Table for Two - Brief History of Dining Out for Valentine's Day - by Jo-Ann Roberts

 

"Candlelight dances on the table, and love dances in our hearts." Unknown

Happy February, friends! I know there is only one day left before we turn the calendar to March. But it's still the month of love, hearts, and...dining out with that special someone. Of course, these days none of us need a special occasion to eat out with friends, co-workers, or family members. The number of restaurants in any given city, town, and interstates crisscrossing the country is staggering.

However, the most common way to celebrate is with a romantic dinner for two at a nice restaurant. But was it always that way? After tumbling down the rabbit hole, I discovered that the answer was...no! In fact, romancing one's spouse was unheard of in many societies. Marriages were often more about political connections, wealth, or convenience than about love and romance. It wasn't until the Victorian era that love became a primary consideration. But even then, it was about cards, poems, and small sentimental gifts. Not dinner at a restaurant.

In the 19th century, it was considered scandalous for 
a couple--married or not--to have dinner at a restaurant. Mostly because those restaurants advertising romantic dinners were synonymous with brothels at that time. In 1923, Emily Post suggested that "...it was not proper for an engaged couple to dine together in a restaurant, but it is all right for them to lunch or have afternoon tea...They should take a chaperone if they motor to road-houses for meals."

According to food historians, it wasn't until the 1930s that taking a lady out to dinner became an acceptable way to celebrate. Charles Perry, a food historian believes "The tradition probably came about during the Depression, when any meal out was a special occasion.  Popular restaurants like Delmonico's and Sardi's had some tables with curtains so the couples could choose to see and be seen or have an intimate meal while still enjoying the sounds of the orchestra."

At some unsavory establishments, the heavy curtains and low light in private dining areas accommodated questionable conduct, especially if the restaurant had a back entrance where people could come and go discreetly.

However, by the 1960s, it was a common practice for a husband to take his wife to dinner. And what could be more romantic than a night off from her homemaking duties?

Today, dining out still seems to be the most romantic gesture a husband can do for his wife. For many, the idea is less about the restaurant or the meal itself as it is a return to the place where they first met, kissed, or had a realization that they want to marry their date. It may not be the most fancy or expensive place. Or perhaps their friends or family may not understand why they chose a certain corner tavern or a simple neighborhood pizza palace. Maybe they choose to explain why or maybe they don't. After all, shared secrets are a thing of romance, too.

I hope you shared some lovely Valentine's Day moments with someone special!

******************************************

Coming May 30th!

An outlaw looking for a fresh start. A schoolteacher who might hold the key to the entire town’s salvation.

Ash “Shotgun” McCrae can never make up for all the wrong he’s done. After leaving a notorious outlaw gang, he thought he’d discovered the peaceful existence he’d been looking for when he found work laying tracks for the railroad in Rivers Bend. Yet, when trouble shows up in town, he fears he may never free himself from the burden of his past.

Schoolteacher Kate Cummings stands as the one bright light in contrast to the curious looks and behind-the-glove whispers blowing through the town. The arrival of Padraic “Patch” Rooney and his gang challenges the small-town serenity she holds dear. Still, her steadfast trust in Ash awakens the strength of courage within them all, giving rise to the collective defiance against the approaching danger.

In a deadly game of dangerous outlaws and secret schemes, Kate and Ash must decide whether they are willing to risk everything for their love, including their lives.

 Pre-Order Link

 Series Order Link

 

 

Writing from Firsthand Sources

My latest completed novella, A Faraway Life--one of three stories in an anthology titled Mercer’s Belles--involved a first for me, which was creating a story that had its base in real-life events. Anyone who grew up in Seattle has heard about these women who traveled from the East to Seattle in 1864 and again in 1866 and took on important roles in developing the frontier society. The single or widowed women relocated for the sake of becoming teachers in a territory with very few women. They either listened to an appeal made by Asa S. Mercer, former president of the Territorial University of Washington, in a Massachusetts church or read newspaper ads in eastern newspapers offering jobs. Every woman who chose to be brave and venture west saw the opportunity as one that would better her life circumstances.

