By Matt de Simone
Local author and Botetourt resident Brook Allen’s new historical fiction novel “West of Santillane” is a window into the life of Julia (Judy) Hancock and her adventure west alongside husband William Clark.
Allen is a music teacher at Greenfield Elementary who wrote her latest novel during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her previous trilogy of award-winning novels are about Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony) and explored Rome’s history and culture.
In Allen’s new novel’s description, “West of Santillane” is a story about Julia Hancock seizing her chance for adventure when she wins the heart of William Clark. In a story of self-discovery, Julia falls in love with Clark, although she struggles in her conflict between her and Clark’s beliefs about slavery. While in St. Louis, Juila lives as a wife and mother as Lewis and Clark work to establish the early American government and publish their memoirs.
In a recent interview, Allen explained what she learned while researching information for her latest historical fiction novel.
Photos and graphic courtesy of Brook Allen
“First, I was blown away at some of the studies that have been done on Native American sites, as early as pre-European contact eras,” Allen said. “I did an afternoon walk with a historian regarding this over in the Greenfield area. It was fascinating. Also, there is such a rich tapestry of history threading through Fincastle even before the American Revolution—I was reminded how huge Botetourt County was in the 18th century, and how many men from Fincastle were American Revolutionaries themselves.
“Really eye-opening. I must mention the welcoming spirit of learning that I’ve had over all, especially among volunteers in the Botetourt Museum and Botetourt Historical Society. It was a joy indeed to include them in my author’s notes. Botetourt’s wealth of history is a treasure that needs preservation and respect. Personally, I believe that all history is valuable, serves a vital purpose, and that we should be learning and preserving it to improve the future.”
Allen credits local resources which helped her gather her information as she researched the subject of her new novel, Julia Hancock. She spent approximately six months reading up on the Clark family and traveled west to visit the St. Louis Historical Society and Resource Center. While in St. Louis, Allen had the opportunity to see the entire Clark family collection of materials in the museum. There, she got to hold in her hand a folded letter written by Meriwether Lewis to William Clark while Clark was staying at Santillane. She also visited Louisville, Ky. where she noted that it was there where she did “some serious digging” studying artifacts.
Allen takes part in the Botetourt County Historical Society’s series of lecture events March 23 at the Fincastle Library at 11 a.m. where she will discuss her inspiration for this newest trilogy and the extensive research process that informed “West of Santillane.”
The novel, due March 8, will be available on Amazon and also available for purchase at the Botetourt County Museum of History & Culture. Additional copies will be found at Book No Further located along the market in Downtown Roanoke.
To learn more about Botetourt author Brook Allen, visit her website at www.brookallenauthor.com.
