Dream of Daring

A ForeWord Book of the Year Finalist and winner of six literary awards.

In the South before the Civil War, one man’s radical ideas and breakthrough invention threaten the townspeople’s privileged way of life, based on slavery and power. The result is murder.

Tom Edmunton, the science-minded son of a cotton planter, has designed the precursor of the tractor in antebellum Louisiana. He foresees a new age of mechanized farming that will empty the fields of men and supplant the South’s slavery system. But the planters of his town don’t like his big ideas about changing their world or the intensity with which he’s pursuing them.

As Tom hears the call of the new age, he also feels the pull of two women. Rachel, a senator’s daughter, loves him, but will she break with her family to stand by his side if the town rebukes him? Solo, a rebellious mulatto slave, despises Tom, along with every other master. Rachel is free, but is her spirit chained? Solo is chained, but is her spirit free? Will Tom’s romantic inclinations further uproot the town’s conventions and notions of subjugation?

Tensions between Tom and the planters peak, and the tractor is stolen. “Then a shocking murder sets into motion inextricably linked events and revelations that will change life as they know it for Tom, Rachel, and Solo” (BOOKLIST).

Cold-blooded murder, scandalous romance, and the bitter clash of two ages unfold in this gripping mystery set during the tumultuous lead-up to the Civil War.

A DREAM OF DARING is a haunting tale of the Old South, with its lush fields of white-gold cotton, its majestic plantations, its elegant gentry, and its embattled slaves. Ingenious and original, the novel reveals a sweeping story of secrets, lies, forbidden love, and earth-shaking aspirations. It’s an irresistible page-turner, packed with suspense and surprising plot twists. It’s filled with ideas to stimulate the mind and passion to excite the spirit.

A DREAM OF DARING delves deeply into conflicts of the period that still plague the world today—the clash between progress and control, between freedom and servitude, between the limitless reach of the human spirit and the forces that work to suppress it— giving the story a relevance and immediacy in our own time.

AWARDS FOR A DREAM OF DARING:
ForeWord Book of the Year Finalist in Romance
Midwest Book Award Finalist in Historical Fiction
Midwest Book Award Finalist in Romance
Eric Hoffer Book Award Finalist in Legacy Fiction
Next Generation Indie Book Award Finalist in Regional Fiction
Next Generation Indie Book Award Finalist in Multicultural Fiction

"thought-provoking" BOOKLIST
"suspenseful...engaging...relevant for all generations" FOREWORD
"an enticing blend of mystery and romance...much recommended reading" MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW

PRAISE FOR A DREAM OF DARING:
“Grab your seat for a tumbling ride back to the high-stakes, hoop-flying, tumultuous time when cotton was king. Gen LaGreca takes you for a jaunt in her carriage through fields of fragrant words, luscious descriptions, and panoramic views. . . .” --Barry Farber, host of The Barry Farber Show

“I thoroughly enjoyed the plot twists and turns, the passionate interracial romance, the delicious rebellion against convention, and the challenge to subjugation of all kinds.” --Marsha Familaro Enright, President, Reason, Individualism and Freedom Institute

“A heroic and inspiring novel that’s also packed with rich insights, lessons—and warnings—for today.” --John Blundell, author of Ladies for Liberty

Genevieve (Gen) LaGreca writes novels with innovative plots, strong romance, and themes that glorify personal freedom and independence. Gen's debut novel is Noble Vision. This romantic medical thriller won two important national literary awards. It was a Foreword magazine Book of the Year Finalist. It was also a finalist in the Writer's Digest International Book Awards contest-one of only six picks honoring general fiction published by independent presses. Noble Vision garnered praise from magazine magnate Steve Forbes, Nobel laureate Milton Friedman, syndicated columnist Walter E. Williams, and other influential thinkers. Showing her virtuosity across genre lines, Gen's second offering is the historical novel, A Dream of Daring. This antebellum murder mystery took five book awards, including the celebrated Foreword Book of the Year Finalist in Romance, as well as the Midwest Book Awards Finalist in Romance and in Historical Fiction, and the Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist in Multicultural Fiction and in Regional Fiction. Gen's third novel is the science-fiction romance and adventure, Fugitive From Asteron. In addition to fiction, Gen also writes social and political commentaries, which have appeared in Forbes, The Orange County Register, The Daily Caller, Real Clear Markets, Mises Daily, The Gainesville Sun, and other publications. On the personal side, Gen is engaged to a university professor; she and he live in the Midwest. Prior to fiction writing, Gen worked as a pharmaceutical chemist, business consultant, and corporate writer. She holds an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Polytechnic Institute of New York and a graduate degree in philosophy from Columbia University. Her variety of life experiences-in science and business, as well as in philosophy and writing-brings vibrant characters, urgent issues, thematic depth, and an outside-the-box approach to Gen's novels. Their sweeping themes of self-sovereignty and the triumph of the individual attract thoughtful readers across genre lines. To contact Gen, send her a message: genlagreca[at]hotmail[dot]com.