Eight Year Blog Anniversary!

Message from Administrator Carrie Fancett Pagels: Eight years and so many posts later (OVER one million three hundred page views!!!), we're still sharing our love of colonial America with our readers! Welcome to our celebration! With wonderful new contributors and ongoing fantastic colonial-era authors we are really blessed. Come sit down and enjoy a lovely high tea with us! Leave us a comment and you may find one of our many contributors pouring you a cup of tea or offering you a lovely tray of fine sandwiches, savories, and sweets . . . or one of our author giveaways!

~*~*~*~*~*~

J.M. Hochstetler

Hello, everyone! It’s hard to believe that Colonial Quills is eight years old already. And what a wonderful journey it’s been, full of friends and fellowship and learning new things about the colonial period! It’s a real privilege to be a part of this fun and congenial group, and I’m so grateful for our talented leader, Carrie Fancett Pagels, who started this crazy ball rolling, to all the members who contribute to the blog, and to all our faithful readers!  May there be many more years ahead of us.

For the party I’m giving away a copy of my upcoming June release, Refiner’s Fire, Book 6 of my American Patriot Series—or any of the previous books in the series, if preferred.

~*~*~*~*~*~

ROSEANNA WHITE

What a joy it's been to be part of the Colonial Quills blog! I've been working primarily in the Edwardian and WWI eras for the last few years so haven't been popping up on here much, but I still consider CQ one of my blog homes. =)

For the party, I'd be happy to offer a reader a signed copy of my June 4 release, The Number of Love.

~*~*~*~*~*~

SHANNON MCNEAR

Welcome, gentle readers! What a huge blessing Colonial Quills has been to me for the past six years. From my first novella, Defending Truth in A Pioneer Christmas Collection, which had the amazing honor to final for a RITA® award, to The Highwayman (originally The Most Eligible Bachelor Collection and now re-released both as a single title and in a smaller collection, To Catch A Bachelor) and The Counterfeit Tory in Backcountry Brides, I've had the joy of writing colonial fiction. My first full-length in print, The Cumberland Bride, #5 of Daughters of the Mayflower, is set in 1794 Tennessee and Kentucky, technically the early Federal Era but a natural extension of my colonial research as it traces some of the early beginnings of Westward Expansion. My next release, The Rebel Bride, is a Civil War story (coming December 2019, #10 of the Daughters of the Mayflower series) but the release after that will be a return to early Federal Tennessee and Kentucky (The Blue Cloak, #5 of the True Colors series). I'm currently hard at work on The Blue Cloak, with an August 1 deadline, but in appreciation to our CQ following, I'm offering one reader's choice of my stories in print! 

~*~*~*~*~*~

JANET GRUNST

Janet Grunst

Thanks for joining us, Colonial Quill Readers, for our eight-year anniversary. I was honored in the fall of 2011 when Carrie asked me to join this group of fellow Colonial era writers. I’ve learned so much from the other contributor’s blog posts and been touched by the encouragement and contribution of our faithful readers.

A Heart Set Free is set prior to the Revolutionary War and A Heart For Freedom picks up the characters in the early years of the Revolution. I’m hoping the final part of the series will be available before too long. This fall, I’m privileged to be a part of a Highlander collection of novellas releasing. Fellow Quiller, Naomi Much will also have a story in it.

For our Colonial Quills celebration, I will be giving away a signed copy of A Heart Set Free to one USA commenting on the blog. Enjoy the party, everyone.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Pegg Thomas 

Hi Everyone! I'm excited to be part of this blog and this anniversary party. I don't have any new Colonial stories out - yet - but I have some exciting news! My novella In Sheep's Clothing, part of A Bouquet of Brides, is a finalist in the Romance Writers of America's Faith, Hope, & Love Awards. And it's set in Colonial Connecticut. I'm so exciterated!!! I'm giving away a paperback copy for the party. 

Comment HERE on the BLOG to be entered. But visit the Facebook page too, because there will be other fun things going on there. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

DEBRA E. MARVIN

Debra E. Marvin

Hello Friends!

Here we are again, thrilled to celebrate with you all. So many stories and wonderful tales of history have passed across this blog's page and we believe there's a lot to come. On the blog, I'll be giving away a book cozy (book sleeve) I made, so please comment if you'd like to be entered in the random drawing. Don't you love this tall ships fabric I found?

