Traveling Tuesday: Train Travel in the 1870s

Traveling Tuesday: Travel in the 1870s

Pixabay/Ellen

After decades of traversing the American continent over bumpy roads by horse-drawn covered wagon or stagecoach, the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869 slashed travel time from months to mere days. Long forgotten are the more than 20,000 Irish-American Civil War Veterans, freed slaves, Mormon pioneers, and Chinese laborers, who performed the back-breaking work. Estimates vary as to the project’s cost, but it was exorbitant: somewhere above $60 million (or $1.2 billion in today’s money). An additional cost was the more than 1,200 lives lost in the process of building the railroad.

James Meigs, senior fellow of the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor of City Journal, likened the transcontinental railroad to the internet of the 19th century. An excellent analogy considering that the railroad created the opportunity to communicate and conduct commerce over great distances. Much like the internet, the railroad transformed the economy of the time.

The first passenger train on the like took 102 hours to travel from Omaha, Nebraska to San Francisco,

Pixabay/Brigitte Werner

and a first-class ticket cost $134.50 – about $2,700 today. Using the Overland Route, the train went across prairies, mountains, and deserts, exposing East Coast travelers to visions they’d never imagined. Celia Cooley Graves from Massachusetts wrote in 1875 “For hundreds of miles we saw no other persons except now and then a station with a few hovels about it.”

Mimicking ocean travel that transported millions of immigrants to the US and offered different fares for different classes, the railroads implemented a system of three classes. Third-class passengers paid half of what first-class passengers did to sit on benches and bring their own food. Second-class passengers had it a bit better in that their seats were upholstered.

Courtesy National Park Service

Those who could afford first-class traveled in opulent style with access to sleepers, dining cars, and parlor cars that were lavishly decorated and included brocade curtains or silk shades, chandeliers, plush upholstery, walls covered in dark walnut, velvet hangings, gilt-framed mirrors, and brass fixtures.

Historian Amy G. Richter made an interesting observation about George Pullman’s elaborate palace and the impact they had on women: the train cars’ home-like setting and the presence of women in the living-room-like cars legitimized train travel for {single} women and soothed those who feared that public life would endanger women and the moral order.

Eventually, railroad tracks crisscrossed the United States providing the opportunity to travel from coast to coast no matter what their economic status.

_______________

Beryl’s Bounty Hunter

Can a thief and a lawman find happiness?

Orphaned as a child, Beryl Atherton has lived on the streets of London as long as she can remember. Reduced to stealing for survival, she is arrested. During her incarceration one of her cellmates shows her a newspaper ad for an American mail-order bride agency. But all is not as it seems, and moments after landing in Boston, she must run for her life. Will things be no different for her in the New World?

Working as a bounty hunter since The War Between the States, Lucas Wolf just needs a few more cases before he can hang up his gun, purchase a ranch out West, and apply for a mail-order bride from the Westward Home & Hearts Mail-Order Bride Agency. While staking out the docks in Boston, he sees a woman fleeing from the man he’s been tailing. Saving her risks his job. Not saving her risks his heart.

Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/45CaZVo

Traveling Tuesday: Wyoming in the 1870s

Traveling Tuesday: Wyoming in the 1870s

By the time Wyoming attained statehood in 1890, the population was over sixty thousand, however, when my character Beryl shows up in 1875, there were a mere nine thousand inhabitants in an area larger than the United Kingdom where she’d come from. The transcontinental railroad had been completed six years earlier, and the Union Pacific portion of the line cut through the southern section of the territory on its way to California, creating many towns along the route.

However, prior to that Wyoming owed much of its early settlement to the “gentlemen of Europe.” A fondness for beaver top hats created an industry that sent fur trappers such as Kit Carson, Jim Bridger, and Jedediah Smith into the Rocky Mountains in search of the prized pelts. After the Homestead Act of 1862, the number of people entering the area swelled, seeing a peak in immigration in 1868. Wyoming Territory was officially created on July 25th of that year. Four years later, Yellowstone National Park became the world’s first national park.

