The Chamomile by Susan F. Craft

About Susan F. Craft

I have a degree in Journalism from the University of South Carolina. In 2001, I retired from a 30-year career as a writer for public television and as a communications assistant director with the SC Department of Mental Health.

I authored two books published by that agency: Puzzles, Pictures and Paper Airplanes; What We Do When Our Parents Get Sick and Reporting on Mental Illness Fairly, Objectively, Sensitively: A Guide for Journalism and Mass Communications Students in South Carolina. Both books won the SC State Library Association's "Most Notable State Document Award."

Mental health clinicians and elementary school counselors throughout the US have used the first book as a tool to comfort children whose parents have a mental illness. The second is a textbook/resource used by teams of mental health professionals and mental health patients and their families who visit college-level journalism and mass communications classes throughout South Carolina.

I am a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Carolina Christian Writers, South Carolina Writers Workshop, The Historical Novel Society, and Crown publishing group.

I am also a member of The Inkplots, a writers' critique group that has helped me hone my craft. My short stories have been published in three of the group's collections, Buck-Naked Unitarians, Naughty and Nice, and Black and Blue.

My Civil War novel, A Perfect Tempest was published by iUniverse in 2006 and is available through barnesandnoble.com, amazon.com, and booksamillion.com.

I recently completed an American Revolutionary War inspirational historical romance, The Chamomile, and I'm polishing the final draft of a contemporary inspirational fiction, Promises Kept. I have begun researching for a sequel to The Chamomile.

I wrote A Writer's Guide to Horses, which is available on the website of the Long Riders' Guild Academic Foundation, www.lrgaf.org. The Long Riders' Guild is an international group of people who, in order to be a member, must have ridden horseback on a journey of 1,000 miles or more. The Guide was written to give authors comprehensive, accurate information about horses.

I cannot remember a time when I did not want to write. Somewhere in my attic I still have a book, The Mystery of the Whistling Cave, which I wrote and bound myself when I was eight and enthralled with Nancy Drew.

About Book

Lilyan joins Patriot spies in British-occupied Charlestown, SC, to rescue her brother from a notorious prison ship. She'll lie, steal, kill or be killed she promises Nicholas Xanthakos, a scout with Francis Marion's partisans, who leads the mission. In Nicholas' arms she discovers enduring love...a home. But that home is a long time coming. Her journey requires she save the life of one British officer but kill another to protect her Cherokee friend Elizabeth. In escaping bounty hunters, she treks miles of wilderness and very nearly loses everything before finally reuniting with her true love.

Facts About "Swamp Fox" Francis Marion http://www.francismariontrail.com/

Where to buy
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

My Thoughts

The Chamomile has to be one of the best books I have read in 2012. I believe it had more of an effect on me because of the bravery of Lilyan the heroine in this book. She was determined to stand up against the British to protect her country. It did not matter the dangers she knew she would face.

With the help of Nicholas Xanthakos and many other Patriots she sets out to rescue her brother whom is being held on a prison ship having been charged as a traitor to the British crown. She ends up pretending to be a British Loyal in order to get vital information about the British military movements. Her closest friend and companion Elizabeth was Cherokee which at times got her little respect from the British soldiers. One in particular, a British officer, tries to force himself on her and as Lilyan comes upon them and she kills the soldier in order to save her friend. Now her cover as a spy is in danger and they must flee from sight.

Since her brother's escape from the prison ship he and some of the other prisoners join forces with Nicholas Xanthakos and the "Swamp Fox" Francis Marion in the fight against the British. Lilyan and Elizabeth stay at a camp with other women that are there to care for their husbands, sons and brothers that are fighting under Francis Marion. The battles against the British seem daunting but Marion and his men continue to push the British back.

"Swamp Fox Trail"

You know there has to be some romance in this book. Lilyan has fallen for the handsome Nicholas Xanthakos. Whenever she needed rescued he was there to make sure she was protected. He was not happy about her going undercover as a spy. He had no idea what kind of woman her was dealing with. She wanted to do what she could do in order to help defeat the British.

I could go on and on about The Chamomile but I want you to read the book. It is action packed and will keep you putting the book down. You may want to be sure to have some tissues handy. The author has done some major research for this book. Even though you know it is Historical fiction you still get some actual facts from history and go away from this book feeling as if you have just had a very good lesson in Colonial History.  And the way the author describes the locations and costumes it actually made me feel as if I were an onlooker, a part in the book.

I found this great fun video of the "Swamp Fox Song".  

Hope you enjoy it!

 

I highly recommend this book.

I gladly rate this book a 5+ out of 5.

Disclosure
I won a copy of this book from the author on Colonial Quills blog. I was in no way compensated for this review. It is my own opinion.

Colonial Quills: Lemon Tart

This was posted on Colonial Quills 
by Carrie Fancett Pagels 
on Sunday, October 23

Colonial Quills: Lemon Tart: (Contributed by Susan Craft)


Take six large lemons, rub them well in salt, put them into salt and water and let them rest 2 days, change them daily in fresh water, 14 days, then cut slices and mince as fine as you can and boil them 2 or 3 hours till tender, then take 6 pippins (apples) pare, quarter and core them, boil in 1 pint fair water till the pippins break, then put the half of the pippins, with all the liquor to the lemon, and add one pound sugar, boil all together one quarter of an hour, put into gallipot (small earthen pot) and squeeze thereto a fresh orange, one spoon of which, with a spoon of the pulp of the pippin, laid into a thin royal paste, laid into small shallow pans or saucers, brushed with melted butter, and some superfine sugar sifted thereon, with a gently baking, will be very good.


N.B. pastry pans, or saucers, must be buttered lightly before the paste is laid on. If glass or China be used, have only a top crust you can garnish with cut paste, like a lemon pudding or serve on a paste.


This recipe is taken from First American Cookbook – A Facsimile of American Cookery, 1796 by Amelia Simmons.


Susan Craft is the author of The Chamomile, a historic, romantic suspense, a SIBA “Okra Pick”
Published by: Ingalls Publishing Group
Date: November 2011


Susan Craft is also the author of three books: A Perfect Tempest, The Chamomile, as well as Laurel, the sequel to the Chamomile, which will be published November 2012 books. Her website is http://www.susanfcraft.com




I won a copy of The Chamomile on Colonial Quills.  Thanks!