Author Avellina Balestri

Avellina Balestri is a Catholic author, editor, speaker, musician, and historian based in the scenic Pennsylvania-Maryland (Penn-Mar) borderlands, nearby the Gettysburg Battlefield and the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. Her Italian-American heritage is in synergy with her passion for spirituality and the arts. Avellina's wide assortment of essays, stories, poems, and interviews have been featured in over forty print and online publications. Her historical fiction novels (chronicling the adventures of 12th century outlaws and 18th century redcoats) and her poetry collections (ranging from historical commemoration to social commentary), as well as various anthologies in which her works have been included, can be found on Amazon and Goodreads. Avellina is also the editor and one of the contributing authors of the literary magazine Fellowship & Fairydust which follows in the footsteps of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton and others. They also branch out into other storytelling traditions from around the world to cultivate intercultural and interreligious understanding. They accept submissions of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and prose as well as artwork and photography. Be sure to visit Avellina's website for more information. While interviewing her on Between the Lines, we discussed her historical fiction novel All Ye That Pass By, Book 1 in her Gone for A Soldier Series. It released last July and is available on Amazon in ebook and paperback formats. This series deals with characters of different Christian denominations navigating the social and political complexities of Great Britain and the American Colonies as war breaks out between them. Here is the back cover copy of All Ye That Pass By: "If you don a scarlet coat at the price of your conscience, the color will only remind you of the wound in your own soul! If you sign away the faith of your fathers, all lesser goods will be forfeited too!" Young Edmund Southworth could not have foreseen the path his life would take upon befriending Gentleman Johnny Burgoyne, British military veteran and parliamentarian. As Catholic recusants from the north of England, Edmund's once noble family has struggled to survive for centuries in the shadow of the Anglican ascendancy. But General Burgoyne offers him the chance to put past humiliations behind him by joining the Church of England and donning a scarlet coat as an officer of King George III. Although his conscience is uneasy, Edmund embarks upon Burgoyne's March to subdue the American revolutionaries by splitting the colonies in two. He finds unexpected love in the arms of Abby Vanderkamp, a supporter of American independence, who will do anything to free her father from a British prison hulk or, failing that, strike a blow for the hard-pressed rebel cause. As the British advance through the New York wilderness devolves into increasing brutality and instability, Edmund will have his already divided loyalties tested to the breaking point under the influence of this hostile land which presents him with new challenges and opportunities alike.