By the time Beryl arrived, the cattle industry boom and the era of the cowboy were in full swing.

Pixabay/
B Snuffleupagus

Demand for beef had grown on both sides of the Atlantic, and the invention of refrigerated rail cars and ships supported the growth. Territorial governors invested, and one of the most powerful political organizations in the West at that time, the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, had been founded four years earlier. More than one resource called the WSGA “the de facto territorial government” in Wyoming.

Being from England herself, Beryl might have noticed that the population was heavily foreign-born, one site claiming as much as three-eighths of the inhabitants. Most came from Ireland, Germany, and England. Unlike Colorado, Wyoming never experienced any major mineral discoveries such as gold or silver. However, there were many places to hide, and the territory was home to more than a few outlaw gangs. The nickname “wild west” became popular for a reason, and Beryl was soon caught up in one of its nefarious plots.

__________________________

Beryl’s Bounty Hunter

Can a thief and a lawman find happiness?

Orphaned as a child, Beryl Atherton has lived on the streets of London as long as she can remember. Reduced to stealing for survival, she is arrested. During her incarceration one of her cellmates shows her a newspaper ad for an American mail-order bride agency. But all is not as it seems, and moments after landing in Boston, she must run for her life. Will things be no different for her in the New World?

Working as a bounty hunter since The War Between the States, Lucas Wolf just needs a few more cases before he can hang up his gun, purchase a ranch out West, and apply for a mail-order bride from the Westward Home & Hearts Mail-Order Bride Agency. While staking out the docks in Boston, he sees a woman fleeing from the man he’s been tailing. Saving her risks his job. Not saving her risks his heart.

Pre-order Link: https://amzn.to/3KqprHW

Talkshow Thursday: Welcome Lori Layne!

Talkshow Thursday: Welcome Lori Layne!

What was your inspiration for the story?

My Dad. He was in our home under hospice care. He was a very difficult Father in many aspects but my husband and I felt it one of our most important acts of love was to care for him ourselves and not send him to a nursing home.

How are your characters like you? Different?

I have a little bit of me in all my characters. I can draw on my heartfelt emotions in my areas of good and bad and then get them on paper. We’ve all experienced telling a lie, for example, so how it made us feel then and later can a character trait. I also look to people I know and how they react. I use their traits to create characters.

If your book is part of a series: Did you set out to write a series? Why did you decide to write a series?

My book is part of a ten-book series mostly because it is based on the Ten Commandments. The first is Honor thy Father.

How has your book changed since your first draft?

Tremendously! I am a pantser, so I write and write and then edit and edit.

How do you come up with storylines?

I pray over my work and ask the Holy Spirit to lead me for God’s glory and not mine. The start of this

Pixabay/Engin Akyurt

took place while I cared for my Dad so the storyline was created, I just had to make a killer and plot. Spoiler alert, Dad got murdered!

Why do you write in your particular genre?

I have written in three other genres. Instructional, children’s, and now clean mystery. I don’t limit myself.

What is your process for writing? (do you outline, have a special place or time of day you write, etc.) What is your favorite part of the process?

I like using Scrivner. A friend, and mentor, told me about it and it transformed my writing into something better.

What is your advice to fledgling writers?

Never quit. Galatians 6:9 says And do not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. I see many writers make excuses for not having time to write or not finishing their book. An excuse is a “reason stuffed with a lie.” (Joyce Meyers – Loving people who are hard to love.) Satan lies to us and we buy in. Best to put on the suit of armor and tell him, I can do all things through and with Jesus.

What writers or books have influenced you?

Pixabay/Pexels

The Bible for sure, I look to Agatha Christie for plot twist.

What is your next project?

I am about halfway done writing it. It is the next in the series, this one is Thou Shall Not Kill.

It brings to bear the death through various means and how God's Glory is still there as He weaves His perfect plan.

