Book Talk

Mail Order Roslyn by Zina Abbott

 

 

My name is Robyn Echols. Zina Abbott is the pen name I use for my American historical romance novels. I’m a member of Women Writing the West and Western Writers of America, and American Night Writers Association. I currently live with my husband in California’s central valley near the “Gateway to Yosemite.”
I love to read, quilt, work with digital images on my photo editing program, and work on my own family history.
I am a blogger. In addition to my own blog, I blog for several group blogs including the Sweet Americana Sweethearts blog, which I started and administer.

 

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Roslyn Welsh is sent by stagecoach to Junction City to marry a man with whom her aunt and guardian, without Roslyn’s knowledge, had been corresponding. His requirements for a wife were that she must be at least twenty-one years of age with a family Bible for proof, and she must have no children. Only, Roslyn is not quite twenty-one, she has a baby, and her aunt has no intention of sending the family Bible with her. The marriage prospect turns into a disaster. Stuck in a strange town with no money, she is told there is no work for a decent woman with a baby. To allow herself time to figure what to do with her future, Roslyn accepts an offer to ride the stagecoach to the Ellsworth B.O.D. Stagecoach station to help the stationmaster’s wife.
        Elam Stewart survived the American Civil War, but his left leg from above the knee down did not. With no home to return to and realizing there are very few people willing to hire a man with only one good leg, he’s convinced he has no future. While working as a day laborer in the local Junction City livery, he becomes intrigued by a visitor named Ross who is anxious to spend time with the horses. Elam discovers Ross’s secret. Then he learns where Ross intends to seek work. Even though he does not have a future, he does have a Spencer repeating rifle. He can have a purpose.
        Roslyn and Elam ride the same stagecoach to the Ellsworth Station on the Kansas frontier. Between resentments among the stock tenders, difficulties with animals that pass through the station, and the threat of attacks by the Cheyenne Native Americans, is there a future for Roslyn and Elam at the station? Or will their future take them on another stagecoach ride away from Ellsworth?
        Please look for my other two books in the Widows, Brides & Secret Babies series, Mail Order Lorena and Mail Order Penelope, that will be published this summer. The three stories are related and part or all of them involve  the stagecoaches and stations on the Kansas frontier in the late 1860s.

 

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Snippet:
The words caught in her throat and her eyes widened as she heard the sound of a baby’s cry. Emmy? No, it could not be her baby, but her body did not know the difference. She could feel the milk in her breasts let down.
Roslyn spun a quarter turn to face the street. Interlacing her fingers, she clasped her hands together as she brought them to her lips, hoping the movement hid her real purpose which was to press her forearms against her nipples to stop the flow of milk.
Roslyn turned her head to the right to look in the direction from which the sound of the baby’s cries came.
On the boardwalk the next block over, a woman dressed in black from the top of her bonnet to the bottom hem of her skirt approached with a quick walk.
Roslyn would know that silhouette anywhere. In her arms, Penelope, five months pregnant with her own child, held an infant wrapped in a familiar-looking, white knit blanket. What are they doing here? Panic surged up within her. Penelope is going to ruin everything. Without concern for what any of the men standing in front of the hotel saw or thought, Roslyn bounded off the side of the boardwalk into the cross-street as she ran toward her cousin and daughter.

 

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Sea So Blue by Nichole Giles

 

 

Nichole Giles, author of the Descendant trilogy, and the Water So Deep series, has lived in Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and Texas. 


She is a fan of all things paranormal and magical, and her dreams include raising a garden full of fairies, riding a unicorn, and taming the pet dragon she adopted at a local Convention. 


She loves to spend time with her grown children and two grand-babies, travel to tropical and exotic destinations, drive with her convertible top down—even when it rains—and play music at full volume so she can sing along.

 

Caspian is looking for his mother. Snatched from the beach as a child and raised as a half-breed Mer-Prince in the long-lost city of Atlantis, his turn to rule is coming fast. Caspian learns that the Mer in Oceania have found a method to visit land—a practice forbidden in Atlantis—and later return to the sea. Unfortunately, the “magic” method involves poison so potent that only half-breeds with undamaged lungs can survive it. When his Sea King father forces Caspian’s engagement to a mermaid he can’t stand, Caspian decides it’s time to go in search of his human roots, and the woman who gave him life.
Elise has nothing left to lose, except the house she grew up in and a beat-up classic car her father had intended to restore. While her friends leave home for college and abroad, she’s stuck waitressing at The Sea Turtle, begging for enough hours to pay her power bill, and using her lunch breaks to place flowers on her parents’ graves. Not only is she not looking for love—she’s not even looking for friendship. Loss is something she knows too much of, and she can’t survive any more. But when she finds a mysterious stranger wandering the cemetery, she takes pity on the pathetic soul and brings him to her work where she can feed him a solid meal.
The innocent meeting turns into an unbreakable bond, and sets off a chain of events that leaves them both questioning their place in the world—be it land or sea—and discovering just how essential love and family can be.  

