FORGED BY LOVE -- BY LAURA STRICKLAND

NEW IN THE NEVE AND EGAN SERIES -- BLIND CHESS BY CRISTELLE COMBY

Cristelle Comby will be awarding all four books of the series, signed by the author (International Giveaway) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Don't miss the interview at the end of the post either.

Blind Chess

by Cristelle Comby

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GENRE: Mystery & Detectives

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BLIND CHESS Blurb:

It is supposed to be Neve and Egan. Two partners, a team. What happens when a member of this team of Private Investigators is shot, prognosis unknown?

As Alexandra Neve lays comatose and defenceless, Ashford Egan must take on their enemy alone, and find the cagiest criminal Scotland Yard has seen in decades. Determined to succeed, Egan will stop at nothing. He’ll hit on married women, plant bugs, hire hitmen. And he’ll do it all blind, which makes things ten times as difficult.

Double-crossed by friends, convinced there is corruption in those sworn to uphold the law, Egan is forced to form unlikely alliances as he moves forward in a game that requires skills, nerves of steel, and a willingness to play against all odds.

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BLIND CHESS Excerpt:

There is something Dimitri isn’t telling me. It is there in his voice. Hidden behind the words, behind the constructs he is trying to project. He isn’t being honest, I am convinced of it. He has the means to get in touch with The Sorter, if he so wants, but that service won’t come for free.

‘You’re a merchant,’ I say.

‘Da,’ he replies. ‘I am.’

‘And you accept all kinds of currencies?’

‘Da.’

‘Well,’ I sigh, ‘what will it cost me?’

Dimitri chuckles again. There is a dark sincerity to the sound. ‘I like you, Ashford,’ he says. ‘I have always liked you. You’re blind, but you see more than most. You understand how life works and you accept it. You’re not of my world, but you fit right in.’

I grit my teeth in reply, waiting for the penny to drop.

I hear Dimitri snap his fingers and then footsteps coming closer—a man, judging by the sounds, tall and a little on the heavy side, according to his stride and the echo his boots make on the tiled floor.

‘Sir?’ the newcomer says. He sounds younger than Dimitri, closer to Lexa’s age, I would guess, and eager to please.

Dimitri addresses him in his mother tongue.

‘Yes, sir,’ the newcomer replies before turning on his heel and walking away at a brisk pace.

‘There is a certain something you could help me with,’ Dimitri tells me.

‘Anything,’ I say.

‘A man I have been doing business with has... how would you say... played me.’ He spits the words out as if they are distasteful. ‘He’s been missing since Monday.’

‘What did he do?’ I ask.

‘He ran away with my money.’

‘And?’

‘And I can’t find him. He’s hiding, but his wife is still in town.’

‘And you think she knows where to find him?’ I ask, guessing what I am being “hired” for.

‘Maybe, maybe not. Alas, she has connections and I have to be careful.’

‘Connections?’ I ask.

‘Her sister is police.’ Again he says the word as if it leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. ‘My men are keeping an eye on her, making sure the husband doesn’t come for a visit, but that’s all we can do. We can’t be seen. I don’t want the cops to get near me. They are like bloodhounds once they have your scent.’

‘But,’ I say, ‘if someone who isn’t part of your organisation were to do the job and get caught by the dogs... it wouldn’t inconvenience you too much, would it?’

I can hear the smile in Dimitri’s reply. ‘No, it would not.’

Author Cristelle Comby

Cristelle Comby was born and raised in the French-speaking area of Switzerland, in Greater Geneva, where she still resides.

Thanks to her insatiable thirst for American and British action films and television dramas, her English is fluent.

She attributes to her origins her ever-peaceful nature and her undying love for chocolate. She has a passion for art, which also includes an interest in drawing and acting.

BLIND CHESS is her fourth new-adult novel in the Neve & Egan series.

Links :

Website: http://cristelle-comby.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Cristelle

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Cristelle%20Comby&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank   

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/CristelleComby

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cristelle has graciously agreed to an interview.

What is the earliest age you remember reading your first book?

I had a few books as a child, but the titles now escape me. The only one I can recall from my early, early childhood is ‘The Little Red Hen’; I had it on a cassette tape. I played it so many times, I’m sure my mum still remembers the story and the oh-so-merry-and-jolly-it-gets-annoying-fast music that goes with it.

What genre of books do you enjoy reading?

