Canterbury House Publishing, Ltd.

Broomstraw Ridge: A Novel

Broomstraw Ridge: A Novel
by Betsy Reeder

November 1, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-945401-14-5, Print $15.95
ISBN: 978-1-945401-15-2, E-Book $9.99

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Description:
In the 1870s, when Joseph Cook’s closest friend is murdered by a man who escapes justice, Joseph quits his thirty-year railroad career and returns to the New River landscape of his youth, hoping to buy a farm, reunite with what’s left of his family on Broomstraw Ridge, and find peace. An expert at bridge construction, Joseph finds the bridges he most wants to build surpass his skill. His goals are further thwarted by unexpected obstacles and dangers. In addition, a reunion with a childhood friend opens doors to shock, hurt, and possibility.

Peace, home, and family have more to do with facing adversity and accepting what Joseph can’t attain than staying true to the path he planned. Joseph Cook also learns that justice and love denied can become justice and love won. But delayed—letting go of their pursuit may not equate with giving up.

Advance Praise for Broomstraw Ridge:
“In a sprawling post-Civil War sequel to Madam’s Creek, Broomstraw Ridge will transport you to the mountains of southern West Virginia where you will stand shoulder to shoulder with the Lilly family as they marry, raise children, and bury kin—along with their long-held secrets. Reeder shows her talent for weaving . . . the perfect details to ground a story firmly in place and time.” --Donna Meredith, Associate editor of Southern Literary Review and author of The Glass Madonna

“The mountains of southern West Virginia, by their rugged nature, are resistant to change. They breed a certain rough-hewn individualism amongst the people who still cling to the beautiful mountain farms. . . . Betsy Reeder takes us back in time, as we live with, laugh and cry with, people who feel like they must have been the ancestors of those who still know the ways of the hills.” --Jon Averill, writer/producer of Averell’s Raiders & the 35th Star and Passing Thru Sandstone

 

Unearthing Christmas: The Miriam Chronicles

Unearthing Christmas: The Miriam Chronicles
by Anthea Piscarik

ISBN: 978-1-945401-03-9, Print
ISBN: 978-1-945401-04-6, E-Book

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Description:

In 1955, fourteen-year-old Lori creates a Christmas room in her father’s bomb shelter. Sixty years later, fourteen-year-old Peggy and her friends discover the abandoned shelter, fully preserved. Peggy returns alone. As Peggy reaches for a prized object, Lori appears and the past and present collide into a fate-filled adventure.

 

Advance Reviews:

“A heartfelt story with writing reminiscent of J.K. Rowling.”
- Kathryn Canavan, Author of Lincoln's Final Hours

“Young adult fiction? I'm not young, but I was glued. Great story that I didn't want to put down -- I had to find out the answer to the mystery! The characters are well drawn and the dialog is entertaining -- especially the LOL banter among siblings. This book will make you laugh and make you ponder the depths of the human heart. Highly recommended.” - Rose Folsom, Author at Virtue Connection

“This book was very inspirational and brought back memories of my childhood in the 50’s. It was excellent and I look forward to this author’s next book.”
- Goodreads posting

 

 

Olustee: America's Unfinished Civil War Battle

Olustee: America's Unfinished Civil War Battle
By Greg Ahlgren

Trade Paperback, Retail: $15.95
ISBN: 978-1-945401-05-3

E-Book, Retail: $7.99
ISBN: 978-1-945401-06-0

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Description:

When Tampa area journalist Jason Bauman is tasked to write an article about a Florida legislative hearing about the placement of Civil War memorials, as well as the battle whose proposed monument triggered the bill, he figures it’ll be his last easy fluff piece before he heads North to his new job as a political reporter. His one regret is leaving behind the woman he loves, who because of her family obligations can’t move with him. But what he discovers in the small North Florida town of Olustee will force him to re-examine not only his perception of America’s bloodiest conflict and its enduring cultural rift, but also his own life choices.

 

Praise for Olustee—

"An original novel with undertones of history and intrigue.  . . . Tense as a tightrope, Olustee captivates the readers’ attention and does not let go until the last page. Highly recommended. —James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief, Midwest Book Review

Praise for the Greg Ahlgren’s Fort Fisher:
War is typically viewed through a panoramic lens—maps of disputed territories, troop formations pitted against battle lines, the bloody engagements on which history turns. In Fort Fisher: The Battle for the Gibraltar of the South, Ahlgren relives this decisive naval battle of the U.S. Civil War through beleaguered civilians and soldiers on both sides of the conflict, people for whom the danger was daily and personal, their decisions casting shadows long into their future.
In the tradition of Stephen Crane and Gore Vidal, Ahlgren brings the reader in lockstep with the residents and vagrants of Wilmington, NC as the Union Navy chokes the only remaining port left to supply the tattered Confederacy. Everyone knows how this disaster ends. In Fort Fisher, Ahlgren shows us how it might have been lived.
– Helen Hanson, Bestselling author of the 3 LIES and The Masters CIA Thriller Series

 

Wrongful Conviction

Wrongful Conviction: A Mystery Novel

by Janet Heijens

October 2017

ISBN: 978-1-945401-02-2 (Print, Trade Paperback, Retail: $15.95

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Description:

Leland Booker is serving a life sentence for killing his wife and their two daughters. All hope for justice is lost until forty years later when Adam Bennett, a young law student, takes on the case. Adam determines that his only chance for success rests on his ability to prove Leland was wrongfully convicted.
His research leads him to Jean Jankowski, a close friend of the Booker family.

