Friday, November 30, 2018

MISSAdeventure Brides Series: STORY BEHIND MY HEROINE

By Debby Lee

My character, Heather Duncan is a Scottish lass who makes her home in the rugged wilderness of present day Wyoming with her fur trapping father. She was inspired by Claire from The Outlander series. While Claire isn’t from Scotland, Heather is proud of her heritage. Both Heather and Claire are trained and highly skilled healers.

For fun, I added traits of my paternal grandmother, like resourcefulness and a whole lot of spunk. Heather must make do with few items and learn to stretch her meager food supply. She also faces harsh weather conditions and dwell in close proximity of wild animals. And Heather has red hair, like my grandmother. I hadn’t yet created a heroine with ginger hair, so I thought the time was right to do so. Although my grandmother had brown eyes, I chose to make Heather’s green.

I did a lot of research on the history of medicine and learned more about chloroform than I ever cared to know. I also took a class about herbal medicine which was really enjoyable. There are a great number of medicinal plants in the world, some of which I’d never heard of before. Most people have heard of Pennyroyal and Belladonna, and their affects, but who knew apple cider vinegar could cure a fever. I certainly didn’t. By the way, all of these medicines, and more, are mentioned in my story.

Besides being headstrong, I added other qualities to Heather, like compassion for people and animals, to help balance her personality. When caring for humans, compassion should be expected, but Heather extends that to animals to an extent that is both humorous but not without consequence.

Heather is bolder than any other heroine I’ve ever written. Determined to pay off her father’s debt to the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, she heads into the wilderness to trap animals herself. Lucky for her, she is aided by the handsome French fur trapper Louie Renault.

In the beginning Heather is reluctant about accepting Louie’s help in trapping beavers, mink, and foxes, but his patience and tenderness soon melt her heart, like a warm sun
during the spring thaw.

I hope you enjoy reading about Heather and Louie in my novella, Along the Yellowstone River in the MISSadventure Brides Romance Collection.


MISSAdventure Brides Collection
Love Is One of Life’s Greatest Adventures
Seven daring damsels don’t let the norms of their eras hold them back. Along the way these women attract the attention of men who admire their bravery and determination, but will they let love grow out of the adventures?

The MISSAdventure Brides Collection would make a wonderful Christmas present!



DEBBY LEE was raised in the cozy town of Toledo, Washington. She’s been writing since she was a small child, but never forgets home.
The Northwest Christian Writers and Romance Writers of America are two organizations Debby enjoys being a part of. Her fifth novella collection with Barbour Publishing releases in December 2018. The Courageous Brides and Mountain Christmas Brides both made the ECPA Bestsellers list. She is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steven Laube Literary Agency.
A self-professed nature lover, Debby feels like a hippie child who wasn’t born soon enough to attend Woodstock. She wishes she could run barefoot all year long, but often does when weather permits. During football season Debby cheers on the Seattle Seahawks with other devoted fans. She’s also filled with wanderlust and dreams of traveling the world someday.

For more information on Debby Lee visit her website at booksbydebbylee.com

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

MISSAdventure Brides Series: MISSTAKEN IDENTITY


 

By Kimberley Woodhouse

Abigail Monroe is the heroine in MissTaken Identity – my story in the MissAdventure Brides Collection. She’s feisty, accident prone, an advocate for the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, and truly has no clue about real life outside her family’s ranch. But all that changes when she sets off on an adventure… dressed as a man. Arrested for fence-cutting before she even makes it out of her own county, she’s faced with the challenge of fighting for her life and trying not to enrage the Texas Ranger who has locked her up.

Abigail is one of my favorite characters I’ve ever written. Probably because she’s nothing like me and she cracked me up. But she’s fiercely loyal and wants to protect those that she loves and that resonates with me. I love the fact that she falls in love in an awkward and weird situation but still finds her happily-ever-after.

Happy Reading!


I’m hosting a giveaway on my website too – so leave a comment here and on my blog post about the collection and you’ll be entered!

MISSAdventure Brides Collection

Love Is One of Life’s Greatest Adventures
Seven daring damsels don’t let the norms of their eras hold them back. Along the way these women attract the attention of men who admire their bravery and determination, but will they let love grow out of the adventures?


The MISSAdventure Brides Collection would make a wonderful Christmas present!

