Book Spotlight: Their Castilian Orphan by Anna Belfrage

 

It is 1294 and Eustace de Lamont is back in England after five years in exile. He will stop at nothing to ruin Robert FitzStephan and his wife, Noor d’Outremer.

Robert’s half brother, Eustace de Lamont, has not mellowed during his absence. He is more ruthless than ever, and this time he targets Robert’s and Noor’s foster son, Lionel.

Lionel is serving King Edward as a page when Eustace appears at court. Not only does Lionel become the horrified witness to Eustace’s violent streak, Eustace also starts voicing his suspicions about Lionel’s parentage. The truth about Lionel’s heritage is explosive—should King Edward find out, all would be lost for Robert and Noor.

In October of 1294, Wales rises in rebellion. Robert must leave his family unprotected to fight the Welsh rebels on the king’s behalf, comforted only by the fact that Eustace too is called to fight.

Except that Eustace has no intention of allowing his duty to his king—or a mere rebellion—come between him and his desire to destroy Robert FitzStephan . . .

 

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Universal buy link: https://mybook.to/TCO

 

Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with three absorbing interests: history, romance and writing. Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17^th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14^th century England. Anna has just released the final instalment, Their Castilian Orphan, in her other medieval series, The Castilian Saga ,which is set against the conquest of Wales. She has recently released Times of Turmoil, a sequel to her time travel romance, The Whirlpools of Time, and is now considering just how to wiggle out of setting the next book in that series in Peter the Great’s Russia, as her characters are demanding. . .

All of Anna’s books have been awarded the IndieBRAG Medallion, she has several Historical Novel Society Editor’s Choices, and one of her books won the HNS Indie Award in 2015. She is also the proud recipient of various Reader’s Favorite medals as well as having won various Gold, Silver and Bronze Coffee Pot Book Club awards.

“A master storyteller”

“This is what all historical fiction should be like. Superb.”

Find out more about Anna, her books and enjoy her eclectic historical blog on her website, www.annabelfrage.com 

Sign up to Anna’s newsletter to keep up with new releases, give-ways and other fun stuff: http://eepurl.com/cjgatT                         

 

Author Links:

 Website: www.annabelfrage.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/abelfrageauthor

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/abelfrageauthor.bsky.social

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annabelfrageauthor

Instagram: https://instagram.com/annabelfrageauthor

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Amazon Author Page: http://Author.to/ABG

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6449528.Anna_Belfrage

 

 

Book Spotlight: A Rose In The Blitz by Ann Bennett

 

Escape into the dramatic world of London during the Blitz in this sweeping family saga of love, war and betrayal.

Northamptonshire: 1980: Wealthy landowner, Hadan Rose, is dying. His daughter, May, rushes to his country estate, Rose Park, with her daughter, Rachel, to nurse him through his final days.

In the afternoons, while Hadan sleeps, May tells Rachel about her wartime experiences.

In 1940, Three of the four Rose sisters leave Rose Park to serve the war effort. May, the youngest is left behind. But she soon runs away from home to join an ambulance crew in London. She experiences the horrors of the Blitz first-hand but what happens to her there has remained secret her whole life.

In 1980, at Rose Park, Rachel wanders through the old house, looking at old photographs and papers, uncovering explosive family secrets from ninety years before. Secrets that her grandfather wanted to take to his grave.

At the local pub, Rachel meets Daniel Walters, a local journalist and musician who takes an interest in her. But can she trust him, or does he have an ulterior motive for seeking her company?

As the secrets of the past gradually reveal themselves, both Rachel and May realise that their worlds are forever changed.

Fans of Lucinda Riley, Dinah Jeffries and Victoria Hislop will love this escapist wartime saga, Book 1 in the Rose Park Chronicles.

 

 Buy Links:

 This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited. 

Universal Buy Link: https://mybook.to/KFAR

 

Ann Bennett is a British author of historical fiction. Her first book, Bamboo Heart: A Daughter's Quest, was inspired by researching her father's experience as a prisoner of war on the Thai-Burma Railway and by her own travels in South-East Asia. Since then, that initial inspiration has led her to write more books about the second world war in SE Asia. Bamboo Island: The Planter's Wife, A Daughter's Promise, Bamboo Road: The Homecoming, The Tea Planter's Club, The Amulet and her latest release The Fortune Teller of Kathmandu are also about WWII in South East Asia. All seven make up the Echoes of Empire Collection.

