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

Tell us something about where you live: 

I live in a little town called Stone Creek in southeast Michigan, where there are several lovely lakes and a mill pond. I like to walk by the pond and think sometimes. One time I ran into James Cooper there, but I don’t want to talk about that now.

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

It makes me laugh. Would you believe it means “shining light?” I’m nothing of the sort. I’m just plain, simple Nora Armstrong. Though my mama did once tell me that she named me that because I had such light blonde hair when I was born, and I still do.

Do you have any dreams for the future?

More than anything I want to be a teacher, but my Aunt Gert and Uncle Edmund wanted me to go to finishing school, hoping I would attract a rich husband. I love teaching Sunday school. The children are so sweet. Mrs. Myles let me help at the orphanage when I needed a place to go. My friend, Sophie McCormick, suggested I teach music instruction there with her. At least then I will be able to be a teacher in a way though I haven’t gone to normal school.

Everybody wonders why you’re avoiding the newspaperman, James Cooper. Do you care to tell us why? 

He isn’t the most trustworthy person. I mean Sophie forgave him for betraying her. She’s so kind. But I’m not ready to do that yet. That’s all I’m saying for now. There’s something about him. I keep thinking about him and well, it’s annoying. 

But I’ve also heard you liked him at one time?

Oh, bother, you shouldn’t listen to idle gossip. At one time I thought we cared about each other, but that’s just water under the bridge now. Besides, Aunt Gert doesn’t want me to have anything to do with James…or his Aunt Phoebe. After all, she used to be a vaudeville entertainer, and Aunt Gert thinks both that and journalism are rather scandalous professions.

Who are the special people in your life?  

I miss my mother and father, and brother and sisters. We were once so close, but then Aunt Gert offered to pay for my education, give me a nice home, and fancy clothing. You see, they don’t have any children of their own, and they need my help. Plus, on the farm I was just an extra mouth to feed.

But Stone Creek has so many dear people in it. Sophie and Reverend McCormick, the reverend’s sister, Maggie, and her blended family. And Mrs. Myles is ever so kind to me. I feel less alone when I’m with those dear people. Don’t tell anyone, but my sister, Lynnie, is at Hope’s Place, the home for unwed mothers right now. At least I get to see her occasionally, but Aunt Gert can’t ever know about it! 

Is there anything else you want to share with us?

I thought I knew all the answers about being a believer in Christ, but I realize I still have so much to learn about trusting God in the difficult situations of life. 

Thank you for visiting with us at Novel PASTimes today, Nora.

Thank you for having me. 

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Kathleen Rouser is a multi-published, award-winning author of historical and contemporary Christian romance. She is a longtime member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a member of Faith, Hope and Love Christian Writers. She resides in southeast Michigan, a location which she often uses in her novels, with her hero and husband of forty-some years and two sweet cats who found a home in their empty nest.  

Find her at her website: http://kathleenrouser.com where you can sign up for her newsletter and receive a free book!

Find Scandals and Mercies. on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Today we’re hosting Elspeth Lawrence, the heroine of A Cherished Betrothal, for a cup of tea. We catch up with her partway through her story as told in Book Three of the Scouts of the Georgia Frontier, the latest series launched by Denise Weimer and Wild Heart Books. 

Right now, we’re sitting down in Ninety-Six, South Carolina. It’s a national park in the countryside in 2024, but in 1775, it was a crossroads of trade and commerce in the Carolina backcountry. Elspeth, do you live in Ninety-Six?

Elspeth: No, I live with my father, who is a minister, on our mission to Cherokee children between here and Fort Charlotte, which sits on the Savannah River and the border between South Carolina and Georgia. I’m in Ninety-Six visiting Roger Bailey and his mother for the celebration of my birthday.

The Baileys must be very good friends of your family, then?

