Rosen to sign copies of her debut novel at McCormick Book Inn

By LOGAN MOSBY

Thursday, June 5, 2008

GREENVILLE - She may not have been born and reared in the Delta, but first-time author Elizabeth Payne Rosen says she feels an instinctual and creative sense of belonging to the rich and fertile land found here.

“When I stand on land in the Delta, I feel like I must have roots growing out of the bottom of my feet,” Rosen said.

Although she isn't technically “from here,” Rosen, a native of Shreveport, La., is no stranger to the Delta. Born Elizabeth Payne, Rosen hails from a long line of Washington Countians, as her father B.B. Payne, and his five brothers, were reared on Loughborough Plantation in Winterville.

She may not have grown up on the plantation as her father and uncles did, but summers and vacations spent at the family homestead left an indelible mark on her.

“The Delta is what I think of as my spiritual home,” Rosen said.

It was this deep connection to the area that aided Rosen as she laid the groundwork for her first novel, “Hallam's War,” a Civil War era story set against the backdrop of war and the West Tennessee frontier.

In fact, the novel's plantation setting, Palmyra, was contrived, in part, from Rosen's childhood memories of Loughborough.

“Hallam's War” tells the story of Hugh and Serena Hallam, a Charleston couple who pack up all of their worldly goods and set out for a new life on the Tennessee frontier with their three children. Two years later, however, the country finds itself embroiled in the Civil War and the Hallams are caught in the middle.

Not always a Civil War aficionado, Rosen said it wasn't until she was living in England that she became interested in the era.

“I really developed a passion for the Civil War overnight,” Rosen said. “I knew nothing about it before and always thought to myself, ‘Who could possibly be interested in this?'”

“But I became a Civil War bore over night,” she continued. “I decided to make a book about it, but wasn't sure how to get people interested. So, that's when I decided to write a novel.”

Rosen said that if “Hallam's War” could be summed up, she would first describe it was Civil War novel for Civil War buffs; second, it's a family story; and last, it brings to light the moral issue of slavery, and the complex dichotomy between owner and slave that is inherent in the institution.

Rosen live in Marin County, Calif. with her huband of 41 years, Martin. She is an ordained deacon of the Episcopal Church and serves as chaplain at at local hospital.

Rosen will sign copies of the book Saturday at McCormick Book Inn, 825 S. Main St., Greenville, from 2 to 4 p.m.