Kimberley Woodhouse

Special Guest Kimberley Woodhouse!

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I’m so excited to be back with y’all today. It’s seriously one of my favorite places to be with some of the best readers around!

Here we are, with my 39th release – A HOPE UNBURIED – which releases on September 24! (Book number 40 releases in October and it’s the finale of my new Cyber suspense series so watch my social media for fun celebration of #40!)

A Hope Unburied is the third book in my Treasures of the Earth series where we’ve followed women in paleontology, explored faith and science, and experienced the cool piece of American History known as The Bone Wars.

Set in 1916 Utah, this story takes us to the beginnings of Dinosaur National Monument. One of the coolest places I’ve ever been. (Now, let me tell you, it’s in the middle of nowhere – but it’s AMAZING.)

If you haven’t read any of the series yet, I hope you get the chance because one of the coolest pieces of writing these books was the research I was able to do on Earl Douglass. His granddaughter Diane—now in her 80s—has become so dear to me. She gave me permission to use his quotes and poems in the books.

Earl was a fascinating man of faith who was passionate about paleontology. It was his discovery in 1909 and his tireless work for years after that brought us the amazing quarry at Dinosaur National Monument. His hope was for people to get to see the fossils not just as displays in museums, but actually still in the rock. And if you go to the Monument, that’s what you’ll get to see. There’s an entire WALL of fossils inside the welcome center where you can see and touch and read all about them.

Earl’s dream came true and generations to come will get to reap the benefits of his work.

Below is the blurb about A Hope Unburied and I hope you’ll join me in spreading the word about this next book! I’m so excited but I need all the help and love I can get.  If you’re excited too and are willing to share about it, please comment below. I’ll be giving away three copies.

Beyond the perilous landscape lies a love that defies extinction. . . .

In the bustling world of paleontology in 1916, Eliza Mills defies societal expectations to pursue her passion. Having published her early groundbreaking papers under a false name, she has finally earned her place at the Carnegie Museum and seizes the opportunity to work at Dinosaur National Monument with a renowned paleontologist. But things in Jensen, Utah, aren’t what they appear. When Eliza gets the chance to dig up bones at a ranch with a dark history, it sparks a chain of events that will rock the very fabric of her carefully constructed world.

Devin Schmitt, Eliza’s closest friend since childhood, harbors unspoken feelings for her but knows he will never be able to win her heart. Just as he vows to give her up for good, Eliza begs him to visit her in Utah for another grand adventure. He reluctantly agrees, and within a few days of his arrival, he and Eliza find themselves entangled in a web of danger where the stakes are much higher than they ever anticipated. Together, Devin and Eliza must hold on to God as their hope as they navigate a treacherous terrain of betrayal to unbury the truth and save Eliza from those who wish to see her fail.

As Kimberly mentioned, she’ll be giving away THREE print copies of  A Hope Unburied. Have you ever visited a place that made you think of something you hadn’t? Or have you been to a place that changed you? Leave a comment to be entered in this drawing!

Kimberly Woodhouse Finds Stories in Bones

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Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to travel across the plains of Kansas into what is now Colorado and all of a sudden you see the Rocky Mountains ahead on the horizon?

If you’ve ever driven in this part of the country, you’ve seen it first-hand. It’s an incredible sight to behold. Especially after crossing so much… flat terrain. (Raise your hand if you’ve driven all the way across Kansas or Nebraska. Bonus points if you’ve done it multiple times.)

Out west here in Colorado, we get a lot of tourists that come to see the mountains. A lot of tourists.

One of the amazing hidden gems in our mountains and the surrounding rocky hills and landscapes is the plethora of sights where fossils have been found.

If you’ve read any of my books, you know that I love digging up some good history. And a pretty important part of our American history that a lot of people have never heard of is the Bone Wars.

Two paleontologists—Cope and Marsh—are the ones behind that intriguing title. Why? Well, let’s just say they weren’t nice to one another. Always trying to outdo each other, to be the “top dog”, to write the latest and greatest papers, to have the biggest and best skeletons displayed in museums with their name on it—these men stopped at almost nothing to win. Even going so far to use dynamite and blow up priceless, irreplaceable fossils just so the other couldn’t get to them.

Talk about the wild west.

My Treasures of the Earth series tackles the Bone Wars era while highlighting women in paleontology and the sticky subject matter of faith and science.

