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The author’s seven-year writing journey required a lot of reading and traveling for research. She went to Belfast, Northern Ireland, to learn more about the people who were sent to the colonies. There were several trips to Philadelphia, which was the major American port for immigrants.

“I needed to see what the people wore, what they ate, and what they believed in the 1700s,” Zuno said. “I also visited the oldest continuing residential street in America: Elfreth’s Alley.”

The oldest homes on the alley date back as far as 1720.

Other journeys took her to Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia and to a former Native American town along the Susquehanna River in Oklahoma, where members of the Delaware and Shawnee tribes welcomed and protected runaways from the tobacco plantations.

To get a feeling for 18th century transatlantic voyages, Zuno spent two weeks on the Lady Washington, a tall ship replica that sails along America’s West Coast once a year. Guests on the voyage also act in part as the crew.

“I even got to swab the deck,” she said.

Zuno admits that, at times, the magnitude of the project was overwhelming. She would be faced with mountains of doubt that she could really finish a book, or even if she did finish it, that it would be something people would want to read.

But she persisted. She enrolled in creative writing classes at UCLA, where teachers like Steven Wolfson became mentors.

She withdrew from her Hollywood dream, at least for now. She moved to San Diego two years ago and works as a Spanish interpreter for the busy Federal Southern District court.

When Zuno finished the book last fall, she submitted the manuscript to Kirkus Reviews, a respected book review service, which can help authors market their books.

“I was so nervous, submitting it to Kirkus,” she said. “I thought, I put in all this work, what if it is bad? But I got a terrific review.

“It took me seven years to write this book,” Zuno said, reflecting. “When I began this project, I had no idea what I was getting into. I still can’t believe I did it.

“Now it doesn’t matter to me if it is a bestseller, or if only 10 people read it,” she said. “I just know that I wrote the best book I could.”