Historical Christmas Party

 

All of us at Colonial Quills blog and Colonial American Christian Writers welcome you to our party! We also have a Facebook Event from 2-4 pm Eastern Time Wednesday, December 15, where you can show off your party gowns and interact with our authors even more! We're sharing that event with friends from the HHH blog, too, so one or more will join us in the afternoon! 

Shannon McNear

Greetings and salutations, gentle readers! I am so excited to get to share this story with all of you.

The daughter of a renowned English artist and explorer, Elinor White Dare journeys to the New World seeking a fresh start and a place to put down roots. What she finds will shake the very foundations of her faith and yet rebuild what she knows of God’s goodness and mercy, even in loss.

This "what if" historical explores the possible fate of the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island, the first attempt at English settlement in America, 20 years before Jamestown.

To celebrate the release of this novel, I am giving away a small "Reader's Retreat" gift bundle, with a signed copy of Elinor (or any of my other books of your choice) accompanied by an "adventure" journal, cranberry rose candle, and two other books by friends of mine, which I had signed at this past July's Mississippi River Readers Retreat. For a chance to win, please comment with your favorite place to curl up and read!

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Pegg Thomas

Merry Christmas!

I'm showcasing my newest release, Maggie's Strength, for today's party.

Maggie Kerr is a survivor. Taken captive at age eleven during the battle at Fort McCord, she's learned to adapt and to trust no one. Promised in marriage to a Huron warrior she fears, Maggie risks everything in a run for her freedom.

Content to ignore the rising animosity between the British and the Ottawa villagers he calls his friends, Baptiste Geroux plants his fields, limping behind his oxen and waiting for his brother to return from the west. Until the day a woman in danger arrives on his farm.

When more tribes join Pontiac in an all-out war, Maggie and Baptiste take refuge at Fort Detroit. He’s distrusted for being French. She’s scorned for being raised by the Hurons. Together they forge a fragile bond—until Maggie's past threatens their chance at happiness.

Follow me on my newsletter for updates and announcements! 

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Naomi Musch

Many happy returns of the season to one and all! I'm happy to hang out with you here today and over on the FB event page. My featured NEW book that releases in just a couple weeks is called Song for the Hunter, and I'm giving away a Kindle copy here on the blog.

30% off through Dec. 16 at the
publisher's site with the
code BESTFRIEND

Song for the Hunter is a sequel to my 2019 Selah and Book of the Year finalist Mist O'er the Voyageur. Here's a brief description of the story:

Métis hunter Bemidii Marchal has never played his flute to court a maiden but considers the possibility at Fort William’s Great Rendezvous. However, when rescuing his sister causes an influential man’s death, the hunter becomes the hunted. Bemidii flees to Lake Superior's Madeline Island. Carrying a secret, Camilla Bonnet travels into the wilderness with her husband where tragedy awaits. Left alone, she fears Bemidii but is forced to trust him. Friendship grows and turns to deeper feelings. Then Bemidii discovers more about the man he killed. Now the secret he hides might turn Camilla’s heart away—and demand his life.

You can read the first chapter on the publisher's site here: https://shoplpc.com/song-for-the-hunter/ or if you want to listen to me reading, you can hear the first few pages (not the whole chapter) on my Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/qtogfNVqTsQ

To enter for an e-copy of Song for the Hunter, just leave a comment about your Christmas plans--what you're excited about, what you're reading, your favorite food, anything! And don't forget to mention your interest in Song for the Hunter!

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Gabrielle Meyer

Merry Christmas, to one and all! I'm thrilled to be back at Colonial Quills sharing in the Christmas festivities. I can't wait to join everyone at the live Facebook party.

Today, I'll be chatting about my upcoming release, When the Day Comes. It will release on May 3, 2022 with Bethany House Publishers. Here's a little more about the story.

How will she choose, knowing all she must sacrifice?

Libby has been given a powerful gift: to live one life in 1774 Colonial Williamsburg and the other in 1914 Gilded Age New York City. When she falls asleep in one life, she wakes up in the other. While she's the same person at her core in both times, she's leading two vastly different lives.

