Welcome to the blog, Lynne. I’m so excited to have you here today. Congratulations on your upcoming release, A Fallen Sparrow.

Without giving too much away, can you tell us about one of your favorite scenes in the book?

Wow, that’s hard. There are so many. I did enjoy writing about the Continental Army crossing the Delaware before the Battle of Trenton. I have a new collection of used books on the Revolution, and one thick volume is about this single battle. It helped me to reconstruct the situation, view the experience through the eyes of my character. Meanwhile, his love interest is worried. Is Jonathan frozen in a ditch somewhere?

What drew you to set your stories in this time period?

I realized that there were very few books set during the period of the Great Awakening. I decided to write one, then realized I would need to write a trilogy and cover the Revolution as well. The revival of the gospel affected the colonies in such a way as to influence the war. Our protest was for the rule of law, a concept Christians can easily embrace, being people of the Book. On the other hand, the French Revolution embraced retribution.

I love that you focused on this time period. Such a fascinating era!

What will you remember most about writing this series?

The British connection. I hadn’t thought much about the British point of view until reading two interesting books: Redcoat by Bernard Cornwell and The Long Fuse by Don Cook. Redcoat opens with the reader immersed in a British soldier’s POV just before the Paoli Massacre. It’s a gritty tale that impacted me. The second is non-fiction, exploring why the British lost. The POV is again from the other side of the pond. Invaluable. I created my own British POV character, Lt. Robert Shirley, who ends up as a spy—and hates it. He is the (fictional) cousin of a real-life officer, Francis, Lord Rawdon, who is the grandson of the Countess of Huntingdon—the godly woman who supports George Whitefield and manages his orphanage after his death. Her grandson is not godly—I won’t give you any spoilers! But you just can’t make this stuff up!

That’s so interesting! I can just imagine how getting those other perspectives really added a lot to your stories. There are so many layers to history worth exploring!

John Russell is the hero of The Shenandoah Road, the first book in the series, and he’s around in the second and third books as well. By the Revolution he’s started to turn gray. He’s got flaws, but as a Christian he’s managed to (mostly) overcome them, and he serves as a kind of mentor in subsequent books. He’s a man’s man but a warm-hearted husband and father. He’s a Scots-Irish frontiersman, and aye, he’s got a bit of a brogue from the old country. He’s an idealized figure, a classic hero, and his strength affects the whole neighborhood. He was easy to write.

Ohhh, I love him just from your description! 🙂

What was the last book you read and what did you love most about it?

I really enjoyed Shadows of the Mind’s Eye by Janyre Tromp. Not only did the storyline draw me in, but I was struck by her prose. She’s a great writer.

That one is on my TBR list too. 🙂

We’re so glad you could join us today, Lynne. Is there anything else you’d like to add? Any upcoming projects you can share with us?

I’ve got two novellas in different stages of development—both part of the Russells series!

Yay! That’s great, Lynne. Thanks for sharing. Hope you have a great summer.

GIVEAWAY!!

Lynne has graciously offered to give away a signed print copy or ebook of “A Fallen Sparrow”. Enter below and it could be YOU! 😉

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for entering! US winner will receive a print copy – International winner will receive an ebook copy. Giveaway ends August 2, 2022 . The winner will be notified by email. Happy Reading, everybody!