The War for Independence and the broadly spread clash of cultures rip a young Cherokee girl from her tranquil home in the Smoky Mountains and force her onto a seven-year journey that will test her will to survive, learn, and find her way home.
Tsiskwa, later to be known as Mavel, is only eight years old when her village is burned by vengeful colonial militia, leaving only circles of ash upon the ground to testify that it ever existed. She and her mother survive the attack as prisoners to be sold as slaves in Charleston. However, it is not long before her mother disappears, and her father is killed attempting a rescue. Fortune alone puts her in the custody of a caring Mennonite family, but they, too, will be lost to her. In yet another miracle of fate, she will find a new mentor and protector in Mourning Stone, a war widow who will teach her the necessity and means to protect herself by passing as white. Together, they will travel to the British-occupied Charleston to retrieve family. Along their way, they will encounter a surly militia commander, wrongly accused and executed slaves, smugglers, and more. Each experience bolsters Tsiskwa's abilities and inner strength for the day when she must call on them all to save her friends and herself from her own people.
This is a brief blurb about my first novel. Now I could use some help in deciding on a title. My original idea was simply MAVEL. Later, I thought that it could use a little more... something, and came up with the idea of adding the subtitle DAUGHTER OF THE BURNING HILLS. Now I'm thinking that it might be better if I dropped MAVEL and use DAUGHTER OF THE BURNING HILLS as the title.
Here is where you, my potential readers, come in. Please leave a comment and tell me which title you feel is the best fit. Your help will be greatly appreciated.