 

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Snippet:
“What is fire? How does it change a fish?” Maia planted herself on a stool near Emma’s dressing table, riveted by details of another way of life. “Will you tell me all about the land? Tell me where you’ve come from and the ways of human people, and I will show you where you belong and the ways of the Mer.”
Thoughts of James and her family engulfed Emma, stealing her ability to talk, and move, and exist underwater. Everything here was different, even language. The Mer would never understand what she’d lost, because they didn’t understand emotions the way she did, and some feelings couldn’t be explained. But maybe if she told someone, unloaded some of the burden, she would at least find the strength to go on.
She rolled onto her side and faced Maia over the edge of her hammock. “Fire is like holding captive a slice of the sun.”
“But the sun is dangerous, my Princess, as is the air.” 
Emma remembered the warmth on her shoulders, the brightness in her eyes and the breeze in her hair as she drove her convertible up the coast. How it felt to breathe, to recognize scents and feel the difference in altitude whenever she went anywhere far. The sweltering heat of dry sand beneath her feet, grass under her fingers, the cool, rough stones in her cove that lacked formations and moss. She remembered the fear of her past, the pain of fists connecting with her face and body, the stabbing wounds inflicted every time judging eyes trailed her in the halls at school, and finally understood that what had happened then was part of another lifetime. 
That was before. Before James had come into her life and forced her to feel again. Made her proud to be who she was, regardless of what that meant. Her past had no bearing on her future, and only as little or as much meaning to her true self as she allowed. 
“The sun is a wonder, Maia.” She rose from her hammock and used the mini-spear—intended for opening clams—to draw a round sun on the sandy floor. “Glorious and warm. A bright orange ball in the sky that forces people outside, urges plants to grow, and heats the surface of land.” 
A memory James flashed in her mind—the fervor in his eyes, the security of his embrace, and the ferocity with which he’d defended her and Keith, despite her initial resistance to his advances. “The sun and its fire can transform water into air. It burns with the zap of an eel, and squeezes as the tentacles of an octopus around your middle. It can turn white skin red, and then make it fall off, leaving behind pale, new layers.”
Maia shifted, but her attention remained riveted on the circular pattern Emma carved into the sand. “I don’t believe I would like fire.” 
“Fire dwells inside me,” Emma told her, entranced by her own hypnotic drawing. “Fire. Not water. I have to find a way to go home.”

 

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The Guise of a Gentleman by Donna Hatch

 

Multi-award-winning author of 25 best-selling Regency Historical Romances, Donna Hatch is a hopeful romantic and an adventurer at heart. Each book she writes is filled with wit and heart and plenty of swoon-worthy romance. Donna sings, plays the harp, and loves to ballroom dance. Her family, including six children and two cats, recently left their native Arizona for the Pacific coast of the US. No matter where they live, she and her husband of over twenty years are proof that there truly is a happily ever after.

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The widowed Elise is a perfect English lady living within the confines of society for the sake of her impressionable young son. Her quiet world is shattered when she meets the impulsive and scandalous Jared Amesbury. His roguish charm awakens her yearning for adventure. But his irrepressible grin and sea-green eyes hide a secret.
 
A gentleman by day, a pirate by night, Jared must complete one last assignment from the Secret Service before he can be truly free. Elise gives him hope that he, too, can find love and belonging. His hopes are crushed when his best laid plans go awry and Elise is dragged into his world of violence and deceit. She may not survive the revelation of Jared’s past…or still love him when the truth is revealed.
The Guise of a Gentleman is a wholesome Regency Romance, a.k.a. “clean” that explores finding one’s true self, loyalty, honor, and trusting loved ones. With plenty of swashbuckling action, it provides a several good twists that play off of familiar situations and proudly proclaims the redemptive power of love. 

