A Dream of Daring

AWARDS FOR A DREAM OF DARING:

Finalist in Regional Fiction, 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Awards

Finalist in Multicultural Fiction, 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Awards

Recommended by BOOKLIST, FOREWORD, and MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW.

For readers of historical novels and thought-provoking fiction, here’s a new mystery and romance with a wholly original plot, set just prior to the Civil War, from the author of two award-winning novels, Gen LaGreca.

When a visionary inventor threatens the entrenched powers of the Old South, the result is murder.

Tom Edmunton, the science-minded son of a cotton planter, has designed the precursor of the tractor in antebellum Louisiana. He foresees a new age of mechanized farming that will empty the fields of men and supplant the South’s slavery system. But the planters of his town don’t like his big ideas about changing their world or the intensity with which he’s pursuing them.

As Tom hears the call of the new age, he also feels the pull of two women. Rachel, a senator’s daughter, loves him, but will she break with her family to stand by his side when the town rebukes him? Solo is the unbridled grassland filly, the feisty mulatto slave who despises Tom, along with every other man from the race that binds her. Rachel is free, but is her spirit chained? Solo is chained, but is her spirit free?

Tensions between Tom and the planters peak, and the tractor is stolen. “Then a shocking murder sets into motion inextricably linked events and revelations that will change life as they know it for Tom, Rachel, and Solo” (BOOKLIST).

Set at a crossroads of United States history, with an old epoch tumbling and the modern age gaining ground, this novel portrays the power struggles and clashing visions for the future of the people caught in the tumult.

This is a haunting tale of the Old South, with its sweeping fields of white-gold cotton, its majestic plantations, its elegant gentry, and its embattled slaves. Capturing the turbulent lead-up to the Civil War, this gripping work of historical fiction is a tribute to the timeless call of freedom that sounds in every person's heart. A ringing maverick spirit gives the novel widespread appeal beyond its historical genre.

As it delves into the souls of those who want to harness nature and those who want to harness other men, the novel poses questions for our own age: Which camp is on the rise today? Will it save us or destroy us?

A DREAM OF DARING STRONGLY APPEALS TO READERS OF:

Mystery, romance, and historical romantic suspense novels,

Multicultural and interracial romance,

United States and Civil War historical fiction,

Libertarian and thought-provoking fiction, and books with inspirational and important themes.

A DREAM OF DARING: inspiring the spirit through the enchantment of fiction.

SEE THE REVIEWS! Scroll down to see the enthusiastic Editorial Reviews for this exciting novel.

DON'T FORGET TO LOOK INSIDE! Go to Amazon and click on the LOOK INSIDE feature by the book cover to read the absorbing first pages.

EDITORIAL REVIEWS FOR A DREAM OF DARING:

“Throughout the narrative, LaGreca masterfully creates metaphors to explore her key themes. . . . A DREAM OF DARING is suspenseful. The crime at the center of the narrative will keep the reader guessing until the final revelation. . . . LaGreca’s exploration of how people respond to, and sometimes reject, change and progress is relevant for all generations.”

—ForeWord Reviews

"Old ways do not fade into the night quietly. A DREAM OF DARING is a novel set on the dawn of the industrial revolution. Tom Edmunton builds a proto-tractor, and tries to bring a world of change about Louisiana with his invention. But the whiplash is hard, as a loved one is killed, and his invention is stolen. (As Tom is) faced with a crossroads and the charms of multiple women, A DREAM OF DARING is an enticing blend of mystery and romance, much recommended reading."

—Midwest Book Review

"In 1859, Louisiana posed various challenges to its citizens, no matter their color, in LaGreca's thought-provoking second novel (after Noble Vision, 2005), a murder mystery set during a tumultuous period in American history. . . . (This tale) should attract readers interested in historical fiction set in the antebellum South."

—Booklist

“Grab your seat for a tumbling ride back to the high-stakes, hoop-flying, tumultuous time when cotton was king. Gen LaGreca takes you for a jaunt in her carriage through fields of fragrant words, luscious descriptions, and panoramic views. Hang on as the road gets bumpy, with zesty characters stirring up the dirt and sudden plot twists swerving you onto uncharted paths. Wait, the hooves have left the ground and you’re airborne till the end. You’ll come back excited, enchanted, and enlightened.”

—Barry Farber, host of The Barry Farber Show and author of Cocktails with Molotov

“I thoroughly enjoyed the plot twists and turns, the passionate inter-racial romance, the delicious rebellion against convention, and the challenge to subjugation of all kinds.”

—Marsha Familaro Enright, President, Reason, Individualism and Freedom Institute

“This is a heroic and inspiring novel that’s also packed with rich insights, lessons—and warnings—for today."

—John Blundell, author of Ladies for Liberty: Women Who Made a Difference in American History

AWARDS FOR THE AUTHOR'S FIRST NOVEL, NOBLE VISION:

ForeWord Magazine, Book of the Year

Finalist in General Fiction

Writer’s Digest 13th Annual International Book Awards

Honorable Mention in Mainstream Fiction

Midwest Book Awards

Finalist in General Fiction

Illinois Women’s Press Association

Second Place in Fiction Contest

A DREAM OF DARING is published by Winged Victory Press, Chicago, [www.wingedvictorypress.com](http://www.wingedvictorypress.com), inspiring the spirit through the enchantment of fiction.

Genevieve (Gen) LaGreca is a Chicago novelist who writes stories with imaginative plots, strong romance, and individualist themes. Her first novel is the award-winning medical thriller Noble Vision. Aside from fiction, Gen also writes social commentary. Her articles have appeared in Forbes, The Orange County Register, The Daily Caller, Real Clear Markets, Mises Daily, and other publications.

Gen has a third novel finished and in editing, which she plans to publish by early 2014, and she has completed the screenplay adaptation of Noble Vision. For more information, see [www.wingedvictorypress.com](http://www.wingedvictorypress.com).

Contact Gen at genlagreca@hotmail.com

Follow her on:

[www.facebook.com/genlagreca](http://www.facebook.com/genlagreca)

[www.twitter.com/genlagreca](http://www.twitter.com/genlagreca)