Author: Cindy Thomson

Author

Introducing Sheriff Ty Dawson from Baron Birtcher’s Ty Dawson Series

~ Cindy Thomson ~ Leave a comment

BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION, TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF:

            My name is Tyler Dawson, but most folks call me Ty. I reside in a small town in southeastern Oregon. Town by the name of Meridian. A couple years ago, my neighbors pressed me into service to act as their Sheriff, since the man who preceded me had turned out to be a lying bag of –. My apologies. Let’s just say he was a dishonest and disagreeable man. Before they made me their sheriff, I was a rancher. And a Korean War veteran. Three generations of my family has run a cattle and horse operation out here in the wilds since the late 1800s. Seen a lot of change in those years. Some of it good. Some not so much. 

What else do you want to know? 

YOU’RE NOT FROM CONTEMPORARY TIMES, ARE YOU?

            No, ma’am. The year I’m living in is 1976 – our nation’s Bicentennial. Like I said, I fought in Korea, returned to the States and worked in Hollywood as a wrangler for a time while I got my head back on straight after the war. Met my wife, Jesse, while I was working on the studio lot. We moved back to Oregon after we got hitched. We have a daughter, nearly grown. We call her Cricket. She’s in college now, over in Colorado.

YOUR EYES LIGHT UP WHEN YOU MENTION YOUR WIFE AND DAUGHTER.

            Can we talk about something else, please?

OKAY. YOU SAY YOU LIVE IN THE 1970s. WHAT CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THAT? 

            Listen, things in Meridian, Oregon, haven’t changed much since my grandfather started this ranch. For that matter, the whole county hasn’t changed much. Not until recently. 

WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

            What, are you kidding? Vietnam? Watergate? Woodstock, ‘free love,’ LSD, marijuana, chaos and bloodshed at Wounded Knee, students shot by the National Guard at Kent State… Five years ago, gas was 36 cents; it’s nearly double that now. The economy is a mess, and nobody trusts anything that comes out of Washington DC, not that I blame them. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a political man. It just breaks my heart to see what has happened. 

YOU’RE A ‘LAW-AND-ORDER’ MAN, THEN?

            You think there’s something wrong with that? 

I CAN SEE YOU ARE A MAN WHO APPRECIATES PLAIN TALK. TELL ME WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED ABOUT YOURSELF SINCE YOU’VE BEEN SHERIFF. 

            I’ve learned I don’t care to brook any bullcrap. People around here just want to live their lives. That goes for me, too. I love my wife and my family. I love my ranch and my town. Lately, we’ve had to put up with liars, thieves, murderers and interlopers of every stripe, and I’ll tell you this: If you want to get along in my town, you’d best treat the folks around here with respect, and we’ll do the same in return. You do that, we’ll get along fine; you don’t… well, that’s going to become a different kind of problem for you.

THAT SOUNDS LIKE A THREAT

            I’ve never made a threat in my life. I’m merely informing you beforehand as to what’s going to happen. I believe it’s only fair that people understand in advance how things work. It’s still a free country. Nobody has to stick around here if they don’t want to.

I UNDERSTAND THERE HAVE BEEN BOOKS WRITTEN ABOUT YOU, SHERIFF DAWSON.

            Yes, ma’am. Four of ’em so far: SOUTH CALIFORNIA PURPLES was the first one. Then there was FISTFUL OF RAIN, followed by RECKONING, and most recently, KNIFE RIVER. 

THE BOOKS HAVE EVEN WON SOME AWARDS?

            That is a fact. A number of them, actually. Turns out, we’ve got quite a few stories to tell, here in Meriwether County. 

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU, SHERIFF DAWSON?

            I prefer not to talk about myself all that much, if it’s all the same to you. Everything you need to know about me is written in those books I just mentioned. There’s more books coming, too, I understand. There’s no shortage of things going on around here, that’s for sure…  Hear that sound? That’s a radio call coming in. Sorry, but I’ve got to go. Nice to meet you, ma’am. Drop by again anytime. 

Baron Birtcher is the winner of the Silver Falchion Award (Hard Latitudes); Winner of Killer Nashville Readers Choice Award (South California Purples); and Best Book of the Year Award for Fistful Of Rain.

He has also been nominated for the Nero Award, the Lefty, the Foreword Indie, the Claymore, and the Pacific Northwest’s Spotted Owl Awards.

Baron’s writing has been hailed as “The real deal” by Publishers Weekly; “Fast Paced and Engaging” by Booklist; and “Solid, Fluent and Thrilling” by Kirkus. 

Bestselling author, Don Winslow, has said, “You want to read Baron’s books, then you want to live in them.”

NYT Bestseller, Reed Farrel Coleman says: “Birtcher is part poet, part philosopher, and a consummate writer. You need to read his books.”