On the planned four-month journey leaving New York City in mid January, 1866, was Roger Conant, a journalist for The New York Times. He journaled his impressions of the travelers, noted the weather conditions (including a lunar eclipse), and recorded the experiences of socializing at American consulates and foreign embassies in several ports of call. His job was to write accounts of the voyage for the newspaper and post them along the voyage. The venture was the subject of much debate with most people denigrating the women who made the trip as being desperate to obtain a husband. But the bulk of the women truly wanted to become teachers. Conant’s journal was not published in his lifetime. A chance meeting connected a researcher studying the Pacific Northwest and Conant’s niece who had Conant’s journal in her possession.


Ninety-four years after the trip, the journal was published. I took advantage of his journal entries (he wrote almost daily) and had my characters enjoy several noted events. Because of what I’m assuming is a journalist’s attention to detail, I gathered specifics about the ship’s layout, menu, social activities, and personalities, which proved a great help in shaping the plot during the voyage. I will look for similar firsthand sources for future books.

Mercer’s Belles, Timeless Western Collection book 3, will release on September 17, 2019.
preorder link


BLURB for A Faraway Life

Teacher Sorcha Geraghty needs a fresh start after the death of her beau and a factory accident maimed her hand. Asa Mercer’s call for teachers for Washington Territory provides a new opportunity, and she joins his ocean-going expedition. Upon arrival, she learns of the expectation for the women to become wives to the many bachelors, and she has to figure out a new plan.

Logging manager Lang Ingemar needs a teacher to provide basic English instruction to his Swedish-speaking crew and keep them out of trouble when they go to Seattle. When he convinces Miss Geraghty to relocate to the logging camp, he has no idea the ways his life will be changed.



I will give away two copies to individuals willing to read and post a review within three days of the anthology’s release.

BEST SPOT FOR YOUR COLORADO VACATION IN 1890 by Marisa Masterson

Imagine it’s 1890 and you live in Colorado. Your husband has done well in his business so you have the income to take a trip and you would like to escape the heat of the city during the summer. Where might you go?

Or imagine you have skin issues. You’ve struggled with it and have tried everything suggested by your doctor. He’s heard of one more thing that might benefit you.

Both scenarios will take you to the same place--Wagon Wheel Gap.

Situated north of Creede in the northwestern part of Colorado, Wagon Wheel Gap is your destination. Once you arrive by train in nearby Del Norte, you take the stage described at that time in the Colorado Daily Chieftain as a “luxury for the tourist” and make the four-hour trip to Wagon Wheel Gap.

http://www.cogenweb.com/mineral/wagonwheelgap.htm

As early as 1877, the hot springs in the area of Wagon Wheel Gap were well-known for curing skin problems. Beyond the health benefits of the springs, the area drew tourists who wanted to fish for trout. While researching the area for my novel A Bride for Darrell, I expected to find a local history focused only on mining. The level of tourism truly surprised me.

By 1890, there were two hotels as well as cottages at the Wagon Wheel Hot Springs resort. According to The Elk Mountain Pilot, the resort hotel boasted a bath house (part of what is today the Creede Colorado Dude Ranch property), hotels, cottages, a casino, as well as fish hatcheries. These hatcheries were vital because of the heavy amount of fishing done by visitors. Each year, one million trout were added to the streams from those hatcheries!

Fishing Party Photo from 4urranch.com/luxurious-colorado-ranch/history/

Vintage Postcard from picclick.com

After it was established in 1908 by Theodore Roosevelt, tourists also came to see the nearby Wheeler National Monument, now known as the Wheeler Geologic Area. Around the time it opened, the Palisade Tribune declared it  was "destined to rival the Yellowstone National Park." 

An interesting fact I learned in my reading was that local men came from the surrounding communities to keep the wagon trail to this monument as well as the one to Wagon Wheel Gap in good shape. Once a year, they set aside a day for “Good Roads Day” in the spring to keep the road into Wagon Wheel Gap passable for tourists. (Creede Candle, June 10, 1916) Imagine a community fixing their roads today—incredible!

Cool temperatures, a guaranteed catch of trout, hot springs, duck hunting, and health benefits, Wagon Wheel Gap was the tourist mecca for Coloradans for decades. Wagon Wheel Hot Springs is definitely where I’d go if I could just find that time machine of mine…

Connect with Marisa on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/marisa.masterson.33 or find about her new releases at www.bookbub.com/profile/marisa-masterson.

A sweet, historical western romance in the Proxy Bride series...

If Darrell Dean wants to inherit half of the Silver Queen mine, he needs to marry. Though he doesn't even like the girl, he agrees to marry the local saloon owner's daughter. He doesn't expect the surprise that he receives when a woman interrupts the wedding.