 

Snippet:
Mr. Amesbury moved closer to Elise. Her heart pounded as he neared. His smile turned smug as if he knew her thoughts.
“Despite your earlier refusal, I’m glad to finally learn your name. At least, part of it. What is your Christian name?”
“Missus,” she said through clenched teeth, and turned to leave.
“Wait. Please don’t go.”
The desperation in his softly spoken words arrested her movement. Slowly, she turned back to him. His disconcerting eyes traveled over her face with such intensity it seemed a physical touch. She wondered if he looked at every woman thusly. He probably did. The rake!
“I wanted to thank you again for your assistance in the woods.” A seductive tone rumbled his voice.
“You’re welcome,” she snapped. Her own rudeness shocked her, but this womanizing cad deserved to be brought down a peg or two.
“And to apologize,” he added, unperturbed. “I offended you that day. I do not wish to destroy any chance I might have in the future to become better acquainted.”
“I believe we are too well acquainted already.” 
“But I’m in your debt. Please allow me to thank you properly.” His lazy smile and smoldering eyes made her wish she had worn a dress with a higher neckline.
She nervously touched the cameo on the ribbon at her throat. “It’s not necessary to thank me. Besides, I doubt I can trust your definition of ‘properly.’ ”
He laughed softly. “You’re a perceptive woman, Mrs. Berkley. However, I have something less nefarious in mind.” He executed a courtly bow. “I thank you, madam, from the bottom of my heart, for coming to my rescue.” 
From an inner coat pocket, he retrieved a velvet drawstring bag, opened it, and inverted it in his hand. A perfect pearl lay in his palm.
He held it out to her. “There is an island in the Pacific where the natives harvest these from the ocean. You can’t see it in this light, but it’s pink. The chief gave this to me to thank me for saving his son. So, to thank you for saving the boy and me, I hope you will accept this token of my gratitude. And, I hope, as an apology.”
She stilled at his unexpected words.
He added, “I offended you with my impulsive behavior, and I humbly beg your forgiveness.” A smile lurked around the corner of his eyes despite the contrition in his tone.
Had a man ever left her so thoroughly confused? He was a muddle of a perfect gentleman and an incorrigible tease. Truly he was a cad. She’d just have to ignore those annoyingly strong elemental stirrings he aroused in her; they would be extremely inconvenient if she, as a mother and widow, followed them.
She indicated the pearl. “Truly, this is not necessary.”
“Please take it.” He grinned with roguish charm. “Otherwise, I’ll be honor-bound to find some other way to thank you.”
Something in his tone dispelled her guard. Laughing softly at his audacity, she picked up the pearl and admired it. “Very well, I accept, lest you become even more outrageous in your expression of gratitude.”
A place in her heart was touched that he’d be so thoughtful as to have brought her a gift that possessed sentimental value, rather than merely one of monetary worth—not that she should be accepting either one from a stranger, but somehow, she could not refuse.
Archly, she said, “And as you were clearly not in your right mind after such a terrible ordeal, I forgive you for your misconduct.” She wrapped the pearl in a lace handkerchief and put it in her reticule.
His smile appeared both wicked and relieved. “I cannot express how much that means to me. I have thought of you often since that day.”
“You, sir, continually breach the boundaries of propriety.” If only she could slow down her traitorous heart and force it to accept her decision to dismiss him as beneath her notice. But she couldn’t simply dismiss someone whose very presence filled the entire garden, and whose thoughtfulness touched her more than she cared to admit.
She almost uttered a sound of disgust. When had she become so easily ensnared by the charms of a libertine? She took another step backward and lost her balance. With a cry, she teetered at the edge of the pond.
His hand shot out to catch her by the arms. Laughter leaped into his eyes while he slowly pulled her closer to his broad chest. His clean and earthy and so very masculine scent crept into her senses. For one brief moment of insanity, she enjoyed his nearness, his arms around her making her feel safe, protected, desirable.
Where had she left her wits?
“Thank you,” she whispered, dropping her eyes and shrugging off his touch.
He dropped his hands to his sides. “Do you really fear me so? Or is it that this isn’t proper, either?”
“Of course this isn’t proper. And I’m wise to mistrust a man whose conduct and intentions are questionable, at best. Unless I have my gun, of course.”

 

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Tarragon: Key Keeper by Karlie Lucas

 


Karlie Lucas is a school crossing guard by day and a writer/artist by night. 


A graduate of Southern Utah University, Karlie received a B.A. in Creative Writing, with a minor in art. She is a member of Sigma Tau Delta, The International English Honor Society, SCBWI, as well as ANWA, the American Night Writers Association.
Karlie is interested in all things magical and mysterious, especially elves and dragons. She is an avid fan of J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling.


When not writing, Karlie can often be found drawing, baking, watching her favorite old school shows, or just spending time with her family.


She currently resides in Dallas, Texas with her husband and a cat named Kally. 