I invite you to join me on the ride with Sheriff Ty Dawson, and to (re)visit those heady, turbulent, beautiful and terrifying times of the 1970s; and to join me on Facebook and Instagram at: 

            Facebook: www.facebook.com/BaronRBirtcher

            Instagram: www.instagram/BaronBirtcher_author

Books in the Ty Dawson series: 

            South California Purples

            Fistful Of Rain

            Reckoning

            Knife River

>>> They can be purchased by using this link:   https://linktr.ee/baronrbirtcher

Meet Mira Covington from The Song of Sourwood by Ann H. Gabhart

~ Cindy Thomson ~ Leave a comment

Mira Dean is reconciled to her life as a spinster schoolteacher until preacher Gordon Covington shows up in town with an audacious marriage proposal. Following him to the mountains takes courage, but Mira will see that doors she thought closed forever may be opening after all.

Welcome to Novel PASTimes! We are pleased you stopped by today, Mira.

Thank you so much for having me. I love to talk about The Song of Sourwood Mountain. It is so incredible to have people interested in my story. 

Tell us something about this Sourwood Mountain.

You should come visit. It is the most beautiful place with the best people. There is a Sourwood Mountain, but most of the people live in the hollow. The people there would shake their heads at me saying hollow. They would definitely say they live in Sourwood Holler. I am what they call “brought in.” That is, not from that area. I went there from the big city of Louisville. That was quite a change for me. In Louisville I lived in some rented rooms in the upstairs of a brick house. In Sourwood I live in a log cabin like everyone else. We are surrounded by trees, and in the spring the rhododendron bushes cover the hillsides in blooms. Wildflowers pop up everywhere. Of course, the same as anywhere, everything isn’t all good there.

Wait. Maybe we should back up here and let you introduce yourself and let us know exactly why you went from Louisville to this Sourwood Mountain. 

Oh dear, I should have told you that first off. You have to understand I’m a little nervous talking about myself. My name is Mira Dean Covington. I’m a schoolteacher. Most women schoolteachers have to be unmarried. The administrators for the city schools think that is best so a woman’s thoughts won’t be divided between her family and her student. Anyway, whether you think that is sensible or not, I was resigned to being a spinster after my fiancé died a few years ago. 

But an old schoolmate came to my church to talk about his mission in the Eastern Kentucky Appalachian Mountains. He has established a church there and at the time, was hoping for contributions to help start a mission school as well. He needed a teacher, and before we had hardly said hello, he shocked me by saying the Lord had nudged him to ask me to be that teacher. I love teaching children, and when I thought about the poor children in those hills not having a way to learn to read, my heart was touched. Still, I might not have agreed to his outrageous plan – I hadn’t seen him for years – but I lost my teaching job and the rooms I was renting. It did feel as if the Lord was pushing me to be the Sourwood Mission schoolteacher. 

You say the place is beautiful, but somehow sourwood makes one wonder about that. Sourwood sounds unpleasant.

I suppose it does, but the name actually comes from a tree called sourwood that grows in the hills there. When they bloom, the trees are beautiful and the flowers have the most amazing scent. I know you would love the trees if you were to come to Sourwood Mountain in June when they are in bloom.

What do you like or dislike about being a teacher in Sourwood?

The children are what I love best about teaching. It’s wonderful when I see a child’s face light up when he or she suddenly understands something I’m teaching. I don’t like it when a child acts up or tries to bully another child. I make sure that doesn’t happen in my school, or at least I try to. Children, the same as any of us, are not perfect. They must learn proper behavior and good attitudes as well as arithmetic and reading.

Who are the special people in your life?

There are two children I do love more than the others. I try my best not to favor them over the others in the school room, but Joseph and Ada June are in and out of my house all the time. Joseph loves to be of help there and at the church. Ada June is a special little girl who lost her mother at a young age and has so wanted to be a true part of a family since then. She has the sweetest heart, and she has found a place in mine. 

What is your heart’s deepest desire?

Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to have my own family. To marry and have children to love. And then the man I thought I would marry died of tuberculosis. I thought my dream was forever lost and that the children I taught would be the only children I would have to love. But sometimes the Lord opens a door you didn’t know was there and finds a way to give you the desires of your heart.

 Do you have a cherished possession?

I do. My mother had a ceramic blue bird that she treasured. Before she died, she gave it to me and told me to remember how much she loved me whenever I looked at it. It is on the mantel in my cabin in Sourwood. When I hold it, I somehow get courage to face whatever challenges come my way. I have to admit that I’ve held it so much over the years, that some of the ceramic feathers have lost a little of their blue. 

It’s so wonderful to see the blue birds in the mountains. One built a nest in a small hollow in the oak next to our school. Seeing them brings the happiness promised when you see a blue bird.  

What do you expect the future will hold for you?