I’m really into Urban Fantasy or Heroic Fantasy, and I like to read books which are part of a series. It’s great to see the characters grow and evolve throughout the volumes.

I love a series, also. When did you start writing and when did you finish your first book?

I’ve been writing for ever, but I started to do it seriously in 2012. I published my first book, RUSSIAN DOLLS, in March 2013.

Describe Neve and Egan in 3 words each.

For Neve: open-minded, headstrong, astute. And for Egan: though, vulnerable, smart.

Why do you write crime fiction?

I’ve always enjoyed a good mystery — that’s what decided me to try and make a private detectives’ novels.

I’ve loved mysteries since I first discovered Nancy Drew. If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting it published that you would change?

I might edit my first book a bit differently, make a few more cuts to tighten the pace. It’s something that comes with experience. Back then, I was working on my first book and the idea of cutting anything was heartbreaking. It was my baby. I’d spend months on it, and the idea of going anywhere near it with scissors was unthinkable. Now I know and understand that it’s a part of the process.

Say you have unlimited funds (wouldn’t that be nice?): What kind of writing office/cottage would you create for yourself?

I’d love to have a little house on a beach shore somewhere, on some tropical island. Two bedrooms, one bathroom, a large modern kitchen, and a little garden with an ocean view where I could write in the shade. Maybe toss in a hammock while you’re at it.

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LET'S STALK REX JUPITER! -- ALLISON A. SPECTOR'S NEW RELEASE ADDS HUMOR TO DETECTION

Let's Stalk Rex Jupiter!

by Allison A. Spector

Friends, today Allison Spector has agreed to let me grill…er, interview her. She’s a new author to me, but I am rushing to buy her book.  I imagine you will do the very same after you read about her here. Don't miss her giveaway at the end of the post.

Caroline: Where did you grow up? Siblings? Locale? Were you considered a “bookworm” or a jock?  Married, single? Children?

Allison: Golly, that’s a lot of questions!  Okay- let’s start from the top…

I grew up in Bayville, New Jersey.  It was in the same school district as Seaside Heights from Jersey Shore fame and until I left for college I just assumed that the NJ boardwalk and spray-tan culture was entirely normal and could be found anywhere. I was somewhat relieved to learn that wasn’t the case. 

I lived in the same location with my mom and dad throughout my entire childhood and teen years.  I did not have any siblings, although I always wanted a brother or sister.  Instead I had books, and eccentric librarians to keep me company.

To say that I was a bookworm would be an understatement. I was an early reader, and a voracious one.  I spent a great deal of time in the library and spent as much time around books as possible. I was an insufferably precocious geek who was in all ways a fish out of water.  My love of literature and obscure reference to British sitcoms and dramas did not make me the most popular kid in my school.  In fact, I was pretty much reviled by my peers. 

In retrospect, I realize how much of my childhood difficulty stemmed from me simply having been born in the wrong part of the country.  Truly my soul had been meant to be born in the Pacific Northwest.  The land of evergreens is my adopted home, filled with “my people,” – the hipsters, the quirky, the odd-balls, the pendants, and the whimsical none-of-the-aboves.  Although I’m currently having a Midwestern Adventure, my family and I will be returning to the home of my heart soon!

Oh, and speaking of family, yup—dorky book girl did get married.  I’ve got two awesome kids who are deliriously strong-willed little bohemians.  It was my greatest dream to find a like-mind and make whimsical little children I could raise unconventionally.  And I have done so. All while building castles in the sky, forging environmental policy, and writing lovely stories!

Caroline: Who are your favorite authors and favorite genres?

Allison: My favorite authors are Kurt Vonnegut, Francisca Lia Block, Neil Gaiman, George McDonald Fraser, Lois Lowry, Ray Bradbury, George Orwell, Ursula K. Le Guin, and many others. 

I also think that everyone should be paying attention to the following indie authors who are amazing, but undiscovered.  They are JA Waters, Laura Morrison, Ryan Watt, Eliza Knightly, and Cat Sebastian.  They all have phenomenal, engaging, ongoing serial novels that can be found on JukePop.com. 

You will want to discover them—of that I am certain!

Finally, I want to give a shout out to my fellow Mariya Suzuki Collection authors, Dean Moses and Shannon Barnsley.   You will not regret reading their fabulous tales!