2019 will see at least three new stories from me, and I have one with a Colonial setting waiting for a contract! Your friendship and support have been a priceless gift through this writing journey!  Thank you again Carrie and all the CQ authors and friends!

~*~*~*~*~*~

NAOMI MUSCH

Hey there, CQ readers! I'm probably the newbiest member on the CQ team. I've been here about a year, though I've been a follower for quite a long time. I write in a few different time periods, with the colonial period and early 20th century being my two favorite. (Check out my WWI/1920s books if you enjoy that segment of history.) My last release, Mist O'er the Voyageur, is an historical romance set in the Great Lakes wilderness of the voyageurs and fur traders. It was recently a Selah Awards finalist and one of only a handful of books to receive a judge's perfect score! Mist was also nominated for a NE Minnesota Book Award. In November, watch for another American wilderness romance novella called A Tender Siege releasing in a collection called The Highlanders, in which my Scottish hero is caught up in the French and Indian Wars during the time of Pontiac's Conspiracy.

For our CQ party, I'll be giving away TWO ebook copies of Mist O'er the Voyageur. Comment on the blog to be added to the drawing, and don't forget to join us on the Facebook page on the 29th!

~*~*~*~*~*~

CARRIE FANCETT PAGELS

I'm excited to announce that I have my first colonial release out since our The Backcountry Brides Collection released in 2018, with numerous authors from the Colonial Quills blog! I have a novella, Mercy in a Red Cloak, releasing in early June in e-book form and later in the summer in paperback! Set in the mid-1700's in Pennsylvania and in the Straits of Mackinac, my colonial scout story features Shadrach Clark who also appeared in my novella "Shenandoah Hearts" in the Backcountry Brides Collection! Shad is a sweetie and I pray readers will love reading his story!

One of my giveaways is this copy of Colonial Michilimackinac: Michigan State Parks, by David A. Armour. It's a great book and I've used it as a great research resource over the years. My own copy is well-highlighted!

Colonial Michilimackinac: Michigan State Parks, by David A. Armour

~*~*~*~*~*~

CARLA GADE

I'm so thrilled about the Colonial Quills blog 8th Anniversary! Every year we have had a wonderful tea party to celebrate and give you updates on our writing journeys. So much has happened for us all and with the support and encouragement of all of our followers and readers. We appreciate you all so very much and offer you a great Huzzah!! 

When we first started, my debut novel, The Shadow Catcher's Daughter had just released. Although that was a 19th century western setting, my heart was really in the Colonies. I soon enjoyed a visit with our fonder, Carrie, to explore Colonial Williamsburg. With that and some additional research, my first Colonial era, Carving a Future in Colonial Courtships, novella was published and hence republished in The American Dream Romance Collection. Since first becoming published I am now the author of 11 books, including another Colonial, Pattern for Romance.

For nostalgia's sake, I'm offering Colonial Courtships to one of our commenters! By the way, my characters from Carving a Future are included in Colonial Quill's original A Forted Frontier Holiday anthology, along with other CQ author's, available for free reading here on the blog!

~*~*~*~*~*~

Facebook Party tonight, Wednesday May 29th, from 4:30 to 5:30 PM Eastern Time. Another giveaway at our Facebook party is a copy of The Backcountry Brides Collection. This collection includes all colonial-era Christian Fiction novellas from CQ contributors!

All contributors of The Backcountry Brides Collection are
members of Colonial American Christian Writers!

FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY - COLONIAL QUILLS BLOG!!!

 Here we are in COLONIAL Philadelphia, celebrating our FIVE YEAR anniversary of the Colonial Quills blog! Little did I realize that it would take five more years from that time to finally see my colonial Philadelphia (and France/Palatinate) story Saving the Marquise's Granddaughter to finally be published! But, praise God, it releases in June in ebook and in July in paperback!!! God's timing is what we have to trust.

Over the five years we have had many wonderful contributors, all members of Colonial American Christian Writers group. Some no longer blog, but we are grateful for their time with us!

The original founders of the group, who continue to blog on CQ AND our new members are:

Founding/Continuing Members 2011

From Carrie Fancett Pagels: I'm so grateful for the like-minded authors who joined in the Colonial American Christian Fiction group five and a half years ago, and then began this blog five years ago this month! When I began, I was researching my colonial novel, Saving the Marquise's Granddaughter, finally about to release this June from Pelican Books! Our group also covers the Early American period up until 1820. I recently released The Steeplechase (Forget Me Not Romances, February 2016) set in 1810 in Williamsburg and Yorktown, Virginia.