I hope to teach for many years and learn more about my Sourwood neighbors. And that dream of having my own family may be in my future too. 

What have you learned about yourself in the course of your story?

Maybe what I have learned most about myself is that I should always trust the Lord and embrace the blessings He showers down on me and mine.

Is there anything else you’d like people to know about you?

Oh heavens, I think I have already told you more than anyone could ever want to know about me. I am simply so happy that the Lord opened the opportunity for me to teach the children in Sourwood. He aimed good for me and for that I am more than thankful.

Thanks for allowing us to get know you a little better!

Thank you for inviting me over to talk with you.

Ann H. Gabhart is the bestselling author of many novels, including
In the Shadow of the River, When the Meadow Blooms, Along a
Storied Trail, An Appalachian Summer, River to Redemption, These
Healing Hills, and Angel Sister. She and her husband live on a farm
a mile from where she was born in rural Kentucky. Ann enjoys
discovering the everyday wonders of nature while hiking in her
farm’s fields and woods with her grandchildren and her dogs,
Frankie and Marley. Learn more at AnnHGabhart.com.

Review: An Audiobook Musical: “19: The Musical” (Through the 4th Wall) from creators Jennifer Schwed and Doug Bradshaw

~ Cindy Thomson ~ Leave a comment
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This has to be the most unique historical fiction I’ve reviewed. You’ve all heard of the stage musical Hamilton, and probably most of you have either seen it live on stage or on TV. The musical 19 has a similar feel.

Here’s some info from the press release:

Delving into the contentious nature of the suffrage movement, the book highlights the marginalized roles of these women and focuses on the remarkable contributions of underappreciated figures such as Alice Paul, Carrie Chapman Catt and Ida B. Wells. Spanning the life of Alice Paul’s entrance into the suffrage movement in the early 1900s through to the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, the musical chronicles the sacrifices and setbacks faced by suffrage luminaries. The racially diverse cast brings a contemporary spin to historical events.

I was excited to listen to this, but I was puzzled about how it would work. The key was not to expect a typical audiobook. You are listening to a musical with the help of stage directions and a narrator. It worked well. I found it very entertaining and educational, which is exactly what I look for in historical fiction. Like Hamilton, it the fun and humor balance very serious historical occurrences. For instance, President Wilson says, “Mansplaining, mansplaining, mansplaining…” You may not have read in the history books that Wilson was late jumping on the suffragist bandwagon. That, along with other issues with his policies, helped to elected Warren G. Harding once women were voting in 1920.

I recommend this, 5 stars! Scroll down to listen to a clip.

Reviewed by Cindy Thomson, Novel PASTimes

Book and lyrics by Jennifer Schwed and Doug Bradshaw | Music composed by Charlie Barnett March 2024 | Through the 4th Wall | Musical Theater / Historical

Audiobook, ISBN: 9798218392208

Officially launched in 2014, Through the 4th Wall has en­deavored to excite and challenge audiences with the fantastic, the unexpected and the thought-provoking. TT4W is an award-winning theater, film and media company that creates, writes, directs and produces its own original works. Princi­pals Jennifer Schwed and Doug Bradshaw are playwrights, filmmakers and multimedia storytellers. Past projects have spanned media and genres such as, “Jules & James,” a serialized audio drama podcast and multimedia story; “A Dream Within A Dream,” an immersive play about the mad genius of Edgar Allan Poe; and “The Upside of Iris,” an enchanting and whimsi­cal story about a girl who sees the world upside down, produced as an animated ebook. These past artistic ventures have garnered both critical and audi­ence acclaim. TT4W looks forward to introducing audiences to “19: The Musical,” a story 100 years in the making.

Social Media: Facebook: @19TheMusical | Instagram: @19_themusical

Listen to a clip

Meet Grace Deroy from The Mapmaker’s Secret by Jennifer Mistmorgan

~ Cindy Thomson ~ Leave a comment

Welcome to Novel PASTimes! We are pleased you stopped by today.

Thank you for having me! It’s a pleasure to be here.

Tell us something about where you live?

It’s a delicate situation. My family’s home in Lincolnshire, England, was requisitioned by the Air Ministry to function as a mapmaking facility. I had to clear out all our family’s possessions and watch while the Air Ministry converted the whole thing into offices. (They were absolute thugs when it came to the soft furnishings!) They even changed the name of the place from ‘Broughton Hall’ to ‘Bartondale’. I loved my job working in the map room at RAF Bottesford, but I wanted to keep an eye on my family’s home. So I ask for a transfer to the library at Bartondale. Now I work in what used to be my home, and live in what used to be our caretaker’s cottage with my companion Sarah and a child evacuee called Olive.

Do you have an occupation? 

I have to be careful what I say about it. Official secrets, you understand. But I can tell you that I work in the library, managing all the documents required to make the maps. I like putting everything in order.