ABOUT LORI:

Lori Layne is the administrator for Pilots for Christ Media Cast Television (Roku), Android TV and Fire TV. In addition to pilot, Lori is also the administrator for Pilots for Christ social media and data base. She also supports multiple social media for her books, including a website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Author of the children’s adventure book, If I Only Had an Angel, Lori has written many articles, short stories, and Christian textbooks for Aviation Boot Camp. Well-known in her local community, Lori resides in West Michigan with her husband, Tim. They are both pilots and missionaries in the United States. When not flying or on a mission, Lori can be found writing books.

DESCRIPTION:

Seemingly on impulse, Thomas Framer commands his daughter and part-time caregiver to call all the family for a big, mysterious announcement.

As Amelia, her siblings and extended family arrive, even her brother Nate “the Prodigal Son,” Amelia prays their reunion could mend broken relationships. Instead, old wounds are reopened when their father is found dead.

When they find he has been murdered, Amelia is called upon to head their own family investigation, because “she’s always been great at puzzles and games,” but the truth is, Amelia and her siblings know she has a special gift for reading people. Amelia puts all their resources and connections to use, even while she and her husband Roy continue running missionary trips for Pilots-for-Christ.

The resulting investigation reveals family entanglements, buried secrets, and one ultimate truth—more than one person would have liked to see Thomas Framer dead.

CONNECT WITH LORI:

Author Website: https://www.lorilayne.com

 Lulu: https://lulu.com/spotlight.lorilayne  

Twitter: https://www.twitter/lori12660 

Instagram: https://murdermysterybooks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lorilayneauthor

Release Day! Beryl's Bounty Hunter

Release Day: Beryl's Bounty Hunter

Beryl's Bounty Hunter is my fifth contribution to the Westward Home & Hearts Mail Order Bride series. Didn't the cover designer do a wonderful job with the cover? I added a bit of mystery and intrigue to the story. I hope you enjoying reading Beryl's story as much as I enjoyed writing it. 

Can a thief and a lawman find happiness?

Orphaned as a child, Beryl Atherton has lived on the streets of London as long as she can remember. Reduced to stealing for survival, she is arrested. During her incarceration, one of her cellmates shows her a newspaper ad for an American mail-order bride agency. But all is not as it seems, and moments after landing in Boston, she must run for her life. Will things be no different for her in the New World?

Working as a bounty hunter since The War Between the States, Lucas Wolf just needs a few more cases before he can hang up his gun, purchase a ranch out West, and apply for a mail-order bride from the Westward Home & Hearts Mail-Order Bride Agency. While staking out the docks in Boston, he sees a woman fleeing from the man he’s been tailing. Saving her risks his job. Not saving her risks his heart.

Purchase link: https://amzn.to/44WZdou

Talkshow Thursday: Welcome Sherry Shindelar

Talkshow Thursday: 

A Guest Post by Sherry Shindelar

Pixabay/Ralph

Do you ever feel as if you’re on the tortoise track? That your progress toward your goals and dreams can be measured in turtle years instead of light years?

That’s the way I had been feeling about my writing career. I have dreamed of becoming a published novelist since I was nine years old. At different times over the years, I had put the dream aside, but four years ago, the Lord renewed my passion for writing. I fell in love with writing all over again. My characters came alive in my head.

Since June 2019, I've devoted time each day to writing, researching, and/or critiquing, and I've attended numerous online conferences seeking to learn the craft. My critique group has been invaluable in helping my stories to be the best that they can be.

And yet the road to publication seemed to be moving along at a snail’s pace.

I was struggling with being patient and with persevering. Then, I thought about Abraham.

Abraham was seventy-five years old in Genesis 12, when God said, “I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you … All people on earth will be blessed through you” (vs. 2-3).

