Announcements

10 Year Anniverary & New Releases Winners: Carrie Fancett Pagels' Butterfly Cottage - Melanie B, Dogwood Plantation - Patty H R, Janet Grunst's winner is Connie S., Denise Weimer's Winner is Kay M., Naomi Musch's winner is Chappy Debbie, Angela Couch - Kathleen Maher, Pegg Thomas Beverly D. M. & Gracie Y., Christy Distler - Kailey B., Shannon McNear - Marilyn R.

Monday, October 24, 2011

NEW RELEASE AND ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION!!!!


Giveaway of Highland Sanctuary Tuesday!


Giveaway Tomorrow (Tues.)!!!
We are celebrating Monday and Tuesday with giveaways by our authors, e.g., books and colonial-themed goodies.  
This is also a party for our authors Susan Craft (The Chamomile) and Jennifer Hudson Taylor (Highland Sanctuary) who have books out in October and November.

Susan had a winner for a copy of The Chamomile and a packet of chamomile seeds and a mobcap!  Congrats Jen!
  

This is the dress that Susan is making right now:





Colonial Quills Writing Team meeting at ACFW Conference September, 2011
IT IS PARTY TIME AT COLONIAL QUILLS WHERE WE ARE CELEBRATING THE ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF OUR FOUNDING ORGANIZATION, COLONIAL AMERICAN CHRISTIAN WRITERS!!!!


We have almost two dozen members now, but our founding members were:
Carrie Fancett Pagels, Founder
Lori Benton
C.J. Chase
Giveaway today and tomorrow!
Laura Frantz
Carla Olson Gade
This collection will release in May 2012.
Rita Gerlach

Joan Hochstetler

Jennifer Hudson Taylor

Debra Marvin

Lynn Squire

Roseanna White

 Now on board:
Barbara Blythe

Susan Craft - See image above
Wanda Dyson

Pamela Griffin and Gina Welborn
CACW members Pamela, Gina, and Jennifer Hudson Taylor
all have novellas in this  February 2012 collection.

Janet Grunst
Pat Iacuzzi
Mary Johnson
Kelly Marie Long
Upcoming Release

Rachel Wilder

MaryLuTyndall
Giveaway of Surrender the Dawn Tuesday

149 comments:

  1. Happy birthday, Quillers! It's such an honor to be in a group with these amazing authors. Jennifer and Susan, BIG congrats on your recent releases!! They both sound truly excellent--and happy birthday to Jennifer too!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ohh, how fun! Happy birthday to all! :-) How exciting about the new releases, Susan and Jennifer. I had the privilege of reading an e-copy of Highland Sanctuary, and really enjoyed it! Not sure what you have to do to be counted in the giveaway, but I'd love a chance to win a paperback copy of Highland Sanctuary, or Susan's new book. :-)

    Thanks! And congrats again, ladies!!

    ~ Katie

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good morning and Happy Birthday all. It's a wee bit after 5am here over-mountain but the partying (ahem) back east woke me up before the rooster crowed. Hope no one minds me being in my shift. I'm just not up for stays this early. Right then.... where's the tea, and it better not be in the harbor!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am thanking God for all the Colonial American Christian Writers today especially and praying for each and every one of you and for the readers who we hope to bless! Roseanna are you caffeinated yet?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Katie, If you end up reviewing it can you send up a link to your review? I am a little over a third of the way into it. Love how Jennifer has all those bibliotherapy elements in it!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm caffeinated! And in fact ready to head out for some early shopping with my mother. =) But I love the Quiller parties so had to check in here first thing!

    Good to see you visiting our celebration, Katie McK! And Lori, have some caffeine, you early-riser, you.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good day, Lori, and we will gladly await your merry company as you ready yourself for the day. Tea? Perhaps a hearty cup of coffee instead? Welcome!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Susan Craft said ...
    Good Morning everyone and Happy Birthday CACW! This is the day that the Lord has made. Here in Columbia, SC, the sun is shining and the sky is a brilliant blue --as blue as the dress I'm making to show my loyalty to the Patriots. None of that Tory green for me. I was up late last night cutting out the pattern. I used a lot of candles and will have to put candlemaking on my list of chores this week. Sometime today I'll have to share how we find beehives for the wax and honey.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Happy Birthday, CACW! I'm right down the road from Susan Craft in W. Columbia. I shall have to stop in and see the lovely dress she is making. I don't partake of caffeine (I know, unthinkable isn't it?), but drs. orders, so some lemonade would be nice.

    I am sooo blessed to have read many of these books by you great authors, but I still have yet to read one of Joan Hochstetler's or Jennifer Hudson Taylor's. I have Highland Blessings, but I haven't had the time to read it yet.:( Perhaps I will be able to read them back to back, who knows?

    Congrats and Happy Birthday to all!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Good day to you, Mistress Craft and no Tory green on my son's tricorn either! That is the difficulty with evening choring in autumn - the expense and labor of candles. We are so glad God brought you to our Colonial American Christian Writers group and are looking forward to your suggestions about the beeswax candles! Congratulations on your book release, too!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Back to the 21st (oops I had 20th!) century with the Kindle, Diana, and you let me know when you are ready to read one of Joan's books. Such a treat! Speaking of which, back to the 18th century where I am going to brew some tea using a block of tea, yup, a block!!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Good morning, ladies!! It's a wee bit early over here on the West coast, but I have my hot tea brewing and am ready to write! Happy Anniversary to all of you, and thanks for letting me be a part of such an awesome group.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Happy Birthday!!!!!