What do you like about your work? 

There is a new American, Jack Marsden, who has started working with us. The girls and I call him O.A.F … Our American Friend. It was my job to show him around on his first day. He’s quiet, almost tongue-tied, with me even though he seems chatty with everyone else. He looks in pain every time he has to speak to me!

Who are the special people in your life?

The special people in my life are my parents and my two brothers, Peter and Teddy. Peter is my twin. Teddy is the baby of the family and has just joined Bomber Command as a navigator. I don’t think he is enjoying it very much. Then there’s my dear friend Maggie. We met when we worked together at RAF Bottesford and she’s been like a sister to me ever since. We tell each other all our secrets. Well, almost all of them. There are some things that I won’t tell anyone. Ever.

What are you most afraid of? 

It feels odd confessing this to you but I am most afraid of people discovering the very foolish thing I did at university. I am ashamed of who I was then, and for people to know about … I’m sorry I don’t want to say anything more about it. It’s too upsetting.

What do you expect the future will hold for you? 

It’s war, so there’s no telling what will happen! But if I’m honest, I’d love to get to know Jack a little more. He might be quiet but I sense he has a lot going on under the surface. 

What have you learned about yourself in the course of your story?  

I’ve learnt that I truly am a new creation in Christ and that I can do all things in His strength. And I’ve learnt to forgive. Trust me when I tell you that both are very hard lessons to learn.

The Mapmaker’s Secret by Jennifer Mistmorgan is a historical romance set during WWII. It is available in both paperback and ebook. 

Australian author Jennifer Mistmorgan sometimes feels like she was born in the wrong era. So she writes romantic historical fiction set in the 1940s, against the backdrop of WWII and its aftermath. She infuses her sweet romances with wartime drama and a dash of intrigue. She lives in Canberra with her family and a wonky-eared West Highland terrier.

Introducing Harl Adams from The Rejected Mail-Order Bride by Greta Picklesimer

~ Cindy Thomson ~ Leave a comment
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Name’s Harl Adams. I was born, raised and live in Harrisville, Kentucky in the southeastern part of the state. It’s pretty with rolling hills and mountains. I own and work the family apple orchard on our land. I enjoy the work. It keeps me occupied and helps keep my mind from thinking over things that happened and that I done in the war of the states. I’m not proud of what I done—killing men for the cause, but it’s what orders made me do. My father and me was on our way to sign up to enlist for the north when some renegade southern sympathizers cut him down. He took a bullet to the heart and dropped right there beside me. He was dead before he hit the dirt. I still have nightmares about it and headaches. I take each day as it comes and I don’t want to talk about that part of my life anymore. 

I live on the old homestead with my mother. She keeps an eye on me and me on her. She’s a sweet woman. She keeps hoping that when I marry I’ll settle down on the place with her. Marriage is the furthest thing on my mind. I haven’t been lucky in that way. Every time I find me a girl, she up and marries someone else. I’ve been in love twice in my life. One time to a girl I went to school with and one time to the new school teacher. Maybe the Lord don’t have marriage in the books for me. Then again I hope that ain’t the case. 

The other day I met a woman come down from Michigan to marry up with that town scoundrel, Cletus Tooth. She didn’t know what a scoundrel he was or she wouldn’t a come all this way. He took one look at her size and left her and her trunk standing on the train platform. Cletus threw her picture in the dirt at my feet as I was loading sacks of grain for the animals on the farm. He told me he left her there and didn’t want no part of her. So, I went over to the train depot and found her. Since she had come down on the last train for the day, I offered to buy her a room over at the hotel. She accepted. That night, we had us an ice storm to beat all ice storms. In the morning, she went out to check when the next train would be due, but fell and sprained her ankle. The doctor thought it would be best if she could recuperate with a family in the area is how mama and me got her to come stay with us. On the ride over to our place, she told me she doesn’t believe in God. I don’t know what to say about that. 

My deepest desire is to be married, but I think I need to keep on looking. This woman, Rose Henderson, ain’t no match for me lessen she turns her heart over to the Lord. I think the Lord’s got His job cut out for Him in that area. She’s a good woman and all once you get past all her lying and such, but being good don’t mean you’re saved.

Author Greta Picklesimer is Michigan born and raised by Kentucky transplanted parents. Besides writing, Greta spends time working on her scrapbook/art journal, reading audiobooks and dreaming up her next novel. She is owned by one rescue cat by the name of Pearlie Blue who was named after one of her father’s favorite Bluegrass songs. Greta spent many happy summer vacations with her family visiting relatives in the hills of Kentucky. She was so impressed by those visits, that her books are set in Kentucky. By day, Greta works as an office assistant. At night, she writes.