Elspeth: Yes. My father has great respect for Roger Bailey, a planter and justice of the peace. He’s known to be a moderate in these parts. Folks are divided ever since South Carolina established a Council of Safety and started talking about forming their own government against the king. After the fighting at Lexington and Concord, you know. The truth is, at twenty-two, I’m getting older, and Father would like to see me settled with a respectable man.

Your father thinks you should wed this Roger Bailey, this moderate?

Elspeth: Well, if he can convince me to consider it. After my birthday dinner, I’m not so certain where Roger stands. He had a guest that night, this awful man named Thomas Brown, who railed against what the Sons of Liberty had done to him when he refused to sign their Association. Frankly, both sides seemed to bear some fault. Father and I want to stay out of the trouble between the patriots and the loyalists. We are here to be a bridge between the settlers and the Cherokees who live just the other side of the river.

Elspeth, I read your back story (see below), and I must say, I’m perplexed about your work at your father’s mission. Did you not lose your mother and sister in a brutal attack in 1760 by the Cherokees? 

Elspeth: That’s true. Well, my mother died and my sister was taken captive at the Long Canes massacre. I only survived because Alex Morris hid me in the canes by the creek. Alex’s brother and father died in that attack, and Alex was terribly wounded. But together, we survived. It almost killed me, though, when his mother took him to live on the Georgia coast near her family. I’ve always wondered what happened to him, and when he showed up with the South Carolina Rangers when the patriots took over Fort Charlotte, I couldn’t believe my eyes. 

Alex must have been delighted to see you after so long.

Elspeth: Actually…he didn’t even remember me. Or the attack. It’s as though he’s blocked it all out. But I think God has brought him here to face his past and heal from it. I know it’s possible because it took me a long time, but God has helped me to do so. Maybe He will use me to reach Alex. He has to forgive the Cherokees if he’s going to fulfill his duty to the rangers. Both the patriots and the loyalists want the Cherokees on their side. And folks are saying fighting could break out any day. Maybe right here, in Ninety-Six.

Patriots, loyalists, Cherokees…this seems like a volatile situation. Not to mention, it sounds as though you have two men in your life. You say Alex doesn’t remember you, but you light up at the mere mention of his name. How can you consider Roger as a suitor if you have feelings for Alex?

Elspeth: I can’t tell him this. Don’t tell him this. Don’t tell my father either. But I’ve always loved Alex. You can’t survive something together like we did and not have a bond. But right now, he seems to want to avoid me almost as much as he’s drawn to me. I can tell he still feels the need to protect me. To find out what happened to my sister if he can. So yes, I’m stuck in the middle. Of two men. Of two sides on a coming war. And I know I’ll have to make my choices soon. I pray to God I make the right ones. Because not only my own future but the fate of a nation could hang in the balance.

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More about A Cherished Betrothal – Book Three of the Scouts of the Georgia Frontier

1775

Alexander Morris bears the childhood scars of the Long Canes massacre that killed his brother and father. His dark past forces him into the lonely life of Georgia Ranger, and eventually, to join the bordering South Carolina Rangers that revolt against the Crown. When he’s posted to the fort erected to defend the community once decimated by the massacre, duty demands he court the loyalty of his sworn enemies, the fierce Cherokee warriors.

Elspeth Lawrence never forgot the boy who sacrificed himself for her at Long Canes—any more than she forgot the younger sister taken captive. She’s learned to not only forgive but help minister to the Cherokees at her father’s mission. Alex Morris’s arrival at nearby Fort Charlotte stirs Elsie’s memories and her emotions. He doesn’t even remember her…or the long-ago attack. But the bitterness that simmers just beneath his stoic exterior—as well as her courtship by a local landowner—challenge their undeniable bond.

When Alex uncovers a long-held secret and a plot to sabotage patriot talks with the Cherokees, he must choose between his desire for revenge and his love for the girl he saved long ago

Denise Weimer writes historical and contemporary romance from her home in North Georgia and also serves as a freelance editor and the Acquisitions & Editorial Liaison for Wild Heart Books. A wife and mother of two daughters, she always pauses for coffee, chocolate, and old houses.

