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!

Colonial Quills Tea Party for New Releases

Blurb: "His Anchor" by Carrie Fancett Pagels in First Love Forever Romance Collection

1894/1895 – Mackinac Island, Michigan: Robert Swaine, a ship captain, returns to Mackinac Island where his first love, Sadie Duvall struggles to support her siblings. Will she anchor him to the island he has vowed to leave behind?

This story is a companion to my Romantic Times Top Pick in Inspirational -- My Heart Belongs on Mackinac Island: Maude's Mooring. Sadie Duvall is Maude's best friend and Robert is Maude's young uncle. Maude has a French colonial era ancestor from Mackinac Island who'll one day get her own story, too!

My giveaway is an autographed copy of First Love Forever (personalized if the winner so wishes!) & a pair of Anchor earrings! 

We authors in the First Love Forever collection have a big Rafflecopter giveaway going on all through April so be sure to enter!

Collection available at: Christian Bookstores, Christian Book Distributors, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and more.

My Pinterest page for “Love’s Anchor” in First Love Forever: (click here) 

Connect with Carrie at

Facebook Author Page Twitter goodreads Amazon author page Bookbub Newsletter sign up

Instagram and on her website!

The Highwayman
by Shannon McNear

1775--the Shenandoah Valley, Staunton, Virginia

Samuel Wheeler is an ordinary apprentice wagonmaster by day, a masked vigilante by night, but what started as a lark has gotten out of hand. He hardly sleeps, his secret identity has taken over his life, and the girl he loves barely notices him while his alter ego sets her aflutter.

Sally Brewster works hard at her parents’ inn, nestled in the lower Shenandoah Valley, along the Great Wagon Road that runs from Philadelphia down through the Carolinas. She pays little mind to the gossip about the mysterious highwayman who makes life difficult for the redcoats—until the night when the heroic figure saves her from brigands.

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I am so excited about this re-release! Originally part of Barbour's The Most Eligible Bachelor Collection three years ago, this story serves as the prequel to The Counterfeit Tory in the upcoming Backcountry Brides, and the fresh treatment is just in time for those who might want more backstory on Jed Wheeler. Plus, we get a peek at Sam and Sally and their family, five years later, in the epilogue of The Counterfeit Tory.

For a peek at the world of The Highwayman, check out some of my posts from 2015, especially those about handling oxen, the importance of colonial inns, and the Great Wagon Road. 

Available only as ebook at this time. For our giveaway, I'm offering one copy, which is listed on Amazon.

Red Sky Over America

by Tamera Lynn Kraft

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.

Available on Amazon and other online stores.

You can visit me online at my website or sign up for my newsletter. You can also follow me on Goodreads or Facebook.

I'm giving away an autographed copy of Red Sky Over America. To enter, comment on this blog you'd like to win a copy.

Winter Tea Party

Welcome to the Winter Tea Party!

Thank you for joining us today as we celebrate the winter new releases of the Colonial Quill authors. It's always fun to gather together for a hot cup and a scrumptious bite...but of course, this time of year the travel can be tricky. So stay safely (and warmly) in your own home today, snuggle up with a cozy blanket and a steaming cup of your favorite drink, and don a digital party gown from your favorite era! (Please feel free to share images of your dress of choice on the Facebook Event page!)

First, help yourself to something hot to drink. Tea, or perhaps some mulled wine?

 And of course, a tea party isn't a tea party without some sweet! (Don't worry! Digital calories don't go to your hips.)

All settled? Great! Then allow me introduce our authors who are celebrating new releases in these cold winter months.

In order to be entered for the giveaways, just leave a comment below! (Be sure to include an email address so the authors can contact their winners!)

P E G G   T H O M A S

My story in A Bouquet of Brides is In Sheep's Clothing. This was a fun story for me to write. Yarrow Fenn is a spinner and a weaver in Colonial Connecticut. I'm a spinner, I've done some weaving, and my family has colonial roots in Milford, CT. There is also an orphan lamb in this story, and one of the things we raise here on our farm is sheep. You could say that there's a lot of "me" in this story!

And of course, I love the history. It was the Wool Act of 1699 that set up the events that happen in my story. King William III, in an effort to protect the thriving textile industry in England, signed a law that said colonist could not sell wool or cloth between the colonies. All sales must be to England. All sales would be taxed at the colonial port and taxed again at the English port. Then the wool or cloth would be made into garments and resold to the colonies, once again being taxed at both ports. The colonists couldn't afford to clothe their families! That dilemma sets up the conflict for my story.

