ORPHAN TRAIN BRIDES #newrelease

Do you have a special friend you met online? Jacquie Rogers and I met online and have since met in person several times. She is a fun person and bright as a new penny. Plus, her husband and mine actually share interests and talk to one another.

Occasionally Jacquie and I have collaborated on projects. We wrote about sisters for Kirsten Osbourne’s American Mail-Order Brides. Jacquie’s was MERCY, BRIDE OF IDAHO, and mine was PATIENCE, BRIDE OF WASHINGTON. We collaborated on a duet featuring sisters, MAIL-ORDER TANGLE, for which I wrote MAIL-ORDER PROMISE and Jacquie wrote MAIL-ORDER RUCKUS. (Trust me, there’s a ruckus wherever Jacquie goes.) We’ve done it again with ORPHAN TRAIN BRIDES.

We don’t mean children from the orphan train are brides. Women who were adopted from the orphan train years ago must become brides.

Here’s the blurb:

Become a bride or lose her children!

Merry and Polly Bird jump at the opportunity when they’re asked to help record who takes which children from the orphan train in their town. Determined to liberate five quirky, ragtag orphans not likely to be adopted by caring people, the sisters vow the children will not end up as they had fourteen years ago. Back then, Merry and Polly and the two boys adopted with them from that orphan train worked as slaves and suffered in ragged clothes, horrible living conditions, and with meager and unappetizing food.

Mary and Polly’s children love their new home and family at the sisters’ Mockingbird boarding house. The rescue idea appears to have been a great success—until the supervisor from the Children’s Protection Society arrives. Single women are not allowed to adopt. Merry and Polly each has five days to find a suitable husband who won’t steal her share of the boarding house.

Two award winning and bestselling authors conspired to bring readers these two heartwarming stories, A FAMILY FOR MERRY by Caroline Clemmons and A FAMILY FOR POLLY by Jacquie Rogers in the sweet duet, ORPHAN TRAIN BRIDES. In addition to this release about sisters, the authors have in their future projects a duet about the two brothers, Bart and Newton Bird.

The Amazon buy link is: https://www.amazon.com/Orphan-Train-Brides-Caroline-Clemmons-ebook/dp/B07TW8JH44/

Here's an excerpt from A FAMILY FOR MERRY. When the sisters and their adoptees meet Blake on the street, Abby invites him to come with them to Bea's sweet shop:

Blake stepped to the counter. “We’ll have sarsaparillas and cupcakes all around.”

Abby clapped her hands. “Did you hear, Tammie? We get sar’prilla and a cupcake.”

Polly protested, “Mr. Woolfe, surely you don’t intend to treat all of us.”

“My pleasure, ladies and gentlemen.” He paid Bea and then gave a slight bow. After he delivered two of the drinks he went back to the counter for more.

Merry sat and pulled Tammie onto her lap. Abigail and Calvin joined her. Polly and her two sat at the next table.

When Bea and Mr. Woolfe had delivered all of the drinks and cupcakes, he sat at the table beside Calvin. “You don’t mind if I sit beside you do you, Calvin? We men have to stick together.”

Calvin sat up a little taller and almost smiled. “Yeah, we men have to stick together ’cause we’re outnumbered.”

Mr. Woolfe saluted Noah with his glass. “Isn’t that right, Noah?”

Noah grinned and raised his drink as Mr. Woolfe had done. Although Noah still hadn’t spoken, seeing him smile was a relief.

The lawyer carried on a conversation with the children but sent her glances that left her puzzled. He was usually gruff yet he was quite kind to the children. 

Merry simply couldn’t figure out Blake Woolfe.

(***The two novellas in ORPHAN TRAIN BRIDES are expanded from previous inclusion in the anthology, UNDER A MULBERRY MOON.)

What else is going on? So glad you asked—you have a chance to win prizes! There are parties to celebrate the release of ORPHAN TRAIN BRIDES.

The first is on my Facebook group, Caroline’s Cuties, all day on the July 19^th release day. Prizes will be Amazon gift cards and e-books.

But wait—there’s more!

On Tuesday, July 23, Jacquie and I are each having a party on Facebook. The first hour from 4:00 Pacific, 5:00 Mountain, 6:00 Central, 7:00 Eastern will be at Caroline’s Cuties and the second hour will be from 5:00 Pacific, 6:00 Mountain, 7:00 Central and 8:00 Eastern for one hour at JacquieRogers’ Pickle Barrel Bar and Books.

Come to our parties—you might win.