If Willa VanDurring wants to escape the danger stalking her, she needs a new name and a somewhere far away to go. At her guardian's urging, she agrees to marry Darrell Dean by proxy and then immediately leaves to join him in Colorado. She doesn't expect to interrupt his wedding when she arrives.

Can a man who didn't agree to marry the proxy bride and a woman pursued by murderers make a life together? What happens when the danger finds her? In a town with no law, how will she survive?

Click to find out more about this new release set in the mountains of Colorado.

If you are interested in reading articles about the Wagon Wheel Gap Hot Springs , I suggest two  I found particularly interesting--

•  https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=EMP19180502-01.2.4&srpos=2&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-creede+hot+springs-------0-
• https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=CFT18900705-01.2.4&srpos=1&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-wagon+wheel+gap+hot+springs-------0-

Both are from a fascinating archive known as the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. It is free and easy to use.

Promise of Home ~ Lockets and Lace #18

Hi Sweethearts!

I'm a new author in the Lockets and Lace Collection, and I hope you'll give my story a chance! This one is near and dear to my heart as it deals with two things I've always had a great interest in--the Orphan Train, and those who are disabled, specifically deafness.

Here's the summary:

A daring young woman with a disability. An orphan train filled with hope. A dream that won't be denied.

Julia is a deaf girl raised as an orphan who is working with the Children’s Aid Society to help find homes across the country for orphans from New York. But each time one of the orphans she’s grown close to is adopted, she finds her heart breaking. And the farther the train goes, the farther from home she feels.

But feelings can be deceiving. And there might just be a home waiting for her at the end of the journey she didn’t expect.

Here's a snippet:

Finally, Mrs. Jansen pulled away, swiping the tears that spilled over her cheeks. “It’s just so good to see you. You look healthy and well. That’s a blessing and more than I could have asked for.”

Julia nodded. “I got your letters.”

The wide smile Mrs. Jansen had for a moment slipped just a bit, and her lips became thin. “Savannah. She’s quite a handful. You and she couldn’t be more different. Where you were quieter than a church mouse and introspective, Savannah spends much of her time voicing her frustrations in the form of screaming. She’s impossible to communicate with and shows no interest in learning to read and write.”

“And she’s deaf, like me?”

Mrs. Jansen nodded slowly.

Her letters had said as much. Mrs. Jansen couldn’t afford to send Savannah to Connecticut to the School for the Deaf, nor could she ask for Mr. and Mrs. Milne to take on another ward like they had taken on Julia. It would have been too much. Though Julia had worked with some tough cases at the school—deaf children who showed their frustration with being unable to communicate their needs and feelings through violence—she’d had the Milne family’s help. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly as Mrs. Jansen’s gaze shut toward the upstairs.

With a finger pointing toward the kitchen’s ceiling, Mrs. Jansen said, “That would be her, now.”

Julia nodded. “Take me to her.”

Mrs. Jansen’s tight-lipped smile continued as she turned about and headed toward the back of the kitchen and to a narrow wooden staircase. The familiar yet musty scent of old books and lemon wood polish assailed Julia’s nose. She’d forgotten this smell. The Jansens opened the home to about five or six orphaned children at a time. Some of the children had incapacitations, like she had, though few were deaf or blind. Many left their care early on to earn a living for themselves in factories and on the wharf. Some children would run away, presumably to look for their parents. The few who stayed were fed and clothed well by the parishioners of the church and cared for by the Jansen family in their home behind the rectory of the church.

When they reached the top of the stairs, they found four children standing in the hallway in their night clothes, staring into what Julia remembered as the play room. One of the children ducked out of the way as a wooden toy train whizzed past her head and smashed against the wall opposite the doorway, leaving a dark smudge on the white paint. The children’s eyes were filled with sadness and confusion as they all turned their gazes toward Mrs. Jansen and Julia. Julia offered the children a friendly smile and eyed them all with nods as Mrs. Jensen introduced them.

Alice, with beautiful sparkling blue eyes and dark hair, pale complexion and a cleft lip, looked to be only about six or seven years old. Mary, with fiery red hair and hazel green eyes looked at her with suspicion. She seemed the oldest of the two girls, probably closer to thirteen, with more freckles covering her face than clear white skin peering through. One of the boys, William, appeared to have dwarfism, but his smile shone like the sun as he looked up at her. The other boy, George, a Chinese, backed away from her and hid behind Mary’s skirts when Julia approached. He couldn’t have been more than five and barely looked at Julia.

