Breena Clarke is our RJ Julia Author Spotlight for August. Breena just released her third novel, Angels Make Their Hope Here, about a young black woman who escapes slavery via the Underground Railroad and settles in a remote town in New Jersey. A mixed community of whites, blacks and reds, Russell’s Knob is not paradise, but it’s a place where Dossie feels she can lay down roots.
Breena’s first novel, River Cross My Heart, is an Oprah Book Club selection and takes place throughout Georgetown in the District of Columbia. Her second novel, Stand the Storm also takes place in Georgetown.
Russell’s Knob in Angels Make Their Hope Here is not a real town but is based on the highland region of New Jersey near Patterson. Breena and her husband took many drives around the area for location scouting, and Breena is confident that she has captured the essence of the time and place in the novel.
Breena talks about place on the Placing Literature podcast with host Tim Knox of InterviewingAuthors.com. Check out the podcast and Breena’s map as she continues to plot the places in her novels throughout August.
Placing Literature: Where Your Book Meets the Map 