Meet Isabel Neumann from Seashells in my Pocket by Terri Vanguard

~ Cindy Thomson ~ Leave a comment

Welcome to Novel PASTimes! We are pleased you stopped by today.

Tell us about where you live in Brazil.

I grew up in Florianópolis, a German community in Brazil’s south. It had been like living in Germany, my father says. Hundreds of thousands of Germans settled there. My brother and I attended German schools and everyone spoke German.

When another war with Germany came, the Brazilian government prohibited the German language. German pilots lost their jobs with German or Italian airlines. My father operates his own air cargo business with three planes, so he remains independent. We moved to Recife to avoid the German enclave.

My parents live in a beachfront house where I could collect seashells for my art projects, but I never felt at home there. Recife is a like a foreign country. Like going from a German town to an old Portuguese city near the equator. The people are an ethnic mix, but I felt out of place. People stared at me, or my blonde hair.

Now you work at an American air base in Natal. Did your father’s occupation as a pilot have anything to do with that? 

Oh, goodness. I never thought of that. I suppose it did. I understand flying terminology. I enjoy flying. It’s a familiar environment.

The air base is a lot different from the airport where Papa flies. All these young men away from home and wanting women’s company. Most are nice, but some are awfully bold and rude. I made the mistake of telling my parents about one incident where a fellow was convinced he was my dream come true. Now they worry.

Tell us about your job.

I calculate load distribution on the cargo planes. If too much weight is placed forward, the plane could nosedive. Too much weight in the rear causes the nose to pull up, the airplane stalls, and falls to earth. If the cargo shifts in-flight, same results. Or if the cargo isn’t shifted as the fuel load burns off, the plane would unbalance.

Correctly loading an aircraft doesn’t require a genius, just a bit of mathematical ability. It’s like putting together a jigsaw puzzle (which I enjoy doing).  My boss likes to say that I swallowed a calculator. I don’t understand what the big deal is. Cargo distribution is all about simple math.

Easy for some people. What do you enjoy doing when you’re not on duty?  

Go to the beach! I love the seashore, I love the ocean. I can stand in the surf and watch the waves roll in endlessly. The Bible says when the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, there will no longer be a sea. I can’t imagine. Heaven is supposed to be perfect, but no sea?

While I’m at the shore, I collect seashells. I had jars and boxes full of them, and my twin brother said, “Do something with them.” So I started making pictures using shells as flower petals. Now I make all kinds of shell creations and people buy them!

Have you visited Germany?

No. My dad grew up in Germany. He flew biplanes in the Great War. He moved to Brazil because of the chaos in Germany after that war, and pilots and flying were restricted by the Allies. He’s always told us stories about growing up in Heidelberg. He brought his books of photographs. Germany looks beautiful. I would love to have visited, but Papa was leery of the political situation.

My aunt invited my brother and me to attend school in Heidelberg. Marcos went, and the Germans tried to put him in their army. We were fortunate he got away. Maybe someday I’ll visit, but I feel no urgency to go. 

What is this fascination with Cypress Gardens I’ve heard about?  

My cousin sent postcards from Cypress Gardens and it’s beautiful. Imagine being in a flower garden all day. It must be a feast of color and beauty. It’s not like being at the seashore, of course, but it’s a close second. I haven’t been to America yet, and I know the whole country isn’t like Cypress Gardens, but they represent America to me. Daniel visited the Gardens when he had a day off while in Miami, and he brought me a book. He said they’re beautiful and I’ll like them.

Tell us about Daniel.

Oh, goodness. He’s gorgeous and smart and funny and kind. Did I say handsome? He’s nice to dogs and children. He has a strong faith. He’s an excellent pilot. My dad met him and thinks well of him. And he loves me. Me!

What do you expect the future will hold for you?  

Milwaukee. That’s where Daniel lives. Far from Brazil and my family. But my dad left home and came to Brazil where he didn’t know anyone, and he thrived. I hope Daniel’s family likes me. I hope I like Milwaukee’s winters. No seashore, but Lake Michigan is there. Best of all, Daniel will be there and I’m sure God will bless us.

Thanks for allowing us to get know you a little better!

Terri Wangard grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, during the Lombardi Glory Years. Her first Girl Scout badge was the Writer. Holder of a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in library science, she lives in Wisconsin. Her WWII research included going for a ride in a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. Classic Boating Magazine, a family business since 1984, keeps her busy as an associate editor. She also serves on the Genesis and First Impressions contest teams and as secretary of the Wisconsin Southeast chapter.

A Chat with Lily from Joanna Davidson Poltiano’s The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple

~ Cindy Thomson ~ Leave a comment
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Welcome to Novel PASTimes! We are pleased you stopped by today.

Tell us something about where you live.

