Yes, indeed there’s always time for hope and the holidays always fill my heart to the brim. I’m so looking forward to Christmas. The last few weeks I’ve felt fall in the air and it’s made the anxiousness even worse. We’ve gotten so much good rain and I feel very blessed.
HOPE’S ANGEL came out last year about this time and is set in the fictional town of Genesis where the real town of Thurber, Texas once was a thriving community. It contained the only coal mine in the state and it was also the only company run town. It was owned by the Texas and Pacific Coal Company. Nothing was free enterprise, not even the doctor. Everyone was paid in company script that could only be spent in the company store.
My fictional hero, Jericho Cane, lives there and he and his partner sell beef to the company to feed the miners. But Jericho never steps foot out of his house until after everyone goes to sleep. He suffered a horrible accident that’s left him horribly scarred so townsfolk call him a monster. He only goes out under cover of darkness.
Christmas holds painful memories so it’s nothing he wants to celebrate. His daylight hours are spent working on the sculpture of an angel holding the hand of a little girl. He doesn’t know what he’s going to do with it when it’s done and he doesn’t care. It’s for himself really.
But a pretty new doctor arrives and she’s not frightened of him. She sees his pain and is determined to help him. She’ll find him something worth living for.
I wrote the first five chapters of this story eight years ago and set it aside when I began writing for Sourcebooks. I ran across it recently and decided to finish and self-publish it. This story of acceptance and compassion needs to be read.
But back to Thurber. In 1886, immigrants flooded in from Italy, Germany, Ireland, and many other countries, all looking for work. The Texas and Pacific Coal Company hired all ages–even boys as young as fourteen. This picture of a group of them isn’t very good but I see the look of despair on their faces and want to cry. Immigrants had it so rough and were taken advantage of at every turn.
Once the coal played out, the company turned to manufacturing brick. They paved half the streets in our growing state a great many of which are still being used today.
I visited Thurber a couple of times only it’s now a ghost town. Nothing much remains except one restaurant called The Smoke Stack. If you’re ever that way, stop in. The food is excellent. My sister and I visited the cemetery and were struck by the sheer number of children’s graves. I’m not sure what happened to them but it was very sad seeing the little lambs on top of the tombstones. Maybe some kind of epidemic would be my guess.
Jericho Cane and Irish doctor Kathleen O’Shea have quite a story to tell and I hope you enjoy it. This sweet romance is $2.99 in Kindle Unlimited and the print book is $9.99.
If you haven’t gotten in the holiday spirit yet, maybe this will do it. I know a good many of you read Christmas books all year and that’s good. I’ll have this available in Audible next month so look for that.
How do you choose which holiday stories to read? Christmas in the title, the cover, the price, or by the author? I’m giving away three ebook copies so don’t forget to leave a comment.
Linda Broday
Here in the Texas Panhandle, we do love our cowboys. There's just something about a man in a Stetson and jeans that makes my heart beat faster. I'm not much of a cook but I love to do genealogy and I'm a bit of a rock hound. I'm also a NY Times & USA Today bestselling author of historical western romance. You can contact me through my website and I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and more. HAPPY READING!
https://petticoatsandpistols.com/sweepstakesrules/
Many of my Christmas reads are written by authors who write one each year. Sometimes they’re connected stories and other times they’re not.
I read a lot of Christmas romance in many subgenres.
Denise, that seems like a good method for choosing. The tried and true won’t steer you wrong. I hate wasting money on books that don’t satisfy. At least you have a lot to choose from since you don’t limit to one genre. Hope your day is beautifully splendid.
I generally choose the books I read by the authors. Every once in a while I take a chance on authors I don’t know and and sometimes pleasantly surprised and other times not so much. My favorites are Shanna Hatfield’s rodeo romance series which are always set at Christmas time.
Elaine, you always have a winner in Shanna. She’s so gifted at telling stories. I hope you find success with a new author this year that completely satisfies in every way. Hard to find. Big hugs.
Usually I choose my holiday books by the title or by the cover. If I don’t know the author then I find and read some reviews to try to get a feel for what type of story they write.
Ami, reading reviews are a good way to judge a book. I like a reader who scopes things out before buying. We’re burned way too often and that’s made us a bit cautious. Have a blessed day.
By the author.
Anxious1959, that’s often the best method. The tried and true. You feel pretty safe buying their stories.
Good morning Linda. I loved this book.
Hope’s Angel was truly an inspiring book.
I truly love the town of Thurber, I grew up going there as well as Mingus and Strawn. Great people.
Speaking of the Smoke Stack Restaurant, my SIL’s Dad and his wife own and manage the Restaurant in Thurber.
