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What a
perfect name for this story! From the moment I began this book I was
mesmerized. Tamsen is a study in the contrasts of a woman’s heart, for she is
both vulnerable and strong as well as fearful yet courageous. There is a saying
that I dearly love “A woman is like a tea-bag, you never know how strong she is
until you get her into hot water” and Tamsen fits this description to a T.
As the plot
opens up we see that Tamsen’s selfish and cruel step-father plans on taking
advantage of Tamsen’s beauty to make a prosperous matrimonial match. He
controls her and manipulates her but Tamsen’s fiery spirit urges her to
flee…straight into the arms of Jesse Bird, who aids her in escaping her father’s
tyranny.
Their escape
spurs Tamsen’s father and Ambrose, the man intended for her to marry, to pursue
her. Jesse Bird is a man who knows the terrain and how to keep them one step
ahead of the chase. His heart is drawn to the beautiful, vulnerable woman, who
entrusts herself into his care, but knows the depth of his feelings are not
reciprocated. Tamsen simply doesn’t see any other option than to trust him for
it would be far worse for her to fall back under her father’s control and be
forced into a marriage that would imprison her soul.
Lori Benton
weaves a beautiful tale of Tamsen’s journey of the heart under Jesse’s wing of
protection. He loves her and desires to marry her, but only if Tamsen loves him
in return. Let me assure the potential
reader that the author will draw you into their lives in such a way that you
will be enthralled with their blossoming relationship. The characters took on
flesh and blood for me.
The canvas
of the story, the author paints, is vast, beautiful and dangerous. I was transported
to a different time and place through this story. Ms. Benton does not write a
fluffy, feel-good romance but instead she delves into the complexities of the
human heart and spirit. The word “pursuit” in this title is revealed in several
ways through the course of the book. After I finished I reflected on that word
and how it pertained in multiple ways. I
loved this book and I give it my highest recommendation!
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AND NOW: THE INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR LORI BENTON
A heart-felt
thank you to Lori Benton for visiting with us today at Nettie’s Book Nook. This
is Lori’s second book, a historical romance that transports the reader to 1787,
a time in our nation full of stark contrasts that are both dangerously
beautiful and harsh. She gives us a glimpse, through her characters and through
her story, into a time in history that make this novel a pleasure for her fans.
I read your first book, Burning Sky, which
I absolutely loved so I was eager to read “The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn”.
You delivered another amazing story! What inspired you to bring us the
character of Tamsen Littlejohn? Could you describe for your readers how a
character takes on life and urges you to write her story?
Thanks for
hosting me today, Janette! I’m so glad you enjoyed Burning Sky, and I’m happy to share about the creation of The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn.
Usually with
my novels it’s a character that makes himself or herself known to me first, though
sometimes it’s a story situation—an inciting
incident, it’s called. This time the initial inspiration for the story was
taken out of history. While researching North Carolina history some years ago, I
ran across mention of the State of Franklin, sometimes called the “Lost” State
of Franklin, and was so startled and intrigued by this attempt of a group of
frontier settlers to create what was almost the 14th state, that I knew
one day I had to write a story set during those years in the 1780s, west of the
Blue Ridge Mountains, in what is today eastern Tennessee. The characters came
along a bit later. Jesse Bird was first, leaping into my imagination quite out
of the blue. Tamsen’s genesis was more purposeful. Since I knew my hero was a
frontiersman with an uncivilized (by 18th century standards)
background, I wanted to create a heroine who, at first glance, would seem as
different from Jesse as she could be.
Character
creation is a process that happens in fits and starts, as I set my subconscious
to work and spend time daydreaming and story-weaving. This process, which might
take days or weeks, has me darting for paper and pen to scribble notes at all
hours of the day and sometimes night, too, when I should be falling asleep. One
aspect of character builds on another. Layers get peeled back. Character feeds
plot (and vice versa). Research informs story and character. It’s an organic
process, one that’s hard to describe, looking back. But there comes a moment
when I realize what these characters want, what their hopes and dreams and
goals are, what’s standing in their way, and I’m compelled to see them through
to the end. That’s when I know beyond doubt that I have another story to tell.
What were some of your favorite things
about Tamsen and her growth as a person through her adversities?
Her love of
clothes! In this way Tamsen is very different from me (I’m happy in my jeans
and flannel hoodie shirt). I used clothing in the story to show the stages of
Tamsen’s growth, her rejection of the cage she feels caught in, her shedding of
her old life, her attempts at “trying on” various aspects of frontier life,
until we see her making a set of clothes unlike anything she’d ever imagined,
for the sheer joy of discovery and creation.
I also loved
showing through Tamsen’s journey that God knows every step of it before we take
the first. That as we seek Him, He puts His desires for us in our hearts, so
that there’s no telling them apart from our own desires. He literally gives us
the desires of our hearts—plants them there as we walk with Him, then sets
about fulfilling them. Not always on our time table, but if He begins a work, He
is faithful to complete it.
Your cover is so beautiful and inviting to
the reader. Did you have a say in the cover design and how Tamsen was
portrayed?
