Indigo (48 page)

The two letters in the
Indigo
prologue are products of my own imagination, but the account of a free man selling himself into slavery for love is based upon fact.

 

I
knowed a man name Wyatt, who was free. He wanted to marry a slave girl name Carrie, and he gave himself to Carrie's master, to marry her. He was crazy to do that. That love is an awful thing. I tell you. I don't think I would give my freedom away to marry anybody.

 

This quote from a former slave can be found in the book,
Bullwhip Days,
published by Avon Books in 1988.
Bullwhip Days
is a nonfictional compilation of the remembrances of former slaves. The Wyatt reference is one of the most startling pieces of information I have come across in my research, and it left me both fascinated and disturbed. (Can you imagine selling yourself into slavery for love?!) I knew I could not write a story about Wyatt and his Carrie. Being a woman of color, I feel that the harsh and painful realities of slavery have no place in the feel-good arena of mainstream romance—because there was nothing feel-good about it!

But I asked myself what if this couple had a daughter, and what if she were somehow able to escape slavery? Out of these questions grew
Indigo.

The abolitionist period of American history has always fascinated me, and thanks to such celebrated historians as Benjamin Quarles and Charles Blockson, I now have a truer sense of the crucial role played by Black abolitionists in the fight for freedom. If you would like more information, please look for the books I've cited below in your bookstore or at your local library. Remember, knowledge is power, but shared knowledge empowers us all.

 

Blockson, Charles L. "Escape from Slavery: The Underground Railroad,"
National Geographic,
July 1984, pp. 3-39.

Blockson, Charles L.
Hippocrene Guide to the Underground Railroad,
New York: Hippocrene Books, 1994.

Blockson, Charles L.
The Underground Railroad: Dramatic First-Hand Accounts of Daring Escapes to Freedom,
New York: Berkley/Simon & Schuster, 1989.

Bennett, Lerone Jr.
Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America,
New York: Penguin Books/Johnson Publishing, 1987.

Boyd, Melba Joyce.
Discarded Legacy: Politics and Power in the Life of Frances E. W. Harper, 1825-1911,
Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1994.

Litwak, Leon.
North of Slavery: The Negro in the Free States. 1790-1860,
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1961.

Lumpkin, Katherine DuPre. "The General Plan Was Freedom: A Negro Secret Order on the Underground Railroad,"
Phylon
(Spring 1967), Atlanta: Atlanta University, pp. 63-76.

McPherson, James M.
Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era,
New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.

Quarles, Benjamin.
Black Abolitionists,
New York: Oxford University Press, 1972.

Sterling, Dorothy A.
We Are Your Sisters: Black Women in the Nineteenth-Century,
New York: Doubleday, 1976.

Still, William.
The Underground Railroad,
Chicago: Johnson Publishing, 1970. (This book was originally published in 1871 by Mr. Still, one of the most famous conductors on the Road. Hundreds of fugitives passed through his Philadelphia station. His book chronicles their stories. Anyone who is seriously interested in a true account of the fugitive experience will find these narratives fascinating. Kudos to Johnson Publishing for keeping this very valuable resource in print.)

In parting, let me say thanks to all the many fans who've written to me—your blessings, prayers, and words of encouragement keep me strong. Peace.

One of Hester's and Galen's favorite things to do together was making mudpies. This is mud you can eat! It's a dense brownie like caked covered with a thin layer of marshmallows and topped by an awesome chocolate icing that's delicious as a love scene. Indigo Mud is quick and easy and should be made the day before it's served. Enjoy!

 

INDIGO MUD

 

Cake

2 C sugar

1 ½ c. flour

1/3 c cocoa

1 c. margarine or butter

¼ t. salt

4 eggs

½ pkg. 10 oz. marshmallows – the little ones

1 c nuts – chopped

1 t. vanilla.

 

Icing

1 - 1 lb. box confectioners' sugar

1/3 c. milk

1 t. vanilla

1/3 c. cocoa.

1 c. chopped nuts

1 c. margarine - melted

 

Cake
– Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and beat well. Sift together flour, cocoa and salt. Add dry ingredients to butter, sugar and egg mixture. Mix well. Add nuts and vanilla.

 

Pour into 13x9 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cover surface of still hot cake with one layer of marshmallows (you won't need the whole 10 oz. bag). Place cake back into the 350 degree oven and bake another 10 minutes, or until the marshmallows melt and become lightly tanned in color.

 

Icing

Sift sugar and cocoa and mix with melted margarine. Add milk, vanilla. Mix well and add nuts. Spread over cooled cake. Cover and let sit overnight so that cake will firm up. Store left over pieces in fridge.

“Beverly Jenkins has reached romance superstardom.” –
Detroit Free Press

“Jenkins's sassy heroines, well drawn secondary characters and seamless incorporation of black history result in a fresh, winning historical.” –
Publishers Weekly

 

Historical Romance

Vivid

Indigo

Topaz

Night Song

Through the Storm

The Taming of Jessi Rose

Always and Forever

Before Dawn

Belle and the Beau

Josephine and the Soldier

Something Like Love

Winds of the Storm

Topaz

Wild Sweet Love

Jewel

Belle

Josephine

Captured

Midnight

Night Hawk

 

Contemporary Romantic Suspense

The Edge of Midnight

The Edge of Dawn

Black Lace

Sexy/Dangerous

Deadly Sexy

 

Contemporary Romance and Women's Fiction

Bring on the Blessings

A Second Helping

Something Old, Something New

A Wish and a Prayer

Ms. Jenkins is the nation's premier writer of African-American historical romance fiction and specializes in 19th century African American life. She has 30 published novels to date.

She has received numerous awards, including: five Waldenbooks/Borders Group Best Sellers Awards; two Career Achievement Awards from Romantic Times Magazine; a Golden Pen Award from the Black Writer's Guild, and in 1999 was named one of the Top Fifty Favorite African-American writers of the 20th Century by AABLC, the nation's largest on-line African-American book club.

She has also been featured in many national publications, including the Wall Street Journal, People Magazine, Dallas Morning News and Vibe Magazine. She has lectured and given talks at such prestigious universities as Oberlin University, the University of Illinois, and Princeton. She speaks widely on both romance and 19th century African-American history.

 

To learn more about Beverly Jenkins and her award-winning novels of historical and contemporary romance, please visit
www.beverlyjenkins.net
.

 

Beverly Jenkins is also on
Facebook
.

 

Or you can always snail-mail Beverly:

Ms. Beverly Jenkins

Post Office Box 1893

Belleville, MI 48112