Abraham believed God and left everything to follow God’s call. No surprise, right? Abraham is one of

Pixabay/Jorg Peter

the superheroes of the faith. Of course, he listened, believed, and obeyed. Left everything familiar behind, except for his wife, his nephew’s family, and his possessions, and went to a foreign land? No biggie. Only I bet it was terribly difficult because Abraham was a real man with real fears and concerns. (He really showed that side of himself down in Egypt when he told his wife to pretend to be his sister.)

By the time Abraham was ninety-nine years old, he was having his doubts. Twenty-four years had passed since the original promise. He had questioned God before, but this time when God spoke, Abraham laughed at the thought of having a child.

Yet the Lord was faithful. A year later Isaac was born. Twenty-five years after the original promise!

I also thought about Hannah from the Bible. She waited years, praying for a child and enduring the disdain and ridicule of her husband’s second wife, but Hannah was faithful, and in His perfect timing, the Lord gave her Samuel.

When David wrote the Psalms of despair and fear, he didn’t know for sure that God would rescue him. He didn’t know he’d live to become king, rule for decades, and die of old age. Even after he became king, there were dark moments when he feared all might be lost. David didn’t know how God would answer his prayers. But he trusted that God was at work in his life. I needed to work on having that same trust and faith.

When I finished writing my second book this spring, I decided to put it aside and start a third. I had heard too many no's during editor/agent appointments. They advised me to find a new topic, a new era.

But God had a different answer. He kept whispering don't give up and nudging me through my writing friends to pursue publication now.

I sent out two proposals. A month later, I had a contract offer for a three-book series. God had finally

said Yes! And in a big way, when I least expected it, and totally caught me off guard.

My first book, set in Texas in 1860, will be coming out next year with Wild Heart Books.

In the midst of the race the Lord has given us to run, we may not always see where the pathway goes, and we may feel as if we’ll never reach the finish line of the dream or goal He has given us, but He is faithful. He fulfills His plans and answers our prayers in His own perfect timing. Give Him a chance to amaze and surprise you!

Originally from Tennessee and the Shendandoah Valley area of Virginia, Sherry Shindelar loves to take her readers into the past. She is an avid student of the American Civil War. When she is not busy writing, Sherry is a college English professor working to pass on her love of writing and literature to the next generation. Sherry won the 2020 ACFW First Impressions Award for Historical Romance. In in progress, Shenandoah’s Daughter, is set in the Shenandoah Valley during 1863 – 1864. When she is not busy writing, Sherry is a college English professor working to pass on her love of writing and literature to the next generation. Sherry won the 2020 ACFW First Impressions Award for Historical Romance. In addition, she has won two MN State Art Grants and an RWA scholorship. She currently resides in Minnesota with her husband.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/historylitgirl/

Website: https://sherryshindelar.com/

Wayback Wednesday: 1875

Wayback Wednesday: 1875

Pixabay/Flash Alexander

I’m thrilled to be releasing another story in the Westward Home & Hearts Mail Order Brides series. Beryl’s Bounty Hunter will be out on the 15th of this month. The story is set in the fictional town of Rocky Mountain Springs, Wyoming in 1875. I thought it would be fun to explore what life was like during that year.

Only ten years had passed since the end of the American Civil War. The Reconstruction Era was in full swing and would come to an uneasy conclusion with the Compromise of 1877. Despite the passing of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments race relations remained strained, and America continued to treat the Native Americans poorly. An incident in February of that year involved the marching of the Yavapai and Tonto Apache tribes being forced to march at gunpoint from Arizona’s Verde Valley to the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation. The following month saw the passage of the Page Act which restricted the immigration of Chinese women to the US.

Out west, farmers and ranchers were dealing with “Albert’s Swarm,” a cloud of Rocky Mountain

Pixabay/
Dominic Alberts

locusts estimated to be 198,000 square miles (1/3 of the size of Alaska) in size. Named for meteorologist Albert Child who calculated the size of the horde, the locusts struck western Missouri devastating everything in its path as it headed for Nebraska. I remember when the 17-year locusts hit Maryland {shudder,} and it was a fraction of the experience for those poor settlers.