When Jean hears the case is reopened, the past rushes back. As she spins her story of the events leading up to the murders, Adam begins to suspect the police withheld critical evidence, a basis for wrongful conviction. Adam and Jean travel to Florida to secure the proof they need, but when they arrive they discover their witness has been murdered.

The two cases intertwine when fingerprints found at the murder scene implicate Henry Rusak, the Bookers’ handyman. Jean refuses to believe Rusak is a killer, even after the police turn up evidence that confirms his guilt. When Jean visits Leland to give him the news, she is shocked to learn all was not as it appeared in the Booker household. She sets out to expose the real killer, a cold-blooded murderer who will stop at nothing to protect a dark secret.

With a myriad of twists and turns, Wrongful Conviction explores the world of a justice system gone wrong. This legal thriller will keep the reader guessing until the last page is turned.

Praise for Wrongful Conviction:

“Heijens premieres a rare heroine who’s both gritty and reflective. Here’s hoping for a series.” –Kirkus Reviews

“Wrongful Conviction is an expertly crafted page-turner that is guaranteed to thrill readers, not only with a satisfying conclusion to the mystery, but also with a heart-warming dose of justice. Put this on your must-read list!” –Shannon Esposito, author of the Pet Psychic Mystery series

“Gripped by a murder that happened forty years in her past, Jean Jankowski can’t move forward in life until she finds the killer of a beautiful young woman and her two children. In the process, she must also free another innocent victim of the crime. Wrongful Conviction is an intricate puzzle. Putting the pieces into place is as fascinating for the reader as it is crucial for Jean Jankowski, Heijens spellbound but determined protagonist.” –Louise Titchener, author of over forty novels of romantic suspense, and mystery, including Malpractice from her Baltimore Historical Mystery Series.

“Heijens has written a character-driven legal thriller where the past and present collide to reveal dark secrets and expose the truth. The transitions between the 30-year-old past and the present day are deftly handled to keep the reader engaged and guessing to the end.” –Cheryl Hollon, author of the Webb Glass Shop Mysteries

 

Madam's Creek

Madam's Creek by Betsy Reeder

October 15, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-945401-00-8, Trade Paperback, $14.95
ISBN: 978-1-945401-01-5  E-book, $7.99 

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Book Description:
Shaped by their mountain landscape, as well as each other, imaginative Maylene Farley and Marcus Lilly grow up as close as twin fawns in the mid-nineteenth century. Soon after the threat of a competitor for Maylene’s affection is resolved, their friendship turns to romance. However, Marcus is conscripted by the Confederacy and drawn into the Civil War. On the home front, turmoil reigns as West Virginia succeeds in breaking away from Virginia, turning Confederate turf into a new Union state.

Surviving two close calls and a serious illness, Marcus returns at last to Madam’s Creek to find Maylene gaunt almost beyond recognition, a community marred by murder and mistrust, and his family altered by tragedy. But a more devastating shock, completely unexpected, awaits him at the Farley home. Healed from physical damage, Marcus struggles to mend emotionally as the sweet reunion he anticipated is instead a painful wedge growing between him and the refuge—Maylene—he held onto throughout the war. The couple soon learns that the biggest threat to their relationship is not the separation and anxiety imposed by the national conflict; it is something much harder to face head-on… until a remark from a “well-meaning” gossip tears open their shrouded wounds. It is then that a crucial secret is unveiled, and it comes from a source neither Maylene nor Marcus ever considered.

Advance Praise:
“In the tradition of New York Times bestseller Cold Mountain, Reeder delivers a richly satisfying tale set in the hills of what would soon become West Virginia. Madam’s Creek explores the power of love and the sting of betrayal in a land shattered by war. The magnificent landscape of the New River serves as a backdrop for the tender love story of Marcus and Maylene, fully human characters sure to win your hearts.” – Donna Meredith, author of The Glass Madonna and The Color of Lies

“Betsy Reeder’s Madam’s Creek is real and organic, as if she lived through that period of time. The characters feel authentic. The natural world is as it must have been. As one who has also chased authenticity attempting to infuse life into local history, I am in awe.” –Jon Averill, writer/producer of Averell’s Raiders and the 35th Star and Passing Thru Sandstone.

 

Witch: The Restoration Trilogy, Book Three

Witch: The Restoration Trilogy, Book Three
by Denise Weimer

April 2017

ISBN: 978-0-9970119-7-5  $14.95, (Print, Trade Paperback, 224 pages)
ISBN: 978-0-9970119-8-2  $7.99, (Ebook)

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Description
Having restored Michael Johnson’s ancestors’ house and apothecary shop and begun applying the lessons of family and forgiveness unearthed from the past, Jennifer Rushmore expects to complete her first preservation job with the simple relocation of a log home. But as her crew reconstructs the 1787 cabin, home to the first Dunham doctor, attacks on those involved throw suspicion on neighbors and friends alike. And while Jennifer has trusted God and Michael with the pain of her past, it appears Michael’s been keeping his own secrets. Will she use a dream job offer from Savannah as an escape, or will a haunting tale from a Colonial diary convince her to rely on the faithfulness of his love?

