The Seeds of Love...and War: Still Shaggin' for a Shillin'

The Seeds of Love-and War: Still Shaggin' for a Shillin' recounts a taut tale spiked with plenty of sex appeal as it recounts the events that led up to the Boston Massacre. The year is 1769, and the Boston Gazette headline announces the latest in a series of murders-this time a young boy. Tension mounts as the Sons of Liberty, led by John Hancock and Samuel Adams, press for the exodus of the unwanted redcoats, and the Crown catches wind of the patriot's schemes for insurrection, thanks to the reports of a double-crossing candle-maker. The patriots' story finds fertile soil to plant the seeds of rebellion in otherwise unknown turf ... the dirty denizens of the Boston waterfront. Snug Harbor Tavern, a cozy brothel located on Fish Street near the Boston Harbor, provides a haven for the patriots. What happens at Snug Harbor stays at Snug Harbor. After all, it's not just any tavern. It happens to be a bordello owned by Amanda Griffith, a buxom barmaid set on having her way with Hancock, a rumored facet of history often left untold. Tapping historically documented resources, Johnson reconstructs a panoramic chronicle of the events leading up to the Boston Massacre, fleshing out a story teeming with secretive meetings, political intrigue, hidden identities, renegades, and sex scandals. It all begins with the celebrated departure of loyalist Governor Bernard. Shortly after he flees for the safety of British soil, the conspiracy among the patriots intensifies. With redcoats patrolling Boston's streets, the Sons of Liberty are losing patience, and the schemes for an uprising begin. Yet this political house of cards can tumble with the slightest mistake. As Hancock and Adams' causes intertwine, they find themselves immersed in a daring scheme to recruit support for the Sons of Liberty among a scabrous group of commoners who buy their shaggin' for a shillin'. But when confidential information leaks to the new Crown-loving Governor Hutchinson, the patriots don't know who to trust. The radical Boston Gazette and the loyalist Boston Chronicle duel for the allegiance of the people as they publicize the ploys and betrayals of both parties. The disquiet is now visible, and it's only just begun. Countering the patriot schemes, we find the dreaded Omega, a collection of spies loyal to the crown. These miscreants, using ruses and disguises, use every means at their disposal - including murder - to support the redcoats who garrison the town. On a monumental day, March 5th, 1770, the tension snaps. In a brief yet bloody assault, Crispus Attucks, a patriot runaway slave, ends up a martyr in one of history's most pivotal moments: the Boston Massacre.