Monday, December 1, 2025

Look what our authors published in November!



  
Our authors have been busy writing your next favorite story.

Look what we published in November!



A Joyful Ring: Wholesome Holiday Western Romance (Silver Bell Sweethearts Book 1)

By Shanna Hatfield

A rugged freighter, a hopeful dreamer, and a Christmas they’ll never forget.

In 1876, Gunder Birke leaves the daily struggle of Pittsburgh behind, determined to build a better life in the rough-and-tumble mining town of Lovely, Oregon. Hired as a freighter to haul dangerous explosives for the local mine, Gunder faces ongoing danger—but nothing as treacherous as the risk to his heart when he meets the beautiful and spirited Risa Hoffman.

After losing her mother and siblings, Risa has spent most of her life on the move with her father, never knowing what it means to have a real home. When she convinces him to settle in Lovely, the remote, uninviting town is far from the idyllic refuge she imagined. Still, Risa pours her hopes into building a future, working at the boardinghouse while dreaming of a finding a husband who can offer stability and comfort.

But when Gunder’s steady kindness and quiet strength awaken feelings she never expected, Risa must choose between the security she’s always longed for and the love that rings true in her heart.

As snow begins to fall across the rugged Oregon landscape, two souls discover that sometimes the most beautiful gifts come wrapped in hope, faith, and the promise of love.

A Joyful Ring is the first book in the wholesome holiday Silver Bell Sweethearts series.

Release date: November 13, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FW8NZJ25


A Joyful Love: Wholesome Holiday Western Romance (Silver Bell Sweethearts Book 2)

By Shanna Hatfield

One spark of hope. One act of courage. One joyful love.

     Caleb Birke once believed adventure waited somewhere beyond the horizon. But after wandering the world, he discovers the one place his heart longs to be is right where he began—home in Lovely, Oregon. Now devoted to preserving his family’s legacy of fine silverwork, Caleb lovingly crafts everything from heirloom sleigh bells to western saddle silver, each piece carrying stories of the past and hope for the future.

     A routine delivery trip to Baker City becomes anything but ordinary when he meets Laramee Scott—a lively, sharp-witted horse trainer who steals his breath and quickly claims his heart.

After fleeing a scandal in Texas, Laramee is grateful to find refuge with her aunt and uncle in Eastern Oregon. The land, the horses she loves, and the freedom to rebuild her life are exactly what she needs—until one unexpected encounter with Caleb makes her wonder if she wasn’t running from her past, but being led toward her future.

     As Christmas draws near and snow begins to fall on the high desert, Caleb and Laramee discover that love—like silver—can be shaped, refined, and polished into something lasting. But only if they are willing to trust their hearts... and believe that sometimes the greatest gift of all is the courage to love.

     A tender, heartfelt holiday romance, A Joyful Love is filled with family legacies, jingling sleigh bells, and the timeless hope Christmas brings.

Release Date: November 20, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FZLY7S2H


Kringla by Kelci: Old Timey Holiday Kitchen book 40

By Linda Carroll-Bradd

     Kelci Odell yearns to be a newspaper reporter and is caught upstairs at a saloon, dressed as a man. Her wish was to interview the ladies and expose their plight in an article that would land her a job…instead of making cheese on the family dairy farm. But her conservative Norwegian family is scandalized. The solution: send Kelci to her cousin Ritter’s Astoria, Oregon hotel until the gossip dies down. Being in a new location doesn’t quash her curiosity.
     Even though Hauk Stefanssen spends his days on a fishing trawler, he hears about the schemes of a new arrival in town from his chatty younger sisters. The woman’s spoken with Peder at the fire safety council and Eryk at the family’s cannery. Feeling ignored, he seeks her out and is bowled over by her assertive personality. After reading her articles, he sees through the brashness to the compassionate woman inside and vows to become better acquainted. But what does an easy-going fisherman have to offer this dynamo?

     This is a clean romance containing wildly opposite personalities, community events, and the swoon-worthy trope of he falls first.

Release date: November 24, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/Kringla-Kelci-Timey-Holiday-Kitchen-ebook/dp/B0FV73HBT3


To Marry a Rancher (Debutante Brides of Miserly Creek Book 1)

