About the Book
Book: Collision Course
Author: Millie Norwich Inman
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release date: January 17, 2024
The shocking death of the popular Prince of Wales launches his young heir from innocent childhood into a roiling caldron of jealousy and intrigue. Set in all the glory of eighteenth century England, the young crown prince is urgently prepared for his aged grandfather’s throne. Under the wing of his godly mentor, the prince staggers through a minefield of hazards.
Parallel to the prince’s journey, is the story of a down-and-out firebrand statesman, considering retirement from the House of Commons because he’s under the king’s extreme disfavor. An alliance between the two ensures the prince’s safe ascension. It also renders his godly mentor and the statesman, the two most powerful men in Great Britain. Then, in the face of escalating war, a shocking twist changes everything.
Collision Course is a slice of real history with real people fleshed out and facing the real challenges of living in a fallen world. It shatters stereotypes as it treks through England’s finest gardens and dines with kings and statesmen all the while peering into the universal nature of the human soul and the heartbeat of corrupted constitutional government. This is the true, untold story of alliance, ambition, betrayal, war, loss, and recovery that set the world stage for the American Revolution.
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About the Author
Millie Norwich Inman holds a Bachelor of Arts cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis. She taught school and raised a family before dabbling in freelance for periodicals. A fair measure of success added to profound sorrow over the loss of Western Civilization culture and history, launched her into extensive research for this engaging slice of pre-American Revolution history. On two trips to England she read at the British Library and Richmond Records Office, and traipsed through fabulous architecture and scrumptious gardens. At home in Texas, she took advantage of the Trinity University, Rice University, and University of Texas San Antonio Libraries, as well as the amazing Inter-Library Loan System from her hometown Boerne Library. Similar to the research style of NYT bestseller, America’s First Daughter, some of the wittiest dialogue in Collision Course has been lifted and adapted from original letters.
More from Millie
Collision Course is a walk in the park to smell the roses compared to an all-nighter-adrenalin-rush. And the third Earl of Bute is a reluctant hero-protagonist. He’s far more interested in creating calming garden vistas than in jumping into the heart of a rough-housing political fray.
Lord Bute is John Stuart (b. 1713), a descendant of the Stuart kings of Scotland on his father’s side and the powerful Campbell Clan on his mother’s. Branches of the Campbell Clan were still known as the fiercest of highland fighters when Bute was in his twenties. The Highlanders identified as Catholics but knew little of Jesus, and I dare say, never seemed to have heard of the Bible. So, their war-like tendencies really went berserk, after the Bloodless Revolution of 1688. Whenever the banished Catholic heir, the debauched “Bonnie Prince Charlie,” felt sufficiently resentful to sail back from France and contend for the crown, he’d swing by Scotland and enlist belligerent Highlanders. On these occasions, the Campbells would take a respite from murdering the MacDonalds and bludgeoning Lowlander Presbyterians, to gleefully enlist for a bloody tromp into England.
However, by the third “Bonnie Prince” invasion in 1745, Lord Bute’s branch of the Campbell Clan had experienced a come to Jesus. Godly education had become a family priority. Since Lord Bute’s godly father had died when he was nine, his godly mother had tucked him under the wings of her two godly Campbell brothers. Bute’s Campbell uncles were entrenched in the Edinburg intelligentsia. Intellectuals were Christians. Enlightenment academics followed Christians. Bute’s Campbell family branch were Scotland’s civic leaders, innovators in banking, business, jurisprudence, and republican statesmanship in addition to their stellar reputations in science, theology, medicine, and literature.
Lord Bute’s Campbell uncles, along with his Stuart father, were instrumental in the forming the United Kingdom and in installing Protestant royalty, to act in the interest of all their subjects, on the throne of England. The value of the common man was a novel idea. Bute’s uncles ran the elections for nineteen Scottish representatives to Parliament in Westminster. So, it’s really no wonder, that in the third invasion of Prince Charlie tyrants, three contingents of militia from the Campbell Clan fought for British liberty under George II’s favorite son, the Duke of Cumberland. Campbells fought Campbells.
It was in this third invasion that the young protagonist prince’s uncle, the Duke of Cumberland, became feared as “The Butcher.” After Cumberland led the government’s final victory, and as the “Bonnie Prince” slipped away on his ship back to France, the Duke of Cumberland ran a genocide campaign of the most war-like Highlanders (30 something Campbells). That ended the north Britain invasions and turned thoughts to a walk in the park-like gardens. Let Collision Course begin.
Interview with the Author
1) What is your favorite childhood book? And why?
Anne of Green Gables. I delight in a slower pace and splendid word pictures. I can still see the child and feel her anxious hope. (Hmm. Maybe that’s why God and Child Protective Services asked me to adopt a family-less young teen). I can still see the plum trees in blossom joining branches overhead to make a tunnel over the deep cart path. I delight in travel to another time and place. Anne of Green Gables remains my only visit to the region of the St. Lawrence delta.
2) What comes first the plot or the characters?
I’m interested in fictionalizing true history in order to entertain while enlightening and edifying. Therefore, I researched a time period first to find a story plot regarding the events that preceded the American Revolution. (That was a civil war: British fighting British). Then I intensified my study the protagonists, antagonists, and supporting characters to flesh them out in integrity. Credit and culpability falls where it will. In accordance, I chose the Collision Course motto, because nothing is more fascinating than the truth.
3) Who is the author you most admire in your genre?
Great question! (I feel like a politician). But I can’t name just one. There are so many influences my verbosity is pawing and snorting for a free run. I’m reining it in to spare you another book (whew) comparing and contrasting famous writers to my humble offering.
—Lew Wallace
—Leo Tolstoy
—Robert Louis Stevenson
—Francine Rivers
—Harper Lee
—Ken Follett
—Sharon K Penman
Ultimately, I believe God has given me a strong, unique voice and blessed me with abundant creative individuality for His pleasure.
4) What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I like to spend time with family, often cooking to entice the gang around the table for great conversation. I’m a widow so have plenty of quiet for prayer and continue my late husband and my daily tradition of listening to ttb.org (J Vernon Magee). I like to read, garden, sing in my church choir, attend a women’s Bible Study on eschatology, babysit for my littlest grandchildren, play Bridge at the senior center, and help a friend with Parkinson’s exercise in the pool on summer nights. My Bridge friends and pool friends are prospects for prayerful evangelism:) When I was younger I played USTA league tennis. So, especially during Grand Slam events, I gravitate to the Tennis Channel. I also can occasionally be found drinking in OAN or Trinity Broadcasting or Forensic Files. I also nourish from various News Sites including but not limited to, The Epoch Times, Epoch TV, Zero Hedge, Graham Ledger, Andy Wood (prophecy pundit) One for Israel, Babylon Bee, and Raheem Kassam, etc etc etc
5) How do you select the names of your characters?
Like Taylor Caldwell, Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie, I don’t. Their Mamas already did that.
Blog Stops
Locks, Hooks and Books, September 20
Simple Harvest Reads, September 21 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, September 21
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, September 22
Artistic Nobody, September 23 (Author Interview)
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, September 24
Fiction Book Lover, September 25 (Author Interview)
Lots of Helpers, September 25
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 26
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, September 27 (Author Interview)
For Him and My Family, September 28
Vicky Sluiter, September 29 (Author Interview)
Betti Mace, September 30
Blossoms and Blessings, October 1 (Author Interview)
Beauty in the Binding, October 2 (Author Interview)
Guild Master, October 3 (Author Interview)
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Millie is giving away the grand prize of a copy of the book and a $75 gift card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.