Ann is also the author of The Lake Pavilion, The Lake Palace, both set in British India during the 1930s and WWII, and The Lake Pagoda and The Lake Villa, both set in French Indochina. The Runaway Sisters, bestselling The Orphan House, The Child Without a Home and The Forgotten Children are set in Europe during the same era and are published by Bookouture.

Ann is married with three grown up sons and a granddaughter and lives in Surrey, UK. For more details please visit www.annbennettauthor.com.

 Author Links:

 Website: www.annbennettauthor.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/annbennett71

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annbennettauthor/

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/ann-bennett

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B00D21SJ7A

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14975489.Ann_Bennett

AnaRose and the Templar's Quest by Mary Ann Bernal - First Place - Chanticleer In't Book Awards Shorts - Short Prose, Novellas and Collections 2023

 

The Short Story Awards is a division of the 

Chanticleer International Book Awards program. 

1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners were announced at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 20th, 2024, at the Four Seasons by Sheraton in Bellingham, Wash., sponsored by the 2024 Chanticleer Authors Conference. 

A dangerous expedition. A precious artifact. A race against time.

Museum curator and expert in antiquities AnaRose Preston accepts the challenge to find one of Christianity’s holy relics concealed in the hilt of a legendary dagger. Traveling throughout contemporary France, she rushes to solve a historical mystery. But members of a secret society stand in her way. AnaRose risks her life to locate the weapon before it falls into the wrong hands.

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Book Spotlight: Snarling Wolf: A Pioneer Western Adventure by David Fitz-Gerald

 

Dive back into the gripping, frontier chaos. Snarling Wolf is the fourth adventurous installment in the Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail series.

The famed Snake River marks the point the wagon master claims that all the greenhorns turn loco. After twelve hundred grueling miles and four relentless months on the trail, the expedition teeters on the brink. Frayed nerves, exhausted patience, and the specter of doom cast a dark cloud over the travelers.

At every turn, new dangers emerge. A young man who is like a brother to Dorcas Moon is ravaged in a mountain lion attack. A heat wave grips the dusty, barren plains and spreads sickness. The wolves that lurk in the shadows edge closer. Even the rattlesnakes seem emboldened.

Dorcas' daughter, Rose's descent into madness can no longer be ignored. What began as an eerie preoccupation with death takes a shocking turn when Rose reveals her truths. Dorcas is thrust into a realm of disbelief, and her worst fears about Rose's mysterious suitor become a stark reality.

As weary emigrants yearn for respite, tales of murderous outlaws spread like wildfire across the prairie. Passing strangers share the latest terrifying news. It's only a matter of when, not if, the notorious highwaymen will strike. Which bend of the mighty snake shelters the feared outlaws?

Grab your copy of Snarling Wolf now and unveil the next chapter in Dorcas Moon's relentless saga. Sink your teeth into this tale of survival, madness, and the unyielding spirit of those who brave the treacherous migration.

 

 

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This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

 Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/snarling-wolf

 

David Fitz-Gerald writes westerns and historical fiction. He is the author of twelve books, including the brand-new series, Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail set in 1850. Dave is a multiple Laramie Award, first place, best in category winner; a Blue Ribbon Chanticleerian; a member of Western Writers of America; and a member of the Historical Novel Society.

Alpine landscapes and flashy horses always catch Dave’s eye and turn his head. He is also an Adirondack 46-er, which means that he has hiked to the summit of the range’s highest peaks. As a mountaineer, he’s happiest at an elevation of over four thousand feet above sea level.

Dave is a lifelong fan of western fiction, landscapes, movies, and music. It should be no surprise that Dave delights in placing memorable characters on treacherous trails, mountain tops, and on the backs of wild horses.

 Author Links:

 Website: https://www.itsoag.com/GATOT

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorDAVIDFG

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDaveFITZGERALD/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authordavefitzgerald/

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Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/david-fitz-gerald

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/dfitzgerald

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17341792.David_Fitz_Gerald

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/authordavidfitzgerald

Scribbler Tales Presents: Escape from Berlin – Winner - 2024 American Legacy Book Awards - Anthologies: Fiction

 

LOS ANGELES, APRIL 2024 – American Book Fest announced the winners and finalists of 2024 AMERICAN LEGACY BOOK AWARDS. Over 500 winners and finalists were announced in over 100 categories. Awards were presented for titles published in 2010-2023.

