Snark & Sensibility

PLEASE WELCOME

LYNNE BASHAM TAGAWA

TO

HAVING THE PRIME OF MY LIFE

She’s not my granny, but she’s my borrowed granny. A granny of the heart.

My own grandmother went to be with the Lord years ago, after crocheting innumerable afghans and simply being there for a large extended family, including me and my sister when our parents divorced. My grandparents’ home was special, a safe haven. Before I knew the Lord, I didn’t really know why just that it was so.

My grandma’s Missouri twang did peculiar things to certain words: “wash” became “warsh.” Grandpa’s term for Hawaii was “Ha-WHY-ya.” My sister and I went to church with them whenever we visited. While my mother groused about religion, she never prevented them from taking us. Thus I learned a little about God, though it was not until I went to college that the Lord saved me.

I lost my own grandma after I married. We moved to Texas and joined a small country church. The pastor’s mother-in-law moved to town and quickly became a fixture in our assembly, her sweet smile adorning her spirit like heavenly jewelry. Then Granny Alice said “warsh,” and she became my granny too.

At some point, our church started a school for the kids. Not everyone was able to homeschool, and so we banded together. We had four sons by this time, and my college degree was in education, so I became a teacher for the high school.

Granny Alice volunteered to assist the elementary teachers. As a result, she became my son Josiah’s granny. His own grandparents lived in other states, and now he had someone to call “granny.” Sometimes he even sat with her in church.

Alice lost her husband of many years about ten years ago. It must have been devastating, and yet she persevered, always faithful, never complaining.

She looks a little older now, but always dresses neatly, fixing her white hair just so, a woman to the end, the perfect picture of a meek and gentle lady. Physically, she can’t do much, but she is always at church, her sweet spirit an encouragement and testimony to all.

I’m a grandmother now. I can’t think of a better model for a granny than Granny.

ABOUT THE SHENANDOAH ROAD

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 in background, but his faith falters when time reveals she isn’t quite what she seemed. Can he truly love her? And what about his own failings?

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?

“Lynne Tagawa transports readers into the faith and hope, and sorrows and fears of 18th-century colonial America. While other books feature the raw grit of frontier colonial life, this book goes deeper and reveals the heart.” —Douglas Bond, author of numerous books, including War in the Wasteland and Hostage Lands.

“The Shenandoah Road is an authentic and engaging journey back to the challenges of settling in the Shenandoah Valley” —Laura Hilton, author of Firestorm (Whitaker House, 2018)

“Raw, realistic, and historically packed, this story will make you think. If you enjoy stories with deep theological themes, you will enjoy this.” —Amber Schamel, author of Solve by Christmas, winner of the 2018 Christian Indie Award

ABOUT LYNNE TAGAWA

Lynne Tagawa is an author, editor, educator, and best of all, grandma to four. She loves to write quality fiction with solid gospel content. Her debut novel, A Twisted Strand, is contemporary romantic suspense, but she thinks she’s found a true home in historical fiction. Currently, she’s writing the sequel to The Shenandoah Road: A Novel of the Great Awakening.

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