On a brighter note, the thoroughbred Aristides won the first Kentucky Derby, Harvard and Tufts played what is considered the first college football game, and Boston was privy to Tchaikovsky’s first performance of his Piano Concerto No. 1.

Pixabay/
Aleksejs Ivanovs

Technology was moving the world ahead with the invention of Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone (he received the patent in 1876), the mimeograph machine by Thomas Edison, albeit as a mistake while trying to improve telegraphy tape, and the electronic dental drill by little-remembered George F. Green. In Europe, German inventor Siegfried Marcus received a patent for an internal combustion engine.

The transcontinental railroad had been completed in 1869, and people took the ease of crossing the nation for granted, much like we take air travel for granted today. Thirty-seven states existed, and Colorado would join the Union the following year. The nation was headed for its Centennial, and spirits were high as the country entered the Gilded Age which lasted more than thirty years.

______________________

Beryl’s Bounty Hunter

Can a thief and a lawman find happiness?

Orphaned as a child, Beryl Atherton has lived on the streets of London as long as she can remember. Reduced to stealing for survival, she is arrested. During her incarceration one of her cellmates shows her a newspaper ad for an American mail-order bride agency. But all is not as it seems, and moments after landing in Boston, she must run for her life. Will things be no different for her in the New World?

Working as a bounty hunter since The War Between the States, Lucas Wolf just needs a few more cases before he can hang up his gun, purchase a ranch out West, and apply for a mail-order bride from the Westward Home & Hearts Mail-Order Bride Agency. While staking out the docks in Boston, he sees a woman fleeing from the man he’s been tailing. Saving her risks his job. Not saving her risks his heart.

Pre-order Link: https://amzn.to/3KqprHW

Fiction Friday: New Releases in Christian Fiction

August 2023 New Releases

More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website

Amish Romance:
The Heart’s Bidding by Kelly S. Irvin -- Together, schoolteacher Rachelle Lapp and auctioneer Toby Miller must face their hardest battle yet: trusting God’s plan for their uncertain future. As their families matchmake, Toby and Rachelle realize their jobs may not be all that’s holding them back from a future together. They both must learn not only to trust each other, but also trust God’s plans for them. But do those plans involve a lifetime together or them going their separate ways? (Amish Romance from Harper Collins Christian Publishing/Thomas Nelson and Zondervan)

Children’s:
Bold and Brave by K.A. Cummins -- Sometimes courage is loud like an elephant, and sometimes it’s quiet like a llama. Lily, a young autistic girl with a vivid imagination, wants to sing the solo in the school’s choir show, but the thought of standing at center stage turns her heart a gloomy grey. School is overwhelming enough. Now all eyes will be on her, and she can’t wear the red polka dots she needs to be bold and brave. (Children’s/Picture Book from Eleonora Press)

Contemporary Romance:
A Surprise Wedding for the Cowboy by Barbara Britton, et. al. -- Everything hit all at once. Tate Sullivan became the guardian of his young nephew after his brother’s death, and now Grandfather has bought a failing guest ranch in Montana. Tate’s used to handling Fortune 1000 companies, but moving halfway across the country and learning an entirely new, rural business is a challenge, especially with a toddler in tow. Nice girls finish last… or that’s what it seems like to Stephanie Simpson when her ex-boyfriend, a pastor, proposes to a former bad girl. It’s not that Stephanie wants her ex to rethink his life choices, but would it be so wrong to move on as quickly as he has? A quick wedding to that cute but faltering cowboy with the adorable toddler might get her what she wants. After all, it’s clear Tate needs a helping hand. He’s a Christian, just like she is. What could possibly go wrong? (Contemporary Romance, Independently Published)

