Lost Confederate Gold

I'm delighted to have D.J. Humphrey as my guest this week.

Hello everyone. My name is D.J. Humphrey. I am the author/illustrator of the middle grade action/adventure series Jackson's Raiders.

I am, as is our host Mrs. Vidler, a resident of South Carolina. Compared to the rest of our world the United States has a young history. After all our nation is only 236 years of age compared to several thousand years of recorded history. However, our history is one of defining moments. Our world structure is a direct result from our 236 years of existence. One of those defining moments in history was our "Civil War".

One of the great mysteries of the war took place at the very end. Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy, fled South, with the war chest or Confederate treasury to continue the war from southern climes. During his flight, the gold disappeared. To this day no one has ever found the gold. I used this historical fact as the basis for my book (the first in the series) Jackson's Raiders And The Lost Confederate Gold.

The setting for the book takes place in one of the few places that the gold was witnessed to have been during Davis's flight. Abbeville, SC is considered by many to be the birth place and deathbed of the Confederacy. There are also actual tunnels under the town square that some say predate the town itself. This intersection of history and geography compelled me to act.

I had been wanting to write a book for a while. I had mentally created a few requirements. The first was the genre. I wanted to write a book that would be universally enjoyed from 3rd or 4th grade to adult. I wanted it to be historical fiction, funny, action/adventure, have brand appeal as a series, with multiple characters. The motivational vehicle for the book was difficult to decide upon. Economic downturns are not relegated to the South. Small towns all across our nation have suffered immensely from various forms of industry closings. In my research, I had not seen it applied to the children of the families that so often suffer from these all to common economic occurrences. Middle grade friendships are born of an innocence that most of us can remember.

Curiosity, a sense of adventure, a lack of knowledge about the downside of events were all characteristics that compelled me to ask, "What does happen to a tight knit group of friends when there world is pulled apart at the seams?" and "To what lengths will they go to fix things if given the chance?" In the end, I hope that I accomplished what I set out to do and that is to write an historical fiction book rich in innocence, friendship, adventure, danger, loyalty, history, and humor that anyone would enjoy.

Many thanks to Mrs. Vidler for allowing me be on the blog http://theunpredictablemuse.blogspot.com.

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Jackson's Raiders and the Lost Confederate Gold

Young Jackson Stone has a problem. The company that employs all of the parents of his friends is closing. They will all be moving away in a few short months.

Little Tommy Tyner has a problem. He is searching for his mother. The ten-year old kissed his mother on the cheek one morning and went to play. That was 146 years ago. Tommy is a ghost.

Hang on for a roller-coaster ride of action and adventure as Jackson’s Raiders and little Tommy Tyner solve a Civil War mystery while learning about true friendship, courage, truth, and hope . . . as in the hope of getting out alive. 
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You can read more about Donald Humphrey and see some of his art at http://www.djhumphrey.com/
Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DJHumphrey1  or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/DJ-Humphrey/249685368383196?sk=wall