In Colonial Williamsburg, Libby is a public printer for the House of Burgesses and the Royal Governor, trying to provide for her family and support the Patriot cause. The man she loves, Henry Montgomery, has his own secrets. As the revolution draws near, both their lives--and any hope of love--are put in jeopardy.

Libby's life in 1914 New York is filled with wealth, drawing room conversations, and bachelors. But the only work she cares about--women's suffrage--is discouraged, and her mother is intent on marrying her off to an English marquess. The growing talk of war in Europe only complicates matters.

But Libby knows she's not destined to live two lives forever. On her twenty-first birthday, she must choose one path and forfeit the other forever--but how can she choose when she has so much to lose in each life?

In honor of my new release, I would like to give away an advanced reader copy. They won't be available until February, but the winner will be one of the first to get a copy in the mail! I will choose a winner from among the comments on this blog post. Merry Christmas!

Be sure to follow me on Facebook and subscribe to my newsletter!

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Carrie Fancett Pagels 

Wishing you a very Happy Christmas, as my English ancestors would say! 

Did you know that at the end of my colonial novella, Mercy in a Red Cloak, there is a Christmas scene? This book, like my two 2021 releases Behind Love's Wall and Butterfly Cottage, is set at the Straits of Mackinac and on Mackinac Island! I do have an audiobook of Mercy in a Red Cloak, also, and will be giving away reader's choice of format, including audio code if preferred! And in 2021 my pre-War of 1812 book, Holt Medallion finalist The Steepchase, released in audiobook and I have audiobook codes for Christmas giveaway, too!

From all of us at Colonial Quills blog, we would like to thank you for your readership! You're a blessing to us and we pray our blog posts have blessed you as well!

The wreaths pictured in the post are from Colonial Williamsburg. We hope you'll allow us to serve you a cup of tea, or a cup of coffee or hot chocolate, and bring around some trays of Christmas treats for you to enjoy! 

The blessings of the season to you all!

Christmas Tea Party & New Release

It's time to celebrate Christmas with a Tea Party to to celebrate a December new releases by Colonial Quills team member, Shannon McNear. Welcome Friends!

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December 1 marks the release of Shannon McNear's first Civil War novel, The Rebel Bride, #10 of the Daughters of the Mayflower.

From the back cover:

In the clash between Union and Confederacy, Tennessee farm girl Pearl MacFarlane is compelled to help care for Yankee wounded, but determines to remain unmoved by their cause—until she faces the silent struggle of Union soldier Joshua Wheeler, a recent amputee.

This story is set September-November 1863, against the backdrop of the Battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga in southern Tennessee. As a side note--Pearl is granddaughter to Kate and Thomas from The Cumberland Bride, and Josh is grandson to Sally and Sam from The Highwayman (from The Most Eligible Bachelor Collection.) It was fun to work in hints of the connection!

About Shannon:

Transplanted to North Dakota after more than two decades in the Deep South, Shannon McNear loves losing herself in local history. As the author of four novellas and three full-length novels, with her first novella, Defending Truth in A Pioneer Christmas Collection, a 2014 RITA® finalist, her greatest joy is in being a military wife, mom of eight, mother-in-law of three, and grammie of three. She’s also a contributor to Colonial Quills and a member of ACFW and RWA. When not sewing, researching, or leaking story from her fingertips, she enjoys being outdoors, basking in the beauty of the northern prairies.

GIVEAWAY! One signed copy of The Rebel Bride! Please comment if you're interested in winning this title to be entered. ❤

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MERRY CHRISTMAS to our Colonial Quills followers! I'm giving away free codes for my new audiobook of colonial novella Mercy in a Red Cloak!

And for my debut book in Christian Fiction on audiobook, too, Return to Shirley Plantation!

All you have to do to enter for these free codes (and I have a lot of them!) is to put "Audio" in your comment and indicate Mercy (for Mercy in a Red Cloak) Return for (Return to Shirley Plantation) or put Mercy Return for both!