In terms of genre, I love magical realism, farce, fantasy, dark (really, really dark) comedy—the darker the better.  I also like steampunk, cyberpunk, futurist non-fiction and socio-political analysis.

Caroline: What’s your favorite way to relax and recharge? Hobbies?

Allison: Why, writing of course!  It keeps me happy, healthy, and (quasi) well-adjusted.  I’m also quite fond of camping, midnight string-band jamborees, hiking, rock-scrambling, hiding amongst the Majestic Sequoias, exploring wild, wooded places, and other Northwest Rainforest-y pursuits!

Caroline: Do you have a favorite quote that sums up how you feel about life?

Allison: “A book is made from a tree. It is an assemblage of flat, flexible parts (still called "leaves") imprinted with dark pigmented squiggles. One glance at it and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, the author is speaking, clearly and silently, inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people, citizens of distant epochs, who never knew one another. Books break the shackles of time ― proof that humans can work magic.”

― Carl Sagan

Caroline: I love, love, love that quote. How long have you been writing?

Allison: I’ve been writing in some way, in some form, since I was very young.  I wrote my first “published” poem at 11 in my school’s writing journal.  I’ve been creating maps of imaginary worlds with annotations and backstories since forever. I didn’t get into writing full-length works until about five years ago.

Caroline: Where do you prefer to write? Do you need quiet, music, solitude? PC or laptop?

Allison: I like to write in a cozy chair, laptop at the ready, with my legs stretched out and a cup of tea by my side.  A kitten doesn’t need to be on my lap, per se, but it certainly helps my process.  And yes, I definitely need quiet and solitude.  No music—no distractions!

Caroline: Are you a plotter or a panzer?

Allison: I’m an outliner.  I start with a skeleton and fill in the meat-and-flesh as I go!  Actually, that sounds somewhat creepy/awesome, come to think of it. 

Book golems?

Caroline: I plot with a skeleton also. Now that you mention it, that does sound a bit strange. Do you use real events or persons in your stories or as an inspiration for stories?

Allison: Inasmuch as we’re all made from stardust, my stories are made from actual humans and events. There are aspects of real people, but only in small degrees.  There are certainly real places and things within my book.  For instance, Bellingham, WA is a very real, and very wonderful place, and there is a genuine Bellingham Circus Guild that resides within its mossy borders.  As to whether or that they’re actually superheroes.  Ahem, well—I’m not at liberty to discuss…

Caroline: Each of us is the sum of her experiences, right? Do you set daily writing goals? Word count? Number of chapters? Do you get a chance to write every day?

Allison: I’m easy on myself.  As long as I sit down and write something every day I’m happy.  That something averages out to about 500-1500 words.

Caroline: What do you hope your writing brings to readers?

Allison: My hope is to bring joy, whimsy, laughter, and thoughtful discussion to my readers.  I also hope that every once in awhile a spark ignites in someone’s mind and they’re like, “aha! I get it—I get what she’s trying to say.  And I can relate to this strange story and the person who wrote it!”

Caroline: That’s what all writers dream, isn’t it—that readers “get” what we seek to convey? What long-term plans do you have for your career?

Allison: Well, I’m going to keep on keeping on in the energy and environmental sector with my program development, policy-work and creative problem solving.  And in the meantime, every evening I’m going to weave more and more of my magical word-net until I catch my dreams one-by-one. The way I see it, every story I write gains me a little author XP until one day I’ll level up into sometime of Magic Girl Super-Writer!  With laser eyes!

Caroline: Would you like to tell us what you’re working on now?

Allison: I have an ongoing serial on JukePop.com called The Fringers.  It takes place in a dystopian Jersey shore where reality stars are indentured servants, Seaside is sinking, and privacy is sooo last year!  You can read it one chapter at a time on Juke Pop.  I’m also working on oodles of short stories and essays and the like.  One of them will be featured in an anthology at we kick off the new year.

Caroline: What advice would you give to unpublished authors?

(1)  Write for yourself.  No one else.

(2)  Fill your gut with passion.  Use it.

(3)  Pursue every opportunity.  Live for the challenge, not the reward.

(4)  Build a network of colleagues and friends to help you along the way.

Caroline: Excellent advice. Share a fun fact readers wouldn’t know about you.

Alllison: Much like Phil Kowsky, the lovely Bearded Virgin in my story, I too spent the greater part of my childhood hacking small electronic toys (Furbies) for fun!  I ended up getting featured in the San Jose Mercury news at 14 for doing so and posting about it on a blog.

