Celebrating 10 Years In a Writing Career

 

The summer of 2013, I was being pushed to put in more and more hours at work until I was clocking somewhere between 50-60 hours a week. 

At a job that felt like it was about to suck the life out of me. 

Demands were ever-increasing and there was nothing no human without super powers could have done to meet them. 

I'd come home so exhausted and frustrated every night and still try to get in an hour or two of writing. 

After one particularly harsh day at work, I came home near tears, at a loss to know what to do to make things any better at work. My boss was also the owner of the business, so it wasn't like there was anyone up the chain of command I could talk to about the situation. 

The next morning, I'd barely arrived at work when my husband, Captain Cavedweller, called and told me I needed to quit. 

We'd discussed several times what our finances would need to look like before I left behind a steady paycheck and benefits. 

Even though we weren't quite there yet with the income from my books, he encouraged me to let go of the safety net of my day job and pursue my dream of writing full time. 

So I did.

I gave me two weeks' notice and left work for the last time on August 8, 2013. 

It was terrifying to take such a big leap of faith, but it has blessed me - us - so much in the past ten years. I am grateful every day for the privilege of doing something I love and being able to make a living from it. 

Even when I was a little girl, I dreamed of creating stories I could share with others that would make them happy.

Now, those dreams have come true and I'm so incredibly thankful. 
To celebrate my 10th anniversary of walking away from what was secure to embrace an unknown adventure, I'm hosting a party in my Facebook group tomorrow.

I hope you'll join me for a day of fun, games, giveaways and more!

USA Today bestselling author Shanna Hatfield is a farm girl who loves to write. Her sweet historical and contemporary romances are filled with sarcasm, humor, hope, and hunky heroes.

Shanna creates character-driven romances with realistic heroes and heroines. Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”

When Shanna isn’t dreaming up unforgettable characters, twisting plots, or covertly seeking dark, decadent chocolate, she hangs out with her beloved husband, Captain Cavedweller.

Why The Rush?- Oklahoma Land - September 16, 1893

By Kimberly Grist



What do a cannon firing, soldiers with fixed bayonets, and perhaps as many as 100,000 eager and many impoverished hopeful landowners bring to mind? You would be correct if you guessed the September 16, 1893, Oklahoma land run.

Photo: “One Minute Before the Start,” Oklahoma Land Run, September 16, 1893. Credit: L. D. Hodge; Wikimedia Commons.

The U.S. economy had been devastated by the Panic of 1893 and undergoing an economic depression. As a result, many were out of work and hungry. They were starving for an opportunity, and more than six million acres of free land was an enormous temptation.


https://clo.ok.gov/agency/history/

Many waited in line for days to register at the land office in Arkansas City, Kansas, probably similarly crowded as those pictured above at the land office in Perry, Oklahoma Territory, another registry location for the Cherokee Strip land run.

The chaos that preceded and followed the cannon shot at noon on September 15, 1893, mirrored the desperation of many pioneers who participated in the event in hopes of staking a claim for 160 acres of free land.


(Scene from the 1931 movie Cimarron)


http://www.hanksville.org/sand/realprop/images/west140.jpg

According to a New York Herald article published on September 17, 1893:

SOLDIERS CLEAR A TRAIN
“More than fifteen thousand persons wanted to go in on the first train from Orlando, which had a capacity for fewer than two thousand. With a wild shout, the crowd rushed forward. The soldiers on the ground were swept from their feet, and for a moment, it seemed as if the mob would capture the train, for men and women were around and over the engine and tender, upon and under the platforms, and even upon the roofs of the coaches.

However, the blue-coated guardians soon recovered and cleared the train with fixed bayonets and compelled everybody to show certificates before entering.

On every side, men and women fought and struggled to get near the cars. Women had their clothes torn off, and men were knocked down and trampled upon. Scores of persons were injured, yet the struggle continued until the train was filled, and it was repeated on a smaller scale with each succeeding train.”

Free On Kindle Unlimited

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09WCFF6T5

Will her road lead to the Promised Land?

Orphaned as a young girl, Ella longs for a life she’s only read about in books. To escape a desperate situation, she heads west as a mail-order bride to a man searching for a marriage of convenience. His marriage will provide the inheritance to finance the family’s business venture in Oklahoma. Newspapers claim the unchartered territory is a land where streams flow with milk and the heavens rain down a supply of honey. She's making her run toward Hope, Love, and Family.