 
Kimberley Woodhouse is a best-selling author who loves the JOY of story. With more than a quarter of a million copies sold, she loves to share her heart and love of research with her readers. Kim and her incredible husband of almost thirty years have two adult children. She’s passionate about reading, music, cooking, and Bible study. You can connect with Kimberley at: www.kimberleywoodhouse.com and www.facebook.com/KimberleyWoodhouseAuthor.  Instagram: kimberleywoodhouse and twitter: kimwoodhouse






Tuesday, November 27, 2018

MISSAdventure Brides Series: MADDY’S LLAMAS


By Marjorie Vawter

Magdalena Williams, otherwise known as Maddy to all but her parents, grew up in Peru. Her
parents serve as missionaries there, and because of the time period (1898), they rarely come home to the States. However, Maddy’s parents sent her home when one of the national Christians wanted to marry her.

Maddy is spunky, though in the past she has let her parents make decisions for her. But she fought them when they wanted her to leave two of her beloved llamas in Peru. She won, brought them home, and settled on a small ranch in Eldora, Colorado. She’s worked hard, breeding her llamas, working with them to keep them healthy, and finally has won the hearts of several miners who see the value in the llamas as pack animals.

If she’s a little eccentric, no one notices too much, because anyone who lives and works with miners in a mountain community must be a little strange to “regular” people. After all, she’s a single woman in a very strongly male world.


Love Is One of Life’s Greatest Adventures
Seven daring damsels don’t let the norms of their eras hold them back. Along the way these women attract the attention of men who admire their bravery and determination, but will they let love grow out of the adventures?
Releases December 1, 2018

The MISSAdventure Brides Collection would make a wonderful Christmas present!


Marjorie Vawter is a full-time author, freelance editor, proofreader, and speaker. She has over 200 published devotionals, articles, and book reviews and is the author of four novellas & six nonfiction books. A member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) since 2004, she has served as the Colorado Area Coordinator, and past president of HIS Writers, the first Colorado ACFW chapter. She is a past member of the MozArks chapter in Springfield, MO, and has served as the ACFW Central Zone Director.
A freelance editor, Margie edits, proofreads, and is an indexer for individual clients and publishers. An avid reader, she also judges for several prestigious awards in the inspirational marketplace.

Margie is married to her college sweetheart and best friend, Roger, and they live in Colorado, where they enjoy hiking and snowshoeing in the mountains near their family cabin. They have two adult children, a daughter-in-love, and two beautiful grandchildren.

You can find her online at www.marjorievawter.com or http://marjorievawter.blogspot.com


Wednesday, November 21, 2018

MISSAdventure BRIDES Series: Millie Watkins, Heroine of DETOURS OF THE HEART




By Donna Schlachter
If you talked to Millie and asked her about her heroine status, she’d likely blush, shuffle her toe in the dust, and stammer that she’s not a heroine--she’s just Millie.
But even that would be a far cry from the truth, and an even further leap from where she started.
Millie is the oldest of five siblings. Her mother died several years before the start of our story, and the running of the household has fallen to her. Her father is a brute who drinks more than is good for him, and as a result, struggles to hold down enough work during a financially difficult time in our country’s history, 1925. The next sibling has just turned thirteen, old enough to take Millie’s place. Since he can’t afford to feed five kids, he wants to marry her off.
But Millie is her own woman, and she’ll not endure the hard life that killed her mother at a young age. Besides, she has dreams.
The silver screen in Hollywood beckons her, as it did thousands of other young men and women. But she isn’t like all the rest--she has a photographic memory that she’s certain will enable her to remember her lines, to recall her scenes, and to propel her to stardom in no time at all.
The only problem is she doesn’t have two nickels to rub together. So she heads for Albuquerque, the closest big city, to find work. At a reputable place, of course. She’s heard of--and seen once--the Harvey House Hotel, The Alvarado, so she heads there and obtains employment as a waitress in the restaurant.
Within a few days, however, it’s apparent she isn’t cut out for this kind of work, and falls into her dream job--an Indian Tours tour guide. Fred Harvey Senior, appreciating that his customers wanted to learn more about culture, offered tours to local American Indian reservations.
Here Millie meets the hero of our story, Peter Duncan. But more about him another time. You can check out his story on my blog from yesterday, or on Kathy Kovach’s blog on November 21st. See the details below.
Back to Millie: she has really struggled in her relationship with God because of her mother’s death and her father’s subsequent treatment of her. Peter, who wants to be a preacher someday, introduces her to an entirely different Father and Redeemer than she’d known of before. In the process, she learns about God’s love for her and for her mother, and understands that God answers every prayer, regardless of whether she sees it or not.
Millie and Peter work together to uncover a jewelry counterfeiting ring that could undermine Mr. Harvey Senior’s reputation as well as steal from the local Acoma, and in the process, fall in love as they face hardships, danger, and finally, success, together.
Millie realizes that her heart, once drawn to stardom because of its lure of wealth and recognition, has changed, and now she longs to stay with Peter and grow together in God’s love. God has detoured her plans to dovetail with His own.

