CREATING THE PEARSON GROVE SERIES!

I'll be giving away an e-copy of one of these books to a person who comments.

When I conceived the idea of the Pearson Grove Series, I visualized seven books. Each book will feature a young woman of the fictional town of Pearson Grove, which is in North Central Texas near Van Alstyne. Coincidentally, my father, Pearson Johnson, was born near Van Alstyne at Pilot Grove. While the site of Pearson Grove is not where my father was born, it is close.

My father always encouraged me to read and to write. In fact, he taught me to read. He placed a high value on education. He was almost old enough to have been my great-grandfather. His father was middle-aged when he was born, so our generations on that side of the family are skewed.

Daddy was a gifted storyteller whose tales about growing up with six brothers and one sister (poor girl) mesmerized me. The stories Daddy told me ignited my passion for history, especially Texas history. He spoke of his family coming to Texas from Georgia and events that plagued or amused them. I tried to write all these stories down and insert them into a Johnson family book my brother and I compiled.

The Pearson Grove Series is my attempt to pay my father homage for encouraging me to write and read and study. I hope readers will enjoy the seven titles over the next few months as they are interspersed between other releases. Of course, they are in e-book and print and are enrolled in KU.

The books to date are:

MAIL-ORDER MORIAH, a Brides of Beckham romance, Pearson Grove Series Book 1.

A woman desperate to begin a new life

A mercantile owner besieged by problems 

The disaster that brings them together . . .

Moriah Singleton faced hardship to get from England to America but met more problems once she arrived. The only solution she could find was to become a mail-order bride in far away Texas. How will she ever save enough to bring her sister to America?

After a disastrous brief engagement ended badly, Scott Ferguson sent for a mail-order bride. He needs her help in his mercantile. He hopes his wife will also be his life’s helpmate.

Danger, family entanglements, and disaster await the couple. Can Moriah fit into Pearson Grove? Can she help her sister? Will their problems bring Moriah and Scott closer or drive them apart?

Universal Amazon link: http://getbook.at/MORIAH  

ALEXANDRA’S AWAKENING, Pearson Grove Series Book 2.

A wealthy woman forced to change; a heroic sheriff standing his ground; the danger that unites them…

Alexandra Novak has been raised in wealth and is used to having whatever she wishes. Her parents have spoiled her and she’d begun to believe it her right. A fire that destroys her family home and almost costs her mother’s life starts Alexandra to rethink her values. When her father’s revelation shatters her world, she is determined to do whatever necessary to make her father happy—even if it means being nice to that girl he’s brought into their home.

In spite of his young age, Virgil Witt is the best sheriff Pearson Grove has had. Under his leadership, crime is at an all-time low. He has reconciled himself to the fact that he is destined to live alone except for his dog. Maybe that’s best since his job is a dangerous one. He can’t understand why Alexandra chases him, especially not after he’s explained he has no money.

When danger strikes the Novak family, can Virgil solve the problem in time? Can Alexandra convince Virgil she has changed? Can the two of them work together or will her need for the best resurface?

Universal Amazon link http://mybook.to/Pearson

DEBORAH’S DILEMMA, Pearson Grove Series Book 3   

What can Deborah do to protect herself from the devil plaguing her hometown?

Can a young man who’s been away for six years fit into the community he left?

What madman is responsible for the murder and mayhem plaguing Pearson Grove?

Deborah Taber has been concerned by her inability to choose a life’s occupation. That worry was pushed aside when someone shot her brother and fire bombed her family’s newspaper, The Pearson Grove Gazette. She believes Trey Pearson is innocent of attacking her brother—isn’t he? She’s had a crush on Trey since second grade and desperately wants to trust him.

Wade Pearson III, called Trey, is happy to be home on Pearson Ranch after six years in New England. He trained to manage his family’s far-reaching investments. Nothing prepared him to be accused of murder or targeted by a killer. If not for quick action by the sheriff, Trey would have been lynched by vigilantes. He wants to help trap the real villain while protecting Deborah, her family, and his.

Can Deborah and Trey survive the threats against them? Will this clever murderer be caught before he delivers his terrible revenge against those he believes slighted him? 

Universal Amazon link Is http://mybook.to/Deborah

The young women still to be featured are Felicity, Corinne, Lula, and Evelyn. 