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Today we’re hosting Jenny White, the heroine of A Courageous Betrothal, for a cup of tea. We catch up with her partway through her story as told in Book Two of the Scouts of the Georgia Frontier, the latest series launched by Denise Weimer and Wild Heart Books. Jenny is such a strong character, inspired by real-life Revolutionary War heroine Nancy Hart, that this short novella is written entirely from her point of view. It was originally released as Across Three Autumns in the Backcountry Brides collection.

Miss White, are you all right? I thought for a moment there you were going to drop your teacup.

Jenny: Sorry about that. We don’t have such fine dishes on the frontier. And my hands are especially rough this time of year after the harvest. My father is with Elijah Clarke’s militia, you know. Even my younger brother ran off to join them. That means most of the work falls to me. Ma’s not been strong since the birth of my youngest sister, Liberty, and my other sister, Hester…well, she’s best suited to needlework and such. I’m used to it. God made me big and strong so I could handle a plow.

I also heard you know how to handle a rifle. 

Jenny: Yes, I’m a crack shot.

Does that have something to do with the nickname the Indians gave you? What was it?

Jenny: They call me Wahatchee. That means War Woman, on account of how I stood up to them one day Hester and I were cooling down in the creek. Now I have something of a reputation in the area. Folks come to our place to fort up when they hear the Indians allied to the British are stirred up.

That’s good, but it seems a lot to ask, for one woman to protect them.

Jenny: I’m not always alone. Militia often comes and goes from here and Woburn, Clark’s settlement. We’re determined not to give Middle Georgia to the British, even though the fighting’s so fierce folks are calling these parts “the Hornet’s Nest.” But our Patriot militia will prevail. They fight like the Indians. And a lot of them are Scottish, like my father’s friend, Caylan McIntosh, who I nursed back to health after the Battle of Kettle Creek.

Your father’s friend? Is he a veteran of many fights, then?

Jenny: Oh, he’s much younger than father, but they did fight together in Florida. And he comes from warrior stock the governor brought in to protect Savannah from the Spanish and Indians.

You seem quite impressed with Caylan McIntosh. Maybe he’s also a particular friend of yours?

Jenny: I don’t know what you’re implying. Caylan and I respect each other, is all. I don’t fall for his Scottish charm. My sister is the type of woman men look for…small and delicate and ladylike.

It seems to me that on the frontier, especially in the middle of a war, a man like Caylan would value a strong and skilled woman at his side. And you already saved his life, from the sounds of it.

Jenny: He was grateful for my herb lore. I also have some pretty strong acting skills. Not only did I capture a spying Loyalist once…I outwitted a passel of British soldiers when they were looking for my father and brother and Caylan. They were even going to make me cook them my last turkey! Can you imagine? I played a right smart trick on them, if I do say so myself. 

I look forward to reading about that in your memoirs, Miss White. But it seems to me, you evaded the question just now.

Jenny: Well, maybe I did. I guess you’ll just have to read my story to find out if that knavish Scottish scout ever weasels past my defenses. I can tell you this—I’ll not make it easy for him!

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More about A Courageous Betrothal – Book Two of the Scouts of the Georgia Frontier – Novella

1779

Red-haired, freckle-faced, and almost six feet tall, Jenny White has resigned herself to fame over love. Possessing the courage and wits to guard her younger siblings against nature, natives, and loyalists in Georgia’s “Hornet’s Nest” gives life meaning until she meets Caylan McIntosh, scout to Colonel Elijah Clark. 

From the time Jenny nurses the young lieutenant back to health after the Battle of Kettle Creek, she can’t deny her attraction to her father’s comrade. It doesn’t help that the vexing Highlander seems determined to dismantle her emotional armor. But when Georgia falls to the British and Caylan returns to guide Jenny’s family on a harrowing exodus into the North Carolina mountains, will his secrets and the ravages of smallpox prove stronger than his devotion? Or will a love as tough as their backwoods home lead them to A Courageous Betrothal?

