New historical novel, The Lies That Bind, debunks slave stereotypes

Aiming to refute historical stereotypes, Ed Protzel’s darkly ironic historical novel, The Lies That Bind, just released by TouchPoint Press, weaves a web of deception and survival in the antebellum South.

Portraying black characters in dominant roles, the story is set in 1859-61 Mississippi. Durksen Hurst, aka Dark Horse, a visionary charlatan on the run, encounters a dozen hungry slaves stranded in the wilds. Desperate and in need of one another, they agree to build an egalitarian plantation, with Hurst acting as figurehead “master” and his partners, led by Big Josh, pretending to be slaves.

Nearby live the powerful Frenches: the reclusive Missus French, who manipulates the region’s bankers and cotton brokers, and her frail, rebellious heir-apparent, Devereau. They “legally” adopt a child from New Orleans to carry on their legacy. Now, Antoinette, the mother, has come for her son and gets much more than she expected.

Protzel, of University City, Mo., attributes his research in African-American and Southern culture and history as key in the book’s development.

“I always was bothered by the depiction of enslaved peoples in traditional Southern storytelling. I wanted to give voice to those who were virtually unheard, commonly ignored or, at best, stereotyped,” notes Protzel. “The Lies That Bind succeeds by touching our common aspirations, our mutual need for love, freedom and belonging—not an easy task for anyone in the pre-Civil War South, and certainly not for the denizens of The Lies That Bind, not the powerful nor the powerless.”

Protzel has written five original screenplays for feature film and worked developing film scripts/projects for 20th Century Fox. He has a Master’s in English Literature/Creative Writing from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and a B.A. in English from the University of Hawaii. The novel, Book 1 in his planned DarkHorse Trilogy, is based on Protzel’s screenplay, which was recognized by the Missouri Playwrights Association. The final two books in the trilogy include Honor Among Outcasts, set in Missouri during the Civil War, and Something in Madness, set in California.

For questions, contact:

Ed Protzel, ed.protzel@att.net, (314) 721-0035, http://www.edprotzel.com

Loiacono Literary Agency, (912) 230-2207, http://www.loiaconoliteraryagency.com/

TouchPoint Press, http//www.touchpointpress.com

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