Stepping Back in Time
One of the blessings of being a writer is getting to know other writers. This year, I had the pleasure of meeting KATHLEEN FULLER at the Romantic Times Convention. We were instantly drawn to each other because of our love for history. I’ve had the pleasure of reading her work and I can’t wait for you to meet Kathleen and learn a wee bit about what sparked her newest release. Take us to another world, Kathleen:
The catalyst for writing the Everlasting Faith series was from my own family. When I was young I always wondered why my Papa was Irish but spoke with a thick Scottish brogue (at least it was thick to my young ears). I discovered that my great-grandfather’s family emigrated from Ireland to Glasgow during the Great Famine. I wanted to explore that part of my family history and also learn how people during that time kept their faith under such desperate circumstances.
The most surprising thing I learned during my research was that Ireland and Scotland had parallel diasporas going on at the same time. The Great Famine is well known, but what is lesser known are the Scottish Highland clearances that had started in the late 1700s and continued throughout the 19th century.
Many of the poorest Irish ended up immigrating to the Scottish Lowlands, Glasgow in particular because of the ship building and factory work available. Meanwhile in the Highlands, landowners, often Scottish lairds, were evicting their tenants in order to rent out their land for sheep grazing, which brought the landowners large profits at the expense of the poorer farm tenants. Many Highlanders ventured south looking for work and a place to live. Thus there was a convergence of Irish and Scottish in Glasgow during this time.
Never Broken is the story of these Irish and Scottish immigrants, people from different countries who are forced to survive and thrive together by leaning on each other and their faith.
To get a sneak peek into my research visit my Everlasting Faith Inspiration Board on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/kathyfuller/everlasting-faith-series-never-broken-never-forsak/
Bio: Kathleen Fuller is the bestselling author of over 30 books, including the Hearts of Middlefield series. A former special education teacher, she received her B.S.E in Early Childhood and Elementary Education and her Masters in Special Education (emphasis on Teaching the Blind and Visually Impaired) from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Kathleen, her husband James, and their three children split their time between Ohio and Arkansas. When she’s not writing, Kathleen loves to travel, swim, watch football, eat more chocolate than she should, and spend time with her family. To find out more about Kathleen visit her website at www.kathleenfuller.com