Kindly visit:

https://www.americanlegacyawards.com/2024awardannouncement.html

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“Scribbler Tales” is a diverse anthology of short stories by one author, spanning genres from paranormal to action, mystery, fantasy, romance, and drama, each story offering a unique exploration of human experiences designed to engage and resonate with a broad readership.

Scribbler Tales Volumes One – Five – Finalist - 2024 American Legacy Book Awards – Anthologies: Fiction

 

LOS ANGELES, APRIL 2024 – American Book Fest announced the winners and finalists of 2024 AMERICAN LEGACY BOOK AWARDS. Over 500 winners and finalists were announced in over 100 categories. Awards were presented for titles published in 2010-2023.

 Kindly visit:

https://www.americanlegacyawards.com/2024awardannouncement.html

Universal Buy Link

Scribbler Tales presents an eclectic anthology of short stories penned by a single author. This contemporary collection traverses a spectrum of narratives, from the eerie whispers of the paranormal to the pulse-pounding escapades of action and adventure. Delve into the enigmatic depths of mystery and thrillers, soar through the imaginative realms of fantasy, experience the tender nuances of romance, and confront the raw realities of drama and suspense. Each tale is a unique human experience exploration crafted to intrigue, captivate, and resonate with readers across genres.

Book Spotlight: The Falconer’s Apprentice by Malve von Hassell

 Follow the tour:  https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2024/03/blog-tour-the-falconers-apprentice-by-malve-von-hassell.html

THE FALCONER'S APPRENTICE is a story of adventure and intrigue set in the intense social and political unrest of the Holy Roman Empire in the thirteenth century.

“That bird should be destroyed!”

Andreas stared at Ethelbert in shock. Blood from an angry-looking gash on the young lord’s cheek dripped onto his embroidered tunic. Andreas clutched the handles of the basket containing the young peregrine. Perhaps this was a dream—

Andreas, an apprentice falconer at Castle Kragenberg, cannot bear the thought of killing the young female falcon and smuggles her out of the castle. Soon he realizes that his own time there has come to an end, and he stows away, with the bird, in the cart of an itinerant trader, Richard of Brugge.

So begins a series of adventures that lead him from an obscure castle in northern Germany to the farthest reaches of Frederick von Hohenstaufen’s Holy Roman Empire, following a path dictated by the wily trader’s mysterious mission. Andreas continues to improve his falconry skills, but he also learns to pay attention to what is happening around him as he travels through areas fraught with political unrest.

Eventually, Richard confides in Andreas, and they conspire to free Enzio, the eldest of the emperor’s illegitimate sons, from imprisonment in Bologna.

  

Buy Links:

 This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

 Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/31BMjD   

 Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-falconers-apprentice-malve-von-hassell/1121105739?ean=9781737101185/  

 

Malve von Hassell is a freelance writer, researcher, and translator. She holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from the New School for Social Research. Working as an independent scholar, she published The Struggle for Eden: Community Gardens in New York City (Bergin & Garvey 2002) and Homesteading in New York City 1978-1993: The Divided Heart of Loisaida (Bergin & Garvey 1996). She has also edited her grandfather Ulrich von Hassell's memoirs written in prison in 1944, Der Kreis schließt sich - Aufzeichnungen aus der Haft 1944 (Propylaen Verlag 1994).

She has taught at Queens College, Baruch College, Pace University, and Suffolk County Community College, while continuing her work as a translator and writer.

Malve has published two children’s picture books, Tooth Fairy (Amazon KDP 2012/2020), and Turtle Crossing (Amazon KDP 2023), and her translation and annotation of a German children’s classic by Tamara Ramsay, Rennefarre: Dott’s Wonderful Travels and Adventures (Two Harbors Press, 2012).