Then Mrs. Jensen gestured toward the play room. “And Savannah is just inside.”

Julia peered into the room and found a six or seven-year-old child on the floor, her nightgown hiked half way up her thighs, her hands in her matted hair as she pulled at it and stared at the ceiling above her. Tear tracks streamed down her face. Then her brown eyes met Julia’s and widened. She backed away quickly, picking up the nearest wooden block and throwing it at Julia. The wooden block bounced off the thick skirt of Julia’s traveling dress.

A hand rested on Julia’s arm, and Mrs. Jensen’s worry-filled eyes met hers. “She’s weary of strangers. It may take her a moment more to calm down.”

Julia rested her hand atop Mrs. Jensen’s and set her carpet bag on the floor beside her feet. “I’ll be okay.”

Then she took a deep breath and focused on the young, wild girl who sat in the corner, terrified eyes fixed upon Julia. Julia took three steps forward and then knelt down, reveling in the weight of silence for a moment, ignoring the presence of those behind her. She offered Savannah a soft smile, but the child frowned, narrowed her eyes at Julia and then threw another wooden block.

Even though Julia didn’t often understand the rules when it came to sports, she liked to play them. And the Milne family loved a new game they had learned during their stay in Brooklyn when they met her—baseball. Julia reached out and caught the block in her hand, ignoring the sting on her palm and fingers. The child’s eyes went wide and her mouth formed an “O.” Keeping her smile on her face, Julia set down the wooden block on the floor and tilted her head toward Savannah.

The child studied her with curiosity more than suspicion now. Progress. Julia edged just a bit closer to the corner Savannah had backed herself into and the sat on the floor, straightening her skirts around her legs. For a long moment, the two of them sat quietly. When the sun outside had set, it leeched out the last of the natural light that had come in through the window when she’d first arrived. Though she didn’t look, Julia saw Mrs. Jensen set a lantern on the nearby table from the corner of her eye. 

Julia’s stomach growled. She hadn’t had dinner since getting off the train from Hartford, but she ignored the annoyance. She ignored everything except the silence and the child whose tension slowly slipped away as she sat in the corner. Savannah’s eyes half closed, and her head nodded once before she ripped it upward and opened her eyes wide. Julia offered her another smile and finally, reached a hand out toward her.

Savannah lifted a brow and looked at her hand for a long moment, a frown returning to her face.

Together, they had been sitting there for the better part of two hours. In silence. In patience. In stubbornness. And Julia had her arm outstretched and the small smile on her face for long enough that her arm grew tired and her elbow began to hurt from the weight of her own hand. Savannah didn’t nod off again. Instead she continued to stare at Julia incredulously. Then, finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Savannah leaned forward and crawled to Julia. She bypassed Julia’s outstretched hand and crawled directly into Julia’s lap. 

Julia stayed utterly still, her hand still outstretched while the child’s knees dug into her numbed calves. Though pain shot through her body. Julia ignored it, fighting to keep a smile on her face though she wanted to wince. Then Savannah’s fingers gently touched the locket on Julia’s neck. She fingered the oval and lifted the pendant. Julia remained still, her breath becoming bated as Savannah gripped the locket in her palm, and the chain bit into the back of Julia’s neck a moment just before the chain broke when Savannah yanked on the locket.

Release Day—Taming A Scandal

Today is release day for my second book in the multi-author “Lockets and Lace series by the authors of the Sweet Americana Sweethearts blog. Taking place from 1820-1920, these stories are linked by a visit to The Bavarian Watch and Jewelry Shop in St. Joseph, Missouri.

BLURB:

Socialite Mercia Saunders got evicted due to a touchy situation--which she feels was justified because it was for the sake of her art. Now her Philadelphia landlady has shipped her belongings to the family’s Newport, Rhode Island, home. Her father is livid and demands she choose between being courted by the hand-picked sons of prominent Newport business owners or live scandal-free with her oldest brother on a Texas cattle ranch. To a young woman raised with society, the ranch sounds like boring banishment, but she refuses to let her father choose her beau.

