9Blue Skies of El Dorado tells the poignant Civil War love story of Obadiah Bradford and his beautiful slave of mixed blood, Penelope. Their tale began in the first book of the series, Dark Clouds over Alabama. To escape the stigma of hate and prejudice, Obadiah and Penelope marry and move away from Alabama with their mothers and several slaves to El Dorado, Arkansas. They purchase a 600-acre plantation named Three Oaks, situated a few miles from El Dorado in Southwest Arkansas. In this quiet, peaceful town, Obadiah opens up a medical practice and becomes the town's beloved doctor. Under the Blue Skies of El Dorado, Obadiah and Penelope's love blossoms, their family grows, the Civil War ends, and freedom comes to slaves in the South. Obadiah's Christian beliefs and his deep faith in God see him through the troubled times. The novel presents love and hope in the best definition as it deals with tragedy and triumph in the Old South. Blue Skies is a must-read for anyone interested in this fascinating chapter of American history. Carl J. Barger grew up in the Ozark Mountains of Cleburne County, Arkansas. He spent thirty-eight years in the public schools in Arkansas, thirty-three as a superintendent of schools. Barger is the author of four other historical fiction novels: Swords and Plowshares, Mamie, An Ozark Mountain Girl of Courage, and Dark Clouds over Alabama. He is also the author of a two-volume history of Cleburne County and its people. He resides with his wife, Lena, in Conway, Arkansas. "I love history and I love the Civil War." Publisher's website: http: //sbpra.com/CarlJBarger