It was quite an adventure writing Thor’s character and I’m so thankful that readers have enjoyed that aspect of the story so much! It effects nearly everything about him to the way he is around others, to the way he walks, and even some of his skills that he’s honed due to his Deafness. His lack of hearing became the very makeup of who he is, beginning from childhood and into manhood. For me, it went much farther than simply writing a man who couldn’t hear sound, or who communicated through Sign Language. I found it quite a process to write from Thor’s point-of-view. It was an immense challenge, but one I really enjoyed. What was it like writing a Deaf character? Because of this, there is much at stake still and while The War Between the States is a bygone era, the tensions and beliefs that clashed during that time, are still alive and active in the novel. They lease land from a former slave holder and have a freedwoman living with them who helped raise them from boyhood. It’s this generation that raised children and even grandchildren, with their mindset, passions and outlook, so it’s greatly affected the younger generations, including the “sons” in the story-the Norgaard brothers. Several of the older characters fought in the war, while others are now freedmen and women who once were slaves. In Sons of Blackbird Mountain, everyone has been effected by the war on some way. With the novel set post-Civil War, what aspects of the war play a role in the novel?
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