If you love historical biographical fiction about real people and real events, told in an exciting story yet meticulously researched, you’ll want to check out Robyn’s novels. They win great reviews from international audiences of all ages.
You’ll be taken on exciting and dramatic journeys into the lives of people with a fierce commitment to freedom.
They Said I Couldn’t Do It: John Mercer Langston, Young Black Lawyer in a White Man’s World
‘Black boys don’t need schoolin’,’ said the orphan’s guardian.
It’s 1843, Ohio. Blacks can’t vote, have almost no rights, and as for going to school, what’s the point? But John Mercer Langston yearns to learn. His heart is set on attending college. His illiterate older brother finally relents. John enrolls at Oberlin, the most radical college in Ohio.
But what can he do with that education? Be a lawyer? Ridiculous! Law schools slam their doors in his face. And anyway, who would hire a black man?
John and his town are a great match—fighters against ignorance, injustice, and racial persecution. Oberlin is an abolitionist town. Supports runaways. Prevents captures. Rescues captives. Has many conductors and safe houses on the Underground Railroad.
Their actions bring danger from the highest in the land. A David and Goliath battle of wills erupts when John and his tiny town defy the hated Fugitive Slave Act. Legal battles rage. For ten months, September 1858 to July 1859, they remain front-page news across the nation.
Over time, John Mercer Langston has faded into the folds of history. It’s time to honor him again.
Grab your copy now to discover inspirational John Mercer Langston’s first thirty years, and help him take back his rightful place in American history as one of the outstanding black leaders of his century.
[Published July 2022]
It Happened On Fifth Street: a tale of forgotten heroes
If you enjoy thrilling historical novels with a time-travel twist, and you’re fascinated by the drama of the Underground Railroad, you’ll love IT HAPPENED ON FIFTH STREET: a tale of forgotten heroes.
1837. America. Alf. A hidden letter. Family secrets he’s determined to uncover.
2015. New Zealand. Abi. A forgotten tin trunk, a mystery, and a magical old coin.
Alf and Abi, thrown together across the centuries, pool their knowledge. It takes ages, but at last – a breakthrough. They crack the code and Alf demands to be included. He’s sworn to silence, for lives and livelihoods are in grave danger.
And then, things go bad. Very bad.
Cincinnati in the 1830s and 40s was a violent place – enemies, riots, persecution of blacks and abolitionists – in this dramatic story you’ve got it all!
It Happened on Fifth Street is the first in the Freedom Series. Based on new research and a vivid mix of fact and fiction, it brings back to life a forgotten story about real people and real events. Meet folks who put their lives on the line, day after day, night after night. Come with Alf and Abi on a journey you’ll never forget.
If you like tales of feisty characters who refuse to be told ‘no’, you’ll love this tension-filled story by Robyn R. Pearce. Right now, you too can discover the secret!
[Published May 2020]