About the Book

Book: Muldoon’s Minnesota Darling, a Novella

Author: E.V. Sparrow

Genre: Historical fiction

Release Date: May 10, 2023

A heartsore widower with hidden fears and little faith…
The naïve daughter of a farmer guarding a repulsive secret…
A township unaware of the hidden menace amongst them…

Heartbroken from losing his family and his farm, Mick Muldoon is hopeful as he emigrates to America with his siblings. All he finds is despair and no work. Were America’s rumored promises of plenty all lies? Would God ever hear and answer his prayers?

Seventeen-year-old Shauna McGann is determined to marry Mick Muldoon despite her mother’s objections. His past and his limp might repulse others, but not her. What burdens Shauna is her terrible secret – a secret she promised her friends she would keep. Now Shauna needs help and protection. Could she trust Mick, or will she lose everything by telling him?

Will Mick finally be free of loss and find success in America? Will Shauna overcome her fears and finally feel safe?

In this Muldoon’s Misfortunes prelude novella, author E.V. Sparrow creates a provoking tale of flickering faith and enduring hope through an emigrant’s efforts to adapt, and a young woman’s unprejudiced love.

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I received a complimentary copy of this book, and all

Opinions given are my own and not an endorsement

Of all authors opinions.

Author Interview

1. Why did you want to become an author?

My first goal was writing my favorite travel and mission stories, then being an author came after. My critique group insisted I was ready! My goal is the same—to lead readers to encounter God’s unexpected presence.

2. What step of writing this book was the most challenging and why?

Research! Always research. For historical fiction it’s crucial for the era and details to be right. I will imagine a scene in my outline, then discover certain details don’t match reality, and must go back and edit. It works out well, but I’ve learned to adjust to the changes for creative aspects.

3. What/Who inspired you to write on the main themes found in the book?

My dad’s family. They were raised with faith in God—the Trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but for many reasons battled with how to be in a relationship with God. My tagline is Encounter God’s Unexpected Presence in all my work, and these characters experience this. In my life, God has worked this way. He shows up in the most stunning ways to help, encourage, protect, and guide me. It took me years to recognize His personal touch.

4. If you could meet your characters in real life, what would you talk about?

They worry me! I want to help them grasp God’s love for them and hopefully keep them from destructive paths while they search for acceptance and belonging. I’d want to know more about their choices and tell them about why I made mine.

5. What made you choose the setting/time period for this book?

Because I’m inspired by a few relatives, they emigrated to America in 1866, and I’m using specific events in their lives.The era chose me!

About the Author

E.V. Sparrow is a short story writer turned novelist. Her readers encounter God’s unexpected presence through her character’s escapades. Her own adventures she wrote about involved traveling in over twenty countries. Sparrow lived on an Israeli kibbutz, worked for the U.S. Army in Bavaria, and hopped a freight train for a weekend.

A highlight for Sparrow is when Guideposts and Bethany House Publishers accepted four of her anthologized stories before she signed a 3-book historical fiction series contract with Celebrate Lit Publishing.

Her father’s family’s immigration from Ireland, their letters and documents, and some family stories inspired her current historical fiction novels.

In E.V.’s personal and church life, she ministered through prayer, worship, mission teams, and in Divorce Care and Singles. California native relocated to North Carolina, E.V. Sparrow and her husband enjoy family time with their grandchildren and exploring their new state.

More from E.V.

I’m writing books inspired by my father’s family because they believed in God but wrestled with their faith. Faith doesn’t come easy for every believer. We grapple with intimacy with God, but does God battle with us?

My oldest brother shared some stories of our great-grandfather, who emigrated here after losing his wives and children in Ireland. Yes, at least two families. I wondered, how could a suffering heart and soul survive those losses? Our great-grandfather’s inner turmoil didn’t change once he resettled in America. I read letters he wrote to his son—our grandfather and sifted through family photos. Certain aspects from the timeline of great-grandfather’s life fashioned my main character, Mick Muldoon. Mick encountered God’s unexpected presence several times without recognizing it.

Thinking through a Scripture verse, 1 Corinthians 13:13, (NIV) “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love,” reveals what remains when all else we are accustomed to is gone. I assume hope is as powerful as faith and love. It’s a triangle of strength for us until it goes wobbly. What happens when one or two of the three stabilizers are weaker than the others? Wounded, confused, and resilient characters named Mick, Orla, and Liam Muldoon.