Praise for Witch TBA

Snook Wallow: A Wrongful Conviction Mystery

Snook Wallow: A Wrongful Conviction Mystery
by Janet Heijens

April 2017

ISBN: 978-0-9970119-5-1   (Print, Trade Paperback, 256 pages, $15.95)
ISBN: 978-0-9970119-6-8   (Ebook, $9.99)

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Description:

The first in a new series, Snook Wallow: A Wrongful Conviction Mystery weaves together the stories of two illegal immigrants and the men convicted of killing them.

After ten years on death row for murdering a Jane Doe, Logan Murphy is nearing the end of the line. Logan’s last hope rests with Cate Stokes, a retired lawyer who reluctantly agrees to take his case. Cate’s relentless pursuit of the truth leads her to the discovery of a human trafficking ring in South Florida and the chilling realization that Jane Doe was not their only victim.

 

Praise for Snook Wallow:

 

“With plenty of twists, turns, and surprises—and a sly smile—Snook Wallow introduces a savvy new detective, and a great cast of characters.  Put this on your beach reading list.” –  Michael Sears, author of the award-winning Jason Stafford series

 

“Janet Heijens’ gripping novel introduces a relentless—take-no-prisoners—new protagonist onto the crime scene on Florida’s west coast. Cate Stokes tackles the terrifying elements of illegal immigration as she fights to save a convict on death row. Snook Wallow is the first of a series that promises more ‘wrongful conviction’ cases and I can’t wait for the next one.” – Patricia Gussin, New York Times Best-selling Author of After the Fall.

 

“Snook Wallow is a fast-paced thriller with fun, complex characters and a plot that will keep you guessing. I couldn't put it down.” - Lisa Black, NYT Bestselling author of That Darkness

 

“Janet Heijens has created a page turner filled with interesting characters, a sense of what it's like to live along the Gulf Coast of Florida, and plot twists to keep the reader guessing. Don't miss this one. Snook Wallow is a keeper.” – Maris Soule, Author of the P.J. Benson Mystery series.

 

“There are some bad actors in South Florida and Janet Heijens captures them very well. Drug dealers, human traffickers and murderers populate her book Snook Wallow and lawyer Cate Stokes has to deal with them all in order to save someone from a certain death. An insightful look into the dark side of the Sunshine State, Heijens knows the territory!” – Don Bruns, USA Today Best-selling Author of three highly praised series.

 

Widow: The Restoration Triology, Book Two

Widow: The Restoration Trilogy, Book Two
by Denise Weimer

September 2016

ISBN: 978-0-9970119-3-7  $14.95, (Print, Trade Paperback, 224 pages)
ISBN: 978-0-9970119-4-4  $ 7.99, (E-book)

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Description:

Jennifer Rushmore has overseen the restoration of brooding bachelor Michael’s ancestors’ doctor’s house long enough to work through their initial differences. They’ve begun applying the lessons of family and community learned from the past. Now the apothecary shop discloses a heart-breaking tale circa 1870 Georgia, shaking loose Jennifer’s own carefully suppressed past. She fears that when Michael sees beyond her façade, her tentative steps toward trust and love may disintegrate into rubble. On her journey to forgiveness, Jennifer draws on her new faith and friendships, even as the mysterious accidents clouding her first preservation job escalate into imminent danger.

Advance Praise:

“Denise Weimer has written a beautiful novel with rich characters that come alive. She brings to life a story that has a lovely blend of both historic and present events that tie it all together. Friendship, faith, and mystery entangle readers in this fantastic book. Readers are not going to want to miss this next novel in the Restoration Trilogy!” — Sydney Anderson, MLS, Singing Librarian Books

 

“Widow is a firmly-packed, beautifully descriptive tale that flows through a century in the most addictive way, especially for the renovating romantic hooked on supernatural mystery.” — JD DeWitt, Ink Slinger Entertainment

 

“Widow is an amazing read. ... As Jennifer restores the properties within the novel, so God is restoring lives. ... Wonderful characters ... fully rounded and realistically drawn. ... I absolutely adored the first two books in the Restoration trilogy and am eagerly awaiting the third. Denise Weimer is a superb author who certainly knows how to draw her reader into her novels. Give yourself a treat and buy both White and Widow today.” — Julia Wilson, Christian Bookaholic

White: The Restoration Trilogy, Book One

White: The Restoration Trilogy, Book One
by Denise Weimer 

March 2016

ISBN: 978-0-9908416-8-5, $14.95 (Print)
ISBN: 978-0-9908416-9-2, $7.99 (E-book)

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Description:

As historic preservationist Jennifer and brooding bachelor Michael restore his ancestors’ historic doctor’s residence in a rural Georgia community, they uncover the 1920s-era prejudice and secrets that caused Michael’s branch to fall off the family tree. Reserved recent graduate Jennifer’s determined to fulfill her first professional position with integrity even if her employer lacks a proper appreciation of history. Far more challenging – and sinister – than the social landscape of Hermon are the strange accidents hinting that someone doesn’t want them on the Dunham property. Yet Michael’s and Jennifer’s owns pasts pose the biggest obstacles to laying a fresh foundation of family and community.

