Sibylline Press is happy to announce that 1666: A Novel by Lora Chilton is out today, April 2nd 2024! 
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(Grass Valley, CA)— The survival story of the Patawomeck Tribe of Virginia has been remembered by members of the tribe for generations, but the massacre of Patawomeck men and the enslavement of women and children by land hungry colonists in 1666 has been mostly unknown outside of the tribe until now. Author Lora Chilton, a member of the tribe through the lineage of her father, has created this powerful fictional retelling of the survival of her people.
Told in first person point of view through the perspectives of three women, this historical novel gives a harrowing account of the Patawomeck women who were sold and transported to Barbados via slave ship. The women are separated and bought by different sugar plantations, and their experiences as slaves diverge as they encounter the decadence and clashing cultures of the Anglican, Quaker, Jewish and African populations living in sugar rich “Little England” in the 1660s. The desire to return to the land they call home fuels the women as they bravely plot their escape from Barbados. It is because of these women that the tribe is in existence to this day.
1666: A Novel is based on oral tradition and uses indigenous names for the characters and some of the Patawomeck language to honor
the culture and heritage that was erased when European colonization of the Americans began in the 16th century. The book explores the Patawomeck customs around food, family, and rites of passage that defined daily life before the tribe was condemned to “utter destruction” by vote of the Virginia General Assembly. The book includes a glossary for readers unfamiliar with the language and names.
About Lora Chilton: A member of the Patawomeck Indian Tribe of Virginia, Lora Chilton interviewed tribal elders, researched colonial documents, and studied the Patawomeck language to create this story. Chilton graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing. She has worked as a Registered Nurse, a small business owner, an elected official, a non-profit executive and a writer. Memphis is her home. 1666: A Novel is her second work of historical fiction.
1666: A Novel by Lora Chilton | 4-2-2024 | Trade paper | ISBN: 9781960573957| Historical Fiction
Sibylline Press publishes the work of brilliant women over 50, exclusively and is distributed to the trade by Publishers Group West/Ingram.
Chilton will be embarking on a book tour to promote 1666 this month starting April 20th. In the new book 1666: A Novel, author Lora Chilton, a member of the tribe, imagines the legendary story behind the tribe’s survival based on written colonial records and tribal oral tradition. This fictionalized reimagining is told from the point of view of the two women who managed to escape slavery in Barbados and separately make their way back to Virginia. Their escape and return is why the tribe is in existence today.
To honor the women who suffered this ordeal and to pay tribute to the tribe’s ultimate survival in part because of these two courageous women, author Lora Chilton’s book tour will follow this imagined route from Fredericksburg through Richmond and Williamsburg to Hampton in Virginia.
The 1666 book tour will launch on April 20 at the Patawomeck Museum and Cultural Center with the 1666 Commemorate Day event. Ceremonies and festivities will run from 11 to 3 and include demonstrations of the Patawomeck traditions and culture, interviews with elders, speeches from those who are introducing the new bill recognizing the tribe, a 1666 book talk and book signing with Chilton, plus access to the museum, and much more.
Info on the Historic 1666 Route of the Patawomeck Women tour can be found here.