Frequently Asked Questions
For any questions not included here, please reach out by email at contact@heartsonganthology.com.
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Keith Laughton was inspired to create The Heartsong Anthology while humming the haunting tune of Scarborough Fair. Realizing that the iconic melody carried a deep sense of longing and pathos, he set out to discover the flesh-and-blood human drama behind the song’s cryptic riddles. This spark evolved into a broader literary mission: uncovering the forgotten, high-stakes historical stories hidden behind humanity’s most enduring traditional folk songs.
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Scarborough Fair is set in late 17th-century Restoration England, spanning the years 1663 to 1698. The primary action of the novel unfolds between 1670 and 1698 along the windswept Yorkshire coastline, specifically in the bustling port town of Scarborough and the quiet nearby fishing village of Filey.
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While the central story of Tom Craggs and Elspeth Hawthorne is a work of fiction, Scarborough Fair is deeply grounded in real 17th-century social history. The novel accurately incorporates actual historical events and places, including the 45-day Great Mart of Scarborough, the ruins of Scarborough Castle following the English Civil Wars, the Royal Navy impressment system, and the historical outbreak of the Great Plague along the Yorkshire coast.
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Yes. Scarborough Fair is a clean, morally grounded living book that serves as an excellent cross-curricular read for junior high and high school students studying 17th-century world history, British social history, literature, or music appreciation.
Key educational aspects include:
Character & Virtue: The narrative highlights themes of honesty, quiet resilience, the refusal to profit from slavery, and standing firm in personal integrity over material status.
Clean Fiction: The romance and relationships are completely clean, focusing on mutual respect, character trials, and unyielding devotion without explicit content, gratuitous violence, or profanity.
Living History: The story incorporates rich historical details, from Restoration-era trade, postal systems, and medical practices to the origin and symbolic language of traditional English folk music.
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Scarborough Fair is available globally in multiple formats:
eBook & Print Editions: You can purchase the Kindle eBook, Paperback (ISBN: 979-8-9970704-0-3), and Hardcover (ISBN: 979-8-9970704-1-0) editions directly on Amazon.
Direct Inquiries: For bulk orders, institutional purchases, or review copies, inquiries may be directed to contact@heartsonganthology.com.
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The second book in The Heartsong Anthology is titled Oh Shenandoah (scheduled for release in Spring 2027).
While Scarborough Fair explores 17th-century Yorkshire, Oh Shenandoah shifts the setting across the Atlantic to the 1750s American frontier on the eve of the French and Indian War. Inspired by the soaring melody of the classic American folk song, the story follows a fur trader's journey along the Haudenosaunee trading corridors of upstate New York and across the Missouri River, exploring themes of wilderness survival, a clash of empires, and a covenant of devotion.
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Every novel in The Heartsong Anthology is a complete, standalone story. While the overarching series is unified by its central concept—exploring the real-world human dramas behind iconic traditional folk songs across different eras and continents—each book features a unique setting, time period, and standalone cast of characters. You can read them in any order.
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You can stay connected with the latest news, historical insights, and new release announcements by subscribing directly through the website:
Email Newsletter: Scroll down to the footer of any page on www.heartsonganthology.com to sign up for email updates. Subscribers are the first to receive news on upcoming releases, behind-the-scenes historical research, and special announcements.
Author Follows: You can also follow Keith Laughton directly on his Amazon Author Page or via Goodreads to receive automated updates when new books or blog posts go live.
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Digital or physical review copies (ARCs) are available for book bloggers, historical fiction reviewers, homeschool influencers, and media hosts. Requests can be submitted directly via email to contact@heartsonganthology.com.