Red Clay Running Waters

<p><span style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>In 1824 John Ridge promising son of a Cherokee leader returns from his New England education with his White bride Sarah Northrop burning to defend his people's rights and realize the dream of an independent Cherokee Nation.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Peace at home evades when tensions rise between the Southern states and the federal government pulling the Ridges into the crossfire of a divided country on the brink of civil war. Faced with expulsion from their homeland during the 1830s Indian Removal crisis with options eroding and Andrew Jackson in office John and Sarah must forge a path to retain the Cherokee Nation in the midst of tyranny and deceit.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>A timely saga of one family's search for justice this true story of profound love sacrifice and the meaning of home weaves the complex strands of politics race religion and love into the tapestry of the turbulent times before the Trail of Tears.</span></p><p><br></p><ul><li><strong>Feathered Quill Book Awards - Finalist Historical Fiction</strong></li><li><strong>American Writing Awards - Finalist Historical Fiction</strong></li><li><strong>CIBA Laramie Awards (Americana Fiction) - Finalist</strong></li><li><strong>Eric Hoffer Da Vinci Eye Award (cover design) - Finalist</strong></li></ul><p><br></p><p><span style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>. . . the creation of something sweeping yet intimate historically accurate yet reflective of current issues and through it all written with precision grace and lyrical elegance. This is a splendid splendid work. </span><strong style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Greg Fields - Author of <em>Through the Waters and the Wild</em></strong></p><p><br></p><p><span style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>An extraordinary achievement. </span><em style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Red Clay Running Waters</em><span style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)> is an old-fashioned novel in the best sense: rich in its portraiture and heartbreakingly true to history. </span><strong style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Jodi Daynard - Author of <em>The Midwife's Revolt</em></strong></p><p><br></p><p><span style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>The true-life saga of the Ridge family--the most dramatic tragic as yet untold story of America's conflict with first nation's people--is the stuff of legend. The author has devoted a lifetime to telling it like it demands to be told. I don't know a more powerful American story that reveals more of who we are and how far we must travel to heal from our troubled past. </span><strong style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>David Marion Wilkerson - Author of <em>Oblivions Altar</em></strong></p><p><br></p><p><span style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>...A fabulous example of the [Historical Fiction] genre - very well-written and really interesting [with] well-developed characters who drew me in . . . ... an engaging story that held my attention throughout...I loved it! -</span><strong style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)> Feathered Quill Book Awards judges</strong></p><p><br></p><p><span style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>An immersive and engaging story . . . a consistently enjoyable literary experience. - </span><strong style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)><em>Kirkus Review</em></strong></p>