In Sheep’s Clothing by Pegg Thomas (1702, Connecticut)
Peter Maltby might be all good looks and charm, working in the new mill fulling wool, but Yarrow Fenn fears he is the Crown’s agent in disguise who will destroy the only livelihood she has.

Subscribe to my newsletter for updates on my books, sales, and special giveaways, including a handspun, handknit shawl with every book release! The next shawl drawing will be May 31st for the Northern Lilacs shawl to celebrate the release of The Backcountry Brides collection.

T O D A Y ' S   G I V E A W A Y

Pegg will be giving away one signed copy of A Bouquet of Brides, complete with her story, In Sheep's Clothing to one winner inside the U.S. And the winner is BRENDA!

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R O S E A N N A   M.   W H I T E

I'm so excited to welcoming Willa to the world in A Song Unheard! She was a stubborn character, LOL, but I had so much fun writing her story...and including my love of music into it. Though I play the piano and not the violin, it was a joy to dive into this music prodigy's mind and share one of the truths I've learned over the years: that music can be a way for us to reach out our souls to the Lord. Here's a bit about the story, and there's a giveaway too!

Willa Forsythe is both a violin prodigy and top-notch thief, which makes her the perfect choice for a crucial task at the outset of World War I--to steal a cypher from a famous violinist currently in Wales.

Lukas De Wilde has enjoyed the life of fame he's won--until now, when being recognized nearly gets him killed. Everyone wants the key to his father's work as a cryptologist. And Lukas fears that his mother and sister, who have vanished in the wake of the German invasion of Belgium, will pay the price. The only light he finds is meeting the intriguing Willa Forsythe.

But danger presses in from every side, and Willa knows what Lukas doesn't--that she must betray him and find that cypher, or her own family will pay the price as surely as his has.

Sign up for my newsletter to get sneak peeks and special content! Check out my website at www.RoseannaMWhite.com and buy signed books from me at www.RoseannaMWhite.com/shop.

G I V E A W A Y

Roseanna is giving away a signed print copy of A Song Unheard (or the first book in the series if you don't have it yet) to one winner with a U.S. address.

(This is Pegg nosing in on Roseanna's space to say that I've already read A Song Unheard and it's a MUST READ!)

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T A M E R A   L Y N N   K R A F T

Red Sky Over America
Book 1, Ladies of Oberlin Series

I'm so excited to talk about my new release, Red Sky Over America. Here's a blurb.

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.

G I V E A W A Y

I'm giving away an Ebook of Red Sky Over America and a Godey's Fashions Coloring Book with wonderful fashions from the 1850s to one lucky winner. The winner is Joy.

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G A B R I E L L E   M E Y E R

I'm thrilled to be here today chatting about Seven Brides for Seven Texas Rangers! If you're familiar with Seven Brides for Seven Texans, than you'll remember the fictional town of Hartville, Texas, which is where this collection is also set. I'm particularly excited about this continuity series, because it's about a company of Texas Rangers who are called into Hartville to take down a gang of outlaws! Each story follows one of the Rangers as they confront the outlaws and get tangled up with a woman who inadvertently foils (or helps!) their cause. The stories follow one another over the course of several months, until all the outlaws are brought to justice. I loved working with the ladies in this collection. So much talent in one book.

Here's a little bit about my story, The Ranger's Reward, which is the first story in the collection.

Texas Ranger Griffin Sommer stops to check on the young widow, Evelyn Prentis minutes before the Markham gang arrives at her farm needing a place to hide. Griff and Evelyn are forced to pretend they’re married to keep Griff’s identity a secret, but will Evelyn’s young son let the truth out before Griff can bring the gang to justice?

To preorder your copy of Seven Brides for Seven Texas Rangers, be sure to go here. Also, sign up for my newsletter to learn more about my upcoming releases and like my author page on Facebook to stay connected! I love hearing from readers.

G I V E A W A Y

Gabrielle will be giving away a signed print copy of Seven Brides for Seven Texans to one lucky winner! 

