February New Releases Tea Party - Susan F. Craft's "The Laurel" & Carla Olson Gade's "Proving Up"

Today's party takes us to a small town in the Great Plains in the 19th century, occupied by many Swedish immigrants who have settled there.

May I offer you some Swedish Egg Coffee, as the Swedes prefer, and some Brunscrackers (shortbread cookies)? This is what the Swedish immigrant characters in "Proving Up" from The Homestead Brides Collection enjoy for refreshment.

The Homestead Brides Collection (Barbour)9 Pioneering Couples Risk All for Love and Land


Through nine historical romance adventures, readers will journey along with individuals who are ready to stake a claim and plant their dreams on a piece of the great American plains. While fighting land disputes, helping neighbors, and tackling the challenges of nature the homesteaders are placed in the path of other dreamers with whom romance sparks. And God has His hand in orchestrating each unique meeting.

Proving Up by Carla Olson Gade

Swedeberg, Nebraska, 1886
A young Swedish widow applies her scientific theories to growing trees on the barren Great Plains intruding on
a handsome homesteader’s hard work and experience. Will their dreams come to ruin or will love prove their success?

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Native New Englander Carla Olson Gade writes adventures of the heart with historical roots from her home amid the rustic landscapes of Maine. With seven books in print, she is always imaging more stories and enjoys bringing her tales to life with historically authentic settings and characters. An avid reader, amateur genealogist, photographer, and house plan hobbyist, Carla’s great love (next to her family) is historical research. Though you might find her tromping around an abandoned homestead, an old fort, or interviewing a docent at a historical museum, it’s easier to connect with her online at carlaolsongade.com.



Image Sources: Pinterest


Laurel - A Post-Revolutionary War Romantic Suspense
Susan F. Craft

May 1783, Blue Ridge Mountains

Desperate to rescue their kidnapped daughter, Lilyan and Nicholas Xanthakos trek two hundred miles through South Carolina mountains and backcountry wilderness, fighting outlaws, hunger, sleeplessness, and despair. When the trail grows cold, the couple battles guilt and personal shame; Lilyan for letting Laurel out of her sight, and Nicholas for failing to keep his family safe.

They track Laurel to the port of Charleston as post-Revolutionary War passions reach fever pitch. There, Lilyan, a former patriot spy, is charged for the murder of a British officer. She is thrown into the Exchange Building dungeon and chained alongside prostitutes, thieves, and murderers. Separated from her husband, she digs deep inside to re-ignite the courage and faith that helped her survive the war. Determined to free his wife at any cost, Nicholas finds himself forced back into a life of violence he thought he’d left behind.

Following a rumor that Laurel may be aboard a freighter bound for Baltimore, Lilyan and Nicholas secure passage on a departing schooner, but two days into the voyage, a storm blows their ship aground on Diamond Shoals. As the ship founders, both are swept overboard.

Will their love for each other and their faith sustain them as they await word of their missing child? Or is Laurel lost to them forever?

Susan F. Craft writes historical romantic suspense. Her Revolutionary War novel, The Chamomile, won the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Okra Pick. Susan recently retired after a 41-year career as a communications director, editor, and proofreader. To assist authors to “get it right about horses in their works,” Susan worked with the Long Riders’ Guild Academic Foundation to compile A Writer's Guide to Horses that can be found at www.lrgaf.org. Forty-five years ago, she married her high school sweetheart, and they have two adult children, one granddaughter, and a granddog. An admitted history nerd, she enjoys researching for her novels, painting, singing, listening to music, and sitting on her porch watching the rabbits and geese eat her daylilies. She has two post-Revolutionary War novels being released in 2015 by Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas—Laurel, was in January, and its sequel Cassia in September. She is represented by Linda S. Glaz, Hartline Literary Agency.

 GIVEAWAYS:

One copy of The Homestead Brides Collection, autographed by all nine contributing authors.


One copy of Laurel and an 8 x 10 print of this beautiful painting by Susan that inspired her as she wrote her book.
 
CFP: Isn't this beautiful?

A package of Young Hyson fine tea (loose) from Colonial Williamsburg plus chamomile tea bags to one winner. If you haven't read Susan's wonderful novel, The Chamomile, you need to! It is one of the best colonial era books I've read! It's full of colonial gems that delighted me as I read it!

Please leave a comment here on the blog to enter! We will announce the winners up top--come back late Sunday afternoon to check!  We also have a Facebook party page if you'd like to post your gown!