I live and work in the beautiful St. Anne’s Well Gardens of Bristol. This pleasure garden, once a healing springs, is a small haven in the midst of a bustling seashore town that actually contains—hidden away—an entire film production outlay. The old pump house has become the workshop of a brilliant producer, where he tints and cuts and splices film strips to create an illusion grander than his magic shows. Then, ifhttps://amzn.to/3Qc8xPJ one is brave enough to venture through the woods and up the hill, he would happen upon the most unexpected house made entirely of glass. That is where the films are set, on a rotating foundation, so that he might capture natural light from any angle, any time of the day.

I spend my days in that glass house, which grows quite warm in summer, pretending to be a fairy or a fair maiden. Then I spend my spare time buried in that pump room, splicing and tinting films with Smith and his wife. It’s a beautiful place to create, and I love it here. 

I shouldn’t be telling you this part, but I have a history in this place. When I was a girl, this place was my haven. I came here for the stories from an old rose gardener, and for escape. I did not like my real life in those days, so I lived in a fantasy one at St. Anne’s.

Is there anything special about your name? 

I chose the name Lily simply because the flower reminded me of what I’d like to become. Elegant, pure, and lovely. It’s the simplest name I’ve chosen so far, and it has stuck with me the longest. The name I was given, which I cannot divulge, was bestowed in honor of my grandmother. I rather like that, and I hope I can use that name again one day.

Who are the special people in your life?

I haven’t had anyone special in my life since Gordon Makepiece told me stories as a child. I suppose Gypsy Lee has been a boon to me and Mr. Smith, the illusionist, but that’s mostly because he needs me. And there’s something lovely about being needed. 

However—and you’ll have to keep this quiet—there’s a man. He appeared in the gardens one night for a show, and I all but kidnapped him. I pulled him into a waltz and had him spinning and twirling toward the woods, then running up an unseen path. And ever since then, I have felt as though he’s done the same to me. Twirling and spinning until I can’t see straight, then darting up a dark path to an unknown destination. And I’ve wondered ever since if it was I who roped him into a dance that first night… or if it was all his doing.

What are you most afraid of?

Leaking my real name. I’m terrified I’ll give it out without thinking, though it’s been years since I’ve used it. Or perhaps someone who knows it will happen upon me. That wouldn’t happen though, I don’t think. I’ve been ever so careful to cover my tracks.

Do you have a cherished possession?

There’s a large, inviting, leather-bound book of fairytales that I would pay handsomely to have back. The illustrations are mine, and the stories belong to the dearest person in the entire world. What I wouldn’t give to hear his voice again. Better yet, to hear the stories told in his voice, rather than on the page. Every time I turn those pages, I hear his voice in my memories and my heart absorbs everything he’d meant to tell me in those fairytales. But the guilt overwhelms me so much that I haven’t opened that book in years. Whatever became of the writer, I do not know.  

What do you expect the future will hold for you?

I feel I could succeed in any position, with my history. I’m an actress now, but I’ve been a milkmaid, a governess, a boy in the army, and even a lady’s companion. Next, I could be a pirate—that does sound amusing. Perhaps an illusionist.

Thanks for allowing us to get know you a little better!

Joanna Davidson Politano is the award-winning author of Lady
Jayne Disappears, A Rumored Fortune, Finding Lady Enderly, The
Love Note, A Midnight Dance, and The Lost Melody. She loves tales
that capture the colorful, exquisite details in ordinary lives and is
eager to hear anyone’s story. She lives with her husband and their
children in a house in the woods near Lake Michigan.

Get Connected:
Joanna Davidson Politano
www.JDPStories.com
Facebook
/joannadavidsonpolitano
Twitter
@politano_joanna

Meet Martha Jankowski from Kimberly Woodhouse’s novel Set in Stone

~ Cindy Thomson ~ Leave a comment

When paleontologist Martha Jankowski discovers an intact dinosaur skeleton, she has the opportunity to make a name for herself, but only if she can uncover the full skeleton before another competing dig.

Welcome to Novel PASTimes! We are pleased you stopped by today.

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Tell us something about where you live.

I recently moved to Colorado in hopes to work on a dig for dinosaur bones. This area is nothing like where I grew up in Illinois. The Rocky Mountains are incredibly high. Unlike the rolling hills back home, their steep, craggy faces are covered in snow the majority of the year. The rock formations here in Colorado are what brought me here. Within those rock layers, I hope to find many dinosaur skeletons.

So are you a paleontologist?

That’s what I hope to be eventually. I’ve been studying toward that goal for some time but have had to put my studies on hold. I usually need to earn money between each semester to pay for the next. I have found that the hands-on experience in the field has helped me more than just the book studies. 

What inspired you to go into that field of science?

