Tom Hutchison
I've been a storyteller all my life, and I'm finally getting to the point of putting it down on paper for others to enjoy.
Solo, No Man's Woman... COMING SOON
Marie Elisabeth McMullen, wife of a Captain in the Union Army and mother of two, after living in affluence on a large estate, finds herself forced into homelessness by people who are soon to become her country’s enemies. Any attempt to join her husband in the New Mexico Territory would require a perilous journey of hundreds of miles across savage lands claimed by dangerous and extremely vengeful people.With a 13 year-old son whose body has been shackled by a seemingly uncurable disease, and a young but prodigious daughter on the cusp of becoming a teenager to care for, Marie is caught in a dilemma. To stay in her city would be perilous, but to go in search of her husband whose whereabouts—or even his survival—are unknown could lead to dangers beyond her comprehension.At rare moments in time, an exceptional offspring emerges from the norm, a rare individual who defies all the laws of nature. A child enters life’s arena possessing an exceptional gift of music, science, knowledge, physical strength, or an astounding awareness of nature’s secrets.Lana Marie McMullen, “Loni,” as she prefers to be called, is such a child. Before she has grown her permanent teeth, she possesses an enviable use of the harpsichord, can ride a horse like a coat of paint, and shoot a gun better than most men. Her ability to communicate with animals is a wordless spiritual exchange that puzzles even the most educated of adults. She has inherited her mother’s beauty, her flame-red hair, and a double dose of Irish blood from both parents flows freely through her veins.Challenges that shadow her throughout her life are met with courage, strength, and determination. She is slow to anger and quick to forgive. Her mind is bright, her body strong, and her heart is open to love.Woven into the threads of Loni’s nature is an uncanny ability to detect evil and dishonesty. Now, all of these traits will be needed to prepare her for the challenging—sometimes violent—future that fate has in store for her in the years to come.