Post (c) Doris McCraw writing as Angela Raines
It's release day for "Josie's Dream", part of the "Grandma's Wedding Quilts" series. If you haven't already made your purchase at $.99, do so before it returns to the regular price on January 18, 2017.
I had the good fortune to grow up in the tri-state area composed of Illinois, Missouri and Iowa. The medical school Josephine Forrester attend was located in Keokuk, Iowa. I'd walked those streets many a time in my childhood.
Keokuk has an interesting history, located on the Mississippi where it is almost a mile wide. From its early days to the present, many people have landed in this town. It has one of the few National Cemeteries west of the Mississippi and was a place where soldiers and supplies for the Civil War departed, along with the wounded of that war arrived. Samuel Clemens also knows as Mark Twain, made his home in this town in 1857, working alongside his brother Orion in the printing business.
The Medical School Josephine attended was part of the University of Iowa, the first public university to be co-ed. The Keokuk School of Physicians and Surgeons began life in Indiana but by November of 1850, the school held its first session in Keokuk, Iowa in a seven story building located at the corner of Third and Paleon Streets. It continued until 1908 when it merged with Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.
Hope you have enjoyed the first eight offerings in the sweet, fun series of the grandchildren of Grandma Mary. Since today is the release day for Josie's Dream, I want to thank my cover models, Camille, Chris and my photographer Nadine and of course Shanna Hatfield for putting my photos into the amazing cover you see at the beginning of this post. I also want to thank the other authors for their encouragement and support. This book would not be here without them.
Please enjoy the excerpt below from "Josie's Dream":
Pulling up the hem, Josie bent
down to see a pair of gold eyes look at her from a coat of dark gray.
“How did you get there?” Josie asked. Lifting the small creature
up, she moved to the door. The kitten clung to her shoulder,
headbutting her chin, loud purrs sounding in her ear.
“Well I’ll be,” the clerk
exclaimed, followed by a series of sneezes. “Sure is a cute one,”
he continued when the sneezes abated once again. “No one’s been
able to get that close to it.”
“You know this because...?”
Josie asked.
The clerk smiled, covering his
nose before answering in the hopes of staving off any further
sneezing. “Yes, indeed,” he said. “It’s mother was killed a
short while ago and I’ve been leaving it some food.”
“I thought you were allergic?”
“I am, but I always liked cats.
Figured a few sneezes were worth it. But that one hasn’t cottoned
to anyone.” The clerk looked at the kitten making itself
comfortable on Josie’s shoulder then continued, “Looks like it’s
chosen you.”
Josie reached up, gently pulling
the kitten forward for a better look. She’d always enjoyed animals,
but a cat?
“I don’t...” Josie started.
“You’d make me feel better if
you...” the clerk began, then sneezed.
“Let me think about it,”
Josie said. “Now about that room?”
“Sure,” the clerk smiled as
he handed her the key. “Room 204 looking out over the town”
“Also, is there a freighting
service I could use to bring my things from the train depot at Kit
Carson?”
“Myers & Company make a run
from here to there twice a week, and they’re reasonable.”
“Thank you,” Josie replied,
as she gathered her bags and started up the stairs.
Josie opened her room door, but
before she could close it, the kitten bounded in, scratching its way
to the middle of the bed.
Just then, Josie heard laughter,
followed by cries of pain. Grabbing her bag, she closed the door and
headed downstairs again, determined to help whoever was hurt.
The Grandma's Wedding Quilts books will be released at the rate of one per day. You will want to read all the books in the series. To find then all in one location, please visit and follow the series page on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2iVfF1h .
The Sweet Americana Sweethearts authors plan to keep writing together to create more book series. You can keep track of our progress two ways. First, please sign up to follow this blog, SweetAmericana Sweethearts blog.
Second, join the SweetAmericana Book Club group on Facebook: http://bit.ly/2jnVw7y.
Angela Raines is the pen name for Doris McCraw. Doris also writes haiku posted at – http://fivesevenfivepage.blogspot.com Check out her other work and like her Amazon author page: http://amzn.to/1I0YoeL
