In the South Carolina Hills, along the Savannah River Watershed, in the fall of 1829, 14-year-old, three-quarter Cherokee, Sahani, whose Christian name is Charity, sets out on a journey with her 83-year-old maternal, white grandfather to Fort Charlotte, for what she thinks is a trip to trade the pelts he has accumulated in order to replenish their supplies. However, Charity soon discovers that her grandfather's objective in making this trip is to get her married off and settled somewhere. Since her beloved grandmother's passing several months earlier, her grandfather has worried about what would become of Charity should he, too, pass away. And, given his advanced age, he somehow senses that time is near; he does not want to die and leave young Charity alone and desolate. He and his wife reared Charity after her mother and father both died in a yellow fever epidemic when she was 3 years old. As they travel to Fort Charlotte, her grandfather tells her that before going to Fort Charlotte they will be making an overnight stop at his friend's house. And, that a year or so earlier, he and his long-time friend, Eli Gulledge, talked about what would happen to Charity should both he and his wife pass away and have arranged for Charity and Eli's son Henry to meet before that time comes to see if they will take a liking to one another. When Charity, who has never met Eli or his family, hears that, she threatens to act rude in order to make them not like her so that she can go back home with him, but her grandfather tells her that she cannot go back home with him and assures her that if young Henry doesn't take a liking to her, he is sure that some young buck down in Fort Charlotte will be looking for a wife. Faced with the stark realization that her life is changing and she has no control of that change, many thoughts run through young Charity's mind- she even contemplates running away, but doesn't want to leave her grandfather alone. When her grandfather suddenly passes away that night at Eli's house, that threat never comes to fruition. Young, Charity is forced to abide by her grandfather's wishes and stay there with Eli's family... When the Yellow Mocker Calls is based on my great-great-grandmother's life; her spiritual journey, her never ending quest for knowledge, her love of family and storytelling, and, most importantly, her love for Henry...
About the Author: Quiet spirited and laid-back, Lila Beckham says her storytelling inspiration comes from many things and many areas of her life- including but not limited to members of her own family; many of whom she says were great storytellers. Her grandmother Mae and her uncle Leonard were the biggest influence to her wanting to write stories. All of their stories were drawn from memory, an ability Lila wishes she possessed. Her grandmother was the family historian and told her many stories of her ancestors, which led to Lila's to desire to follow in her grandmother's footsteps by researching and tracing her families roots through genealogy research. She says that when she is following her ancestor's lives, through census and other records, it is as if a movie of their life plays out in her imagination- leading to new writing ventures. Her stories are made up of many different characters- Some people, are drawn to certain characters more than others, and that's understandable. Lila says that, "each of us is an individual. We all have distinctive qualities- both positive and negative ones; so does a character in a story. However, we humans are complex individuals, made up of many different characters; some, we reveal to those around us, some, we choose to hide within the dark recesses of ourselves. We all have those dark places inside us, but many of us are too afraid to let ourselves explore our inner characters... I've learned to dig into the dark recesses of myself, find them, embrace them, and show them to the world; they come out as characters in my stories. Every character in my novels, novellas, and short stories is a reflection of who I am as a person. Each individual character, the way they think, feel, talk, and breathe, is a piece of who I am as a whole; I own each characters strength, weakness, and imperfections because they are my strengths, weaknesses, and imperfections. And, you better watch out, many people I knew growing up have become major characters in many of my stories, which although are not all 'true', each character has traits, mannerisms, and flaws associated with actual people I know or knew growing up." Lila is currently working on the next installment of her Joshua Stokes Mysteries as well as several historical fantasies.