Author Bio:

Denise Weimer writes historical and contemporary romance from her home in North Georgia and also serves as a freelance editor and the Acquisitions & Editorial Liaison for Wild Heart Books. A wife and mother of two daughters, she always pauses for coffee, chocolate, and old houses.

Connect with Denise here:

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Welcome Gertrude Miller. Tell us a little about yourself.

Hello! Thanks for allowing me to stop by today. I can’t stay long before I need to get back to my dress shop. I almost ready to open it, and I’m hoping it will become a vital part of my hometown, Burrton Springs, Kansas. It’s not normal for me to step out on my own, so I’m praying this venture will be successful. The last thing I want to do is move back in with my parents.

What made you decide to open a dress shop?

I’ve had a love of sewing ever since I learned the skill when I was five years old. For a while I made dresses and sold them in the local general store. Those went over well so I decided to go a step further and open my own shop. I also sent off for a mail-order groom. He should be arriving on the stagecoach soon.

Why did you decide to send off for a husband?

There, uh, aren’t many available men in Burrton Springs, and those that are, my mother has scared off by always trying to get anyone under the age of fifty interested in me. She’s been known to chase men down and spout all my worthy traits. It’s downright embarrassing. I thought I’d do better if I tried to find one, instead of having a man thrust on me.

I hope that works out for you. What do you think you’ll learn in the course of your story?

The author said something about finding peace in the middle of storms and how we can trust God to see us through. I hope that doesn’t mean she plans to create a lot of difficulty for me!

Chuckle. I guess people will have to pick up a copy of Wooing Gertrude to find out the rest of your story. Any final things you’d like readers to know about you?

I like to think of myself as a loyal friend. I tried to help Jules in Taming Julia and the heroine in Protecting Annie. Annie and I became very close during her tale. I’m so glad the author finally gave me a story of my own though. I sure hope it has a happy ending! By the way, here’s what the author wrote for the back cover of my story.

Enoch Valentine has given up finding peace for his past mistakes. He throws everything he has into being the new part-time deputy in Burrton Springs, Kansas while maintaining the foreman position at a local horse ranch. But when trouble stirs on the ranch, he questions whether he’s the right man for either job.

Peace has been elusive for most of Gertrude Miller’s life, especially under the oppressiveness of an overbearing mother. She takes matters into her own hands and sends for a potential husband, while also opening her own dress shop. Gertrude hopes to build a future where she’ll find peace and happiness.

Will either of them ever be able to find peace?

Thanks again for having me today. Sorry I can’t stay any longer. I think I hear the stagecoach.

You’re welcome, Gertrude. Good luck with finding the husband of your choosing! If the mail order husband doesn’t work out I hear the new deputy, Enoch Valentine, is kind of cute.

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Can you share some information about the author?

Jodie Wolfe creates novels where hope and quirky meet. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), and Faith, Hope, & Love Christian Writers (FHLCW). She’s been a semi-finalist and finalist in various writing contests. A former columnist for Home School Enrichment magazine, her articles can be found online at: Crosswalk, Christian Devotions, and Heirloom Audio. When not writing she enjoys spending time with her husband in Pennsylvania, reading, walking, and being a Grammie. Learn more at www.jodiewolfe.com.

Where can readers find your story?

On Amazon

Ebook: Pelican Book Group  

Print: Pelican Book Group

Today we’re hosting Esther Andrews, the heroine of A Counterfeit Betrothal, for a cup of tea. We catch up with her partway through her story as told in Book One of the Scouts of the Georgia Frontier, the latest series launched by Denise Weimer and Wild Heart Books.

Esther, tell us where you live and about your family.

Esther: I grew up mostly in a community called Hog Mountain, which was settled around Fort Daniel in middle Georgia. It’s the westernmost outpost this side of Creek and Cherokee Territory. During the War of 1812, that means a lot of danger. 