Caroline: Share something about you that would surprise or shock readers.

Allison: Well, now you make me want to be more interesting than I am.  There’s that temptation to shout “I’m a cylon!” or “I’m a wizard!” or something.   Alas, I would that it were so.  But all I got is this— I was reading since I was 2 ½, which is almost like being a cylon-wizard. 

Does that count?

Caroline: It so counts! Is your book a series?

Allison: Nope.  It’s not a series—yet.  But if you give my book lots of love and positive feedback, I bet they’d let me do a sequel!  And believe me; I have an awesome idea for a sequel!

Caroline: I love series and I think other reader do too. Where can readers find your books?

Allison:

http://www.amazon.com/Lets-Stalk-Rex-Jupiter-1888-ebook/dp/B0188MUKWE/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1  

Caroline: Is there anything else you’d like readers to know about you?

Allison: Only that I am immensely grateful to 1888 / Black Hill Press and JukePop for enabling me to bring my story to print!  I am still fluttering with happiness to be able to share my words with the world!  

And thank you kindly, Caroline Clemmons, for hosting me today!

LET’S STALK REX JUPITER!

GENRE: Humor, literary fiction, with elements of magical realism

LET’S STALK REX JUPITER Blurb:

Trouble’s brewing in the Evergreen Jungle. When controversial author Rex Jupiter plans a visit to a Bellingham bookstore, news of his arrival attracts the attention of the mysterious Paladin, who plans on leading a mob of rioting housewives against him. But the Paladin has competition. Sleuth-extraordinaire Marian Krause has her own bone to pick with Jupiter as she scrambles to solve the death of a woman who has stolen her identity. Rex may think he has the situation under control, but when the wrath of the local Druids is incurred, pitchforks and torches may be the least of his concerns.

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LET’S STALK REX JUPITER! Excerpt:

Marian’s lungs shuddered against the fumes of the organic, locally sourced, native-friendly tobacco as it passed from the long-stemmed cigarette holder through her lips and into her body. It was a dirty, messy habit. And it was hers. The smoke floated in the air, letting forth a wave of guilty pleasure. She carefully measured out her puffs, since theauthorityoneverything.com told her that for every cigarette she smoked she would lose 5.5 minutes of her life.

Thus, she made sure that she only sacrificed 1.375 minutes at a time. She found the pleasure-to-life-lost ratio to be acceptable as everyone knew that all detectives smoked. And they did so in darkened rooms, with shades drawn, and only the light of a low-watt desk-lamp to illuminate the wisp of airborne tobacco trailing off like a faded dream.

Also, it made her feel badass. So, there.

Of course, there were disadvantages to sitting in a darkened room, the greatest of which was that it made her extremely susceptible to her husband’s Tokens of Affection, which usually fell into three categories:

(A) Crimes Scenes: composed of stolen police tape, ketchup, and teddy bears

(B) Fan Fiction: of a most Adult variety, written about Marian, and cleverly slipped in between her meticulously organized case files and resumes

(C) Brazen Thievery: which meant that her Second-Most Favorite Fedora would be missing, and she could only retrieve it following an Elaborate Series of Clues

The very thought of his categorical attentions made her want to climb down from her attic office and pay him a Conjugal Visit that instant. She would bring the Special Trench Coat and the magnifying glass and…

She slapped herself on the cheek. Love would have to wait.

Author Allison A. Spector

Allison Spector was born and raised in the hedonistic playground of the Jersey Shore, but finds herself oddly allergic to spray tan.  She is a proud graduate of Goucher College, and started her environmentally-focused career in Washington DC in 2005.  She moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2008, and fell in love with its beauty and people.  Allison is currently on a Midwestern Adventure and is determined to live as much life as possible—to accomplish her dreams one at a time—and to nurture her loving family, and blaze a trail of wit, whimsy, and eccentricity wherever she goes.

https://twitter.com/inspectorallie

http://www.allisonspector.com

Books available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lets-Stalk-Rex-Jupiter-1888-ebook/dp/B0188MUKWE/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBp5oplykVU&feature=youtu.be   (book trailer)

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Allison Spector will be awarding a signed copy of book with original plot outline notes (loose sheets of paper) inside and additional notes at end or in margins of story (US/Canada only) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour, and a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn host.

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TAKE ME HOME -- NEW RELEASE BY STEPHANIE SUMMERS

BROKEN THINGS TO MEND BY KAREY WHITE IS PART OF A PROJECT

***This book is part of a multi-author project that features one recurring character--the match maker--but it is a STAND-ALONE novel.***


Celia is in desperate need of a change--a change of scenery, a change of pace, and a complete redo of all relationships. Not knowing what else to do, she opens a map, closes her eyes, and lets fate decide her future. Then she packs her meager belongings and buys a one-way ticket to a little town on the fringes of Oregon's Deschutes National Forest called Sisters. She's wanted a family for years. Will she find one in Sisters?

What Celia doesn't plan to find is a strange Chinese woman whose meddling ways keep throwing her in the path of a handsome, but reserved, forest ranger. But no matter how kind or dependable Silas seems to be, there are some things in Celia's past that neither of them can escape, and this time, the damage might be too much to mend.

Blog Tour Schedule

Author Karey White

Karey White grew up in Utah, Idaho, Oregon, and Missouri. She attended Ricks College and Brigham Young University. Her first novel, Gifted, was a Whitney Award Finalist.

She loves to travel, read, bake treats, and spend time with family and friends. She and her husband are the parents of four great children. She teaches summer creative writing courses to young people and is currently working on her next book.

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads

Book Blast Giveaway - $50 Amazon Gift Card or $50 in Paypal Cash


Ends 1/24/16


Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


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MISS DEMEANOR SUSPENSE SERIES RELEASES!

GLASS SLIPPER SISTERS RING IN 2016 WITH A TREASURE

IT'S MY TURN AND THERE'S SORT OF A PARTY!

Finally, finally, finally! After months of preparation and waiting, my American Mail-Order Bride Series #42, PATIENCE, BRIDE OF WASHINGTON, releases TODAY! I am beyond excited. And although it's not exactly a party except in my office where I'm dancing around, I'm offering a giveaway--check below in this post for prize details.

Although I prefer writing books set in Texas, which is where I live, Trinity Ford chose Texas so I needed to choose another state. After hemming and hawing around, I chose Washington. Jacquie Rogers and I decided our heroines would be sisters. Her book is MERCY, BRIDE OF IDAHO.

I enjoyed researching a new state, a new industry, and diving into a new situation. Fortunately, my husband and I used to have several hundred peach trees and also apples, pears, plums trees, as well as grape vines. So, I could visualize a commercial fruit orchard.

I hope you are lucky enough that you have NO idea how time-consuming pruning hundreds of fruit trees and harvesting fruit can be. Hero did much more pruning than I did, but I helped. If I’d thought about how much there was to do, I’d simply have given up and gone to the house. However, all I had to do was finish this tree and move to the next one, finish this tree and move to the next one, finish this tree and move to the next one—endlessly. Thankfully, we sold that land and now live in town on a lovely, neat, oak-tree-wooded lot complete with a yard man. Ah, but I digressed.

Patience Eaton and her sister lived with their parents in Lawrence, Massachusetts, where her father is the head teacher in a public school. Not much money for a family of five. When the sisters lose their jobs at the garment mill and factory, they are not successful at finding decent positions—although they try and have a series of misadventures.

Patience arrives in Washington when
the trees are in bloom--mmm.

Taking matters into his own hands, their father Moses Eaton arranges with the matchmaker Elizabeth Miller in Beckham for a groom for each daughter. And that’s what launches their adventure. Here’s the blurb for PATIENCE, BRIDE OF WASHINGTON:

Travel to Victorian America in 1890 with award winning and bestselling western romance author Caroline Clemmons for a humorous novel about two people destined for one another after a turbulent getting acquainted period. This book is sweet.

After a fire destroys the factory where Patience Eaton worked followed by a succession of job failures, she travels from Massachusetts to Washington to marry the man her father chose via a matchmaker. While Andrew Kincaid appears to be a very nice man, he’s older than her father and not someone she wants to marry. Her prospective groom places her in a respectable boarding house and agrees to give her a job in the office of his commercial apple orchard so she can learn about his life and business. But working alongside her handsome future stepson presents unexpected complications.

Two years ago, an unjust accusation ruined Stone Kincaid’s chance at happiness. Now he concentrates all his energy on building the family business. When he meets his prospective stepmother, he’s angry that his father cares so little for his mother’s memory that he sent for a mail-order bride younger than Stone.  He believes Patience to be interested only in his father’s fortune. Stone plans to keep an eye on the attractive woman who’s slated to become his stepmother.  