Set in Stone is book two in the series and it takes place in Colorado near the famous Red Rocks. Pretty close to Dinosaur Ridge actually, a place where you can see actual Dino footprints preserved in a towering wall.

One of the things I love about this area is the beautiful rock formations. In red, white, and gray. I can just imagine Martha—my heroine in this book—digging into these rock layers.

Her hopes and dreams of being recognized in the field are on the line when a fierce competition to present a complete skeleton to the museum puts her and her team in danger. Add in a good bit of suspense, a creepy villain, the thrill of digging for dinosaurs, and a dash of romance—you’ve got this second stand-alone installment in the series.

To celebrate the release of this book this week, I’m inviting you all to join with me in a little party here at Petticoats and Pistols.

I’m giving away FIVE copies of The Secrets Beneath (book one in the series), and one of those five lucky winners will also receive a copy of Set in Stone.

To enter – just leave a comment below. I’d love to hear about your favorite dinosaur, your favorite piece of American History, or if you’ve ever ventured west to see my Rocky Mountains.

Until next time… enjoy the journey,

Kimberley

 

Kimberley Woodhouse is an award-winning and bestselling author of more than forty books. A lover of history and research, she often gets sucked into the past and then her husband has to lure her out with chocolate and the promise of eighteen holes on the golf course. Married to the love of her life for more than three decades, she lives and writes in Colorado where she’s traded in her hat of “Craziest Mom” for “Nana the Great.” To find out more about Kim’s books, follow her on social media, and sign up for her newsletter/blog, go to: https://kimberleywoodhouse.com

 

Welcome Kimberley Woodhouse!

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Hey, y’all! I’m super excited to be with you today. Not only is this one of my favorite blogs, but two of my favorite people are here – Karen Witemeyer and Mary Connealy. (Waving at you two!)

Today, I’d love to share an excerpt from A Mark of Grace, book three in my Secrets of the Canyon series from Bethany House Publishers. My readers have been begging for Ruth’s story and it’s finally here.

A little background: Ruth Anniston has been a Harvey Girl for a long time. Since the El Tovar opened on the rim of the Grand Canyon in 1905, she’s been the head waitress there. But a tragic and horrifying accident with a mountain lion (which took place near the end of A Gem of Truth – book two), has left her injured. But not just physically. Every aspect of her world—professional, physical, emotional, spiritual—has been upended and she’s struggling. Big time.

The series has been so much fun to write. The Grand Canyon, the historic El Tovar, the Harvey Girls, and the still-untamed-remote-West. I hope you enjoy this little snippet from the Prologue of A Mark of Grace. (And don’t forget to check out the giveaway details below.)

 

1907

Thirteen years later

El Tovar Hotel, Grand Canyon

“You’re such a pretty young lady, Ruth. Don’t sell yourself

short.”

Pretty young lady. As the memories of the past washed over her, Ruth couldn’t believe how many years had rolled by since that day.

But now look at her. No longer did she have a pretty face. No longer was she young and eligible. Had she let her stubborn pride get in the way? Was she destined to be alone forever?

At this moment, the mirror across the room was the worst villain she could ever imagine.

The more Ruth thought about it, the more she wanted to throw something at it and make it shatter into pieces. But she wouldn’t do that. Couldn’t do that.

Because she was a Harvey Girl.

The head waitress.

In control at all times.

An example to all the girls under her. Mother hen. Mentor. Friend.

She couldn’t allow herself to lose all command of her faculties just because her world would never be the same again. This had been her dream.

Even though she now faced the nightmare before her.

Ruth gingerly patted the bandage on her cheek. Lord, give me strength to handle whatever comes. She’d repeated the prayer too many times to count as she waited for the doctor to arrive.

She wasn’t a vain woman. At least she hadn’t been before a mountain lion mauled her face. Had she? Now she spent an agonizing amount of time consumed with her appearance and how it affected her future.

She was thirty-two—almost thirty-three. A veritable spinster. If she couldn’t work, what was she to do? Where could

she go? Working as a Harvey Girl had been her entire adult

life. It had brought her so much satisfaction. Hopefully, she’d brought God glory through it all. And even when she was younger and struggled when all the other girls were getting married and settling down, the Lord had given her peace.

Now she was the head waitress at the crown jewel of the Harvey Empire—an accomplishment she’d worked hard to obtain. It was all she’d ever wanted after donning her first black-and-white uniform. And after a year on the job, it had been easy to think she still had plenty of time for God to bring the right man into her life. She’d been completely content.

