I am thrilled to be hosting Tamera Alexander today on Miss Pippi Reads. She will be giving us insights on character name selection in With This Pledge. Enjoy!
Character Name Selection by Tamera Alexander
Character name selection in With This Pledge, a Carnton novel, was easier than usual. Because Captain Roland Ward Jones and Elizabeth ("Lizzie") Clouston are the real life hero and heroine who met and fell in love at the Carnton home in Franklin, Tennessee during the Civil War, following the Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864. And With This Pledge is their love story. History holds a treasure trove of knowledge about Captain Roland Ward Jones—details about his home life, his war record as a sharpshooter, his extensive land ownership in Mississippi, and the remarkable collection of personal correspondence (written both to and from Roland) that reveal a bevy of insights into his character. We know Roland was among hundreds of wounded Confederate soldiers who were brought to Carnton following the Battle of Franklin. We know he staunchly supported the Southern Cause. We know he convalesced about six weeks longer at Carnton than any of the other soldiers. And why did he stay longer? Because he fell in love with the McGavock’s governess—Lizzie Clouston.
Sadly, most of the details about Lizzie’s life have been lost to time, so she was more of a mystery. To introduce the necessary conflict needed for the story, I chose to give Lizzie opposing views to Roland’s—and that of the Southern Cause. Yet when forty thousand soldiers converge on the fields of Franklin, Tennessee that unseasonably warm November afternoon, the war demands she give answer. Especially when she finds herself drawn to Roland and discovers that his moral ground is utterly at odds with her own.
Learn more about what’s truth and what’s fiction in With This Pledge, a Carnton Novel on Tamera’s Website — www.TameraAlexander.com
With This Pledge Book Description
Carnton home where she is governess is converted into a Confederate field hospital, and Lizzie is called upon to assist the military doctor with surgeries that determine life or death. Faced with the unimaginable, she must summon fortitude, even as she fears for the life of Towny, her fiancĂ© and lifelong friend.As a young soldier lies dying in Lizzie’s arms, she vows to relay his final words to his mother, but knows little more than the boy’s first name. That same night, decorated Mississippi sharpshooter Captain Roland Ward Jones extracts a different promise from Lizzie: that she intervene should the surgeon decide to amputate his leg.
Lizzie is nothing if not a woman of her word, earning the soldiers’ respect as she tends to the wounded within Carnton’s walls. None is more admiring than Captain Jones, who doesn’t realize she is pledged to another. But as Lizzie’s heart softens towardthe Confederate captain, she discovers that his moral ground is at odds with her own. Now torn between love, principles, and promises made, she struggles to be true to her heart while standing for what she knows is right—no matter the cost.
From the pages of history and the personal accounts of those who endured the Battle of Franklin, Tamera Alexander weaves the real-life love letters between Captain Roland Ward Jones and Miss Elizabeth Clouston into a story of unlikely romance first kindled amid the shadows of war.
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EXCERPT
Head HERE for an exclusive excerpt!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tamera Alexander is a USA Today bestselling novelist whose works have been awarded and nominated for numerous industry-leading honors, including the Christy Award (two-time winner, seven-time finalist), the RITA Award (two-time winner, four-time finalist), the Carol Award, the Maggie Award, the Booksellers Best Award, and Library Journal's top distinction, among others. After seventeen years in Colorado, Tamera and her husband now reside in Nashville, Tennessee, where they live a short distance from Belmont Mansion and Belle Meade Plantation, the setting of Tamera’s two USA Today bestselling Southern series. CONNECT WITH THEAUTHOR: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
TOUR GIVEAWAY
(1) winner will win a release copy of With This Pledge + $10 Amazon Gift Card
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
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This author writes such great historical fiction!
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