Fields of Thorns is a historical fiction novel based on true facts. The plot starts out in Smyrna, Turkey the Aegean Coast in the 1900s then; but today it’s known as Izmir and it’s part of Istanbul. The book is a biographical novel inspired by the author’s maternal grandmother Fotini. Fotini and her family were chased from their home in Smyrna to escape the fires that had ignited at the city’s waterfront. At the time, barely 20 years old, Fotini was married & eight months pregnant with her first. The family managed to board a Greek Ship traveling towards one of the Islands of Greece, and / or its surrounding areas to disembark some of the refugees. Fotini was with her parents and the rest of the family were on the open deck on the ship's stern. While the Ship got into the Pelagos of Crete her water broke. At first she decided to stay silent, thinking that it might go away. But then the twisting, throbbing pain between her upper thighs started; it was like snakes were coiling deep within, causing her to slump over towards her mother! Even though she tried the unavoidable, she could not succeed and went into labor on the ship.