A Breath of Snow and Ashes


A Breath of Snow and Ashes opens in the year 1772 on the eve of the American Revolution. Even in the backwoods colony of Fraser's Ridge, NC, people are rebelling at the increased taxation by the British, with no representation for the people who are forced to pay the Crown more money every year. Word of the Boston Massacre has reached the Frasers and their neighbors, and, in fact, one of the novel's characters was involved in the event. The American colonies are in turmoil. Tension builds as isolated cabins are burned in the wilderness and families murdered. North Carolina Governor Josiah Martin asks James Fraser to help unite the backcountry population, including the Native Americans, in support of the King. However, Jamie knows about the revolution to come. His wife, Claire, has traveled back in time from the twentieth century, as have his daughter Brianna and her husband. They are well aware that it's only a matter of a few years before the start of the War of Independence.

Looming over the Frasers is the threat of a tiny newspaper clipping from The Wilmington Gazette, dated 1776, which Claire discovered before returning to the 18th century. The article reports the destruction of the house on Fraser's Ridge, and the death by fire of James Fraser and all his family. Claire and James know from experience that it is not possible to change or effect future events, but they are determined to do all in their power to prove the newspaper report wrong.