New Release & Interview – Soldier’s Joy by M.F. Jones
Synopsis
Avery Gowan is barely home from Iraq when a ghost appears to him—one that looks disturbingly like him. The apparition says that Jessie Gibbs, a woman he’s just met, can help him escape the guilt of the mission that killed three of his friends and maimed another.
A few days earlier, at a service honoring his family’s Civil War relative, Lemuel Sanders, Avery was drawn to Jessie’s quiet strength and calm presence. Jessie, a musician, had been camping with her Civil War-style band the previous year when she discovered Lemuel’s unmarked woodland grave, leading to his identification and proper burial after 145 years.
Jessie and Avery begin a relationship, but his anger, recklessness, and self-doubt threaten to tear them apart. When the ghost saves him from a deadly motorcycle crash, Avery hides the truth about his spectral guardian, afraid Jessie will see him as broken beyond repair.
But Jessie is hiding something too—a secret about her true connection to Lemuel Sanders that may cost her Avery’s love.
The sequel to the award-winning Stones River, Soldier’s Joy nonetheless stands alone as a haunting, emotionally charged story about how the past refuses to stay buried, how healing demands facing it, and how love gives the courage to do so.
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Interview
Thank you for the chance to talk about my writing and my most recent book, Soldier’s Joy, Book II of The Sentinel Heart Trilogy.
What do you hope your readers take away from this book?
The hero of Soldier’s Joy, Avery Gowan, is haunted by guilt from the mission he led in Iraq that killed three of his friends and caused a fourth to lose both his legs. Avery finds healing in three major ways: through his love with Jessie; in his friendship with two older veterans; and in orchestrating a project to provide his double-amputee friend Hunter Trask with the resources he needs to build an independent life. I hope this message of the healing power of human connections, of being a force for good for other people, comes through as one of the major takeaways from the book.
What is the significance of the title?
“Soldier’s Joy” is a sprightly fiddle tune that was popular in the Civil War era. It may seem ironic at first, in that Avery, the soldier-hero, is anything but joyful, but by the end it expresses his newfound happiness with Jessie and the friendships he has made or renewed in the course of the novel.
What is the future for the characters? Will there be a sequel?
The sequel, Bright Canaan, Book III of The Sentinel Heart Trilogy, will be published next year. It tells the story of how the ghostly Civil War soldier, Lemuel Sanders—who is a central figure in Stones River and Soldier’s Joy – played a pivotal role in the lives of five women: his mother, Ruby; his sister, Polly; his 19th century sweetheart, Louisa; his 21st century lover, Jessie; and Avery’s mother, Sally. One of these women will help Lem find eternal peace at last.
Jessie and Avery will play a large part in Bright Canaan, building on the happiness they found in Soldier’s Joy, while helping each other bear a great loss.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
I find inspiration in reading and admiring how other authors use language and develop characters and stories that live on in my imagination long after I close the book. I’m also inspired by nature and get some of my best ideas when walking in the woods. I also get a lot of inspiration from my daily meditation practice.
Will you continue to write historical fiction, specifically about the Civil War?
I have been fascinated by the Civil War since childhood, and who knows?–After finishing The Sentinel Heart Trilogy I may be drawn to write about it again. But I have three other books finished and ready for final edits and publication, and they may come first. They’re very different from Stones River, Soldier’s Joy, and Bright Canaan. One, Invented Lives, is a contemporary novel about a friendship between two dog-loving women that turns toxic and threatens one woman’s beloved dog, as well as her new romance. Another, Ask the Animals: How Shelter Dogs Helped Me Make Peace with Life’s Biggest Questions, is a memoir of my years volunteering in an underfunded, overstressed urban animal shelter, and the heartache, joy, and ultimate sense of meaning I found there.
The last is my effort to write about an evil supernatural presence, in contrast to the benign character of the ghostly soldier Lem in the trilogy. It’s called Unholy Spirit and is about demonic possession in a girls’ boarding school. It scared me when writing it and I hope it will give fellow horror lovers some goosebumps.
About the Author
M. F. JONES is a former editor for Viking Press book publishers, and Redbook, Family Circle, and Reader’s Digest magazines. When not writing, she can be found reading, knitting (while listening to audiobooks), singing in a choir, or hiking in the beautiful Tennessee woods near the home she shares with her husband, composer Douglas Hedwig.
