2017 Sarton Women's Book Award for Young Adult Fiction Defiance on Indian Creek, Book One in the Dangerous Loyalties Series is an enthralling novel for all ages, inspired by Daughters of the American Revolution Patriot Mary Shirley McGuire. Western Virginia, 1774 -1775: Thirteen-year-old Mary Shirley loses trust in her loyalist papa when she discovers secret documents revealing him as a spy, betraying the patriots, and endangering the family. She wrestles with remaining loyal to him or warning his contact. When a sudden illness prevents him from delivering a lifesaving dispatch, he pleads for her help. By morning, hunger and exhaustion lead her deeper into danger and struggling to survive.