The Hauntings Of Sugar Hill: The Complete Series
Page 72
The last thing I want to do is isolate readers or make them feel as if their history is at all mistreated by the works of my hands. Exploiting old ghosts is the last thing I want to do. Or any ghost at all. I want to share their stories, but not in a way that would harm them. I want to shine a light on this forgotten history and pay homage to the placée wives. I pray that the Sugar Hill series not only entertains you but gives you a peek into that past, of our true past as Americans. Look past the fine houses and the wealth and the sumptuousness of the time. See it for what it was, a sad time for women. And may I say, this practice of taking left-hand and right-hand wives was not just happening in the South. In the early 1800’s, the practice of placée marriages occurred in many places in this country.
Susanna Dufresne personified this American tragedy for me. It was so important to me to tell the story of Susanna, even though my particular character is purely a work of fiction. However, the Serenes I referred to in my story were not fictional. They were very real and lived in New Orleans, beautiful bi-racial women exploited for their skin color and “exotic” features. They were schooled on being submissive, smart, and interesting. They were expected to entertain their husbands throughout his life, have intimate relations with him whenever he wanted, and later, they were expected to raise their families, often with very little support. History tells us that they were exactly that: educated, extraordinarily beautiful, and often isolated from both the black and white communities. They were forced to be independent and live by whatever means they could.
It’s interesting to note that many left-hand wives owned businesses, some very successfully. In that way, they had a bit more freedom than their white counterparts. Another interesting note: some local historians believe that the great voodoo queen Marie Laveau was once a left-hand wife. That was how she acquired so much wealth and prominence. But then again, that might just be a story.
Although I've mentioned the Ramparts in the series as it relates to Bellefontaine, the actual Ramparts were in New Orleans. Much of that section of the city is still there for exploring, although many of the original buildings have been eradicated by storms or fires or time. It's hard to find a monument dedicated to even one of these women, but we can look around our communities, especially here in the South, and see traces of their hands.
Left-hand wives lived in extremely stressful situations. It's never good or easy being the other woman in a relationship, and I'm certain if they had a choice, this would not have been the role they would've chosen for themselves, but such is history. It is not my hope to romanticize this horrible practice.
That is not my intent at all.
My goal with the Sugar Hill series, if there must be one, is to tell you a ghost story but also tell you a true human story. I want you to know that I have the utmost respect for this complicated culture in all its various and sometimes ugly forms. Look how far we've come, but look how much further we need to go.
A little about myself, just so you can understand where I'm coming from.
My father, who recently passed away, was a sailor in the United States Navy. After a brief stint as a demolition diver, he was moved into communications, where he excelled at crypto-technology. Daddy was a code breaker. Dad's unique skill set opened many doors for him, and many of those doors were around the country and around the world. I had the wonderful opportunity to travel the world with my dad and see many cultures and be in many places.
Usually, we were stationed around the beaches and islands because of who he worked for, but I wouldn't trade one duty station experience. I have such fond memories of those days. My father loved people, all people. Dad was ahead of his time when it came to loving and accepting other people. Born in the 1940s in south Mississippi, Daddy was the son of poor sharecroppers and also moonshiners. I don't come from wealth like the Dufresnes, but I do come from good stock.
My dad was in no way the kind of person who looked at people as black or white. His theology was this, "It's not what a man looks like that makes him good or bad. It's how he treats his family." Those words stuck with me all my life. I was fortunate enough to marry a good man who treats his family well. (Because of my dad, I know what that looks like.)
Back in the days when women didn't have many choices about who they married or what they could do with their lives, things were different. I remember you, left-hand wives and right-hand wives. I know about the horrible injustices done to you both, and I hope that many others will come to a greater understanding of your sacrifice through my work.
More than anything, dear fans, I hope you were entertained for a few hours. I hope you were scared a few times. I hope you caught a glimpse of the lady in white and listened for footsteps on the stairs in your own home.
All my best,
Monica Leigh Bullock
What’s next?
Wondering what to read next?
What happened to Jeopardy Belle?
Is she the lost soul that haunts Summerleigh?
Jerica Poole had no idea how quickly life could change until hers was ripped apart at the seams. After a messy divorce and the tragic death of her daughter, she jumps at the chance to fulfill the last wish of her friend, Harper Belle Hayes. The troubled nurse makes the journey to Harper's hometown of Desire, Mississippi, and immediately finds herself swept up in a seventy-five-year-old mystery: what happened to Jeopardy Belle? When she begins exploring the Belles’ old homestead, Summerleigh, she discovers that some of the former tenants live on in ghostly form and would love nothing more than to add Jerica to their numbers. Small-town drama and a rich Southern background add to the tension of this riveting, ghost-filled murder mystery.
Read M.L. Bullock’s new series: THE BELLES OF DESIRE, MISSISSIPPI
It’s a haunting series with surprising twists and turns!
About the Author
Author of the best-selling Seven Sisters series and the Desert Queen series, M.L. Bullock has been storytelling since she was a child. A student of archaeology, she loves weaving stories that feature her favorite historical characters, including Nefertiti. She currently lives on the Gulf Coast with her family but travels frequently to exotic locations around the globe.
Hauntings Of Sugar Hill Author Notes
December 2, 2019
Thank you so much for reading The Hauntings of Sugar Hill. I feel like I have been in lingering in the shadows of the spooky plantation for so long! As some of you may know, this story first started as a tribute to the Serenes-- forgotten group of biracial women, elusive yet enduring, who lived in the French Quarter in the eighteenth century. I found their stories to be fascinating and tragic, certainly inspirational. I wrote Wife of the Left Hand in bursts; Susanna’s story called to me day after day until one day, her life fully materialized on the page. It was an immersive and amazing experience. And also, quite scary which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Since I wrote the serial one episode at a time, it sometimes wandered and carried me down unexpected trails. There were directions I expected this story to go in, that it didn’t and some scenes I wish I had visited a little longer. That being said, I hope her story delivers a memorable reader experience.
If this is my first book that you’ve read, please consider moving on to another one of my books. Seven Sisters is a spooky journey down memory lane. If you prefer a book featuring larger casts and paranormal investigation, check out the Gulf Coast Paranormal Series.
Thank you so much for purchasing this book and for meeting Susanna and Avery. If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a review or recommending it to a friend.
Thank you again for your support!
M.L. Bullock
Meet the Author
Author of the best-selling Seven Sisters series and the Gulf Coast Paranormal series, M.L. Bullock has been storytelling since she was a child. A student of archaeology, she loves weaving stories that feature local Alabama legends. She currently lives on the Gulf Coast with her family but frequently travels to explore the sout
hern states she loves so much. When she’s not writing, she enjoys the odd paranormal investigation. The odder, the better.
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Books By M.L. Bullock
Seven Sisters: The Cottonwood Saga
The Idlewood Collection: The Complete Idlewood Series
Beyond Seven Sisters
The Desert Queen Collection: The Complete Series
Return to Seven Sisters
Sugar Hill Series
The Gulf Coast Paranormal Series
The Ghosts of Summerleigh Series
Southern Gothic Series
The Nike Chronicles Series
The Vampires of Rock and Roll Series
Shabby Hearts Series
The Gracefield Hauntings Series
Morgan’s Rock Series
Ghosts On A Plane
Other LMBPN Publishing Books
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