I will give away five print copies (US only, please) of the book by dropping the names of all who leave a comment on my missAdventure blog posts on my own blog or on this blog post between today and December 16th into a basket and pulling out five winners. One entry per blog post, please, and one prize per person. If you leave a comment every day on the 15 different blog posts, you could have 15 entries to win. Drawing closes midnight December 16th MDT.
In addition, if you don’t already subscribe to my newsletter, and you choose to subscribe at www.HiStoryThroughTheAges.com , I’ll pop in another entry for you. So you could have up to 16 chances to win!

Blogs/Facebook pages of other authors in collection:
Kathleen Kovach -- hosting Heroes    http://kathleenekovach.blogspot.com/
Kimberley Woodhouse -- hosting the History   http://kimandkaylawoodhouse.com/blog/
Debby Lee -- hosting the Villains/Antagonists https://www.facebook.com/booksbydebbylee or follow her newsletter: http://booksbydebbylee.com/contact.html#newsletter
Marjorie Vawter -- Hosting the Take-Aways  http://marjorievawter.blogspot.com
Cynthia Hickey -- Hosting the Settings https://www.facebook.com/Cynthia-Hickey-151333448227549/
Mary Davis -- hosting the Heroines  https://marydavis1.blogspot.com

About the collection: These seven daring damsels don’t let the norms of their eras hold them back from adventure.

About Detours of the Heart: (Albuquerque, NM, 1925)
A tour guide who wants to move on, a playboy who’s never had a place to call home—can they overcome their own plans and allow God to make their path straight, or will they take yet another detour?

About Donna:
Donna lives in Denver with husband Patrick. She writes historical suspense under her own name, and contemporary suspense under her alter ego of Leeann Betts. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Sisters In Crime; facilitates a critique group, and teaches writing classes. Donna ghostwrites, edits, and judges in writing contests. She loves history and research, and travels extensively for both. Donna is represented by Terrie Wolf of AKA Literary Management.

www.HiStoryThruTheAges.com Receive a free ebook simply for signing up for our free newsletter!
Books: Amazon: http://amzn.to/2ci5Xqq and Smashwords: http://bit.ly/2gZATjm

Thursday, November 15, 2018

ThrowBACKLIST Thursday: RECKLESS ROGUE

Lizzie Carter is no ordinary doll. 
Lieutenant Pete Garfield loves to flirt with the ladies-"dolls" as he calls them-in every town where he lands his Curtiss JN-4D biplane. There are always plenty in the crowds who gather to gape at his amazing aeroplane and pay him for a ride. But one special girl in Cashmere, Washington, captures his interest with her extraordinary knowledge of aeroplanes and her insistence on flying his! No one but Pete flies the Jenny, but he sure doesn't mind giving pretty Lizzie some free rides. Lizzie Carter has always dreamed of flying, but she won't be satisfied until she pilots an aeroplane herself. She sees Pete's arrival in Cashmere as the perfect opportunity to make her dreams come true. But she didn't expect this carefree aviator to capture her heart. Will Pete settle in one town long enough to fall in love with one special girl? Or will the past he's been fleeing finally catch up with him?

This is the third and final story in this historical Washington State series and takes place in 1920 in the wake of WWI. A lot of these
Curtiss JN-4D biplanes had been built for the war. But coming in late to the war and the time needed to train pilots, left a surplus of Jennys (as they were called). People could buy them cheap. Pilots would fly from town to town, landing in fields, and then offering rides for a fee.

I chose the name Lizzie (short for Elizabeth) for my heroine because I have her drive a Model T, which is nicknamed the Tin Lizzie. I liked that she had some mechanical know-how.

Cashmere, Washington is a real town. Both of my parents were raised there, and growing up, I often visited one set of grandparents, who continued to live there. I always loved Cashmere, a quaint little town. It is home to the famous Aplets & Cotlets candy.

I also wrapped up Finn's story. He was a drifter who moved through all three stories.


