Shannon here: Lynne Tagawa shares her research for her contribution to a multi-author collection of short stories plus an excerpt. Comment or answer the question in any post dated March 19th – 31st to enter the drawing for a digital copy of her Historical Romance Short Story, Julia’s Sense plus 3 other titles. Deadline: April 11th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Lynne:
Romancing the Research
It’s 2026, and a couple of years ago, I saw it coming: America’s 250th birthday! I’m old enough to remember the bicentennial. So I wondered what I could do as an author. To this end, I gathered a few like-minded men and women, and we wrote a collection of short stories: The Design of Providence.
One of my contributions was “Julia’s Sense.” I focused on Julia Stockton, who married Dr. Benjamin Rush, one of the—
But I am getting ahead of myself.
I have a biography of Dr. Benjamin Rush on my shelf. I gathered a lot of materials pertaining to the Revolutionary War during my research for A Fallen Sparrow: A Novel of the American Revolution.
Unexpectedly, Benjamin Rush drew me in. He wrestled with theological questions. A believer—not just someone who warmed a pew.
His early mentor was the same man, Samuel Davies, who shaped Patrick Henry’s mind as his mother brought him to sit week after week under his eloquent preaching. A figure in the Great Awakening, Davies was briefly the president of Princeton, where Rush gave an address to the graduating class—in Latin, of course. He attended the most prestigious medical school of his day in Edinburgh, where a scientific view of the human body and its various systems was now promulgated.
As a physician, Rush was earnest and caring, his only fault (to us) a lingering belief in the efficacy of bloodletting. He was warmhearted in his relationships, a kind husband and loving father. The mental illness of a son led him to investigate the problem as a defect of physiology, not some moral failing. For these researches, he is known today as the father of modern psychiatry.
Education was another of his many passions. Truly a Renaissance man.
As the stories came in for the 2026 collection, I thought about Rush. I picked up my bio but couldn’t see how to create a story. I put it down.
Then I picked it up again. Turned the pages. Spotted Thomas Paine’s name.
Wait. Common Sense. The little pamphlet that helped jump-start the Declaration.
And here was the name of Julia Stoughton.
Wait. You mean Rush was courting her while he helped Thomas Paine write this seminal essay?
You can’t make this stuff up. I had my story.
The Design of Providence contains this story plus thirteen others, by authors you may have heard of, like Shannon McNeal and Jayna Baas, and others you won’t have, because they aren’t fiction writers. One is a history teacher who dresses up in period clothing. One is an expert in military history.
It’s been an exciting journey. Looking forward to a special Fourth of July!
Excerpt from Julia’s sense by Lynne Tagawa:
He was busy. If he were to marry Julia, he would need to support her, and do so on his own account, not just relying on her dowry. He took a new job treating the sailors manning the humble ships of the Pennsylvania militia. He did rounds at the naval hospital, continued his lectures, and treated the occasional patient at his house. At the statehouse where Congress met, speeches were made, but he slipped out early, for he had little to contribute.
But the corners of his time were delightful, as he had permission from Judge Stockton to write to his daughter Julia.
. . . I love my students better than ever, as I am sure my Julia will esteem me only in proportion as she finds me wise and good. I learn from these things to admire the wisdom & goodness of the supreme being in the institution of matrimony—
Voices echoed in the foyer. Rebecca’s: “I will—”
“I can find my way.” Thomas Paine. And now the man was bending over his shoulder, before he could put the letter away.
“Ha! ‘Dearest Julia.’ Well met, my young friend.”
Face hot, Rush stood abruptly.
Paine raised his hands, a satchel bouncing on his hip. “I beg pardon.”
“What did you bring me?”
His visitor extracted several newspapers from under his arm. “This is the king’s rag. Worthless.” He tossed it aside, and it fluttered to the floor. “This one lists casualties at Bunker Hill, a victory at great cost. Not bad.” He tossed that one too, and it joined the other.
“Ah, here!” Paine said. “The Evening Post. An honest publisher. The editor calls the war ‘unnatural, unconstitutional, unnecessary, unjust—’”
“When will Americans be as determined as this London writer?” Rush said mildly. “Blood is not enough?”
Reader Question: What will you do to celebrate America’s 250th birthday?
March Book Bundle #2
My Journey into Fiction Writing by R.F. Whong, Nonfiction, Newsletter signup download
Fairest Inn All by Amy R. Anguish, Fairytale Retelling Contemporary Romance, autographed print copy
Julia’s Sense by Lynne Tagawa, Historical Fiction Short Story, digital
Texas Reclaimed by Sherry Shindelar, Historical Romance, digital
About Lynne: Lynne Tagawa is a wife, mother, and grandma to five sweethearts. She’s an educator, editor, and author of an eighteenth-century historical fiction series, the Russells. She loves to include gospel truth in her stories. The Shenandoah Road, first in the series, was a Selah Awards finalist. Lynne loves good coffee and sugar-free treats. She and her husband live in South Texas. Learn more & connect: Learn more & connect:
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“A remarkable tribute to our founders and the spirit of 1776 that has endured 250 years!”—Laura Frantz, Christy Award–winning author of The Belle of Chatham
Before there was a United States, there was a dream forged in the crucible of revolution—and a steadfast belief that a divine hand was shaping the nation’s destiny. From the bloody snow of the Boston Massacre to the treacherous battlefields of the South, the path to liberty was fraught with peril, heartbreak, and impossible choices.
Intertwining fact and fiction, each story masterfully explores the personal cost of allegiance, the agony of families divided by war, and the quiet, persistent thread of faith that wove through it all.
Celebrate America’s 250th birthday with this immersive, faith-filled journey into the soul of a nation’s founding.
“Adventuresome, gritty, and inspiring stories for the true historical fiction lover… If you want to dive into stories that make you feel what life was like during the American Revolution at its core, here’s your chance.”
Releases April 1, 2026. Preorder your copy of The Design of Providence
Come back March 28th for Shannon’s Book Bargains Roundup!
We’ll probably celebrate with fireworks.
I haven’t thought about it yet!