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Quilters and Quilts #3 – Linda Smith

Week 3 of our Quilters and Quilts Series has me hosting my sister-friend, Linda Smith. Woohoo! When I first entertained the idea to center a women’s retreat series of talks around the concept of quilting, I called my Sis Linda. You see, I don’t quilt. Linda is our family’s designated quilting expert. I may not be a quilter, but I …

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8 Sinclair Sisters Gift Ideas

 “Reading gives us a place to go when we have to stay where we are.” Unknown We all know books make great gifts. What makes an even better present? A themed gift package centered around a book. In case you might like to “gift” my Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek books this Christmas, I decided to add to the fun and put …

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Doc Susie & Book Giveaway

You never know who you might meet in Cripple Creek, Colorado! While I was in Cripple Creek in August to participate in the Gold Camp Days and Western Literature Festival, I made Wyatt Earp’s acquaintance through a program presented by his grandson, Wyatt Earp. Then during a book signing at the Cripple Creek District Museum, I met Doc Susie, played by Hedy Boyce. …

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The Quilted Heart Novellas, 3 in 1

The Quilted Heart novellas only available as individual eBooks? Not for long! January 21st, WaterBrook Multnomah will release Dandelions on the Wind, Bending Toward the Sun, and Ripples Along the Shore as a print omnibus–three novellas in one thick book. In 1999, I’d gone to St. Louis for a conference and a children’s book signing event. On a program-free afternoon, this Arizona …

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Reading with a Map and Making an Itinerary

Charles and Clara Tanner are headed to Cripple Creek, Colorado, this month to visit the landmarks mentioned in my Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek Series. Sweet fans of my fiction, the couple gave me permission to share excerpts from their notes to me. December 2012 Dear Mrs. Hodgson, What a blessing the four books on the Sinclair sisters have been to myself and …

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Leeverites, Do You Have Them?

I didn’t write this post from my home office. I was traveling, which required that I pack for another state, a higher elevation, and cooler temperatures. Before I left home, piles of clothes, shoes, and sweatshirts lie on the bed awaiting their fate, vying for room in a suitcase already spoken for by toiletries, a blow dryer, and a makeup …

Essential Handbook for Victorian Etiquette

Sinclair Sisters Fun and Yum for Book Clubs

Do the members of your book club or reading group enjoy reading series and spending time with an ensemble cast? If so, the four Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek Series might be a great fit. And I’m happy to say the 1890s Colorado mining camp series lends itself well to having fun with Victorian, Old West, Mining Camp flair. Your group might want a …

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A Cripple Creek Tribute

Research trips for my historical fiction takes me to museums, libraries, historical societies, archives . . . and old cemeteries. Like the Mt. Pisgah Cemetery in Cripple Creek, Colorado. Established in 1892, the Mt. Pisgah Cemetery is one of Cripple Creek’s oldest sites. Mt. Pisgah remains a natural setting with native plants and wildflowers. Depending upon the time of year, you might find wild …

In the Case of Sisters Blog

In the Case of Sisters . . .

  Then God created sisters. And He blessed me with three. I write. So it’s pretty easy to figure how what I’m wheeling around in my brown rolling case. A laptop computer, an AlphaSmart, and a USB cord. For Sis Cindy, it’s either a tea set or painting supplies. For Sis Tammy, it would be an otoscope and an audiometer since …

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Castes of Yellow

Where do novelists find a title for a work of fiction? Anywhere, and everywhere. For Maren Jensen’s story, I drew inspiration for my book title from a favorite poem, Castes of Yellow by Viola Jacobson Berg. Mrs. Berg’s two books on poetic forms–Pathways for the Poet and Poet’s Treasury: Second Book of All New Patterns have served as resources I used to teach myself how to …