Her Cowboy Blind Date by Narelle Atkins -- He’s a small-town guy, a cowboy at heart. She’s a city girl from the other side of the world. Will a blind date lead to a love that lasts a lifetime? Since Becky is only in Gilead until June, a blind date with a suitable plus-one before the wedding seems like the perfect solution for Sam. No strings and no commitment. But the blind date turns into a not-so-fake relationship when Sam and Becky must work together on the passion play. Can they overcome past emotional wounds and geographical distance to create a future together? (Contemporary Romance, Independently Published)

His Heart Renewed by Cynthia Herron -- Three choices. Two dreams. One path. A girl from his past. The woman who holds his future. Will a wrong detour lead to the right destination? As the couple navigates blunders and heartaches, a new season emerges—one that taps into Erin’s and Mike’s deepest longings and desires—the spring that holds their future. At last, it seems their happily-ever-after is within reach… But in the bat of an eyelash, a memory from Mike’s past emerges in an unexpected way. Will this change in circumstance hinder what he has with Erin or will truth prevail by way of a divine appointment? (Contemporary Romance from Mountain Brook Ink)


Muskoka Spotlight by Carolyn Miller -- Jackie O’Halloran never expected her actions at a friend’s wedding in Muskoka to go viral. Even less did she expect to gain the notice of a famous actor, Lincoln Cash, and all the temptation his handsome presence provides. But she’s a good Christian girl, so a man like him has to be out of the picture. Or so she thinks. Linc’s visit to see his ailing grandfather was supposed to be a quick visit to Muskoka. He hadn’t counted on meeting a forthright young lady whose courage made headlines around the world. But as he gets to know her he’s tempted to stay, which just might prove dangerous for his agent’s peace of mind, and for Linc’s own heart. Can these two opposites push past mere attraction to find real love? And what does faith have to do with it at all? (Contemporary Romance, Independently Published)

The Cowboy Bargain by Tina Radcliffe -- A little competition…Brings a change of heart. Sam Morgan never thought he’d see his ex-fiancée again after she skipped town days before their wedding. He certainly didn’t expect to find her opening a restaurant on his property—in the building he’d intended to sell his crafts from. This time Olivia’s sticking around, forcing Sam to strike a deal: work together and see whose products sell best. Could their business venture lead to a surprising reunion? (Contemporary Romance from Love Inspired/Harlequin)

The Friendly Disaster by Dineen Miller -- He waited too long to admit how he feels and now she’s found a perfect match. Will this triangle of passion end in calamity or kisses? As Calen’s plan to attract visitors to Emma’s show pales in comparison to her new boyfriend’s connections, the besotted man fears he’ll never be enough. But when Emma’s eyes are opened to her platonic pal’s extreme efforts, she wonders if it’s wrong to keep him in the friend zone. Can a bashful barista prove to a struggling artist that he’s soulmate material? (Contemporary Romance, Independently Published)

The Love Script by Toni Shiloh -- Hollywood hair stylist Nevaeh Richards loves making those in the spotlight shine but prefers the anonymity of staying behind her stylist chair, where no one notices her. But when a photo of Nevaeh and Hollywood heartthrob Lamont Booker goes viral for all the wrong reasons, her quiet life becomes the number-one trending topic. Lamont Booker's bold faith has gained him a platform, and the authenticity of his faith is well known . . . until the tabloids cause the world to question everything he claims to be. With his reputation on the line, he finds himself hearing out his agent's push for a fake relationship--something he never thought he'd consider in a million years. With their careers at risk, Nevaeh and Lamont have to convince the world that their scripted romance is more than just an act. But when fake seems to turn into something real, can Nevaeh trust her heart in a world where nothing is ever as it seems? (Contemporary Romance from Bethany House)

To Protect His Brother’s Baby by Linda Goodnight A stranger in his house…Could be the family he never knew he needed? After he spent six months on the road, the last thing cowboy Wilder Littlefield expects to come home to is a pregnant woman living on his ranch. Taylor Matheson not only believes the house is hers, but she’s carrying his estranged late brother’s child. Tied together by blood, Wilder lets Taylor stay as his housekeeper. But as they learn how to be a family, could obligation turn to love? (Contemporary Romance from Love Inspired/Harlequin)

