In its earliest incarnation Savannah of Williamsburg was nothing more than a simple, contemporary, twenty-page children's book titled The Capital Squirrel . Set in Washington, D.C., it was the wee adventure of a wee squirrel living on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol building and exploring the country's capital city from within the pocket of a friend, the fictitious Senator Sheridan. My Miss Savannah Prudence Squirrel didn't even have a name back then!
That wee tale I sent to Mrs. Barbara Bush as a simple thank you to her for past years of grace, manners and kindness to the country as our first lady. It was nothing more than a little gift from an admiring, American girl. In keeping with said-grace and -manners, this is what she sent back to me. Today, well into finishing the fourth book of what evolved into my Savannah of Williamsburg series of historical-fiction novels, I still cherish this note and use it as inspiration when the details and subject matter of an oncoming American Revolution prove almost too much to which my brain and tenacity can attend. Thank you, Mrs. Bush!
In the 237 summers which have come and gone since July 4th, 1776, the date has increasingly become a juncture for white sales and auto dealer blowouts. In fact, lost amidst the mall madness and car lot carnivals is a simultaneously fascinating and pedantic period of committee meetings, assignations, rewrites, copies, messengers, vote-taking and gallons of coffee, ale and wine. As I currently scribe the fourth novel in my six-part, historical-fiction series of books, Savannah of Williamsburg, Independence Day takes on a more front-and-center appearance than usual as research takes me through the 1750s, well into the meaty burgeoning of colonial revolution.
Savannah of Williamsburg devotees have been anxiously awaiting Book IV in my 18thC. historical-fiction series. Well, pour some tea and put up your feet, folks ... be prepared to wait a little longer. Happily, my non-Savannah writing affords me a bevy of opportunity: as of late, covering various comic book conventions, reviewing the odd TV series, interviewing other writers and some producers and actors, to boot. As I am inextricably bonded to geek culture, I heartily enjoy writing in this genre. Although, because it is raw-ther niche, the more I write, the more call I get to do so. It's a nerdy, vicious cycle, my pretties. Unfamiliar with some of my geek oeuvres? Find them at GoodToBeAGeek.com, under the pseudonym Miss Hannah Hart, ghostdame of the Hotel del Coronado, and syndicated at RocketLlama.com and, soon, Nerdspan.com!
An able, disinterested, public-spirited press, with trained intelligence to know the right and courage to do it, can preserve that public virtue without which popular government is a sham and a mockery.
-Joseph Pulitzer
Whilst May 5th, Freedom of the Press Day, is still a few weeks away, this week in April is notable for a formidable individual whom strove throughout his life to keep that freedom strong, well-trained and powering forward like a Wild West steam engine thrusting across our vast nation.
Publisher Joseph Pulitzer was born April 10, 1847 in Budapest, Hungary. Emigrating to America toward the end of the Civil War, he fought with Union forces for a short period; yet, thankfully for us, battlefield horrors soon took a backseat to what would become a lifetime of inky fingers.
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No Voltaire-styled, Twain-pithed or New Yorker-length posts here today. Simply a bit of fabulous, a smattering of so many things I love, all rolled into one savvy and styling auto advert: Rococo style, 18thC. sartorial flair, classical ballet, Baroque opera, a thumping techno beat, silk mules and, if you know my writings well, anthropomorphic animals in Vogue-worthy vestments.
Bravo, Kia Soul! Your funky, furry, Hail Fellows Well Met might get me into a Soul yet: black, to be sure. To boot, this is just the kicking beat I need to light that Sun King-caliber firework under my tapestry-festooned panier to keep working on Book IV of my Savannah of Williamsburg Series of historical-fiction novels: Savannah of Williamsburg: Washington's Folly and The French & Indian War, Virgina 1755.
Amusez-vous bien, mes amis!
What a pleasant surprise Savannah of Williamsburg is. At first glance I thought a story about a squirrel who comes to Colonial Virginia, dressed in pretty frocks and traveling with a steamer trunk and a violin would not be my cup of tea. But I’m game, so I started reading.
In a springtime issue of Next Door Neighbors magazine, author Jennifer Susannah Devore was interviewed by Suzi Drake about from whence the idea for the series originated, how the author was enjoying her new life on the East Coast and what was next in the literary hopper.
Savannah of Williamsburg: Being the Account of a Young, London Squirrel, Virginia 1705 and Savannah of Williamsburg: The Trials of Blackbeard and His Pirates, Virginia 1718 are discussed in the interview.
Mrs. Wyn Williams' fourth-graders at Yorktown Elementary Math, Science and Technology Magnate School in Yorktown, Virginia honoured the author immensely by putting on a play of the first book in the Savannah of Williamsburg Series. Ms. Devore's favourite scene? The duel between William Byrd II and Sir Roland Graham, of course!
Savannah of Williamsburg: The Trials of Blackbeard and His Pirates, Virginia 1718 made front page news in the Lifestyle section of the Virginia Gazette. One of the oldest newspapers in the country, having first printed its weekly editions in 1736, the Gazette and its founder William Parks are actually the focus of Devore's follow-up title, Savannah of Williamsburg: Ben Franklin, Freedom & Freedom of the Press, Virginia, 1735.
As of late, yours truly has been greatly distracted and engaged by the likes of my dear pal Miss Hannah Hart, ghostdame of the Hotel Del (her latest piece being a gracious and geeky ode to Charles Dickens, Mark Twain and Leonard Nimoy on the former's 200th birthday); my Darlings of Orange County and it's forthwith release; the launch of my website JennyPop.com and the great fun of being @JennyPopCom.
In those spare moments when I'm not Tweeting, blogging, editing, primping, ghosting and pirating, I have been dutifully and diligently researching, developing and gathering facts, dates, details and tidbits like a perky squirrel gathering perfect branches and bits of shiny, gold string for her new nest. Sans doute, this next installment of Savannah of Williamsburg is proving the most difficult yet of all past titles.
THE COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG FOUNDATION
OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
P.O. BOX 1776
WILLIAMSBURG, VA 23187-1776
(757) 220-7286
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 21, 2008
Media Contact: Penna Rogers
(757) 220-7121 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
WILLIAMSBURG AUTHOR TO SIGN CHILDREN’S BOOKS AT Williamsburg Booksellers THROUGHOUT THANKSGIVING WEEKEND
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Williamsburg author Jennifer Susannah Devore will sign her latest book, “Savannah of Williamsburg: Ben Franklin, Freedom & Freedom of the Press, Virginia 1735” during the Thanksgiving weekend at Williamsburg Booksellers, 101 Visitor Center Dr. The book signings will be held 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 28, 4 to 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 29 and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 30.
“Savannah of Williamsburg: Ben Franklin, Freedom & Freedom of the Press, Virginia 1735” is the third book in the “Savannah Squirrel Series of Books.” A series of historical fiction and fantasy, “Savannah of Williamsburg” brings adventure and early American history together as it ties Williamsburg and its influence to all the colonies’ wildest events and people.