Rita Gerlach’s characters from her latest historical, Before the Scarlet Dawn (Abingdon Press), leave England in 1775, desperate for a new beginning, a common motivation for those seeking the shores of America. Rita’s research revealed that the hope of religious freedom was key—and yet that began to change. “By the time the winds of revolution were beginning to blow in the Colonies, people left England for America to start a new life, escape poverty, acquire land, and make their fortunes.” Her characters, Eliza and Hayward, do likewise.