I’ve always been fascinated with history and digging up fossils became a fun hobby when I was younger. A wonderful pastor and mentor in my life, Pastor Moody, encouraged me to follow where the Lord led. As long I kept pointing people to the Truth. There is still so much to discover and so many unknowns to explore. I’m excited to simply have the opportunity to keep learning and growing. My biggest dream is to work on a team digging up a complete dinosaur skeleton. Thankfully, I’ve been given that chance here.

What are your thoughts on the Bone Wars? Do you think they’ve given your chosen field of science the proverbial black eye?

That is quite the question. While I agree with others in paleontology that do not condone Cope and Marsh and their dishonorable practices in trying to gain acclaim, I will say that the Bone Wars have brought attention to what we do. Many people don’t understand what it is we are trying to accomplish by digging up these fossils from the past. My hope and prayer is to bring people of faith and science together.

What’s something new you have learned since arriving in Colorado? 

It took a good bit of time for me to adjust to the air. Dryer, thinner, and the landscape is much higher than living near sea level. But now that I’m here, I never want to leave. What an amazing place to be! 

Thanks for allowing us to get know you a little better!

Kimberly Woodhouse is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than 30 fiction and nonfiction books. Kim and her incredible husband of 30-plus years live in Colorado, where they play golf together, spend time with their kids and grandbaby, and research all the history around them.


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Meet Marybeth Kruger Vogel from Tracie Peterson’s A Love Discovered

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Marybeth and Edward are compelled by their circumstances to marry as they trek west to the newly formed railroad town of Cheyenne. But life in Cheyenne is fraught with danger, and they find that they need each other more than ever. Despite the trials they face, will happiness await them in this arrangement of convenience?

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Tell us something about where you live. 

My name is Marybeth Kruger…well now it’s Vogel since I married. Up until a few months ago we lived in Independence, Indiana, but now we live in the middle of nowhere in a railroad town called Cheyenne.

Is there anything special about your name? Why do you think you were given that name?

I was given the name because my mother liked the sound of it. There wasn’t anything really special about it, but she always said I looked like a Marybeth.

Do you have an occupation? What do you like or dislike about your work?

My full-time job is to care for my little sister Carrie. My mother died when I was young, and my father remarried.  Carrie’s ma died in childbirth and made me promise to care for Carrie as if she were my own. Since then, I’ve done just that. I’m the only mama Carrie has ever known, and I love her dearly. When our pa died recently some folks figured to take Carrie away from me since I didn’t have a job to support our family. But Edward Vogel came to our rescue, and we agreed to a marriage of convenience.

Who are the special people in your life? 

So many of the special people in my life have died, but Edward and Carrie remain.  Edward is my husband of convenience. He needed a wife, and I needed a husband in order to keep from losing Carrie. We’ve loved and cared about each other as friends for many years since Edward was married to my best friend Janey. After she died, however, we just sort of looked out for each other.

What is your heart’s deepest desire? 

To have true love in my life and raise my little sister in a happy home.

What are you most afraid of?

Losing my sister and Edward never really loving me as a wife.

Do you have a cherished possession? 

Not really.  Things have never been all that important to me. My mama taught me early on that things are replaceable, but the people in your life are what really matter.

What do you expect the future will hold for you?  

I’m not sure.  This town called Cheyenne is a wild place with lots of low-life criminals. Danger is all around us and I fear that Edward may get killed in his deputy job. I’m praying God’s protection over him, of course, but in a town where it’s not even safe to walk the streets, I worry that someone will take his life and leave Carrie and me without his support and protection. I pray all the time that God will keep all of us safe.

What have you learned about yourself in the course of your story? 

I learned that God is truly faithful to watch over us and that love really matters. I thought I could live without love, but I was wrong.

Is there anything else you’d like people to know about you? 

I’m a woman of strong faith in God and that is what has seen me through so many bad times. Without God, I’d be all alone in this world, I’m sure.  His love for me has gotten me through all these bad times and I’m sure it will get me through bad times to come.

Thanks for allowing us to get know you a little better!

Tracie Peterson is the bestselling author of more than one hundred novels, both historical and contemporary, with more than six million copies sold. She has won the ACFW Lifetime Achievement Award and the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. Her avid research resonates in her many bestselling series. Tracie and her family make their home in Montana.

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Meet Emzara from Jill Eileen Smith’s The Ark and the Dove

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Only Noah and his family know that God’s judgment is coming soon. He and his wife Emzara dedicate themselves to God’s command to build an ark. After years of preparing for the end of life as they know it, can they survive what lies ahead or will they simply relive the past they are trying to escape?

Thank you for speaking with us today. Would you tell us the meaning behind your name?

Thank you for the invitation to meet with me.

My name is Emzara. It means “mother of a princess” though I never had a daughter who became a princess. I am the mother of three sons.

What is your role amongst your tribe?

