More Than Thornton

Trudy Brasure is the author of A Heart for Milton, one of the most well-loved continuation stories based on Elizabeth Gaskell's work. She is known throughout the worldwide community of avid North and South fans for her knowledge of and insights on Gaskell's story and characters. She has spent more than ten years actively discussing and studying North and South and other Victorian literature.

Her curiosity about life in past times and her particular interest in the glorious Victorian Era have been part of her since she was a small girl considering the ruins of her grandfather's barn in rural Pennsylvania. Before she discovered John Thornton, she spent several years enamored of Abraham Lincoln and read a constant flow of books pertaining to the Civil War and the career and private life of America's most legendary Victorian.

It was an ordinary girls' movie night in October 2009 that led to the discovery of a new world for Brasure. When a scratched DVD caused her to search Netflix for a substitute film, she had no idea that selecting a BBC period drama with a rather humdrum promo image would alter her life. Afterward, she immediately sought more information on both Richard Armitage and Elizabeth Gaskell's story and found a community of fervent fans at C19 (an Internet forum now closed) that encouraged and nourished her fascination with North and South. Within a few short months, she was consumed with imagining her own ending to the story and began to write the opening scenes of  A Heart for Milton.

Trudy began her own personal romance story with a whirlwind courtship. Her married life started in a picturesque colonial town on the coast of Massachusetts. Now, with the addition of three children and a small menagerie of pets, she lives in the picturesque state of Vermont which she adores for its history-rich architecture, forested surroundings, and varied seasons. 

As a hopeless romantic and a fervent enthusiast for humanity's progress, she loves almost nothing more than to engage in discussion about North and South. 

To discover more about Trudy and her novels, read author interviews here and blog reviews of her books here.