The Falconer’s Apprentice (2015/KDP 2024) was her first historical fiction novel for young adults. She has published Alina: A Song for the Telling (BHC Press, 2020), set in Jerusalem in the time of the crusades, and The Amber Crane (Odyssey Books, 2021), set in Germany in 1645 and 1945, as well as a biographical work about a woman coming of age in Nazi Germany, Tapestry of My Mother’s Life: Stories, Fragments, and Silences (Next Chapter Publishing, 2021), also available in German, Bildteppich Eines Lebens: Erzählungen Meiner Mutter, Fragmente Und Schweigen (Next Chapter Publishing, 2022), and is working on a historical fiction trilogy featuring Adela of Blois.

 

Author Links:

Website: https://www.malvevonhassell.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MvonHassell

Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/malvevonhassellauthor/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/malve-von-hassell-02b61517/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mvonhassell/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/malvevonhassell.bsky.social

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/471746.Malve_von_Hassell

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/malve-von-hassell

Amazon author link: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Malve-von-Hassell/author/B0CTGLDQ7P/

Book Spotlight and Excerpt: A Splendid Defiance by Stella Riley; Audiobook performed by Alex Wyndham

 

For two years England has been in the grip of Civil War.  In Banbury, Oxfordshire, the Cavaliers hold the Castle, the Roundheads want it back and the town is full of zealous Puritans.

Consequently, the gulf between Captain Justin Ambrose and Abigail Radford, the sister of a fanatically religious shopkeeper, ought to be unbridgeable.

The key to both the fate of the Castle and that of Justin and Abigail lies in defiance.  But will it be enough?

A Splendid Defiance is a dramatic and enchanting story of forbidden love, set against the turmoil and anguish of the English Civil War.

 

Buy Link:

 Special Tour Price: Ebook £1.95 / US $1.95 (and equivalent) for the duration of the tour!

Universal Buy Link:  https://books2read.com/u/bPzVNd

 

 Excerpt

News from the North

 Waving Cornet Anderson back into his seat, Sir Willliam said, ‘You’ve been at York with the Prince?’

‘Yes, sir.’  The boy squared his shoulders.  ‘He’ll be marching south again soon.  There – there’s nothing else to do.  York is lost.’

Incredulity and incomprehension registered in varying degrees on the faces before him. Then Lieutenant-Colonel Greene said, ‘Lost?  Irretrievably?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘How?  Didn’t Rupert get there in time?’

‘Oh yes, sir.  He did – and he relieved the city,’ said Cornet Anderson quickly.  ‘He made one of his fast marches round to the north and we got to York while the enemy must have thought us still at Knaresborough. Only …’

‘Yes?’ prompted Sir William.

The boy stared down at his hands.

‘Well, the rebels had us heavily outnumbered but everyone was saying that they wouldn’t attack because of the York garrison.’

‘And did they? Were you taken by surprise?’

‘No – at least, not then.  But the Prince said that we must engage them early next day and my Lord Goring went into York to tell Lord Newcastle to bring his men out to rendezvous with us. Only they were late and the whole morning went by and the Prince was fretting at the delay.’

‘I’ll wager he was,’ said Justin Ambrose grimly.  ‘Cursing all creation, was he?’

‘I don’t know, sir.  He marched us to Long Marston and deployed us for battle before the York men came up.  But by that time there was a storm brewing so His Highness said we could stand down and get something to eat.  It must have been nearly seven o’clock and, after all the delay and everything, it seemed he’d decided not to attack … and it didn’t look as if the enemy would because they’d been manoeuvring as if they expected us to strike south again.’  He paused and his hands suddenly tightened on each other.  ‘And then all hell broke loose.  They attacked and the storm came all at once.  The Prince was riding up and down the lines through the rain like a man possessed.  It wasn’t even his own horse.’  He stopped again and then said wearily, ‘It was horrible. The Prince’s cavalry just broke and scattered.  And Lord Newcastle’s men kept refusing quarter until – until they were all lying there in the mud.’

This time the silence seemed to close around each one of them like a fist.

‘So York could not be held and the North is lost,’ said the Lieutenant-Colonel at last, voicing all their thoughts.  ‘What is Prince Rupert doing?’

‘Rallying the men, sir.  Lord Newcastle,’ added the boy on a perceptible note of contempt, ‘is taking ship for France.’

‘And what of Rupert himself?’ asked Justin.  ‘It’s his first real defeat.  How has he taken it?’