Can two people working at cross purposes arrive at a compromise?

Here’s an excerpt from PATIENCE, BRIDE OF WASHINGTON:

On an April evening, Moses Eaton addressed his daughters. “Several months ago, you brought home something called the Grooms’ Gazette. I saved the copy. After your letter from your friend Roberta, I wrote to the matchmaker, Elizabeth Miller.” Her father handed each of them a letter. “These are in answer. You will each leave on the same train, so you’ll travel together until Mercy leaves at a place called Nampa, Idaho.”

Mercy’s eyes grew wide. “Idaho? T-That’s all the way across the country.”

Patience scanned the paper she held and her heart broke. “Not as far as Washington. Papa, we’ll never see you and Mama and the boys again. I know we’ve upset you but please don’t send us away in disgrace.”

Mama said, “Girls, you’ve got everything wrong. Your father is only looking out for you two. You know how hopeless situations here are. We love you so much, he wants you provided for and secure.”

Papa smiled at Mama then looked at Patience and Mercy. “Your mother is correct. There are more women here than there are jobs—or suitable men to marry. The way things are in Lawrence, you can’t earn a good wage even if you find a position. My teacher’s salary barely stretches.” He held up his hand. “We’d manage somehow if there were prospects for you here.”

He rose and paced. “Each of your prospective grooms is well-to-do and can offer you a nice home and security. Perhaps you can even travel back here for a visit from time to time.”

Patience re-read the letter from Andrew Kincaid. “He sounds nice, and he enclosed a ticket and money for meals. He said I’d have a month to get acquainted before the wedding.”

“Mr. Isaac Fairchild says the same.” A frown furrowed Mercy’s lovely face as she looked up from the sheets of paper in her hand. “But Idaho is so far.”

“But it’s close to Washington. We can probably visit back and forth.” Patience tried for a positive attitude, but neither she nor her sister had ever been away from their parents or one another.

Her brothers clomped into the room. 

Twelve-year-old Jason looked at the adults. “Why’s everyone so serious? What’s going on?”

Papa patted ten-year-old David on the head and smiled at Jason. “Your sisters are deciding whether or not to accept marriage proposals.”

“From who?” David asked.

Papa thumped the boy on the head. “From whom, young man. You know to use whom when you use a preposition before the word.”

Rubbing his scalp, David said, “Sorry, Papa. I’ll try to remember.”

Jason held out his hands. “Please just tell us who proposed?”

Holding up her letter, Patience gazed at her two brothers. “Papa wrote to a matchmaker, a woman who arranges marriages. Mercy and I have answers. Her groom is in Idaho and mine in Washington.”

Jason rose to look at the globe where it sat on a table by the window. “That’s a long way from here. When would you leave?”

Mercy consulted the letter. “In five days. Oh, my, we have a lot to accomplish before then.”

Ticking off on her fingers, Patience listed, “We’ll each need a trunk and a valise. Let our friends know how to write us. Do the laundry so everything is clean.”

 “And we can’t share things since we’ll be in different places.” Mercy rose to get a sheet of paper from Papa’s desk. “We’d better make lists.”

 Later in the bed they shared, Mercy said, “I can’t believe Papa wrote away without consulting us. I don’t know whether to be relieved or angry or sad.”

“I’m a little of all those. Thank heavens I never again have to work for a man with lecherous thoughts. I’ll miss our family, but I’ll have my own home and soon my own children.”

“You’re right. Oh, I hope we like our grooms-to-be. Mine lives on a ranch. I hope he’s handsome and strong and rides a white horse.”

Patience reminded her sister, “I remember that Roberta said Miss Miller investigates the grooms before she’ll send a bride to them. She works with agents all over the country. Even if the men are not ideal, at least we know they’re not criminals or drunkards.”

“Four days to get ready and on the fifth, we leave. We’ll ride on a train and see the country and then we’ll meet our grooms. How can you not be more enthusiastic?”

Pulling the cover under her chin, Patience admitted, “I’m kind of excited. I’ve never ridden on a train or been out of Massachusetts.”

“Ha, we’ve never been out of Lawrence. That’s going to change.”

