These Sheltering Walls: A Cane River Romance (42 page)

Dear
Reader,

            I
hope you enjoyed Henry and Gideon’s story. The idea for this book came one
night in late October when I saw a young man sitting alone on a bench in the
middle of the night. At first I thought he looked suspicious, and then I
wondered, as writers usually do, if there could be another reason for him to be
out there. What if he knew he looked like a criminal, but was keeping someone
safe? And so arrived the idea of Gideon, a man who was trying to rebuild his
life after committing a crime.

            The
Cane River Creole National Historical Park is only a few miles from
Natchitoches, Louisiana. The history preserved in the outbuildings and the
plantation houses is worth a day visit or two. I tried to make Henry’s daily
life as accurate as possible, but I did take a few liberties, since the real
site doesn’t run large tours and exists mostly as a self-guided park.

            Angola
Prison, where Gideon was an inmate, does have an agreement with small private universities,
like New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, to provide college scholarships
to a few prisoners. Since a law was passed barring prisoners from qualifying
from Pell Grants, these programs are one of the few avenues for a prisoner to
get a higher degree.

            Thank
you for spending time with Gideon and Henry. I hope you enjoyed their story as
much as I enjoyed writing it! The next book in this series is called “Only
Through Love” and will release July 30
^th
.

            Blessings,

 
           
Mary Jane