‘It’s hard to say,’ came the slow response.  ‘But they killed his dog, you know … and that must have been near as bad as everything else.’

 

Winner of four gold medals for historical romance and sixteen Book Readers’ Appreciation Medallions, Stella Riley lives in the beautiful medieval town of Sandwich in Kent.

She is fascinated by the English Civil Wars and has written six books set in that period. These, like the 7 book Rockliffe series, the Brandon Brothers trilogy and, most recently The Shadow Earl, are all available in audio, performed by Alex Wyndham.

Stella enjoys travel, reading, theatre, Baroque music and playing the harpsichord.  She also has a fondness for men with long hair - hence her 17th and 18th century heroes.

Author Links:

Website: https://stellarileybooks.co.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RileyStella

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stellariley.books

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stellarileybooks/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/riley9631/stella-riley-books/

Book Bub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/stella-riley

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stella-Riley/e/B0034PB7UU/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40487661-a-splendid-defiance

 

Book Spotlight: The Viola Factor by Sheridan Brown

 

Follow the tour:  https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2024/03/blog-tour-the-viola-factor-by-sheridan-brown.html

The Viola Factor" takes place at a time when the country faced division and growth after the American Civil War. Viola Knapp Ruffner (1812-1903) struggled with what was just and fair, becoming a little-known confidant for a young black scholar from Virginia. But Viola was much more than a teacher; she was a mother, wife, game-changer, and friend. With her mother's dying wish, a young woman alone, she left her New England roots. This is a story of trauma and love in the South while battling for justice and the rightful education of the enslaved and once enslaved. African American leader Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) called her his friend and model for life.

The Viola Factor is in many ways a journey of life done in baby steps, tentatively stumbling, until a galloping stride is achieved. Viola Knapp wears different shoes on different days. Heavy, mud-trekking boots to allow for aggressive steps, and daintier shoes for more rhythmic and assertive ones. She was a diligent daughter, an outspoken protector, and a progressive teacher.

Like many women in her situation, alone at seventeen, Viola must realize her own principles to fulfill her future goals. With every stride, Viola Knapp Ruffner marches around surprises, over potholes, and dodges folly after folly on her journey to be fulfilled. After ambling in one direction, plodding along in another, and wandering to find herself, a sudden halt pushes her forward until a factor of fate places her in the path of a newly freed slave with a desire to read and penchant to lead. After years of post-traumatic stress and mental uncoupling, she finds herself a woman who followed her mother's dying wish to fight for what is fair and just.

  Buy Link:

 Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/b5YERw

Sheridan Brown holds advanced degrees in school leadership and is a certified teacher, principal, and educational leader. The arts have always been a central force in her life, since performing in piano recitals, school band, plays, and singing in choirs her whole life.

Ms. Brown was born in Tennessee and raised in small towns of southwest Virginia. She practiced her profession in Virginia, Massachusetts, and Florida. Upon retirement, she began volunteering, painting, writing, researching, and traveling with her husband, attorney John Crawford. She has one son, Tony Hume. She is GiGi to Aiden and Lucy. She has returned to the Blue Ridge to live and explore.

 Author Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ViolaFactor/

YouTube: https://youtu.be/yrtEyjFaC5A

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sheridan-l-brown-17422a5

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theviolafactor/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0B3HMSRBM

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20766921.Sheridan_Brown

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sheridanreels22

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@sbrown1919

Book spotlight and Excerpt: Yellow Bird’s Song by Heather Miller

 

Rollin Ridge, a mercurial figure in this tribal tale, makes a fateful decision in 1850, leaving his family behind to escape the gallows after avenging his father and grandfather’s brutal assassinations. With sin and grief packed in his saddlebags, he and his brothers head west in pursuit of California gold, embarking on a journey marked by hardship and revelation. Through letters sent home, Rollin uncovers the unrelenting legacy of his father’s sins, an emotional odyssey that delves deep into his Cherokee history.

The narrative’s frame transports readers to the years 1827-1835, where Rollin’s parents, Cherokee John Ridge and his white wife, Sarah, stumble upon a web of illicit slave running, horse theft, and whiskey dealings across Cherokee territory. Driven by a desire to end these inhumane crimes and defy the powerful pressures of Georgia and President Andrew Jackson, John Ridge takes a bold step by running for the position of Principal Chief, challenging the incumbent, Chief John Ross. The Ridges face a heart-wrenching decision: to stand against discrimination, resist the forces of land greed, and remain on their people’s ancestral land, or to sign a treaty that would uproot an entire nation, along with their family.