    You all are a fabulous group authors...I LOVE reading your work.

    karenk
    kmkuka at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Mistress Tyndall, I am journeying down to Charleston soon. Was there anything you might have left behind that I could retrieve? I confess I would rather avoid the docks. However, I must revisit the dungeon near the water in hopes of freeing Guillame Richelieu. Those horrid British have him there!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Karen, God is so good to have not only allowed us to come together in our Yahoo group, where we share research tips with one another. But we also have this group blog as of last May when Carla Gade put together this awesome website for us. We have been blessed!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Oh, happy celebration to all you Quillers! It's very cold here but I see blue sky and lots of autumn color among these evergreens in the woods. Am home in my writing chair by my snapping fire:)

    I was thinking how blessed this group has been in that so many of us are published or are on the way to publication or just celebrating the JOY of history and writing. And God's many blessings along the way!

    Hope our members who have been under the weather are doing better - prayers with you all.

    And I simply MUST say something about Kelly Long's beautiful cover:) LOVE! It's new to me though I did see it onscreen at ACFW in St. Lou. Very memorable. Keep those 18th-c. covers coming!

    Back to my writing cave:)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Congratulations, fellow Quillers! And thank you for my upcoming birthday wishes. It isn't every week one skips into a new decade.

    Susan, I had no idea you are so close to me. I'm in Charlotte, NC, so we're only 1 1/2 hours apart. My grandfather was from Columbia.

    Blessings All,

    ReplyDelete
  18. Susan Craft said ...
    Jennifer, we travel to Charlotte often. We have relatives there (Pineville), and until my son recently moved to Greenville, he lived there too. Did you ever attend the Carolina Christian Writers meetings in Rock Hill? I've been to their meetings a few times, but it makes for a long Saturday. Just think what the trek would be like by horseback or carriage!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Happy Birthday to CQ!

    Carrie reminded me I needed to take a break from playing old fashioned farm wife (I'm canning blackberry-apple jelly today) and stop in. It's nice to sit down! Can't imagine how those poor colonial ladies did it. But if anyone wants to bring rolls to the party, I've got the jelly covered today.

    ReplyDelete
  20. WHOO-HOO ... SUPER CONGRATS, QUILLERS!!! What an OUTSTANDING group of ladies, MANY of whom I have read and love!!!

    Gosh, it almost tempts me to write a Colonial ... almost! ;) I think the research would kill me! :)

    But that sure doesn't stop me from being a Quiller follower, that's for sure!

    Hugs,
    Julie

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh, Julie is here!!! One of my favorite author friends ever:) Seeing you here blessed me from tip to toe!! I think you'd write a killer Colonial!! Thanks so much for your gracious words. You are SUCH a bright spot!! Happy writing to you, dear friend!!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Congratulations to Miss Katie McCurdy who won a copy of our jam-maker CJ Chase's fall release "Redeeming the Rogue!" Thanks so much for coming by, Katie!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I am posting this for Denise Weimer, a friend of Laura Frantz's

    "As the daughter of parents who loved Colonial architecture so much they built a New England saltbox here in Georgia - and who took me to lots of historic sites as a child - I really appreciate your web site and blog. And I love reading any kind of historical fiction, but especially enjoy escaping to the days of frontiers and forts. I'm a writer myself - mid-1800s - and am anticipating the Lord helping to arrange an exciting publishing situation for my Georgia Gold Trilogy. Best wishes, ladies!"

    ReplyDelete
  24. Congratulations, Katie. Hope you enjoy the book.

    Had a jar break, so I've got a bit of a mess to clean up. Maybe writing books is easier?

    ReplyDelete
  25. What a great list of authors. I love these stories. Love historical,Colonial and such.
    Thanks for sharing. And congrats on your one year anniversary.
    AprilR
    tarenn98[at]yahoo[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  26. Happy AnNiVeRsArY! So much fun :) Congrats to Jennifer & Susan on their upcoming releases ~ that's wonderful news!
    You know one thing I love about historicals? I love the covers ~ absolutely gorgeous, ladies! Those dresses are beautiful, and I hope Susan will post pictures of the dress she's making.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Oh, Mistress Carrie, I do hope you are able to free Guillame Richelieu from that horrid dungeon! Did you know that my heroine from the Red Siren, Faith Wescott was held in that very same prison! Oh, it was horrid, I tell you. The rats and bugs, and the jailer was a nasty man.
    Did I leave anything in Charleston? Just my heart, I'm afraid. :-) I shall have to return for it as soon as I can.

    Waving at everyone! Hi Julie!! Laura! April!!

    ReplyDelete
  28. OH.MY.WORD!! I just got a look at Kelly's cover for her upcoming release, Arms of Love! That has to be one of my favorite covers, ever! I would want that facing forward in my curio cabinet at home just for looks. This is the first time I've seen it, so pardon my outburst. LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  29. I like colonial writers so much! Congratulations on a year well done.

    ReplyDelete
  30. What a lovely turnout! It's a delight to see so many smiling faces.

    Well, my Lark is probably dancing for joy in her lovely gold gown with news that the amazing Mistress Carrie shared with us today--that LFY in Annapolis just got a 4 1/2 star Top Pick rating from RT. (Unladylike squealing alert!!!!)

    Susan, I LOVE the dress underway!

    And our hostess had to step out for a while to attend her family, so if anyone needs a refill on their coffee in the meantime, I'm putting on a fresh pot.

    Cake, anyone? We celebrated my daughter's sixth birthday yesterday, so I am swimming in confections. =)

    ReplyDelete
  31. Just talked to Carla Gade, and she is sick so please let us offer up corporate prayer for her and she plans to pop over shortly! Mistress Roseanna, bless you for taking over as hostess while I go to retrieve my son. Thankfully I don't have to travel all the way to the College of William and Mary to their elementary school for that! I am so excited for Lark and love her beautiful gown and can't wait to read her story!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Let's pray for Carla.

    Dear Lord, we thank you so much for this group of women, and most of all for the fellowship we enjoy as daughters of the Most High. We praise you for your faithfulness and for the family of believers you gather around us when we need it.

