A Partial Sun

The Tinsmith's Apprentice Series

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Pub Date Oct 01 2019 | Archive Date Aug 31 2022

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Description

In 1852, after much searching through the Black districts of Petersburg, Virginia, the amateur historian Charles Campbell finally located Isaac Granger, a formerly enslaved man who worked for the late Thomas Jefferson. Though disinterested at first in sharing his memories, Isaac was at last persuaded to tell the full story of his time in Philadelphia as a young man in the early 1790s. It was supposed to have been a simple story: he would apprentice with a Quaker tinsmith and then return to Monticello to produce tinware for sale in such abundance that Jefferson might pay down his plantation's crippling debts. But Isaac was impressionable and more thoughtful than Jefferson knew. Philadelphia was a big city, home to a thriving African-American community, and Isaac met all manner of characters: Billey Gardner, a formerly enslaved man who worked for James Madison; the dangerous and charismatic Dr. Cornelius Sharp; the Reverent Rich Allen; the hateful Daniel Shady, who could not abide that Isaac should learn tinsmithing at his side as an equal; the tinsmith's daughter, Rachel, who taught Isaac to read. Isaac got himself into difficulties, contemplated his place in the world, and was challenged to do more than just serve. Conflict was inevitable.

In 1852, after much searching through the Black districts of Petersburg, Virginia, the amateur historian Charles Campbell finally located Isaac Granger, a formerly enslaved man who worked for the...


A Note From the Publisher

This book is also available in eBook #9781945448409 $7..99

This book is also available in eBook #9781945448409 $7..99


Advance Praise

“Isaac’s adventures and misadventures highlight the complexities and nuances of slavery, even in the North. Bechtel’s deep research brings gravity and authenticity to that twisted American social culture. Isaac’s harrowing adventures on his trip to Philadelphia are worth the price of the book. I was truly sorry to find myself at the end of Isaac’s journey, and I welcome the author’s promise of a sequel.” - Rod Barfield, author America’s Forgotten Caste Thomas Day, Free Black Cabinetmaker


“[The author does] a wonderful job shaping Isaac’s character and sculpturing a plot that’s thoroughly engaging. [His] characters, good and bad, are all convincing, and the atmosphere and setting feels vivid and realistic.” - Ed Falco, Professor English Department MFA Creative Writing Program Virginia Tech

“Isaac’s adventures and misadventures highlight the complexities and nuances of slavery, even in the North. Bechtel’s deep research brings gravity and authenticity to that twisted American social...


Marketing Plan

* Media campaign

* Website with background materials, updates, recorded excerpts http://www.lawrencebechtel.com

* ARCs to select authors and historians

* Outreach to the business community via LinkedIn

* Social media campaign (Facebook; Instagram)

* Outreach to book clubs

* Book tour

* Appearances at Regional Book Shows

* Outreach to reading groups

* ARC giveaways to regional and national newspaper book review editors

* Targeted email marketing campaign

* Mailing and ARCs to independent bookstores

* Media campaign

* Website with background materials, updates, recorded excerpts http://www.lawrencebechtel.com

* ARCs to select authors and historians

* Outreach to the business community via LinkedIn

*...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781945448393
PRICE $17.95 (USD)
PAGES 398

Average rating from 7 members


Featured Reviews

A mostly engaging novel set in the 1800s. A good range of interesting characters have good dialogs in an entertaining story.

I really appreciate the advanced copy for review!!.

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A Partial Sun is a interesting and well written book. The characters are well developed and the storyline is unique.

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A Partial Sun is the first installment of The Tinsmith’s Apprentice Series, which is the fictional story of Isaac Granger Jefferson, a slave of Thomas Jefferson. Sixteen year old Isaac is sent to Philadelphia in 1791, where Jefferson is serving as Washington’s Secretary of State, to apprentice as a tinsmith.

The novel is the recollection of Isaac, fifty years later, telling his story to Reverend Campbell, a clergyman and aspiring historian.

This is impressive work. It will obviously appeal to early American history buffs – Bechtel does a masterful job of describing 18th century Monticello, Philadelphia and the intricacies of tinsmithing – but it is much more than an historical travelogue. The real Isaac Granger wrote a memoir and there is abundance of history on all aspects of Thomas Jefferson. Bechtel, mining the historical documents, has imagined a compelling, story that was engrossing from beginning to end.

It is not hagiography, nor is it revisionist history. To me, it felt honest and real. I look forward to the next installment.

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