One engineering marvel will take five families from dust to diamonds.
Barons. American royalty. From the dusty streets of Sacramento, five men forged a transportation empire whose wealth rivaled the crowns of Europe. Though, their fortunes didn't come without a price. Rumors and sensationalized news tarnished their reputations and eroded their personal lives.
Collis Huntington, the last living member of the Associates, now wants to set the record straight. Huntington invites his most critical reporter into his home for the interview of the century. Pride, power, greed, and manipulation. All played their role in connecting the nation via the First Transcontinental Railroad. Loyalties will crumble. Friendships will be tested. Five families with an American dream. The question is, can America withstand their ruthless ambition?
Genre: FICTION / Historical
Secondary Genre: FICTION / Romance / Historical / Victorian
Language: English
Keywords: Victorian, gilded age, railroads, American history, American dream
Word Count: 92,000
Sales info: It was recently released and ranks in the 600,000 range.
Sample text: August 1900
New York City
Which has eroded more, time or greed?
Collis Huntington sat pensive behind the executive mahogany desk in the study of his sprawling mansion. Instances such as the upcoming confrontation always put the tycoon in a mood. A racing heartbeat. Sweaty palms. He’d decided to trade a sliver of his reputation for principle. The horses’ hooves echoed off the cobblestone street as they pulled their carriages along the Manhattan thoroughfare.
A fascinating proposition indeed.
He rose and moved toward the traffic just beyond the reach of the tall window on the far end of the room. Huntington’s weary brown gaze wandered over the towering library that he had amassed over the past few decades. Collis shuffled from the window closer to a collection of personal effects on a shelf at eye-level. He ran his arthritic right hand over a brown book of newspaper articles, and smiled as he pulled it from among its companions.
I am the last of us---the Associates. We dared to dream big and run headlong into the unknown.
Collis carried his treasure across the Persian rugs back to his desk. He lowered his stare to a black and white photograph of four powerful tycoons in a better time.
We all went from struggling store clerks on K Street to four of the most powerful men on Earth. Entrepreneurial spirit, the rails, and one man’s vision of a road spanning our great nation from coast to coast drew us in with their seductive boldness.
His rotund gut heaved under the strain of another coughing spasm as he dropped into his armchair. Collis pulled a silk handkerchief from the breast pocket of his charcoal jacket and blotted his lips. The stained page of his memories crackled as he turned it. He grinned over the worn photograph of several dozen men and dignitaries huddled near an old steam engine.
When your candle has burned its wick down to the last strands, you come to understand a few things.
Book translation status:
The book is available for translation into any language except those listed below:
| Language | Status |
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Spanish
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Already translated.
Translated by Alex M.
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Author review:
A job well done! Alex did a wonderful job of capturing my work in the translation. Delivered on time as promised.
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