right up on the
state line.
Do you have a favorite colonial recipe you enjoy and
would like to share with readers?
Just one?? I suppose
johnnycakes would be the obvious choice since they figure so prominently in Defending Truth.
Johnnycakes—or
journeycakes—are essentially cornmeal pancakes. I can’t find serious provenance
for the use of baking soda or powder before the early 1800’s, so the main
leavening agent would have been eggs. Here’s the basic recipe as I recently
tested it:
2 cups cornmeal
(stoneground is best, I grind my own with a Nutrimill, which makes the meal
more “thirsty” than commercial, aged cornmeal)
½ tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ c. milk, more or
less
Stir dry ingredients
together, beat in eggs, then add milk to make a pourable batter. Fry like
pancakes—best on a hot, oiled cast iron griddle—and drench in butter. :-) Or
butter and syrup, or butter and jam.
This is a very
flexible recipe. You can substitute flour for half the cornmeal, or change up
the sugar for honey or molasses. Definitely don’t hesitate to adjust the amount
of milk to make your batter the desired consistency—a thicker batter makes for
a thicker cake. Also, make them a little smaller than you think you should,
since they tend to be very filling.
Story overview/blurb
On the frontier of western North
Carolina, which will someday become east Tennessee, Truth Bledsoe keeps her
family fed while her father is away fighting the British. When she discovers a
half-starved, fugitive Tory, she’s not above feeding him, but to go past simple
Christian charity to forgiveness seems impossible. To love would be
unthinkable.
Micah Elliot has fled capture
after the massacre at King’s Mountain, heartsick, battle weary, and ashamed of
the cowardice that sent him westward over the mountains instead of eastward to
home. Groping his way through a crisis of faith, he must discover and embrace
what might finally be worth laying down his life for.
Author bio
Shannon McNear has been writing one thing or another since third grade
and finished her first novel at age fifteen—but it would be more than thirty
years before she’d receive her first book contract. In the meantime, she
graduated from high school, attended college, met and married her husband,
birthed nine children, lost one, taught five to drive, revised that first story
innumerable times, and completed six others.
Her writing experience includes former interview coordinator and review
editor for Christian Fandom, founding contributor of Speculative Faith, and
founding member of the Christian Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog Tour. She has also
served as area coordinator, southeast zone director, and local chapter founder
and president for American Christian Fiction Writers. She's an active member of
ACFW, RWA, and My Book Therapy.
At the 2012 ACFW conference, to her shock and delight, she was awarded a
first-time author contract from Barbour Publishing for her historical romance
novella Defending Truth. It released
September 2013 as part of A Pioneer Christmas Collection.
A Midwestern farm girl transplanted more than 20 years ago to Charleston,
South Carolina, she loves losing herself in local history, especially the
colonial era. When not homeschooling, sewing, researching, or leaking story
from her fingertips, she finds joy in worship, women’s ministry, and
encouraging whoever God brings across her path.