Historical Fiction
Date Published: July 24th, 2025
Publisher: Acorn Publishing
What’s left of a man’s soul when everything he loves is taken from him?
It’s 1864, and Gabriel Cooper couldn’t care less about the civil war raging around him. Framed for crimes he didn’t commit, he’s been sentenced to a Confederate chain gang, where swampland justice rules and alligators prey on the unwary.
So when Colonel Robert Tremont rides into camp offering freedom in exchange for fighting on the front lines, Gabriel jumps at the opportunity. He thrives as a soldier, but the end of the war leaves him adrift.
Gabriel ends up in New Orleans, where he meets Simone Livingston, a fiercely independent woman with hidden scars of her own. Kept on a tight rein by her overbearing father, Simone only wants freedom—and the enigmatic Gabriel.
But Gabriel has unfinished business and a mind for vengeance. Will he be able to create a peaceful life with Simone or will his greed and thirst for retribution keep them trapped in a dangerous web of deceit—a web Gabriel fears can only be untangled with murder.
Is There a Message in Your Novel That You Want Readers to Grasp?
I think I wrote this book with more questions than answers. I’m great with questions that start with “What if…” and am often fascinated by where those scenarios take me. My book lays out the scenario of choices given to people based on the time period and place in society they lived in. What did they do with those choices? Would that be something the reader could relate to? What makes the reader think or make connections in their own life? This could be an attitude, one action out of many that occur in the book. Maybe my message would be, “think about the choices you make and why.”
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Making sure details and timelines are accurate.
There is a tremendous amount of research that goes into historical fiction and
I always felt I could do more research to make everything more authentic, more
precise, so the reader felt they were in the moment and at the location I was
describing. After a while, I would have to let the details rest and trust that
I had done a good enough job. I’m always tempted to re-work the prose; I am my
own worst critic.
How many books have you written and which is your favorite?
This is my first novel, although I’ve been writing since I was seven years old. I have a second novel completed that I have not introduced to the publishing world yet, plus several children’s manuscripts and screenplays, all waiting to be shopped around. I also have novels 3,4, and 5 sitting in my head, ready to make it onto paper.
If You had the chance to cast your main character from Hollywood today, who would you pick and why?
Wow, I’m really inexperienced in handpicking
actors, but maybe Josh Hutcherson for Gabriel? He seems to have that determined
look and adaptability across roles that would play well for an assassin. I’m
definitely out of my wheelhouse here, LOL.
When did you begin writing?
I wrote my first poem at seven years old.
How long did it take to complete your first book?
The idea started about 30 years ago and bounced
around in my head as I traveled through life. Finally, I really settled down
with it around 2013 and felt it was ready for submission by 2019. With Covid
which shut down so much networking in an already very competitive market, it
was picked up by Acorn Publishing LLC in 2024.
Did you have an author who inspired you to become a writer?
I always wanted to write, but was an avid reader
as soon as I learned the printed word. I was enthralled with many of the iconic
greats of yesteryear who inspired me to want to be better, always be better.
These included, Irving Stone, Irwin Shaw, Taylor Caldwell, Leon Uris, among
many others.
What is your favorite part of the writing process?
When I get to a scene that I have envisioned in
my head and I finally get to put it on paper. It is almost surreal because it
flows so beautifully at that point and I feel as if I have a achieved a
milestone in my vision for a story.
Describe your latest book in 4 words.
(Not a published work at this time)
A story of controversy
Can you share a little bit about your current work or what is in the
future for your writing?
I gather my ideas from the world around me, so
each book is very different for me and the research therefore takes me to
different places and times around the world. I love that and I think I will
always embrace that as a writer. As always, the ideas start with a question,
usually, “What if…?” I’m not afraid to reach into the dark side of human
thought where the real struggle for resolution often takes place, so I will
likely always have deeper issues in my books that hopefully will make my
readers stop and ponder.
About the Author
As the quintessential queen of “what if,” Jean Kravitz channeled her active imagination to pen her debut novel, Scars of Sand and Soil. However, achieving her childhood dream of being a published writer was not a straightforward path.
Jean earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in human development and aging from the University of California, San Francisco. She went into clinical research in pharmaceuticals, but left her career when her children were born. Then, she picked up writing again, honed her craft, published articles in a small newspaper, and passionately immersed herself in historical research.
Jean has many interests, including reading, gardening, needlepoint, and learning new languages. She lives in Southern California and has a husband, two daughters, and two cats, Lenny and Penny.
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1 Comments
This looks like a very intriguing novel. Thanks for sharing.
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