In the past five years, I've won a national contest (Family Fiction's "The Story") for my short story "The Quilting Contest" and finaled in the Maggie's unpublished Historical Romance with a romance set on Mackinac Island, which will be published by Barbour next summer.

My debut book Return to Shirley Plantation: A Civil War Romance, from 2013 was a Civil War Amazon top-rated Ebook for a year and bestseller for over seven months. The novella re-released with a beautiful new cover from CQ member, Roseanna White.

So much has happened in the past five years, but a few more highlights are having all three of my Christy Lumber Camp books final in Family Fiction's Book of the Year (The Fruitcake Challenge was also a Selah Award finalist). I qualified for Romance Writers of America's (RWA) Professional Author's Network (PAN) this fall.

GIVEAWAY: I'm giving away winner's choice of any of my books in ebook or paperback, a pair of my handmade earrings, bookmarks, and oversized postcards of my cover for Saving the Marquise's Granddaughter!

From J. M. Hochstetler: Thank you with all my heart, Carrie, for inviting me to join Colonial Quills 5 years ago! It's been a delight and a blessing be a part of this wonderful group of writers who share a common love of history and our Savior, and I add my congratulations to Colonial Quills on this 5th anniversary! I'm an author, editor, publisher, and historian. My first historical novel, Daughter of Liberty, set during the American Revolution, originally released in 2004. I little imagined it would be followed by what will be a total of 6 more volumes of my American Patriot Series when the last two are finally released. The inspiring story of my Amish Mennonite Hochstetler ancestors, who emigrated to this country in 1738 only to be caught up in the French and Indian War, first sparked my interest in history. I'm privileged to be writing a fictional treatment of that story along with my cousin, multi-published author Bob Hostetler. Northkill, Book 1 of the Northkill Amish Series, is currently available, and the sequel, The Return, releases next spring. You can find me at
www.jmhochstetler.com and https://www.facebook.com/joan.hochstetler.

To celebrate CQ's anniversary, I'm giving away a copy of Northkill and a copy of the Perfect Pies Cookbook from Rise n' Roll Bakery in Shipshewana, Indiana.

From Roseanna M. White: How has it been 5 years already? It seems like just a few months ago that I was so excited to join this group as I anticipated the release of my first book from a big publisher, Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland. It released in December of 2011, my third book, and now I'll be celebrating the release of #13 by the end of 2016!

My books range from biblical fiction to my American-set historical romances that include 3 early-American titles (LFY Annapolis, Ring of Secrets, and Whispers from the Shadows - the final book in that Culper Ring Series is Civil War Baltimore), to my newest series from Bethany House, set in England of the 1910s.

I was shocked and honored to recently learn that the first of that new Ladies of the Manor Series, The Lost Heiress, is a finalist this year in the prestigious Christy Awards.

When I'm not writing, I'm homeschooling my kids, editing for WhiteFire Publishing, and designing book covers. You can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, sign up for my newsletter, swing by my blog, or check out my website!

It's been both pleasure and honor to partner with these amazing ladies over the last 5 years! I love having this blog as a place to recommend readers and writers who love the early-American era, and also as a place to encourage and celebrate the work my CQ sisters are doing!

I'm giving away winner's choice of any of my novels, plus a Tea Forte infuser cup, for making that perfect mug of loose-leaf tea (choice of 1 design).

From Janet Grunst: Congratulations to Colonial Quills on its five-year anniversary.  I’m blessed to have been a part of this group of talented writers for the past four. Virginia has been my home for four decades and the historic triangle for the past ten years. Living in the Old Dominion has nurtured my lifelong love of history. 

I am excited to have a colonial story set in Virginia and Scotland that will be published in December with Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. The sequel to that story is my current work in progress. 

Janet Grunst Website

Facebook

Represented By Linda S. GlazHartline Literary Agency

From Carla Olson Gade: Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah! I can hardly believe that 5 years have passed here at CQ! The camaraderie enjoyed by the Colonial American Christian Writers under the guidance of our fearless leader, Carrie Fancett Pagels, has been a fantastic experience! I have learned so much from my fellow writers who enjoy early American history, especially its founding years, as much as I. And what a blessing it has been to get to know so many our amazing readers and blog friends. The journey of publications for so many of us has been like a bumpy carriage ride, but alas! it has been memorable, and we've enjoyed having your company along the way! From the very beginning of the blog, each and every participant has enjoyed varied successes and we are humbled and grateful that among our ranks are many award winning authors, including the esteemed Christy Awards.