    And now, Father, we come before you on behalf of our friend and sister Carla, who needs your touch today. In the name of Jesus, who bore the stripes for us, we claim healing on her behalf. We rebuke disease and illness in Carla. Let your strength flow through her, Lord, let your arms close around her and lift her up. Seek out the source of this illness and replace it with your Life, with your healing.

    Thank you so much, Lord my God, for your promises, and for always being faithful to them.

    In the name of Christ Jesus,
    Amen

    ReplyDelete
  33. Susan Craft said ...
    Roseanna, about the dress, three years ago,I made one by that same pattern for my granddaughter to wear to the Francis Marion Symposium. I wanted to make one like it for me, but the pattern is no longer available, so I did as any resourceful colonial woman might do, I found a source (ebay). We plan to wear the dresses at the Camden SC Revolutionary War Field Days November 5 and 6 where I will have an author's table. The historic foundation there has decided to sell The Chamomile in their gift shop! So excited about that.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Susan Craft said...
    My hands and heart are lifted up, joining in Roseanna's prayer for Carla. Amen.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Oh, that's awesome, Susan! I'm not a seamstress, though I have friends who excel at it, so I really, really admire those who can craft their own dresses like this. And I *love* your Colonial resourcefulness. Never know what you might find if you wade into the (e)bay, LOL.

    Have fun at the event!! You'll have to let us know how it goes. =)

    ReplyDelete
  36. Sign me up! Congrats on your one year anniversary!

    Salena
    srstormo at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  37. Congrats, Roseanna! What exciting news...I'd be squealing, too! Can't wait 'til I get my hands on a copy. Roseanna gave me a sneak peek awhile back at the cover and I was quite blown away by it. Thank you for sharing that with me, Roseanna!

    I agree in prayer with the rest of my dear sisters here that Carla is being healed by the stripes and name of Jesus!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Diana, you are obviously welcome! I'm always so excited by each new thing in a book's journey to publication that I love sharing it with anyone willing to listen/see, LOL.

    ReplyDelete
  39. This is my kind of party. . .I can come in my jammies! Thank you so much for your prayers for healing. I'm so blessed to belong to such a caring and talented group of writers. This group is truly remarkable and I'm so thankful to Carrie for founding it! Hip, Hip, Huzzah!!

    Congratulations, Roseanna, Susan, & Jennifer. And a happy birthday, too, Jen!

    ReplyDelete
  40. Happy Birthday CACW! Wow, I'm so privileged to be a part of such a fantastic group. Congrats to all those who had/have books coming out this year and to those who just signed contracts.

    I'm lifting you all up in prayer, and making special note of Carla and Carrie and others who have been sick. God bless you!

    ReplyDelete
  41. I also want to encourage our Colonial American Fiction Writers to keep writing for the Lord. He has a special place and time for you to become published! :)

    ReplyDelete
  42. Good to see you, Carla! And we're happy to provide a pajama party. ;-)

    Lynn, I agree this is a simply amazing group. =)

    ReplyDelete
  43. What an attractive website! Hope to win one of the giveaways - can't really tell if it's still going on...:) Beautiful covers!

    ReplyDelete
  44. Giveaways are ongoing, Susan! Thanks for stopping by!

    ReplyDelete
  45. How exciting! Happy Anniversary!
    I love stopping by and learning more about the colonial era :) And the recipes are really cool!

    crazi.swans at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  46. Carla, so nice to see you! I hope you feel better soon. I join in praying for you. And Roseanna, HUGE Congrats to you!! I can't wait to read it. I've spend much time in Annapolis recently due to my daughter graduating from the Naval Academy last year

    ReplyDelete
  47. Congratulations to April R who won a copy of my fall release "Joab's Fire!" Thanks so much for coming by, April!

    ReplyDelete
  48. Well, I was here early this morning and the new post wasn't up yet, but this is much more fun! Congratulations to all the quillers. I for one can't believe it's been a year already!

    Isn't it amazing to see all those lovely covers!

    It's wonderful to have Carla checking in. Carrie, Lori and CJ, you deserve a standing ovation! Hip Hip Hooray!

    ReplyDelete
  49. Thanks so much, Roseanna, for holding down the fort while I was gone! Whew! So glad I don't have to get somewhere by carriage or on horseback. Thank you all for your prayers and kind words. Another giveaway coming up!

    ReplyDelete
  50. Congrats, Ladies! Truly have enjoyed your blog here with such interesting posts - and the excitement of publishing STORY!!!

    Joy!
    Kathy

    ReplyDelete
  51. Jennifer, We want to hear more about your new book! This one is not colonial but tell us about it and your upcoming colonial anthology!

    Oh, and that birthday cake is out of the oven, cooled, spread with jam between the layers, and has the frosting poured over top all dry now. It is a Kentucky ribbon cake similar to one my great-grandmother Linnie Teresa Danner Williams used to cook in her wood stove! Let me put the candles on it for Mistress Jennifer. May this be the best and most blessed decade of your life!!!

    Tea, coffee, or hot chocolate with that?

    ReplyDelete
  52. Selena Stormo is the winner of Courting Morrow Little by Laura Frantz. Congratulations!

    ReplyDelete
  53. I have great news - I received the FINAL edits back from the freelance editor and now all I have to do is make those, reassemble the parts, send to her and she will clean and sanitize the final copy. Dropped 23K and added back about 5K. Then we are redoing the proposal and resending to all the publishers because the synopsis has now changed. I am so excited to have this leaner version ready! I am about to have a nice big chunk of virtual cake. Might even have seconds!

    ReplyDelete
  54. Wow! All this book bliss and all these winners!!

