Of Spies and Slaves

Become acquainted with the brave heroine from Jane Singer’s novel, Alias Dragonfly!

When teenage Pinkerton spy, Maddie Bradford, lands in the seething, pestiferous broth that is Washington, D.C. during the Civil War, slavery is legal and will be until April 16, 1862.

Her boss, Alan Pinkerton, a known abolitionist who aids escaping slaves, as well as using them as invaluable helpers and spies, exposes Maddie to a network of black operatives working out of her aunt’s boardinghouse. She forms an especially strong bond with her aunt’s cook, Nellie, and her son Isaac, a young man who hides escaping slaves in the cellar.

The grim doings of slave catchers become all too real for Maddie. Death and the specter of death haunt this heroine as she must find a way to help her friends while risking her own life. She is still a spy in training and must prove her worth.

Alias Dragonfly by Jane Singer is on sale for $0.99 until February 15th!
   

This Fall The New York Times website will feature a photo essay from our very own Nell Dickerson, author of  GONE. More details to come

A gorgeous collector's edition

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the (start of) the Civil War. Commemorations, discussions, and lots of re-enactments are being scheduled by history buffs and scholars. We’re pleased to contribute this special project to the mix: GONE: A Photographic Plea for Preservation. Memphis architect and photographer Nell Dickerson (www.nelldickerson.com) combined her fine-art photographs of antebellum ruins with “Pillar of Fire,” her late cousin Shelby Foote’s acclaimed Civil War short story about the burning of a home by Union Troops.

The combination resulted in this beautiful coffee-table hardcover book (with dust jacket and deluxe case.) You can pre-order now at Amazon.com. The book goes on sale in mid-April.

Nell is tentatively scheduled to contribute photos to a New York Times (online edition) feature this spring. We’ve got our fingers crossed. I’ll be posting some of the interior pix as we get closer to publication. Reviewers can email me (editor@bellebooks.com) for access to a special full-color pdf of the book.