 

Connect With Kimberly:

Fans of historical romance set in the late 19th -century will enjoy stories combining History, Humor, and Romance, emphasizing Faith, Friends, and Good, Clean Fun.
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A Sheriff from the West visits Coney Island

 

Hi, Kit Morgan here! In doing some research for my current book, Winnie, The Snows of Clear Creek Book 4, I had to figure out how my characters were to get from Sea Cliff, out on Long Island, to Coney Island in 1892.  Having had an apartment in Brooklyn for four years, I knew how to do it, but what was it like over 130 years ago. It would have taken some time but could be done. In fact, one could say that Coney Island's tourist facilities went hand in hand with the making of transportation routes to the ever popular spot. When that transportation got cheaper and faster, Coney Island boomed. 

My character, Sheriff Tom Turner has lived out west all his life. The year is 1892, and his daughter has married a young man from a wealthy family that moved West several years before. Now that young gentleman is returning to New York with his new bride in tow and her parents. Culture shock is putting it mildly when our little family sees New York City for the first time and begins sightseeing. But one of Sheriff Tom's favorite places is Coney Island. Thank goodness the transportation system was there or my poor characters might never have made it.

They marvel at the barkers and vendors on the boardwalk and Sheriff Tom wins his share of prizes for the women folk at anything having to do with taking aim at something. He's a crack shot after all. Little did Tom know that the first railroad to reach Coney Island was made up of cars pulled by horses in 1860. The terminal was at Van Sicklen's near the beach at the time. Nowadays, the terminal is far inland. 

In 1876 it got way easier to reach Coney Island by road. The Ocean Parkway, (today known simply as Ocean Parkway, they dropped the "the")was  a seventy foot wide roadway that was beautified with trees and shrubbery. It ran from Brooklyn's Prospect Park to the ocean. Almost completely straight, Ocean Parkway was flanked by two gravel roads each twenty five feet wide, perfect for racing surreys. Today it's a busy thoroughfare and I've walked it many times as our apartment wasn't far from Prospect park and if one wanted to hike to the Prospect Park Zoo, you cut down Ocean Parkway. 

There weren't any east-west forms of transportation at Coney Island, or so much as a street until about 1890. You had to use the railroad or a ship that happened to go to the section of Coney Island that you wanted. Surprisingly, a lot of the railroads owned land on Coney Island. So naturally they aimed to have customers frequent their amusements, restaurants, hotels and bathing pavilions. Money wasn't made in bringing tourists to and from Coney Island, but in the money they spent while on day trips or extended vacations. 

So if you're ever in New York, enjoy all the history there. My dad used to tell me you could live there for a couple of years and not even come close to seeing it all. He was right. I had my apartment for four years, and never scratched the surface! But Coney Island was one of the fun places to go and whenever anyone from out west came to visit, it was always on their list of places to see. Bummer that we couldn't race another surrey on the way there!

Until Next Time,

Kit

LOOK AT THAT BOY IN THE BONNET! by Marisa Masterson

 A boy in a sun bonnet? Anything was possible by the end of the trail from Missouri to points west.

To start the journey, emigrants were advised by guidebooks on what to wear. The writers advised that every pioneer have at least two sets of shoes and the same with clothing, double of everything except socks. They should take four pairs of those, according to The Prairie Traveler, 1859.

Fine, Two sets of clothing. Except many people had headed west to escape poverty and the lack of a future. They could not afford more than the clothing they wore. Amazing but true, according to Chris Enss in How the West was Worn. By the end of the trip, female pioneers wrote about seeing young men in sun bonnets because they had lost their hats. Travelers made do with what was at hand on the trail.

Notice the shortened hem.

Because clothing wore out, women altered dresses before starting the trip. One common thing was to cut two or three inches off the garment's bottom so that the skirt did not tangle in long prairie grass or brush an open fire while cooking. When the dress was rehemmed after that, women put lead shot in that hem. It kept the prairie winds from embarrassing a lady by whipping up her skirt.

Another way a woman might alter her dress before starting on the trail involved the bodice. To make what might be her only garment last longer, a pioneer would line her bodice with canvas. It sounds uncomfortable to me. Still, having no dress sounds much worse.

NEW RELEASE!