A New Englander, I've always been captivated by our country's early history, which has influenced my writing profoundly. My first novel, The Shadow Catcher's Daughter was a 19th century western and I'm pleased to announce that it is set for a reprint next year under a new title from Barbour Publishing, Love's Compass. Following my debut, came my colonial novella Carving a Future in Colonial Courtships, re-released in The American Dream Romance Collection.
Mistletoe Memories, with my 1820 novella, 'Tis the Season, found its way to #5 on the Evangelical Christian Publishing Association (ECPA) national best sellers list! Another novella, Proving Up, a prairie romance in The Homestead Brides Collection was #10 on the ECPA bestsellers list. I also enjoyed writing two Christmas stories in Guidepost Books bestselling A Cup of Christmas Cheer (2013 and 2014), one of them beside Carrie's story! My novel Pattern for Romance, set in pre-revolutionary Boston, was among Abingdon Press's popular Quilts of Love series a recently recorded by Audible.com. Please visit me Amazon.com Author Page, Pintrest Storyboards, and like my Facebook Author Page!

To celebrate my 5+ years of publications and CQ's anniversary, I am giving away an audio copy of Pattern for Romance!

 

2012 First Year Additions
Susan F. Craft


2013 Second Year

From Shannon McNear: Happy Fifth Anniversary to Colonial Quills! I joined this amazing group in early 2013, shortly after being surprised with my first publishing contract. That first novella Defending Truth (A Pioneer Christmas Collection, 2013 and 2015) is a Revolutionary War tale dealing with the aftermath of the Battle of Kings Mountain (October 1780), and was a 2014 RITA® finalist. My second novella The Highwayman released last year as part of The Most Eligible Bachelor Collection.


After growing up in the Midwest, I spent several years in Virginia and more than two decades in Charleston, South Carolina, where I was thoroughly infected with the early history of our country. We now live on glacier prairie in southeastern North Dakota. What a change! I’ve enjoyed continuing to delve into colonial history and politics, and revisiting the Lowcountry in my posts for Colonial Quills. Mostly I’m just a hopeless research nerd. :)

shannonmcnear.com
Facebook
Pinterest
Represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency

In celebration of CQ’s fifth anniversary, I’m giving away a signed copy of A Pioneer Christmas Collection, 2015 second edition.

From Cynthia Howerter: Since joining Colonial Quills in 2013, I've had the time of my life writing for this unique website. It's the perfect place for me to share my love and knowledge of the American colonial period.

I'm a direct descendant of several men who fought in the Revolutionary War, most notably the legendary Colonel John Kelly, a Revolutionary War hero and member of Pennsylvania's 1776 Constitutional Convention.

One of my most favorite childhood experiences was playing with my siblings and cousins in family-owned Fort Rice, the last-standing Revolutionary War fort in Pennsylvania. We pretended to re-enact battles that actually took place there and in the surrounding area between British soldiers and their Iroquois allies and Colonel Kelly and his Pennsylvania militia and local settlers.

My stories and articles reflect my unique life experiences gained from living in history-rich Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and Virginia, and through hearing spell-binding stories told by my history-loving mother and paternal grandmother about my family's lives in 18th century America. You could say that American history flows through my veins. Thank you for allowing me to share with you these past several years. 

Award-winning author Cynthia Howerter earned First Place in historical fiction at the 2015 Florida Christian Writers Conference. The non-fiction anthology she co-authored with La-Tan Roland Murphy, God's Provision in Tough Times, was a 2014 Selah Award Finalist and is available at Amazon. Currently, Cynthia has two colonial historical fiction novels in progress. 

You can find Cynthia at her website,
Cynthia Howerter - all things historical, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Fourth Year 2015

From Denise Weimer: I began blogging for Colonial Quills in early 2015. I had never written Colonial fiction before, having lingered comfortably in the mid-1800s for most of my writing career, but last year I was writing my Restoration Trilogy (White, Widow and Witch). While the main trilogy story is modern romantic suspense, each novel includes a historical back story from a different century, with book three reaching back to 1787. Researching Colonial Georgia presented a challenge! As I went on to write Across Three Autumns, a romantic novella of the Revolutionary War backwoods, I realized just how much I didn't know about this time period! Joining Colonial Quills amounted to one of the smartest decisions I'd ever made, because I got to interact with some of the coolest Christian writer ladies on the planet. They have blessed, encouraged and stretched me, especially where it came to publicity and networking! And CQ connected me to a wonderful group of readers, you! 

