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Escape to the Maroons blog tour includes an exclusive excerpt. Sample, share, comment, shop, and follow Sarandipity’s.
Book Details
September 1st – 5th, 2025
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Publisher: Historium Press
Pages: 275
Genre: Historical Fiction
In 1792, an escaped slave, raised and living as white, is discovered and forced to flee into the Great Dismal Swamp.
Barely escaping a bounty hunter, a Maroons community of fugitive slaves rescues him. Over time, Nathanial comes to accept his true identity while fighting to overcome the suspicions of his new community. Because of his pale skin, he becomes a conductor on the underground railroad, slipping runners onto ships going north. On one of his missions, fate intervenes and places Nathanial’s community at risk.
This little-known chapter in American history tells how escaped enslaved people gave their all to live free while creating a community and economy in one of the world’s most unforgiving environments.
Book Title and Author Name:
Escape To The Maroons
By Mike Weedall
Blurb:
In 1792, an escaped slave, raised and living as white, is discovered and forced to flee into the Great Dismal Swamp.
Barely escaping a bounty hunter, a Maroons community of fugitive slaves rescues him. Over time, Nathanial comes to accept his true identity while fighting to overcome the suspicions of his new community. Because of his pale skin, he becomes a conductor on the underground railroad, slipping runners onto ships going north. On one of his missions, fate intervenes and places Nathanial’s community at risk.
This little-known chapter in American history tells how escaped enslaved people gave their all to live free while creating a community and economy in one of the world’s most unforgiving environments.
Buy Links:
Universal Buy Links:
Ebook: https://geni.us/eRthZgH
Paperback: https://geni.us/RM5o
Hardcover: https://geni.us/AVs7
Excerpt #4
Nathanial Reflecting On His Fate Now Tied To Living In The Great Dismal Swamp
Tonight, I can’t sleep. Even though exhausted, my mind won’t stop. It doesn’t seem to be cooling off much. If I drag my sawdust mattress outside, there might be a breeze.
It’s a little better out here. Not a cloud in the sky, and every star feels so close I could touch them. Coffey shared what he knows about the stars. There’s the North Star and Little Dipper. Over there, Orion is rising. The Hunter’s Belt is how I remember it. But that long, bright band is something Coffey knows nothing about.
I wonder how my step-parents and sister are doing. I miss sis the most. She loved to read, so it was always interesting to see what she discovered. The three of them gave me everything they could. I worry they are suffering because of me. What a world. Take a baby in and get punished for following the lessons of Jesus.
Reading the Bible to Miss Matilde has me thinking. If God is kind, why is this world so cruel? Whether one gets a fair chance or suffers slavery is random. Why would God do that? Why give me a good life, then snatch it away? Is he testing me?
I hear a harmonica and a sweet voice from down the way. I can’t let anyone see me cry, but how I wish I could be with my family again.
Author Bio:
As the author of three books, Mike’s passion is finding the little-known stories of history and bringing them to life. History in school is too often events and dates. Mike seeks to discover the people who lived those events and reveal why those individuals made the decisions they did. Ultimately, there are stories to be mined, and who doesn’t love a good story?
In his historical novel “Escape To The Maroons,” Mike tells the little-known story of 1791 self-liberated slaves who chose to struggle for survival in The Great Dismal Swamp in their determination to live free. The term Maroons delineates areas where escaped slaves fled and could not be recaptured. It’s estimated that over 2,000 survived deep in the swamp around the turn of that century.
His first book “Iva: The True Story of Tokyo Rose” describes the tragic life of Iva Toguri. Trapped in Japan during World War II, this Japanese American woman was forced to work for Radio Tokyo. Although she never participated in propaganda, the racial animus of post-war America led to her being falsely labelled as Tokyo Rose and prosecuted for treason. Through her incarceration and the ongoing discrimination heaped upon her, Iva never lost her courage and determination.
“War Angel: Korea 1950” was his second book that followed a reservist nurse thrust into the carnage of The Korean War. Serving as an operating room nurse in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, the real MASH and strength of a woman is revealed.
Mike resides with his family in the Pacific Northwest where they enjoy experiencing the outdoors.
Author Links:
Website: https://www.MikeWeedallAuthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094196717126
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/mike-weedall
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mike.weedall8
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mike-Weedall/author/B082J6MMN2
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5681426.Mike_Weedall
Thank you for hosting Mike Weedall, with an intriguing excerpt from his fascinating new novel, Escape to the Maroons.
Take care,
Cathie xo
The Coffee Pot Book Club
Thank you for posting my new book. The little-known story of courageous people is one more should be aware of. This is particularly true given efforts by the current US administration, which is acting to deny the darkest chapter in American history–slavery. Recently, the agency that manages the Great Dismal Swamp refuge, where several Maroons existed, was ordered to remove all signage and eliminate literature that referred to the Maroons. The parallels of how 1791 Southern authorities sought to cover up the horrors of slavery and actions by our government today are striking. Countries must learn from their mistakes, not deny them.