I created this novel to be a saga of the Civil War in the year 1862. The controversy - Lincoln wanting to send blacks away to other countries because he didn't know what to do with all the freed slaves and didn't believe that blacks and whites could learn to live together.

But in creating this novel, did I make it too controversial? A relative of mine noted that she couldn't finish it. I feel really bad about that. There is an element of great shock in the first five chapters that needed to be there because of how I had to get Adam away from the ranch for his abduction. In the abduction, though, in order to save his life, I had to convince the slavers that he was a muley slave.

Have I gone too far? Or have I been able to carry it off? You decide, and let me know.

I had another reader incensed that I had the Cartwrights going for supplies more often to Carson City, rather than Virginia City. I wanted to include Carson City more, for the most logical reason that it is closer to Lake Tahoe. We have to remember that the TV series shows them in one activity per week. If they were a real family, they would be doing a lot more than what's shown!

Mystic Fire was published in 2009 and has yet to find its audience. Give it a try and let me know what you think!