There’s not much in Hog Mountain, just some houses, a hotel, and a couple of trading posts—one of which my father ran before the consumption took him. I had to pick a husband when that happened. Liam was charming enough when he came to court, but turned out, he was a drunk with a mean streak a mile wide. If only Jared Lockridge had arrived just a bit sooner…

Oh, dear. This story is supposed to be a romance. Are you telling me you missed the chance for love?

Esther: I don’t think love is something I should be seeking. What I do know is, Liam got an arrow through the middle and his attacker was trying to take me off into the forest when Jared Lockridge showed up. He was scouting the area for Creek war parties and saw the flames from our cabin. When he found out I had no other family and no money, he took me back to the home he shared with his brother, Noble, and Noble’s wife, Tabitha. They’re good folks. Fine folks. A sight finer than I was accustomed to. 

So they took you in. But I’m curious as to why you said you shouldn’t seek love.

Esther: Well, I’m not exactly the type of bride most men look for. My father and Liam said I was more burden than blessing. You can’t see it because I’m sitting down, but my one leg is shorter than the other. The foot is twisted. But I don’t let that stop me. I know what it takes to live on the frontier. And I’m very skilled with herbs. Those were things Tabitha didn’t know. And she was having a difficult pregnancy. Jared’s commander told us attacks were happening all along the frontier. Women were being taken. Given all that, the Lockridges asked me to stay the winter. And a hard one, it was.

What happened over that winter?

Esther: Well, I can’t tell you everything, can I? Else it would give away the story. But I’ll say this much—my life changed. And I’m not talking about panther attacks or troubles between the settlers and Indians or even the man we realized was still watching me. The Lockridges taught me that God loves me. They taught me how to read his Word, which says I’m valuable just as I am. Well, really, Jared was the one who taught me how to read…

Oh? Do I detect a blush, Mrs. Andrews? Tell me more about this Jared Lockridge.

Esther: I surely have no cause to blush, although he did seem appreciative when I could sew up the wound he got while scouting. I think he took time with me because he felt sorry for me at first, especially when he learned how cruel Liam had been. Jared was the opposite—just as gentle with me as with the wood he carves into furniture when he’s not off soldiering or working on building his own cabin. But that cabin is not for me. You see, he has an understanding with a beautiful girl from back East. Although what’s strange is, he hasn’t heard from her in some time. 

Maybe she’s changed her mind about him. And maybe he’s spending time with you because he’s developed feelings for you.

Esther: There is a certain way he looks at me sometimes… But I cannot dare to hope he’d chose me over a fine lady.

That’s what romance is all about, Mrs. Andrews. One can’t predict where one’s heart will lead. Anyone who is curious to know what happens will just have to read your story.

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About A Counterfeit Betrothal – Book One of the Scouts of the Georgia Frontier

1813

At the farthest Georgia outpost this side of hostile Creek Territory, Jared Lockridge serves his country as a scout to redeem his father’s botched heritage. If he can help secure the peace against Indians allied to the British, he can bring his betrothed to the home he’s building and open his cabinetry shop. Then he comes across a burning cabin and a traumatized woman just widowed by a fatal shot.

Freed from a cruel marriage, Esther Andrews agrees to winter at the Lockridge homestead to help Jared’s pregnant sister-in-law. Lame in one foot, Esther has always known she is secondhand goods, but the gentle carpenter-turned-scout draws her heart with as much skill as he creates furniture from wood. His family’s love offers hope even as violence erupts along the frontier—and Jared’s investigation into local incidents brings danger to their doorstep. Yet how could Esther ever hope a loyal man like Jared would choose her over a fine lady?

Bio:

Denise Weimer writes historical and contemporary romance from her home in North Georgia and also serves as a freelance editor and the Acquisitions & Editorial Liaison for Wild Heart Books. A wife and mother of two daughters, she always pauses for coffee, chocolate, and old houses.

Connect with Denise here:

Monthly Newsletter Sign-up

Website

Facebook

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Book Bub

Welcome to Novel PASTimes, Lady Abigail. We’re pleased you stopped by today.