By Kit Morgan

A Stranded Debutante
A Rough Rancher
And a town that's more than, well, Miserly.
     Hyacinth Fairchild never imagined her parents would ship her clear across the country to find a husband. But what’s a New York society couple to do when they can’t seem to marry off their debutante daughter? Hyacinth suddenly finds herself bound for San Francisco with five other hopeful young ladies.     Each dreaming of San Francisco’s charm, culture, and eligible suitors among the city’s elite.
Those dreams don’t last long. When their train derails in the Sierra Nevada, all plans for marital bliss go up in smoke, leaving six stranded debutantes at the mercy of the mountains and the little town willing to help them.
     Calvin “Cal” McAllister has more than enough on his plate running a remote ranch with his mother. The last thing he needs is a high-class debutante underfoot. Especially one who can’t tell a milk cow from a mule and eyes his ranch like it might bite her. Maybe volunteering to take one of the stranded women in was a terrible idea.
     But practical arrangements have a way of shifting. And soon, stolen glances turn into late-night conversations, unexpected loyalty, and a connection neither of them can deny.
As dangers creep through the mountains and long-buried wounds come to light, Hyacinth and Cal must choose. Cling to the lives they knew, or reach for a love bold enough to bridge the distance between their two worlds.

Release Date: November 24, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G3T6C7HD


Christmas Brides of Harmony

By Jo-Ann Roberts

     This anthology contains three standalone, yet inter-connected, books based in Harmony, Kansas. It’s nearing Christmas and the Circle of Friends Quilting group is planning the Annual Christmas Quilt Giveaway. Here, the quilts are stitched with love and where the quilter weaves dreams into reality, one thread at a time.
     Noelle
  A widow reluctant to love again…
  A deputy determined to win her heart…
With Christmas looming, will the growing attraction between Noelle and the deputy reveal the gift of a second chance? Or could a stranger from the deputy's past threaten the man who captured her heart?
     Hope
   He was the most stubborn and prideful man she’d ever met.
   She was a busybody who stuck her nose in his business at every turn!
As Christmas approaches, will they look beyond each other’s faults and see a future blossom from a special, once-in-a-lifetime friendship?
     Ivy
   He was the town bully.
   She was his target.
   Had anything changed?
    Was Ivy Sutton willing and able to forgive the boy who made her childhood unbearable?
   Can Grady Walsh make up for the reckless actions of his youth?
   Or will another steal her away before they have a chance to discover a kind of love that might heal the pain from the past?

Release date: November 26, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FZD1M9QR


A Joyful Promise: Wholesome Holiday Western Romance 

By Shanna Hatfield 

He crafts silver. She stitches dreams. Together, they discover a joyful promise that could last a lifetime.

     Baylor Birke has always known where he belongs—at the silver bench in his family’s shop in Eastern Oregon, crafting Western heirlooms that honor a legacy that is generations strong. Spurs that jangle, bridles that shine, and saddle silver that elevates cowboys into kings makes his work feel both satisfying and meaningful as he labors in the place he loves. But when a shy, talented young woman arrives in Lovely, Baylor begins to wonder if life has more to offer than tradition… perhaps even a joyful promise he never expected.

     Bonnie McClure has spent her life preparing to take over her family’s department store in Heppner, but the world of inventories and invoices has never stirred her passion. Her true calling is in the artistry of embroidery, turning simple cloth into something beautiful with every graceful stitch. Sent to Lovely to care for her injured aunt, Bonnie anticipates a quiet holiday season … until she crosses paths with the handsome cowboy who caught her eye in Pendleton at the rodeo.

     As Christmas approaches and they are thrust into helping with the church program, Baylor and Bonnie find themselves caught between obligation and longing, expectations and dreams. The magic of the season whispers of possibility— but only if they dare to follow their hearts.

     Will the holidays bring them a joyful promise of love and a future stitched together with hope?

      Discover a wholesome holiday romance filled with small-town charm, heartfelt tradition, and the timeless magic of Christmas.

Release date: November 27, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G168G4TT



    Not all of our authors make their books available on pre-order. For those who do, those advance sales go a long way to help their book ratings.

Below are some future books.

December Releases


A Compromised Christmas

By Marisa Masterson

How had she lost her way?
      Gracie Williams only wants a private moment away from the other stagecoach passengers. Somehow, she wanders into the wilderness, and the forest refuses to allow her to leave—or so it seems to her as branches close in as she tries to push through them. She is completely lost until she hears a noise.
      Ezra Rafferty—Rafe to the few friends he allowed into his life—hums as he returns to his cabin. The hunt was successful, and he anticipates the warm fireplace in his cabin as heavy snow begins to fall. Yes, he savors the quiet life. Being alone suited him fine, especially after the incident.
     But he does not remain alone. A wild-eyed woman bursts onto his trail. She clutches his coat and begs for help. What’s a man to do? He takes her to his home for shelter during the storm.
      He does not plan to keep her. Plans have a way of changing…
      Rafe has set in motion the events that will unwind a scheme and bring to light secrets that reverberate all the way to the East. All because a woman wanders off the trail.