    Carrie, HUGE CONGRATS for surviving those edits!! You're into a new stage now and the manuscript is ready to become a book! I remember how hard that initial leap is to cut, cut, cut. I had to take all of Lael's childhood out of TFD (yep, since she was age 7) and begin again with her at adolescence. It was truly the novel that kept on giving. I don't know where all that cutting room floor stuff is. Hope you save your edits! Anyway, can't wait to keep praying and see where the Lord leads. And whose imprint is on your cover:)

    ReplyDelete
  55. Laura, Thanks so much! You have been SUCH an encouragement to me and a blessing! Did your family in Kentucky have ribbon cake - I think you told me they had a recipe, too. Mine is made with white cake and cut into thin layers and spread with jam. Reassemble it and frost it and it is cut into tiny squares. Basically it is a petits four type cake depending upon how high you make it. Coffee, hot CW chocolate, or tea?

    ReplyDelete
  56. New winner - Kim D. Taylor, who is a "unique" visitor to our site on many levels! She has won a copy of Golden Keys Parson's "In the Shadow of the Sun King." Congrats, Kim!

    ReplyDelete
  57. Carrie, I'll take coffee with two lumps of sugar and cream! Thanks for the early birthday cake.

    Here's a bit about Highland Sanctuary:

    A Sanctuary of Secrets . . . in 1477...

    Gavin MacKenzie, a chieftain heir who is hired to restore the ancient Castle of Braigh, discovers a hidden village of outcasts who have created their own private sanctuary from the world. Among them is Serena Boyd, a mysterious and comely lass, who captures Gavin's heart in spite of harboring a deadly past that could destroy her future.

    The villagers happen to be keeping an intriguing secret as well, and when a fierce enemy launches an attack against them, greed leads to bitter betrayal. Then, as Gavin prepares a defense, the villagers unite in a bold act of faith, showing how God's love is more powerful than any human force on earth.

    ReplyDelete
  58. wow what a great list of authors and books, so many look good, but I can't wait to get my hands on laura frantz's book, it sounds so good! Happy birthday!

    Jen

    Jen.whitney08[at]gmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  59. Happy Birthday, CQ!

    Since we're having a party, I have another piece of news to party over. I just finished my first edit on my 1857 historical romance. I'm pretty pleased with myself about it.

    ReplyDelete
  60. Yay! I won! I am excited to read "In the Shadow of the Sun King." Thanks Golden. And again, way to go CQ! Just finished Deeanne Gist "Love on the Line" so I am desperately in need of another good read.

    ReplyDelete
  61. Happy Birthday!
    Colonial fiction is one of my favorite genres. I'm not yet familiar with all mentioned authors, but I do know Laura's work and LOVE it! I'm planning to get to know Jennifer Hudson Taylor books, but I didn't get to it yet.
    I'm reading a lot of manuscripts this year for the Dutch publisher, so I didn't have much time to read other books.

    ReplyDelete
  62. Happy Birthday, what a great gift package you have, thank you for hosting this giveaway.

    wfnren(at)aol(dot)com
    wrensthoughts.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  63. Happy birthday Colonial Quills! I just discovered this blog and love it already. I see some of my favorite books listed here! Love to read historials!

    ReplyDelete
  64. Carrie, I'm so excited to read about your book! I hope it gets published. I'm planning to read it! :)
    Is there any cake left?

    ReplyDelete
  65. Hey ladies -- Sarah Ladd here -- Happy Birthday Colonial Quills!!! Did I hear someone say "cake"??? :)

    ReplyDelete
  66. I'm so excited for you, Carrie! I'm praying with you, Laura, concerning Carrie's new baby! No folks; she's not pregnant. LOL! Talking about that soon to be fabulous new book!

    Congrats, Selena, you are in for a real treat winning Courting Morrow Little! Selena just became one of our new followers on OTT, Carrie, and I'm delighted!

    No cake for me, thank you, although it sounds delicious. Have had birthday cake and cake at a church function this past weekend. A moment on the lips is an inch on the hips, and I'm afraid there is going to be one too many inches on these hips...sigh.

    ReplyDelete
  67. Happy Birthday fellow Quillers.
    While I sit here with my tea and spoon bread, I'm reminded how inspired and humbled I am to be part of such a lovely and talented group.

    ReplyDelete
  68. OOPS-Sorry Salena for misspelling your name.:(

    ReplyDelete
  69. Thanks Jennifer for sharing about your wonderful new book! I am enjoying Highland Sanctuary. I picked up a couple of Starbucks Disability Awareness month cards because I knew we were celebrating your new release and it has a number of characters with disabilities. One of the minor characters is blind. I have a $10 braille embossed card going to our first Early Bird tomorrow morning who posts after 8:30 when this mama bird gets her baby bird on the bus! Set your alarms!

    ReplyDelete
  70. Special giveaway open to ALL respondents including CQ, CACW. My copy of Rita Gerlach's Surrender the Wind AND a brand new unopened copy of The Patriot with Mel Gibson (my favorite patriotic movie, sigh!) to the first person who can give us an update on Rita's mom, who had surgery today. Dear Lord, bless Rita's mother, heal her, bring comfort to the family during this stressful time. In Jesus's name, Amen.

    ReplyDelete
  71. Jennifer's coffee ready just the way this patriot likes it. Janet, good to see you and enjoy your tea. I am about to retire to my bed chamber but Rachel Wilder (CONGRATS!! It's a great feeling to see that skinny MS!!!) will come check on everyone! Thanks for stopping by Jen, wfnwren, and Jamie!

    ReplyDelete
  72. Marian, thanks so much for coming by. The Netherlands was a HUGE point of departure for many of our German Americans and French Huguenots. Both of those are featured in my manuscript!

    Sarah - God bless you for being such an awesome crit partner! You have been with me on the most difficult part of the journey. Thanks for coming to celebrate with us!