All three books in this series, UNCERTAIN ALLIANCE, THE CAPTAIN’S WIFE, and RECKLESS ROGUE, are sold separately, but they are also sold together in a single volume title CASCADES.

HAPPY READING!
=0)


NEW!


Love Is One of Life’s Greatest Adventures
Seven daring damsels don’t let the norms of their eras hold them back. Along the way these women attract the attention of men who admire their bravery and determination, but will they let love grow out of the adventures?

Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure, a 1904 road trip.
Zola Calkin sets out on an adventure to be the first woman to drive across the country. Will the journalist tasked to report her presumed failure sabotage her efforts? Or will he steal her heart?

The MISSAdventure Brides Collection would make a great Christmas present!




RECENT!
THE WIDOW'S PLIGHT ~ A sweet historical romance that will tug at your heart. This is book 1 in the Quilting Circle series.
Washington State, 1893
     When Lily Lexington Bremmer arrives in Kamola with her young son, she’s reluctant to join the social center of her new community, the quilting circle, but the friendly ladies pull her in. She begins piecing a sunshine and shadows quilt because it mirrors her life. She has a secret that lurks in the shadows and hopes it doesn’t come out into the light. Dark places in her past are best forgotten, but her new life is full of sunshine. Will her secrets cast shadows on her bright future?
     Widower Edric Hammond and his father are doing their best to raise his two young daughters. He meets Lily and her son when they arrive in town and helps her find a job and a place to live. Lily resists Edric’s charms at first but finds herself falling in love with this kind, gentle man and his two darling daughters. Lily has stolen his heart with her first warm smile, but he’s cautious about bringing another woman into his girls’ lives due to the harshness of their own mother.
     Can Edric forgive Lily her past to take hold of a promising chance at love?

THE WIDOW'S PLIGHT is available in ebook and paperback.


COURTING HER SECRET HEART

A Prodigal Daughters story, Book 2

Caught between two worlds…Deborah Miller lives a double life as an Amish woman—and a fashion model! All photography is forbidden in her Plain community, so she must keep her job a secret. But when Amos Burkholder starts helping at her family’s farm, hiding the truth from him is impossible. And soon she must choose between the Englisher world of modeling and the Amish man she’s come to love.

Book 3 in the Prodigal Daughters series due to release January 2019, COURTING HER PRODIGAL HEART

#ChristianRomance #HistoricalRomance #Romance

MARY DAVIS s a bestselling, award-winning novelist of over two dozen titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her 2018 titles include; "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection (January), Courting Her Amish Heart (March), The Widow’s Plight (July), Courting Her Secret Heart (September), “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection (December), and Courting Her Prodigal Heart (January 2019). She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.
Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of over thirty-four years and two cats. She has three adult children and two incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at:




Wednesday, November 14, 2018

MISSAdventure BRIDES Series: RIDERS OF THE PAINTED STAR – The Heroine



By Kathleen E. Kovach

In the height of the singing cowboy era in Hollywood, Zadie Fitzgerald takes advantage of her local movie theater in Manhattan, New York. There is nothing better than cheering on her favorite actor and booing the villain. A successful artist, she learns of an opportunity to stay on an Arizona dude ranch and illustrate covers for a famed western novelist.


Zadie’s dream is to meet a real cowboy. She’s bored with city boys and has romanticized the tall, rugged horsemen that has filled her Saturday afternoons.
Once on the ranch, she spots just the right cowboy and asks if he'll model for the cover. Royce Rutger is reluctant at first but soon acquiesces. Thrilled to be able to spend quality sketching time with a real cowboy, Zadie is beside herself with joy.
But not all is what it seems.
Come to my blog through the month of November, when I’ll be hosting all of the heroes of the collection. Then, join me in December as I talk about my own story. I’ll be giving away copies of MISSAdventure Brides at the end of both months.

Kathleen E. Kovach is a Christian romance author published traditionally through Barbour Publishing, Inc. as well as indie. Having grown up in Colorado, Rocky Mountain National Park was her playground. She lives in northeast Colorado with her husband of over four decades and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. An award-winning author, she presents spiritual truths with a giggle, proving herself as one of God’s peculiar people. Please visit her at http://www.kathleenekovach.com.
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Tuesday Tidbits: QUILTING: AN EXTREME SPORT

A Mini Quilt made by ME I’ve been sewing since I was in first grade. I ran my mom’s sewing machine at top speed, much to the consternation o...