US Historical Fiction/Civil War
Date Published: 05-13-2025
Publisher: Bariso Press
The soldiers did the fighting; the generals, the Infighting
In the waning months of the American Civil War, a delusional Confederate
commander makes a desperate attempt to change the course of the
South’s dwindling hopes by invading middle Tennessee. The tragic
result of Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood’s misplaced hubris devastates his
Army of Tennessee and alters the lives of the citizens of Franklin,
Tennessee.
In a historical novel reminiscent of The Killer Angels, Too Much the Lion
follows a handful of Confederate generals, infantrymen and local residents
through the five days leading up to the horrific Battle of Franklin on
November 30, 1864. The lives of soldiers ranging from Major General Patrick
Cleburne to Brigadier General Hiram Granbury and from Sergeant Major Sumner
Cunningham to Corporal Sam Watkins will be forever changed by Hood’s
decisions and mistakes.
Franklin civilians like apprehensive and loving mother Mary Alice McPhail
and teen Hardin Figuers, desperate to serve the Confederacy but too young to
enlist, are ensnared in the events that will bring death and devastation to
their very doorsteps. Devout Confederate Chaplain Charles T. Quintard must
reconcile his religious beliefs with his support of slavery. Slaves like the
elder Wiley Howard and the inquisitive young Henry B. Free are trapped on
the fault line between what has been and what could be.
Too Much the Lion offers an unvarnished account of the dying days of the
Confederacy in a powerful and moving narrative of honor and betrayal,
bravery and cowardice, death and survival. Told with poignancy and honesty
by an accomplished novelist, Too Much the Lion achieves for the Battle of
Franklin what The Killer Angels did for the Battle of Gettysburg, providing
a classic fictional account of one of the Civil War’s pivotal
encounters.
Interview
Is There a Message in Your Novel That You Want Readers to Grasp?
Simply stated: Vanity and hubris kill
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
After 60 books, not really. You always strive for perfection, but you never really achieve it. You just accept that and move on.
How many books have you written and which is your favorite?
I have published 60 books total. Forty-nine of those were published by Big Five, national or regional publishers. The last 11 have been independently published by Bariso Press, an imprint my wife Harriet Kocher Lewis and I created to have total control over my output. Asking an author to pick a favorite book is like asking him to choose his favorite child. So, the most recent in this case Too Much the Lion stands out like a newborn. Then, it depends on whether it’s fiction or nonfiction. In nonfiction, Cotton-Picking Folks: Eulogy for a Texas Depression Era Farm Family is my favorite because it preserves my family history and Pintsized Pioneers: Taming the Frontier, One Chore at a Time, which I co-authored with Harriet and has become our most honored book. Among my fiction works, The Fleecing of Fort Griffin, The Demise of Billy the Kid and The Redemption of Jesse James. If I had to pick just one, I’d probably go with Redemption because of the range of emotion in the coming of age novel about my comic Western protagonist H.H. Lomax..
If You had the chance to cast your main character from Hollywood today, who would you pick and why?
Matthew McConaughey because he’s a native Texan, and he’s Harriet’s favorite actor.
When did you begin writing?
As a journalism major at Baylor University, I began writing in college, starting in 1968. I started writing fiction in 1976.
How long did it take to complete your first book?
About four months, if I recall correctly, as that was a long time ago in another millennium even..
Did you have an author who inspired you to become a writer?
As a boy, there were three writers that influenced me. First, J. Frank Dobie with his tales of old-time Texas spawned my interest in Old West and Texas history. Second, Mark Twain because of his humor and insight into human nature. And third, Scripps-Howard columnist Ernie Pyle, who was America’s most beloved World War II correspondent. His empathy for the experience of the combat solider is powerfully expressed in his columns, later published in WWII anthologies like Brave Men. His works helped convince me to go into journalism which provided the foundation for my later fiction work.
What is your favorite part of the writing process?
I go through three drafts in most writing projects. The second draft is my favorite part because I have something down and am not staring at a blank screen. In the second draft is where the magic happens and the raw material can be shaped into a readable piece.
Describe your latest book in 4 words.
Vanity and hubris kill.
Can you share a little bit about your current work or what is in the future for your writing?
Harriet and are working on the sequel to our Spur Award-winning YA nonfiction book Pintsized Pioneers: Taming the Frontier, One Chore at a Time. The sequel is titled Pintsized Pioneers at Play: Homemade Frontier Fun and Danger. Also, I have signed a movie option with a major Hollywood studio on a book, and I am in the process of writing screenplays. Due to a non-disclosure agreement, I cannot share more than that at this time.
About the Author
Preston Lewis is the award-winning author of more than 50 western,
historical, juvenile, and nonfiction works. In 2021 he was inducted
into the Texas Institute of Letters for his literary achievements.
Western Writers of America (WWA) has honored Lewis with two Spur Awards,
one for best article and the second for best western novel. He has
received ten Will Rogers Medallion Awards (six gold, two silver and two
bronze) for written western humor, short stories, short nonfiction, and
traditional Western novel.
Lewis is a past president of WWA and the West Texas Historical Association,
which named him a fellow in 2016. He holds a bachelor’s degree
from Baylor University and a master’s degree from Ohio State
University, both in journalism. Additionally, he has a second
master’s degree in history from Angelo State University. He
lives in San Angelo, Texas, with wife Harriet Kocher Lewis.
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