Title: The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn Author: Lori Benton Publisher: Waterbrook Multnomah
Frontier dangers cannot hold a candle to the risks one woman takes by falling in love
In an act of brave defiance, Tamsen Littlejohn escapes the life her
harsh stepfather has forced upon her. Forsaking security and an arranged
marriage, she enlists frontiersman Jesse Bird to guide her to the
Watauga settlement in western North Carolina. But shedding her old life
doesn’t come without cost. As the two cross a vast mountain wilderness,
Tamsen faces hardships that test the limits of her faith and endurance.
Convinced that Tamsen has been kidnapped, wealthy suitor Ambrose Kincaid
follows after her, in company with her equally determined stepfather.
With trouble in pursuit, Tamsen and Jesse find themselves thrust into
the conflict of a divided community of Overmountain settlers. The State
of Franklin has been declared, but many remain loyal to North Carolina.
With one life left behind and chaos on the horizon, Tamsen struggles to
adapt to a life for which she was never prepared. But could this
challenging frontier life be what her soul has longed for, what God has
been leading her toward? As pursuit draws ever nearer, will her faith
see her through the greatest danger of all—loving a man who has risked
everything for her?
Lori Benton ~ Author
Welcome today, Lori! Readers will be eager to readThe Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohnconsidering the success of your first bookBurning Sky. Can you tell us about the awards its received?
~ "Thanks for having me on your blog today, Pat! My sophomore novel, The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn landed on store shelves last month. On the day that
book released I received news that my debut novel, Burning Sky, was a double finalist in the 2014 Christy Awards (Historical and First Novel categories). Burning Sky has
also made the shortlist in the Debut Fiction category for the 2014
Inspy Award, the Blogger’s Award for Excellence in Faith-Driven
Literature. And Burning Sky received a Grace Award, a reader
driven award in faith-based literature."
Congratulations Lori, and thank you for being with us today. Blessings and much success on your writing as we look forward to you next novel! Other sites you can read about and discuss Lori's books... Lori's Website link:http://loribenton.blogspot.com/ A link to the first two chapters of The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn:
Included with a copy of Lori's "The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn" .... A gift giveaway of a hand-crafted necklace from Misty Isles Design (that's me!)
of iridescent blue and ceramic beads, with a ceramic floral pendent. At 28" long (opera
length) it can be slipped easily over the head without struggling to
close a clasp.
Please leave your e-mail address with your comment so you can be notified if your a drawing winner.
Welcome. This week it is my very great pleasure to celebrate debut author Lori Benton and hernovel Burning Sky. Coincidentally its release date was August 6th, the anniversary of the Battle of Oriskany, which plays an important part in the backdrop of Lori's book. Included in this post is a short video of the Battle scenes illustrated by Don Troiani, an historical artist who has captured a sense of early America and its rugged frontiersmen. Hope you enjoy this post and reading about Lori's new book!
Please try these links to meet with Lori and read about God's guidance and blessings on her journey to publication:
Lori, what affect did the Battle of Oriskany have on the characters in Burning Sky?
Burning Sky
is set in 1784, seven years after the Battle of Oriskany, but the
settlement of Shiloh, New York, is located near enough to Fort Stanwix
and Oriskany Creek that the men from this fictional village would have
been part of General Nicholas Herkimer’s mixed force of militia and
Oneida warriors that fought against the British and other Iroquois
Nations on that day.
In the pages ofBurning Sky,
those members of the militia who survived that battle and the rest of
the war still live daily with its repercussions. The Warings, a
prominent family in Shiloh, lost two of their members in that battle.
Those who survived it were never the same for the brutality they
witnessed and committed, or for the losses they sustained. Although it
wasn’t called Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in the 18th
century, my goal was to portray these characters, and the long-term
consequences of war upon their bodies and souls, as honestly as I could
in light of our current understanding of this disorder.
Publishers Weekly, in their review ofBurning Sky, had this to say:
A bruised reed He shall not break, and a smoking flax he shall not
quench: that's the theme resonating through this lovingly rendered
historical-romantic homage to the men and women of the American frontier
after the Revolutionary War. That is part of what I hoped to
accomplish with this novel, to honor those of all nations who fought on
the New York frontier during the Revolutionary War, or suffered loss and
endured to rebuild and reshape their lives.
I thought it very fitting that the release date forBurning Sky “happens” to fall on August 6, the anniversary of the Battle of Oriskany.
Title: Burning Sky
Author: Lori Benton
Publisher: Waterbrook Press
Lori Benton
“I remember the borders of our land, though I have been gone from
them nearly half the moons of my life. But who there will remember me?
What I have seen, what I have done, it has changed me. I am the place where two rivers meet, silted with upheaval and loss. Yet
memory of our land is a clear stream. I shall know it as a mother knows
the faces of her children. It may be I will find me there.“
Abducted
by Mohawk Indians at fourteen and renamed Burning Sky, Willa Obenchain
is driven to return to her family’s New York frontier homestead after
many years building a life with the People. At the boundary of her
father’s property, Willa discovers a wounded Scotsman lying in her path.
Feeling obliged to nurse his injuries, the two quickly find much has
changed during her twelve-year absence—her childhood home is in
disrepair, her missing parents are rumored to be Tories, and the young
Richard Waring she once admired is now grown into a man twisted by the
horrors of war and claiming ownership of the Obenchain land.
When
her Mohawk brother arrives and questions her place in the white world,
the cultural divide blurs Willa’s vision. Can she follow Tames-His-Horse
back to the People now that she is no longer Burning Sky? And what
about Neil MacGregor, the kind and loyal botanist who does not fit into
in her plan for a solitary life, yet is now helping her revive her farm?
In the aftermath of the Revolutionary War, strong feelings against
“savages” abound in the nearby village of Shiloh, leaving Willa’s safety
unsure.
Willa is a woman caught between two worlds. As tensions
rise, challenging her shielded heart, the woman called Burning Sky must
find a new courage--the courage to again risk embracing the blessings
the Almighty
wants to bestow. Is she brave enough to love again?
My Review of "Burning Sky":
As I read this book, the word haunting came to mind ... not only in the lovely, lyrical writing, but in the characters of Willa, Neil, Joseph and Francis. They've stayed with me well after I've closed its covers. To me that's haunting--like friends who have never left you. There are a few books I've returned to; the Bible, and some of the classics. This well-crafted story will be one of them. This story, with its depth and layers, will
always seem fresh to me as I discover more from each read. I've always marveled at the mental, physical and spiritual
toughness of
our frontier forebears in times of triumph and tragedy; Ms. Benton has captured these unique qualities in "real" people, not just as romantic
heroes of fiction.
I'd not call this first book by Ms. Benton a success, I'd call it a triumph.
Along with a copy of "Burning Sky", our giveaway will include a "Willa" doll (with her unusual eye coloring, dressed in colonial day dress and moccasins), a silk fan, a packet of Twinings Tea, and a botanical print of "Wild Rose", by the 18th century French artist Pierre Joseph Redoute suitable for framing; perhaps Neil MacGregor might have done a similar botanical study! Please leave your e-mail address when making your comment so we can contact you if you are the winner! (you must live in U.S. to be eligible for book and giveaway).
Wild Rose ~ Pierre Joseph Redoute
Cross Book Mark for Burning Sky
Battle of Oriskany, New York
August 6, 1777
Thank you for stopping in to H.I.S. Stories to look over this new release, and God's blessings.