To say thanks for all that, I'm giving away a reader choice print copy of my new book, White, or any of my Georgia Gold books. Of course I'd recommend starting with Sautee Shadows, set during the time of the Georgia Gold Rush and Cherokee Removal. You'll follow four fictional families through the real events and places of the Civil War to Reconstruction, as represented in book four, Bright as Gold, winner of the 2015 John Esten Cooke Award for Southern literature.

Web site

Twitter 
White on Amazon, print

White on Amazon, ebook (only $7.99!)
Georgia Gold books on Amazon
To enter leave a comment stating which book you'd prefer and why.

Gabrielle Meyer: Happy Fifth Anniversary, Colonial Quills! I joined the blog a little over a year ago, but I first discovered CQ a few years back when my author friend, Laura Frantz, recommended this blog. It's been a wonderful place to learn, meet new people, and share my love of history.

This past year has been a blast, not only because of my time here at CQ, but also because my dream came true and I became a published author. My first two stories were released in Barbour novella collections (The Most Eligible Bachelor Collection & The Convenient Brides Collection). I also signed my first contract with Harlequin's Love Inspired Historical Line. In September, A Mother in the Making will hit shelves, followed by A Family Arrangement in December. I also have another novella releasing with Barbour in December called Seven Brides for Seven Texans.

To celebrate the fifth anniversary of Colonial Quills, I'm giving away a copy of The Most Eligible Bachelor Collection!

Find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Amazon, Goodreads, or My Website.

Pegg Thomas: I can't believe I've been part of the Colonial Quills for more than a year! Time flies when you're having fun. And this is a fun group to be with.

Last month I sold my first manuscript to Barbour Publishing for a release in April 2017. That story will be part of a nine-story anthology centering around the Pony Express.

I'm currently working on a couple of Colonial-era novellas, one set here in my native state of Michigan.

Represented by Linda S. Glaz of the Hartline Agency.

I'm easy to find around the web! Facebook, Twitter, Google+, PeggThomas.com, The Quid Pro Quills, here on the Colonial Quills.

Angela K Couch: So excited for Colonial Quill's five year anniversary! I have only been a contributor for the past six months, but have enjoyed the wonderful articles and fun facts about the Colonial era for much longer. I have had so much fun the past couple years writing and preparing my Revolutionary War novel, The Scarlet Coat for publication. It is set in the Mohawk Valley and is the first book of my four book, Hearts at War series that will also include, The Patriot and the Loyalist, The Tory's Daughter, and The Return of the King's Ranger. Yep, there is plenty of conflict in each of these stories that will be released by White Rose Publishing of Pelican Book Group. 

In celebration of CQ's anniversary I am giving away an ebook of Mail-Order Revenge, my recently released Novella.

www.angelakcouch.com

Amazon (The Scarlet Coat is available for Preorder!)
Facebook
Twitter

From Christy Distler: Happy 5th birthday, Colonial Quills! I joined the blog in 2015, and look forward to contributing more this year. I write both contemporary and historical fiction, although I'm now finding that the French & Indian War time period is my favorite. My current novel (circa 1756) takes place primarily in my hometown and is a fact-and-fiction story about my Quaker ancestors, who settled in the "wilderness" north of Philadelphia in the 1709. I'm represented by literary agent Ruth Samsel. Feel free to visit me on my website.

From Tina St. Clair Rice: Our newest member. Tina is a respected Book Reviewer of Christian fiction. We're so blessed to have her join us! Look for Tina's reviews of colonial era books and other Christian fiction books written by our authors! 

Tina will be kicking off our Facebook portion of the party today! Don't forget to swing by Facebook, which is the place to share your party clothes, recipes, and meet with the authors during their assigned times! Click here to swing by the party!   

Remember, the giveaways are done here on the blog, so leave a comment here to enter for those prizes! Please partake of tea and pastries and enjoy the conversation.

Thanks for joining us in celebrating!!!
  
We'd love to know how long you've be companions with Colonial Quills.