1/11/2021

Return to a New Adventure with Bestselling Author E.E. Burke


Seven years ago, I started out to tell a love story featuring two of America's most notable childhood sweethearts, Tom and Becky. What I imagined to be a simple enough story turned into a expedition with many twists and turns--wandering, exploring, discovering, with lots of crying and laughing and pulling my hair out when I struggled to put on the page what was in my heart. As I reach the end, I can say without reservation it has been one of the most exciting and fulfilling journeys I've ever taken, and I don't regret one minute of it. I learned a lot about writing and about myself while working on this book. I hope I've done Tom and Becky proud. However its received, I've done the best I can do. That's all we can ever do, right?

In the Afterword of the original Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain wrote: 

Some day it may seem worthwhile to take up the story of the younger ones again and see what sort of men and women they turned out to be. 

The great author never did revisit his characters as adults. As I read and re-read these books over the years, I couldn't stop asking, what happened? I would not be satisfied until I had an answer.

Tom Sawyer Returns picks up more than a decade after we left him as a carefree lad in a sleepy town on the Mississippi River. It made sense that Tom would eventually leave to seek adventures. History provided a desperate event that would bring him home, determined to be a hero.

Numerous incidents in Tom Sawyer Returns are based on historical reports, one of which alludes to a shadowy conspiracy by Confederate sympathizers to seize control of the Mississippi River. 

Put Tom in the middle of a deadly scheme, having to solve a mystery without crucial memories, and you have an exciting plot. But a love story requires more.

In Twain’s book, the character of Becky Thatcher fits the traditional stereotype of the Victorian female: beautiful, helpless, idealized...quite frankly, boring. I wondered, what would a girl like that do when faced with adversity if she were made of more than fluff? 

The Becky Thatcher who sprang to life on these pages surprised me with her cleverness, compassion, courage and sense of adventure. She’d shown something of her spunk in choosing Tom in the first place, and seeing her develop into a multi-faceted, independent woman, was pure delight. 

You'll meet other characters featured in Twain's stories, such as Tom's half-brother Sid, Becky's cousin Jeff, Judge Thatcher, Tom's former girlfriend Amy Lawrence, and Alfred Temple, who is still competing with Tom for Becky's affections. They all had bit parts in Twain's original tale. I thoroughly enjoyed expanding on these secondary characters, delving into backstories, and exploring their relationships with Tom and Becky. 

See more sneak peek info on my blog and website: www. eeburke.com 


August 1864

The country is at war, Missouri languishes under martial law, and a once-peaceful river town throngs with soldiers, spies, and sedition. 

Caught in the middle is Becky Thatcher. Once a pampered only child, she has lost nearly everything, including her faith in love. When her father is jailed for treason and their very survival depends on her, the last person in the world she wants to rely on is her faithless first beau, Tom Sawyer. 
 
Tom has no problem remembering the mistakes he made concerning Becky, but is she the reason he returned home after so many years? Upon awakening without crucial memories after someone tried to kill him, the undercover spy can’t recall his mission and dares not trust anyone — not even his childhood sweetheart.




Purchase in eBook or Paperback formats: books2read.com/NewAdventure2

Have you read Twain's classics? What do you remember best about the stories or characters?  

I'll give away a $10 Amazon gift card in a random drawing. Enter the Raffle below!

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21 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Hello I'm so happy sharing this, I still can’t thank you enough powerful Priest Elijah, My husband left for a younger lady because i was unable to give birth due to PCOS,I was so devastated i was lonely i cried a lot i even tried taking my life, Then my friend told me about this great man Priest Elijah who helped her made her marriage perfect, I also went online and did more research about him i was not too sure but i decided to give him a try he told me not to worry everything was going to be alright, He told me all i needed to pay which was a convenient fee and i did and he did his work and sent me video proof and told me to wait 24hrs that he will be back, The next morning to my greatest surprise it was Shawn my husband on his knees begging I'm so happy, It didn’t stop there, I'm proud to say that I'm 3 weeks pregnant thank you so much Priest Elijah I'm forever grateful contact him

      Email: universalspellhelp@gmail.com or

      universalspellhelp@yahoo.com

      WhatsApp him +2347054380994

      Website: https://universalspellhelp.wixsite.com/priestelijah

      Delete
  2. I have actually never read them... read other classic books growing up.

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  3. Congratulations on your new ADVENTURE! After visiting Hannibal a few years back, I have a new found appreciation for the adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. (almost named on of my twin sons, Huckleberry) I dont need to be entered, thanks. I'm going to somehow grab a signed copy of both books!

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    Replies
    1. I visited Hannibal to research for this book, and it was such fun to tour all those places he wrote about, and envision how those boys might've turned out.

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  4. It's been forever since I read any Mark Twain stories, but I do love making graphics of Twain's quotes and sharing them. What a sharp wit! Looking forward to reading your new book. The research and thought you put into it sound exciting and mysterious and just all-around amazing! Commenting but don't enter me in the draw - I want someone else to win.

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    Replies
    1. I love Twain's wit and wisdom. He has been like a muse on my shoulder for the eight years it took me to write these two books! I'm sure he's as glad as I am that I finally got them done!

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  5. Love, love, love everything about your book, E.E. I'm so excited to read it. I loved Mark Twain for his brilliance. I always like "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court." Now I want to read them again. I wish you all the best with this new book -- such a gorgeous book and wonderful idea! (And as Jacqui said--don't add me to the drawing; I just wanted to congratulate you!)

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  6. What an adventure! I remember reading when I was younger, loved the adventures that they took me on

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    Replies
    1. Loved both boys and it was fun growing them up!

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  7. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  8. I am sooo thrilled to be reading this!

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  9. Replies
    1. They are great classics. I hope you get a chance. However, even if you never read them, you will still enjoy my stories.

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  10. I read most of his works growing up.

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    Replies
    1. His ability to create characters who are so real and believable really inspired me to write these stories.

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  11. This is exciting! I loved Tom Sawyer! I read all the Twains growing up.

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    Replies
    1. All right! Another Tom fan! This book is especially for you! I hope you'll check it out.

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  12. Hello I'm so happy sharing this, I still can’t thank you enough powerful Priest Elijah, My husband left for a younger lady because i was unable to give birth due to PCOS,I was so devastated i was lonely i cried a lot i even tried taking my life, Then my friend told me about this great man Priest Elijah who helped her made her marriage perfect, I also went online and did more research about him i was not too sure but i decided to give him a try he told me not to worry everything was going to be alright, He told me all i needed to pay which was a convenient fee and i did and he did his work and sent me video proof and told me to wait 24hrs that he will be back, The next morning to my greatest surprise it was Shawn my husband on his knees begging I'm so happy, It didn’t stop there, I'm proud to say that I'm 3 weeks pregnant thank you so much Priest Elijah I'm forever grateful contact him

    Email: universalspellhelp@gmail.com or

    universalspellhelp@yahoo.com

    WhatsApp him +2347054380994

    Website: https://universalspellhelp.wixsite.com/priestelijah

    ReplyDelete