Author Hopes to Show Christian Aspects of Patrick Henry, American History in Latest Novel
An author of young adult fiction books will showcase the Christian beliefs of Founding Father Patrick Henry in her latest novel featuring a mix of historical fiction and fantasy.
Jenny L. Cote's The Voice, the Revolution and the Key, released earlier this month by AMG Publishers, is the seventh book in a series whose main characters are a group of time-traveling animals known as the Epic Order of the Seven.
For this latest entry in the series, Cote focuses on the life of Patrick Henry, specifically his upbringing and his famous "Give me liberty or give me death" speech.
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In an interview with The Christian Post on Thursday, Cote explained that it was important to highlight the Christian aspects of Henry's life and times.
"Patrick Henry to me was one of the most adamant Christian founding fathers that we had. He spent about an hour every day in Scripture," said Cote.
"He was known as the 'voice of the Revolution' and his words and his speech were laced with Scripture."
Cote takes issue with the attempts by some "to water down or downplay the role of Christianity in the founding of our country," telling CP that such efforts need "to be dispelled with truth and with fact."
Biblical Truth in a Non-Biblical Setting
The Voice, the Revolution and the Key is the seventh book by Cote to feature a recurring cast of heroic animals that include a Scottish terrier, a black cat from France, an Orange Irish cat, a West Highland terrier, a white mouse from the British Isles, a Swiss mountain goat, and a Judean lamb.
Cote explained to CP that this was the first of the series to not have a biblical setting, as past entries have taken place during Noah's Flood and the life of Jesus, among others.
"I wanted to show kids that when the biblical stories were ended, God didn't check out of the human experience," said Cote. "He still has His Christian leaders at different points in time to do marvelous things for Him and for the Kingdom."
Cote noted that while "we're not in the biblical times anymore" in the Epic Order series, biblical truth still applies to the world.
The Importance of Stating Fact
After the end of the story, Cote included a section called "A word from the author" that explained and clarified certain factual claims in the novel.
Cote told CP that she felt it was "vitally important" for her to include that section, labeling it "one of the most important things I've put in every book."
"I need to be crystal clear when I'm writing historical fiction that has fantasy in it as well, that I don't lead anyone astray, adults or children," explained Cote.
"To be a credible author, you got to show that you know your history and you have to do the bedrock of the facts first, then layer in plausible fiction ... and then the fantasy on top of that."