Praise for White: 

"Denise Weimer writes in a style that fills your mind with images, plays your emotions like a musical instrument, and takes you on a vivid journey! White is an enthralling story that won’t let you go till the end … and then you may run out and check your ancestry." Heather Blanton – author, A Lady in Defiance – “spell-binding …”

 

“Some family secrets may be buried for a time—but the truth will eventually be unearthed. When restoration expert Jennifer Rushmore begins work on an old Southern plantation, she is in for more revelation than she bargained for as her own past becomes exposed.

 

“White by Denise Weimer is the first book in The Restoration Trilogy. It is an absorbing tale of renewal in the midst of decay, for both the plantation owners and the hearts of those who love the historic site.

 

“An engaging read with characters that come alive and stories from the painful past that will grip you. Beautifully written and well researched. Cannot wait for Book Two!” — Elaine Marie Cooper, author of the Deer Run Saga (trilogy) and Fields of the Fatherless

 

“Engaging Southern fiction” – Southern Gal Loves to Read blog

“The past and present portions of the book wove seamlessly together in a way that enhanced the story. Recommend … to those who are interested in both contemporary and historical fiction.” – Britt Reads Fiction Blog

 

No Choice But Freedom: A Novel of Treachery and Triumph in Colonial America

 

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No Choice But Freedom: A Novel of Treachery and Triumph in Colonial America
By Pat Mattaini Mestern
ISBN: 978-0-9970119-0-6
Retail: $9.99

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Description:

Based on the true stories of English woman Elizabeth Bagley Morrison, who made a mark in Colonial America with her far-reaching ideals, and William Servos Hult, an African slave who won his freedom and rose to prominence in the spice trade before immigrating to Canada. Mestern has woven truth through her fiction's fabric, creating a tale of people and principles at the founding of our nation.

England, Scotland and British Colonial America, in particular Virginia and the Carolinas are the settings for a regency novel that is full of murderous intent, deception, revenge, questionable loyalties and intrigue.

Joanna Turnbull’s marriage to Talbot Showcroft is foundering in the wake of his emigration to the colonies, leaving her and their baby son in the care of her dictatorial father who encumbered her marriage with an unusual nuptial agreement. Her best friend Katie has been disowned by her father for taking up with a fugitive Scot fleeing the aftermath of the battle of Culloden. Joanna resolves the issues by moving to the Colonies, taking Katie and her husband with her. The book’s title is appropriate. As the plot wraps around the issues of loyalty to family and personal principles, each of the characters faces his or her own choices of depravity or virtue, slavery or freedom.

Praise for No Choice But Freedom: 

"Pat Mestern's meteoric imagination has never been more impressive than in this empowering, almost epic, Colonial American period piece about a woman whose destiny was bartered most unexpectedly and whose fierce resistance against injustice to not only herself but those in her sphere of influence is so thoroughly convincing one can easily imagine it to be an historical account rather than the clever weave of fiction that, in reality, it is." -- J. Marshal Craig, actor, playwright

"No Choice But Freedom is a wonderful historical piece dealing with the issues of slavery and a women's right to voice her opinion on the subject during a time when it was not appropriate to do so. A well-to-do English woman makes a journey by ship to colonial America to be with her husband, who is unfaithful and has his own reasons for the marriage. She soon finds that life in the colonies is not what she is used to in England, but prevails when faced with the unexpected challenges. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Historical Fiction, Women's Literature, or Slavery in early America." -- Jessica Lynn Chubet

Bright as Gold: Book Four of the Georgia Gold Series

Winner of the Military Stars and Bars, John Esten Cooke Award for Fiction 2015

Trade Paperback, Retail: $15.95
ISBN: 978-0-9881897-9-9

Ebook, Retail: $9.99
ISBN: 978-0-9908416-1-6

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Description:
In the fourth and final installment of The Georgia Gold Series, the Randalls and Rousseaus rebuild their lives following The War Between the States.

Becoming the bride of former blockade runner Jack Randall is doubly challenging for a half-Cherokee girl from the mountains, but Mahala Franklin is determined to not only make a place in old Savannah ... but bring redemption to the Randall name as well as the city's shattered society. Her unique plan enlists the help of Jack's half-sister Sylvie and cousin Ella Beth, both of whom learn that, like Mahala and Jack, love can be found in the most unlikely places.

Meanwhile, battle hardened Dylan Rousseau returns to the family farm in Habersham County, where his inner wounds threaten to crack him open as surely as the drought-baked earth he must learn to subdue. And somehow he must find a way past his brother's memory into the heart of Mahala's best friend Carolyn, the woman he has always loved. Weaving between them comes the secret promise - or the deadly lure? - of lost Confederate gold. Will it divide them forever and devour a family legacy, or will they emerge from the furnace of afflictions as Bright as Gold?