I am the granddaughter of Methuselah of the tribe of Seth, son of Adam. I am also the wife of Noah, grandson of Methuselah, though we have different parents. As Noah’s wife, I have found myself put into the role of mentoring my three daughters-in-law as we prepare for life aboard an ark that God told my husband to build. With all of the opposition to what we are doing, I find my faith in the Creator stretched, and I often seek Him in prayer. I know I could not survive the evil in this world or the unknown we are about to face without His help. Though sometimes I wonder if He hears me because I do not hear from Him as Noah does.

If you could choose, what role would you rather have?

I would rather not be living in such times as these. I am not a young woman. I did not bear my sons until Noah was 500 years old. (I’m a little younger than he is!) When I was a girl, the world was a kinder, simpler place. My friends believed in the Creator and we all worshiped Him. But as time has gone on, I’ve watched my best friend walk away from Him to create her own god, her own image. I never thought I would see so much evil.

What would you say is your best talent or skill?

Oh, I don’t know. I enjoy working with the plants, weaving, reading, but I suppose what I love to do best is listen to and enjoy my family. I’m not sure it is a skill, but I try to keep peace when our sons or daughters-in-law have conflict between them. Unfortunately, we often have conflict with Keziah, Ham’s wife. She is insecure, and I have a hard time understanding her, but I’m working on that!

We are sharing a meal together. Please tell our readers what is on the table.

Every meal has some form of bread, normally flatbread with sauces to dip it in. We eat dried fruits and nuts, and sometimes make porridge or stews of one kind or another. With all of the animals to feed, we often end up grabbing food to take with us. I do love those times when we gather around the table and eat something new one of the girls has created, and we all talk about the day. Life on the ark can grow monotonous, and even during the years we were building it carried much sameness. Food takes much time to prepare, but I think all of us would agree that we love bread and the cucumber sauces or fig and date spreads we can put on it.

Do you have a personal confidant? Someone to share your deepest thoughts and fears with?

I did. My mother was my confidant before the flood, peace be upon her. She did not live long enough to join us, but she believed in the Creator. She helped me when I struggled with the family squabbles we faced, especially with the girls. I was used to raising sons, not daughters, so having three so different women suddenly in my life was an adjustment. I love them dearly, but they do have their moments!

Has there been a moment in your life that challenged you beyond what you thought you were capable of enduring? If so, how did you meet that challenge?

Years after the flood when Keziah introduced idols into her family and Ham disrespected Noah…I’m sorry…it’s hard for me even now to think on it. To watch our youngest son and his entire clan walk away, never to return…I could barely breathe for the pain of it. Worse, when God confused the languages of our descendants, including Japheth’s family and we had only Shem and Sedeq and their descendants left who could understand us, I knew real despair. It was only when I could look into the future and know that God would send a Redeemer to save us from the sin inside of us that we couldn’t escape that I could hope again. I might not live to see that Redeemer, but He will come. And that is comfort.

What or whom do you love more than anything else?

That is a tough question. I know from the writings of Enoch that the Creator loves us, and in turn, He longs for our love. I suppose I do love Him, but I can’t see Him, so my love seems so inadequate. Noah has always been my dearest friend, and I’m very glad we have each other. I love our children, of course. What mother doesn’t? Though…there were those in the pre-flood world who did not love their children. Even sacrificed them to the Watchers. I never understood that. Even Keziah, hardest of all to love, is one I always tried to love when she let me. Sigh. Love is complicated, yes?

What or whom do you despise most?

The Watchers, without question. I wish the evil ones of the unseen realm had been destroyed in the flood for good. But they cannot die as humans can. They are liars, enemies of the Creator, and if I despise anyone, it is them.

What does the future hold for your family or tribe?

Only God knows. I am old now. Our people, those who came from our sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, are now living in remote places throughout the earth. Noah and I live with Shem’s family, and I suspect that God has blessings in store for them, though I don’t know what they are. My part in their story will end soon, but perhaps the Redeemer will come from one of Shem’s great-great grandchildren. It is my greatest hope.

What one thing would you like the people reading this to learn about your story?

Learn from us. Learn from the people of earth whom God judged for the evil in their hearts. Worship the Creator and no other. Repent of sin and don’t let relationships with people you love fall apart. Life is short, even for one who has lived as long as I have. People matter more than petty disagreements. Forgive. I think with these things the Creator is pleased.

Thank you for talking with us.

Thank you for asking me.

Jill Eileen Smith is the bestselling and award-winning author of the biblical fiction series The Wives of King David, Wives of the Patriarchs, and Daughters of the Promised Land, as well as The Heart of a King, Star of Persia: Esther’s Story, Miriam’s Song, The Prince and the Prodigal, and Daughter of Eden. She is also the author of the
nonfiction books When Life Doesn’t Match Your Dreams and She Walked Before Us. Her research has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in biblical times. Jill lives with her family in Michigan.

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