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An emotional story of loss and love based on historic events and heroic people that will make you laugh and cry.
Synopsis
Atop the mystical mountain known as Standing Indian, in the Great Smoky Mountain wilderness, two unsettled lives collide. Grieving the death of his wife, Charley is guided by a mysterious symbol carved into the mountain’s summit to Mouse, who is searching for her own purpose along the storied Appalachian Trail. Trapped together during a freak blizzard, Charley tells Mouse the heartbreaking story of his Cherokee ancestor Tsali’s struggle to survive in early America—from the destruction of his village by an American militia, to the forced removal from his ancestral homelands along the Trail of Tears and climaxing with his heroic sacrifice.
Profoundly impacted by Tsali’s story, Mouse’s search of her own purpose morphs into an obsession to break a generational curse placed on Tsali and his descendants. Guided by the same mysterious symbol which brought them together, their lives will be forever changed.
When the Dogwoods Bloom is an emotional story of loss and love based on historical events and heroic people that will make you laugh and cry, and possibly change your life.
About the Author
Victor Treutel
Born into an Army family, Victor has lived throughout the world. After a career in technology, he and his wife Gayle retired to the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. He is an avid landscape and wildlife photographer and serves as the president of the Nantahala Hiking Club—one of thirty volunteer organizations who maintain the Appalachian Trail. While on a photography junket, he discovered the story of Tsali, who was born in the Smokies in the late 1700’s. Although the details of Tsali’s life are limited, one fact is certain—he saved the Cherokee Nation. Victor retraced Tsali’s life as much as possible and then fictionalized the details in the writing of
When the Dogwoods Bloom.
Interview with Good Day Orange County
Victor discusses When the Dogwoods Bloom with Lauren Solomon.