 

The Crimson Bloom: Book Three of the Georgia Gold Series

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ISBN 13: 978-0-9881897-4-4
Publication date: May 1, 2014
Format: Trade paperback, Ret: $15.95

ISBN 13: 978-0-9881897-7-5 
Publication date: 2/9/16
Format: Ebook, Ret: $9.99

Description:

With her husband Devereaux Rousseau now a captain commanding Savannah's elite Oglethorpe Light Infantry on the Civil War battlefields of Virginia, Carolyn Calhoun Rousseau must prove her own backbone as she operates the family's last functioning farm in the hills of Habersham County. She draws on the support of her best friend, Mahala Franklin, half-Cherokee granddaughter of a local inn owner. Mahala battles her own frustrations with Jack Randall, rival hotel owner and coastal shipping magnate. Jack's continued reluctance to commit threatens to drive Mahala into the arms of her Cherokee childhood sweet-heart, Clay Fraser.

Then, tragedy brings Mahala and Carolyn to Savannah just as Sherman advances on the city and forces everyone to confront their true feelings. Will Jack abandon his ship and its profits to the Yankees in Wilmington Harbor in order to guide them on a perilous wagon journey across Georgia, or will he abandon the woman he claims to love, but whom he now knows also has feelings for another? And even if Mahala reaches safety, could her discovery about her father's long-ago murder and missing gold prove far more dangerous than the war?

Praise for the Series:

“Sautee Shadows is a rich work of history and heart, showcasing the author’s love of a time and place often overlooked in history. Step into the pages of this story and you won’t want to step out, nor will you have to as this is a four book series. A wonderful offering from a new novelist!” -–Laura Frantz, author of The Frontiersman's Daughter, Courting Morrow Little, The Colonel's Lady, and Love's Reck-oning

“A riveting interpersonal drama and romance set in 1830s Georgia. Enticing reading all the way through, Sautee Shadows is a strong addition to historical fiction collections, recommended.” --James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief, Midwest Reviews

“An exciting historical novel.” --Paul Yarbrough for Southern Literary Review, author of Mississippi Cotton

The Gray Divide: Book Two of the Georgia Gold Series

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Author: Denise Weimer
ISBN: 978-0-9881897-2-0 
Publication Date: September 2013

 

Book Description:
In The Gray Divide: Book Two of the Georgia Gold Series, sibling rivalry, romance and an unsolved murder threaten relationships. Hidden loyalties are exposed and the lives of four families and a nation endangered as Georgia seeks to become its own republic, only to be plunged into civil war.

Conflicting attractions continue between half-Cherokee hotel owner Mahala Franklin and arrogant ship builder and rival Jack Randall. Awkward coastal socialite Carolyn Calhoun must choose between two very different men, rice planter Devereaux Rousseau and his minister brother Dylan. Can she even be sure of the love of the one she chooses, or will she merely be a prize?

Praise for the Georgia Gold Series:
“Sautee Shadows is a rich work of history and heart, showcasing the author’s love of a time and place often overlooked in history. Step into the pages of this story and you won’t want to step out, nor will you have to as this is a four book series. A wonderful offering from a new novelist!” –Laura Frantz, author of The Frontiersman's Daughter, Courting Morrow Little, The Colonel's Lady, and Love's Reckoning

“A riveting interpersonal drama and romance set in 1830s Georgia. Enticing reading all the way through, Sautee Shadows is a strong addition to historical fiction collections, recommended.” –James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief, Midwest Reviews

“An exciting historical novel, its roots in the forced emigration of southeastern tribes and the story expanding into mystery as the Union divides.” –Paul Yarbrough for Southern Literary Review, author of Mississippi Cotton

Sautee Shadows: Book One of the Georgia Gold Series

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Author: Denise Weimer
ISBN: 978-0-9829054-8-7
Publication Date: April 2013

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Book Description:
Sautee Shadows: Book one of the Georgia Gold Series is the sweeping saga of four families whose lives intertwine through romance, adventure and murder--linking antebellum Georgia’s coast and mountains during the economic expansion of the 1830s.

Richard Randall’s family moves from New York to Savannah, Georgia to establish a shipping company. Richard’s son Jack finds the southern city alien, his struggle to fit in only intensifying with the death of his mother. Eventually the Randalls follow the example of many other coastal elite--like the rice-planter Rousseaus, customers of Richard’s--by summering in Habersham County’s foothills. Attracted by the possibility of future railroad tourism, Jack decides to purchase a hotel in Clarkesville, where he meets an unexpected competitor--young, lovely and spirited Mahala Franklin.

Orphaned daughter of a man murdered for his gold and a Cherokee mother, Mahala was raised by a farm family in the Sautee Valley and torn from them by her maternal grandmother as a young teen. Mahala’s life has been focused on the clues left in her father’s strongbox and wondering if her father’s murderer is still living in the same town.

Separated by age and class boundaries, Mahala and Jack refuse to acknowledge their similarities and attraction.

As the country hurtles toward division and civil war seems imminent, Habersham’s “summer people” must choose sides and alliances that could sustain or destroy them in the coming decade.

