The Convention: Massachusetts

Tales from a Revolution

by Lars D.H. Hedbor

1777, Surrender Was Just the Beginning of the BattleArthur Leary thought that his part in the Revolution ended when his generals surrendered their army to the Americans after the Battle of Saratoga. Little did he know that political maneuvering at the highest levels of British and American government would leave him and his fellow soldiers marching across the landscape for years to come... unless he could find a way out. The rocky soil of a New-England farm owned by fierce patriots to the American cause offered him hard labor, and harder choices -- choices which would shape his future, and that of his country.The Convention is the Massachusetts volume of the Tales From a Revolution series, in which each standalone novel examines the American War of Independence as it unfolded in a different colony. If you like exploring familiar history from unfamiliar viewpoints, you’ll love The Convention.

Grab your copy of The Convention today and see how even the most difficult defeats can sow the seeds of liberty!

195 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 17, 2021

About the author

What made the American Colonists turn their back on their King, and fight for independence? How were they different from us–and how were their hopes and fears familiar to our own hearts?

These are the sorts of questions that I think are important to ask in examining the American Revolution, and in the pages of my novels, I suggest some possible answers.

I am an amateur historian, linguist, cuckoo clock restorer, brewer, fiddler, astronomer and baker. Professionally, I am a technologist, marketer, writer and father of six.

My love of history drives me to share the excitement of understanding the events of long ago, and how those events touch us still today.

Reviews

[Avellina Balestri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated getting to read this unique slice of historical fiction which focused on a British soldier's experiences as a prisoner-of-war in the aftermath of the disastrous Saratoga Campaign. I liked the fact that the author gave him a particular location to call home, in the scenic farmlands of Northumberland, and avoided the stereotype of making almost all rank-and-file soldiers picked up from city slums or prisons. It was also interesting to consider the fates of those soldiers who decided to cut themselves off from all they had ever known in order to gamble on a new life in the new world. I would have liked to see more of Arthur's internal conflict about essentially becoming a traitor to his country in favor of survival and the likelihood of never seeing Northumberland again. I would have also liked to see more relational dynamics he has with his fellow soldiers in the POW camps and whether in the end he feels like he has betrayed them as well. I also would have liked more time spent building up the romance between him and the young lady he marries and how he bonds with her child, fathered by another man. But overall, as a farm girl, I must say I appreciate us agrarian types, from Old and New Worlds, getting the representation we deserve, and not letting city slickers steal every show! lol!

[Regina Kammer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable. I learned a lot of fascinating historical details! Bonus was a sweet romance.

[I do want to provide a content warning involving a plot line of assault against a woman. It does happen off-page, but it might disturb some readers.]

[Dale Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third I have read in this series - the first two being Maine and new Hampshire. Of the three I liked this one the best. I enjoyed reading the perspectives of both sides - from those of a British soldier and a Colonist family. Many details about the daily lives of the British troops, prisoners and life and farming on a New England (Massachusetts) land grant. I learned some new information that actually related to some of my own ancestors which made this book extra special for me.