SKIRTING TRADITION - Kay Moser - One Free Book

Welcome back, Kay. Why do you write the kind of books you do? 

I write fiction because readers are less guarded when reading a story, and I want to suggest a better way to live to them. I write about the God-given worth of every human being because I recognize that most people have been deceived into believing they are less than worthy. I write in order to be a channel for God to communicate to people. Sometimes I write historical fiction, sometimes my work is contemporary. Whatever God directs, I write.

Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

Today. Tomorrow the happiest day in my life will be tomorrow. Happiness is a choice.

Very good answer. How has being published changed your life? 

It has restricted my time but given me limitless outlets for creative expression. Writing is solitary work. Writing on a schedule requires discipline, and once you’re published, you’re on a schedule.

What are you reading right now? 

The Children’s Hour by Marcia Willett. Highly recommend!

What is your current work in progress? 

Fashioning the Future is the 3rd book in the “Aspiring Hearts Series.” It is set in 1899, and the three female lead characters are all poised to rise above traditional barriers to women as they enter the new century.

What would be your dream vacation? 

A month to roam around Britain visiting country estates.

How do you choose your settings for each book? 

I write about what I know about so I set my books in Texas, Colorado, and Washington state.

If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why? 

President Jimmy Carter

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading? 

Garden and watercolor painting

What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?  

I hate writing first drafts. If my mind is immersed in a scene, I want to write it beautifully, not hurry through it. I don’t have an answer to this problem other than to apply discipline to myself. I just make myself write the first draft, so I can have the pleasure of rewrites.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Write every day at the same time. Even if you can only write for 30 minutes, write every day. Consider writing a real job!

Tell us about the featured book.

Sarah Novak has an impossible dream. She wants to be a schoolteacher, but everyone in Riverford, Texas, will tell you that in 1895 immigrant farm girls do NOT become teachers. It's an absurd notion, and the sooner it’s squashed, the better! These things can get out of hand, you know.

Riverford has another problem–a troublesome newcomer named Victoria Hodges. She's a Bohemian nonconformist who ran off to Europe 20 years ago to become an artist. How she managed to hook wealthy local businessman, Hayden Hodges, is more than a body can understand. One thing’s for certain. She's a corrupting force who must be removed from decent society!

Fortunately, Edith Bellows knows how to nip these things in the bud. A united stand of all the decent ladies, a cold-shouldered shut out of such radicalism–that's the ticket.

But Mrs. Bellows barely gets her campaign underway when mutiny in the ranks occurs. Why on earth would genteel Christine Boyd, daughter of famed Confederate Gen. Gibbes of Charleston South Carolina, befriend those two reprobates? Bless her heart! Doesn't she understand that the very life blood of Southern womanhood–propriety–is at stake?

There will be no skirting of convention on Mrs. Bellows’ watch!

Or will there?

An immigrant farm girl who loves books…an outcast artist returned to the scene of her youthful agony. Two social misfits dare to form a most unusual friendship and find healing for both, as well as restoration for a whole town that’s forgotten how to love.

Sounds like a wonderful book. Please give us the first page.

Fall 1895

“It don’t make no sense to educate a girl, Sally.” Pa slammed his empty coffee cup on the farmhouse kitchen table. “No sense at all.”

“But, Pa, if the boys get to go to school—”

“Boys need some book learning. They might make something of themselves. You ain’t gonna do nothing but get married and have babies.”

“I’m going to do a lot more! I’m not like Mama and the other girls. I want—”

“Blaznivy! Crazy talk. Marriage and children—that’s why women were made, and you gotta accept that. You’re gonna be seventeen soon, and you’ll be ready to marry. And ain’t no man gonna want a girl that’s smarter than he is.”

“But I don’t want to marry, Pa! I want to be Miss Sarah Novak, schoolteacher.”

“It’s settled, girl! You’re gonna be just plain Sally. We gotta keep up the mortgage payments on this farm, and we need cash money to do that. So starting today, you’re gonna work for Mrs. Bellows until you marry one of the Sykora boys. Now get breakfast on the table. It’s almost dawn, and I gotta go rouse the boys.”

Sarah shoved the biscuits into the oven, but the minute Pa disappeared, she raced to the front door and flung it open. Desperate for fresh air, she ran to the edge of the porch and searched the heavens for the comfort of an encouraging star. Nothing but dank air greeted her. The humidity of East Texas had settled on the farm, thickening the air and hiding the heavens.

She heard a rustle behind her, followed by her mother’s voice. “Go get yourself dressed, honey. Won’t do to be late your first morning.”

“But Pa means for me to do all I usually do here before I leave, and you have the new baby to—”

Her mother’s firm hug silenced her. “No. This is your time, Sally, your chance. I know your pa won’t let you go to school, but you’re gonna be in town, and that’s something. The Lord can do a lot with just a little if you work with Him. You go out there into the world and do your best to make your dreams come true! Do it for me, honey. My life stops on this farm, but yours doesn’t have to. You understand?”

“Yes, yes, Mama, I understand.” Tears welled up in Sarah’s eyes. “And I’ll never forget that you ... that you …”

“My daughter”—Mama slammed her fist down on the porch railing—“my daughter is gonna have more!”

How can readers find you on the Internet? 

Join me on my FB personal Timeline and enjoy the photos I post daily of my garden, teatime, and all things beautiful. My website is www.kaymoser.com. I also post on Instagram and Goodreads. My Twitter handle is @KayMoserBooks

Thank you, Kay, for sharing this book with my blog readers and me. I’m eager to read it.

Readers, here are links to the book.

Skirting Tradition - Paperback
Skirting Tradition - Kindle

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