Here are some Story Prompts for You!

Hello and welcome to a bonus post! (Post 6, but who’s counting?...) Today is a collaboration of sorts. Rebekah Morris at Read Another Page is hosting a reading challenge, so I thought I’d join in! But I also agreed to review a book from Stellae Books and today is the due date. So, I thought I’d combine efforts and post both reviews here, plus use my Stellae book towards the challenge! So, here we go…

Liberty comes with a price. Can a fledgling nation bear the cost?

British forces advance upon a struggling colonial army. The time of decision has come. Declare independence, or give up the fight. The weight of a nation rests on Samuel Adams’ shoulders as he joins the delegates of the Second Continental Congress. Can he raise the cause of Liberty above the fear of the King’s wrath in the hearts of his countrymen?

Three riveting short stories follow Samuel Adams as he struggles through the events surrounding the Declaration of Independence and evokes the Dawn of Liberty.

As a lover of history and the American War for Independence, this book caught my attention the first time I saw it. I was thrilled to see it available for review!  And I was not disappointed!

I’ll go ahead and site the only thing I didn’t “like”. To me, the only thing that didn’t ring true was Sam Adams’ personality. I’ve always been told and have read that Sam was an extremely passionate man, to a fault most of the time. While I haven’t done enough personal research to know it that’s fact or legend, Sam came off a little passive compared to my perception of him. That’s definitely not a bad thing, that’s literally the only thing that didn’t ring true for me!

Now, to all the things I liked about this book!

Like basically everything?

All the characters in this story were real historical figures. Sam Adams is the main character, with John Adams, John Hancock and Paul Revere as co-stars! This book is divided into 3 stories, each talking about the birth of our Nation, from the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, to a flashback to the Boston Massacre, the Midnight Ride and the Boston Tea Party, all culminating with the vote for Independence.

I loved how the Author left a note in the back explaining a few places where she had to take creative license to fill in the blanks. There are sometimes in writing that require filling in gaps and she did a realistic and skillful job, consistent with the mindset of the men she portrayed.

And the Christian faith of these men were weaved through the story effortlessly and so genuinely, it was so real! Let no one ever claim these brave Christian men were deists!

Another note, the scriptures are King James (!) but there is one misquote.

This book as an easy 5 Stars for me!

Here are a few of my favorite quotes…
***
The greatest difference in our town is the raised spirits of the people. They harbor a hope within their bosoms that one day this tyranny of Britain will come to an end. Someday, if God should continue to bless our cause, we shall be free to keep what we work for. We are no longer defenseless in our own homes. No longer helpless against an oppressive foe. That hope is a tonic that will make a mouse a lion.
***
Reverend Clarke stepped forward. “Then God will be our defense, but I will not cower when I have the resources to prevail. I will stand. I will stand for liberty against an oppressive enemy. I will stand in defense of these men they seek to arrest. I will stand because no man has the right to take what God has given me. Who will stand with me?”
***
Almighty God, we require a miracle.
***

With that, I will say, GO BUY THIS BOOK! Here are the links so you can do just that! It’s also a great resource for Homeschoolers…😊 And to any of my sweet readers not from the States, this is a great way for you to get an overveiw of the mindset and struggles leading to my Homeland’s birth! Get it!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Stellae Books. A positive review was not required. These are my honest thoughts and opnions.*

Ten-year-old Emma and her younger brother, Ethan, have just moved to the tight-knit community of Hill Top, which Emma hopes will be their home for a long time.

Adventure is right around the corner, and with Taffy, Emma’s English Cream Golden Retriever, in the mix, there’s never a dull moment. But trouble brews for Dad’s job, and uncertain times shake their home. Meanwhile, Emma observes Mom and neighbor-girl Brooke’s faith, knowing she doesn’t have it.

Once again, Sarah captivates the hearts and minds of children while powerfully portraying the importance of Jesus in our everyday lives. A mom

The bake contest lures Emma to church, and she’s flooded with memories of a tragic event and the bitterness it left. Emma again resolves that she will never ever forgive Aunt Nicole.

Ups and downs and twists and turns fill the pages of Finding Change until a dreaded visit by her aunt brings Emma face-to-face with the biggest decision of her life.

Order your copy now!

You know those authors that are automatic buys for you? The one that it doesn’t matter what era/setting/topic, you know you’ll love it? Sarah Maxwell is one of those authors for me, only I normally purchase them for my younger siblings to enjoy. But I’m in my twenties and I love them!

