When Thomas Jefferson left his well-ordered Monticello Plantation for Paris in 1784 to negotiate trade treaties for America, he took the enslaved James Hemings with him as his manservant. Having taught Hemings to read and play the violin at Monticello, Jefferson now has him trained in the finest of French cuisine. Living in Paris, where the French had abolished slavery, Hemings discovers an independence, a skill, and a romance beyond his imagination. Torn between family and freedom as the French Revolution erupts, Hemings makes a choice that changes Jefferson and America.

This imagined biography is based on extensive research into Heming’s life, including letters, diaries, Jefferson’s farm accounts, and other primary materials, as well as the well documented historical accounts of Jefferson’s life. Combining the political and personal, Jefferson’s Chef-James Hemings from Slavery to Freedom creates a unique and intimate portrait of two exceptional men and discloses why Hemings was the only one of Jefferson’s hundreds of slaves who was unconditionally freed during Jefferson’s lifetime.

Sharon O. Lightholder is an American writer. She grew up in a military family and travelled extensively. After lived at 24 addresses on both American coasts, in Asia and Europe, attending three colleges and one law school, she finally settled down in southern California She was an early avid reader, writer, and family storyteller. She remains inquisitive, or as her sister might say, nosey. These several traits served her well both in her work, as a public policy, fiscal and legislative analyst and risk manager for a multi-billion-dollar public entity, and as a writer. She is actively researching her next project at this time. For more information on her escapades, background on her books, interviews, and book club guides, please visit http://sharonolightholder.com anytime.