I have written about war, disasters, fairs, sheds, caves, malt shops, drag races, taverns, reporters, librarians, and teachers enough times to make even a casual reader suspicious. On occasion, I even recycle settings — like Southern California, New England, and the Pacific Northwest — because I never tire of their lasting appeal. I go back to the well.
In Class of '59, the plot was simple enough. Through the magic of time travel, two sisters from 2017 met two brothers from 1959, worked out a few kinks, and began a series of adventures in the present and the past. The older siblings clicked immediately. The younger ones did not. In the end, both couples, along with the boys' mother, settled in 2017.
In the Stone Shed trilogy, I flipped the script. Noah and Jake Maclean, brothers from 2024, traveled back in time and met Abby and Rachel Ward, sisters from 1776. The younger siblings clicked. The older ones, at least initially, did not. In the end, all four protagonists, despite some predictable difficulties, decided to remain in the perilous past.
When I created this series, of course, I wanted to do more than write about couples who bridge time and differences. I wanted to write about generals, spies, battles, and life in the age of muskets, mobcaps, and spinning wheels. I wanted to explore the American Revolution.
So I did. Before writing a word, I immersed myself in the 1770s. I read books, perused journal articles, and watched documentaries about the nation's founding. I brought myself up to speed on a fascinating era.
Yet even as I waded into history, I did not forget that this story was first and foremost about people and relationships. I often reminded myself that the Stone Shed novels, like Class of '59, were ultimately about two adventurous couples discovering each other and their limits.
I reminded readers too. Early in The Patriots, Jake, 15, and Rachel, 14, greet each other as he rides past her rural Pennsylvania estate on July 31, 1776. He tips his hat. She offers a wave. The time traveler and the merchant's daughter don't know each other, but they will. With subtle, curious smiles, they plant seeds that will last a lifetime.
With a few spoilers, here is a candid look at the Stone Shed series, a focused, immersive trilogy that is arguably my best work.
THE PATRIOTS (2024): Literally and figuratively, The Patriots is my War and Peace. It is a massive book that addresses not only war and peace but also society, class, and human nature. Like Leo Tolstoy's epic masterpiece, it is a sprawling story with a large cast of characters.
I am glad I did not. By eliminating a few storylines and tightening others, I was able to achieve each of my goals. I was able to tell the story I wanted to tell in one big book.
Set in Philadelphia, The Patriots is the tale of two orphaned brothers who inherit a mysterious stone shed and a host of family secrets when they bury their grandfather in 2024. The shed, located on their property, can send people and objects through time.
When Noah and Jake finally test their inheritance by traveling to 1776, they intend to remain in the past for only a few weeks. Then they meet the fetching daughters of a furniture maker and an educational field trip to the eighteenth century becomes a transformative journey.
From the start, I wanted to fill this book with history. So I featured giants like Ben Franklin and John Adams and gave cameos to George Washington, Lafayette, and Peggy Shippen. I cited historic events at every turn and seized opportunities to give readers a feel of a turbulent time. I gave Noah and Jake Maclean an adventure to remember.
Then I did something else. I repeatedly tested the resolve and commitment of four headstrong characters. I asked two young couples to give up everything for love. I did what I did in Class of '59.
As readers know, I did not do so lightly. To force the hand of the book's conflicted lovers, I put them through violent trials that produced as many tears as answers. I raised the stakes in a winner-takes-all game.
Though The Patriots, in 1770s time, spans only fifteen months, it is, for all practical purposes, a two-year novel. As such, it served as a template for books two and three in a trilogy that unfolds over six years.
Favorite Quote: In Chapter 98, Jake Maclean rides his horse to a safe position as a column of redcoats marches toward Philadelphia.
Jake did not look back. He did not even glance at the road until he reached the top of the ridge, a bushy clearing that loomed about a hundred feet over the surrounding area. He was afraid of what he might see. Then he looked at everything. From a high position that was hidden from the heavily traveled road, he watched hundreds of troops march around a wide bend in a perfect formation. He witnessed a foreign invasion. The British soldiers looked surreal. Wearing scarlet coats, white breeches, black tricorn hats, and black leather boots, they looked like extras from a lavishly funded Hollywood movie.
THE WINDING ROAD (2025): In The Winding Road, I reminded readers that the Stone Shed series was not just about Noah and Jake. It was also about the elderly relatives they had abandoned in 2024.
I liked writing this part of the story because I knew readers would be able to relate to it. Who has not been left behind to clean up a mess made by others seeking fun? Who has not worried about loved ones in dangerous situations? Douglas and Donna are the grown-ups in the series. Like Lachlan Maclean, the Keeper of the Shed in the 1770s, they are the people who act responsibly, put out fires, and take care of business.
Even so, Noah is the star. From the first chapter, when he rides off to war, to the last, when he rides back to it, he is the focus of the story. He joins the Continental Army, survives Valley Forge, fights with valor in the Battle of Monmouth, becomes George Washington's aide-de-camp, marries Abby, fathers twin boys, and survives a British manhunt.