The Boston Massacre

by Tamera Lynn Kraft

On June 29, 1767, the British Parliament passed a series of taxes in the American colonies to recoup their losses from a costly war with France and to reestablish control over the colonies. These taxes called The Townshend Acts imposed taxes on common products imported to the colonies like paper, glass, and tea. Colonists protested these unfair taxes citing the British were enacting taxation without representation. Boston, Massachusetts led by men like Samuel Adams organized the protests.

British troops arrived in Boston in October, 1768 to squelch the protests and maintain order. The troops were considered invaders and taunted with name calling, spitting, and fighting. Bostonians kept the soldiers from carrying out their duties. Tension mounted. In March, 1770, the British sent more troops. The redcoats, led by Captain Thomas Preston, were met with a crowd chanting “Fire, and be damned”. Captain Preston was unable to disperse the crowds. He ordered the troops not to fire, but they probably didn’t hear and opened fire on the crowd killing five men.

Captain Preston was tried eight months later for murder in a Boston courtroom. He was defended by revolutionaries John Adams and Robert Auchmuty and acquitted. One reason he was acquitted was because of a deathbed account of one of the witnesses that the soldiers were acting in self-defense. Eight soldiers were also tried. Six were acquitted. Two were found guilty of manslaughter because of overwhelming proof that they fired into the crowd. They were branded on their thumbs with the letter M and released to return to their units.

The Boston public took the verdicts in good order. There were letters expressing outrage in the local newspapers, the work of Sam Adams and other disappointed agitators, but no public demonstrations. This calm reflected the feelings of many that mob action had gotten out of hand and that British soldiers, hated as they were, could not be blamed for defending themselves.

After the massacre, the Townshend Acts were partially repealed and a period of calm remain until the Tea Act of 1773 led to the Boston Tea Party.

Tamera Lynn Kraft has always loved adventures and writes Christian historical fiction set in America because there are so many adventures in American history. She has received 2^nd place in the NOCW contest, 3^rd place TARA writer’s contest, and was a finalist in the Frasier Writing Contest. Her Novel, Alice’s Notions and her novellas Resurrection of Hope and A Christmas Promise are available on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble.

The Girl who Warned the British are Coming

by Tamera Lynn Kraft

Most Americans have heard of Paul Revere's fateful ride to warn "the British are Coming." His ride was made famous in a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, but there were other riders who warned about the British during the Revolutionary War. One of these riders was a sixteen-year-old girl named Sybil Ludington.

Sybil, the oldest of twelve children, was born in 1761 in Dutchess County, New York. Her father, Colonel Henry Ludington, was the commander of the militia there. His farm was a receiving center for collecting information from American spies.

In April 1777, Colonel Ludington and the members of his militia were at home taking care of their farms. It was planting season. Around 9:00 in the evening on April 26, a man rode to the farm with news the British were burning down Danbury, 25 miles from Ludington's home. The man's horse was worn out from hard riding, and he didn't know the area. Ludington needed to send a rider to rally the militia, but he couldn't go himself because he needed to stay where he was to help arrange the troops as they arrived.

Sybil was recruited. She rode a total of forty miles in pouring rain to warn the militia and order them to meet at the Ludington farm. Revere only rode twenty, and it wasn't raining.

During Sybil's ride, she faced more danger than getting wet and tired. She rode along narrow roads after dark with only a stick to protect her. British loyalists were in the area, and she risked capture. There were also "skinners" around. Skinners were roadside bandits with no real loyalties either way. One account of her ride had her fighting off a skinner with a stick.

When she arrived back home, 400 men had gathered there. The British had moved to Ridgeville by then, and the militia rode seventeen miles to battle them there. It was a strategic victory for the Americans.

After the ride, Sybil was congratulated by General George Washington. She married a Revolutionary War solder, had a child, and died in 1839. Her hometown was named Lundingtonville in her honor.

She didn't have a poem written about her, but 1961 Sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington created a statue of a statue of Sybil on her horse. In 1976, the US Post Office issued a stamp also commemorating Sybil’s ride. She is a true Revolutionary War heroine.

Tamera Lynn Kraft has always loved adventures and writes Christian historical fiction set in America because there are so many adventures in American history. She has received 2^nd place in the NOCW contest, 3^rd place TARA writer’s contest, and was a finalist in the Frasier Writing Contest. Her Novel, Alice’s Notions and her novellas Resurrection of Hope and A Christmas Promise are available on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble.