By Caroline Clemmons
Sometimes things go right. Six years ago I conceived a series idea for a young widow who brings several young women to the small town of Tarnation, Texas in 1875. Naturally, I needed a name for the series. A writer friend, Kathy Shaw, suggested the Bride Brigade.
What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than seven love stories?
At the first of the initial book, young widow Lydia
Jane Harrison hates that so many men are moving away to towns where
there are marriageable women. She asks the local bachelors to wait while she
brings young women home. Accompanied by her friend, Sophie Gaston, Lydia
travels to Richmond, Virginia, with the intention of returning with four young
ladies of good reputation. The four will live with her until each selects her
husband from among Tarnation’s bachelors.
Plotting and writing this series was
such fun. Of course it was work, but work I enjoyed. The first book has Lydia’s
plans upset by adding two more women. At a layover in Atlanta, she adds one
more. No problem, she has a large home.
Some time before I began plotting this series, Hero and I had been
on a driving tour sponsored by the Palo Pinto County Historical Society. At
that lovely event, I found the perfect spot for Tarnation. Originally the place
was called Johnson’s League Ranch. In my mind I know exactly where the buildings
of the town are located. You probably know that one of a writer’s problems/blessings is that
characters become real people. Even if the place has a fictional name, it
exists in our heads. We want our characters to have a good place to live.
Because she was a young Southern Belle when they wed,
Lydia’s late husband built her a home like the one in which she had lived
before the Civil War. While it's true the series does not have to be read in order, it will
be more enjoyable if it is. The books’ are in this order: Josephine, Angeline, Cassandra, Ophelia, Rachel, Lorraine, and Prudence. Click on the title above
to order the book from Amazon. The books are available in e-book, print, and also are enrolled in Kindle Unlimited.
Each woman faces different obstacles.
The books are sweet romances, which means no sex scenes. Don't think that means no romance! Each ends with a
happily-ever-after and never a cliffhanger. If you haven’t read them yet, I
hope you’ll take this opportunity to do so.
Josephine believes she doesn't want to marry--ever. She's been working in Michael Buchanan's Mercantile.
To whet your appetite, here’s an excerpt from JOSEPHINE:
She was exhausted
by the approach of closing time. Gunfire cracked and she heard galloping
hooves.
Michael reached
under the counter for a gun. “Get into the backroom until this is over so you
won’t get hit by stray bullets.” He raced out the door and down the boardwalk.
Mrs. Horowitz,
wife of the butcher, stepped away from the windows where she’d been admiring a
display. “Those awful cowboys have no care for the town’s residents. They must
be drunk to act so carelessly.”
“I expect you’re
right. If they were intent on robbing the bank, surely they’d come in quietly
to evade notice. You can step through the curtain behind you, and you’ll be in
the storeroom. There’s a chair you can rest in until those men are stopped.”
Disobeying her employer’s
order, Josephine stood at the side of the window so she was protected by the
wall but could look out. The sheriff, his deputy, Michael, and a handful of
other men with guns drawn tried to apprehend the rowdy cowboys. One of the
ruffians darted toward the store.
Dear Merciful
Heaven! Terror struck her and her knees almost gave way. The man who’d attacked
her had returned with his friends. Was he after her or bent on destroying Tarnation?
Unable to turn
away, she watched the man make his way slowly toward the mercantile. This time
she was prepared. She raced to grab a skillet intent on cracking the man’s
skull if he came into the store.
Mrs. Horowitz
peeked through the curtains. “Miss Nailor, come in here with me. You can’t
fight guns with a pan.”
“The man who
attacked me is headed this way. I’ll dent his head if he comes into the
mercantile.”
The other woman
inched closer. “Do you see my Claus? Oh, I hope he’s not trying to outgun those
men.”
“Besides Mr.
Buchanan, the sheriff, his deputy, Mr. Kendrick, and Mr. Evans are there. Mr.
Pettigrew also appeared. Oh, no, Tom Boyd is weaving down the road as if
nothing is happening.”
“My, my, he’s no
doubt so drunk he doesn’t know anything is going on.”
“Run back into
the storeroom, Mrs. Horowitz. That man is almost here. He’s likely to shoot you
if he sees you when he comes through the door.”
Aleida Horowitz
scrambled toward the curtain. “What about you?”
“He won’t see me
until too late. Hurry!” Josephine flattened herself against the wall behind the
door.
No sooner had the
other woman slipped through the curtain than the cowboy rushed toward the
counter as if he expected Josephine to be crouched behind the island’s safety.
As soon as he was inside, she swung the heavy iron skillet with all her might.
He dropped but
not before she heard a burst of gunfire outside. She turned and saw Michael slump
in the street’s dust. As her heart dropped to the floor, she screamed, “No!”
I’ve already told you that this has a
happily-ever-after ending so you don’t have to worry about Michael dying.
Still, you have to read the book to find out what happens, don’t you?