What Reviewers Are Saying About Sautee Shadows:
“An exciting historical novel, its roots in the forced emigration of southeastern tribes and the story expanding into mystery as the Union divides.” –Paul Yarbrough for Southern Literary Review, author of Mississippi Cotton

“Chocked full of history, with dialogue true to the time, characters that intrigue and beguile, and what promises to be an adventurous and exciting journey, this is certain to be an interesting, entertaining series.” – Christy Tillery French, Midwest Book Reviews, author of The Whistling Woman, The Body Guard series, and other Southern novels.

“Sautee Shadows is a rich work of history and heart, showcasing the author's love of a time and place often overlooked in history. Step into the pages of this story and you won't want to step out, nor will you have to as this is a four book series. A wonderful offering from a new novelist!” – Laura Frantz, author of The Frontiersman's Daughter, Courting Morrow Little, The Colonel's Lady, and Love's Reckoning

“A novel as intriguing in its history as it is beautiful in its descriptions. Sautee Shadows will bring to life an era of travesty and dreams and leave the reader wanting more.” –Roseanna White, author of Ring of Secrets and Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland

“Reminds me of the works of one of my favorite southern authors, Eugenia Price.” – Brenda Knight Graham, author of Her Name Was Rebekah and On Wings of Songs

Hellebore: A Novel of Reconstruction

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Author: William F. Kaiser
ISBN: 978-0-9829054-6-3
Publication date: April 1, 2012
Trade Paperback, 5.5" X 8.5", 256pp
Price: 19.95

Hellebore: A Novel of Reconstruction, the sequel to Kaiser’s popular Bloodroot: A Novel of the Civil War, is the story of the feud'n, fight'n and fuss'n that tore up the people of Appalachia after the American Civil War. Beset by bushwhackers, carpetbaggers and scalawags, the Truehill family - Billy Jack, and Elvira May - are tempted, tormented and torn by the historic events of the post-war occupation of the Southern States by Union Army troops. Mountain men who served in either the Confederate army or the Union army and survived the war return home to continue the war - the beginning of famed family feuds that still echo today in the remote corners of the mountains. The events in this novel, including the incursion of the Ku Klux Klan into western North Carolina are real, as are some of the historic characters. Other characters, protagonists and antagonists, including Billy Jack and Elvira May are based upon real people of the times.

Blurbs for  Bloodroot:
“I loved your story and it’s concept. I was delighted to find that it involved actual mountain characters.” -- Peggy Poe Stern, author of the award-winning novel, Heaven High and Hell Deep

“You’ve got a rip roaring good tale that held my interest. …I could hear your characters, and their voices ring true to the story and time.” -- BJ Foster, author of the award-winning novel Bayou Shadows

“I liked Billy Jack and Elvira May a lot. It was interesting to see how there backgrounds meld.” -- Jane Wilson, author of the award-winning Meema’s Memory Quilt

Murder at the Jumpoff

Buy Now: Murder at the Jumpoff

Author: Jenny Bennett
ISBN: 978-0-9829054-4-9
Publication Date: March 1, 2012
Trade Paperback, 5"x8"
Price: $14.95

Ebook ISBN: 978-0-9908416-5-4
Ebook Price: $7.99

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Description
When, Donald MacIntyre, an avid off-trail hiker, fails to return from a quest to bushwhack through difficult terrain up to the top of the Jumpoff, a dramatic cliff in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the good-natured back country ranger Hector Jones, leads a search and rescue team into the remotest depths of the Greenbrier section of the park and discovers the body. From the nature of MacIntyre’s injuries, it’s clear that he had fallen—or been pushed—from the top.

The job of investigating the suspicious death goes to Sally Connolly, a 31-year-old detective with the Sevier County, Tennessee, sheriff’s office. Due to Hector's expert knowledge of the terrain, Sally enlists his help in the investigation. Together they follow leads involving a feud between rival professors, the illegal digging of ladyslippers, and a seemingly long-dead romance that might still have a few signs of life.

Murder at the Jumpoff  is a novel with a powerful sense of place and the story of unusual characters who challenge themselves to seek excitement, beauty and fulfillment from undiscovered, treacherous mountain landscapes and from those they dare to love.

What The Reviewers Are Saying:

“Jenny Bennett weaves a galvanizing mystery into an environment that is tough and dangerous. Hikers will enjoy reading her vivid descriptions of different trails and locales and mystery readers will certainly enjoy a challenging and suspenseful plot. Sally Connolly is the ultimate investigator, tough, down-to-earth and likeable. Bennett skillfully introduces characters whose lives intersect, at times superficially,  yet eventually are revealed to be linked to the murder by one person.”
—Christy Tillery French, Midwest Book Reviews

“This Smokies set mystery sends you walking up mountain trails, clambering through rhododendron tunnels, and shinnying around rocky ledges seeking a missing hiker and his mysterious killer. ... If you love authentic settings, quirky characters, and a mystery to hike you up and down the trails of the Smokies, this book is for you!”
—Lin Stepp, author of The Afternoon Hiker and the popular Smoky Mountain Series, including the newest release Delia’s Place

