Amanda's Secret

by Jamison Borek

Twelve-year-old Amanda seems to have everything any girl could ask for - a nice plantation home just outside of Williamsburg, Virginia, loving parents, even a brand-new grown-up ball gown for the upcoming Twelfth Night ball. It's like a dream - and like a dream, she will all too soon awaken. Little does she know, the ball will be the last night of life as she's known it - how drastically things will change! There are secrets in Amanda's past that were hidden from her all along and nothing is what she thought it was. "Just you wait," the spiteful servant Jane predicts gleefully, "this is only the beginning. Next they'll be coming for you, to take you away." Amanda isn't one to sit passive in the face of disaster, though. She resolves to find the truth and to change her fate. Set in colonial Virginia in 1772, Amanda's Secret is the heartwarming story of a young colonial girl who confronts misfortune with resourcefulness, determination, and courage, and her quest to make everything right.

Genres: Historical Fiction

130 pages, Paperback

First published December 10, 2013

About the author

I love mysteries and always wanted to write them. When my husband and I became involved in 18th century "living history," I realized that the late 1790's were a fascinating time and decided to set a mystery series in that period. My job as a lawyer and diplomat at the US Department of State left little time for working on it, however, until I retired. Then "Patriots & Poisons,"a 1797 mystery in which John Adams is accused of trying to murder Thomas Jefferson, really began to take shape. The next in the series, "Secrets Worth Killing For," should be available in November of 2016.

"Amanda's Secret" and "Amelia's Dream" (published under my nickname Jami Borek) developed thanks to two handmade "18th century" style dolls. I got them to entertain children at various events and demonstrate 18th century clothing. I named one Amanda after a friend's daughter and the other Amelia, and then started to make up a story for them - these two books (and at least one more to come) were the result.