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 For hundreds of years, the gates of Tarragon have been sealed from the outside. Prophecy speaks of the day the last Key Keeper will return and wake the dragons from their spell-cast slumber, returning them to their rightful home.
 

 

Seeking to fulfill her father’s dying wish, Anwen Porter travels to the Drakonii Mountains where she meets Tyler, a mysterious local with a secret. With his help, she learns more about her clouded past and her own abilities. But when Courtney, a lovesick mage, tries to insert herself into their plans, things begin to go horribly wrong.
With death threatening at every turn, Anwen must learn to rely on her newfound friends to survive. 

 

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Snippet:

The snuffling noise came closer, rocks and dirt skittering over the entrance. A low growl filled the air, causing goose flesh to creep up Courtney’s body. The growling became louder. She swore she could feel it through the ground. She raised her makeshift weapons higher, ready to hurl the orb at a moment’s notice.
A loud snarl filled the cavern, echoing like a freight train. Shrieking, Courtney threw the ball of energy, willing it to ignite as it arced through the air.
Bright light erupted all around, blinding her. Another loud snarl filled the air, accompanied by her screaming. She held the tent pole like a spear, hoping to pierce whatever might leap her way. There was a sudden loud thud, followed by an animalistic cry of pain that was just as quickly extinguished, along with the light.
Courtney couldn’t see anything in front of her, except for sunspots from the sudden explosion. The whole cavern had gone dark moments after she’d launched her attack. But she heard shuffling and knew that whatever was making that sound was coming towards her. 

 

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Conspiracy in the Capitol by B Ivy Woods

Rae isn’t sure she is ready to let her lost love back into her life and Flint knows this is his only shot at winning back the one he let get away. Time is supposed to heal all wounds, but can it mend a broken heart? Conspiracy in The Capitol by debut author B. Ivy Woods is a spicy, diverse second chance romance. Fans of return to hometown romances will love this contemporary romance with a suspenseful spin.

Time is supposed to heal all wounds, but can it mend a broken heart?

Rae’s been unlucky in love ever since having her heart broken years ago. When her ex reappears and declares his hope for a second chance, she’s not sure what to do. Time can heal past wounds, but sometimes heartbreak is irreparable…

Flint knows that this is his last opportunity to win her heart again and he’s playing for keeps. But with his reemergence in her life comes danger. Mysterious messages that plagued their relationship years ago have returned, threatening their reconciliation. Rae already has doubts about rekindling their relationship but now the stakes have increased and her life might be in danger.

Can their love truly conquer all?

This second chance romance is book one In The Capitol series.

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Exclusive Excerpt

Copyright 2020 @ B. Ivy Woods

“So, you know how I attended a fundraiser with my dad because my mom couldn’t make it last night?” Everyone nodded, remembering the text conversation they’d had about it. “Well, you’ll never guess who I ran into.” Jules reached over to grab her blond hair, which was draped over her shoulders and played with the ends for a few seconds before folding her hands in her lap.
“The President of the United States?” Liv smirked. Eve laughed, and Rae smiled in response.
“Nope, but I’m not sure that would have been more exciting. I saw Flint West.”
The whole table was silent. Jules looked down at her hands, while Eve and Liv stared at her.
Rae’s face was blank, but her mouth was agape, revealing how she felt about the news. Was Flint back in town? Since when? She swallowed hard before speaking. “You saw Flint? How is he?”
The thought of him still made her heart race and she couldn’t decide if she liked that or not. The last time she and Flint had spoken to each other had been cordial, but the couple of months that had led up to them ending their relationship had been tense. But when they were good, everything was fantastic. That included them being long-distance for most of their relationship. The plans they’d made, the dreams they’d shared had gone away several years ago, but sometimes Rae would think about him and wonder what could have been.
“He looked well. He asked about you.”
“That’s great.” Rae made sure that her expression remained unchanged. She took another long sip from her drink. She wouldn’t go down that road again.
“What did he ask about her?” Eve asked, turning her attention to Jules. Unsurprisingly, Eve was the one to follow up with a list of questions.
“Well, we didn’t have much time to talk because we saw each other just before the speeches began. He asked how Rae was doing and if she still lived in the area.” Rae showed no emotion when Jules said her name.
“Interesting.” Eve leaned back in her chair and thought for a second. “I didn’t realize Flint was back in town.”
“He’s been back for a few months. His law firm transferred him to the DC area. He lives in Arlington too.”
He would. Arlington was a nice size, but it wasn’t that big. The probability of them running into each other was high. The thought of that made her nauseous. Their breakup wasn’t the cleanest, but it had been for the best at that point in their lives. She hadn’t even given much thought to the idea that she might run into his parents too.
“That’s good for him. It sounds like he’s doing well for himself.”
Jules mumbled a reply that no one at the table could catch.
“What was that, Jules?” Liv leaned in closer.
“I said he asked if Rae’s phone number was still the same.”
Liv turned to face Jules, and her eyes darted from Jules to Rae and back. “He asked if Rae’s phone number changed? You have to be kidding. Did he say anything about trying to contact her?”
Jules shook her head and Rae let out a deep breath as she glanced down at her own hands. She could feel someone’s eyes on her, and when she looked up, her gaze connected with Eve’s.
“I was a little worried about telling you, but I knew you had to know.”
Rae’s emotional state after the breakup had been rough for weeks. She wasn’t surprised that Jules debated telling her because she had seen the toll the breakup had taken on her. Her friends were there to help her pick up the pieces. Rae knew how lucky she was to have their friendship.
“Don’t worry about it. Thanks for telling me.” Rae downed the rest of her wine before placing the glass back down on the table. She knew that she finished her drink too fast, but she didn’t care. She looked around and noticed that Jules was close to finishing hers, too. “Do you guys want something else? I’m paying.”