I’m delighted to be here. Lovely to meet you. Please call me Abby, all my friends do.

So, Abby, you’re married? For how long?

Nick and I have been married for over ten years, but he’d enlisted in the Napoleonic Wars shortly after the war began. We’d only been married a day before he was called to the front lines.

That’s a short time to be together. How did you stay in touch through letters?

I wrote Nick every day for years but never received a reply. You see, he’d been recruited by a special regiment within the Foreign Office to spy for the crown and was stationed deep undercover in France. He couldn’t risk his letters being confiscated and compromising the mission. He tried to sneak a couple through with his handler, but they never reached me. 

Goodness. Did you think he’d died?

My heart refused to believe. Not even when the crown declared him missing and a casualty of war. I didn’t want to accept that all my prayers had gone unheard. Despite the bodiless funeral and the condolences and sympathy of my friends and family, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Nick was out there somewhere—still alive.

What got you through those hard years?

My mother-in-law, Mama Em. I couldn’t have made it without her strong faith and words of wisdom. She’s the one who told me to take my questions and fears to God. He could handle them. Some days, though, I could barely breathe. My longing for Nick and grief suffocated me. On those occasions, Mama Em would remind me that we’d get through if we just kept breathing. She was right. I learned most from this trial that God listens to our prayers. Even if we don’t hear Him, He’s working. His timing and ways are better than ours, and He works all things together for our good. 

I’m sure her passing was difficult.

Most definitely. She was my last link to Nick. Tossing the handful of dirt on her grave felt so final. It hit me that she wasn’t coming back, and I started to believe neither was Nick. It had been ten years since he’d left, and I was under a lot of pressure from my family to remarry. I didn’t want to burden them, but I loved Nick and couldn’t imagine a life with anyone else taking his place. 

Thank heaven that didn’t happen. 

(Laughs) Indeed. What a disaster that would have been.

How did you and Mr. Emerson meet?

My twin brother and Nick became fast friends as children, and I was the tag-along younger sister. They stormed my tea parties and raided my doll house. Nick used to knot my braids and dangle worms in front of my face, but I retaliated by tying his boot laces together and tossing them high up in the tree branches, so he’d have to walk home barefooted. 

When did the two of you fall in love?

I secretly admired Nick as a young girl, but I never thought he reciprocated those sentiments until he returned from university. I initially didn’t take his pursuit seriously, thinking he was funning me or goading my brother, Stephen, but Nick wouldn’t relent. He coerced my brother into getting him nightly dinner invitations and wooed me until I was bereft without him. Ours was a love based on friendship that grew into something intimate and unique that, with God, nothing—not a war, espionage, nor the detrimental physical and mental scars they caused—could separate. 

What a sweet love story, Abby. I hope you and Nick are reunited soon. Thank you for being our guest on Novel PASTimes today.

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Author Bio:

Lorri Dudley has been a finalist in numerous writing contests and has a master’s degree in psychology. She lives in Ashland, Massachusetts with her husband and three teenage sons, where writing romance allows her an escape from her testosterone filled household. 

Find her online at her website and watch the book’s trailer here on YouTube.

To purchase Reclaiming the Spy:

Find it HERE on Amazon.

Welcome Addison Bell—I mean, Addi. Why don’t you tell us a little about yourself.

I taught at the Watertown Center one-room schoolhouse for five years, and I’m ready for a change. I love the little ones, but the older children are too much of a challenge. Now, after my papa passed and forced me to board with grouchy old Mrs. Baumgardner, I need an escape. Hearing about the position at Thousand Island House is just the ticket out.

Tell me something about you that readers may find surprising?

I love the Thousand Islands, just seventeen miles from my hometown. The 1,864 islands are shared almost equally between New York state and Ontario, Canada. It’s where Lake Ontario narrows and becomes the St. Lawrence River. Here the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River intersect to become the world’s largest inland navigation system. Huge freighters pass by tiny islands along the main channel and share the waterway with all kinds of boats including kayaks and canoes.

