Ancestry and family trees are big right now (I know, because I’m researching both me and my husband), and so it’s wonderful to have Wendy Spooner with us this week, sharing how a look into her family’s past inspired her to write Once Upon an Irish Summer. First, a little bit about the book.
A gifted artist suffering debilitating grief finds healing and inspiration in her Irish ancestry and goes on to paint a masterpiece. Once Upon an Irish Summer is a dual timeline novel of two teenagers, two centuries apart in one city; the untold chronicle of a young man’s journey into antebellum America in search of a way to save his family, woven with his 15-year-old descendant’s struggle through grief and present-day dilemmas.
Sounds so good, Wendy. How did your family history inspired you to write this story?
Allen Hamilton, a name that inspires me to the core. The first time I knew I would write his story was on a research trip in Ireland while hunting for Hamilton records with my husband and parents. As we searched archives in tiny villages surrounded by deep green hills, and in town halls flanked by ancient castles and cathedrals, something deep within me stirred —a connection to the past as tangible as the cobblestones beneath my feet.
Allen was the oldest son of my 3rd great-grandfather. When he turned 18, he met a man from “the states” that lit the fire of the American dream in his heart and compelled him to cross the Atlantic alone to find a way to save his family.
Allen’s father was a Clerk of the Crown and one of 17 sons of a landed gentry family near Enniskillen Castle in Northern Ireland. But when the British forced oppressive fees and tax laws on the Irish, it imploded the economy. And seeing no hope for recovery, Allen’s father drank too much and squandered the family’s money.
A 200-year-old letter collection survives today, written by Allen’s parents to him after he went to America. The letters are both inspiring and heart-breaking, filled with the family’s trust in God as they suffered, while Allen journeyed thousands of miles away through antebellum America, seeking a way to bring his family across the ocean before it was too late.
As starvation and typhus fever raged throughout his homeland, it was who and what Allen became in The U.S. that still inspires me today.
I wrote Once Upon an Irish Summer through the eyes of Allen’s fictional descendant, a young gifted artist struggling through debilitating grief, because what we learn from the past entirely holds the promise of changing the future.
Wendy Spooner is a Genetic Genealogist by day, a writer by night, and an artist in between.
Her love of what we can learn from history compels her to write the true stories she unearths during her research because she’s found that truth is indeed, much more exciting and inspiring than fiction.
She writes about family, faith, grief, art, and overcoming obstacles in life by coming to know who we truly are—children of God, and the descendants of incredible people who paved the way before us—even if they really struggled. She believes in learning from our ancestors, honoring them, and then standing on their shoulders to become someone even better.
She’s a member of Romance Writers of America and The American Night Writer’s Association. As an award-winning author of professional articles and poems, she’s turned to novel writing to share what she knows with a much greater audience of teens and adults.
When not writing or researching, she loves to paint, hike, binge on Bollywood movies, and spend time with her greatest love—her family.
Her debut novel, Once Upon an Irish Summer is traditionally published by Ambassador International, written for both teens and adults, on pre-order on Amazon now! Release date, April 3, 2020.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
https://www.facebook.com/authorWendyWilsonSpooner/?modal=admin_todo_tour
https://twitter.com/Wendy_W_Spooner
BUY LINK
Wendy is also giving away a copy of the book. Just follow the instructions below to enter.
Thanks so much for joining us and sharing your very interesting story!
Wendy is amazing and a wonderful friend! What a beautiful message!! Can’t wait to read her book. I’ve been patiently waiting.
This book sounds like a very good read and I love the cover, it is Beautiful. Thank you for sharing about it and about the author. Have a Great rest of the week. God Bless you.
I’m very intrigued now. I love how you were able to gather the information for yourself and the book, and now it’s come to life! Can’t wait to read it.
I love this! I love dual timeline stories and genealogy. Thanks for the chance to win!
She is a new to me author but the geneaology premise and dual timelines definitely get my attention. (If I had Twitter I could unlock more chances and this comment would count).