 

About B. Ivy Woods

Ivy Woods has been writing for as long as she can remember. After getting her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Environmental Policy and a Masters in Energy Policy and Law and working in the environmental field for several years, she decided to become a stay-at-home mom. That is when thoughts of a writing career really took off. Although she competed in NaNoWriMo multiple times, 2019 was the first year that she won. This win inspired her to make writing a career. Her debut novel will be self-published in 2020.

Although she is originally from New York City, she currently lives in the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia) with her husband, daughter, dog, and cat.

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Hermana by Becca McCulloch

 

 

Becca McCulloch is a wife, mother, professor, and writer but rarely in that order (if in any order at all). At night, she transitions from mild-mannered educator into mild-mannered artist, writing about LDS (Mormon) issues in a modern and complex world. In 2016, she won the Storymakers’ First Chapter Contest/General Fiction category. In 2019, her novel, Hermana, was named the General Fiction category winner for the LDS Publishers Media Association.

 

Becca resides in Utah with her husband, 2 children, Great Dane, two cats, and a pesky, yet friendly raccoon that won’t leave the outdoor shed.
WINNER! 2019 general fiction book of the year from the LDS Publishers Media Association.

 

Bookish and street-smart Lannie Lewis wants to be more than the child of a broken home who flunked out of music school. Full-time mission service will carry her away from the problems with her dad and immerse her hands in the work of God, or, it would if she’d stop hiding in the bathroom and wishing the island had better bug spray. When a disaster transforms her mission into a world of peril and overwhelming need, she will have to learn to hear the Lord’s voice for herself, even if it means she stands against the crowd. 
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Snippet:
I float through Shulz’s transfer like the in-focus character in a nouveau French film. Figures move past me, obscured in a fog. Loss slows time and shifts experience inward. Other scenes in this film replay in my head. My grandfather’s funeral. The day my dad left. Juries. Saying goodbye to mom in Salt Lake City.
Schulz and I stand beside each other as the training hermanas’ car approaches. We’ve not spoken all morning. Stoic Schulz preferred the view to conversation. A few jokes passed between her and Blank, but nothing for me.
“You’ll be a great training hermana, Schulz.”
“Thanks, Lewis. Try to stay alive.”
That’s the end of Schulz and me. She climbs in the car with Hermana Litchford, who still looks like she should be cavorting on a beach in a Pac Sun ad, and Hermana Stathos, who spares me a small wave and inquiry after my arm.
My new companion will come by bus. She’s been part of a threesome, so her poor comps get to waste a day on this transfer. No one knows when the bus will arrive. We sit and sweat while ancient buses stuffed with Dominicans and livestock rattle and sputter by at uncommonly high speed. The dirt whips into dust devils and makes the heat hotter. My Coca-Cola tastes gritty.
“I volunteer to get us all fresh sodas,” I murmur to the Elders. Everything already feels different without Schulz. Without her, we’re the sad pictures from the 1920s American dust bowl. Faces filled with deep lines and dirt. Nothing exciting at all.
When I get back, Hermana Olsen sits on her luggage opposite the Elders. This is the first I’ve seen her since we left the MTC. She’s changed, too, roughened at the edges. I hold out the 7-Up and Coca-Cola bottles for her to choose. She rejects both. The Elders take their Dr. Peppers. My insides feel like dried-out paint trays, so an extra soda is fine by me.

 

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