Tell us more about the Thousand Island House where you work. 

Thousand Island House is one of the grand Thousand Islands hotels accommodating up to 600 patrons who flock to the Thousand Islands from East Coast cities and beyond during the summer. The hotel has one of the finest views of the St. Lawrence River, the most refreshing breezes around, and the most modern amenities too. The hotel’s recreation pavilion on tiny Staples Island is a great place to work. 

Who is this Liam Donovan I keep hearing about? 

He’s the Staple’s Island recreation pavilion manager, and he’s a great boss. He’s a little overconcerned with the natural noise children make, and he has some kind of hurt in his life that I’d like to get to the bottom of, but he’s helpful, kind, and a charming Irish gentleman.

And the Lighthouse Inspector, USN Lt. Maxwell Worthington? What about him?

Yes, he’s a lighthouse inspector from Buffalo, and I think he’s tired of leaving his little boy, Jimmy, with a nanny while he travels the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario inspecting lighthouses. So, I get to take care of Jimmy this summer. He’s a delightful little boy. 

If you could leave readers with one message, what would it be? 

Trust in God and His plans for you. Hope for a better future. Hope for love. Hope for healing. I want to give readers hope that God can heal a broken heart and help you forgive those who hurt you. He did that for me.

Thank you, Addi. I couldn’t agree more that you have a worthy message.

Here are a few fun, quick questions:  

What is your favorite hobby? Reading, of course.

Please describe yourself with three words. Joyful, friendly, and creative. 

What’s your most precious possession? My deceased mother’s silver locket.

Are you a glass-half-full or glass-half-empty kind of person?

That’s easy. I always look on the bright side of things, except when I get in trouble.

What is your biggest pet peeve?

People misunderstand me. Though I try, folks often challenge and judge me wrongly.

What is your greatest achievement?

Teaching children. I love their zest for life.

What is your biggest secret?

I dream about Liam. Shhh….don’t tell him, please.

What is your heart’s deepest desire? 

That’s easy. To love and be loved. After losing both of my parents and being an only child, aloneness is a terrible place to be.

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

I’ve learned to trust in God and His plans for me. God can heal a broken heart and has helped me forgive those who hurt me. 

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About A Summer at Thousand Island House

By Susan G Mathis

She came to work with the children, not fall in love.

Part-nanny, part entertainer, Addison Bell has always had an enduring love for children. So what better way to spend her creative energy than to spend the summer nannying at the renowned Thousand Island House on Staple’s Island? As Addi thrives in her work, she attracts the attention of the recreation pavilion’s manager, Liam Donovan, as well as the handsome Navy Officer Lt. Worthington, a lighthouse inspector, hotel patron, and single father of mischievous little Jimmy.

But when Jimmy goes missing, Addi finds both her job and her reputation in danger. How can she calm the churning waters of Liam, Lt. Worthington, and the President, clear her name, and avoid becoming the scorn of the Thousand Islands community?

ABOUT SUSAN:

Susan G Mathis is an international award-winning, multi-published author of stories set in the beautiful Thousand Islands, her childhood stomping ground in upstate NY. Susan has been published more than twenty-five times in full-length novels, novellas, and non-fiction books. She has ten in her fiction line including, The Fabric of Hope, Christmas Charity, Katelyn’s Choice, Devyn’s Dilemma, Peyton’s Promise, Sara’s Surprise, Reagan’s Reward, Colleen’s Confession, Rachel’s Reunion, Mary’s Moment and A Summer at Thousand Island House. Her book awards include two Illumination Book Awards, three American Fiction Awards, two Indie Excellence Book Awards, and four Literary Titan Book Awards. Reagan’s Reward is a Selah Awards finalist. Susan is also a published author of two premarital books, two children’s picture books, stories in a dozen compilations, and hundreds of published articles. Susan makes her home in Colorado Springs and enjoys traveling around the world but returns each summer to enjoy the Thousand Islands. Visit www.SusanGMathis.com/fiction for more. 

