Guest Blog: Lynne Tagawa and A Fallen Sparrow *Prize of Print or E-Book to Chosen Commenter :)

A Fallen Sparrow: A Novel of the American Revolution by Lynne Tagawa

I’m so excited! I have birthdays too, but at my age, well…

But for our nation, I can let loose and pull out the stops. I even have special red, white, and blue earrings. We’re going to be 250 years old! The sesquicentennial!

I can remember the bicentennial, something that was much easier to say. Maybe we can just say the supercentennial and be done with it.

A Fallen Sparrow was released several years ago, and I am featuring it this summer. It’s so apropos. It’s a story covering the entire war, and much of what was going on inside people’s heads—is this the right thing to do? Should we take up arms against the king? The Bible has some things to say about the authority of magistrates. Is it absolute?

Ruth Haynes uses the pen name Honorius when she writes for her father’s newspaper. Boston has changed beyond recognition, and her Loyalist views soon get her in trouble. Jonathan Russell hides a guilty secret. The Battle of Bunker’s Hill sweeps him and his Shenandoah Valley family into the war. The unthinkable happens, and he’s forced to deal with both his grief—and his guilt.Lieutenant Robert Shirley is summoned by his godmother and introduced to the Earl of Dartmouth, who charges him to gather intelligence in Boston. He is horrified but must obey.Gritty, realistic, and rich with scriptural truth, this story features Dr. Joseph Warren, Major John André, Henry Knox, and Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton.

Each of my characters must face these important questions. Each faces personal challenges. And yes, there’s a bit of romance too!

Excerpt:

Robert wrestled. He had to make it sound innocent, a nephew writing to a beloved uncle. The first sentences were painful, but it became easier as he went along.

Boston, March 15 1772

Dear Uncle,

I arrived in Boston harbor the fifth inst. after a quick passage of five weeks.…

Boston is an interesting place. The people are lively, hardworking, and as you mentioned to me, religious. They are particular about observing the Sabbath. Schools are plentiful. There is a poorhouse, but few beggars, and I have yet to be troubled by pickpockets. In the square where the unfortunate shooting took place stands a pillory, their main form of punishment aside from imprisonment. They reserve execution for murder, and that only if there is “malice aforethought.”

They seem welcoming and friendly, but that may be because Mr. Knox, my employer, treats me as an esteemed colleague rather than a servant. Only occasionally do I receive the sort of look one gets when entering a village for the first time. Their manners are kindly but rough-hewn. They are plainspoken and plain dealing as a rule.

The people are swayed by the opinions of their ministers, and I have learned that the governor blames the mob action in protest of the Stamp Act to be a result of a certain Rev. Mayhew’s preaching. Mayhew himself is no more, but his words live on, and I have read his sermon on Romans the thirteenth chapter, preached on the anniversary of the beheading of Charles I. It seems mild enough, concluding with, “It becomes us, therefore, to be contented and dutiful subjects.” He warns against extremes. Yet, the theme of these ministers and writers is to point out that the Crown is limited in power, and that a King may “unKing himself” by tyrannical actions. One may imagine the implications.

Oh, these characters were fun to write! Ruth, the bookish and sometimes provocative Loyalist who struggles with issues of conscience, and a certain Shenandoah Valley rifleman who snags her affections. Robert has to thread the needle of conscience as well as he seeks to preserve his honor while obeying the earl’s directives. And then there’s Hannah… I can’t tell you much more without spoilers!

My greatest challenge was including all that needed to be included in one book. I cover the entire war, from the Boston Massacre to Yorktown. (Okay, my characters weren’t at all of the battles, just a couple of important ones.)

In my story, Ruth helps a woman with the new American flag. You may be thinking of Betsy Ross, but there were others. One Philadelphia family business produced textiles, and after the husband's death, the wife took it over, and much of her production involved supplying materials to Washington’s army. Does your family have a business? Do you know of one?

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To check out Sparrow: https://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Sparrow-American-Revolution-Russells-ebook/dp/B0B646T9BR

I am on Facebook under my name Lynne Tagawa, and on X: @LynneTagawa.

Lynne Tagawa is an educator, author, and editor living in South Texas. She’s a mom of four and a grandma to six who loves writing historical fiction with a theological emphasis. A Fallen Sparrow: A Novel of the American Revolution is a 2023 Selah Awards finalist, and The Root of the Matter: The American Puritans Book One, won the 2025 Angel Book Award for Speculative fiction.

The Design of Providence, a collaborative anthology with nine other writers, including Shannon McNear and Jayna Baas released May 1^st, 2026.  Jezebel’s Children: The American Puritans Book Two will be available soon.