I ususly pick Christmas books by the author. I have my favorite, so I gravitate toward them. The cover also has to be appealing. The new covers authors (especially indie) are using that have only big words in a strange looking way are not appealing to me.
I love a landscape on a cover.
Yes fall is in the air and I’m loving it.
Wishing you a great day. Love you.
Miss Tonya, I always look forward to your posts and our chats on FB messenger. It’s always fun. You know, I have to love the cover. Christmas ones especially have to appeal to my eyes. I also base books on titles. I, too, hate when the title covers the entire book cover. Nope! Don’t care for that. It’s like they’re screaming at me. I remember you telling me about your sis-in-law’s dad owning The Smoke Stack there in Thurber and I wish I could return for a visit to chat with them about the town’s history. I wonder if they’d know why so many children died that one year. It had to be an epidemic of some kind. Makes me curious.
Let’s embrace fall and really enjoy the turning of the leaves and everything going to sleep. It’s such a special time. Love you dearly. Have a wonderful day.
I use all the above to chose my holiday books but I give preference to the authors I already know and love.
Rhonda, that makes sense and I love your loyalty to the authors you know and love. But I’m glad you sometimes try new. Blessings and love.
Hey Linda! I guess if an author I know has a Christmas book out I will read it. And the cover might catch my eye. Although, it’s the story description that usually has my final decision. I will say I’m more interested in historical romance ones. This book sounds interesting. I’m not sure I’ve read it yet!
Tracy, it’s always wonderful to see you. I can understand why the book’s description is important. It’s odd, but I want to know the characters’ names. lf I can’t pronounce it, that’s a no for me. I, too, love historical ones best. They just seem to fit with the Christmas season. I hope you give Hope’s Angel a try. It’s available in ebook, print, and soon to be Audible. Have a beautiful day!
the author usually for me and the season doesn’t matter! A good book is a good book!
Teresa, the tried and true usually works. You know you won’t get stung. I agree, a good book is what’s most important. Thanks for coming! Have a lovely day. Hopefully, fall has started to appear where you live.
Good morning Linda , what a great blog as I to live in an area that was once filled with coal mines. Most of the families here in Mark to Cherry Illinois we’re Italian most came from Italy looking for work in the coal mines. . Unfortunately if you pull up the History on the Cherry Il mine disaster in 1909 , 259 men/boys died in explosion most mines closed after that.
Hopes Angel was a wonderful book, I read when you first released it. The story was not only a wonderful Christmas story but also showed how we judge a person by their looks instead of looking in their heart. I’m one who can read Christmas books year round, first the cover grabs me!! I always look for a meaningful Christmas story that touches my heart.
Rose Ann! I’m so happy you dropped by. How sad about that coal mining disaster. Wow! I can’t imagine. Yes, most Italian immigrants sought mine work for some reason. There are a huge number in Thurber. Thank you so much for liking Hope’s Angel. I enjoyed writing that book so much and threw my heart and soul into it.
Covers are important to me. I love a beautiful cover that shows the author put time and effort into the design. Some look like they just threw words on it and didn’t care how it turned out. Those are a no for me. I hope you find lots of new holiday stories this year that thrill and warm your heart. Love you so much.
cover and blurb
BN100, thanks for coming by. I agree the cover and blurb are both good places to start. Both have to appeal. Have a blessed day.
I look for some of my favorite authors and see if they have a Christmas book. But I really look for what the story is about and decide from that. This one I will definitely buy I love stories like this,
Hi Sharon, I like that you will buy a different author based on the story premise. I do hope you’ll give Hope’s Angel a try. Who knows? You might win one! Good luck and thanks for coming.
Good Morning Linda,
I love Christmas stories. I read them by Title and of course the cover. And I loved Hope’s Angel.
Oh, how nice to see you, Tonya Cherry! I hope you’re enjoying your new bathtub. I’ve given up on a tub because too hard to get out of but I miss long soaks. Thank you for liking Hope’s Angel. I enjoyed writing that. I, too, choose not only Christmas books but all based mostly on the cover and title. Makes a difference. Blessings and love. I’ll bet the Kentucky trees are turning lovely fall colors. 🙂
Good morning Ms. Linda! Thurber’s story reminds me of the community I know live in. It was a good size little town from 1840 to the 1870’s. Wild Cat Bluff, very close to my house, flourished briefly during the heyday of river traffic on the Trinity but began to decline in the early 1870s, when the river became unnavigable. When I look off the bluff, it’s hard for be to imagine that there was a river that was large enough for barges to ever navigate! I don’t go there very often but the times that I have gone to the Judson cemetery and look off the bluff there hasn’t even been a creek. By the 1880s a new settlement began to grow up nearby. A post office was opened in 1894; W. A. Davenport, a native of Cayuga, New York, was the first postmaster. He operated a steam barge on the Trinity River for several years, shipping cotton, cross ties, and staves to Galveston. The earliest church in the area, the Judson Baptist Church, was organized in 1854 and is still a running church.
My father’s family is from the near by community of Springfield but my mother’s family came to Cayuga because my grandfather was an accountant and he started a job with one of the oil companies in Cayuga. Cayuga remained a small farming community until 1934, when the Tidewater Oil Company brought in the discovery well of a new field, the J. N. Edens No. 1. Cayuga became a oil boomtown almost overnight, and by 1936 it reported a population of 1,000 and fifteen business. After World War II the oil business began to decline, and the number of residents dropped to 200 by 1952. My parents have oil rights in the area as well as myself and my siblings (from my mother) and various aunts and uncles. Most of the time the proceeds aren’t worth the stamp.
I absolutely loved this book. By the way, the Smoke Stack in Thurber does have excellent food. I haven’t eaten since my teens though.
Stephanie, the history in that area is really interesting. My first husband came from Strawn and Mingus so that’s why I was drawn there. And Ranger is where the first oil in Texas was discovered. Maybe some day your oil royalties will pay off big. You never know. Hold on to them.
I’m glad you loved Hope’s Angel. That you for your awesome review. Thank you for coming. Much love and great big hugs!
By the author, the cover and title, but mostly by the blurb.
Karijean, we need to know what the story premise is for sure. I’m a little odd in that I have to see what the characters’ names are first. If I can’t pronounce them or is they don’t appeal to me, I’ll skip it. Thanks for coming. Have a great rest of your day.
Generally by author, but sometimes a title or cover will just grab me.
I agree, Jess. Covers are so important to me and the title has to grab me. Thanks for stopping by. I always love seeing you.
I choose based on what the story is about, yours sounds really good so I hope I win a copy, I would love to read it.
Hi Naomi, great to have you. I’m glad my book appeals to you. Good luck!
All of the above. I go by author, cover, blurb sometimes just the story line. I really enjoy all of your books so I can’t wait to read this one.
Quilt Lady, we sure go back a long way. Thank you for traveling this path with me. I, too, like to read some of the same authors but I also go to someone new if the cover, title, and blurb spark something. I need that spark and I trust you do too. I hope you get a chance to read this. Blessings and love.
I pick mine by ARC’s I have to read, and what I have in my TBR stack.
Trudy, our TBR stacks sometimes hold precious gems. I hope you find one in every book. Thanks for coming.
I love hearing the history of old towns, even if it is sad. Those people went through so much that our wimpy air-conditioned society can’t even fathom! I live in the oldest town in the Louisiana purchase, and love hearing the stories of it’s history!
Sarah, I’m so happy you stopped by. I’m a sucker for old town histories and I totally agree. We are wimps and could not take those rough living conditions back then. Yours sounds very interesting. Wow! Thanks for coming. Have a blessed day.
I will choose books based on the cover, blurb and the author.
Barbara, that’s a good rule of thumb. At least it’s a starting point. I love going into bookstores and seeing what jumps out at me. Sometimes, it surprises me. But cover, title, and blurb are important. Thanks for coming by. Have a lovely day.
I love holiday stories. I don’t choose them, they choose me. If they come across my “suggested for you”, I’ll grab it and read. I love to read and will sometimes get 2 or 3 books read in a day, depending on length. I’ve read thousands of books in my time and have only come across a small handful that I haven’t enjoyed! I love many different genres, but my favorites are westerns, paranormal, and sweet second chances <3
Wow, I’m so impressed, Cindy. I used to read a lot more than I do now even though I still love a good story. Sometimes book do certainly choose us. I’ve books leap right off the shelves so of course, I have to take them home with me. Ha! Thank you so much for coming. I hope you have a lovely rest of your day and good luck in finding more things to read.
I choose a holiday book to read by a little of everything, the cover, the author, and the description on the back cover.
Connie, sometimes it’s something totally unknown that grabs us. It’s difficult to pin down the reason. I’ve had that happen to me quite a bit. But a great cover and title are places to start. Asking these questions are so good at helping authors, as much as readers. Thanks for coming. I hope you enjoy what’s left of today. It’s so beautiful here outside. Makes me want to be out there. Blessings and love.
First, I choose by favorite author and genre. I’m still hooked on historical western romance. But, I must admit that I have read contemporary romance by some of my favorite authors as well.
Kathy, yes I know you’re a fan of Shanna’s and I am too. She writes some great, heartwarming stories. I’m stunned that you found time to leave a comment while you’re traveling and celebrating your birthday. You live a full life. Love you, lady.
