Portrait of a Small Western Town by Marisa Masterson

Where to set my next book? It's becoming a familiar question for me. For my upcoming book, A Bride for Bode, I searched for a small town west of the Mississippi that had some kind of rapid change caused by the railroad. I found just what I was looking for in Nebraska City, Nebraska.

The Lewis and Clark expedition first recommended where Nebraska City sits as an excellent site to transport goods on the river. Nearby, Fort Kearney was built and serviced travels heading west as well as providing protection to the surrounding area. The town that grew there first went by the name of the nearby creek--Table Creek--and did provide a convenient spot for river traffic. In 1854, the city officially became known as Nebraska City and was important to soldiers and overlanders as a way to get from one side of the Missouri River to the other.

Leaving the ferry.

Heading west.

What interested me was the change that happened to the town when the Burlington and Missouri Railroad included it on its route. This happened in 1871. Businesses started popping up quickly that year. Banks were established. Even one of the most significant life insurances companies in that new state came into being in Nebraska City. This frantic business activity was what I used as the motivation for my hero agreeing to a proxy marriage in A Bride for Bode. Just look at the change in the appearance of the town's buildings by comparing the two photos.

Even before the railroad came, the city had been laid out to accommodate the transportation of good. Planned in a grid, it allowed for everything to lead to and focus on the river.

Ferries like the Lizzie Campbell ferried soldiers, 49ers, railroad passengers and goods across the Missouri River. River traffic continued after the railroad came, but a large part of the ferrying involved moving the 100+ railroad cars across the river.

The ferry that replaced the Lizzie Campbell in order to transport 

train cars.

The pontoon bridge wouldn't be built until the late 1880s and the cars needed to be unhitched and hauled across the river before they could continue on either east or west.
What an incredible site that must have been to watch!

Check out my newest book set in Nebraska City during this business boom.

https://www.amazon.com/Bride-Bode-Proxy-Brides-ebook/dp/B07VC322BY

~~~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.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

Books in Miniature!

 *Make sure to read to the bottom of this post to find out how to enter the giveaway that celebrates my newest release!*

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Isn't it something how people are intrigued and amused by things in miniature? Anything in miniature makes us pause for a moment ~ often in awe and delight. Think about it...miniature dogs, ponies, and pigs. Just the thought of them brings a smile.

A while back I was lucky enough to visit the Huntington Library in San Marino, California, and had my first introduction to miniature books. I looked through a magnifying glass at the tiniest King James Bible I'd ever seen. How amazing it was to learn that miniature books had been around for centuries!

Officially, a miniature book is a book that ranges from one-half inch square to 3 inches (according to the Miniature Book Society.) The Huntington Library and countries outside the United States carry the size up to four inches.

From the dawn of written language there have miniature "books." As far back as 2000 B.C. evidence of writings in miniature form have been found. Back then it was on scrolls of papyrus, parchment or vellum. But...this blog is all about life here in the United States in the 1800s (primarily) so let's fast-forward to that time.

Miniature books became popular here in the last half of the 1800s. They were easy to carry and easy to conceal in a pocket or satchel. Dictionaries, almanacs, and travel books along with religious books (devotionals, Bibles, and tracts) were the most commonly produced type-set miniature books. Popular works were also miniaturized. For example Sherlock Holmes and Don Quixote.


These books sported beautiful etchings and illustrations and were bound in leather. Some even had gilt edges. Today these older books are sought-after collectibles and range in price from a few hundred dollars into the thousands. Here is The Constitution of the United States of America, published in 1787!

I think just knowing this, that I will have to include one of these miniature books in my next novel!

For some fun examples of miniature books that include pop-up pages and fold-out maps check these websites...

http://mentalfloss.com/article/52186/10-miniature-books-we-covet

http://www.indiana.edu/~liblilly/miniatures/pages/hazelt.html


And for the worlds's smallest published book ~

Yes--it's that tiny speck under the magnifying glass! Unbelievably, this book is right in my hometown of San Diego where so many of my stories are set! Next time I am there doing research I will have to make a point to stop in to see this at the Central San Diego Library.

In this age of eReaders and eBooks, where an entire encyclopedia of information is at our fingertips in such a slim object, something like a miniature book is hard to imagine. I hope you have enjoyed this very brief introduction and history of them.

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 My newest release ~ Familiar Stranger in Clear Springs ~ is available now!

I am running a Giveaway to celebrate!

Visit my website at www.kathrynalbright.com/events for details and sign up for my newsletter for a chance to win a Swarovski crystal bracelet, Amazon gift card, and a signed copy of Familiar Stranger in Clear Springs.

          

Visit Kathryn:

   Author website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Amazon Author Page |  

GARDEN OF THE GODS; NEW BOOK GIVEAWAY

Post by Angela Raines-author

With the release of my new novella "Angela of Salvation Valley", I thought I would write a bit about the region that inspired the location of this story.

One of the large city parks in Colorado Springs is Garden of the Gods. This 1,367 acre park sits just below Pikes Peak. In 1971 it was designated a National Natural Landmark. Just north of the park sits Glen Eyrie, the home of William Jackson Palmer, founder of Colorado Springs. The park consists of land owned by Palmer and friend Charles Elliott Perkins, donated after their deaths. For further information here is a link to Wikipedia : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_of_the_Gods

View of Garden of the Gods from the South

Nearby is "Old" Colorado City, founded in 1859 and claims to be the first territorial capital of Colorado. It lost its bid when the delegates from Denver 'stole' the paperwork and headed back to Denver. That is the story they tell there, and we know there was a meeting of the delegates in February of 1861 and Denver did end up the territorial capital. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Colorado_City

About 40 miles south is Canon City. It sits along the Arkansas River. Just west is the Royal Gorge, cut by the Arkansas and site of the battle between the Santa Fe and Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. It is also the site of the first Territorial Prison. http://cozine.com/2011-january/the-%E2%80%9Cwar%E2%80%9D-for-the-royal-gorge/

Part of the Arkansas River in Canon City

Each area, its beauty, its history all conspired to help create the story of Drew Carson and Elizabeth Campbell. Add in the 'supernatural' elements and you have a story of Angels, Demons, Heaven and Hell, or do you? The story is available on Amazon, Barnes&Noble, KOBO and Smashwords. At .99 you can't go too wrong. But you can also leave a comment before October 25 and get a chance to get a copy.

http://amzn.com/B016MPKFDI

Until next time, have a wonderful month. And if you are in the mood for some haiku, I post Monday through Friday at http://fivesevenfivepage.blogspot.com