To Stand on Solid Ground

As a nation faces civil war and slavery is on the risk of collapse, a mountain community must make difficult choices; ones that involve life or death. Ones that risk shattering the bonds between family and friends.North Carolina secedes from the United States of America the same day Transylvania County is formed. It is the same day Robert Hamilton is appointed as its first sheriff. Many in the community share Robert's opposition to slavery and his public plea to avoid secession, but the call to fight for, and support, the South is louder and clearly expected. Robert must find a way to uphold his oath as sheriff and be true to his conscience, even if it means bending the rules. Yet, he cannot do this alone. Calling on a few close friends and family, Robert hopes to avoid discovery, but there is a problem. Elizabeth Neill, the daughter of his deputy, pursues her interest in a Confederate soldier and harbors a growing suspicion that the Sheriff and his family have secrets. At the same time, her friendship with Pink, a young slave, challenges her na ve perspective on slavery. As the war rages, the newly-formed county must decide how to confront hunger and ruthless bushwhackers, neither of which honor Union nor Confederate loyalty. Based on real people and real events, To Stand on Solid Ground brings to life an unusual relationship between Confederate loyalists and Union sympathizers. The story is a deeply human take on the Civil War and the multiple battlefronts that challenged this mountain county and its people; struggles which our nation still faces today. To Stand on Solid Ground does more than merely report historical events; it transports the reader back in time to face the profound need to support each other in a time of intense polarity. It offers insight and hope fitting to our current political divide.