Release date: December 2, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FL12C122


Ruby's Christmas Escape: Mountain Man's Substitute Bride

By Kimberly Grist

When disappointed hopes collide – Will a resilient mail-order bride muster enough resolve to pursue her dreams of love and soften a reclusive mountain man's heart?

     Abandoned as a child and raised in a children’s home, Ruby knows that romantic dreams are mere illusions. After aging out of the orphanage , she follows her pastor's advice and applies to a matchmaking agency. While practical in her approach, deep in her heart lies a flicker of hope, a dream of her own happily ever after, where she longs for a place to belong and a husband to cherish. As circumstances would have it, her future groom is also short on time. Praying that is a good sign, she accepts a proposal of marriage and heads west to a land where the streams are said to flow with milk and the heavens rain down a supply of honey.
     Disheartened by love and rejected by his mail-order bride, Jonas Vann, a former army scout, is determined to protect his heart and keep the world at bay. Fortunately for him, knowing he needs help caring for his family, his friends and neighbors intercede on his behalf. As winter approaches, they take matters into their own hands, accepting a substitute mail-order bride on his behalf.
     The unyielding force of destiny is as strong as the power of attraction. Will an arranged marriage, a ready-made family, and the spirit of Christmas be the catalyst to fulfill all their dreams, or will their newfound love collapse under the weight of the challenges ahead?

Release date: December 3, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F4DY169F





Saturday, November 29, 2025

19th Century Astoria, Oregon--home to my series

 Over the past five years, I’ve built a multi-ethnic cast of characters (Swedish, Danish, German, Irish, Finnish, Russian, and Scottish) with my contributions to the Old-Timey Holiday Kitchen series. I set all five novellas in Astoria, Oregon, between 1876 and 1879. I like to think the hub of the community is the Riverside Bakery, where the first three heroines served as managers. The most recent addition is Kringla by Kelci, in which I gave cameos to as many past characters as I could fit into the story.


Kelci Odell yearns to be a newspaper reporter and is caught upstairs at a saloon, dressed as a man. Her wish was to interview the ladies and expose their plight in an article that would land her a job…instead of making cheese on the family dairy farm. But her conservative Norwegian family is scandalized. The solution: send Kelci to her cousin Ritter’s Astoria, Oregon hotel until the gossip dies down. Being in a new location doesn’t quash her curiosity.

Even though Hauk Stefanssen spends his days on a fishing trawler, he hears about the schemes of a new arrival in town from his chatty younger sisters. The woman’s spoken with Peder at the fire safety council and Eryk at the family’s cannery. Feeling ignored, he seeks her out and is bowled over by her assertive personality. After reading her articles, he sees through the brashness to the compassionate woman inside and vows to become better acquainted.  But what does an easy-going fisherman have to offer this dynamo?

Amazon link and in KU

The other titles are:

Ginger Cake by Glynna

Aebleskiver by Annika

Butter Pound Cake by Berdina

Escalope by Emma

Written as standalones, they are enjoyed read in the above order because subsequent stories include mentions of previous characters.

I have thoroughly enjoyed diving into the research to make the city come alive and have loved the tidbits I learned about ethnic customs.

If you had to pick one most important thing you want to see included in historical stories, what would it be?

Wednesday, November 26, 2025

The Surprisingly Un-American History of Apple Pie - by Jo-Ann Roberts




Happy Thanksgiving!!! Goodness, 2025 is flying by at warped speed! Today is Thanksgiving. Once you've enjoyed the turkey and fixings, and are anticipating dessert, here's a short history of that perennial favorite...apple pie!
********

Everyone knows the phrase "as American as apple pie." It's a warm, golden, buttery badge of patriotism that's served up at July 4th picnics, Thanksgiving tables, and small-town diners across the country.

But did you know the star-spangled sweet isn't really American at all? In fact, if this pie had a passport, it would have stamps from England, France, the Netherlands, and a few centuries of travel under its crust.

The French had their Tarte Tatin, the Dutch had their streusel-topped pastries, and the Swedes had apple desserts that could rival anything cooling on an American windowsill.

Tarte Tatin
Swedish Apple Pie

The Apples

The crisp, juicy varieties that many hands across the country slice for pie aren't even native to North America. Early settlers brought seeds from Europe, and it took years of careful grafting and cultivating before America could even produce an apple fit for dessert. The only apples that grew here before colonists arrived were crabapples--tart little guys that definitely weren't meant for a lattice-topped legacy.

Crabapple Tree

The Spices


And what about those warm, cozy spices associated with homemade apple pie? Cinnamon, nutmeg, clove--all imported from Asia via European spice trade routes. So, even the flavor apple pie had to take a long journey to get here.



The Crust (in my opinion, the best part of the pie!)

