Charles Thorn
Charles Thorn grew up in a small village one hour north of New York City. After high school he enlisted in the Army and qualified for the clandestine Security Agency. He studied Russian at the Army Language School in California and served as a linguist in Germany. After separation, he enrolled at New York University and later transferred to Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism. He spent many years with Newsweek and Forbes magazines in New York and Atlanta before relocating to the Lowcountry of South Carolina.
Semi-retired, he now divides his time between writing and tourism. As a U.S. Coast Guard licensed master captain, he ferries visitors across Calibogue Sound to conduct historical tours of remote Daufuskie Island, about which Pat Conroy wrote "The Water is Wide". The island inspired the setting for much of Thorn's novel as well, and it was there that he stumbled upon the complex issue of "heirs' property".
After the Civil War, thousands of ex-slaves acquired property either by sharecropping or by outright sale. Most were illiterate. Someone else had to draft their wills. But thousands of others died intestate, and generations later their property belonged equally to every living blood relative. As many as forty or fifty might claim partial ownership, and any one of them could petition the court to dispose of the property at a partition sale. Many people were dispossessed from the only homes they ever knew. Families were torn apart, and close relatives became enemies. Abuses were rampant, and unscrupulous lawyers and realtors made the situation worse. Because the predicament survives to this day, Thorn was inspired to bring it to light as the plot of his novel.
His second book is in the works. Because of many readers' enthusiastic response to the main characters it will be a sequel.
He and his wife live on Hilton Head Island, S.C.
Here are a few recent comments from his readers:
“What I particularly like about your writing style is that you get right to the point and move on. You had a little bit of everything…such as action, romance, mystery.” K.M.
“We are listening to it on Kindle now as I am legally blind. It is very good.” M.S.
“…I enjoyed it very much. It is well-written with an interesting fast-paced plot. Having been along on your Daufuskie tour I was able to picture the setting which made it all the more enjoyable.” S.G.
“I especially like historical fiction set in the South. I enjoyed your book very much and realized at the end a sequel might be on the way.” K.T.
“…we downloaded your book while we were still on Hilton Head. Lisa was reading it on the plane. She says it’s great and very well written.” A.C.
