Excerpt: Escape to the Maroons by Mike Weedall
- Archaeolibrarian
- Sep 3
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 14
Book details:
Name: Mike Weedall
Book Title: Escape to the Maroons
Series: n/a
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Publisher: Historium Press
Pages: 275
Genre: Historical Fiction
Any Triggers: I don’t think so; no readers to date have cited concerns.
@cathie.dunn1 @thecoffeepotbookclub
@thecoffeepotbookclub
In 1792, an escaped slave, raised and living as white, is discovered and forced to flee into the Great Dismal Swamp.
Barely escaping a bounty hunter, a Maroons community of fugitive slaves rescues him. Over time, Nathanial comes to accept his true identity while fighting to overcome the suspicions of his new community. Because of his pale skin, he becomes a conductor on the underground railroad, slipping runners onto ships going north. On one of his missions, fate intervenes and places Nathanials's community at risk.
This little-known chapter in American history tells how escaped enslaved people gave their all to live free while creating a community and economy in one of the world's most unforgiving environments.
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The Great Dismal Swamp and Man
“Capricious, contradictory, and alluring” is how author Hubert Davis described this place. How does one navigate through this hell hole of nature? Assaulted by clouds of biting insects, where to step? When one’s foot does not sink into boot-sucking mud, the so called land is a sponge.
Bushes and trees sporting oversized thorns tear at skin. Dense stands of bamboo show no way forward. Occasionally, an obscure deer trail might reveal itself. Why would Mother Nature take her worst and throw it together in a 2,000 square-mile blight?
… Storms build quickly, turning a capricious environment more fearsome. It is marshland gone wild, all matted and impenetrable. Never intended for man, nature rules this place. In 1791, can desperate people be anything other than secondary players if they choose to enter?
As the author of three books, Mike’s passion is finding the little-known stories of history and bringing them to life. History in school is too often events and dates. Mike seeks to discover the people who lived those events and reveal why those individuals made the decisions they did. Ultimately, there are stories to be mined, and who doesn’t love a good story?
In his historical novel “Escape To The Maroons,” Mike tells the little-known story of 1791 self-liberated slaves who chose to struggle for survival in The Great Dismal Swamp in their determination to live free. The term Maroons delineates areas where escaped slaves fled and could not be recaptured. It’s estimated that over 2,000 survived deep in the swamp around the turn of that century.
His first book “Iva: The True Story of Tokyo Rose” describes the tragic life of Iva Toguri. Trapped in Japan during World War II, this Japanese American woman was forced to work for Radio Tokyo. Although she never participated in propaganda, the racial animus of post-war America led to her being falsely labelled as Tokyo Rose and prosecuted for treason. Through her incarceration and the ongoing discrimination heaped upon her, Iva never lost her courage and determination.
“War Angel: Korea 1950” was his second book that followed a reservist nurse thrust into the carnage of The Korean War. Serving as an operating room nurse in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, the real MASH and strength of a woman is revealed.
Mike resides with his family in the Pacific Northwest where they enjoy experiencing the outdoors.
Author Links:
Website: https://www.MikeWeedallAuthor.com
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mike-Weedall/author/B082J6MMN2
Tour hosted by: The Coffee Pot Book Club
I appreciate the opportunity for my book to be spotlighted. The little-known story of the courageous people who chose freedom in one of the worst environments in North America (The Great Dismal Swamp) instead of bondage is one more should understand. Prior to the end of the Civil War, their commitment stands in contrast to efforts by some today to deny and scrub the history of slavery. Recently, the Great Dismal Swamp Refuge was ordered to remove all signage and literature that documented the courage of the Maroons. Instead of denying our history, we should be learning from that.
My book is dedicated to people seeking to be free everywhere in the world.
Mike Weedall
Thank you so much for hosting Mike Weedall today, with an enticing excerpt from his fascinating new novel, Escape to the Maroons.
Take care,
Cathie xx
The Coffee Pot Book Club