The idea of encasing fruit in flaky pastry was happening centuries before Betsy Ross ever got to stitching the Stars and Stripes. The concept of wrapping fruit in dough dates back to medieval Europe. The first recorded apple pie receipt (recipe) in England around 1390. It included apples, figs, raisins, pears, and--oddly enough--no sugar! In the 14th century, sugar was a pricey commodity, so dried fruits pulled double duty as sweeteners.

Despite its international roots, apple pie slowly earned its place in American kitchens. By the end of the 18th century, the first American-published cookbook, American Cookery by Ameilia Simmons, included two apple pie recipes.

Cultural Significance

Apple pie's association with American culture came into its own in the early 20th century. It became a symbol of patriotism, especially during World War II, when soldiers would say they were fighting for "mom and apple pie." The phrase "as American as apple pie" began to appear in print around this time, reinforcing its status as a national symbol.

Today, apple pie is celebrated as a classic American dessert, often served at

holidays, family gatherings and, at least in our home, my husband's birthday request. Its significance extends beyond just being a dessert. It reflects the themes of home, comfort, and its deep-rooted connection to American identity despite its non-American origins.

Apple pie's journey from European kitchens and orchards to American tables illustrates the blending of cultures and culinary traditions make it a beloved symbol of American heritage.



"Wishing you a Thanksgiving filled with love, laughter, and

the warmth of cherished moments."

 ************************ 



CHRISTMAS BRIDES OF HARMONY

This anthology contains three standalone, yet inter-connected, books based in Harmony, Kansas. It’s nearing Christmas and the Circle of Friends Quilting group is planning the Annual Christmas Quilt Giveaway. Here, the quilts are stitched with love and where the quilter weaves dreams into reality, one thread at a time.

Noelle
A widow reluctant to love again…
A deputy determined to win her heart…
With Christmas looming, will the growing attraction between Noelle and the deputy reveal the gift of a second chance? Or could a stranger from the deputy's past threaten the man who captured her heart?

Hope
He was the most stubborn and prideful man she’d ever met.
She was a busybody who stuck her nose in his business at every turn!
As Christmas approaches, will they look beyond each other’s faults and see a future blossom from a special, once-in-a-lifetime friendship?

Ivy
He was the town bully.
She was his target.
Had anything changed?
Was Ivy Sutton willing and able to forgive the boy who made her childhood unbearable?
Can Grady Walsh make up for the reckless actions of his youth?
Or will another steal her away before they have a chance to discover a kind of love that might heal the pain from the past?



Wednesday, November 19, 2025

In Praise of Thanksgiving


Post (C) Doris McCraw

aka Angela Raines


As holidays go, there are Halloween and the Dia de Muertos. This is followed by Thanksgiving and then Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. As the years have passed, we seem to jump from the end of October holidays to the end of December holidays, with Thanksgiving getting lost in the shuffle of candy and gifts.

It was not always this way. Those who know its history know it dates back to the early days of the Pilgrims' settlement on the eastern seaboard. By 1863, then-President Lincoln made it a national holiday, and in 1941, it was set nationwide as the fourth Thursday of November.

In her 1926 writing "An Outline for the Study of Early Rhode Island," she states: "Thanksgiving, to the New Englander, is a season of home thought, gratitude, and of home-turning, if that be possible. It is the supreme feast of the family, and the home, particularly to those born and bred under New England skies."

Image (C) Doris McCraw

In his 1936 publication, William B. Newell, "Indians at Work," states: "Careful study of the historical background of our present Thanksgiving Day shows that all of the early day Thanksgivings proclaimed since the first one in 1637 have been to thank God for some bloody military victory over the Indians, French, or the English. It was not until the time of Abraham Lincoln that we observed the real Indian Thanksgiving Day. When Lincoln issued his Thanksgiving Day proclamation, it was to thank the Great Spirit for the fruits of the earth. It was the first real Indian Thanksgiving and it had taken the Whites many years to learn what a real Thanksgiving Day should be like."

And finally, from the 1913 publication "The Improvement Era, Vol. 17," an entry by Lee A. Snow has this to say, "Though Thanksgiving ranks with the Fourth of July as an American institution, it touches a deeper chord in our feelings with its early three hundred years of historic associations. It combines the religious, social and festal enjoyments, and it fills a very unique place in our social and national life."

Of all the holidays that come at the end of the year, Thanksgiving has always been my favorite. I've always been so thankful for the blessings in my life, and as I age, it becomes even more evident,

May this look back at some of the early thoughts on Thanksgiving give a historic perspective on this fourth Thursday in November. 

Wishing everyone a day and year full of many things to be thankful for.

Until Next Time,

Doris


Angela Raines - Amazon

Doris A. McCraw - Amazon