All American Mail-Order Bride Series books are available through Kindle Unlimited. Not a member? The books are only $2.99 each from Amazon. Amazon Link:  http://amzn.com/B017HLR6CE 

Would you do it?—be a mail-order bride if there was no chance of a suitable marriage where you lived? I'm not sure what I would have done, but I think I might have. 

Grand Prize For Series

The entire American Mail-Order Brides Series group is awarding a Kindle stocked with books from the 45 authors who have participated in the series. Not the books in this series, but other books. This Kindle will be given away at the end of the releases on January 7. Go to www.newwesternromance.com to learn more or the Pioneer Hearts Facebook Group.

Other Prizes From Me!

Prize 1: Today/tomorrow, I'll give away a $25 gift card to one winner. 

Prize 2: In addition, I will be awarding a prize pack to someone who leaves a review for PATIENCE, BRIDE OF WASHINGTON between now and midnight on January 7. The prize pack includes apple-themed products, chocolate, swag, and surprises.

For a look at real-life mail-order brides, check out the book by Chris Enss, HEARTS WEST: TRUE STORIES OF MAIL-ORDER BRIDES ON THE FRONTIER. Some are dire, others are happy. Of course, I hope you read PATIENCE, BRIDE OF WASHINGTON first. 

On the 31st, snap up Jacquie Rogers' MERCY, BRIDE OF IDAHO. 

http://amzn.com/B017GOU3WC

I love my readers and appreciate your encouragement. Mwah! Sending you hugs and kisses! 

Have a Happy and Prosperous New Year filled with health, happiness, wealth, lots of good books and time to read them!

KIRSTEN OSBOURNE, CHAMPION CAT HERDER!

Kirsten Osbourne

Kirsten Osbourne is a creative writer who conceived a massive undertaking that is working! She wanted to have a group of writers spin novels from a single event that spread across to each state in the United States. Eventually, she included the territories, too—50  books, 50 mail-order brides all beginning in the fall of 1890. Because Kween Kirsten (as she is known on the Pioneer Hearts Facebook Group) is incredibly popular with her fans and other western historical authors, she had instant response.

Kirsten Osbourne for the win!

Several of her friends from the Pioneer Hearts Facebook Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/pioneerhearts/)  assisted in setting up this American Mail-Order Brides Series project. Kirsten had such response that she added the territories to the states of 1890 to give more authors a chance to participate. Honestly, can you imagine her convincing forty-five writers to actually keep her “Sooper Sekrit Project” a secret? Talk about herding cats. ☺

Cowboys herding cats

You probably know that Kirsten Osbourne wrote the Prequel and it’s available FREE at www.newwesternromance.com along with a brief description and cover photo for each of the fifty books.  They’ve been released one-a-day since November 19 and continue through January 7th. Erin Dameron Hill designed the cover drape of the American flag and did most of the covers (including mine).

Each book is available on Amazon for $2.99 and through Kindle Unlimited’s subscription service for the first 90 days. After that, some will be distributed to other venues as well—author’s choice. If you haven’t joined those snapping up these western historical romances, give them a try. Each author has her own voice and writing style, so there is great diversity even though they all involve a mail-order bride heroine. Some include humor, some pathos, all have a happily-ever-after ending. I like that, don’t you?

There my cover is, far right, fourth row,
PATIENCE, BRIDE OF WASHINGTON.

I read for entertainment and pleasure. If I wanted to be upset, I’d watch the evening news. For reading, I want to go to a happy place where the good guys always win and the heroine and hero find a soul mate. That, my reader friends, is satisfaction!

Cup of tea, good book in print or
e-reader equals a perfect escape.

POIGNANT CHRISTMAS MEMORIES

What are your favorite Christmas memories? I have so many, but a few stand out. 

Let me share the most poignant memory of the late Bill Guess of Millsap, Texas. Bill was in the Air Force during WWII and was shot down by the Japanese. He was wounded but still forced to participate in the last portion of the Bataan Death March.

While a prisoner of war, he was in the infirmary at Christmas. The Red Cross had arranged for the prisoners to have an extra spoonful of corn for their Christmas dinner—all the captors would allow. Yes, that’s right—one spoon of corn was their gift, and that consisted of 12 kernels. Because he was bedfast and couldn’t exercise, Bill was told he didn’t merit the gift.

As a special “Christmas treat”, the other 12 prisoners from his group were allowed to visit him in the infirmary and shake his hand to wish him a Merry Christmas. As each man shook Bill’s hand, the other man pressed a single kernel of corn into his palm. At the end of the procession, he had his 12 kernels of corn. Those who had so little gave generously of what they had. Could any gift be more valuable?

