Lewis County Herald - Serving Hohenwald, Lewis County Tennessee Since 1898

Tony Turnbow, author of The Shadow of E.Z.'s Fear, will be at Lewis County Public Library and Archives on Saturday, June 19 at 2 p.m. to introduce his first fictional characters, E.Z. and David Perkins, two young brothers making their way down the Natchez Trace in 1809. Copies of The Shadow of E.Z.'s Fear will be available for purchase and signing.

E.Z. and David Perkins travel with their widowed mother to the recently opened Mississippi Territory in 1809 following the only route- the Natchez Trace. The brothers quickly learn between the monstrous creatures, the treacherous terrain, and nefarious bandits why the Trace has earned the nickname "The Devil's Backbone." If just surviving "The Devil's Backbone" wasn't hard enough, E.Z. discovers a mystery that brings even more danger on his family and their traveling companions. But can they trust everyone who is with them? The Shadow of E.Z.'s Fear is the first book in the series "Fighting Devil's Backbone."

Tony Turnbow has studied the history of the Old Natchez Trace for more than 30 years. He practices law in Franklin, Tennessee. With a Bachelor of Arts and a concentration in southern U.S. history from Vanderbilt University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Tennessee College of Law, he has continued to use his training to explore unpublished primary sources about the Natchez Trace. He authored "The Natchez Trace in the War of 1812" in The Journal of Mississippi History, and he has published articles in the Tennessee Historical Quarterly and the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation journal "We Proceeded On." Turnbow also wrote a full-length play "Inquest on the Natchez Trace" about the mysterious death of explorer Meriwether Lewis.

Tony Turnbow is a past president of the Lewis County Historical Society. He represented the Natchez Trace Parkway Association on the Tennessee War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission, and he was the recipient of the Tennessee Society U.S. Daughters of 1812 "Spirit of 1812" award. He has spoken frequently about his research to meetings of DAR, SAR, Colonial Dames, U.S. Daughters of 1812, General Society of 1812, and historical organizations.

This special literary event is being co-hosted by the Lewis County Historical Society and the Lewis County Public Library and Archives and is being held as part of "Tails and Tales: Animal Adventures in Hohenwald," the library's 2021 Summer Reading Program. For more information about this and other library events this summer, stop by or call the library at (931) 796-5365.