Wildflowers is the first in the Sisters at Heart series and is set in Missouri shortly after the end of the War Between the States. When I worked up the proposal for this series, I had my characters and their occupations set in my mind. I planned that one of the characters, Rosemary Saxon, would be a nurse during the war, and then would follow the same occupation afterward. 

Well, surprise, surprise. When I began to research nurses in the Civil War, I learned that very few of them were women, and the ones who were female were generally older and/or widows. For a young unmarried woman to touch men’s bodies, even to tend to wounds, was considered vulgar. Throughout the war, male nurses outnumbered female nurses 4 to 1. The general public believed women would only be a nuisance and get in the way of the doctors.

Where female nurses were allowed, they were required to be plain-looking women. Their dresses were to be brown or black, no bows, no curls, no jewelry, and no hoop-skirts. The last prohibition made sense, since the hospital aisles were narrow. 

So, where did this leave Rosemary, who was to be a continuing character in the series? Using my artistic license, she’s attractive, not plain, but I did make her “old.” She’s twenty-seven. J In addition to her God-given gift of mercy, she’s also determined to the point of being headstrong. She needs to be to stand up to the prejudice she encounters.

In Where Wildflowers Bloom, Rosemary is the best friend of the story’s protagonist, Faith Lindberg. Oh, and did I mention Rosemary has a brother, Curt? How many of us remember having girlfriends with handsome brothers? I’ll just say that through Rosemary, Faith and Curt end up spending quite a bit of time together.

So, like Rosemary, have any of you taken a job in what is considered a man’s field? Did you encounter prejudice? On a more romantic note, did any of you ever fall in love with the brother of your best friend? How did it work out?

 I hope you’ll look for Where Wildflowers Bloom at your local bookstore, or through an online retailer. Please visit my website at www.annshorey.com for more information about Where Wildflowers Bloom, as well as my other books.

Where Wildflowers Bloom

How far will she go to follow her dreams?

 The War Between the States stole a father and brother from Faith Lindberg—as well as Royal Baxter, the man she wanted to marry. With only her grandfather left, she dreams of leaving Noble Springs, Missouri, and traveling west to Oregon to start a new life, away from the memories that haunt her. But first she must convince her grandfather to sell the family’s mercantile and leave a town their family has called home for generations.

When Royal Baxter suddenly returns, Faith allows herself to hope that she and Royal will finally wed. But does he truly love her? Or will another man claim her heart?

Ann has graciously agreed to give away a copy of Where Wildflowers Bloom today, so be sure to leave a comment in order to be entered in the drawing!

The Kindle was supposed to eliminate some of those books, but it hasn’t. Six months into owning it, I gravitated to buying paper again because I like to loan books.  I know you can loan Kindle-to-Kindle, but that’s not same as just handing someone a book and saying, “Here, take your time.”

Here’s what most surprises me . . . About 80% of the stuff on my Kindle consists of freebies.  I check out the Amazon giveaways almost every day, and definitely at the first of the month. I’ve downloaded tried-and-true authors, new-to-me authors, and self published authors.  Most recently I started reading a history of Alcatraz Island.  What a wild place!  I also read Water for Elephants, a book I’ve wanted to read for ages but  just never did.  Then there’s the Young Adult fiction that got my attention.  What fun to revisit the past with stories about girls and horses!

Those freebies have a strong appeal. I can’t say I’m as enamored with the price of regular ebooks. There are bargains to be had, but I get a little miffed when a bestseller in e-format costs almost as much as a hardcover at Sam’s Club. I thought ebooks were supposed to cost less…maybe not. The market’s still finding its footing.

Here’s another cool Kindle feature: I’ve used it to store and read unpublished mss, both my own and those from fellow authors. It’s handy for the last read-through. Typos show up, especially missing words. I tend to miss that stuff on the computer screen.

Right now, I have 105 items on my Kindle organized in Collections labeled: Historical Romance, Contemporary Romance, Mainstream, Series, YA, Non Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Classics, Reference, Book Club, and Hubby’s Books.  The romance categories have the most titles, of course. And that number is growing . . . One-click shopping is the easiest thing in the world.  

I also have a couple of games. Is anyone else hooked on Every Word?  My high score playing the timed version is 34,930. Just 70 points shy of 35K!  I like Scrabble, too.

Anyone else have thoughts on e-readers? Kindle vs. Nook?  They’re here to stay for sure.  

The Women of Swan’s Nest Series…Available in the Amazon Kindle store…

I love historicals. There’s just something about a romance set in the past that stirs my imagination.  One day I can be transported to the prairie with a farmer and his convenient bride and the next I can be on a wagon train with a handsome plainsman.

Love Inspired Historical is an inspirational historical romance line that features Christian characters facing the many challenges of life and love in a variety of historical time periods, when life was simpler and faith played a major role in everyday lives. Readers will get a glimpse of what it’s like to live in 1880sMontana,Depression-eraSouth Dakota, Regency England, and so forth. And they’ll get the chance to read about two people overcoming hardships and falling in love.

Love Inspired Historical books are 70,000-75,000 words and are set in a wide range of historical periods, from ancient civilizations up to and including the First and Second World Wars. Western stories remain ever-popular and cover the range from stories about mail order brides seeking husbands, to sisters journeying across the frontier, to ranchers needing nannies for their motherless young children.  However all time periods and fresh themes and storylines are welcome.

Since we’ve expanded our Love Inspired Historical offerings from two books a month to four books a month, there is major opportunity for both published and unpublished historical romance writers to join our ranks.   I’m actively seeking new authors, and would be interesting in seeing your submission.   The stories should be well-researched and give a feeling for the time in which they are set.   Beyond creating a vivid sense of the time period, these stories should also have a captivating story, likeable and believable characters, and gripping emotional conflicts. The romance between the hero and heroine is the key driving force.  The books should be heartwarming and wholesome, and should emphasize tenderness and emotional intimacy between the characters, rather than more passionate feelings.   Want to learn more about Love Inspired Historical? Please see our writing guidelines at www.Harlequin.com.

If your author voice, characters and plot fit Love Inspired Historical, I hope I’ve encouraged you to try to write a Love Inspired Historical and submit it to me.  If you’re a published author, we only require a synopsis and three sample chapters.  For unpublished authors, we ask that you submit a synopsis and complete manuscript. You can mail your submission to my attention at 233 Broadway,Suite1001,New York,NY10279or have your agent get in touch with me.

I hope to see your project soon.

Tina James

What are you reading right now?

I just finished Linda Lael Miller’s A Lawman’s Christmas. It’s her newest McKettrick story and Clay McKettrick is very nearly a perfect hero.

Before that I read Victoria Bylin’s Marrying the Major. I won’t spoil it if you haven’t read the book yet, but suffice it to say that Major Tristan Smith won me over on the first page. And Miss Caroline is a perfect match for him.

I also read Christine Feehan’s Dark Predator this week. While I will always pick up a western first, Ms. Feehan’s Dark series books are an auto-buy for me.

Up next is Noelle Marchand’s Unlawfully Wedded Wife and Jane Graves’ Heartstrings and Diamond Rings.

And Filly Margaret Brownley’s NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING A Log Cabin Christmas Anthology. Congratulations, Margaret!

How about you? What are you enjoying right now? Did you just finish a book that you can recommend to all of us? I can’t wait to hear all about it. 

Hello everyone.  In just a few short weeks my October release, Home For Thanksgiving, will hit the shelves.   This is a novella length work and is part of the Once Upon A Thanksgiving anthology.  It’s my very first novella and I must say I found it a challenge to write a shorter work and still fit in all I wanted to show in the development of the romance between my hero and heroine.  But hopefully I succeeded.

