About 18 years ago, through my husband’s teaching of U.S. History to juniors in high school, I have become fascinated by the story of how our country began. When I researched the topic, I decided to write a novel from the point of an artist of the time. Not a soldier, not a political leader, nor a man who wanted to be drawn into conflict, John Singleton Copley, turns out to be the perfect protagonist.
What the Painter Heard tells the true story of that colonial artist who was born in Boston as a poor boy to a single mother. He loved painting and became a noted portraitist in the 1760s and early 70s. I imagine Copley is the perfect fly on the wall as he creates much admired portraits of both patriots and Loyalists alike. To distract his sitters, he asks that they bring a friend to keep them company while he hides behind his canvas, laboriously fashioning their images. To his surprise, they soon forget his presence, divulging secrets about the events that changed history. Not wanting to take sides in the conflict but because he had married into a prominent Loyalist family, he has to leave Boston in 1774 for London.
Fleeing to the continent to study the great Renaissance painters and then settling in London, Copley and his family soon find politics follows them across the ocean. He becomes friends with John Adams and others who love the new country, America. He himself is torn, caught between his loyalty to his new found position in London and his beloved Boston back home. His story brings history, art and the pressures of the day to life, for readers who love historical fiction, artistic careers, and how war affects all citizens, not just the soldiers or the leaders of the day.
My novel is available on Amazon in both digital ($3.99) and paperback ($15.99). The digital version has hyperlinks embedded in the text to lead the reader to sites on the internet to view the many paintings and maps included in the story. The paperback has the urls that the reader can type in to see the images.