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Mackinac Island Inspiration & Book Giveaway

I’m excited to share a guest post from author Tiffany Amber Stockton today! Tiffany has agreed to give us a peek behind the scenes of her new novel, A Grand Design. And she’s giving away a copy!  Behind the Scenes of A Grand Design By: Tiffany Amber Stockton Ever since childhood when I first saw the film, Somewhere in Time, starring …

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World War ll Flight Nurses

I’m excited to welcome our Guest Author, Sarah Sundin, to my blog today. Sarah has agreed to talk about some of the research she did for her latest historical novel, In Perfect Time. And she’s giving away a copy! But first, I’d like you to . . . MEET SARAH! Sarah Sundin is the author of six historical novels, including …

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Story Building and Book Giveaway

I’m excited to have bestselling author Lauraine Snelling with us today. How does a story present itself to an author? Where do the ideas come from? You may Lauraine Snelling for her historical fiction, in particular, her Norwegian immigrant series. Here, Lauraine shares the story building process for her new contemporary novel, Heaven Sent Rain. And she’s giving away a copy!

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Legend of Lady Detectives & Book Giveaway

I’m excited to introduce my author-friend, Kathleen Y’Barbo, as my guest today. Kathleen is talking about Lady Detectives, a subject in her newest book, Sadie’s Secrets. The Legend of Lady Detectives by Kathleen Y’Barbo When I set out to write a heroine equal to the task of catching the charming villain Will Tucker in Sadie’s Secrets, there was no doubt …

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The Birth of Book Ideas by Cara Putman

  Today, our Guest Author is Cara Putman, who agreed to chat with us about The Birth of Book Ideas and share with us her creative process for her newest book, just released this month–Shadowed by Grace.   When a book is born, there’s a scary moment, hour, or week. As an author, I sit at the computer with the …

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Ireland History in Fiction

Happy New Year to you, my friends!   The first Wednesday of every month, I feature an author and giveaway a copy of their latest book. It worked out that today, the start of our new year, is a  Book Birth Day for our guest author. It’s my pleasure to welcome my friend, Michael Reynolds, author of the Heirs of Ireland …

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Oregon Trail Story

Who can resist a good covered wagon or Oregon Trail story? And Melody Carlson is one of my favorite authors. So when Melody’s third book in her Homeward on the Oregon Trail released, I asked her to write a post about what inspired her to write stories about the Oregon Trail. She said yes! AND she’s giving away a copy of …

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1920s Pharmacies and Soda Fountains

While researching the 1920s for Mistaken, I was intrigued by the growing importance of the local pharmacy. When the neighborhood bars closed because of Prohibition, many people turned to the corner drugstore/soda fountain as the new gathering place, trading “hard” liquor for “soft” drinks—at least until the speakeasy opened. The corner drugstore seemed like the perfect place for my characters …

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19th Century Mercantiles

19TH CENTURY MERCANTILES Some of my earliest memories involve shopping trips with my mother, back in the . . . well, let’s just say it was a few decades ago. She’d make a list of all the places we had to go—the hardware store for the screws and bolts my dad needed for a project; the paint store for pink …

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The Role of Art in the Westward Expansion

Glorifying the Wilderness Experience So many things drove the westward expansion of the 1800s. The lure of a better life. Cheap land. Adventure. The railroad. Art. Art? Wait a minute. How did art drive the westward expansion? In the mid-1800s, a new wave hit the artistic community, a desire to show nature in its most glorified state. Known as the …