This book features the last and most enigmatic of the Lassiter siblings, Griff.  Finding a heroine who was a match for Griff was also a real challenge for me, but I think I nailed it with the resourceful and determinedly optimistic Ruby Anne Tuggle.   As I dug into Ruby’s character and learned more about who she was, I grew to really love and admire her.  In the end, I discovered she has one of the most unconventional and poignant backstories of any heroine I’ve ever worked with.

Below is an excerpt that I hope you will enjoy.  Set-up:  Griff is escorting Ruby on a seven hour road trip and they are just finishing up a quick roadside picnic lunch, when they discover Ruby’s cat is missing. 

Note:  I’m giving away an advance copy of this book to one person who leaves a comment today.

Good grief, she wasn’t going to cry, was she?  “No need to get all worked up just yet,” he said quickly.  “Why don’t you pack up things here and I’ll take a quick look around.”

“Thank you.”  She offered him a grateful smile, but the worry never left her expression.

Swallowing a few choice words, he stepped away from the blanket and let his eyes scan the tree line once again.  He didn’t hold out much hope of finding the feline, though, not unless it wanted to be found.  A moment later he got his first clue as to the animal’s whereabouts when he heard the excited barking of a dog.  It sounded close.  Maybe the threat of a dog on its trail would send the cat scampering back in this direction.

“Do you hear that?”  Miss Tuggle was at his elbow, the folded blanket in her arms.

“Yes.  Don’t worry.  I’m sure your cat can outrun most dogs.  Probably streak out of those woods any minute now.”

“She is fast.”

A moment later Griff frowned.  The tenor of the barking had changed.   The dog no longer seemed to be moving and it sounded more like baying, as if it had treed its quarry. 

Great.  Just great.

Griff headed off in the direction of the barking.

Ruby’s chin came up.  He hadn’t really invited her to follow him, but there was no way she was going to stay behind – it was, after all, her cat.  She did her best to keep up with him, but it wasn’t easy.  His long legs ate up the ground with amazing speed. 

Fortunately they didn’t have far to go.  Just inside the tree line they encountered the dog who was making all that racket.  The black and brown hound had its front legs braced up against a tree trunk, nose pointed heavenward and howling up a storm. 

Oh dear, was poor Patience up there somewhere?

As soon as the dog spotted them it stopped barking and dropped back down on all fours.  Griff put a hand up and Ruby obediently stopped. 

He moved forward, slowly, speaking to the animal in a tone too soft for her to make out the words.  After a moment the dog’s tail began to wag and Mr. Lassiter was able to stoop down and ruff the animal’s fur.

While her companion was busy winning over the dog, Ruby anxiously scanned the almost bare branches of the tree.  She finally caught sight of a furry face peering down at her from what must be a good ten feet above her head.  “Look, there she is.”

Mr. Lassiter glanced at her, then upwards.  “It figures,” he said dryly.  “Wouldn’t do for her to stop on a lower branch, would it?”

He stood and stared down at the dog, pointing away from the tree.  “Get along now.” 

Ruby grinned as the animal cocked its head to one side, as if trying to figure out if this was some sort of game.

“Get!”  He said it more firmly and louder this time, stomping his foot for emphasis.

The dog spun and loped away a few paces before turning back to stare at him.

Mr. Lassiter let out an exasperated breath.  “Mutt, I really don’t have the time or patience for this.” 

As if the animal finally understood, it turned and ran back into the woods.

Mr. Lassiter turned to her.  “I hope that animal of yours will come when called after all.”

She hoped so too.  Moving forward until she was directly under the branch Patience clung to, Ruby set the picnic blanket down and made a downward motion with her hand.  “Patience, come on down, sweetie.  That big bad dog is gone now so it’s safe.”

She kept her gaze on the cat, ignoring Mr. Lassiter’s snort at her description of the dog as ‘big, bad’.  But Patience still didn’t budge.  “I won’t let anything hurt you, I promise.  Just come on down so we can get on the road again.”