Window of the Heart by Amy R. Anguish -- Lennox Malone may not believe in love, but she’s determined to do the best job she can as her friend Sara Beth’s maid of honor. Problem is, the man in charge of fixing up the chapel doesn’t match her determination. Fighting against preconceived notions, a past that catches up to her, and an attraction she wants nothing to do with, this wedding is turning into more than she can handle. Ty Dunne might be laid back and easy-going, but he’s determined to make sure the chapel is ready for his cousin’s wedding. Not only is it his duty as best man, but he wants to preserve the family’s history in the building. If only he could live up to his family’s other expectations—or those of Lennox Malone, the fiery redhead he can’t stop thinking about. Before he can go any further with her, though, he has to convince her that love is real and worth the risk. Lennox has built her walls high and sturdy, but Ty is determined to find a way in—even if it’s a window. (Contemporary Romance from Scrivening’s Press)

General Contemporary:

Where the Wings Rise by Ashlyn McKayla Ohm -- After years of disastrous choices, Addisyn Miles has a second chance with the person she once betrayed—her older sister, Avery. Moving from Whistler, Canada, to Avery’s home in the Colorado Rockies seems like the perfect opportunity to not only rebuild her fragile relationship with her sister but also distance herself from the past she can’t forget. But adjusting to Avery’s life is harder than she expected, especially with her heart drawing her back to the chance at love that she left behind in Canada. When she begins helping her sister care for an injured hawk, Addisyn is forced to confront the fears that have left her just as wounded—or to allow her darkest enemy to sabotage her future. The second book in the Climbing Higher series, Where the Wings Rise is a story of the scars that keep us earthbound, the choices that lead to healing, and most importantly, the faith that allows us to always fly free. (General Contemporary, Independently Published)

General Historical:
The Girl From the Papers by Jennifer L. Wright -- Beatrice Carraway has dreams. Although she’s aged out of the childhood pageant circuit, she’s intent on carrying her talents all the way to the big screen―if only she can escape the poverty of West Dallas first. But as the Great Depression drags the working class further and further under, Beatrice struggles just to keep herself, her mother, and her younger sister afloat. And then in walks Jack Turner. Though Beatrice is determined to pull herself up by her bootstraps, Jack has decided on a different path out of the gutters. It isn’t long before Beatrice is swept into an exciting and glamorous life of crime beside the man she loves. Keeping one step ahead of the law, she sees her dreams of fame come true when her name and picture are plastered in newspapers across the country. Yet as their infamy grows, the distance between them widens. While Jack begins seeking bigger payouts and publicity, Beatrice starts to long for a safe, quiet life and something deeper to fill the emptiness in her soul. But when the danger of Jack’s schemes ratchets up, Beatrice fears her dreams―and her future―will end up going down in a hail of bullets (General Historical from Tyndale Publishing)

Historical Romance:
Beryl’s Bounty Hunter by Linda Shenton Matchett -- Orphaned as a child, Beryl Atherton has lived on the streets of London for as long as she can remember. Reduced to stealing for survival, she is arrested. During her incarceration, one of her cellmates shows her a newspaper ad for an American mail-order bride agency. But all is not as it seems, and moments after landing in Boston, she must run for her life. Will things be no different for her in the New World? Working as a bounty hunter since The War Between the States, Lucas Wolf just needs a few more cases before he can hang up his gun, purchase a ranch out West, and apply for a mail-order bride from the Westward Home & Hearts Mail-Order Bride Agency. While staking out the docks in Boston, he sees a woman fleeing from the man he’s been tailing. Saving her risks his job. Not saving her risks his heart. (Historical Romance from Shortwave Press)