Gold! Suellen finds a hidden stash of the gleaming coins under the false bottom of her dead husband's trunk. The bank's name, stamped on the bag, tells her that it is stolen. She realizes she must return the gold, but why does the scout insist on accompanying her? She knows that Rufus hates her.
Rufus does not plan on letting the woman out of his sight. Suellen unknowingly is a part of his family's plans for revenge. And does she really think she can cart a baby halfway across the country?

Will a trip to return gold turn into love? Only if two frozen hearts thaw enough to embrace their chance at happiness.

Look what our authors published in July!

 

Our authors have worked hard to bring you your next favorite stories. Here is what we published in July!

 

Eleanor: The Switchboard Sisterhood, book 15

By Zina Abbott

As a teenager, unlike her older brother, Eleanor Daley survived the Spanish Flu pandemic. Only a few years away from voting age when women in her state finally won the right to vote, she proudly voted in the 1924 election. In 1925, Eleanor breaks free of her overbearing, over-protective parents and moves to Anchorage, Alaska, where men greatly outnumber women. She accepts a job as a switchboard operator. She is an independent woman, in charge of her own life! But, will she give up some of that independence for the love of a man?

Frankie Perry, unwilling to settle down in the family business just yet, joins a friend to work for the summer in the Anchorage salmon cannery. He meets a firecracker of a woman whose adventurous spirit matches his own. The decision he must make when salmon season ends is, will he stay in Alaska or head back for the lower forty-eight?
Will Eleanor and Frankie’s love stay warm and bright like the July sun on Independence Day? Or, will it grow cold and dark like the Alaskan winter?

Release date: July 14, 2023

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C6HDDHN9

 

Falling for the Storekeeper: (Love in Apple Blossom Book 7)

By Kit Morgan

Two Lonely Storekeepers and a Thief...

Alma Kirk ran her deceased father's general store. In truth, it was all she had left of him and she wasn't about to let anyone tell her how to run her business. Especially not Aaron Hawthorne, the handsome owner of Hawthorne's Hardware. When he first came to town, Alma couldn't deny he was handsome, but when she realized they'd be competing for customers, not even his good looks could sway her from thinking he wanted to put her out of business. Her friends told her she was over-reacting. She thought she was protecting her father's legacy. When her store is robbed she naturally blames him! But when things go missing from his store too, Alma realizes something's afoot! And wouldn't you know it, he wants them to team up and find the culprit!

Enjoy this sweet historical romance full of love, laughter, and mystery!

Release date: July 24, 2023

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CCR12BNK

 

Substitute Suellen (The Confederate Gold Widows Book 3)

By Marisa Masterson

Suellen made a lousy choice when she married her bank-robbing husband. How can she trust her heart and head when both tell her that she has met someone she can love?

Gold! Suellen finds a hidden stash of the gleaming coins under the false bottom of her dead husband's trunk. The bank's name, stamped on the bag, tells her that it is stolen. She knows she must return the gold, but why does the scout want to accompany her? She knows that Rufus hates her.

Rufus does not plan on letting the woman out of his sight. Suellen unknowingly is a part of his family's plans for revenge. And does she really think she can cart a baby halfway across the country?

Will a trip to return gold turn into love? Only if two frozen hearts thaw enough to embrace their chance at happiness.

Release date: July 25, 2023

https://www.amazon.com/Substitute-Suellen-Confederate-Gold-Widows-ebook/dp/B0C7CX21XX

 

Not all of our authors make their books available on pre-order. However, for those who do, those advance sales go a long way toward boosting their sales rankings. 

Here are future releases:

Pre-0rder August:

Ruby: The Switchboard Sisterhood, Book 18

By Linda Carroll-Bradd

Actress Ruby Moreau yearns to be in the silent movies, but Hollywood is so far away. On the eve of her wedding, she rebels against her Seattle society parents’ urging her to marry the boring son of Father’s business partner. Seeing an ad for a film shot entirely in Alaska, she boards a ship for Anchorage to seek an audition. Upon arrival, she learns the moving picture studio is not currently filming, but the Spruce Telephone Company is always hiring. She becomes a switchboard operator…telling herself this is just temporary until her parents cool down and let her run her own life.

Stevedore Ivan Dragunov works any job he can find on the docks. But his real passion is playing in the Anchorage Baseball League on the weekends. An encounter with an emotive passenger coming off a ship forces him closer to a woman than he’s been since his fiancée sailed back to Russia. When he keeps running into her around town, he becomes intrigued. But what do an actress who wants to see her name in lights and a man devoted to putting his team on the scoreboard have in common?

