Author Terry Segan talks about her second novel, Precious Treasure, a paranormal mystery with a spirit from the Civil War.  (Her first book, Photographs in Time, involved time travel.) Terry enjoyed researching the Civil War for her novel. Here’s a tidbit about what she discovered:

“In Precious Treasure, the most interesting part to write was the Civil War journal of the young Confederate soldier. It took quite a bit of research to understand the life of the soldiers in that time period. Besides tracking down facts about their clothing, food, and military habits, I also looked up actual letters to get a feel for their written words. It surprised me with how formal many of the letters sounded.” To read more on what Terry discovered, keep reading.

 

What’s the fun part of writing and why?  

My imagination tends to spiral out of control, which makes writing fun for me (and frightens my husband at times). I love being able to make up stories which cause a reader to laugh, cry, or sleep with the lights on while questioning every unidentifiable noise they hear in the next room.

 

Why did you write Precious Treasure?

Some of my favorite mysteries are those with a dual timeline. While this book takes place in modern times, I wove in journal entries of a Confederate soldier during the Civil War. The setting of Long Island, NY, is where I grew up.

 

How does your main character feel about dating?

Since Janie’s husband disappeared eight years prior, she hadn’t given any thought to a new man in her life. While she accidentally stumbles into a relationship, the first emotion to consume her is guilt at betraying her husband. Once she allows herself to believe he would want her to have a happy life, she sees the possibilities of a new love.

 

Tell us something about yourself.

I wish I’d discovered your blog about middle-aged dating a decade ago! Newly divorced in 2012, I eventually ventured into the world of on-line dating. That’s how I met my current husband and soul mate. We’d both been dating for a couple of years, so by the time we found each other, our profiles were almost identical. While relationships are about compromise, I’d learned the valuable lesson of selecting as opposed to simply settling. Everyone deserves a chance at happiness—why not stack the deck in your favor?

 

 

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

Travel. I’ve always had the travel bug, and my husband and I take trips as often as we can. Our favorites are weekend trips (long or short) when we hop on the motorcycle and usually head for water.  Sometimes it’s the beaches in Southern California, the Colorado River near Parker, AZ, or the reservoir in Pine Valley State Park in Utah. My husband counts himself lucky to have found a woman who can travel with only a small backpack for luggage.

 

Blurb for Precious Treasure

Eight years ago her husband disappeared. Does a hundred and fifty-year-old journal hold the answer as to why?

Janie Holcomb prays for closure once the courts declare her missing husband dead. Instead, she’s sent spiraling down a dangerous path.

When her lawyer delivers a package held in trust, she finds a cryptic warning along with a Civil War journal promising buried treasure. While seeking a connection between her spouse and the decades-old diary, Janie attracts the spirit of a Confederate soldier pleading for help.

Enlisting her brother’s assistance to chase down clues, they discover that not everyone they know should be trusted. Janie overlooks potential threats when the promise of new love stirs her emotions. Will her digging uncover the answers she craves or doom her to a similar fate?

 

Excerpt from Precious Treasure

 

Janie dragged herself out of bed and into the bathroom. Turning on the tap to fill the sink, she bent over and splashed cold water on her face. The refreshing drops rolled down her forehead, cheeks and chin, pulling her out of her funk. Sightless, Janie reached for the hand towel hanging nearby and dried her face as she stood upright. Opening her eyes, she leaned in to examine the damage of the late night on her complexion. Her reflection looked back, as well as that of a young man standing behind her. Janie’s heart leapt to her throat as she whipped around and found no one there. Looking back in the mirror, she saw only herself.

This is too much, she thought. First nightmares and now hallucinations. Janie shook her head. With the assault of information thrown at her in the last twenty-four hours, her imagination cartwheeled out of control.

Knowing the visions were a result of the wine, newspaper articles and journal, didn’t calm the raised hackles on the back of her neck. The foreboding in Brian’s letter snaked its way up her spine threatening to encircle her throat and squeeze tight. His writing had a tone of uncertainty and fear—uncharacteristic of the man she had married.

 

About the Author

Terry Segan resides in Nevada. The beach is her happy place, but any opportunity to travel soothes her gypsy soul. The stories conjured by her imagination while riding backseat on her husband’s motorcycle can be found throughout the pages of her paranormal mysteries. Here she is in her beach office.

 

Socials

Author Website: https://terrysegan.com/

Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/AuthorTerrySegan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/terrysegan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SeganTerry

 

Buy Links 

Amazon book link: www.amazon.com/dp/B09PJXMD9Z

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/precious-treasure-terry-segan/1140834503

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/precious-treasure

Speed Round

 

Favorite movie: Shirley Valentine
Favorite book: The Eight
Last book read: Casino Queen

Worst date ever: Being stood up

Your character’s worst date ever: Hasn’t happened yet
Favorite color: Blue
Stilettos or flipflops or sneakers: Flipflops
Coffee or tea: Coffee
Ebook or audiobook or paperback: Ebook
Pencil or pen: Pen

Favorite song: It’s Time

Streak or not: Not

Favorite dessert: Cheesecake

Favorite junk food: Potato Chips

Favorite thing to do to relax: Motorcycle Ride (backseat)

Champagne or gin: Champagne (gin is evil)

Paranormal or Historical: Paranormal

Wonder Woman or Top Model: Wonder Woman

Favorite TV show: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Hot or cold: Hot

POV: First person

I’d die if I didn’t have: Coffee (or is that others would die?)

My character would die if she/he didn’t have: Family

 

 

Special note from the author about the research for Precious Treasure

 

• April 16, 1862, the Conscription Law (draft) was enacted and men 18-35 years old were conscripted to join the Confederate army and serve 3 years.
• They didn’t take anyone younger, but some teens wanted to do their part in the war. When they were asked to swear under oath they were over 18, they wrote the number 18 on a paper and put it in their shoe. This way, they wouldn’t be lying when they swore they were ‘over’ 18.
• I don’t have notes on the Confederate gray uniforms or Union blue uniforms. But there was a special regiment of Union soldiers who wore green uniforms. They were the 1^st United States Sharpshooters put together by a man named Hiram Berdan. He gathered the best sharpshooters from all the Union states. Their weapons were a .50 Sharps, which was a breech-loading rifle—meaning it loaded from behind. The weapons used by the Confederates had the ammunition being loaded into the barrel, forcing them to stand up to reload. This made them more apt to be seen by the enemy and shot.
• The bugle call was a large part of the soldier’s day. It told them when to rise in the morning, when to report for roll call, when to eat, and when to retire.
• Their food, or rations as they were called, consisted mainly of hard-tack (flour and water biscuits), salt pork or beef, apples, and coffee.
• The Confederate soldiers would sometimes trade coffee to the Union soldiers in exchange for tobacco. Each side would wave a flag of truce then approach.
• By the end of 1862 the Confederate army was short on shoes. Some of General Lee’s army were barefoot.