I would say a little bit of everything… 🙂
Colleen, yes we just know when everything feels right to us. Thanks for coming. Love and blessings, lady.
Books such as this, which speak for compassion and deep hurts. So pleased to see the heroine being a female doctor. Women have lots of compassion for grief and also tolerant of their attitudes as most people with this man’s deformation do not behave very well as they are surly and strike out when bothered. I would love this kind of tale in a Christmas theme. Perhaps Christ is a big part of his transformation. I also am looking forward to reading this story/tale.
Judy, I think you’re right. Women really do empathize a bit more than men. Jericho has such a wounded soul and Dr. Kathleen sees that. She has the heart of a healer. I think you’d like this sweet romance. The story carries a wonderful message. Thanks for coming. Blessings and love.
I go by the blurb. If the story sounds good then I get it.
David, I’m glad you stopped by to read my post. The blurbs are important. Have a wonderful day.
I do choose a lot of books by authors I love and others by authors I have not heard of. I will read the blurb in the back. Thought I have read some books and half way through thrown them away. I dont read smut anymore by choice. I have started to read some contemporary this year and one author in particular who is a christian and I love her stories. I dont really feel like I am in todays world too much.
Lori, we can be in whatever world we wish. I live in the 1800s more than 2023. It’s simpler. 🙂 The blurb is pretty good for letting us get a feel for the story but not always. Sometimes we’re mislead. Read some of the reviews and see what readers say. I hope you find some heartwarming holiday books.
I prefer faith based Christmas stories, but some authors you just know are good! Like you!
Bigbrightwingz, I’m so glad you came over. Thank you for the compliment. You know, I think you’ll find plenty of faith based books this Christmas. What I’ve seen are spectacular. Have a lovely evening and fill your soul with God’s love.
Christmas in the title & the cover can catch my eye but the blurb on the back is what does it for me.
Hi Joannie! I just love a beautiful Christmas cover. That’s important to me. But I agree that the title and blurb have to hook me. Thanks for coming by. Have a wonderful evening.
Linda, this sounds so good! Long ago “back in the day” I worked at a university here in OK that had a “Dept. of Mining”–I was the secretary for one of the professors. Every year, they would gather up all the office personnel and take us to the a coal mine near Krebs, OK, that was still a working mine. There was a big cage on a chain, and we climbed in and were lowered down into the mine to see up close and personal what the miners did. There was water running down there and I had to take my shoes off (you’d think they might have told us what to expect, but here I was in a work outfit and shoes!) You could look up at the top from where we came and it looked like a pinpoint of light. When we were done and ready to come back up to the top, we all got back into the cage and there was an airhorn we had to blow so they’d know to pull us back up. OH LAWZIES. What an experience. I can’t imagine spending hour after hour, day after day down there.
I’m going to snap up that book of yours. I love stories like that!
Cheryl, it is dark and scary down in a mine and in the Thurber mine, they had to work on their knees or laying down. There wasn’t room to stand. I cannot image that. But that’s why children were in demand. Thank you so much for finding Hope’s Angel interesting. Hope you like it. Much love, Filly Sister.
Actually, all those factors come into play. If it is an author I like, it is often an auto buy. Next would be the blurb for the story. That is a big draw. The cover may attract me to the book, but the blurb is what will sell me. The author is a factor, but the blurb must interest me. Hope’s Angel has the Beauty and the Beast vibe that I love in stories.
Thurber sounds like an interesting stop to visit. I will have to add it to my list when we get down that way again. Sadly, immigrants have been and are still being taken advantage of by unscrupulous business people. I don’t think most people realize how much of our economy rely on these workers.
Your new picture os great. Enjoy the cooler weather.
Miss Pat, I do think it’s easy to compare this story to Beauty and the Beast. I hope you enjoy it when you get a chance to read it. I agree about the immigrant workers. They’re eager to do jobs that others won’t. They just want a chance. I hate how they’re treated.
Yes, when you and hubby are off galivanting around, you might find Thurber interesting. Be sure to eat at The Smoke Stack. 🙂 Love you, lady.
The cover is what grabs me first. Second would be either the blurb or the author. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
Debra, thank you so much for coming and joining in the discussion. I do think a beautiful cover can sell a book but the blurb cements it. Blessing and love to you.
The cover, the Author, just because it’s Christmas!!! Really love the season and the magic and peace it brings.
Elisa, I do too. Christmas is just really special and magical. I love Christmas stories, the beautiful decorations, and the treats we make. Thanks for coming.
My eyes are on the lookout for covers that look Christmasy. After that, I check the title. Gotta have my Christmas stories!
I like to read Christmas books from my favorite authors first.Then if the title or cover grab me I will read it.I don’t care for super long Christmas books either. I don’t read too many really long books anymore.