I hope you'll read the entire series and that you'll enjoy each one. In the meantime, if you've already read one or all three of these, please leave a review on Amazon! You'll be helping me tremendously and helping prospective readers. 

Best wishes,

Caroline

WRITING THE OLD WEST

When I was a girl, my dad used to tell stories about events in his family’s history from the time they came to Texas in 1876 up through the time he and my mom married. Dad was a fascinating storyteller and I was a mesmerized listener—no matter how many times I’d heard that particular story. Is it any wonder that I love writing books set in that time period?

Dad was from a family of one girl and seven boys. (Don’t you feel sorry for the girl?) According to my father’s stories, the boys were a bit, um, rowdy. That made for interesting tales that became fodder for a writer’s stockpile of images and characters.

I love the contemporary West as well, but there’s something about the historic West that keeps characters and plots churning in my mind. I’m grateful Kirsten Osbourne let me use her Brides of Beckham matchmaker, Harriett Long, for my latest release, MAIL-0RDER MORIAH. Kirsten’s series is a favorite of mine and I’m thrilled to be associated even laterally.

MAIL-ORDER MORIAH is set in North Central Texas in a fictional town named Pearson Grove. My dad’s first name was Pearson and he was born in Pilot Grove in Grayson County, Texas. Being a writer is such fun—we can make up places at will.

In MAIL-ORDER MORIAH, Scott Ferguson is the owner of a mercantile store in Pearson Grove. He bought the store using an inheritance. His management has improved the store. Now he needs a helpmate, a wife who will be a true partner and help in the store as well as keep the home in the rooms over the mercantile. A brief engagement with the town’s social butterfly has left a bad taste in Scott’s mouth.

Moriah Singleton emigrated from England with the intention of finding a job in a shop. She planned to send money home so her sister could join her.  So far, life has not gone as planned and she soon finds herself with no job. Fortunately, she learns of Harriett Long and visits the matchmaker.

Life in Pearson Grove presents numerous obstacles to Moriah and Scott. After all, we want them to overcome roadblocks, successfully build their romance, and live happily ever after. 

Reviews have been great. Read for yourself and see if you agree. 

You'll find MAIL-ORDER MORIAH, on Amazon at http://getbook.at/MORIAH.

If you are in Kindle Unlimited, it’s free. Print versions are also available.

NEW RELEASE -- MAIL-ORDER MORIAH!

I’m so excited to announce my new release, MAIL-ORDER MORIAH, which is a Brides of Beckham romance and the first of my new Pearson Grove Series. Beta readers have told me this is their favorite of those I’ve written. I hope you’ll read and enjoy this sweet western historical. Here’s the mini-synopsis:

Moriah Singleton faced hardship to get from England to America but met more problems once she arrived. The only apparent honorable solution was to become a mail-order bride in far away Texas. How will she ever save enough to bring her sister to America?

After a disastrous brief engagement ended badly, Scott Ferguson sent for a mail-order bride. He needs her help in his mercantile. He hopes his wife will also be his life’s helpmate.

Danger, family entanglements, and disaster await the couple. Will the problems bring them closer or drive them apart?

The universal Amazon buy link is http://getbook.at/MORIAH

MAIL-ORDER MORIAH is free on Kindle Unlimited and is available in paperback.

Here’s an excerpt from MAIL-ORDER MORIAH: (they're having dinner after their wedding)

Everyone stared at them, even more than the previous evening. Moriah thought they might as well be specimens on display at a museum. To make things more uncomfortable, Scott didn’t speak and she couldn’t think of anything to say either.

By the time their food arrived, she thought she would explode from tension. “Tomorrow I’d like to mail my parents a letter. Where’s the post office?”

His eyes held a glint of humor. “The store is the post office. I’ll give you a tour when we get home.”

“That will be helpful.”

“Do they know you’ve come west to be married?”

“I sent them a letter the evening before I left Massachusetts. In case they’d mailed me one before it reached them, I left postage, an envelope, and your address with my landlady at the boarding house where I stayed. She promised to forward my mail here.”

“You said you’re from Kent, but I don’t know how far that is from London.”

“The village where my family lives is about thirty miles south of London. My father grows hops. Where is your home?”

“If you mean my parents’ home, it’s about a hundred and fifty miles south-southwest near the Brazos River in McLennan County. My older brother helps our father farm.”

