DREAMS OF FREEDOM

An Irish woman’s story of love, justice, and a young nation coming apart.

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A young woman’s harrowing journey into a nation breaking apart.

Millions of immigrants were entering America’s heartland. Anti-Catholic bigotry and the seething national divide over slavery were soon to erupt in mob violence. Thousands of religious zealots could be heard chanting at revival meetings in upstate New York. Native people were being forced off ancestral lands.

In this chaotic setting, twenty-year-old Irish immigrant, Aileen O’Malley, came in search of her indentured father and kidnapped younger siblings, stepping into the epicenter of a growing maelstrom of violence along the Erie Canal.

Deeply relieved to have escaped a powerful man intent on forcing her to marry him in Ireland, Aileen falls in love with a vibrant, idealistic abolitionist, Jedidiah, who helps her desperate search for her family, with the odds of finding them dwindling by the day.

They encounter violence, slave-catchers, charlatans, and tragedy. After witnessing an enslaved man and woman taking their own lives to escape re-capture, they commit their souls and energies to the abolitionist movement.

Aileen collaborates with Frederick Douglass on his trip to Ireland, works with Elizabeth Cady-Stanton on women’s rights, and becomes a cunning operative with Gerrit Smith and Stephen Meyers on the last leg of escape to Canada via the Underground Railroad.

When she discovers her sister living in a utopian community with unconventional sexual practices, she leads a rescue that ultimately reunites her family and presages the Civil War to come.

Aileen’s journey provides a sometimes breathtaking close-up view of the people, places, and events that shaped young America before the Civil War.

Become a novel tourist and immerse yourself in the Dreams of Freedom!

...by experiencing the story where it unfolds! As you explore the historic landscapes of Upstate New York, let the pages come to life around you. Feel the history, see the scenery, and walk in the footsteps of the characters.

This is more than just reading — it’s an adventure for the senses. Ready to make your journey unforgettable?

If you are in a book club, please send your address and the name of your club ( if you have one) below. I will mail you this free Novel Tourist pamphlet so you can discuss and plan “ Dreams of Freedom” adventures with your club! Then, we would love to hear about your adventures! 

Upcoming Speaking Engagements

August 20, 2025 - Cicero Public Library 6pm presentation and book signing

Wednesday August 27, 2025 7 pm — Private Book Club

Saturday August 30, 2025 10am - Presentation, New Woodstock Library

Thursday September 4 - Old Forge Library Presentation at 5pm

Tuesday September 9 (12:45-2pm) Marilyn Pinsky Book Club

September 11-13, 2025 - Presentation on Thursday at the NYS Tourism of Excellence Conference

September 15, 2025 - Fayetteville Free Library 6:30pm presentation and book signing

September 15-21, 2025 — World Canals Conference, Buffalo, NY

September 27, 2025 - Private Tour Group doing Novel Tourism - meet and greet to sign books

Monday Sept 29 1 pm - Women’s Connection and Eastern Hills Book Clubs, Center St. Market

September 30, 2025 - Jervis Public Library Rome, NY Presentation 6:30pm

Thursday October, 2, 2025 - 4pm Private Book Club

Friday October 3, 2025 - Private Book Club

October 6-8, 2025 - Presentation at the Association of Public Historians, Hampton Inn, Cazenovia

October 14, 2025 - Presentation 12-2pm Philanthropic Ed Association at the Hampton Inn, Cazenovia

Friday, October 17, 2025 - 4:30pm - 9pm Erie Canal Museum Gala - reading and book signing

Saturday, October 18, 2025 - 12pm - 2:30pm Presentation at Ogdensberg Public Library

Tuesday October 28 ( 6 pm) - Canastota Library Book Club

Thursday, October 30, 2025 - Hazard Library - Authors discussion and book signing with other local authors at 6-7pm

November 5th, 2025 11am-1pm - Rome Reading Group at the Beeches.

Wednesday November 17, 2025 - 1:30pm Presentation to Oasis Class in Syracuse

If you want to know more about the author and her book, enter your email address below!