Greenville, SC -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/06/2013 -- The spring of 1864 formed a vital turning point in the course of American history. While often lost in the barrels of time, author William E. Sherrill brings the period back to life in his compelling new historical novel.

Telling the tale of both men fighting for their country and women fighting to keep their families together, ‘A Sound of Distant Thunder’ is poised to resonate with readers around the world.

Synopsis:

A Sound Of Distant Thunder is Historical Fiction taking place during the last year of the American Civil War as it was experienced in Virginia. It centers on Petersburg, Virginia, where the citizens have managed to avoid most of the hardships of the war. That situation changes as the story opens in the spring of 1864. After failing to advance upon Richmond through direct attacks, the Union Army of the Potomac moves undetected in the direction of Petersburg. The arrival of a Union Calvary advance marks the beginning of the interest that the Union Army has with the city of Petersburg. The Army of the Potomac arrives shortly thereafter, and it does not leave until the city has endured nine months of siege. The siege only ends with a horrible death march to Appomattox Courthouse, where the Army of Northern Virginia is finally forced to surrender. A Sound Of Distant Thunder tells of both the men fighting in the Army and the women fighting the battle of the home front. Each was a difficult struggle in which the participants were scratching and clawing for life.

This story follows the Stoner family, who live on the outskirts of Petersburg and become embroiled in the hardships associated with the siege and the clash of the two mighty armies, each bent on the destruction of the other. Jacob Stoner, the patriarch, has managed to keep his family somewhat sheltered from the storm of war, but when his youngest son, Paul, fights with the militia to keep Union Calvary out of Petersburg, it starts the entire family on a path from which there is no turning until the siege is finally lifted and the men and women have endured months of extreme hardship.

This novel also examines and comments on the relationships that bond people to one another and the situations that both strengthen and erode those relationships. If there is a villain in this novel, it is the war itself. What do good people do in the midst of situations over which they have no true understanding and absolutely no control? Sometimes people don’t get to choose what happens to them in life. They can only choose how they respond to their circumstances. A Sound Of Distant Thunder looks at some of those responses.

As the author explains, his book focuses on a critical portion of American history.

“It depicts the battle of the Wilderness, the Bloody Angle at Spotsylvania, the siege of Petersburg, the destruction of the Shenandoah Valley, the Federal Prison Camps at Point Lookout, Maryland, and Elmira, New York, the death march from Petersburg to Appomattox Courthouse, the surrender at Appomattox, and the home life of those who did not fight in the actual battles,” says Sherrill.

He continues, “This novel is extremely accurate regarding the history of the Civil War that it depicts. Every action portrayed was taken from diaries, letters, and historical accounts of those times. It is also important because it studies and portrays the emotions and relationships - the love, the anger, the hatred, the worry, the friendship, and forgiveness - associated with people who experienced such a brutal period of American history.”

Since its release, the book has garnered a consistent string of rave reviews. Jan Ballew said, “It is obvious that Mr Sherrill has spent a prodigious amount of time in research of the conflict, in breathing life to his people, and in creating a believable story of personal and cultural conflict.”

Another reader was equally as impressed, saying, “Historically accurate work with very good character development. The emotion experienced by the characters is readily felt by the reader and draws one in to the story.”

‘A Sound of Distant Thunder’ is available now: http://amzn.to/12nVtdn

About the Author: William E. Sherrill
William E. Sherrill was born in Bryson City, North Carolina, and currently lives, works, and writes in Greenville, South Carolina. He is retired from a military career that spanned from the era of the Viet Nam War to that of the War in Iraq. He has also spent many years working in the field of Nuclear Medicine. A Sound Of Distant Thunder is his first novel.