HOLDING THE FORT - Regina Jennings - One Free Book

Welcome back, Regina. Why did you become an author?

So that I could justify all the time I spent reading, daydreaming, and doing research.

If you weren’t an author, what would be your dream job?

Something to do with numbers and money. I like to balance spreadsheets and manage assets.

If you could have lived at another time in history, what would it be and why?

I’d love to be present at one of the Oklahoma Land Runs. I can’t imagine the excitement and energy before the gun went off. But as soon as the land is settled, then I’d transport to another time and place that’s already civilized so I don’t have to build everything from the dirt up.

I’ve been interested in the Land Runs, too. What place in the United States have you not visited that you would like to?

Charleston, South Carolina.

How about a foreign country you hope to visit?

Ireland.

What lesson has the Lord taught you recently?

That if it’s important enough for me to tell someone else, it’s important enough to tell Him. In fact, I should talk to the Lord about something before I share with friends so that I’ve had time to think about whether it’s something I should share or not.

A very good, and hard, lesson to learn. Tell us about the featured book.

Holding the Fort lands close to home for me, just about twenty miles down the road at Fort Reno, to be exact. It’s about Louisa Bell whose job as a dance hall singer is in jeopardy. On top of that, she finds out that her brother is getting in trouble with his commander in the cavalry. They both might be relying on Bradley’s job security, so she decides to go down there to Indian Territory and straighten him out.

Major Daniel Adams is said commander who has his hands full with his rowdy troopers, not to mention his two adolescent daughters. If he doesn’t find someone respectable to guide his children, his mother-in-law insists she’ll take them.

So when Louisa arrives with some reading materials that a nice lady asked her to deliver, she’s mistaken for the governess who never appeared. Daniel is skeptical. He requested someone older and less…lively….but he’s out of options. His mother-in-law must be satisfied, which leaves him turning a blind eye to his unconventional governess’s methods. Louisa’s never faced so importance a performance. Can she keep her act together long enough to help her brother, or will her mistakes ruin everything? 

Sounds like my kind of story. Please give us the first page of the book.

June 1885

Wichita, Kansas

The fumes of the gaslights at the foot of the stage protected Louisa Bell from the more noxious odors of her audience. On hot nights like tonight, the scent of the unwashed bodies in the Cat-Eye Saloon could be overwhelming. Braving a deep breath, Louisa placed her hand delicately against her beribboned Polonaise and crescendoed her way into the next stanza. She lifted her head and sang to the rafters so she didn’t have to meet the eyes of the overly-interested, overly-intoxicated, overly-male audience. Their approval meant that she had a place to live and food to eat. And while she knew that performing on stage carried certain undesirable associations, it was the only path open to her.

She held the final note while Charlie resolved the chord on the piano. The applause exploded immediately. Whistles and hoots filled the air.

“That was dandy, Lovely Lola.” Slappy flopped his loose hands together in appreciation.

“Lovely Lola, will you marry me?” She didn’t know his name, but the cowboy was there every summer when the cattle made it up the trail.

“You’re an angel,” Rawbone cried.

Louisa might not be the youngest, most coquettish performer, but the purity and emotion of her voice couldn’t be denied. She curtsied elegantly, holding the flounced skirt to the side. Cimarron Ted held up a glass to toast her. She could return his smile without worry as she prepared for her last song of the night. Charlie started the intro on the piano, and Louisa mentally rehearsed her pre-song recital.

I am Lovely Lola Bell, she told herself. They will be enchanted by my performance and will love my show.

She caught movement out of the corner of her eye. It was Tim-Bob, the owner of the Cat-Eye Saloon. With his hand wrapped firmly around Persephone’s white, shapely arm, he was marching through the stage curtains and onto the stage, right in the middle of Louisa’s nightly performance.

“Hey, Charlie,” Tim-Bob called. “Cut off that music. I have an announcement to make.”

The pianist wasted no time in stopping and taking a swig from his bottle. The crowd wasn’t as quick to simmer down.

“Let Lovely Lola sing!” a man hollered.

“It’s Saturday night! Can’t have Saturday night without Lovely Lola.”

Whatever was going on, Louisa wished it didn’t have to happen in front of the rowdy mob. Persephone showed promise as a performer on Tuesday nights—that was Louisa’s night off—but she showed more promise as the next lady love of Tim-Bob’s So, why was she here now?

What a hook! I wish my copy was here now so I could start reading it today. How can readers find you on the Internet?

Yes, please find me on the internet! I love to hear from readers at my website - www.reginajennings.com and on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.

Thank you, Regina, for sharing this new book with us.

Readers, here are links to the book.

Holding the Fort - Christianbook.com
Holding the Fort (The Fort Reno Series) - Amazon paperback
Holding the Fort (The Fort Reno Series Book 1) - Kindle

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