Charleston, SC, March 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Just released for fans of Civil War-era historical fiction and stories about the perils of slavery, Bound and Determined: The White Slave of Oryza Hope Plantation aims to give readers an incredible coming-of-age journey. Readers are invited to join Johnny, a young man of incredible resilience and physical strength, as he traverses the perils of poverty, deceit, his fractured family, and the brutality of slavery.

In 1815 Charleston, South Carolina, the struggling widow Esther Fowler and her son, Johnny, catch the attention of a wealthy rice planter named Charles Smith. Smith predicts an economic boom in his region but faces a shortage of field workers for his plantation. Smith coerces Esther into sending her teenage son Johnny to work on Oryza Hope Plantation alongside Black slaves. On the plantation, Johnny faces language barriers, daily abuse from an overseer named Tillitson, and the ever-present threat of venomous snakes. While Smith indulges in social events and a mulatto lover, Johnny longs to return home to his mother and best friend, Billy. One day, the slaves inform Johnny that his mother and sisters have relocated to North Carolina. They urge Johnny to take his stubborn brother, Elvis, and make the two-hundred-mile journey to reunite with his family. Uncertain if the message is true, Johnny must decide whether to flee the plantation or remain in a place devoid of happiness.

Bound and Determined tells a story of determination and courage and will appeal to readers who love family sagas and historical fiction set during the Civil War Era. The novel is based on actual events in the life of the author’s ancestor.

Bound and Determined: The White Slave of Oryza Hope Plantation is available for purchase online at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com.

About the Author:

S.C. Fowler inherited his love of reading from his bibliophilic parents, a passion shared with his siblings. At the tender age of nine, Fowler began his literary journey in the pages of the Bible and Mark Twain. In college, he studied foreign language and American literature. Retired from a career in the transportation industry, the author and his wife reside in Iowa with two cats and a surplus of fishing equipment.

Media Contact: S. C. Fowler, sbfowler5360@gmail.com

Available for interviews: Author, S. C. Fowler

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• Bound and Determined: The White Slave of Oryza Hope Plantation

Leah Joseph
Palmetto Publishing
publicity@palmettopublishing.com