Welcome back!

On today’s episode I got to speak with a fellow North Carolinian, Scott Gates. His debut novel HARD ROAD SOUTH is out and available and I would highly recommend purchasing a copy. It’s a post-Civil War historical fiction set in the mountains of Virginia. We discuss writing a time period and setting that isn’t typical for historical fiction, where he found his research, being a debut novelist, finding a publisher and how not to find a publisher. Make sure you take a look at the cover of this book because it’s beautiful. 

About HARD ROAD SOUTH: "The Civil War is over. Soldiers have returned home, and families have begun to piece their lives back together. But for Union Army veteran Solomon Dykes, there is no kin waiting; his Connecticut home holds no promise. He hopes to make a fresh start in Virginia, where he can farm a piece of land and start a family.But the contentious times don't favor such ambition.Dykes settles near Jeb Mosby, a Virginia native farming his family's land near the town of Middleburg. Under different circumstances, the pair might have been fast friends.But the community is still reeling from the stinging defeat of the war and view all Northerners with suspicion--Dykes is no exception.Mosby finds himself torn between his faith in humanity and an allegiance to his small town, while Dykes begins to doubt his future as a farmer and finds himself drawn to the cause of the newly freed slaves.The battlefields may have cooled, but passions still run hot in this turbulent era of societal change. Both Dykes and Mosby learn even the smallest actions can carry far-reaching consequences, sending each on a collision course with tragedy."

How to find Scott Gates:

• Blue Ink Press
• Instagram 
• Facebook
• The Incidentalist
• email: scottmgates(at)gmail.com

As always, you can find me here:

• [email protected]
• Twitter: @page_title & @alissacmiles
• Instagram: @titlepagepodcast & @alissacoopermiles

Theme song is Keep It Loose by Sounds Like Sander.

For more information on MAD MOON, please visit: https://alissacmiles.com/2020/07/10/mad-moon/