Finding Change was so sweet! It has a lovely theme of forgiveness and Salvation, shows a wonderful example of how to write a non-saved character without it getting ugly. Emma is the main character and I adore her so much! I just want to squeeze here!

Now, just to be perfectly honest, at times I thought she seemed a little older than 10, while at others, the age fit perfect. I know all 10-year-olds are different, so that’s not a major issue at all, just fyi.

Sarah did a great job at crafting an imperfect family (and showing that not all homeschoolers come from a Christian family. The mom is a new Christian.), showing the little spats siblings get into without making it seem okay to squabble. And who doesn’t love animals, let’s just be honest?! Dogs, chickens, cats…and Lucy! You’ll have to read the book to find out who she is 😉

Again, this is a 5 star must read!
 
Have a blessed day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

Post five! I wonder how long I will keep up with how many posts I’ve written…

Hello and welcome back to Life of Heritage!  Today I have a special blog post. A dear subscriber asked me to write a series on Writing Myths/Historical Myths. So while this won’t be a monthly series, I will be gathering more information for this topic in particular! Hope you enjoy this post that has been begging to be written for a few months now. Without further ado, let’s hop to it!

A few months ago, I read a post that said one should never let history get in the way of a good story. Fiction before fact. I have to disagree with this bit of advice. Let me explain why.

History is unyielding. No matter how much you want to change it (like our textbooks today!) you cannot truly change history. It is as it was and just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean you can change it. Gen. U.S. Grant owned slaves, so it would be silly for me to write a story about a staunch abolitionist conversation between him and my main character. I don’t like it that he owned slaves. I don’t like slavery at all, but I cannot erase it from history.

Your readers won’t trust you. When you keep most of your history straight in your story, but change a timeline to suit your story, your readers will assume you are telling the truth. I can’t say that Stonewall Jackson died on May 15th just because I want to make sure one of my characters has enough time to ride all the way to Florida to fetch a long lost relative and make it back in time to hold his hand as Stonewall dies. That’s ridiculous. But what’s worse, I’ve lied to my readers by giving them a false date. Now, I understand adding fictional events to a story, like a skirmish or a debate or a town meeting or a conversation between a fictional character and a real person, but never change historical fact. Your readers will feel betrayed when they dig into the story and find out you lied.

You don’t have to add to history to make a point. If you are writing something fictional about a real character, it must be consistent with his character or be based on something they actually did. Now, I’ll give you four examples that will help you understand what I mean.

1. Let’s say I’m trying to convince my readers that Col. Banister Tarleton of the British Army was a horrible person. It would be wrong for me to say that he burnt down a church building to make you hate him if he didn’t actually do that. (I have no idea if he burned down churches or not. This is strictly an example.)
2. On the flip side of that it would not be wrong for me to say that he had my main character’s uncle executed for being a patriot, because he did have patriots executed, often in unceremonious ways. That would be consistent with his character.
3. Now, lets look at a positive example. Let’s say I try to convince my readers that prior to his treason to the American Revolution, Benedict Arnold was an amazing officer. And if he hadn’t let pride and greed get in the way, he would have been the hero of the Revolution and maybe even one of our presidents. It would be wrong for me to paint him as flawless and make him out to be the victim of circumstance. He was prideful, and he was greedy. Money mattered more to him than independence.
4. The right way for me to portray his good qualities would be to state the facts about his military strategy. Perhaps, I could let one of my characters be an admirer and have Arnold decide to invest some time into someone who truly respects him and knows how smart he is; let my character sympathize with his hard times but always remind Arnold that freedom comes with a hefty price tag. I can spotlight the good Arnold did for the nation while pointing out his struggles and flaws. And by making my character one you easily love and admire, Arnold’s betrayal of him and America will hurt that much more. When you can see the good in someone and then see how far bad he went, it makes you realize just how awful his decisions were. It causes you to analyze how the treatment of others can play into decisions, and hopefully make you think about the way you treat others. Win-win right there!
   

I said all that to say this: You can use real people in fictional circumstances as long as it is believable that they really would have done that, and it doesn’t conflict with historical fact. The situation/reaction must fit their personality. This is part of what is called Creative License.

But if you don’t get anything else from this post, get this. You do not change History to accommodate your novel. Ever. Your novel is flexible; History isn’t.

