A Separate Country

In high school I was a huge Civil War buff, reading both fiction and non-fiction and seeing any films I could get my hands on. I knew about the various generals on each side, most of whom had attended West Point together as youths, and served in the US Army together before the secession. I read little information about what the defeated generals did after the war. Did the US Army take them back? Did they emigrate, leaving the land of their birth to start fresh somewhere else?

A Separate Country by Robert Hicks is a fictional story of Confederate General John Bell Hood's life after the War between the States. With an injured hand, and missing one leg, he moves to New Orleans from his native Tennessee and marries Anna Maria Hennen, with whom he has eleven children, including three sets of twins! The story is told through the eyes of Anna Maria, Hood, and Eli Griffin, a man who comes to New Orleans to kill Hood, blaming him for the destruction of his family and farm during the war.
The facts of Hood's life are accurate, and that alone would be a good story, but Mr. Hicks has given readers a real "what if" adventure, with Hood seeking personal redemption by working with yellow fever victims, and deciding to re-write his memoirs that he has already sent for publication. Instead of the grand glory of Army life, he decides to write about the blood, sweat, and regrets of his life, and that is what we are reading in this story.
I found A Separate Country interesting in the style of writing, as well as the depth of the characters, and the excitement of the different mysterious adventures with quirky secondary characters. The video below features pictures of the Hood family and is narrated by author Robert Hicks. It gives great insight into his love for his topic.
As part of the Book Blogger Appreciation Week Celebration of Books, Hachette has generously offered me three copies of this new release for my readers. We'll go with all the standards ways to enter, be sure to leave a separate comment for each different thing.

1. Leave a comment on this post stating that you'd like to win the book. Be sure that there is a valid email address attached to your profile or in your comment so I can contact you when you win. For the other 3 chances, if you already do them, still leave a separate comment so the random number generator gives you all your chances.
2. Become a Follower of the Evil Overlord,
3. Follow me on Twitter and/or Tweet about the giveaway (2 separate entries),
4. Become a Fan of my Facebook Page and/or share the giveaway on your wall (2 separate entries),
5. Let me know you are participating in BBAW also, with a link to one of your posts.

The 3 winners will be selected on Sunday, September 20, and notified via email.