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I write historical fiction and blog about how yesterday shows up today. I'm one of those people who did NOT hate history in school. I loved it. I believe that roots, origin stories, and past experiences shape individuals, communities, and cultures. I know nothing is black and white and I like to explore the gray areas, even when it leads to more questions than answers. I bring my lifelong obsession with history, a PhD in American history, and experiences working at history museums to create authentic past worlds in my writing. Sign up to receive my newsletter. Get to know me. |
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Books
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"Hackford's writing is crisp and poignant ... a powerful novel, as affecting as it is provocative."
--Kirkus Reviews Folly Park
What does it take to destroy the place you love most in the world? The remarkable discovery that her ancestor—the wife of a Confederate general—gave birth to a biracial baby during the Civil War sets Temple Preston on a mission to uncover secrets from her family’s slaveholding past. But when she sparks a backlash in her hometown, Temple must decide how much she’s willing to lose to tell the truth. Folly Park explores how race, place, and history intertwine to shape our identities, and how friendship and love have the power to help us find our better selves. Support independent bookstores and order on Bookshop.org Preorder on Amazon. Preorder on Barnes & Noble. "A haunting tale of a struggle for integrity in the face of familial corruption. Timely, engaging, and evocative." —Adele Holmes, author of Winter’s Reckoning |
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I enjoyed speaking with Theresa Bakken of Desideratum about Folly Park. Listen to the podcast.
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On A Stony PlaceThe Puritans were nothing like you thought they were.
In 1664, in a remote New England town, prosperous farmer Matthias Holman is brutally murdered in his own barn. Overwhelmed by fear, the close-knit community is unraveling at the seams when the ailing magistrate summons an outsider—an enlightened man of science—to investigate the crime. Repelled by the pious Puritans, the sophisticated and handsome Edward Whitney Crewe is certain he will find hypocrisy and evil among them—and he’s right. Gossipy Goodwife Peach, the magistrate’s housekeeper, exposes the passions and secrets that simmer beneath the staid surface of the town, and heedlessly pursues her own investigation and throws her neighbors into turmoil. In a race against time, Crewe must bring the murderer to justice before the townspeople take matters into their own hands and tear the community apart. Purchase On A Stony Place on Amazon. "Once in a very great while, a book grabs hold of me immediately, making me dread the moment the story will end. On a Stony Place is such a read." – THF "The book was like a time machine that delivered me into the past to meet a cast of strange and interesting people.” – JK |
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