I hope this post was helpful for those writing Historical fiction. It can be confusing trying to find difference between lying and creative license. The absolute best advice I can give you is to pray over the scene. Ask God if that’s a scene He would want you to write. Your parents would be a big help too, or a fellow Historical Fiction author. It helps to bounce ideas off each other!

Have a blessed day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

Welcome to my fourth post of the year! I am so excited to be bringing you another installment of my Soldier Life series…the sixth in this series I found out. So for those who are unfamiliar with this series, I am compiling information that I came across while researching for The Battle for Heritage Series. I am not an expert on the War Between the States, but I thought these posts might be helpful to other authors researching the same time era.

With that out of the way, let’s see what life in the army was like for a private, the lowest ranking member of the army.

Most of the army is made up of privates, even today. They are the boots on the ground, the common soldier you know and love from novels and movies. Back in the old days, the private did not have any insignia on his uniform. And another thing about these fellows that I suppose is common knowledge is that the private never gave orders. He’s not over anyone, he’s at the bottom of the totem pole. But what exactly was expected of him? Let’s take a look.

Drill. If you’ve read any book on soldiering in any time period, I’m sure you’ve read about the incessant amount of drilling they did. This wasn’t just a mundane task they had to complete. This was life and death training. It also helped to fill time in the day that otherwise would have left the men idle…and more prone to get into trouble.

KP. Ah, yes, Kitchen Patrol. While this is more of the WWII name for the job, soldiers did take turns helping the army cooks. Peeling potatoes (when they had them) was one of their jobs, as was washing dishes, stirring pots, serving food and dumping food waste., They would have to do anything food related when their turn came around.

Policing the Grounds. Just as today, this task had to do with keeping their living quarters neat and clean. Clearing debris away from the walking paths, organizing their gear, stacking the wood piles neatly, it all had to do with keeping things tidied up.

Horse Duty. Even if they didn’t serve in the Cavalry, their unit had horses for pulling supply wagons, riding dispatches, and transporting officers. So, the privates would feed the horses, clean up after them and if needed, make sure they had been exercised for the day. Grooming needed to be kept up as well to insure the horses’ health and appearance.

Guard Duty. There were two types of guard duty. The first was what you would expect from the name, guarding prisoners, both enemy and fellow soldiers who had disobeyed some military rule. The other was known as Picket Duty, which simply meant they were guarding the outskirts of the camp from intruders.

Camp Duties. This could be anything and everything. Chopping wood, digging latrines and trenches, delivering messages from the officers, hauling water, doing laundry, shooting game/butchering…you name it!

Drummers and buglers as a rule were privates as well, but I can’t say dogmatically that they all had this rank. I would have to look into that a little deeper.

Privates also helped in the hospitals. They often helped hold a soldier down during surgery, volunteered to help the doctors when there was a shortage of nurses and helped remove the wounded from the battlefield. (They weren’t the only ones to do this, but since there were more privates than the other ranks, they were the majority of the ones gathering the wounded.) They also served on burial detail.

Hope this was helpful! I’ll see you next week with a writerly post that I can’t wait to share with you!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

Hello and happy Friday everyone! I have another blog post for you today (Third one this year!) and it’s going to be so much fun! A Book List! 📚 If you are like me, you are a book nut, specifically when it comes to historical fiction. Well, today, I’m stepping into the Non-Fiction world and bringing you some of my favorite books about two famous American Heroes, Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson! 😍 In addition to my favorites, I will be sharing some books that are on my TBR! 📖

But why these two for my very first book list?

Well, January happens to be the birth month of these amazing Christian men! General Lee was born on January 19th, 1807. Stonewall was born January 21st, 1824. So, it was only fitting to do this post in their honor. 🎈🎁 *Nods at my logic*
 
Now. Let’s get into the Book List!

You have no idea how many books I own with “Robert E. Lee” as the title! Even though Stonewall is my favorite of the two, I have far more books about General Lee. Here are my favorites…

Recollections and Letters of Robert E. Lee by Robert E. Lee Jr. (More here!)
Oh, people, read this book!!!!!! It is my very favorite book about Robert E. Lee and I reference it for my books. Who better to write about this great man than his son? Rob does an excellent job chronicling his father’s life, from his very first memory of the general, to Robert E. Lee’s last days. The honor he bestows on his father and his attention to detail is amazing! And I must admit, I really fell in love with his writing style. It felt as if I were right there, riding through the war with Robert E. Lee. And the chapter where Rob takes a break from his father’s story to tell about himself, and the capture of his older brother…no words. It was so good!