Early on I
was given a choice of models. I’m thankful the young woman I chose was
available in the time frame we had for the cover shoot. She not only looked
remarkably like the Tamsen I’d imagined, she embodied Tamsen’s spirit, her vulnerability,
as well as the underlying strength and courage Tamsen grows into.
I worked
with my cover designer, Kristopher Orr, talking back and forth about the
setting and Tamsen’s clothing, but in the end the cover we’ve all seen is the first
cover I was presented with, and I was very happy with it. I did request a small
change on the back of the cover, which will appear on the final book released
on April 15th. Only readers who’ve seen an Advance Reading Copy and
the final book both will know the difference, though at some point I plan to do
a blog post about the cover creation.
Jesse Bird was handsome, smart, and a true
hero. What was your inspiration for Jesse?
I’m drawn to
characters whose lives in some way straddle the Middle Ground, that line between
frontier cultures. So it’s no surprise characters of that sort drop in on me in
moments of daydreaming, or during my research of the 18th century
frontier. As I mentioned, Jesse came leaping into one of those idle moments of
daydreaming—out of the forest and into a mountain clearing, being chased by… I
had no idea by who or what at the time. It’s a mysterious and wonderful thing,
how characters show up. Sometimes you get an immediate sense of who they are,
before you ever start figuring out their background, or what it is they want. I
knew his name was Jesse, that he was a frontiersman, that he felt the urgency
to find or protect someone. That’s where I started from, with Jesse.
Who was your favorite secondary character
and why?
Cade, the
half-Delaware man who raised Jesse. I’ve sometimes imagined this story told
from his point of view. There’s a whole other novel in my head in which he’s
hero. Cade intrigued me from the beginning, because he keeps so much to
himself. He was like an onion; the more layers I peeled back the more
interesting he became to me.
I’m also
quite fond of trapper and confirmed bachelor Charlie Spencer, with his dogs and
his mules, and his stubborn conscience.
Is there a particular lesson you can share
with us that God taught you through your journey of writing The Pursuit of
Tamsen Littlejohn?
Nothing that
I can recall (it’s been three years and a lot of writing under the bridge
since), but isn’t He always reinforcing things in our lives, reminding us—as
any good teacher does—of what we already know, until we can turn around and
teach it ourselves?
While
writing Tamsen’s journey I spent time meditating on particular themes from
scripture: of being sheltered under the wing of the Almighty (Psalm 91);
waiting on the Lord (Psalm 27); trusting in His long-range plans when I barely
see the next step (Jeremiah 29:11), and taking my hands off certain situations
and letting God work His own justice, in His time (Romans 12:19). As my pastor,
who teaches straight through the Bible, chapter by chapter, verse by verse,
likes to say, “Wherever we are (in our through-the-Bible teaching), is where we
are (as a congregation, or as a nation).” That’s no coincidence. God is
speaking to us constantly in all our times and seasons, even through the
writing of a novel.
You must do a tremendous amount of research
in order to build your stories. Could you share with us something you learned
that was especially interesting to you?
Yes, I do a
lot of research, which doesn’t stop until I’ve sent in the final edits and
there’s no more I can learn, nothing else to double check, nothing more to change.
In
researching The Pursuit of Tamsen
Littlejohn, I became intrigued with the some of the back story elements of
Jesse and Cade’s lives. Particularly Governor Dunmore’s War, against the
Shawnees in 1774, which had such an impact on Jesse’s life. I’d like to explore
that event more, and the tragedies that led to it. I’m just sure there’s a
novel to be found in it. That’s the joy of writing historical novels, and all
the research they require. Along the way I invariably run across fascinating events
of history that brush past the novel I’m presently writing, but are as
interesting as the event or time period I’m focused on.
We would love to hear what a day in your
life is like. Could you tell us how you make time for writing and do you write
every day?
I treat
writing like a full time job. I start around 9am after I see my husband off for
work, get my morning housework finished, and see to things like email and
social media. I break for lunch around noon, and usually ride the stationary
bike. After lunch I get back to work and stay at it for as long as I can, until
I either have to run errands or get dinner started. That’s usually between 4
and 5pm. Sometimes that afternoon work isn’t actual writing or editing. It
might be researching or working on promotion (interviews, articles, blog posts,
graphics). I work Saturdays too, when I’m under deadline. And everywhere I can,
filling all the cracks, I’m toting around a research book and reading, reading,
reading. Sundays after church I try to get out of the house and away from the
computer, and go hiking with my husband and my dog, somewhere in the mountains.
It’s part of my Sabbath, and helps me to be more productive the other 5-6 days
of the week.
Thank you so much, Lori, for taking time to
visit us today and all the best to you as your beautiful story releases. I know
I represent your fans when I say: “May you be blessed beyond measure and we are
grateful we can share in the fruits of your labor!”
Thank you,
Janette, for that lovely blessing. I receive it. And this has been my pleasure.
I pray readers are blessed and entertained by Tamsen and Jesse’s story.
This story
is set in Kansas around 1900 and is about a young woman who works under-cover
to discover hiring and work practices that involve children. The heroine of the story is a plucky,
determined young woman with a tender heart named Caroline. Her generous heart
draws her to three children who need her guidance and she rises to the task
though it threatens her independence.