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Pegg Thomas is giving away one paperback copy of A Bouquet of Brides that includes her Colonial-era story, In Sheep's Clothing, winner of the 2019 Romance Writers of America, Faith, Hope, & Love Chapter's Readers Choice Award. To be entered for this book, simply comment below and include the word SHEEP somewhere in your comment. Drawing after the close of the Facebook party.
AND THE WINNER IS: KATHY DANHEIM!

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Naomi Musch will be giving away a copy of  Mist O'er the Voyageur, a 2018 Selah and Book of the Year Finalist, and NE MN Book of the Year Nominee. If you haven't yet read this romantic adventure, let Naomi know in a comment  below to be entered in the drawing. 




 

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Janet Grunst will be giving away a copy of The Highlanders, to a continental US blog commenter. This is a Smitten Historical Romance Collection just released in November of four stories that take place in different eras. Never underestimate the heart of a Highlander.  

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Jennifer Hudson Taylor will be giving away the first two novels of her colonial trilogy to one winner. Book 1 is For Love or Loyalty, set in 1760 and begins in Scotland and follows a highland family to Charleston, SC. Book 2 is For Love or Country, set in 1781 during the American Revolution in NC and carries the story of the MacGregor family to the second generation. To a second winner, Jennifer will be giving away a copy of the Backcountry Brides, eight novella collections set during the colonial period by many of the authors here on Colonial Quills.

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Angela K. Couch will be giving a way a winner's choice of her Hearts at War series as a e-book. For more information on these stories check out www.angelakcouch.com. Also, for the Christmas season, enjoy a short story set during the American Civil War. I Heard the Bells will be free for the week on Amazon!

 Virginia, December 1864
Three years ago, Gabriel Morgan left his home in Virginia to fight for the Union army, despite his family and his fiancée’s loyalties to the South. Now, with battle fresh in his mind, and the war still raging, he chances a quick trip home with one prayer…to make peace this Christmas.

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Please be sure to also come by our Facebook Party tonight, Tuesday December 17th from 6-9 PM Eastern Time! In the meanwhile, sit down for a spell and let us serve you a lovely Christmas tea!

November Tea Party -- New Releases from Angela K. Couch, Pegg Thomas and Carrie Fancett Pagels

Welcome back to the heart of the Mohawk Valley! I know most of us are experiencing winter, but let's step into the spring of 1781, shall we? The Revolutionary War has been raging for a half decade, but the battle to decide the fate of the war will be fought before the year's end. The perfect time for a tea party and to become reacquainted with old friends!

Please also join us on Facebook, 1-3PM Eastern, for more fun and prizes!
Click HERE to attend!

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Angela K. Couch: Almost two years ago you joined me in Rachel and Andrew's love story in The Scarlet Coat, where were were introduced to Rachel's brother Joseph Garnet. Book two, The Patriot and the Loyalist took us south to South Carolina for a more "cloak and dagger" style of fight. Now we are back, to join Joseph as he discovers what true love really feels like.

Burying his wife is the hardest thing Joseph Garnet has ever done—until he's called to leave his young son and baby daughter to fight Iroquois raiders. When one of the marauders tries to steal his horse, the last thing he expects is to end up tussling with a female. The girl is wounded, leaving Joseph little choice but to haul her home to heal—an act that seems all too familiar.

Though Joseph doesn’t appear to remember her, Hannah Cunningham could never forget him. He rode with the mob that forced her two brothers into the Continental Army and drove her family from their home—all because of her father’s loyalties to The Crown. After five years with her mother’s tribe, the rebels and starvation have left her nothing but the driving need to find her brothers.

Compelled by a secret he’s held for far too long, Joseph agrees to help Hannah find what remains of her family. Though she begins to steal into his aching heart, he knows the truth will forever stand between them. Some things cannot be forgiven.

To keep from freezing in the Great White North, Angela K Couch cuddles under quilts with her laptop. Winning short story contests, being a semi-finalist in ACFW’s Genesis Contest, and a finalist in the International Digital Awards also helped warm her up. As a passionate believer in Christ, her faith permeates the stories she tells. Her martial arts training, experience with horses, and appreciation for good romance sneak in there, as well. When not writing, she stays fit (and warm) by chasing after three munchkins.

