Lynne Tagawa is our guest today.

She wrote a book called The Shenandoah Road: A Novel of the Great Awakening.

Today, Lynne will share the story behind her story.

John Russell’s heart aches from the loss of his wife, but the Shenandoah Valley frontiersman needs to marry again for his daughter’s sake.

At first, he believes he has found the right young woman, despite their differences, but his faith falters when time reveals she isn’t quite what she seemed. Can he truly love her?

Unlike her disgraced sister, Abigail Williams obeys the Commandments. At least, she thinks herself a Christian until a buckskin-clad newcomer courts her. He treats her kindly but also introduces her to a sermon by the controversial preacher, George Whitefield. Her self-righteousness is shattered, and she wonders about their relationship.

If she confesses her lack of faith, will John continue to love her?

Learn more and purchase a copy.

What inspired you to write this book?

Do you remember 9/11? What about Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the Moon? Events we remember not only reveal how old we are, they serve as landmarks in our memories. There are national landmarks, too. The Civil War and World War II are examples of great cultural memories against which we authors like to set our stories.

Wars and oppression serve as dark backdrops to some stories. Other events fill our souls with hope and joy, and it is one such event that inspired me to write The Shenandoah Road: A Novel of the Great Awakening.

You may have read about Jonathan Edwards or George Whitefield, famed preachers of this time period. Many history books, even secular ones, acknowledge them, but I wanted to know what it was like to live during that time period.

I tried to put my feet into the shoes of folks who lived back then. The first thing I discovered was that there were different types of people. There were the Quakers of Pennsylvania, New England Congregationalists, Virginia tidewater Church of England “gentry,” and finally, the newest wave of immigration: the Scots. Some came directly from Scotland, but most came from the Ulster plantation of Northern Ireland, inhabited by religious dissidents, mainly Scots Presbyterians. Huge swathes of Pennsylvania and the Shenandoah Valley of Shenandoah Valley began to echo with the lilting accent of the “Scots-Irish,” as they are commonly known today. Each group had their own customs—and that’s not even mentioning the various Native American nations.

Whitefield’s preaching affected all of these groups. Edwards and other preachers welcomed him in New England, and Philadelphia proved as an important stop on his travels. Benjamin Franklin published his sermons. Slowly our entire preborn nation was affected, like the ripples from a stone thrown in a pond.

In this setting, what would happen if a Scots-Irish settler in the Shenandoah Valley comes to Philadelphia, marries a young lady born in Boston, and purchases a sermon by George Whitefield?

Sounds like you did your homework in researching this story! Thanks for sharing.

Lynne Tagawa is married with four grown sons and three marvelous grandbabies.

She’s written a Texas history curriculum in narrative form, Sam Houston’s Republic, and The Shenandoah Road, a story of the Great Awakening.

Lynne lives with her husband in South Texas.

Follow Lynne on social media: Amazon and Goodreads

Lynne is giving away a copy of The Shenandoah Road. 

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