PUTNEY-Local author Jessie Haas will present on the process of researching and writing her latest novel, Dearest Blood: A Romance of the Revolution, at Putney Public Library on Tuesday, June 9, at 6:30 p.m.
Dearest Blood is a biographical novel inspired by the true story of Fanny Montresor, a young woman with a secret identity whose love and loyalties crossed both sides of the American Revolution.
Set in Westminster in 1775, the first section takes Fanny through the turmoil that led to the Westminster Massacre. The novel then shifts to 1783 when Fanny, now a young widow, returns to Westminster hoping to recover her Tory stepfather’s confiscated land. Also on the hunt for that land is Vermont hero Ethan Allen.
Haas grew up in Westminster on a farm owned in 1775 by a militiaman who fought at Bunker Hill. Her writing career has been dominated by a love of horses and history. She sold her first book, Keeping Barney, a month before graduating from Wellesley College.
Forty-one books later, she has award-winning picture books, poetry, novels, and nonfiction to her credit, including four books about Westminster. She is the president of the Westminster Historical Society, and an expert on the Westminster Massacre. She owns two Morgan mares, and continues to farm, garden, and ride on the home place.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.