Ann Mock was so inspired by the cannon ball lodged in the wall at Cedar Grove Mansion and Vicksburg’s history that she almost wrote a book about it.

Mock visited Cedar Grove as a tourist 20 years ago and began writing a romance story about a family that survives and holds on to their strong faith after the War Between the States.

Mock’s husband, David, was cleaning out some filing cabinets when he came across the manuscript and he encouraged her to finish it.

“It sat in a drawer for twenty years and he encouraged me to finish it,” Mock said. “He’s a historian and has written four history text books, so he helped me with the editing and getting it all polished up. He’s wonderful.”

Her trip on the American Queen steamboat two years ago provided the final motivation to finish the novel she had started.

“Somehow that little cannon ball got me going and I built the whole story around that,” Mock said. “We love coming into Vicksburg on the Mississippi, it’s the most stunning city with those cliffs.”

She loved visiting plantations along the Mississippi and was inspired by their history and architecture and by the friendliness of the people.

Other prominent Southern landmarks are included in the book such as Nottoway Plantation in White Castle, La., Houmas House Plantation in Darrow, La. and Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, La.

“Nottoway Plantation is where I got the idea for the ballroom,” Mock said. “The settings are sort of a combination of all these homes, but centers on Vicksburg.”

The Union of the North and the South is a story of romance that begins in Vicksburg in the 1870’s. Mock is a southerner and has always loved the towering oak trees and beautiful southern landmarks, which make the South unlike any other part of the world. Pulling from her experiences growing up in the South she was able to create the story.

Her novel is being carried at Lorelei’s Books and is also available on Amazon.com.

Keystone Antique Furnishings, 1106 Washington Street in Vicksburg, will be hosting a book signing Thursday from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.