PRUDENCE -- END OF BRIDE BRIGADE SERIES

Please remember the two giveaways at the bottom of this post.

What a poignant day! I’ve loved writing the Bride Brigade Series, but today is the release of PRUDENCE, the final book of the series. This book wraps up some loose ends and settles Lydia's situation. Although I’m eager to dive into the many projects I have planned, saying goodbye to Tarnation, Texas and its citizens is bittersweet. Here’s the Amazon buy link: http://a.co/3AZ9c6d   

Prudence Lynch learned to be a midwife and folk healer from her maternal grandmother. After Granny’s death from cancer, nothing held Prudence in the tiny backwards village. With hope in her heart—and dash of fear—she set out to make her future. As much as she wanted to leave the place where she’d been raised, she had no practical experience of the outside world.

Folk healing is a tradition that goes back as far as even the most basic civilization. Every ancient culture has healers and plant-derived medicines. For years, I’ve collected folk remedies and alternative healing methods. One of the fun things I did in this pursuit was take Beth Trissel’s herbal class. In fact, I took two of them.

At the same time as sincere, well-informed healers practiced, there were charlatans popping up from under every rock. No doubt you’re familiar with the salesman hawking his cure-all formula from a caravan then leaving town quickly. I was surprised to learn there actually was something called snake oil. Who knew?

Some of these so-called curatives were actually detrimental to health. The most chilling are the ads that promise to “cure” cancer. Makes me hope karma got those criminals.

In one ad I’ve seen numerous places, overweight persons were encouraged to swallow tapeworm eggs. "Sanitized" no less. Knowing obese King Henry VIII had a massive tapeworm (supposedly twenty-six feet long), I wonder how this was supposed to aid anyone who wanted to lose weight. What do I know? I’m certainly not going to experiment!

A large variety of harmful patent medicines were available by mail or from druggists. I suspect genuine folk healers were too knowledgeable to use them. For instance, I doubt a practiced healer would prescribe heroin or laudanum for fretful babies. I take that back. Paregoric was prescribed for fretful babies who had colic or were teething.

I shudder when I think of some of the so-called cures I’ve been told were used on my ancestors. One—a diabetic—developed gangrene after her swollen feet were slit and leeches applied to drain off the excess liquid. Another took up smoking because he had asthma and sinusitis and was told cigarettes would help.

And here are a few more examples:

Many think of cannabis as a modern problem. Nope. Cannabis powder processed by Lilly Pharmaceuticals. 

And we have the mysterious remedies which list no ingredients but offer to "cure" almost everything, like Hamlin's Wizard Oil: rheumatism, headache, toothache, diptheria, sprains, bruises, corns, colic, sore throat, lame back, cramps, diarrhea, and all pain and inflammation. "No sore it will not heal, no pain it will not subdue."  Wow, makes me wonder what it contained. I'd wager it was in a base of at least 45% alcohol, which made it 90 proof. 

When these abounded, is it any wonder Dr. Riley Gaston was wary of Prudence's folk healer remedies?

Here’s the summary of PRUDENCE:

Prudence Lynch’s beloved grandmother trained her in midwifery and in folk medicine. Always ostracized because they were different—until someone needed their help—they lived in poverty at the edge of a tiny Virginia village where rumors plagued them. After Granny’s death, Prudence leaves for Richmond. There, Prudence is fortunate to be chosen to accompany Lydia Harrison to Tarnation, Texas. She believes she’s left trouble and gossip behind to establish her healing business and begin a new life.

Doctor Riley Gaston wants a wife and children. He’s threatened to move out of Tarnation to seek a wife, but he would never actually leave the community he loves. One of the young women Lydia brings home mesmerizes Riley. That is, until he learns her so-called profession is folk healing, which he views as dangerous as it is worthless.

Prudence is as stubborn as Riley. Trouble causes them to reconsider their opinions. Is their change of heart too late?

Here’s an excerpt of when Prudence sets up her practice across the street from Riley’s office:

He walked slowly, hoping to read the sign, but it was covered by bunting. Soon enough, he’d be back and by then he could meet his new neighbor. Wait—there was no one new in town except the seven women who’d accompanied Lydia.

He froze in his spot. 

No, she couldn’t, not across the street from him. He turned and hurried across the road. Disregarding the superstition of walking under a ladder causing bad luck, he walked into the office. Sure enough, there was Prudence setting out bottles and packets of this and that.

He walked up to her. “What do you think you’re doing?”

She barely glanced up. “I’m organizing my herbs and tinctures and salves for my grand opening on Saturday.”

He edged closer. “What are you playing at? Are you setting out to deliberately cause trouble with me?”

She continued arranging things on shelves. “Certainly not. Why would you even say that? In your opinion, which you’ve made known to me and probably most of the townspeople, you don’t believe we’re in the same business. Having me here shouldn’t have anything to do with you.”

He fought for calm but it wouldn’t come. “It’s as if you’re. . . you’re saying you’re in the medical profession the same as I am.”

She stopped messing about with the dratted shelves and faced him. “Dr. Gaston, I’ve never said that. I am interested in helping people in any way I can. If that alarms you, that’s your problem.”

He leaned in so they were nose to nose. “You’re setting yourself up as a medical authority. That’s a big problem. You can do untold harm with your so-called healing.”

Sparks shot from her blue eyes. “So can you. Do I tell you how to run your office and treat your patients? No.” She poked him in the chest. “Doctor Gaston. Butt. Out.”

Fuming, Riley turned on his heel and strode from the building. He rushed to Mrs. Eppes’ home. Where did Prudence get off thinking she could do this to him? 

He’d come close to kissing her. Thank heavens he’d resisted. Who was he fooling? If he were being truthful, only her anger stopped him. What was he going to do about Prudence?

More importantly, what was he going to do about what being near her did to him?

GIVEAWAYS

Please remember to comment on this blog post to be entered for my $50 giveaway. Winner will be announced Monday, August 28.

To be entered in the Back To School $250 Cash Giveaway, follow the Rafflecopter. Kathy Habel of I Am A Reader Not A Writer will announce the winner after the contest’s end on September 11.

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