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So nice to meet you, Rachel. Please tell us something about yourself.

I’m Rachel Kelly. I serve the most elite patrons at the famed New Frontenac Hotel on Round Island during the summer of 1904. I’ve wondered about my old beau, Mitch, for nearly two years, ever since he toyed with my affections while on Calumet Island, then left for the high seas and taken my heart with him. Now he’s back, opening the wound I thought was healed.

When Mitch O’Keefe returns to claim me as his bride, he finds it more difficult than he thought. Returning to work at the very place he hated, he becomes captain of a New Frontenac Hotel touring yacht, just to be near me. But his attempts to win me back are thwarted, especially when a wealthy patron seeks my attention. Who will I choose? 

You now work at a famous hotel on an island? Tell us more. 

The New Frontenac Hotel graces Round Island on the St. Lawrence River. It was one of the grandest hotel resorts in the area. New York City tycoon Charles G. Emery built it, and now I get to stay and work in the hotel’s Annex, where the most elite guests enjoy elegant suites. It’s simply magical.

How did you get such a prized position?

I worked in Mr. Emery’s Calumet Castle for two years, and I was thrilled when Mrs. Emery suggested I take this new position. 

When you started working at the New Frontenac Hotel, you reconnected with your old flame, Mitch. How’d did that go?

I couldn’t believe my eyes when Mitch appeared on the dock. Two years earlier, he had hurt me terribly, so we had lots of ups and downs before I finally chose to forgive him and embrace his friendship—and finally his love. 

You also got involved with a famous photographer. What was that like?

Goodness! Having my picture taken by a famous photographer was simply thrilling, and he even gave me a photograph for my mother. On the other hand, it wasn’t all it cracked up to be, for the man turned into a rogue. 

Tell us a little about the Thousand Islands where you live.

I grew up in Clayton, NY, in the heart of the Thousand Islands. The 1,864 islands are shared almost equally between New York state and Ontario, Canada. It’s where Lake Ontario narrows and becomes the St. Lawrence River, and the islands are known as The Thousand Islands. Here the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River intersect to become the world’s largest inland navigation system. Huge freighters pass by tiny islands along the main channel and share the waterway with all kinds of boats including kayaks and canoes!

After George M. Pullman invited President Ulysses S. Grant to visit his small island during the 1872 reelection campaign, the Thousand Islands became a national event. The press touted the Thousand Islands as THE place to summer for the rich and famous and common man alike. In so doing—and thanks to excited journalists—he launched The Thousand Islands season of the rich and famous buying islands and lots along the mainland and building castles, mansions, and magnificent summer homes. The New Frontenac Hotel on Round Island, where I work, is one of them. 

Thank you for taking time to visit with us, Rachel.

About Susan:

Susan G Mathis is an international award-winning, multi-published author of stories set in the beautiful Thousand Islands, her childhood stomping ground in upstate NY. Susan has been published more than twenty-five times in full-length novels, novellas, and non-fiction books. She has nine in her fiction line including, The Fabric of Hope: An Irish Family Legacy, Christmas Charity, Katelyn’s Choice, Devyn’s Dilemma, Sara’s Surprise, Reagan’s Reward, Colleen’s Confession, and Peyton’s Promise. Rachel’s Reunion releases October 20, 2022. She just finished writing book ten, Mary’s Moment. Her book awards include two Illumination Book Awards, three American Fiction Awards, two Indie Excellence Book Awards, and two Literary Titan Book Awards. Reagan’s Reward is a Selah Awards finalist. 

Susan is also a published author of two premarital books, two children’s picture books, stories in a dozen compilations, and hundreds of published articles. Susan makes her home in Colorado Springs and enjoys traveling around the world but returns each summer to enjoy the Thousand Islands. 

Visit www.SusanGMathis.com/fiction for more. 

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