Combining fact and fiction, the book was inspired by events in colonial New London. Brownell will share a slide presentation that highlights her research and local landmarks, including the area of today's Gallows Lane. The plot of Gallows Road centers on the life of an indentured servant, a young woman who is condemned to death for a crime that she swears she didn't commit. 

Brownell grew up in Waterford, graduated from Brown University, and earned an M.A. in English with a concentration in creative writing from San Francisco State University. Formerly the media director for Mystic Seaport Museum and director of publications/editor for Connecticut College, she lives in Ledyard.