True to the time period, her stern cousin Judge Heppert, other family and friends encourage don't-worry-your-pretty-head-about-that thinking and using a wee bit of opium to escape the situation. But Gus finds strength in the storm. This delicate flower enters a fight for her own independence that requires courage, conviction and standing up to her family.

Living in mourning-dictated isolation with only her recently freed slaves as company, Gus becomes determined to uncover Eli's secrets. Her hopes lift when Simon, Eli's most-trusted hired hand, reveals that her husband left a cash-filled package that could change the future. But finding it means stepping across racial lines to partner with people who used to call her husband master. It also requires testing the waters with an old flame bent on stirring up the passion he and Gus shared before her marriage.

Thanks to growing up in Huntsville, AL and painstaking research, Taylor M. Polites' thought-provoking slice of post-Civil War life has a ring of truth that will carry you away. Reminiscent of Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind, The Rebel Wife is a fascinating, 282-page historical drama about a surprisingly strong woman who bucks convention to overcome challenges. Her awakening will have you cheering as Gus sheds her shell and learns to trust herself as well as those she's been taught to avoid.

What prompts a numbers-oriented investment fund administrator like Taylor to trade his calculator for a pen and begin writing Southern fiction? We asked the talented 42-year-old to give us the scoop.

What are you doing these days?

I'm writing! It's an amazing gift to be able to devote myself to it full time. A real dream come true. I'm working on a lot of interviews and blog posts talking about The Rebel Wife. I'm also researching and reading for the next book!

What did you do before becoming a writer?

I always intended to go to graduate school and study history--and actually did for a year or so in New York City while I was working full time. But my previous work was in finance, investor reporting and fund administration for a group of private equity funds. It was a fascinating world to see during the 1990s and 2000s.

When did you write The Rebel Wife and what inspired you?

I had the idea for The Rebel Wife in 1998 and spent a lot of time fleshing out the story and doing research, all this while I was working full-time. In 2006, I quit my day job, moved to Cape Cod and focused full time on writing. I got a Masters in Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Wilkes University, and it was there that I wrote The Rebel Wife, working with an incredible mentor, novelist Kaylie Jones.

What kind of research did you do?

I feel like I have spent my life researching Huntsville, Alabama and 19^th century American history. I grew up there, which was a form of research in itself.

I also read a lot of monographs on the period. Then I plunged into primary sources, including period newspapers and lifestyle magazines, diaries, letters, journals, memoirs and literally anything else I could get my hands on. I've always loved house-museums, too, and in the best of them, I could find a way to access how life was lived in the 19^th century.

Author Taylor M. Polites;

Photo by Jamie Casertano

When are you most creative?

I'm most efficient in the morning and that's when I tend to do my writing, however, not exclusively. Creativity for me is something like daydreaming and thankfully I can daydream at just about any time of day. I try to keep a pen and paper handy to jot down ideas when they come to me, but I have a hard time remembering to keep them with me. So instead, I've found that typing notes into my iPhone, which I ALWAYS have, is the best way to capture ideas.

How do you write - pen and paper, computer, laptop ... tell us a little about the process.

When I'm drafting text, I always write longhand--with pen and a blank sheet of white paper. I'll number each page so that I can keep them in order. Then I type them into a document, which allows me to do some light editing as I'm typing. I'm a good typist, so I tend to type very quickly, which is great for transcribing, but not so much for creative thought. That flashing cursor is like a sort of panic button for me. My hand on the paper, however, moves at a much slower pace, the pace about which I can think and assess the words properly. So while I have tried to write directly into the computer, writing by hand just works better for me.

Where do you live and how long have you lived there?

I live in Providence, Rhode Island, and have been here for about a year. I've really fallen in love with the place. It has a beautiful architectural history going back well into the 18^th century. There're streets that still have an aspect similar to 100 or 200 years ago. There's an incredible amount of history here and a critical mass of people who care about history. There's also a density of culture in writing and the visual arts that's much larger than you would expect from a post-industrial New England city of its size. It's a beautiful and interesting place and I'm very happy to be here. 

What authors have most influenced your writing style and why?

Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind was truly my first love at a pretty young age, about 13. From there, I read both Agatha Christie, virtually everything she wrote, which gave me a respect for suspense and a plot that is well-paced. I also spent a lot of time reading 19th century French, English and American writers. Balzac, Flaubert, Dickens, Thackeray and Trollope, Jane Austen and the Brontës, Henry James and Edith Wharton. I think the 19th century (and early 20th) saw the greatest achievement in novel writing--in its diversity and scope. Not coincidentally, I think there was a huge market for novels. Today, novelists compete with so many other forms of entertainment. That has really reshaped the purpose and experience of reading.

Which of the characters in The Rebel Wife will Baby Boomers identify most with and why?

I think readers will initially identify with Augusta. The reader is in her head for the entirety of the story, so they see things from her perspective. The first challenges they understand are her challenges. That said, as the story develops, readers will see challenges, some similar to those faced by Augusta, that other characters must overcome. Everyone can look back on their life and think of moments of challenge and choice, of action or inaction. Those elements I hope will speak most to readers.

What kind of Boomers will most enjoy your book and why?

This is a novel with a female character who finds herself, who finds her inner strength. It's also a novel that's grounded in a detailed historical setting. Readers who get into the psychology of a character, who enjoy facing the challenges of a story with the character and who identify with strong women, whoever those readers are, I believe they will enjoy this book.

What else would you like our readers to know about you and your work?

I've always wanted to write an "Old South" novel, but the nature of that novel has changed over time. I'm very proud of this book, both as an engaging read and as a perspective on the literary and historical traditions of the Civil War and Reconstruction. I hope other readers find it equally interesting!

Thank you so much for your great questions and the opportunity to talk on your blog!

The Rebel Wife

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Author: Taylor M. Polites

Penned: February 2012

Time Out: 282 family secret-filled pages that will keep you guessing to the end

Beach Worthy: Sure! But whether you're at the beach or on the couch, this stunning portrait of post-Civil War Alabama will transport you to another place and time.

Available: $25 hardcover from Amazon.com and other book sellers

* This contest is only open to entrants in the 50 United States and Canada.