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In 1976, I fell in love with genealogy. Over the next forty-six years, I amassed a collection of thousands of photographs and documents related to my family heritage. Most importantly, I spent countless hours listening to my MamMaw (grandmother), and my great-aunt tell stories about my ancestors.
During that time, I published several Genealogy books. In September of 2022, I completed a book that had been the dream of a cousin. He had inherited Civil War letters that had "lived" in a pillowcase inside a chair cushion for 158 years. Before realizing his dream, he passed away. Hot on the heels of publishing this work came my sixtieth birthday.
Turning sixty may have been the reason I allowed my older sister to shove me out of my wheelhouse. Older sisters can be pretty bossy. She kept encouraging me to try my hand at writing a book. I intended to write a short story based on our great-grandmother and a few events in her life. Two weeks later, I presented her with a 264-page rough draft of Emma. She read it, insisted I let other family members and friends read it, and the next thing you know, here we are.
I enjoyed writing Emma so much and received such positive feedback about the book that I have completed the second volume in the Heritage Series, Celey.
Who could have known that a Junior High School History assignment would turn into a passion for genealogy and become a love of writing historical fiction novels?
Reviewed by Kayleigh Perumal for Readers' Favorite
Emma (Heritage Series) by Susan Diane Black Blackmon tells the story of a family marred by grief. When Emma’s mother, Jane, dies during her nineteenth childbirth, Emma’s father, Ben, is left numb. He blames Jane’s mother and the doctor for not being able to save Jane’s life. Emma, who was three at the time, can only remember the songs that her mother used to sing to her and a vague memory of her face. Ben realizes that the children need someone to care for them and he decides to marry Matilda. But Matilda is cruel and selfish – only caring about wealth and status. She abuses the children (including her daughters), and Ben turns to drink to drown out Matilda’s voice. When Ben sends Emma away to live with her sisters, she is deeply concerned about what will happen to the farm under her stepmother’s supervision.
Susan Diane Black Blackmon’s Emma (Heritage Series) is a historical novel based on the life of her great-grandmother. The author expertly weaves fact with fiction, leaving readers with an intriguing tale in which it is easy to become immersed. Emma’s romance with Charlie also parallels her father and mother’s love story, adding an element of symmetry. One of the key themes of the book is how the past is intertwined with the present. If Ben does not confront his sorrow, he is doomed to lose the farm to Matilda, and with it, the memories that he most cherishes This is an apt choice if you enjoy pastoral period pieces.