Though I struggled with this book, I also had fun with it. I enjoyed developing Noah's relationships with Abby and soldiers like Jasper Jennings. Even more, I liked introducing a villain, writing a battle scene, and exploring the world of espionage, a key part of the rebellion.
I also liked sending characters on "day trips" through time. In The Winding Road, Noah travels to 2009 to get supplies for his comrades at Valley Forge and Jake and Rachel sneak off to 2024 to get guns and modern amenities for family members. Later, the teens travel to 1946, where they gather penicillin and spend a day in Atlantic City.
When Noah uses some of the guns to kill enemy soldiers, the British respond. They deploy an agent to investigate and eliminate the rebel officer with the "magic pistols." They put Malachi Maine in play.
I loved drawing Major Maine, though I admit I did not create him entirely from scratch. I modeled him after British Captain John Graves Simcoe, the cruel, sociopathic, and oddly refined villain in TURN: Washington's Spies. [The real Simcoe was apparently much kindler and gentler.]
Though I mostly tackled big subjects in The Winding Road, like war, liberty, and politics, I did not shy away from the little things that make stories special. I added spice to the narrative whenever I could.
Rachel gives Noah Snickers bars, acquired in 2024, as he rides off to war in 1778. Douglas compares FBI agents in his home to Mulder and Scully of The X-Files. Lachlan befriends a crow named "Curious Clive" before ambushing British soldiers. Abby, stirred by oysters and wine, seduces Noah on the last night of his leave. Like other characters in other situations, they reveal themselves in delightful ways.
Favorite Quote: In Chapter 42, Noah comforts Buttercup, his horse, before charging into British lines at the Battle of Monmouth.
"Listen, girl, I know you are nervous. I know this is new. I know I am asking a lot of you, but I also know you can deliver. I know it because I can see the roaring fire in your eyes. Today, you are not a workhorse or an old gray mare or even a girl. Today, you are freaking Man o' War."
LET TIME FLY (2025): As I suggested here on December 8, I like bringing stories to a conclusion. I like solving mysteries, answering questions, and tying loose ends. I like giving readers closure.
As many readers know, this is Jake and Rachel's story. The younger couple, secondary players in the first two books, come to life in this one. No longer playful, carefree teenagers navigating the treacherous waters of adolescence, they are bold young adults making their way in a dangerous world. Jake becomes a man in Let Time Fly. Rachel becomes a woman. Both take on duties and responsibilities their siblings have shouldered for years.
I took my time writing this novel. I did not want to rush a story I had developed in my mind for years. I wanted to attend to every detail.
In keeping with the spirit of the series (see above), I brought back tried-and-true themes. Heroines confront villains. Friends become lovers. Unlikely warriors face critical tests. Outcomes are foreshadowed and then realized. A number of wistful souls drive down Memory Lane.
In Let Time Fly, I used two thematic devices to propel and then end a thoughtful story — the sentimental sojourn and the reflective letter.
In the sojourn, Jake and Rachel travel to 1958, where they appear on American Bandstand. They celebrate their innocence one last time before letting go of their youth. In the letter, one of my protagonists looks back at the past fifty years and reflects on a life well lived.
If the second device sounds familiar, it should. I used it at the end of Indiana Belle, where Cameron Coelho sends a letter through time to his handler, Geoffrey Bell. Hollywood also used it at the end of TURN: Washington's Spies, where Abraham Woodhull sends a letter to his son and reflects on the decades following the American Revolution.
One final note: When I finished this series, a saga about two couples, I realized I did not include something that many consider essential to a good love story — a proposal. Though Noah "proposes" to Abby under fireworks on July 4, 1777, his actions are never described. Jake does not propose to Rachel at all. In the end, it does not matter. From the beginning, I indicate clearly where the couples are headed. Their future, unlike the future of the fledgling United States, is never in doubt.
Favorite Quote: In Chapter 36, Rachel Ward ponders two very different eras as she awaits her appearance on American Bandstand.
As Rachel awaited "Bandstand Boogie," her cue to pull her partner onto a large linoleum floor, she thought about how much different this time was from her time. She found the differences stunning and stark. In July 1780, Pennsylvania boys were farming, toiling in shops, and fighting a war for independence. Girls were cooking, sewing, and attending to babies many had as teenagers. All were working. Few were playing. In April 1958, teens were cruising in hot rods, eating hamburgers and fries in malt shops, kissing in cars in outdoor theaters, and cutting classes in school to get on television. They were having the time of their lives.
As I noted last month, I plan to set series aside. For the time being, I will write only stand-alone books. Though my future works will no doubt cover a wide range of time periods and themes, they will still feature the elements I favor most — time travel, history, and romance.
I will publish my next novel, a World War II story, this fall. As always, I will post updates, trivia, and important notes along the way.
Thanks once again to the readers who have supported my works over the past 15 years. I appreciate you more than you can imagine.
