The Voyage

(c) 2019

Have you had a chance to check out my new book, ‘The Voyage’? It’s an illustrated east-to-read book about the beginnings of one of America’s founding families.

If you’ve been to Cape Cod, Massachusetts you’ve likely driven or ridden through Sandwich. That’s where the Wing Fort House is located. You should take a tour. The house is chock-full of furniture and other belongings owned by the Wing Family.

The kitchen is something special and when you walk in you can imagine the family gathered around the gigantic fireplace. The smell of bread baking or a stew bubbling in a cast iron pot hanging off a hook over the flames fills your imagination. And that’s just the first room!

My ancestor, Stephen Wing, was the man who built the house. History relates this story: He was fearful of an Indian uprising and built a very solid fort home. The Indians in the area turned out to be very nice and helpful, making the home overbuilt. But I bet those 12-inch thick walls helped keep those frigid winter temperatures out of the home!

Time to take a trip! Sonja

Happy Thanksgiving!

It’s an important day for all those in the United States. Today is Thanksgiving. My new book, The Voyage, would be a wonderful read to mark this day. It tells of the trials of a man who traveled throughout Europe as he searched for religious freedom.

His family settled first in Plymouth Colony and then to Sandwich, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. This illustrated easy-to-read book is available exclusively on Amazon.com.

I’m also offering Book 3 of The Fairies of Carlow, The Commoner, at special pricing starting today. This book is a middle-grade chapter book and takes place in a fairy kingdom. The Commoner tells the story of a fairy princess who chafes under the restrictions placed upon her. She flees the palace and lives as a commoner. Will she return to her royal life?

I hope you take advantage of the special pricing, which ends on November 30, and also take a look at my newest book.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my U.S. friends! Sonja

Wing Family of America

The Wing Coat of Arms

I’ve been thinking a lot about my ancestors. Luckily for me, one of the branches on my family tree has so much history attached to it, and the family has a strong desire to preserve that history. But, much is lost to time–

My picture book based upon the patriarch of the Wing Family of America will be published soon. The text is written and the artist is busy drawing the illustrations. I’m so excited to tell the story of this family as they leave 1600s England for the American colonies.

Unfortunately, the patriarch died before he could stand on American soil. But his desire to leave England was strong in his family and they emigrated a few years later. They settled in Plymouth and then migrated to be some of the original founders of Sandwich, Massachusetts. That’s on Cape Cod. The Wing descendants fought in the American Revolution in a Massachusetts regiment. I often think about those men and women who put everything on the line for their beliefs. It took courage, a lot of courage. I can only hope to be courageous enough to make them proud.

More info on the coat of arms, if you’re interested. This information was taken from http://www.wingfamily.org :

The coat of arms the Wing Family of America, Inc. “adopted” was the coat of Arms of Sir Theodore Wing, Lord Warden of Wastes and Liveries to King Henry VII (1485-1509)

According to Conway Wing’s Wing Genealogy (1st edition, 1881) In Sir John Bernard Burke’s “Encyclopaedia, or General Armory of England, Scotland and Ireland,” we find what purports to be “The Wing Armour. County of Rutland.” The Heraldic description accompanying it is: “Arms.– Per pale, argent and vert – a maunch counter-charged. Crest.– A maunch per pale, argent and vert, between two wings or.”

The phrase “per pale” (from palus, a stake.) signifies that the field or charge is divided into two equal parts by a perpendicular [vertical] line, with a different field on each side of it… “Argent and vert” are the colors in which the field or figures are depicted. They were designated either by “metals or colors” [in traditional coats, either the figure or the background was in metal, but not both] [The colors/metals were in French, Argent is silver and vert is green].

“A maunch” is a sort of old-fashioned sleeve with long-hanging ends. “Counter-charged” means that the colors were reversed on the from the right half of the coat to the left half. The “Crest” which was worn usually on the top of the element had the same design with two wings or [gold].”

A New Picture Book!!!

Exciting news! The artist is hard at work adding to my new picture book. This book is currently titled:

The Wing Family of America:

From England to the American Colonies

As a member of the Wing Family of America, I am particularly proud of this book. The artist lives in England and will give a special perspective to the story.

It’s an interesting time in history! I hope you enjoy the book. I will update this site when it becomes available!!!