Season 9, Episode 2 - Sarah Loudin Thomas
In this captivating episode of History Through Fiction the podcast, host Colin Mustful interviews author Sarah Loudin Thomas about her novel These Blue Mountains. Sarah shares the real-life inspiration behind her story—a German woman’s search for her missing fiancé, a World War I civilian internee in North Carolina. The discussion explores Appalachian history, the creation of a Bavarian village by German POWs, and the significance of landscape, art, and music in the novel. Sarah also talks about her role as director of the Mitford Museum and balancing writing with her career. A must-listen for fans of historical fiction and Appalachian stories.
🎧 Tune in now on your favorite podcast platform!
About the Author
Sarah Loudin Thomas grew up on a 100-acre farm in French Creek, WV, the seventh generation to live there. Her historical fiction is often set in West Virginia and celebrates the people, the land, and the heritage of Appalachia.
Sarah is the director of Jan Karon’s Mitford Museum in Hudson, NC. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Coastal Carolina University and is the author of the acclaimed novels The Right Kind of Fool–winner of the 2021 Selah Book of the Year–and Miracle in a Dry Season–winner of the 2015 Inspy Award. Sarah has also been a finalist for the Christy Award, ACFW Carol Award and the Christian Book of the Year Award. She and her husband live in western North Carolina.
A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.
German pianist Hedda Schlagel’s world collapses when her fiancé, Fritz, vanishes after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the US during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda is stunned to see Fritz’s name in a photo of an American memorial for German seamen who died near Asheville, North Carolina. Hoping to bring closure to his ailing mother, Hedda travels to the US to reclaim his body, only to discover that Fritz’s casket contains the remains of a woman who died mysteriously.
Local deputy Garland Jones thought he’d left that chapter behind when he helped bury Fritz’s coffin. Hedda’s arrival forces him to confront how much of the truth he really knows. As they work together to uncover the woman’s identity and Fritz’s fate, Hedda and Garland grow closer. But with Hedda in the US on borrowed time and Hitler rising in Germany, she fears she’ll have to return home before putting the past to rest.