To celebrate with you, and to kick of the Christmas season, Angela Civil War story: I Heard the Bells, winner of the ACFW's  Virginia chapter's short story contest, is free on Amazon for the next three days! Hope you enjoy!

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Publisher’s Overview: Lighthouses have long been the symbol of salvation, warning sailors away from dangerous rocks and shallow waters.
Along the Great Lakes, America’s inland seas, lighthouses played a vital role in the growth of our nation. They shepherded settlers traveling by water to places that had no roads. These beacons of light required constant tending even in remote and often dangerous places. Brave men and women battled the elements and loneliness to keep the lights shining. Their sacrifice kept goods and immigrants moving. Seven romances set between 1883 and 1911 bring hope to these lonely keepers and love to weary hearts.

Pegg Thomas was the lead on new release The Great Lakes Lighthouse Brides Collection from Barbour Publishing. Her novella, Anna's Tower, is set in 1883 at Thunder Bay Island Lighthouse near where Pegg lives in Michigan!

Blurb:Anna Wilson's plan to be the next lighthouse keeper is endangered when Maksim Ivanov is shipwrecked on Thunder Bay Island. Handsome and capable, he could steal her dream. Or provide a new one.

Carrie Fancett Pagels
"Love's Beacon" novella  is set at Round Island and on Mackinac Island in Michigan in the late 1890s, one of Carrie's favorite places for story world.

Blurb: Valerie Fillman believes she’s lost everything—until widower Paul Sholtus takes on the Lighthouse Keeper position at Round Island Lighthouse, where her parents and siblings perished. Can God send a light and direct the paths of these two? Or will a shocking discovery separate them forever?

Carrie is giving away some delicious Twinings Christmas tea and a copy of The Great Lakes Lighthouse Brides collection and some Thé Doré (Golden Tea) Shower gel from Yves Rocher. Leave a comment to enter for the prizes!

There is also a Rafflecopter for The Great Lakes Lighthouse Brides collection and includes a three boxes of fudge from Joann's Fudge, too, and other gifts not shown in the picture. Ends in one week so enter now!

Pegg is giving away a leather-bound journal because where would be historical writers be without the journals of those who went before us? There is no greater treasure trove for a writer than a journal from the time period they are writing. Who knows, maybe your journal today will inspire a writer - or even your family members - in the decades to come! Make a comment below with the word JOURNAL in it to be in the drawing.

Pegg is also giving away "300 Writing Prompts" to anyone interested in writing for themselves. This book, which is similar to a journal, gives the writer a subject and space to write down their thoughts on it. The prompts are thoughtful and would be another great idea to hand down the family as an heirloom. Make a comment below with the word PROMPTS in it to be in the drawing.

Also Visit With Us LIVE! 

We're thankful for our readers and we're happy to be celebrating over on Facebook at our party from 1-3 PM Eastern Time. Click here  We'll each have a half hour slot to visit with guests: Pegg at 1:00, Carrie at 1:30, Angela at 2:00, all Eastern Time. 

October New Release Tea Party!

Raleigh Tavern in Colonial Williamsburg (Wiki)

A good day to you, and welcome to the October new releases tea party!

Because some of our locations are so far-flung and remote (see for instance this view, below, from Pinnacle Overlook at Cumberland Gap, Kentucky, with a view of three states), we're meeting a little closer to home for our party--the Raleigh Tavern at Colonial Williamsburg!

But we can't wait to introduce you to some other beautiful settings!

Pinnacle Overlook at Cumberland Gap

Please also join us on Facebook, 2-5PM Eastern, for more fun and prizes!
Click HERE to attend!

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Shannon McNear is celebrating her first published full-length novel, The Cumberland Bride, #5 of Daughters of the Mayflower. She became a contributor to Colonial Quills five years ago, not long after receiving a contract for her first novella, Defending Truth in A Pioneer Christmas Collection, which went on to be a 2014 RITA® finalist.

The Cumberland Bride has more in common with Defending Truth than just being her first, however. Fourteen years later, in 1794, Truth Bledsoe's younger brother Thomas is all grown up and has had more adventures than he cares to admit--and especially not to Kate Gruener, daughter of settlers traveling the Wilderness Road into Kentucky. As he guides her family and others through the Cumberland Gap and deeper into the frontier, he isn't sure that she'll even survive the journey. But will she discover a courage no one knows she has?

