Many Sparrows
by Lori Benton
Either she and her children would emerge from that
wilderness together, or none of them would…
wilderness together, or none of them would…
In 1774, the Ohio-Kentucky frontier pulses with rising tension and brutal conflicts as Colonists push westward and encroach upon Native American territories. The young Inglesby family is making the perilous journey west when an accident sends Philip back to Redstone Fort for help, forcing him to leave his pregnant wife Clare and their four-year old son Jacob on a remote mountain trail.
When Philip does not return and Jacob disappears from the wagon under the cover of darkness, Clare awakens the next morning to find herself utterly alone, in labor and wondering how she can recover her son...especially when her second child is moments away from being born.
Clare will face the greatest fight of her life, as she struggles to reclaim her son from the Shawnee Indians now holding him captive. But with the battle lines sharply drawn, Jacob’s life might not be the only one at stake. When frontiersman Jeremiah Ring comes to her aid, can the stranger convince Clare that recovering her son will require the very thing her anguished heart is unwilling to do—be still, wait and let God fight this battle for them?
When Philip does not return and Jacob disappears from the wagon under the cover of darkness, Clare awakens the next morning to find herself utterly alone, in labor and wondering how she can recover her son...especially when her second child is moments away from being born.
Clare will face the greatest fight of her life, as she struggles to reclaim her son from the Shawnee Indians now holding him captive. But with the battle lines sharply drawn, Jacob’s life might not be the only one at stake. When frontiersman Jeremiah Ring comes to her aid, can the stranger convince Clare that recovering her son will require the very thing her anguished heart is unwilling to do—be still, wait and let God fight this battle for them?
ISBN-13: 978-1601429940
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with author Lori Benton about her
newest book Many Sparrows
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#1. What was the inspiration for Many Sparrows?
Usually multiple points of inspiration come together to form the kernel of a novel. In the case of Many Sparrows the historical backdrop, Dunmore’s War, played a large part in how this story got started. I’d been intrigued by this little known campaign and battle on the frontier for years, since reading another novel that touched on it, and knew I’d like to write about a frontiersman who found himself involved in this conflict. The sort of person who might be torn between both sides (Shawnees and Virginians). Eventually Jeremiah Ring came into being. Then I started thinking about what sort of character to play off him. A woman, of course! But who was she, why would she have been on the frontier at this time? What was her story? After a little more research I realized she could be a settler headed for Kentucky who gets caught up in all that tension going on along the Ohio River frontier during the year 1774. Hello, Clare Inglesby! |
Point Pleasant Battle Monument
at Tu-Endie-Wei State Park ** |
#2. What was the hardest part in the writing process for Many Sparrows?
The hardest part was a reluctance I had to delve deeply into one of the characters who opposes Clare and her achieving the goal of regaining her captured son Jacob—the Shawnee woman, Rain Crow, who adopts Jacob and names him Many Sparrows. I’m not sure why it was a struggle, but once I realized not doing so was hampering my progress through the middle of the story (often a difficult part to write), I got into her head and more importantly her heart and began to see her as the heroine of her own story. That’s when the story gained complexity and the writing began to flow in a way it hadn’t been before. It was a breakthrough, and a reminder that as a writer I need to take time to see my stories from even the secondary characters’ point of view, so those characters come across as deep and layered as the main characters.
The hardest part was a reluctance I had to delve deeply into one of the characters who opposes Clare and her achieving the goal of regaining her captured son Jacob—the Shawnee woman, Rain Crow, who adopts Jacob and names him Many Sparrows. I’m not sure why it was a struggle, but once I realized not doing so was hampering my progress through the middle of the story (often a difficult part to write), I got into her head and more importantly her heart and began to see her as the heroine of her own story. That’s when the story gained complexity and the writing began to flow in a way it hadn’t been before. It was a breakthrough, and a reminder that as a writer I need to take time to see my stories from even the secondary characters’ point of view, so those characters come across as deep and layered as the main characters.
