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A Snapshot of American History, 1860s

For the United States of America, the 1860s represent a time of division, devastation, rebuilding, and reconciliation. For families, and for the nation. Abraham Lincoln ran for President of the United States, and was elected, 1860. South Carolina was the first southern state to secede from the Union, December, 1860. The Pony Express carried overland mail from April 1860 to October 1861. …

Vote for Your Favorite Sinclair Sister

While I’m putting the finishing touches on my next series, I’m still celebrating the completion of my debut series: The Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek.  Are you a Sinclair Sisters fan? While each of the sisters and their supporting characters sank deep into my heart, I have a favorite or two. I’m curious. What about you? Do you have a favorite …

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Mr. Boney: Quirky Sidekick or Guardian Angel?

When I ask a group of Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek fans about their favorite secondary characters in the series, Boney Hughes is always in the top two listed. I think we find Boney so likeable because he’s not only a sidekick character throughout the series, but also serves as an atypical mentor and a charming guardian angel. A few …

Mollie Kathleen Gortner GoldMineTours.com

Mollie Kathleen Gortner: A Cripple Creek Woman

The fascinating women of the 1800s were not dissimilar to you and I, even though their circumstances varied greatly and required extra doses of pluck. They loved and lost. They laughed and cried. They tried and failed. Many tried again and were victorious. Relationships and community mattered to them. Faith played an important role in their strength and resiliency. Mollie …

Candle Lantern

Christmas Light: A Quilted Heart Devotional

In Dandelions on the Wind, Maren Jensen has immigrated to America, her heart full of plans to send for her family and give them a better life. When her failing eyesight narrows her own prospects for a new life, darkness begins to swallow her hope, along with her vision. As Maren lifts a glowing match to the wick of an …

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Taste Testing Company Potatoes

In celebration of my upcoming wagon train series, I hosted a WAGON TRAIN RECIPE CONTEST! The winning recipe will be published in my next full-length novel with WaterBrook Press! During the month of October, entrants in the recipe contest sent in beloved old family recipes! Folks voted on the recipes, narrowing the finalists to three. Now my hubby Bob and …

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Taste Testing Grandma’s Biscuits

In celebration of my upcoming wagon train series, I hosted a WAGON TRAIN RECIPE CONTEST! The winning recipe will be published in my next full-length novel with WaterBrook Press! During the month of October, entrants in the recipe contest sent in beloved old family recipes! Folks voted on the recipes, narrowing the finalists to three. Now my hubby Bob and I are …

Dandelions on the Wind

The Saint Charles Quilting Circle

Our next adventure takes us back in time. 1865. Saint Charles, Missiouri. Some came home from the war. Many didn’t. The women of the Saint Charles Quilting Circle waited and prayed . . . Dandelions on the Wind. An eBook . . . February 19th! Available now for Pre-Order.    

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Research, Cookbooks, and Christmas Plum Pudding

Research can be many things: Fascinating, engaging, time-consuming, surprising, delightful. Even yummy. If you’ve been reading The Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek novels, you know Miss Hattie attends First Congregational Church in Cripple Creek, Colorado. In Two Brides Too Many, the Sinclair sisters began attending the church. By the end of Too Rich for a Bride, Ida’s husband Tucker Raines …

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Endorsements for Sinclair Sisters Novels

The folks who write the enticing blurbs about a story for a book cover or a front page receive ARC’s (Advance Reader Copies) from a publisher to read ahead of a book’s release. What a blessing it was to have so many well-respected authors read The Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek Series and offer endorsements! Gargantuan Thank You’s to each one of the …