BY ACCIDENT OF BIRTH
A Novel by Thomas E. Simmons
TouchPoint Press
BY ACCIDENT OF BIRTH, a novel, is an epic that traces the tumultuous life of Bethany Quinn. All her life a beauty in the eyes of others, Bethany Quinn considers herself a “freak” because of the circumstances of her birth and “fortune’s whore” because of the war-shadowed path she is compelled to follow. Conceived through violence, she continues life along an often bloody path that carries her from childhood into womanhood, from rural postwar Reconstruction Mississippi to the Caribbean, from war-scarred Paris to civil war in Cuba. There are two loves in her life, one lost to the Orient, the other, a wounded prisoner of the Spanish. At one point she sinks to the edge of madness from the part she plays in an unintended disaster. With help, she finds the will and strength to recover only to be swept up in yet another war. All aspects of the work are controlled in a flowing and creative style that plays within the confines of historical events and geographical settings, a sweeping tale full of drama, passion and adventure spanning the less traveled period from the end of the Civil War to the beginning of World War I (1863-1915). By Accident of Birth suffuses well- researched, factual incidents with fiction in a seamless manner that gives the reader historic realism during a memorable and exciting journey. By Accident of Birth is the sixth book by Simmons.
- Martha H Sullivan, retired Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, Tulane University.
From page one, I was drawn into the life of BB Quinn. Immediately, there was the vision of a montage of Scout, Scarlet O’Hara and Elizabeth Swann; a spunky, gorgeous, raven-haired, green-eyed Tom-boy who never had ‘can’t’ in her vocabulary. Raised by Negro nannies and men of stature (a doctor and a gun-runner), she learned her manners as well as how to handle guns and men; both of which she would never really trust. You could not help but cheer her on and keep turning pages. I craved more at the end, but I won’t have to wait long. The sequel, The Last Quinn Standing, will be out soon. This is a book I will purchase and give as gifts for years to come. Bravo!
- CJ Loiacono