#3. What is the craziest/most interesting thing you did while researching this book?
The Scioto River near South Bloomfield, Ohio **
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Getting to take a research trip along the Scioto and Ohio and Kanawha Rivers, all settings in the pages of Many Sparrows. Living on the west coast of the United States, I don’t always get to do this with my books. Having spent half my life on the east coast I have many memories of these places, yet it’s a real treat to get to visit them afresh while I’m writing a book. |
#4. What do you hope your readers will take away with them when they read Many Sparrows?
I hope readers fall in love with Clare and Jeremiah and are swept away by their story for a few hours. I hope the history presented in these pages catches their imagination and sparks further reading. I hope they get a deeper glimpse of our Heavenly Father and take away whatever He might speak to each of them through these pages of His love, His patience, His goodness, His sovereignty.
I hope readers fall in love with Clare and Jeremiah and are swept away by their story for a few hours. I hope the history presented in these pages catches their imagination and sparks further reading. I hope they get a deeper glimpse of our Heavenly Father and take away whatever He might speak to each of them through these pages of His love, His patience, His goodness, His sovereignty.
#5. Tell us something funny, sad, embarrassing, whatever, that happened involving this book.
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Two rather sweet things concerning babies happened during the writing of Many Sparrows (which features a baby). There’s a scene in this book that was inspired by a photo of a friend whose firstborn came into the world while I was writing the story. One of the first photos of him and his baby I saw, before they ever left the hospital, was him lying with his tiny son on his chest, looking like they were both sleeping. It was a heart-tugging father/son bonding moment. I won’t give away the scene that photo inspired here, but I expect readers will know it when they come to it!
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The second baby-related thing is another young couple whose second daughter was born during the early days of writing Many Sparrows. In the photos that began popping up on social media, and in person, I noticed how alert this tiny girl appeared, as if she was more aware of the world around her (and slightly amused by it) than an infant her age could possibly be. She became the physical embodiment of Clare’s daughter, Pippa.
#6. What is your main character's greatest strength and greatest flaw?
Clare Inglesby’s greatest strength is her courage and determination. Her greatest flaw is her inability to let go of control and to trust in God, rather than in her own understanding.
Clare Inglesby’s greatest strength is her courage and determination. Her greatest flaw is her inability to let go of control and to trust in God, rather than in her own understanding.
#7. What one piece of advice would your protagonist most like to give readers?
Bonus. Share with us a thought, Bible verse, whatever is on your mind/heart.
In the front matter of Many Sparrows is this verse:
Bonus. Share with us a thought, Bible verse, whatever is on your mind/heart.
In the front matter of Many Sparrows is this verse:
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father… Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
Matthew 10:29–31
Matthew 10:29–31
The title Many Sparrows has a double meaning. It’s a character’s name, yes, but this story is about what happens when we get a glimpse of the bigger canvas God is painting with the circumstances that touch our lives. It’s easy to put ourselves at the center of our universe. What a blessing when He gives us eyes to see beyond our own concerns and a heart to understand that He loves our neighbors as deeply as He loves us, and is as busy in their circumstances as He is in ours. He’s concerned with all the sparrows under the sun—every bit as much as He is with those who reside in our little nests.
Lori Benton
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Lori Benton was raised east of the Appalachian Mountains, surrounded by early American history going back three hundred years. Her novels transport readers to the eighteenth century, where she brings to life the Colonial and early Federal periods of American history. When she isn’t writing, reading, or researching, Lori enjoys exploring and photographing the Oregon wilderness with her husband. She is the author of Burning Sky, recipient of three Christy Awards, The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn; Christy nominee The Wood's Edge; A Flight of Arrows; and Many Sparrows.
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It's Time For A Giveaway!
Lori Benton is generously giving away 1 Print copy of Many Sparrows!
Sorry, USA entries only.
Sorry, USA entries only.
* By Brian M. Powell, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3168066
** By I, ChristopherM, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2397655
** By I, ChristopherM, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2397655
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