5 Novelists of Frontier Fiction

Of all my novels, Between Two Shores is set most firmly in the wilderness and involves the most interaction and conflict between native peoples (Mohawk and Abenaki) and European colonists in North America, so it is my most frontier book to date. (Set in New Orleans right after it was founded, The Mark of the King does include some native unrest and negotiating as the French vied for alliances, and A Refuge Assured is partially set in the wilderness of northern Pennsylvania, but with a half-Mohawk heroine in Between Two Shores, my latest release is far more entrenched in native-European relationships.) I'm eager to share with you five other novelists who write frontier fiction, but first, let me invite you to my Book Banter Facebook party for Between Two Shores. It's Tuesday, March 5, 7-8pm Central on this Facebook event page. Hope to see you there!

Now. If you’re hungry for more fiction set in the frontier, try any of the following authors:

Lori Benton

I already mentioned her novel Burning Sky in a blog post here, but I recommend all her books, especially Many Sparrows, The Wood's Edge, and A Flight of Arrows. Wait no, especially all of them. You  just can't go wrong with Lori Benton for 18th-century fiction.

Laura Frantz

Laura Frantz is another no-fail author. Any book you choose from her will leave you wanting more. For books set on the frontier, I recommend The Frontiersman’s Daughter, Courting Morrow Little, The Colonel’s Lady, and A Moonbow Night.

Michelle Griep

Michelle Griep is perhaps most known for her fiction set in her beloved Regency England. But The Captured Bride, part of the Daughters of the Mayflower series, is set in during the French and Indian War in 1760 with a heroine who was raised in New York by Mohawk people, and her novel The Captive Heart is set in 1770 South Carolina. I love Griep's characterizations and attention to historical detail!

J.M. Hochsetler

J.M. Hochstetler deserves a lot more buzz than I have seen for her phenomenal research and storytelling skills. She wrote The American Patriot series about the American Revolution, but for today's post, let's focus on her Northkill series: Northkill and The Return. Easily two of the most gut-wrenching books I've encountered, and they are based on real people, captured by a party of Delaware and Shawnee Indians in 1757.

Naomi Musch

I haven't yet had time to read Mist O’er the Voyageur by Naomi Musch, but the premise is so intriguing! The story opens in 1807 in Montreal and follows a Metis woman who disguises herself as a man to become a voyageur and search for her fur-trader father. 

Which of these have you read and enjoyed? Which are you adding to your "Want to Read" list?

P.S.

This is slightly off topic, but you should still know that The Mark of the King is only $1.99 or less as an ebook until March 31. Find it at Amazon, ChristianBook, and BarnesandNoble. The story is about a wrongly imprisoned midwife who trades her life sentence in Paris for exile to the floundering French colony of New Orleans.