Release date: August 15, 2023

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C6284CJ2

  

Pre-order September:

A Journey for Lily: The Reluctant Wagon Train Bride - Book 1

By P. Creeden

When Lily Browne’s father loses his job at the bank, he decides to make the journey out west, to claim land for cheap in Oregon. And when Lily hears of the need for school teachers out there, she decides that she must go too. There’s only one problem. Even though Lily is barely nineteen, the wagon master demands that she cannot accompany the train without being wed. But she can’t be a school teacher if she’s married…

Wayne Cody became a felon by accident when he was fifteen. After serving his time, he was released to find out that he has no family, and no more than five dollars to his name. He doesn’t know much about anything other than guns, horses, and cattle, so he attempts to get hired by a wagon train to help several families make it to Oregon to claim land. If he can somehow earn enough money, he can claim land for himself, too. Then, Mr. Browne makes him an offer he can’t refuse.

Release date: September 5, 2023

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CCSPYKJ3

 

A Watchman for Willow (Mail Order Papa Book 4)

By Zina Abbott

Ever since her husband was killed in a logging accident, Willow Morrow has been struggling to take care of her two-year-old daughter, Ila Mae, and survive. Left with limited funds and no family or friendship ties to the area, the lumber owner brought her to Sonora, California, the largest nearby city, and dumped her off with her husband’s final paycheck and two weeks extra wages. She feels fortunate to have found a job washing dishes at a local diner, plus delivering meals to inmates at the Tuolumne County jail.

Milton Pierson, a low-level clerk for the Sonora city council, is tasked with advertising for a city night watchman. Aware of Widow Morrow’s plight, he decides to add an inducement to the job offer.

Kelly Randolph never liked working as a longshoreman, and San Francisco has grown too crowded for his tastes. With the financial panic that started in 1882 going into its third year, he learns his job has been terminated. He runs across an advertisement for a widow with a young daughter looking for a husband. The job of night watchman for a small foothill city is included. Not only must he find a way to get his own widowed mother away from the coastal air that aggravates her breathing problems, she has been after him to marry. What does he have to lose by at least looking into the situation?

Release date: September 18, 2023

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C6CR934Q

 

October Pre-orders:

A Blacksmith for Birdie (Mail Order Papa Book )

by Kimberly Grist

A blacksmith in need of a miracle, an innkeeper requiring rescue, and an arranged marriage that can give them both what they need. As iron sharpens iron, can they hammer out a partnership—forging an unexpected result of the romantic kind?

A widowed blacksmith, Joseph Evans, is hardened and weighed down by the needs of his unusual family. If only he could find a housekeeper. But they’re in short supply, and Joseph needs one with the patience of Job. “I don’t want a wife. What I need is a miracle.”

The years have taken their toll on innkeeper Birdie Murphy, but she can still dream of her happily ever after—a companion in life, devoted, kind, hardworking, and childless. But time is not on her side. Desperate, she seeks the help of a matchmaker. What Birdie needs is a mail-order husband, an advocate to help save her family, home, and business. “I am neither dainty nor pretty. Is it possible to find a man willing to overlook the fact?”

A satisfied grin spreads across the matchmaker’s face as she considered the surveys. Such a perfect pairing doesn’t occur often. After all, what we think we want and what we need are two different things.

Release date: October 23, 2023

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C59M8B65

 

Vinegar Pie by Varinia: Old Timey Holiday Kitchen, Book 25

By Zina Abbott

For years, Varinia yearned for Arnie to one day look her direction. When her parents invite him and his widower father to join them for Christmas dinner, she decides to bake him one of her favorite pies—lemon meringue. Only, after coming home from joining her mother in taking gift baskets to several homes in the area, she discovers the lemons she purchased are missing. With no time to shop for more before Christmas Eve supper, she must decide on a different dessert.

Arnie Dickens worked hard to establish himself as a farrier and part-time help in his father’s livery. After Varinia Jewell catches his eye at the town’s harvest dance, he begins to seek her out. In spite of her quiet ways and her younger sister, Betsy, usually by her side, he finds he enjoys their visits. When the Jewell family invites him and his father to join them for Christmas dinner, he knows it is time to arrange a few quiet minutes alone with Varinia. Only, Christmas dinner ends up being anything but quiet.

Release Date: October 24, 2023

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9PH4BZY