    ReplyDelete
  73. MaryLu Tyndall is doing a giveaway tonight or tomorrow, too, of Surrender the Dawn. Thanks ML! And before I go to bed I had to reassure you that Guillame HAS been rescued from the dungeon. Exchanged for a large fee. And you are so right about that place. Ew!!!

    ReplyDelete
  74. Susan Craft said...

    Just got back from my women's Bible study and I'm excited to find so many more comments than when I last checked the site. Carrie so happy about your edits being done --it must feel GREAT! I'll be announcing a winner of The Chamomile, the chamomile seeds, and the mobcap VERY SOON!

    ReplyDelete
  75. Susan Craft said ...

    And the winner of The Chamomile, a packet of chamomile seeds, and a mobcap is...fife and drum roll please---Jen!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  76. Salena, you're going to love Courting Morrow Little. I devoured it in about three days. Could not put it down.

    This has been a fantastic turnout. Thanks so much to each and everyone of you for stopping by and helping us celebrate our birthday.

    ReplyDelete
  77. Happy 1st Anniversary and Happy Birthday to Jennifer!! This is an awesome giveaway and thanks for the opportunity. :)

    God bless and keep you,
    Sonia

    ReplyDelete
  78. Hey Ladies. I stopped in for some of that yummy ribbon cake before heading off to bed. Any left? Sounds divine!

    Congratulations to our winners and to all of you making strides in writing and publication. I've been hard at work most of the day editing, editing, and waiting, waiting.... But most of all still loving writing after all these years and so glad I landed in the 18th century for my first love, and met all you like-minded talented souls. XOXO

    G'night!

    ReplyDelete
  79. What a neat blog! The Colonial era is one of my favorite time periods. Congrats on your anniversary! I'd love to be entered into any of the drawings except Marylu Tyndall's, since I have (and enjoyed!) her book, "Surrender the Dawn".

    jafuchi7[at]hawaii[dot]edu

    ReplyDelete
  80. Happy Birthday Ladies you are all beautiful and do beautiful work. If it were not for women like you our lives would so boring. Keep up the amazing work (fun)! sign me up!

    Blessings to You and Yours,
    Patricia aka Mamaw

    plb1050 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  81. Happy One Year Anniversary! Wow, what a wonderful group of authors with their books on display! I will get busy and write all the above books down so I won't miss a single one!

    Would love to win a book. Thanks for this great giveaway opportunity!

    God Bless!
    Judy B

    judyjohn2004[at]yahoo[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  82. Susan Craft said...

    Good morrow, everyone! I'm working on another giveaway and hope to announce it soon. Just checking on some details.

    ReplyDelete
  83. Susan Craft said ...

    Good morrow, everyone. I'm all agog, as my carriage wheel broke this morning and a well-meaning brother of the blade saved my bacon while his carrot-pated bantling watched. When my rescuer finished, he would not accept balsam. He saved me from riding bayard of ten toes.

    The first person to post telling everyone what "riding bayard of ten toes" means, will receive a copy of The Chamomile. Remember, please leave us your email address. If you want to tell us what the entire message means, that would be fun too.

    ReplyDelete
  84. Happy birthday, Quillers. :) And Carrie, thanks for pointing me to the blog. I love it.

    ReplyDelete
  85. I do know what "riding bayard of ten toes" means, Susan, but I don't know what the whole message means. But I won't tell since I already have The Chamomile, and I want someone else to have a chance to win it. Well I did have a copy of The Chamomile. The last time I saw it, it was walking out the front door in my sis-in-laws arms, with a stack of some more of my books!:) She was happy...

    ReplyDelete
  86. Carrie sure knows how to throw a party! I'm here again in my jammies fighting off pneumonia, but this is certainly a bright spot in my day. Today I'm doing some writing on my newly contracted colonial period novel, A Design for Love in Abingdon's Quilts of Love series. I recently finished my novella for Colonial Courtships and am having so much fun staying immersed in the 18th century. I'm so excited that this subgenre is gaining momentum! Thank you, Carrie, for being such a big part of that, and I honored to be writing along side my fellow quillers!

    ReplyDelete
  87. Susan Craft said...

    Diana--thanks for not giving it away :-)!!! I'll tell the whole message after we have a winner. Hope your sister-in-law likes the book.
    Carla -- hope you're feeling better soon. I love the 18th century. That's probably where I'll stay with my writing.

    ReplyDelete
  88. Morning everyone! I am praying for Carrie and Carla to feel better! Tis a fine mornin' here in California and I'm about to get started on me writing. I'm working on a civil war story, but I'm so anxious to get back to Colonial Times. My favorite era!!

    ReplyDelete
  89. Ohmigoodnessgracious that is my freelance editor Susan up there and isn't she gorgeous? I did not realize - just knew she was a fantastic editor - she did MaryLu's first book, too! So glad to see you here, Susan, and THANKS SO MUCH for all your editing work with me! Welcome to Colonial Quills.

    I am back from Williamsburg, not to CW, but from meeting with a wonderful advisor there for my son's special needs. Now to look at all these comments and pick some winners! And in between I am going to hit "ACCEPT" on all of Susan's edits (ok, almost all, lol!)

    ReplyDelete
  90. MaryLu, I know your heart is in the 18th century and I am praying you will do another series set there. I don't even care if it is colonial - go back to England if you want (we will still love you if you are a Tory!)

    ReplyDelete
  91. Judy B, You are our Early Bird today and you win a Starbucks card ($10) with Braille imprint on it. This is because of Jennifer's book Highland Sanctuary and because of October being Disability Awareness Month. Congrats!

    ReplyDelete
  92. Susan Craft said ...

    Hi, Susan Lohrer. Such fun to see you here on this blog.
    Carrie--Susan is my editor too! Worked with me on The Chamomile. Fabulous editor and great to work with.

