New York Times bestselling author Shawntelle Madison has written over 15 science fiction, fantasy, and romance titles, most notably the urban fantasy series Coveted. Her next release, The Fallen Fruit, is a multi-generational time travel epic published with HarperCollins on September 3, 2024. She earned her undergraduate degree in Math from Iowa State University and her MFA from Lindenwood University. Originally from Iowa, she currently lives in Missouri with her family, where she works as a web developer while writing more novels. Learn more about Shawntelle and her work by visiting www.shawntellemadison.com.
SESSION INFO:
Saturday, October 5, 2:00pm at Saratoga Spring Public Library, Dutcher Community Room: Black Into the Future: Science Fiction & Fantasy by Black Authors with Jaye Austin Williams & Shawntelle Madison
Sunday, October 6, 10:00am at Saratoga Arts: Heritage-Inspired Fiction with Ann Dávila Cardinal, Elizabeth Gonzalez James, & Shawntelle Madison
Books
About The Fallen Fruit
Combining history and fantasy, a sweeping multi-generational epic in the vein of Kindred and The Time Traveler's Wife about a woman who travels through time to end a family curse that has plagued her ancestors for generations.
On a rainy day in May 1964, history professor Cecily Bridge-Davis begins to search for the sixty-five acres of land she inherited from her father’s family. The quest leads her to uncover a dark secret: In every generation, one offspring from each Bridge family unit vanishes—and is mysteriously whisked back in time. Rules have been established that must be followed to prevent dire consequences:
- Never interfere with past events.
- Always carry your free Negro papers.
- Search for the survival family packs in the orchard and surrounding forest. The ribbon on the pack designates the decade the pack was made to orient you in time.
- Do not speak to strangers unless absolutely necessary.
With only a family Bible and a map marked with the locations of mysterious containers to aid her, Cecily heads to the library, hoping to discover the truth of how this curse began, and how it might be ended. As she moves through time, she encounters a circle of ancestors, including Sabrina Humbles, a free Black woman who must find the courage to seize an opportunity—or lose her heart; Luke Bridge, who traverses battlefields, slavery, and time itself to reunite with his family; Rebecca Bridge, a mother tested by an ominous threat; and Amelia Bridge, a young woman burdened with survivor's guilt who will face the challenge of a lifetime—and change Cecily's life forever. It is a race through time and against the clock to find the answers that will free her family forever.
Shawntelle Madison’s historical fiction debut is an enthralling, page-turning family saga about the inevitability of fate, the invincibility of love, and the indelible bonds of family.
Praise
In The Fallen Fruit, Shawntelle Madison delivers an Octavia Butler-esque page-turning saga about a family bound by blood and the chains of history. This brilliantly imaginative and wildly unpredictable novel is riveting and revelatory.'
— Stephanie Dray, NYT Bestselling Author of Becoming Madam Secretary