Robert E. Lee by Noah Andre Trudeau
This is the first biography, and probably the first history book outside of textbooks, that I ever read and it is amazing! Such an up close and personal look at Gen. Lee and a little of his family as well. Not just the Civil War History of him either; this book goes back before that.

Boy of Old Virginia: Robert E. Lee by Hellen A. Monsell
This is a book written for school Children years ago. I dug up this copy at Goodwill and almost didn’t buy it! Then, my dad found it and brought it back to my attention. I took that as my cue that I needed to buy this book and I’m so glad I did! It’s a nice look at Lee’s childhood and what it was like growing up in the Lee household. It doesn’t touch on his war record, which was a unique twist. Highly recommend it. My younger brother loved it!

Robert E. Lee by Lee Roddy
This is a middle-grade book, but again, a lovely overview of the life of Robert E. Lee. Highly recommend it for an easy read, if you aren’t super into biographies. Great for Homeschool curriculum too!

These are not all of my books on Robert E. Lee, but you get the idea 😉 I can actually think of two more right of the top of my head!

Oh, my favorite Hero ever!  I am working on building my Stonewall library, but for now, here are the books I’ve read…

Beloved Bride by Bill Potter (Read my review here!)
This book is amazing! I think every young person should read it, male and female! Married couples, history buffs, people waiting for the right one, just go read it! Fun Fact: I used this book as research for The Rivers of Sorrow! Read Beloved Bride, and you will know which story I pulled for my book!

Stonewall Jackson by Charles Ludwig
This is another middle-grade book and the best biography I’ve read on Stonewall thus far! It’s the only one I’ve read…anywho, this book is so good! Like Robert E. Lee by Lee Roddy, it’s perfect for Homeschool and is an amazing introduction to Stonewall Jackson

Christ in the Camp by J. William Jones
J. William Jones was Robert E. Lee’s personal chaplain. A Baptist preacher, Jones chronicled the revivals through the war that broke out in the Confederate camps. While it mainly focuses on Gen. Lee, Jackson appears more than once in this history! I highly recommend it for High School students, history buffs and Civil War enthusiasts!

Warriors of Honor by New Liberty Videos
This is a documentary that chronicles the Christian faith of Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee. If you love these generals, your collection is not complete without this DVD! I saw it several years ago at a Night Watch Service (only half though!) and I purchased my copy at Ft. Macon on Confederate Memorial Day. (Yes, that is a real holiday! May 10th, mark your calendar.)

Non-Fiction
 
Life and Campaigns of Lieutenant General Thomas J. Stonewall Jackson by Robert Lewis Dabney
Dabney was a personal friend of Jackson and a member of his personal staff, the perfect person to write the official biography of one of America’s finest heroes. I got this as a prize for giving a suggestion to a new website. Cannot wait to read this!

Rebel Yell by S.C. Gwynne
Civil War enthusiasts will be shocked that I haven’t read this book yet 😉 Published in 2014, this is supposed to be THE book about Stonewall, so I cannot wait to dive in! I received this as a gift from one of my readers who didn’t need their copy anymore! Thank you so much!


Fiction

Stonewall: A Novel by John J. Dwyer
This is a borrowed book from my grandpa and I have been wanting to read this book for so long! I’m not sure how I’ll like it since it’s a novel about a historical figure and I don’t like it when people take too much liberty with historical figures…hopefully, it’s just recreating conversations or something.

Robert E. Lee: A Novel by John J. Dwyer
Like Stonewall, this is another borrowed book form grandpa. Again, not sure how I’ll end up enjoying this one, but I do highly anticipate it!

The Shaara Civil War Trilogy by Jeff and Michael Shaara
This includes Gods and Generals, Killer Angels and The Last Full Measure. I’ve been meaning to read this books for a long time, but it wasn’t until this year that I picked up Gods and Generals. I have no idea what the title has to do with anything, to be honest. But, aside from some words I’ve had to mark out, the book is very interesting and lines up with what I’ve read about these famous figures, or makes me want to research these people more (looking at you, Gen. Hancock!). I really hope I enjoy these. G&G is deeper, so I read it in spurts. Someday, hopefully, it will end up in a wrap-up!

So, that’s all I have for you today! Hope you enjoyed my very first book list! Something to think about: What are your favorite historical (fiction or non-fiction) books? List them and share them with a friend! There are never enough book recommendations!

Until Next Time,
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22
*Emoji art supplied by Emoji One