You can find out more about Shannon, and her other stories, at her website and the following social media sites:

• Facebook
• Pinterest
• Goodreads
• Twitter
• BookBub 

The Cumberland Bride is available here:

Amazon (both paperback and Kindle)
Christianbook.com (both paperback and ebook)
Barnes & Noble (both paperback and Nook)

Shannon is also giving away one copy of The Cumberland Bride to one commenter here on the blog.

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Naomi Musch is happy to present her new release, Mist O'er the Voyageur. Speaking of far-flung settings, her story is set in regions around the upper Great Lakes, particularly Lake Superior, during the great fur trade years of the early 1800s.

Sunrise over Lake Superior (Duluth, MN) photo credit: Nevada Lund

Mist O'er the Voyageur is the tale of a Brigitte Marchal, a Metis woman from Montreal who, in fleeing a cruel suitor, disguises herself as a young man and signs onto a voyageurs' brigade departing to the Upper Country. She hopes to find her long-absent fur trader father, but danger abounds, and as a woman alone, who can she trust in such a rugged, unfamiliar country?


Mist O'er the Voyageur is available in paperback and ebook. Naomi will also be giving away a signed copy along with some book swag during Friday's party.

Naomi lives at the head of Lake Superior, in the big woods near where much of the story is set. She loves connecting with others, and you can find her around the web.

• Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Goodreads
• Bookbub
• Pinterest
• Amazon Author Page

She also looks forward to sending friends occasional free reads through her newsletter, News of the Northwoods.

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Tamera Lynn Kraft is celebrating the re-release of her novel Red Sky Over America, Ladies of Oberlin Book 1. Here's a little bit about it.

William and America confront evil, but will it costs them everything?

In 1857, America, the daughter of a slave owner, is an abolitionist and a student at Oberlin College, a school known for its radical ideas. America goes home to Kentucky during school break to confront her father about freeing his slaves.

America's classmate, William, goes to Kentucky to preach abolition to churches that condone slavery. America and William find themselves in the center of the approaching storm sweeping the nation and may not make it home to Ohio or live through the struggle.

Meet the Ladies of Oberlin, the causes they're willing to fight for, and the men who capture their hearts.

Red Sky Over America tackles the most turbulent time in history with thorough research and fascinating characters. Tamera Lynn Kraft has woven a tale about the evils of slavery that should never be forgotten. -- Mary Ellis, author of The Quaker and the Rebel, The Lady and the Officer, and The Last Heiress.

Red Sky Over America is available in paperback and eBook:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

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Thank you all for joining us! And don't forget the Tea Party on Facebook, 2-5PM Eastern!

New Release Tea Party Time!

I’m Heather Stewart. Welcome to Stewarts’ Green, our ordinary located in the Virginia countryside. Please come in and help yourself to some scones, ginger biscuits, and Liberty tea made from local herbs. Coffee, cider, and water are also available.  

I'm excited to share about the October 1st release of A Heart For Freedom

By 1775, the conflict has escalated between Loyalists and Patriots throughout the colonies. The Stewarts’ ordinary and the surrounding Virginia countryside are not immune from the strife, pitting friends, neighbors, and families against each other. Matthew Stewart has avoided taking sides and wants only to farm, manage Stewarts’ Green, and raise his family. But political tensions are heating up and circumstances and connections convince him that he should answer a call to aid the Patriot cause … with conditions. Heather Stewart, born and raised in Scotland, has witnessed the devastation and political consequences of opposing England. Threatened by the prospect of war, she wants only to avoid it, and protect the family and peace she sought and finally found in Virginia. The journey the Stewarts take is not an easy one and will involve sacrifice, and questioned loyalties. Lives and relationships will be changed forever. Ultimately the knowledge that God is faithful will equip them with the courage to face the future

Janet Grunst’s novel, A Heart For Freedom, is the sequel to A Heart Set Free.

