Posted on July 25th, 2025

My new book, The Saddlebag Preacher of Pike County, has just been released. Yea!

It has been a labor of love to craft a story based loosely on my mother's remembrances of her beloved grandmother, Cynthia, for whom I'm named.

Mom was very young when she knew her aging grandmother but carried vivid, happy memories of her kindness and of going with her to horse races at the Pike County Fair.

Thanks to Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, I obtained copies of my great-grandfather's college records. How exciting to go back in time and glimpse into his student life.

After my parents died, I rediscovered a treasure trove of genealogical information compiled by a distant cousin. Among the materials were obituaries and brief biographies of my great-grandparents which, I suspect, were dictated by them in their later years. I also learned that both sides of my family had early ties to Pike County.

This information plus research about the Ohio Erie Canal and the lives of circuit rider preachers produced ideas for a historical novel that lingered in my imagination for years.

Visits to the lush, green hills of Pike County sealed the deal. I had to bring to life the 19th century world of my story's main characters, Jacob and Olivia.

Enjoy!

C.R.