Buy Link:

 Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/49a2w8

***

 EXCERPT

Sarah Northrup Ridge, Near New Echota, Cherokee Nation East, 1827

Orchards greeted us in neatly planted rows, dense with peaches and apples, creating a fragrance in the air like home. Servants’ quarters bordered the tree line of flat valley land surrounding Diamond Hill. Joe Vann’s large manor, a two-story brick home with expensive glass windows and large white columns, held verandas on the front and the rear of the house. There were corncribs, smokehouses, and outbuildings for weaving and cooking. Given the abundant number of horses and carriages, many attended. A surge rushed through me, nerves on fire, reminding me of the importance of the event, framed by the fear I’d make a mistake.

Our carriage rolled through Vann land between a row of walnut trees bordering endless green pastures. Black and white cows, silent sentinels, gnawed grass and watched as we passed, undisturbed. As the horses pulled us the last distance, I saw an open door at the side of the house. From it, trails of servants carried trays and crockery from the exterior kitchen to the main house near white linen tablecloths and white-washed ladderback chairs in neat rows. Their movement reminded me of fire ants seeking sweets, and, in a line, returning to their self-constructed dirt abodes. Other servants turned a pig on an open fire, slaughtered for the occasion. The smell of salt and fat from the roasted meat mingled with the aromatic sweet apples hanging on the trees. The bees hummed louder amidst such plenty. 

Most whites were surprised to know slavery existed among the Cherokee. John and I argued over the institution. The Ridges treated their servants like family. However, their will to choose their lives was the identical desire of John’s people, fighting for God-given liberty to govern themselves. While we still lived with his family, I could do little but speak to my husband and pursue change. But I knew a time would come when America and the Cherokee Nation must make the moral choice, no matter the economic difficulty such a choice might bring. 

Once I stepped from the carriage, John held my gloved hand and said, “I’m instituting the wink law.” John’s top hat shaded half of his face, so I couldn’t see his eyes in the bright sunlight. I predicted his expression from his carefree tone. “Are you familiar, Mistress Ridge?” he asked.

“I am not, Mister Ridge. However, I would hate to violate without intention.”

“Ignorance of the law is no excuse. It is in the Constitution.”

“I’m aware.” I grinned.

“One wink means I have ten minutes to end my conversation and take you home.”

“What does a whole blink mean?” I asked. 

I surprised him with my question. “I don’t know. You have something in your eye?”

“A whole blink means I’m proud of you and content to remain by your side, but thank you for saying so. You know I am worried about leaving Rollin and Clarinda with Honey. She can manage one, but if Rollin wails…”

“Amendment duly noted, Mistress Ridge.” He rechecked his watch. “I’ll have you back to our children in hours.” His promise was sincere, just under the surface of his sarcasm.

I pulled him close so I could whisper. “Promise me you won’t leave me alone too often.” For a man so aware of time, he lost hours debating politics.

“Agreed. I hope we get to mingle with the many guests in the time we have. Some have traveled great distances and are new here.”

Major and Mother followed us into the sunlight. A row of white women adorned in a rainbow of pastels held fast to their matching parasols with white-gloved hands and whispered about the heat while their white-breeched, black-booted husbands stood in small circles gesturing about important matters. White pipe smoke hazed around their heads.

Shirtless Cherokee separated themselves by sitting on their heels on the ground. Cherokee women walked through the guests with red and purple baskets in their arms and yellowed gourds slung from leather straps around their necks. Like John’s family, wealthy Cherokee slipped easily between these two groups. As for me, I did not know where I’d fit in this mix of classes and attitudes.

As a veteran English teacher and college professor, Heather has spent nearly thirty years teaching her students the author’s craft. Now, with empty nest time on her hands, she’s writing herself, transcribing lost voices in American’s history.

Author Links:

 Website: https://www.heathermillerauthor.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HMHFR

Facebook: https://facebook.com/HMillerAuthor

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@heathermillerauthor

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jhjewmiller/yellow-bird/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B094DLCL8K

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21805281.Heather_Miller