Hope’s Angel

Always Time For Hope

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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

CHRISTMAS CAROLS! – The First Noel

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I think my favorite Christmas carol has always been The First Noel. It’s such a beautiful, very old song that tells the story of the night of Baby Jesus’s birth and how the event astounded the rich and poor alike, from shepherds to wise men bringing riches. I always get a lump in my throat to imagine such a scene and how the news affected so many people, especially in an age where getting news out took so long. This however, sped across the countryside carried by angels.

I put the carol in my latest book Hope’s Angel and my scarred hero played it on the violin. I just adore violin music. It really speaks to me. I found a violin version on YouTube that made the hair on my neck rise. Take a listen.

This song was written around 1400-1500 AD but the author’s name has long been lost. However, it was first set to music in 1823 by William B. Sandys and has been sung in churches and by many recording artists through the years. The First Noel was first recorded by The Columbia Quartet in December 1917. 

The inspiration for the story comes from dramatizations of favorite Bible stories for holidays which were called Miracle Plays and were very popular back in medieval times. The word Noel is French and means Christmas.

The First Noel by Gabby Barrett was so popular in 2020 that it was #78 in the top 100 chart for the first time.

Whether you say Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or something else I wish you nothing but the best.

 

Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men

Come Along To the Town Square

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It seems that no matter where you go, almost every small town has a square. Back in the 1800s, they served as gathering places for the community, focal points for important events and celebrations. These were where courthouses were built, where people could sell and buy things, be entertained in concerts, have dances. Politicians often gave speeches on town squares. On the darker side, they used to hold hangings, lynchings, and such on them. Thank goodness they don’t do that anymore. Shops, offices, and cafes surround this area and usually there is a large clock or a fountain.

People decorate the squares for Christmas and often exhibit a manger scene. In a lot of town squares, you’ll find statues or a veteran’s memorial. There are famous squares like Red Square in Russia, Tiananmen Square in China, and Jackson Square in New Orleans.

Town squares held great importance in earlier times, even as far back as the Bronze Age, and hopefully still do in the smaller communities. But in the U.S. they’ve mostly disappeared in larger cities, swallowed up by progress.

The town square plays an important part in my new Christmas book, HOPE’S ANGEL.

Jericho Cane is an outcast, labeled a monster because of his injuries, and shunned by the town of Genesis. He finds refuge in the darkness of his home, going out only after everyone sleeps. A new woman doctor is determined to change that and comes up with a plan to place Jericho’s sculpture of an angel in the town square. Yet when she encounters opposition, the chances of making this work are slim. If she fails, she knows Jericho will be lost for good.

I started this story years ago and set it aside while I wrote a contracted book. I forgot about it until this past August when I ran across it by chance. It was too good to languish in a file so I finished and self-published it. I think in many ways, I was a better writer back then. I’m very proud of this story that holds the message of kindness, acceptance of others, and a healing of wounds.

If you haven’t seen my video, please watch.

Even in this day and age, we tend to shun people who are different and that’s so sad. Everyone wants to be loved.

This is available in both print and Kindle Unlimited. Click HERE.

If you live in a place with a town square, how do they use it? Do they decorate at Christmas? Is it a place for singing, dancing? Buying or selling? I have four copies of Hope’s Angel to give away so be sure to leave a comment.

A New Christmas Story

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I’m so excited. I have a new Christmas novella that’s on preorder now and I think you might like it. HOPE’S ANGEL (Releasing October 4th) 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.

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 while saving a group of children from a burning train wreck and townsfolk call him a monster. So he hides.

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. To my surprise, I ran across it recently and decided to finish it. The story of acceptance and compassion needs to be read and so you’ll all be able to in a matter of weeks.

But back to Thurber. Back 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. 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 uncounted streets in our growing state a great many of which are still being used today.

I visited there a couple of times but 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.

The book releases on October 4th, just right around the corner. Preorder now: https://www.amazon.com/Hopes-Angel-Sweet-Christmas-Romance-ebook/dp/B0BC2JVJYW/ref=sr_1_1?tag=pettpist-20

Okay, lets talk. When do you start reading Christmas stories? Just during the Christmas season or all year long?

I’m giving away a $10 Amazon gift card to one commenter.

I’ll be giving away some copies of this book next month so watch for it.

Also, we’re going to have a Love Train wrap up party on Facebook Thursday, Sept 22, 2022 from 10:00 am (CST) to 7:00 pm (CST)

LOTS OF GIVEAWAYS IN ADDITION TO A $100 GRAND PRIZE!!!!

The schedule in the image is Pacific Time

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2143576775865837