Usually my books are made up of stories and characters who have lived only in my head but my most recent novel, WHAT’S LEFT UNSAID, is a little different. This novel contains two storylines– one contemporary story that is 100% fictional and a storyline about a young girl named Evelyn who was shot at the age of fourteen that is inspired by a true story.
Fun fact: Real life Evelyn was my great aunt. As a result of lots of research my sister and I have uncovered some pictures and facts that might interest curious readers.
The photos below give you a visual of who the real life characters were in Evelyn’s life. This was done with amateur sleuthing on Ancestry.com.
Evelyn Sadler
(My Great Aunt)Ethelwin Sadler – Evelyn’s Father
(My Great Grandfather)Evelyn’s Step Mother – referred to in her letters as Mrs. Brown Ada Sadler – Evelyn’s Mother
(My Great Grandmother)William Sadler – Evelyn’s Brother
(My Grandfather)Myrtle Sadler –
Evelyn’s sister as an adultWilliam Sadler – Evelyn’s Brother (My Grandfather) Grandma Elizabeth (basis for Mamaw), grandfather William (Evelyn’s brother), George (my dad-center right), Uncle Bill (center left), Uncle Edward (front row) Vivia
Vivian Sadler – Evelyn’s sister as an adult
To learn the WHOLE true story behind Evelyn’s life and how her story came to be–you can listen to the What’s Left Unsaid podcast hosted by me and my sister, Elizabeth Sadler. In this multi-part series we dive into the true story of Evelyn Sadler who was shot and left for dead at the age of fourteen. Paralyzed from her injuries, Evelyn went on to write her story down in a six page letter than caught my attention decades later and lead to the creation of my sixth novel: WHAT’S LEFT UNSAID.
Join Elizabeth and I as we explore this real life mystery and others in this podcast of untold stories.
Written by : Emily Bleeker--author
