American Writing Awards - Historical Fiction Finalist
Laramie and Goethe Awards Shortlist
"Compelling and thought provoking" - Books and Coffee MX
". . . 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." -Greg Fields - Author of Through the Waters and the Wild
"Haunting and eminently readable, moving and infuriating, Red Clay, Running Waters is an epic tale of love, justice, and betrayal, and is a vivid portrayal of an episode of American history too many would prefer to be forgotten." -Susan Higgenbotham - Author of John Brown's Women
"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." -David Marion Wilkerson - Author of Oblivions Altar
"Red Clay, Running Waters is a beautifully written historical fiction novel, meticulously researched and carefully crafted. With language reminiscent of the time pulling the reader into a little-known story of Native American forced removal, this story of love, commitment, and sacrifice in Antebellum America is the best historical fiction I've read in a decade! " -Josie Olsvig - Author of Gullah Tears
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 humanity and rights, and realize the dream of an independent Cherokee Nation.
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, and with options eroding, and Andrew Jackson in office, John and Sarah must forge a path to save the Cherokee Nation in the midst of tyranny and deceit.
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.
"An extraordinary achievement. Red Clay, Running Waters is an old-fashioned novel in the best sense: rich in its portraiture and heartbreakingly true to history." Jodi Daynard - Author of The Midwife's Revolt