In this time of excess, let us keep in mind the spirit of the season. Share with others who have less, love one another, rejoice in our freedom! Thank a service man for our ability to enjoy those things.

Merry Christmas from my home to yours! 

DOUBLE POST -- THE STARLIGHT CHRONICLES AND IT'S A MARSHMALLOW WORLD

HANNAH, BRIDE OF IOWA -- BY P. A. ESTELLE

Welcome to my friend, Penny Estelle, who also writes as P. A. Estelle. Penny is one of the authors in the American Mail-Order Bride Series of 50 books, 50 brides, 50 states. I hope you’re keeping up with these books, offered on Amazon and in their Kindle Unlimited program. Penny’s here to share details of her book, HANNAH, BRIDE OF IOWA. 

HANNAH, BRIDE OF IOWA Blurb:

Samuel Morrison, a farmer from Iowa, is in need of a wife and a mother for Lizzie, his three-year old daughter.  He reads an article from Massachusetts advertising mail order brides. He writes to the agency stating he’s looking for a partner who will work by his side and, hopefully, come to care for him and be a loving mother to Lizzie.

Hannah Brown responds to his letter.  Though she doesn’t say too much about herself, Samuel decides to take a chance and asks her to come to Iowa.

This woman is everything he wants in a wife and more -- or so he thinks.  Hannah has a secret that, if revealed, could devastate their future.

If Hannah tells Samuel, would he send her away?  She could lose all she’s come to cherish with Samuel and Lizzie.  Is Hannah willing to take that chance?

HANNAH, BRIDE OF IOWA Excerpt:

The man who greeted her was fairly short in stature with gray sideburns and an upper lip and chin covered with stubble. He wore a dirty floppy-brimmed hat and his body was lean and muscular for an older man. His arms and face were dark and leathery from the sun. His clothes looked clean, though they were ripped in a few areas, but the distasteful smell that so many men had, was absent from this man.

“Howdy. What can I do for you, ma’am?’

Maddie jumped down from the wagon and approached the man. “Mr.?”

“Slim.”

“Mr. Slim, I…”

“No Mr., just Slim.”

“Slim, I need to get a train ticket to Pennsylvania. The ticket was more than I had anticipated. I find I must sell my mule and wagon.”

The man stepped to one side looking passed her at the rickety wagon and old white mule. “Can’t use ‘em.” He turned to walk back into the livery, dismissing her.

“Sir, please!” She ran in front of him, blocking his way. “I have no family left and no place to turn. I’m supposed to go stay with cousins I’ve never met and I can’t even get there.” Tears welled up in her eyes and her lower lip quivered. Maddie swallowed a lump of emotion so she could speak. “Sal is all I have left in this world. I can’t just leave her uncared for.”

Surprise, or maybe fear, registered on the old man’s face. He held up his hands and took a step backwards. “Now, little lady, there ain’t no need to take on so. You need to calm yourself right down. Thing is I just ain’t got no money for that old bag of bones.”

Tears slipped from her eyes, making dirty paths down her cheeks from the dust of the night’s ride to Jamestown. She didn’t care. “Mr. ...I mean, Slim, you don’t have to pay me. Sal doesn’t have much time left on this earth and she doesn’t eat much. She wouldn’t be any bother at all.” The last few words were muttered as a fresh wave of tears fell.

http://www.amazon.com/Hannah-Bride-Iowa-American-Order-ebook/dp/B017HLRB5Q

A Word From P. A. Estelle

A little bit about myself

I write for all ages, from the early reader to adults.  My books range from pictures books for the little ones, to fantasy, time-travel adventures for ages 9 to 13. I also write adult stories, including a family drama and contemporary, paranormal and historical westerns romances, under P. A. Estelle.

I was a school secretary for 21 years.  My husband and I moved to our retirement home in Kingman, AZ, on very rural 54 acres, living on solar and wind only. 

More about my books can be found in the following links:

www.pennystales.com

www.pennyestelle.blogspot.com

http://www.amazon.com/Penny-Estelle/e/B006S62XBY

https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=146&Itemid=82

www.facebook.com/pennystales

www.pinterest.com/pennyestelle

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5820078.Penny_Estelle - Goodreads

http://www.twitter.com/pennystales