People are always thinking of the future. More specifically, where they are going.

Sometimes, the best way to figure out where you’re going is to know where you came from.

In her new novel, “Saudade,” Miriam Winthrop explores the powerful influences of family history, bravery and sacrifice, as well as the tension between science and fate. Her heroine, Ann Parker, discovers herself as she discovers her ancestors and their home: the Azores.

“Saudade” is a loving tribute to the Azores, as well as genealogy.

“Saudade” has Ann learning of her Azorean roots, much as Winthrop herself did.

Winthrop’s grandmother “was born on Pico in 1888,” but for many years Winthrop said she “had only the vague notion that my grandmother had been born on an island in the middle of the ocean.”

Once she made the connections and realized that island was Pico, Winthrop began her meticulous research into her past, which laid the groundwork for this carefully crafted novel.

In the process, Winthrop fell in love with the culture and people of the Azores:

“In researching my own family history, I found the history of an extraordinary people who are rarely, if ever, given the credit they deserve for their role in history, their unique culture, and their remarkable resilience,” Winthrop said.

Last year, Winthrop was able to visit the Azores for the first time, “and I had the feeling that I had come home.”

Above all, Winthrop hopes that “Saudade” will be received by the Azorean community with the same generosity and warmth that they have shown her. She was most moved by a “Saudade” review from Azores GenWeb that declared to the book to be “a tribute to the land and people of the Azores.”

“I’m happy to say that, with the interest shown in ‘Saudade,’ I have been asked to write a series set in the Azores. The first, ‘At the Water’s Edge,’ is set for release in 2015.”

“Saudade” isavailable forpurchaseonAmazon.

POSTED BY KRISTINA FONTES,