"With God's Grace Our Worst Past
Becomes Our Best Future"
Becomes Our Best Future"
PLEASE WELCOME
LYNNE BASHAM TAGAWA
TO
FICTION FRIDAY
STORY BEHIND THE STORY
Have you ever heard someone described as a Puritan? Or perhaps you’ve heard of so-called “Puritans” who lived in Britain during the seventeenth century. Perhaps you even have a friend with Puritan writings on their bookshelves. (Hint: I’ve got a few. Check out The Bruised Reed by Thomas Sibbes.)
Did you know that a number of these men fled to New England in the 1630s? The Pilgrims came first, in 1620, and the story of the Mayflower is familiar. They settled in what is now called Plymouth, Massachusetts. A flood of “Puritans” settled just north of them, and the town was named Boston. These refugees didn’t want to separate from the Church of England … only purify it. Hence the name.
I know, I know. Your head is already spinning. When I began this attempt to open up the world of these people to my readers, I couldn’t imagine how to do it. My brain was spinning too.
Then I met Geneva Fielding. She popped into my head ready-made, almost like I was reading someone else’s book. But she didn’t belong to the era of the Puritans, she belonged to mine. (Well ... almost. You’ll see). I sent her back in time so you could explore early New England with her.
It’s my first time-travel book, totally different from anything I have written. But I trust you’ll like it.
ABOUT THE ROOT OF THE MATTER: THE AMERICAN PURITANS BOOK ONE
She’s terrified.
Time travel. The North Atlantic in winter. Which is worse?
Geneva Fielding is a researcher in the Archives of the Applied History department, prepping time travelers for their destinations. She loves the smell of old paper and chocolate croissants.
One day, a Traveler fails an important test and cannot go. Instead of canceling the Trip, the dean appoints Geneva and her friend Peter Donatelli, a physicist, to take his place. They have three days to prepare to Travel to 1630s New England.
Geneva’s always wanted to know more about John Winthrop. Maybe she can even get a dissertation topic from the Trip. But the truth is, she’s scared stiff. No one knows her private struggles. And she’s not about to tell.
Geneva and Peter are dumped into an early, struggling Massachusetts, the Puritan inhabitants having escaped the persecution of the Crown only to face a howling wilderness. Roger Williams’s arrival sends shockwaves through the frail colony.
Can the Bay Colony afford to allow a critic of the king to dwell among them?
And what will Geneva do when she discovers Peter’s secret?
“Expertly researched and beautifully written, Lynne’s offering is a feast for the imagination, especially for those who long to peek into the past and meet people like John Winthrop, Roger Williams, and Anne Bradstreet.”
--Nate Pickowicz, co-author of The American Puritans
Buy link: https://amzn.to/3KsK6uA
ABOUT LYNNE TAGAWA
Lynne Tagawa is the mother of four and grandma to six. Like her character, she likes chocolate—and coffee too. She was originally a science teacher, and sometimes this peeps out in her writing. Most of all, she loves to weave biblical truth into her stories. She lives with her husband in South Texas. For more of her fiction, check out her website: www.lynnetagawa.com
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