I set my forthcoming historical novel , THE FALCON, THE WOLF AND THE HUMMINGBIRD (Sept. 19, Histria Books), in southern Connecticut where my sisters live.
Every summer when I visited them, we’d drive our kids from where they live among the oak forests of central Connecticut toward to the coast. We’d wind our way through salt marshes to beaches on Long Island Sound.
Everything about the land called to me: the plants, the tidal rushing of streams leading to the ocean, the salty breeze, the dunes. I could almost feel the spirit of the Mashantucket Pequot, one of many tribes that peopled the state before settlers arrived.
While I drew upon many sources to create fictional tribes for my book, which takes place before colonists, I drew heavily on what I learned at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center.
Set on beautiful terrain, the museum features gardens growing native crops and plants; a life-size replication of a Pequot village; and a top-notch research center. I especially enjoyed looking at old maps showing the number of tribes and approximate locations as noted by early European explorers.
If you're ever in that area, I highly recommend a visit!
The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation also owns and runs the nearby Foxwoods Resort Casino, so that’s another draw if you like that scene.
Have you ever been to Connecticut?
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For updates about Martha’s forthcoming books, news and giveaways, subscribe to her website: MarthaEngber.com.
THE FALCON, THE WOLF AND THE HUMMINGBIRD a historical novel, Sept. 19, 2023
BLISS ROAD, a memoir
WINTER LIGHT, a novel
THE WIND THIEF, a novel
GROWING GREAT CHARACTERS, a resource for writers
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