 Janet is a wife, mother of two sons, and grandmother of eight who lives in the historic triangle of Virginia (Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown) with her husband. Her debut novel, A Heart Set Free was the 2016 Selah Award winner for Historical Romance. Besides writing and reading, Janet enjoys serving in Community Bible Study and spending time with family and friends. 
You can connect with her at:
https://JanetGrunst.com                                                              
https://www.facebook.com/Janet-Grunst-Author-385405948228216/   

Leave a comment here on the blog for a chance to win a print copy of A Heart For Freedom. 

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Roseanna M. White is celebrating the release of An Hour Unspent, the conclusion to the Shadows Over England series! Comment below for a chance to win a signed copy! (To US addresses only)

Once London’s top thief, Barclay Pearce has turned his back on his life of crime and now uses his skills for a nation at war. But not until he rescues a clockmaker’s daughter from a mugging does he begin to wonder what his future might hold.

Evelina Manning has constantly fought for independence but she certainly never meant for it to inspire her fiancé to end the engagement and enlist in the army. When the intriguing man who saved her returns to the Manning residence to study clockwork repair with her father, she can’t help being interested. But she soon learns that nothing with Barclay Pearce is as simple as it seems.

As 1915 England plunges ever deeper into war, the work of an ingenious clockmaker may give England an unbeatable military edge—and Germany realizes it as well. Evelina’s father soon finds his whole family in danger—and it may just take a reformed thief to steal the time they need to escape it.

 Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award nominated author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. You can learn more about her and her stories at www.RoseannaMWhite.com.


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Hi friends!  I'm back to celebrate my summer release, A DANGEROUS DECEPTION!

Jerome, Arizona Territory, 1899
When Andromeda Barr left her colorful past behind in pursuit of a normal—albeit solo—life, she didn’t exactly settle for the mundane. Performing is in her blood, and right now she has to believe she’s lying for all the right reasons—justice for the excluded, the overlooked of society—a debt she owes to the two unusual people who raised her.

Pinkerton Agent Connell O’Brien is on the trail of a wanted murderer holed up in ‘the wickedest town in the west.’ Hiding his identity is part of the job, but when he meets the surprising Miss Barrington, he begins to wonder how many secrets are too many.

Two close calls with disaster seem to suggest it’s time they both stop running from the guilt of the past and let mercy catch up, but will these two solo acts join forces before the danger of discovery becomes a matter of life or death? 

I'll be giving away ebooks and a paperback of A DANGEROUS DECEPTION today. I'm looking for fans of Western settings with surprises thrown in. I loved spending time with Andromeda and Connell and I hope you will too!  Find more stories, from colonial to contemporary, at my Amazon Author Page or follow me on Twitter or Facebook.

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Carrie Fancett Pagels, Gabrielle Meyer, and Rita Gerlach are all contributors to this collection! Carrie had the privilege of hand picking some of her favorite authors for this Victorian era novella collection! The stories are the perfect length to read in the lead up to the holidays! 

The Sugarplum Ladies by Carrie Fancett Pagels
1867 Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and Detroit, Michigan

When Canadian barrister Percy Gladstone finds his aristocratic British family unexpectedly descending upon him for Christmas, he turns to American social reformer Eugenie Mott and her fledgling catering crew for help.

Carrie is giving away a paperback copy of The Victorian Christmas Brides to one commenter on this party blog post!

A Christmas Vow by Gabrielle Meyer
London, England, Christmas 1899

Lady Ashleigh Pendleton is hosting a houseful of guests for Christmas when railroad executive Christopher Campbell unexpectedly arrives from America with a mysterious agreement signed by their fathers before their birth.





The Holly and the Ivy by Rita Gerlach
1900. Small town along the Potomac near Washington DC
A glass ornament. Love letters tied in red Christmas ribbon. Lily Morningstar and British antiquities expert Andrew Stapleton are drawn into a family secret that binds their hearts together.

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CONGRATS to all the authors with new releases! 

A Big HUZZAH from Colonial American Christian Writers group!

Be sure to come by our Facebook Party today, Wednesday, September 19, 2018 from 3 PM to 6 PM Eastern Time! (Click here to join the party!)