Pinkerton Agent Dominic Prentice is on the trail of a jewelry thief when he first meets the enticing Mercia—too bad he’s wearing the disguise of an elderly Southern gentleman. Then he’s assigned the task of keeping the art student under surveillance on a west-bound train to Texas. He can’t resist a railroad flirtation as himself, and the two draw closer than Mercia’s chaperones know. His allegiance to the Pinkerton National Detective Agency is tested when Dominic is forced to decide between tracking the jewelry or wooing the maiden.

Amazon BUY LINK 

If you didn’t catch my first entry in this series, Tending Troubles, I put it on sale for only 99 cents through April 6^th. Both novellas, clean and wholesome romances, are stand-alone stories and have connections with my “Dorado, Texas” series.

BLURB

Traveling west to become a mail-order bride is the most adventurous act Bostonian Imogene Franklin ever did. Unfortunately, the groom chose another so now Imogene must make her way on her own. Dreading the idea of returning home to continue raising her siblings, she is reduced to waiting tables in the Dorado café. 
Guilt hangs heavy over Reggie Othmann—ever since he brought home a childhood illness that claimed both his parents’ lives. The ink is barely dry on Reggie’s degree when he arrives home in Dorado to establish a medical practice. All he’s wanted since he was ten years old is to help people, but the townspeople have been without a doctor for so long, they don’t flock through his doors as expected.
An illness sweeps the town, and Reggie is overwhelmed, fearing   he’s not qualified to heal them. Imogene steps in and together, they work hard to prevent anyone from dying, spending days together. Is their emotional tie born of the closeness of the ordeal or perhaps something more?

BUY LINK 

Authenticity of Old West Towns

by Cyndi Raye

Working on a new series, I wanted to be as authentic as possible to bring the feel of the Old Western towns alive. Most times it winds up to be the characters that make a town authentic. While researching, I ran into some interesting facts and fodder that I'd like to share with you. 

In my upcoming book, A Bride for Abel, the town's setting lies a few miles south of Alder Gulch, which most people know as Virginia City, Montana. I didn't want to use the actual town of Virginia City in my own story since building my own town is much more fun. So, I took bits and pieces from history to build a fictional place called Pistol Ridge.

One interesting story I read about is concerning a notorious dirty sheriff. Starting in 1863, and throughout the following years, there were many shady characters typical of a boom town. One particular lawman, Henry Plummer, was supposedly as crooked as the day is long. He was alleged to be the brains behind the road agents (a group of criminals who robbed stages, freight wagons and anyone using the road from Virginia City to Nevada City). Mostly, the road agents were men who were too lazy to mine for gold or find legitimate work. Instead, they found other ways to make their fortune. 

In my own story, I had planned to use a sheriff who was not as honorable as the townsfolk thought. When I started doing my research, I was surprised and delighted to find the sheriff of Virginia City also had quite a reputation. 

What do you think? Does he look innocent or guilty?

 Henry Plummer

Since one of my first scenes start out in a saloon, I wanted it to be authentic. The interesting thing I found out and didn't know, was a dance hall girl and a soiled dove are two different people. While proper ladies look down their nose at a dance hall girl, she would never associate with a prostitute. So, what is the difference? 

A dance hall girl doesn't have to become a prostitute. She is hired by the owner to offer dances to the patrons, charging .75 to $1.00 per dance. Afterwards, she steers the patron to the bar, where she talks him into buying them a drink, earning commission on the drinks, also. The irony is her drink is usually tea or colored sugar water since she isn't allowed to imbibe while working. The patron is paying the price for alcohol on both drinks. Does it sound like he is being duped? 

Dance Hall Girl

What about the rules of common courtesy and decency? 

Interestingly, this can get quite complicated. If a man walks into a saloon and begs for a drink claiming he has no money, someone almost always will buy him a drink. On the other hand, if he orders a drink and then tells the barkeep he has no money, he may get himself beat up. 

A man walks into a bar....truly, if he walks into a saloon in the 1800's, if there is a customer standing next to him, he had better buy that man a drink. Did you ever watch an old western and notice how they always seem to buy the man beside him a shot? It is actually considered common courtesy to do so. Now, if the man walks in and ignores the patron beside him, it is also considered bad manners. Men in the old west don't stand for disrespect. 

On the other hand, if a customer is standing at the bar (no bar stools back then), and the patron next to him wants to buy a drink, he had better accept. Refusing can cause harm. It's been told a man or two have been marched through the streets to several different drinking establishments to teach a man some manners. Not sure what this entailed but I'm certain is wasn't pretty.