“Bennett ... transports you deep into the wilderness of the Great Smoky Mountains alongside those intrepid souls who seek out its secrets. This book vividly portrays the compelling adventures that await those who journey off the beaten path—and leaves you wondering what mysteries await beyond the well-traveled trail.”
—Peter J. Barr, author of Hiking North Carolina’s Lookout Towers and Hiking the Southeast’s Highest Peaks

Mama's Wreaths

 
Buy Now: Mama's Wreaths
by Julia Taylor Ebel with M. Joann Moretz
Coming September 2011
ISBN:978-0-9829054-3-2
Trade Paperback, $10.95

The kitchen at Joanie’s mountain home is filled with fresh fir and hemlock branches, evergreens that Mama will use as she makes wreaths to sell before Christmas. Joanie is eager to learn to make wreaths like Mama’s. As Mama patiently guides her, Joanie learns not only about wreath making, but also about trust and joy—lessons entwined with fragrant evergreen. Joanie’s story unfolds through a garland of gentle free verse poems that readers of all ages will savor.

Mama’s Wreaths speaks to the heart of persons whose lives are neither glamorous nor ordinary, and it affirms the importance of their uniquely rich experience. As are Julia Taylor Ebel’s other books, Mama’s Wreaths is inspired by the experiences of real people—in this case, the wreath-making experiences of young writer M. Joann Moretz and her family. Mama’s Wreaths invites us all to look with gentle hearts toward those unseen faces and unheard stories of so many who touch our lives with joy.

In Mama’s Wreaths, Julia Taylor Ebel’s dedication to keeping cultural stories shines through as it does in her six previous books. Through slices of life, she reminds us of the importance of passing on the knowledge, traditions, and stories we value.

Enhanced by Joann’s keen eye for detail and Julia’s delicate pencil sketches, Mama’s Wreaths is a heartwarming story to be read and shared at Christmas and throughout the year.

Advance Praise for Mama's Wreaths:

“Beautifully crafted as one of ‘Mama’s wreaths, this charming collection of narrative poems, strung together like cranberries on a Christmas tree, will draw you in from the very first line.  Against the stunning backdrop of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, we meet a rugged family with a long tradition of wreath-making, a skill handed down from mother to daughter through many generations.  But making wreaths isn’t the only lesson learned in this enchanting series of poems as young ‘Joanie’ begins her journey toward womanhood by following in her mother’s footsteps.  Inspiring, warm and authentic, the story of Mama’s Wreaths will quickly enfold you in its pine-scented arms—become a family tradition as beloved as placing a wreath on your own front door.”  —Terri Kirby Erickson, author of In the Palms of Angels

“Mama’s Wreaths tells the story of a young girl who learns a traditional and important skill known to women of the southern mountains.  It is not an easy skill and she is proud to learn it from her mother and to cherish it later in life.  The story is old and true—and fresh and new.  Every page that Julia Taylor Ebel and Joann Moretz set down here smells like Christmas.”  —Fred Chappell, author of Shadow Box

“Julia Ebel’s sensitive poem story opens a window into an earlier time in the North Carolina mountains, when nature provided the makings for holiday traditions and for an added source of income. Young Joanie strives to take her place among generations of mountain wreath makers, who preserved those traditions through creativity and hard work.  The simplicity of Joanie’s voice rings true, and her fears, longings and insights resonate beyond life in the mountains.  Mama’s Wreaths is a Christmas story and more.  One is reminded of Ebel’s earlier work, Dresses, Dreams and Beadwood Leaves.  She paints her resilient young protagonists, their families and the magnificent mountain landscape with a delicate brush, revealing beauty of place and character honed by the demands of mountain living.”  —Patricia Koehler, co-author of Oakdale Cotton Mill

Autumn Bends the Rebel Tree

Buy now: Autumn Bends the Rebel Tree
Author: Carolyn Guy
ISBN: 978-0-9825396-9-9
Publication Date: May 2011

Autumn Bends the Rebel Tree is a family saga set in the 1930’s and 40’s in the mountains of northwest North Carolina that will appeal to fans of Olive Ann Burns and Lee Smith — anyone who enjoys strong female characters, Southern literature, and a great sense of place.

After her husband dies at age forty-two, Clarinda’s strong character and deep love for her children manifest as she fights for her family's survival. Of the seventeen children she bore, eleven still lived at home ranging in age from eleven months to seventeen years. Clarinda battles the grim reaper when the cabin catches fire at midnight during a blizzard. She hooks rag rugs and trades them for children's secondhand clothes. She works the harvest fields, accepting corn as payment for her labor. She's a washer-woman for the well-off.

After five years of widowhood Clarinda marries a prosperous older man with a large farm. Instead of a good home for her and her children, the marriage drives her family apart. During this time, she loses a son in the war. Hard labor, a grouchy husband, and the unhappiness of her children lay heavy on her heart. She turns her face homeward—toward her cabin on Levi's Mountain, and she and her children walk off the farm with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

Clarinda’s sacrifices are praiseworthy and her heart-warming family stories, some funny, some poignant, must be told.