Thriller/Suspense/Romantic:
Hunting the Witness by Kate Angelo -- Attacked in the mountains with no memory of why…She’s the only witness to see the face of a killer, but a deadly attack leaves Belinda Lewis unable to remember even her own name. She’ll have to rely on her rescuer, FBI special agent Jonah Phillips, to survive repeated attempts on her life—but she doesn’t know he’s in hiding because his description matches the killer’s. Can they unmask the true criminal to clear Jonah’s name and save both of their lives? (Thriller/Suspense/Romantic from Love Inspired/Harlequin)

Mountain Abduction Rescue by Darlene L. Turner -- truth becomes clearer. A wildfire threat…becomes a missing person search. A serial arsonist is out for revenge in the Canadian Rocky Mountains—and kidnaps park warden Hazel Hoyt’s son and his camping troop. Now Hazel must team up with the man who broke her heart, firefighter Mitchell Booth, to find the missing boys as wildfires blaze around them. But someone has no intention of letting the pair get off the mountain alive… (Thriller/Suspense/Romantic from Love Inspired/Harlequin)

Plus check out these recent additions to Fiction Finder published within the past month:


 

Talkshow Thursday: Welcome Back Donna Schlachter!

Claire -- The Story Behind the Story

By Donna Schlachter

When I was invited to write a book for the Rescue Me: Mail-Order Bride series, I was thrilled. I’d already written several mail-order stories, loved the dynamics of romance, and particularly appreciated the opportunity—and indeed the encouragement—to include suspense or mystery in the plot.

My character, Claire, was actually supposed to be somebody else. Sort of. I had envisioned her as looking a lot like my sister-in-law Tina. In fact, I started writing a book named after said SIL, then realized I had the wrong storyline. However, being two chapters in, I didn’t want to trash the words I’d written, so I went back and revised this storyline a smidge to incorporate the difference. In Tina, my heroine is running from her mob-connected murdered husband, and in this one, from a contract on her own life that just resulted in her father’s death.

My hero, Toby Gilbert, is a Pinkerton operative. I named him after my father, whose middle name was 

Gilbert, and who was also a Pinkerton agent, although in a more administrative and modern-day role. Still, Toby is very much his own man, determined to be the best agent he can be, and he won’t let anybody get in his way. Not even whichever woman he chooses to reinforce his story. He’s placed an ad for a mail-order bride, even though he has no intention of marrying.

A particular trait I thought Toby should have that would serve him well as the story gets underway is that he never forgets a face. So when he sees Claire on the same train heading to Denver, he knows he knows her from somewhere. And he also knows he’ll eventually recall where. Another quirk is that he always sits with his back to a wall, facing the door. Except when my heroine purposefully seats herself in that vantage point to throw him off his game.

Pixabay/Brigitte Werner

I had previously done research about the mafia in Denver, but that focused on the 1940s and 1950s, so I delved into mobster activity and its origins, beginning in Italy and as it made its way to the United States, particularly during the 1860s through to the 1880s. This opened a whole new level of understanding for Claire and for her father and family, as well as for the law enforcement officials trying to curb the spread of illegal gun running, prostitution, drugs, and alcohol. One interesting thing I learned was that oftentimes, a mob family had lines in the sand they wouldn’t cross. For example, the Smaldone family was involved in gun running, prostitution, enforcement, and alcohol, but wouldn’t deal in drugs. And, they wouldn’t sell gasoline vouchers during the 1940s that they received for free, citing ethical reasons. Despite their criminal activity. Seems ironic.

You can check out the book here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BLS1Z5WT and the other books in this multi-author Series: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BKLNTH1N

About Donna:

A hybrid author, Donna writes squeaky-clean historical and contemporary suspense. She has been published more than 60 times in books; is a member of several writers' groups; facilitates a critique group; teaches writing classes; ghostwrites; edits; and judges in writing contests. She loves history and research, traveling extensively for both, and is an avid oil painter. She also coaches writers at any stage of their manuscript. Learn more at www.donnaschlachter.com/Tapestry

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