If you are interested in learning about Virginia City, MT, Laura Joanne Arata, a student at Washington State University wrote a thesis for her Masters of Art. It has tons of information (284 pages) if you like reading history. It can be found here: Thesis of Virginia City, MT

I hope you enjoyed my first post. If you'd love to be introduced to a new series, my book, A Bride for Abel, is set in a town much like Virginia City in 1875. It includes quite the adventure and a rotten sheriff as well. A Bride for Abel is due out November 1st, but you can always check out the other books in The Proxy Bride series awhile.  As of this writing, three of the books are already live. 

Take a look at our exciting new series:

Book #1 A Bride for Jeremiah is live

     Book #2 A Bride for Clay is live

1. Book #3 A Bride for Nathan is live
   
   
   Book #4 A Bride for Abel is live

Headrights for Texas Settlers

Even before Texas became a Republic, the Spanish then the Mexicans were giving land grants to encourage settlers to come to live in Tejas.

Moses Austin became an empresario, entering into a contract with the Spanish government in January 1821, agreeing to bring three hundred Catholic families to settle along the Brazos River lands. He selected colonists, allocated lands and oversaw the Mexican law.

When he died, his son Stephen F. Austin took over the contract. Other important empresarios were Green DeWitt, Benjamin Milam, and Sterling Robertson and several others. Each head of household was awarded a league (four thousand four hundred twenty-eight and four-tenths acres of grazing land) and a labor (one hundred seventy-seven and one-tenth cropland) and the empresario, for his compensation, received five leagues and five labors for each one hundred families he settled.

After Sam Houston defeated Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto in April 1836, the Republic of Texas was born. The cash-strapped new nation used land grants to pay off the veterans of San Jacinto and other battles and awarded heads of families a First Class Headright—a league and a labor, over four thousand acres per man. That the settlers be of the Catholic religion was no longer a requirement.

As more pilgrims answered the call and journeyed to Texas for a new start, the Republic stopped giving First Class Headrights. Though the previous recipients who held the certificates could transfer ownership. The new owner could settle the land, survey it, and were required to live on it for three years in order to patent it—receive title deed to the land.

Up until October 1837, the second class headrights (Twelve hundred eight acres for heads of household and half that for single men were awarded) were offered, and after until January 1840, the grants went to third class giving half those amounts. After January 1840, fourth class headrights with the same acreage (six hundred forty to families, three hundred forty for single men) were issued by the Congress of the Republic of Texas.

This was why my fictitious families, the O’Neals, Van Zandts, and Worleys, headed to Texas from Tennessee in GONE TO TEXAS, the coming-in-September book one of my new Family Saga series Cross Timber Romances. It will also be a part of an exciting new collection fashioned around my favorite holiday—Thanksgiving! Be watching for more news about the Thanksgiving Books & Blessings Collection!
 
The headrights didn’t mean a man owned the land, only that he had a right to make it his own by following the  requirements. To own it, he had to mark the corners, live on it three years, farm ten acres in a crop, survey it, then take care of the paperwork at one of the thirty-eight Government Land Offices (GLO) across the Republic where the Texas settler became a citizen landowner, claiming his title deed for the land.

So if you’re ever driving through Texas and some ranches stretch on for mile after mile, like the Cross Arrow right down the Farm-to-Market from me here in Red River County, rest assured that once upon a time, someone like Henry Buckmeyer, the patriarch of my Texas Romance Family Saga (1832-1950, over ten decades and five generations—nine books strong) obtained vast properties by marking the corners, living on it, farming a portion of it, then taking care of their paperwork at the GLO (government land office).

Bio: Caryl McAdoo prays her story brings God glory, and a quick scroll through her novels’ rankings by Christian readers attests to the Father’s faithfulness. She loves writing almost as much as singing the new songs He gives her—look her up on YouTube to hear a few. Her high school sweetheart husband won her heart fifty-two years ago and in June 2018, the McAdoos celebrate their Golden anniversary. Blessed with four children and seventeen grandsugars, Ron and Caryl live in the woods south of Clarksville, seat of Red River County in far Northeast Texas, waiting expectantly for God to open the next door.