    ReplyDelete
  93. If Susan comes back we can find out if her ears are burning! I just told another multi-published author about her services! Was Susan the editor through your publisher because she did my work as a freelance editor. My endorser, Lena Nelson Dooley, and my agent, Joyce Hart, both suggested having a freelance agent help with at least the part for the proposal since it was a first submission. However, I kept going with the full MS because she was so helpful. God has been so good in putting people beside me who have been so helpful and encouraging!!!

    ReplyDelete
  94. What a party! It's great to see so many familiar faces. Congrats, ladies, on the first year as a blog and on the publication of so many FABulous books! Enjoy the fun - and here's to more successful years to come.

    ReplyDelete
  95. Hope I am not too late to the party....I subscribe and just got my E. Happy Birthday...I love your blog. I love to read and would enjoy winning any book..except I have read all of MaryLu's and loved them. Thanks and good day to all!
    jackie.smith[at]dishmail[dot]net

    ReplyDelete
  96. A hearty welcome to Ramona Richards, Abingdon Editor. We are very grateful that Abingdon has been so supportive of colonial American fiction and has published two of our authors and is about to publish a third! We are going to make you an honorary Colonial Quiller and will be getting off your member pin (with our Followers flag of "Join or Die") and a special colonial thank you gift from us!

    ReplyDelete
  97. Welcome Jackie, and I love MaryLu's writing, too! You are the winner of the drawing for the DVD "The Patriot" and I am also sending you my gently used copy of Rita Gerlach's Surrender the Wind! Congrats!

    ReplyDelete
  98. Susan Craft said ...

    Carrie,
    I found Susan through someone I met at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference in Black Mountain, NC, several years ago. She was freelance for me and I think she's the reason my publisher was so impressed with the quality of my manuscript.

    ReplyDelete
  99. Susan Craft said ...

    Hey! No one has told me what "riding bayard of ten toes" means. Diana knows, but she's not supposed to tell. You'll win a copy of The Chamomile if you can tell me, and then I'll interpret the rest of the coded message.

    ReplyDelete
  100. I've been thinking about that, but as I'm from the Netherlands I'm not familair with the proverb, but it sounds a bit like something we say in Dutch.

    If it means the same as the proverb we have in Dutch, then it would mean something like using your feet to get somewhere.

    It's just a guess and I'm probably wrong, but maybe I made someone smile :)

    ReplyDelete
  101. I think Marian B. got it right --all I can think "riding bayard of ten toes" could mean is having to tire your feet out or "riding your feet" (instead of a horse, LOL) by walking.

    I noticed a lot of authors commenting --would you mind sharing the process you went through regarding book covers? So many of the ones posted are gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  102. Though my other covers have quite a story behind them, I can sum up this one quickly. =) A few months after I turned in the manuscript for Love Finds You in Annpolis, my editor emailed me a few things: recommended edits and rewrites, a list of house rules for formatting etc., and this cover--along with a note that said, "Please tweak your character descriptions to match." LOL. So I went in and changed a gold and rose dress to gold and ivory, and darkened my heroine's hair a few shades. =) Which I was happy to do because I was soooooo impressed with the cover! They did a fabulous job.

    ReplyDelete
  103. That is a fabulous cover! I approached the Summerside editors at conference at the elevator to tell them "Mackinac Island" (my fav place) and was told they have one coming out. YAY! Guess I won't pitch my idea to them when it is done, lol!

    ReplyDelete
  104. Lady Dragonkeeper, I have bugged, um, I mean called and graciously asked member Barbara Blythe to stop by and comment on her cover process, too. Barbara is at work right now at a bank where they don't exactly smile upon internet usage!

    ReplyDelete
  105. Congratulations on your one year anniversary. Doesn't seem like that long! I am happy to be celebrating with you!
    Blessings.....Joy
    ibjoy1953{at]yahoo[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  106. Diana, I think since you know Susan's meaning I am going to do an extra giveaway of CJ Chase's Redeeming the Rogue for you and it is SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR!!! Congrats!

    ReplyDelete
  107. Woo Hoo, Yippee Skippee! That doesn't sound like a very dignified Colonial lady, now does it? Thank you, Miss Carrie and CJ. I am also curtseying...in my sweatpants! LOL! There's no hope for me, which is why the good Lord put me in the 21st century.

    The meaning is to go on foot, which Marian Baay guessed as well. I told Mr. George to come over here and win a copy of The Chamomile for his wife, as he knows the meaning of the whole paragraph, which I didn't. Hope he comes over...

    ReplyDelete
  108. My publisher makes us fill out an online form (about 4 pages long) for our covers. We have to submit information about the main characters--physical descriptions, of course, but also a lot of stuff about their personalities, professions, etc. We have to describe three scenes for the cover, and the cover must have a least one person. (No still-lifes or landscape covers allowed.) And then we have to send in pictures of what the characters might look like, clothing styles from their time period, their hair styles, etc.

    It's quite time consuming. I complained to a friend about the amount of time I was spending on my "art facts" sheets, and she gave me some of the most valuable advice anyone could give a new author. She told me I should consider the cover design promotion and make certain I budgeted enough hours to do it well. Her point was that my cover would go far more places than I could ever reach via blogs or book signings.

    ReplyDelete
  109. I'm sorry, his name is Robert, not George (where'd I get George from?), and I'm trying to direct him here (he's lost) so that he can give us the whole meaning of Susan's paragraph! I hope he finds us!

    ReplyDelete
  110. Translation: I am amazed! I had a flat and a soldier stopped to help while his carrot-topped brat looked on, otherwise I would have been walking. He would accept no payment for his services.

    ReplyDelete
  111. Sorry, forgot to include my email address.

    Christian Author, Robert Dennis Wilson = woodnames@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  112. Susan Craft, Mr. Robert knew the meaning of your whole paragraph! "saved my bacon"?:)

    Does he win a copy of The Chamomile for his lovely wife since I already had one? I don't know him, but I assume he has a lovely wife who would love to win this!