“Do they know you sent for a mail-order bride?”

Scott shifted on his chair. “I’d give anything if I hadn’t written them I was engaged. Now I don’t know how to explain what’s happened.”

His attitude annoyed her. “How hard could it be, Scott? You just write them and tell them the facts. Are they likely to visit?”

He rested his wrists on each side of his plate. “They plan to now that cold weather is here. Hard to leave the farm most of the year.”

“Don’t you think you should warn them?”

He toyed with his fork. “I thought maybe you could write them and explain.”

“Me? Is it a coward I’ve married? Are you afraid to tell your family the truth of your situation?”

He held up his hand. “No, that’s not the problem. My older brother Sean is always lording it over me about how much better he is at everything than I am. He’s one of the reasons I chose to buy a business away from where my folks live. Sean will lap up the news that I sent for a mail-order bride like it’s a gift from heaven.”

His eyes widened. “Not that there’s anything wrong with a mail-order bride, mind you. That’s not what I’m saying.”

She spoke very quietly. “Exactly what are you saying, Mr. Ferguson?” Her facial muscles ached from keeping a pleasant expression when she wanted to toss her coffee in his face and storm off.

“Look, all I’m saying is… well, you see… I might have bragged about my fiancée being from the wealthiest family in town and how she’d chosen me even though there were other eligible bachelors here.”

She met his gaze and arched an eyebrow. “And now you have to eat humble pie and it’s not going to taste good, is it?”

“You’re right. I don’t know how to go about wording the letter. I don’t want to seem ungentlemanly toward either you or Alexandra. I can’t explain why she broke the engagement without putting her in a bad light.”

“And you’re ashamed to admit to your family you have a mail-order bride.”

“No, no, I’m not ashamed of you or sending for you. All right, I admit I’m embarrassed in light of the bragging I did, but there’s nothing wrong with my having sent for you or your having come.”

She offered her sweetest smile. “I’m glad you feel that way, dear husband. When we get back to our rooms, we can both write letters to our parents. I’ll let you read mine. Do you dare let me read yours?”

Muscles clenched in his jaw. “You have a bargain, Mrs. Ferguson.” He scooped up the last bite of his apple pie then dabbed his mouth with the napkin.

She took her time dawdling over her dessert, more to annoy him than for any other reason. He was one of the best looking men she’d ever met and he had manners outwardly. Inside, she was afraid he had no spine. He’d soon learn she meant what she said. 

Do you read seasonal stories year round or only at a particular holiday? I read them all year, especially Christmas books. I didn’t write a Christmas story this year because I had too many other projects going. I have three from past years, though. If you haven’t read them yet, please do! Each is a fun read and the last two are heartwarming as well.

Here are the mini-synopses and buy links:

MISTLETOE MISTAKE is a humorous historical novella in which Riley McCallister, a Montana sheriff contracts for a doctor by mail. The doctor who'd passed away was a mentor and close friend and Riley hopes to find the same camaraderie in the new one. When the doctor arrives, he turns out to be she, Shannon Callahan. This Old West sheriff feels women are supposed to tend the home and raise the children. Seeing his struggle to accept this woman doctor is fun. Unfortunately, Shannon is used to being criticized for her role in what is often viewed as a man’s profession. She proves herself to be an excellent doctor but is this enough to win the town’s respect?

http://getbook.at/mistake

ANGEL FOR CHRISTMAS is a contemporary story about Jacob, a dot.com billionaire who crashes his fancy sports car and meets St. Peter and St. Michael for a last chance assignment on earth. Help Susan Stephens save her family’s orphanage by Christmas Eve… or else. Many fans have told me this should be a Hallmark movie. Wouldn’t that be lovely? Sigh.

http://getbook.at/Angel

STONE MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS is part of the Stone Mountain, Texas series. Christmas has been Celia Dubois’s favorite time of year as long as she can remember. When she moves back with her parents a year after the death of her husband, the young widow is appalled at the town’s lack of Christmas spirit. Two months earlier, banditos had burned the church and crushed the townspeople’s strength of mind. Celia vows to return holiday joy to the town. Perhaps doing so might help mend her aching heart. Eduardo Montoya is determined to do whatever he must to capture Celia’s love.

http://getbook.at/StoneMtn

If you're kind enough to read and enjoy one of these books, please leave a review on Amazon.