Links: Website  Amazon  BookBub  Facebook YouTube

~~~New Release~~~

Pearl's Will

by Sophie Dawson

Lockets & Lace #9

Will Miller doesn’t know what to think when the lovely young woman faints in his jewelry and watch repair shop--except he wants to help her any way he can.

Widow Pearl Ward, struggling to survive, needs to sell the watch-locket given to her on her eighteenth birthday. When she learns she’s expecting, he proposes.

Will Pearl’s feelings for her late husband stand between them? Can they build a life together with his mother dead set against them?

Here's an excerpt:
Will Miller opened the back of the locket and sighed. The engraving lessened the value. The piece was high quality. The cover over the watch was decorated with a five lobed clover design surrounded by scrolling. In the clover was a thin-pointed star with a small diamond in the center. The back cover repeated the design without the stone. Inside the back cover where a photograph could be placed was an engraving. ‘To Pearl Henry, From Papa and Mama, Sept. 9, 1906.” 

Will glanced at the woman who was looking intently into the lace display. She was quite thin, honey blonde hair peeked out from under her wide-brimmed hat. She was wearing the simple clothing of a working woman. Navy skirt with a matching double-breasted long jacket, white blouse with a crocheted lace collar that spread beautifully over the blue. What he could see of her face showed a slim nose, unlike his fairly broad one. He’d have to see what color her eyes were. She lifted her hand and touched the glass of the case. A lace glove encased her slim fingers. 

Will looked back at the watch-locket. It was suspended from a gold bow-shaped pin. It would look lovely on the bodice of her jacket. He wondered why she was wanting to sell it. The quality of her clothing wasn’t high-society, but it was well tailored and didn’t look worn. 

Standing, Will moved back to the counter. She came over, waiting with a hopeful expression on her face. Her eyes were a deep green, nearly the color of pine needles. Framed with long lashes, they spoke of sadness, despair, loneliness, and desperation. 

Even though Will knew what the true value of the watch-locket was, something told him to offer more. He wouldn’t tell his father he paid more for it. He’d pay for it up with his own money.

“Miss? Are you sure you want to sell this? It must have great sentimental value to you.”
She looked down a moment, then lifted her eyes again. They glittered with moisture. “Yes, but, if it’s possible, and I’ll understand if you can’t do it, would there be any chance I could purchase it back in the future?”

She must have fallen on extremely hard times. It firmed his intention to help her. It wasn’t because she was lovely, Will assured himself. Well, maybe it was a little. He hoped that wasn’t his main motivation. His Christian ethic called for being a Good Samaritan for others.

Will set the watch on the counter and named the amount he would pay her for the locket. She lifted a trembling hand to her lips. “I’ll hold it back from display so you can redeem it. At least, I can for several months. Would that work for you?”

“Thank you. You’re most generous. I’ll try to redeem it as soon as I can.”

Will picked up the locket and placed it on the workbench. Rather than pay her from the cash register, he opened his personal cash drawer and counted out the bills. He put the locket into the drawer, near the back. 

As he turned around to go back to the counter, he saw the woman lay one hand on the counter. The other she raised to her forehead. Then, she collapsed to the floor. 

~o0o~

Pearl's Will Kindle $2.99 & Print $12.99 

Also on Kindle Unlimited

International link: myBook.to/pearlswill

Join the Lockets & Lace authors on Facebook for our 

Launch Celebration event. 

There you find information on how you may have a chance to win one of three great prices: a special book locket, a lace handkerchief, or a $40 Amazon gift card. Please visit each day to learn more about each book as it is released.

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WRITING A SERIES & The Release of "CHASING A CHANCE"

One of the joys of writing a series with other authors is the chance to get to know them. This is true not only for the reader, but the author as well. This latest series, "Lockets and Lace" or  "Lockets & Lace" gave me a chance to connect with authors I'd only heard of, or in some cases, completely new authors. 

Comanche Grasslands near La Junta,CO

We all had a chance to tell the stories that were in our hearts within the framework of a theme. For myself, the story "Chasing A Chance" had been nudging me for some time. The idea of an older couple, who had known each other as children, demanded to be told. When my friends and fellow actors agreed to do the cover shoot, it all fell into place.

The book design was agreed upon and the lovely lady, Evelyne, from Carpe Librum Book Design, turned the photo shoot into the beautiful cover you see here. I will tell you, Mike, the gentleman on the cover posted on facebook: "Always wanted to be like one of those models on the cover of a romance novel. Never thought I'd be one. In my old age, no less..." 





I will share with you a couple of photos that did not make the cover. As you can see, we had a lot of fun. I also need to give credit to my photographer, Nadine Keaney of NKDesign. She's done the photos for the covers of most of my books.

