Have you wanted a
chance to read my book The Gold Digger
and haven’t yet? Today could be your lucky day. This is my “Heroine in peril,
mail-order-bride, gone awry” story. Here’s
a peek into the book:
Early spring, 1890
Golden, New Mexico
"Are you plumb crazy?" Jeremiah Dennison's loud
retort bounced around the main room of the adobe house and returned to mock
him. "Where did you get such a harebrained idea?"
Trying to control his anger, he shoved his clenched fists
into his denim trousers' pockets, paced to the window, and stared out, paying
scant attention to the piñon trees bending in the wind. He loved Philip Smith
like a father, but the man could vex the weather. And this latest idea was the
most farfetched yet.
Philip gave a snort. "Harebrained?" He put his
rocking chair into motion that sent out a rhythmic squeaking. "Why'd ya
say that? It's worked fer other men."
Jeremiah tried to calm down. He wanted to measure his words,
season them with wisdom that would awaken his elderly friend to all the
pitfalls he would face. "What would you do with a mail-order bride?"
The old miner stilled the chair and
stared at Jeremiah, obsidian eyes piercing under his bushy white brows.
"Somethin"—he smothered a hacking cough with his fist, then swiped a
clean handkerchief across his face—"has a deadly grip on me."
"I know you're sick. I take
care of you, don't I?" Jeremiah resented the fact that what he'd done
wasn't enough. Otherwise, Philip wouldn't even consider such a preposterous
proposition.
His old friend reached up to
scratch the scraggly beard he'd worn all the years he was a miner, but it no
longer covered his clean-shaven chin. Old habits died hard. "Jerry, I
don't wanna be a burden on ya."
"You'd rather be a burden to a
woman you don't even know?" Jeremiah regretted his cynical tone the moment
the words flew from his lips. He softened his tone. "I've never considered
you a burden any more than you thought I was a burden when I came to the gold
fields as a greenhorn."
Philip clutched the arms of the
rocking chair and slowly rose. He took a moment to steady himself before he
ambled toward Jeremiah. "I ain't come to this decision easy." He
squinted up into Jeremiah's face. "I done studied on it fer a while."
Jeremiah straightened the fingers he'd
gripped into fists and relaxed his stiff spine. "What do you mean,
'studied'?"
"Well, I figure a woman who'd
answer them ads in the newspaper must be purty needy, maybe even desperate to
get out of a particular bad situation." He gave a vigorous nod that
riffled his snowy hair. "Made me a fortune when I sold my mine. More money
than any man can spend in his lifetime. What good is a fortune to an old-timer
like me? Won't never have a family of my own. Maybe I'll git me a woman with
children. She can take care a me, and my money can take care a her."
Another nod punctuated his last statement. "And her young'uns, if she has
any."
How could Jeremiah deny his
mentor's request? Philip never asked for much. If he didn't do this, the
stubborn old man would look for help from someone else. A lesser friend might
have a wagging tongue and spread the story all around Golden. Philip didn't
need people gossiping about him sending for a bride. And other miners might try
to nab her for themselves when she arrived. If Jeremiah had his way, it would
be fine with him if they did, but his friend would be too disappointed. He
didn't want to break Philip's heart, just talk him out of making this mistake.
"Jerry, ya ain't mad 'cause
I'm plannin' to give my money to someone else, are ya?"
The words stabbed Jeremiah's heart.
How could Philip believe that about him? "I don't need your money. I have
more than enough of my own, thanks to selling my own mine and starting the
ranch like you told me to."
The hoary head nodded. "That's
what I figured."
"Where you going to send the
ad?" Jeremiah couldn't believe he was considering being a part of this
crazy scheme. But what else could he do?
Philip limped toward the sturdy
pine dining table where a stack of newspapers was piled haphazardly beside
blank paper, an inkwell, and a pen. "I read all these, and I think I'll
send it to the Boston Globe." He picked up the top newspaper and shoved
the rumpled pages toward Jeremiah.
Taking the newsprint, Jeremiah
glanced at the headlines on the front page. An unusually hard winter had left
many people out in the cold. "Why Boston ?"
"Don't want jist anybody.
Wanna help a lady in distress." Philip folded his scrawny arms across his
bony chest. "Figure most a the women in Boston are ladies. My aunt Charlotte come
from Boston ,
and she was a lady." He stopped and cleared his throat, then wheezed out a
slow breath. "You do the writin', 'cause mine looks like hen
scratchin'."
Judging from the stubborn tilt to
the older man's chin, Jeremiah knew Philip's mind was made up. He dropped the
newspaper back on the stack and pulled out the chair beside the stationery.
"What do you want to say?"
He picked up the pen with the
golden nib—another of the things the old miner had bought after he'd sold the
mine. It had never been dipped into the inkwell until now.
Philip leaned both hands on the
table, puffed out his chest, and wrinkled his forehead in concentration.
