Long Live Colonial Books!

When I first started writing - seriously writing for publication - I started in the Colonial era. One of the first things I was told was "You can't sell a Colonial story, those books are dead on the shelf."

It wasn't just one person who told me that, and my Colonial trilogy has never found a publishing home.

BUT! Then I was introduced to the Barbour historical romance collections. The first one I sold was not Colonial, but the second two were. And just last month:

My first Colonial-era novella, In Sheep's Clothing, won the Romance Writers of America - Faith, Hope, & Love Chapter - Reader's Choice Award.

Reader's choice. That means it was judged and chosen by ... readers. Readers who enjoyed a Colonial story.

To add to my unofficial and unscientific refute of the "Colonial is Dead" advice I'd received, both In Sheep's Clothing and my second Colonial-era story, Her Redcoat, are finalists in the American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Awards, the winners to be announced at the ACFW conference the last weekend in September. 

The moral of this post? Don't let what "they say" turn you away from writing - or reading! - the stories you love. You'll never please every reader. Nobody can. But if you write a compelling story, there are readers out there who will enjoy it. And may even give it an award.

Pegg Thomas writes History with a Touch of Humor

Meet the Colonial Journeyman

The colonial system of apprenticeships worked to train young men - and occasionally young women - in a trade. It was a good system to produce workers needed in the community. But what happened to the apprentice upon completion of their contract?

Most apprentices became a journeyman in their craft. The name comes from the French for "day man." They no longer had a master who provided bed and board in exchange for their education into the craft. Now they hired on to work for wages and lived on their own or moved back in with their family. These journeymen were the up and coming masters of the future.

First, they needed to earn the endorsement of a master in the craft. The journeyman labored to produce the best product of their craft that they could. They submitted this to the master who then submitted it to the craft guild. The guild masters would evaluate the piece and render it master-worthy - or not. If it was, the journeyman was accepted into the guild and given the title of master craftsman.

In my latest release, In Sheep's Clothing, part of A Bouquet of Brides collection, my hero is a journeyman fuller who wants more than anything to attain the level of master fuller. At least, that was his heart's desire until he met a certain local maiden with hazel eyes and an orphan lamb.

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Giveaway of The Meadowsweet Shawl

I'm so excited about my new release in the Bouquet of Brides Collection. My story, In Sheep's Clothing, let me combine so many of the things that I love. It has history, fiber arts, and even sheep!

I've always loved history. I was blessed to grow up with a granddad who was a natural storyteller. He lived through so many changes, he knew so many interesting people - including Henry Ford, and although he never graduated high school, he was always well-read on current events. His stories captivated me from my earliest memories.

At the age of nine, I learned to knit in our local 4-H club. Using yarn to create loops and fashioning something both useful and artistic captured me from the start. I was sixteen and showing rabbits in 4-H when I met a lady who raised Angora rabbits. She came to a rabbit show with her rabbits ... and a spinning wheel. I was hooked. It took me a few months to save enough money to purchase my first spinning wheel, but it was worth every penny.

I was thirty before we had the land and opportunity to buy my first sheep. I started with a mixed flock but quickly switched over to registered Border Leicesters. Today, I have just a remnant of the original flock, but they still give me more than enough wool to keep my fingers busy.

To celebrate the release of this close-to-my-heart story, I'm giving away one of my signature shawls. The Meadowsweet Shawl is named after the lamb in In Sheep's Clothing. It's natural white Border Leicester wool raised right here on our farm. I raised the sheep, sheared the sheep, washed the wool, carded the wool, spun the yarn, plied the yarn, and then knitted the shawl. It's 100% made in Michigan. The shawl is crescent shaped with a raised back to keep your neck cozy warm. The front can be left to curl, as in the photo, or tied or wrapped to close the front.

To be entered in the drawing, subscribe to my newsletter by January 31, 2018. That's it! If you've already subscribed, then you're already entered to win.

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