Make sure you head over to the FaceBook launch event, and check out no only my day, but the posts of the other authors in the series. We've each had a day that we've spent with you, letting you get to know us and our work. You can access it here: Book Launch

Now for a short excerpt from "Chasing A Chance":

 The store was in shadow as the sun started over the horizon. Slowly, the light drove the darkness further back. Mary came from her living quarters, feeling rested for the first time in days. She moved to the front, intent on checking for any damage that might have occurred during the night.

A slight breeze blew puffs of dust down the street. Mary enjoyed the early mornings as the sun shone on a new day. Perhaps it was just wishful thinking, but mornings gave her hope. She was surprised to see Edwin coming up the street. A picture of him doing the same thing all those years ago overlay the present. She started to frown, followed quickly by a smile. Edwin had only been in town for two days, and here she was acting like the young girl she’d been before life got in the way.

The ringing of the bell above the door brought a grinning Edwin inside. At the sight of Mary his eyes glowed. "You're just like the picture I've kept in my head of you," he said, reaching to pull her close.

Mary relaxed into the safety Edwin’s arms offered. The years fell away, and she was the young girl who had believed in happy ever after, and the gift of friends. A weight lifted from her heart and mind, if only for a brief time.

Join the Lockets & Lace authors on Facebook for our 

Launch Celebration event. 

There you find information on how you may have a chance to win one of three great prices: a special book locket, a lace handkerchief, or a $40 Amazon gift card.

Please CLICK HERE.

Chasing A Chance is available for $.99 until midnight January 30, 2018 at which time it will then be for sale at $2.99.

You can connect with me at the following places:

Angela Raines on Amazon

Angela Raines on FaceBook

Renawomyn.blogspot.com

Christmas Songs from Victorian America

by Kathryn Albright

    

 Christmas songs ~ both contemporary and traditional ~ speak to my heart. I wanted to share six Christmas songs that were written in the "Sweet Americana Sweetheart era," the time between 1820 and 1920. 

Before the 1800's, Christmas carols came to us in two different ways. They would be classical chorales or church music first. Then, sometimes years (even centuries!) later, words would be fitted to the music.Many traditional songs such as What Child is This? and The First Noel come to us in this manner. Or, it could happen the other way around. A well-loved poem would later have music added to it. (As with The Star Spangled Banner.)

In the late 1800's the production of pianos became affordable to middle class families and Tin Pan Alley and sheet music hit the American scene.
 

    

Here are six favorites from the years 1820-1920…

    
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing ~ The tune composed in 1840 by Felix Mendelssohn, the lyrics came from a hymn written in 1739 by Charles Wesley.

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear ~ was a poem by Edmund Sears in Massachusetts, first published in a church magazine 1849. It was adapted to music a year later by Richard S. Willis.

Oh, Little Town of Bethlehem ~ Written by Phillip Brooks, a well-known preacher in Philadelphia 1868. Lewis Redner set the words to music for the church’s children’s choir that he managed.

We Three Kings of Orient Are ~ 1857 in New York City by John Hopkins, Jr.

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day ~ A poem entitle Christmas Bells written in 1861 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and set to music in the 1870s by John Baptiste Calkin. In 1940 the poem was set to new music by Johnny Marks and that is how we know it today.

Away in a Manger ~ Published 1887 in a collection called Dainty Songs for Lads and Lasses. The lyrics came from a poem in a children’s Sunday School book published several years earlier in Philadelphia. 

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Of these songs, I think the most poignant story behind the song is with Longfellow’s Christmas Bells poem. His wife had died in a house fire in 1861 and he was in the grip of depression. Also that year, 1861, the Civil War had begun. His oldest son enlisted and left for the war in 1863. (He was severely injured and returned home.) It was on Christmas Day of 1863 that Longfellow wrote the poem of a hope that prevails as long as there is Christmas and the promise of new life.

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What is your favorite Christmas carol or song? Comment for a chance to win an autographed copy of Christmas Kiss from the Sheriff.

 Gemma Starling travels two thousand miles from her former life to flee a crime she committed. As the new schoolteacher in Clear Springs, she tries to blend in, but the new sheriff is not so easily deceived.  

When her life is threatened, he realizes that his personal feelings for her have far surpassed his professional responsibilities for the case. He can’t lose her…yet does he even know who she truly is?

Happy Holidays!

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