"How about, Wanted, a . . . No. Makes it sound like she's an
outlaw, or somethin'. Do it this way. A Christian man in Golden, New Mexico , is seekin'
. . ." He waited for Jeremiah to finish writing the phrase.
"Sound all right so far?"
Wanting to laugh, Jeremiah kept his
eyes trained on the words before him. Philip was so serious. "What are you
seeking?"
The old miner scratched his head.
"I want a lady. Done already told ya that."
"Maybe we could say, a
Christian lady. That should cover it."
Jeremiah dipped the pen in the
inkwell. When he held it poised over the paper, waiting for Philip to agree
with his suggestion, a small drop fell and quickly spread into an unsightly
blob. "I've messed up this sheet. Do you have a pencil? I could use it
while we figure out the wording. Then I'll copy it in ink."
Philip made his way to the
sideboard against the back wall of the large open room and pulled out a drawer.
He shuffled through the contents before holding up the stub of a pencil.
"Here's the onliest one I got."
"It'll do." Jeremiah
reached for the pencil and continued, "A Christian man in Golden, New Mexico , seeks a
Christian lady . . . where do we go now?"
Once again, Philip was deep in
thought. ". . . who needs a chance at a new life."
Jeremiah nodded and added the
words. "I like it. Do you want to say anything else, or should I just put
your name and address?"
"That's enough, but put
General Delivery as my address." A smile crept across the older man's
face, bringing a twinkle to his rheumy eyes.
He returned to his rocking chair
while Jeremiah copied the words with ink, folded the message, inserted the
paper in an envelope, and wrote the address for the Boston Globe on the front.
If you want to know what happens, please leave a comment. I’m going to
do something different this time. For every 10 reader comments, I’ll give 1
free print and 1 free audio book copy to 2 of the commenters. Tell your friends
and post it on your social media. The more comments, the more free books.
This is a good opportunity of the readers from other countries to win
an audio book. I’ll send a code for a free book, and you can just download the
book from Audiobooks.com.
I’ll be stopping by and interacting with y’all. You
must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where
you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America . (Comments containing links may be subject
to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the
number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of
eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any
pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on
this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You
will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz,
Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave
your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:
16 comments:
Sounds like a good story. If i am blessed to win, i would like a print book. Thanks for the giveaway. Vivian Furbay of CO
This sounds like a really good story! Thanks for sharing with us.
Robin from Raleigh, NC
Thank you for sharing! Was this the book that was previously published as a Love Finds You? :)
Raechel from MN
Sounds like one I need to read. Thank you for the opportunity, Lena. Melanie Backus, TX
I have not been fortunate enough to read "THE GOLD DIGGER" - yet, but I would love the chance to.
Loved the excerpt and would love to read more about Jeremiah, Philip and the mail order bride. Sounds like a very interesting story that would have me turning the pages to see how the story turns out.
Thank you for the wonderful chance for so many people to win a copy or audio of your book! If fortunate enough to be selected. I would love a print copy. Sharing every where. :)
Kay Garrett from Mountain View, AR
2clowns at arkansas dot net
Sounds like a sweet read and opportunity to learn a bit about the mail order bride part of history. The beginning of the book sounds like to interesting men interacting.
Vera in North Carolina
I read the book when it was previously published as Love Finds You in Golden, NM. It has believable characters and a great plot--a very rewarding read.
I grew up in New Mexico, but never noticed Golden until after I read the book.
Connie in Texas
Looks great!
Abigail in VA
Hi, Y'all, this summer has been crazy for me. Things are always happening unexpectedly. Sorry it has taken me so long to come by. Good to see each of you here.
Yes, this book's first edition was LOVE FINDS YOU IN GOLDEN, NEW MEXICO. I got the rights back from the publisher, but they owned the title. Actually, I like THE GOLD DIGGER better. A lot of people don't realize that the first gold strike west of the Mississippi was in Golden, New Mexico. It's a ghost town now, but it's becoming a place where some people who work in Albuquerque have built homes.
I did a lot of research for this book.
I love mail order brides stories! I think this is one that I would really enjoy. Thank you for the excerpt.
perrianne(DOT)askew(AT)me(DOT)com
Perrianne
Ann I forgot to tell you that I’m in sweltering hot Texas!
perrianne(DOT)askew(AT)me(DOT)com
Perrianne
I love listening to audio books when I take my walks. In fact, I was so engrossed in my last one that I added an extra mile! I would love to win an audio copy of your book, Lena!
Pam in OH
The excerpt of Gold Digger sounds wonderful. Thank you for the opportunity to win.I am looking forward to reading more of your books.
Really would love to win thanks.
Lourdes in Long Island
"Heroine in peril, mail-order-bride, gone awry”. What more could we ask for in a story? Thanks for your giveaway.
Connie from KY
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com
Enter me in your awesome giveaway for the print copy!!
Conway SC.
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