As his pa lies dying, Timothy Michael O'Hara, 12, promises he will leave the Allegheny Mountains he loves, and head east to find his appointed guardians. Wise in the ways of the mountains and survival, Tim begins his journey of self-discovery and manhood, vowing to fulfill his pa's wishes. Even so, he doesn't like them. He doesn't know what he wants most in the world; he just knows that going east isn't it. Tim avoids two known thieves in the Allegheny, only to be kidnapped by these same thieves and their bond-slaver partners in the Shenandoah Valley. If he can't escape, he will spend the next 15 years in bondage, and what he has discovered about himself, and what he wants for his future, won't matter one whit. Down from the Mountains is an historical adventure novel for the Middle Grade readers, set in the fall and winter of 1774-1775, just after the beginning of the Revolutionary War in faraway Massachusetts.
About the Author: A native Texan, Mary Lois Sanders is the daughter of a Baptist preacher and a Baptist preacher's daughter-Dr. Ray and Jester B. Summers, both of whom were published authors in their special fields of expertise. They both loved music as well. Perhaps her love of both writing and music are in her genes, who knows? But she grew up loving to write, and also found she had a talent for singing. To this end, Mary Lois worked on her high school newspaper, wrote stories she never showed to anyone, and took voice and piano lessons. The voice lessons took, the piano just barely passed. As she tells it, her most obvious talent, then, upon entering college, was singing, so she chose to major in music, with dreams of someday singing at the Met. Two degrees from Baylor University and one degree from seminary followed-a Bachelor of Music with a Voice Performance Certificate, a Master of Music in Vocal Performance and Music Literature; and a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Church Music/Vocal Performance. Her writing skills had become focused on academic articles and papers. After teaching for quite a few years, Mary Lois married and continued to act as minister of music in several churches, while beginning again to focus on writing, this time Bible Study curriculum for children and their teachers. Soon she branched out into the secular markets, with nonfiction articles in Cobblestone, Calliope and other periodicals. Her short stories have appeared in Boy's Life and several anthologies. The Vision Seeker (CJP 2013) was her first novel published. She is planning on two more in the series, based on the history of the Tuscarora. The Spirit Journey of Timothy Michael O'Hara is the first novel in her American Revolutionary series for middle grade readers. Mary Lois is a member of SCBWI, Florida Writer's Association (FWA), and Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA). She's also Publisher/Managing Editor of Creative Writer's Notebook, a monthly newsletter for writers, and owner of Court Jester Publications.