    ReplyDelete
  113. Also Marian Baay guessed the to go on foot part, too!

    ReplyDelete
  114. HOW EXCITING!! Another Birthday party and I almost missed it! I can't believe I don't know some of you authors but now, plan to add you to my wish list of whose books I plan to get some day, next chance.

    I skipped almost all the comments and went straight to the place to post mine. If not, the whole day might be gone before getting to post.

    I did take the time to look at the huge list of books and the cover pics for each before coming here. Just the pictures make me want to read them!

    Now, having said that, did I see while scrolling down here someone mentioning cake??

    Pam Williams
    cepjwms (at) wb4me (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  115. Yes, and I know his lovely wife. Unfortunately for me, Mr. Wilson transported Mrs. Wilson far from Virginia to Florida, controlled by the British. I suspect Robert is a Patriot spy infiltrating those Tories down there! Yes, let us have Mistress Susan send Mistress Joyce a copy of The Chamomile as an encouragement of her patriotic loyalties!

    ReplyDelete
  116. Pam, I have Kentucky ribbon cake and also Mistress Susan's Lemon Tart. Coffee, Tea, and CW Hot Chocolate. I imagine the lemon and chocolate would not be a good combination, though! Thanks for coming by! Yes, lots of lovely ladies and their fabulous books, too!

    ReplyDelete
  117. CJ, So glad your jam is cleaned up. I have only made it myself once. Used to help my mom. The one time I tried with a friend in NY, my daughter got stung in the strawberry patch by bees and then the strawberry jam exploded and popped all over my friend's beautiful kitchen! I helped her clean up and then left all that jam with her, I felt so bad for her. I remember you telling me about the cover process for LIH. Quite extensive!

    ReplyDelete
  118. Robert, Sure seems to me like you nailed it (modern American expression!) We'll see what Susan says. And we have created an international scandal here because we also have Marian Baay from the Netherlands who has also weighed in (another expression!) Blessings, Bob!

    ReplyDelete
  119. Oh, no! You mean I led a Patriot spy to Colonial Quills? Does that make me a spy, too? Oh, my, I'm beginning to swoon! Poor Mistress Joyce, may she find comfort between the pages of The Chamomile!

    ReplyDelete
  120. Hi all -
    FYI - I work for the school system and they frown on non-work related internet usage. Thanks for contacting me, Carrie!

    First of all, what a wonderful celebration and congratulations to those authors who have releases. White Rose/Pelican Group has contracted me for my second book - Ransome for Many - a pirate tale set in 1718 North Carolina.

    As to the cover process - It's similar to what C.J. said -I fill out a sheet - description of hero and heroine. They ask about the time period, where the action takes place, etc. I was amazed at how close the model matched the heroine's description with my first book, and they even incorporated the roses into the background (the heroine liked to work in the rose garden). My new book has a more brooding, menacing tone and the cover reflects that with a dark sky, moon, and a ship on the water.

    Thanks to everyone who contributes to this site. The information and articles are great.

    ReplyDelete
  121. Susan Craft said ...

    Huzzah, Robert!!!! Great job of interpreting. You have won a copy of The Chamomile. I'll email you shortly and get your address so I can snail mail you a copy. Again, thanks so much. Hope you enjoy the book.

    ReplyDelete
  122. Susan Craft said ...

    Marian Baay, I just now saw that you were right about the phrase, so I'm going to send you a copy of The Chamomile too! I don't see your email address, unless I missed it. Could you post it, please, and I'll contact you directly.
    Huzzah, Marian!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  123. About my cover for Colonial Courtships. I am very much interested in the book cover design part of the process. I want to have as much input as allowed. I was very blessed that the art department listened to me when they sent a request for details, and that's what I sent them. I answered very specifically, describing personality, costume, setting, all of that. The pictures I sent along to accompany the request were well received. I had already spent considerable time at istock photo online where I have an account and found my heroine with just the right look, including her expression. I provided the picture and the photo number at istock. When they sent me the mock up for the cover I couldn't believe my eyes...I am thrilled that they used my model's head, though the body and costume they found elsewhere!

    I don't know if I'll always have the privilege of having that much input, but it seems the more specific you are the better the chances are that it will help them with their design. I'm now submitting a detail sheet for my next novel and providing the same type of info and pictures. This is almost my favorite part of it all since I'm so visually oriented. And I know a good cover is what grabs people's attention initially so I happy to be all over that!

    ReplyDelete
  124. Thank you so much, Susan! I am sure my wife will love it!
    FYI: in the context "bantling" could have just meant "young child": the brattiness was only an implied connotation of the word.

    ReplyDelete
  125. Dearest Ladies,
    Thank you for your kind concern for the welfare of my fair wife and myself. As far as my status here is the British Colony of East Florida: let mum be the word and I beg you to receive this secret correspondence in the strictest confidence.
    Please be advised that I am quietly leading my fellow Floridians to recognize the despotic practices of Governor James Grant. His cronyism has reached epic proportions, so that the merchants and commoners are relegated to a status little above that of slaves. I am endeavoring to help them see that they each have "inalienable rights" and no small progress has been made.

    Most Sincerely Yours,
    Robt D Wilson

    ReplyDelete
  126. well, this turned out to be quite the party and I'm loving the conversation.
    Saying a prayer today that Carla will be feeling much much better very soon!

    ReplyDelete
  127. Susan and I held a teleconference and another colonial international incident has been averted - this one via Amazon's amazing ability to deliver books to the Netherlands!!! Hope you enjoy, Mevrouw Baay (is that the right translation?)

    ReplyDelete
  128. Susan Craft said ...