What was she going to do if the cat refused to come down right away?  She would never abandon her pet, but would Mr. Lassiter go off and leave them?  She tried calling Patience again, letting some of her desperation creep into her tone.

Finally Mr. Lassiter stepped forward.  “Enough.”

Ruby turned to him, trying to gain a little more time.  “Please.  She can’t stay up there forever.  I can go back to the hamper and get a bit of ham.  Maybe I can tempt her–”

“I doubt that’ll work.  And we’ve already wasted too much time.”

“But I can’t just leave her here.  She needs me.”  And I need her.

“Nobody said anything about leaving her.”  He tossed his hat on top of the picnic blanket, then, despite the chilly temperature, shrugged out of his jacket.  “Here, hold this.”

She took the jacket and hugged it against her chest, its warmth strangely comforting.  “What are you going to do?”  A dozen scenarios played out in her head – everything from him throwing rocks at her poor pet, to him climbing up after it.

He momentarily paused in the act of rolling up his sleeves and raised a brow.  “What do you think I’m going to do?”

She decided to believe the best of him and his intentions.  “Go up after her?”

Instead of responding he finished rolling up his sleeves, took his jacket back from her and moved to the tree.

“But–”  She missed the feel of his jacket in her arms.  “You said you weren’t going to chase after her.”

“And I’m not.”  He gave her a considering look as he tied the jacket’s sleeves in a chunky knot around his waist.  “Are you trying to talk me out of this?”

“No.  I just…”  He really was going to climb up after Patience.  The man was a real life hero.  “Please be careful.”

He nodded.  “Just be prepared for what comes next.  I don’t aim to climb back down with that critter spitting and clawing in my arms.”

Now what did he mean by that?  Ruby watched as he grabbed a lower limb and tested its weight.  “I must be out of my mind,” he muttered.  “I haven’t climbed a tree since I was a scrawny kid.” 

She had trouble picturing him as a scrawny anything.  Especially right now, what with the way his muscles bunched beneath his shirt as he grabbed hold of one of the lower branches. 

 Within seconds he was hauling himself up into the network of skeletal limbs.  A heartbeat later he was standing on a lower branch and looking for footing on the next tier up.  For a big man, he was surprisingly agile.  She couldn’t help but admire the relative ease with which he maneuvered his way up the tree. 

When he paused to control another bout of coughs, however, she had to bite her lip to keep from warning him once again to be careful.  

Please God, don’t let him fall.  I’d never forgive myself if he got hurt because of me and Patience.

But the cough quieted and he continued as if nothing had happened.  When he finally reached a branch that put him at chest level with Patience, Mr. Lassiter leaned with his back against the trunk and carefully untied his jacket from about his waist.

She wished she could see what was going on better.  “Is Patience okay?”

“She seems fine.”  His tone held very little sympathy for the object of his rescue.

“Try talking softly to her,” Ruby urged.  “She’s probably scared to death, poor thing.”  If he’d only handle Patience the same soothing way he had the dog earlier–

Before she could finish that thought, he’d thrown his coat over the cat, scooped her up and had her bundled as cleanly as if he’d tossed her in a sack.

Not that Patience was taking it without a fight.  The poor thing was screeching loud enough to be heard for miles and she was writhing so wildly that Ruby wondered how Mr. Lassiter was managing to keep his balance.

“Be careful.”  She hadn’t been able to contain the warning this time.  “How are you going to climb back down carrying Patience?”

“I’m not.”

What did he mean?  Had he gone to all this trouble just to leave–

“Move a little to your left and get ready to catch.”

“Catch?  Surely you’re not going to drop her.”

“That’s exactly what I’m going to do.  Don’t worry, she won’t break.  Just make sure you hold on to the critter and don’t let her run off again.”

“But I–”

“Ready or not.”

And with that, the bundle of squirming, screeching feline came falling from above.  Ruby managed to catch it, but the impact knocked her down on her backside.