Lori Benton's Reviews > The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn

Hi Readers!

I'm often asked in interviews what inspired me to write The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn. I decided to post that answer for you here.

Inspiration for The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn came straight out of the pages of history. While researching material for an earlier novel set in 18th century North Carolina, I came across mention of the “Lost” State of Franklin—an attempt of the citizens of western North Carolina to break away and form a separate state. Had they succeeded (and they nearly did) Franklin would have been the fourteenth state admitted into the Union, instead of Vermont.

This first post-Revolutionary War attempt at independent statehood spanned a relatively short (1784—1789) but tumultuous period marked by courthouse raids, fisticuffs, siege, and battle. For a little over four years the people of the Tennessee Valley region lived under the jurisdiction of two governments vying for the same territory, the allegiance of the same settlers.

My first reaction upon reading these sparse facts was... WHAT??? How have I never heard of this before? My second reaction was... How could such a situation result in anything but chaos—and a setting that begged for a story to be woven through it?

So, I wove one. :) And into it came some of the themes that visit me most often when it comes to telling stories: father/son issues; identity (the loss of, discovery of, redefining of); the challenges of walking a middle ground between two cultures.

The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn, set in 1787 North Carolina, is a story about identity, and what happens when that particular rug is pulled out from under a person. That’s already happened to frontiersman Jesse Bird, who doesn’t remember his parents or where he comes from. It happens to Tamsen Littlejohn when she discovers the family history she thought she knew isn’t even half the story. Thrown together in a moment of crises, Tamsen and Jesse flee across the Blue Ridge Mountains in search of safety, pursued by those intent on dragging them back.

They run from danger into turmoil: the overmountain Watauga settlement is in conflict over its collective identity—is it still part of North Carolina, or the newly proclaimed State of Franklin? Depends on who you ask, and you better be careful who you do ask.

Along the way, Tamsen learns she has more say in the matter of who she is, and who she will become, than she ever imagined before meeting Jesse. But none of these issues of identity will be resolved without Tamsen and Jesse facing great sacrifice and risk.

I hope you enjoy the book!