    Robert, you're right, there are two definitions for "bantling." I found a great website (http://colonialbackwoods.proboards.com) that has a list of "Colonial Backwoods slang," and this word was on that list.

    ReplyDelete
  129. Mister Wilson, Please be assured that we will not allow any of our more Tory-sympathetic sisters to pass this information along. We do love our Tories in Christian love but that does not mean sharing colonial military secrets!

    ReplyDelete
  130. I sent a Facebook message to Laura Frantz because it is hard to believe it has been a year since Laura and I and Joan M. Hochstetler and Lori Benton talked at conference about getting the Colonial American Christian Writers going? It never would have happened without your support! That little huddle got us going out to others like Jennifer Hudson Taylor who got right on board as did Lynn Squire. Then Carla Olson Gade agreed and asked for enforcement of our strict guidelines of research focus (except this week!!!) And Rita Gerlach and Cj Chase had their colonial books and came in and Debra E Marvin hopped with us over from HisWriters and Roseanna White had her colonial MS, now going to print and we started heading toward our first dozen!

    Giveaway of The Colonel's Lady will either be done by Laura tonight or me in the morning! God bless our members and our readers and our families and those who bring about the publication of these books. We thank God for His provision!

    ReplyDelete
  131. Wow, Happy 1st anniversary to Colonial Quills! It's such a great and interesting site. I admire historical authors for the research involved in making their novels come to life. And I'm so thankful for it, because I just love imagining I'm living with characters in the past :)

    ReplyDelete
  132. What a lovely site. Happy Anniversary to the group! :)
    And here's a toast to many more to come!

    ~Pamela

    ReplyDelete
  133. Wow, I guessed it right then!
    'The Chamomile' sounds exciting, so I'm looking forward to read it! Thank you Susan!

    And, yes Carrie you have my address correct and used the right word...

    Mevrouw Baay :)

    ReplyDelete
  134. You ladies have been quite busy! When I get a chance today, I'll draw a winner for Highland Sanctuary. Work kept me from getting around to it yesterday. And right, now I must take the young one off to school!

    ReplyDelete
  135. Oh, I am so delighted to see Pamela come by! Pamela Griffin is an incredibly busy gal. She is the "Queen of novellas" and is the main author on a bunch of our colonial novellas. I was privileged to work on a novella proposal with her last winter (yet to hear anything on that one, but still praying). Amazing lady!

    ReplyDelete
  136. Third winner of Redeeming the Rogue by CJ Chase is Julie Lessman! Congrats, and it is a signed copy!

    ReplyDelete
  137. Hi Carrie,
    My apologies as I was at Bible study last night and offline! Just rec'd your message, dear Carrie. If you haven't drawn a winner I'll announce the one picked here...

    Pam Williams!

    You're the winner of The Colonel's Lady! Thanks so much, Carrie, for all of this! We couldn't do it without you!! You're a true blessing from above and I know the Lord enjoys our little parties!

    ReplyDelete
  138. WOW! THANKS! I was enjoying being here, and to win Colonel's Lady too, the extra blessing! I feel like it is MY birthday instead of just helping you all celebrate YOURS! Who do I send my mailing address to?
    Pam Williams

    ReplyDelete
  139. Good morn to all ye find ladies! Drum roll please, it's time to announce the winner of my latest release, Surrender the Dawn!! And the lucky lady is: Jamie Adams!!!

    Thank you, Jamie, for joining our party! Please post your email address so I can contact you ASAP.

    ReplyDelete
  140. Pam, Congrats for the win - hope TCL blesses you! If you could send your snail mail addy to Carrie at cfpwriter@aol.com, that would be great (it's in the sidebar above if you need to look again). Thanks so much for your support and encouragement in taking time here. It's so appreciated. Happy reading!

    ReplyDelete
  141. Thank you all for answering my question! I want to major in art and as a reader, it's always bugged me when book covers had different details than in the text of the novel (e.g. wrong hair or eye color), so I'm interested in seeing what the process is like from the author's point of view. =)

    @ Ms. White - It is such a lovely dress, I probably would change those details in my story as well. =)

    @ Ms. Pagels - Ha-ha, thank you --that's one of the covers that caught my eye on this post.

    @ Ms. Chase - I've really liked the recent Love Inspired Historical covers ...
    I'm sure all the information you send will be a great help to the artists working on them. I think your friend is right --there have been many gorgeous book covers that have prompted me to learn more about the summary or author.

    @ Ms. Blythe - It's the same policy where I work as well --thank you so much for posting! "Fire Dragon's Angel" has such a beautiful cover --it almost has an ethereal look to it that you don't usually see in historical fic. --I love it!

    ReplyDelete
  142. @ Ms. Gade - That's so awesome! Not only can you say that you wrote the book, but you also can point out "I picked that" on the cover. =)

    Thanks for the party, everyone! Best wishes for your blog and your books! TGBTG!

    ReplyDelete
  143. Congratulations to Lady DragonKeeper! You've won a copy of my most recent novel, Highland Sanctuary. Hope you enjoy it!

    ReplyDelete
  144. Congrats, Lady DragonKeeper and thanks for coming back to follow up with us! I love that! I will let her know, too, about the mutual like of that beautiful cover!

    ReplyDelete
  145. thanks for the list of all these great titles!! i haven't seen a lot of these before, but i'm a historical fiction fanatic!!

    ReplyDelete
  146. Awesome! Thanks so much, Ms. Taylor --I entered a drawing for "Highland Sanctuary" on another blog in the past --now I'll be able to read it! =)

    @ Ms. Pagels - It was no problem --thank you all for answering my question!

    ReplyDelete
  147. Lady DragonKeeper, please email me as you were one of the winners! I need your addy!

    ReplyDelete
  148. Oooh, Carrie in the Hammock! I have to check out your blog! Thanks for coming by and yes, do check out our authors' books!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for commenting, please check back for our replies!