Being a Harvey Girl was the perfect job for her. More to the point, it was the only job she knew. What if she couldn’t do it anymore? Harvey Girls made people feel comfortable. They were trained to be efficient. Pleasant. And spotless.

Without blemish, as the Bible verse went. Her soul might be spotless before the Lord, but people were far less forgiving than He. And she was no longer without blemish . . .

Mr. Owens had bent the stringent Harvey rules for Emma Grace in her time of need. Surely he would do the same for her. Only, Emma Grace could still do her job. Ruth couldn’t.

Not to the Harvey standard. Her leg would take a long time to heal. And she’d probably always walk with a limp. But that wouldn’t be as visible as her face. She closed her eyes.

What would she look like?

Reaching up with her right hand, she covered the bandaged area of her face. And for a moment, she looked normal again.

Lord, give me strength to handle whatever comes.

Against the doctor’s orders, Ruth began to peel back the edge of the bandage. She stepped close to the mirror, hoping the damage was far less than she feared…

I’m going to give away three paperback copies of A Mark of Grace to three wonderful readers. All you have to do is comment with answers to these questions: Have you ever been to the Grand Canyon? If so, what was your favorite spot? If not, is it on your bucket list?

Until next time, keep on reading!

Kimberley

DAUGHTERS OF THE MAYFLOWER SERIES by KIMBERLEY WOODHOUSE

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When Barbour asked me to anchor the Daughters of the Mayflower series and to write several books for the series, I was thrilled. And completely fascinated with the idea of following a family line through US history from the Mayflower all the way through WWII.

What I didn’t realize was what the research would do for me personally. I love history. Love the west. But what a thrill it was to learn so much more depth about our country’s great history.

 

 

 

For instance, in The Mayflower Bride, (1620) I had to use all the historical people who were actually on the ship and only fictionalized my hero, heroine, and her best friend. Research for this book, I must admit, was brutal. But oh, so worth it. One person in particular has caused hundreds of readers to write in: John Howland. His escapade of falling overboard that I used in the book, really did happen. How he managed to grab the topsail halyard is truly a miracle in and of itself. What’s the most interesting tidbit to me about his whole story is that he ended up having ten children, eighty-eight grandchildren and now? There’s almost two million descendants of his in the United States. Out of all the passengers aboard, he has the most descendants. By almost double. Imagine what would have happened if he had been lost to sea that day.

 

 

Then there was The Patriot Bride (1774-1776). Researching the American Revolution was extraordinary. But in my research, I became engrossed in biographies of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. So, of course, I had to use them in the story. You’ll have to read the book to find out about how I incorporated Ben’s quirkiness and use of “air baths” – and let’s not forget his love of swimming.

 

 

 

 

 

In The Golden Bride, I learned about all the ships buried beneath San Francisco’s streets, and how they expanded the city’s shoreline by building on the landfill. The gold rush of 1849 was not a time and place I would have enjoyed living in!

 

 

Which brings me to The Express Bride, my latest release in the series which takes place in 1860 during the impressive and short era of the Pony Express. For this book, the tagline is: The wilderness is a great place to hide…

 

 

 

 

And it was. The picture from Karen Rochon is a good idea of what the area looks like today – and back then. Hasn’t changed a whole lot. Except for electricity. ? She posted this picture in an avid readers group when she read my book. Can you imagine being that far from “civilization” back then? But the Pony Express stations had to be every 10-20 miles so that the riders had places to stop and eat/sleep, and so there were fresh horses since they rode at breakneck speeds. It cost a small fortune to send something via the Pony Express (approximately $145 equivalent today – to mail a letter!) and yet it was highly used.

 

IMG 3346 credit – Karen Rochon (this picture is about 50 miles east of the Carson Sink Station area from The Express Bride and is what the terrain looks like.)

 

A strong theme of forgiveness is woven through the story with the heroine finding out hidden secrets of her past. And there’s a bit of suspense and espionage too.

Through this series, it’s fun to explore significant events in US history and to find the love of family and friends standing the test of time. Make sure you check out all the other great authors in the series as well. The Express Bride released on July 1, 2019 and it is the 9th in the series.
Thanks for journeying with me today!

God Bless you!

Kimberley

 

 

Giveaway: Leave a comment about your favorite event in US history or your favorite historical character and you’ll be entered in the drawing. I’ll be giving away three signed copies of THE EXPRESS BRIDE along with other goodies.

Petticoats & Pistols