What readers are saying about Autumn Bends the Rebel Tree:

"One of the most authentic portrayals of 1930s and 1940s Appalachian mountain life I've read. Carolyn Guy weaves a tapestry of family stories of courage, love and survival, which ring true. With rich landscape and cultural details, this novel gives the reader a true view of historical Appalachian life in northwestern North Carolina." --Donna Akers (Warmuth), author of regional historical non-fiction and Legends, Stories and Ghostly Tales of Abingdon and Washington County, VA. 

"The driver of a woman to protect her family as its sole provider is something that should never be underestimated. Autumn Bends the Rebel Tree tells the story of Clarinda Darningbush, a woman of the great depression who faces the common fate of Appalachian women, marrying early and having many children. As her husband passes, her challenges grow as Carolyn Guy tells this well researched story of the devoted nature of motherhood. Autumn Bends the Rebel Tree is a thoughtful and very highly recommended read, not to be missed. -- James Cox, Editor-in-Chief, Midwest Book Reviews

"A Boone, North Carolina native, Carolyn Guy has put forth what many readers are calling one of the most accurate depictions of North Carolina mountain life during the 1930s and 1940s that they’ve ever read. Bursting with Appalachian dialect, music, and customs, readers will find Clarinda’s resourcefulness and faith an inspiration as much as they will enjoy the humorous scrapes and stories of her large, warm family." --UNC Chapel Hill Reviews

 

Wadmalaw: A Ghost Story

Buy Now: Wadmalaw: A Ghost Story
Author: Bart Bare
ISBN: 978-0-9829054-0-1
Price: $16.95
Publication Date: March 2011

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Wadmalaw: A Ghost Story is peopled with characters of distinct and compelling southern flavor, and is set among the lovely live oaks, towering pines, and fecund swamp and salt marshes common to coastal southeastern United States.

Liv and Autis Oakley, a professional couple, have purchased their dream home on several wooded acres of Wadmalaw Island—one of the sea islands bordering Charleston, SC.  In short order they find slave graves from the Civil War era on their land.  Soon after they realize there are ghostly spirits in their furnished basement, and then there appears a demon in the form of a large black panther, who rages and ravages. It turns out that all of these sinister elements are inter-twined in Liv’s family history: A history of which she was totally unaware until she and her husband moved to South Carolina from the north.  She discovers that her role in this family history is the catalyst activating the spirit elements on the property, and discovers that finding their dream home was no accident.

Liv and Autis, with the assistance of their large pointer, Bob, new-found friends, “Bambi,”  a vivacious blonde southerner, and Sweetgrass Weaver, a ninety- year-old descendent of slaves, struggle to defeat the forces that has made their lovely home a living prison.

What readers are saying about Wadmalaw:

"In Wadmalaw, the author Bart Bare captures the true eccentric characters of Charleston, South Carolina, from the living, to the marsh land coastal slave ghosts tht go bump in the night. The question of whether the latest couple to occupy this old coastal manner house could last longer than the previous occupants kept me riveted to the very end." --Glenn Woods, author of Essence: This Child Ghost Wants to Tell You Her Story

"It can be rough to enjoy a new home when the supernatural wants to crush you. Wadmalaw follows Liv and Autis Oakley as they cope with the crushing reality that their new Wadmalaw Island home is haunted by malignant spirits. They soon find however, that running is not an option as something else will follow them no matter where they go. Wadmalaw is a fun and riveting work of the paranormal, highly recommended." --James A. Cox, Editor in Chief, Midwest Book Reviews

"This complex tale told by Bart Bare in Wadmalaw weaves together Civil War and slave history with the folklore of the very real Wadmalaw Island, in South Carolina. Bare’s rousing ghost story is a winner on every level and some of the most beguiling characters never become flesh and blood. The apparitions that evolve from faintly heard voices in the basement of the Oakley’s house to a black panther that can kill (but cannot itself be killed) jump off the page to linger in the reader’s memory. ...commands the reader’s attention as it builds to a satisfying climax. Readers in search of a tale to raise the hackles will not be disappointed." --ForeWord Magazine

Heart with Joy

Buy now:  Heart with Joy
Author: Steve Cushman
ISBN: 978-0-9825396-3-7
Publication date: September 2010
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SYNOPSIS: In Heart With Joy, fifteen year old Julian Hale’s life is turned upside down when his mother suddenly moves from North Carolina to Venice, Florida under the pretense of running her parents’ 9-room motel and finishing the novel she has been working on for years. While Julian has always been closer to his mother and wants to go with her, she tells him he has to stay with his father until the end of the school year.

Three weeks after his mother leaves, Julian’s father decides to run a marathon. This surprises Julian because he has never seen his father exercise, but once he agrees to help him train the two develop the sort of close relationship they’ve never had before. Also, with the help of an elderly neighbor, Julian learns that the most important thing in life is to follow your heart. And Julian’s heart leads him to a passion for cooking and a young cashier at the local grocery store. By the end of the novel, Julian is forced to choose between staying with his father and going to live with his mother.

Ultimately, Heart With Joy, is a literary coming of age novel that explores how sometimes the things you need most in life have been there, right beside you, all along.