MURMUR IN THE MUD CAVES - KATHLEEN DENLY - One Free Book

Welcome back to my blog, Kathleen. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about? My main focus is on helping readers view themselves as God views them instead of how the world views them.

What other books of yours are coming out soon? Book 4 of my Chaparral Hearts series, Murmur in the Mud Caves, released on May 16, 2023. Book 5, Shoot at the Sunset, will release in 2024.

If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why? I would love to pick the brain of any historian who has studied nineteenth century Southern California. As much time as I spend researching, there is always more to learn.

That’s so true. What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why? I think I would like to meet Clara Barton. From what I have learned of her life, she seems like a very interesting person who would have a lot of experiences to speak about.

How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers? Seriously consider the reasons given for the rejections, if offered. Keeping studying your craft. Ask published authors in your genre if they're willing to look over your work and offer feedback. And always pray—for comfort and guidance.

Tell us about Murmur in the Mud Caves.

He came to cook for ranch hands, not three single women.

Gideon Swift, a visually impaired Civil War Veteran, responds to an ad for a ranch cook in the Southern California desert mountains. He wants nothing more than to forget his past and stay in the kitchen where he can do no harm. But when he arrives to find his employer murdered, the ranch turned to ashes, and three young women struggling to survive in the unforgiving Borrego Desert, he must decide whether his presence protects them or places them in greater danger.

Bridget “Biddie” Davidson finally receives word from her older sister who disappeared with their brother and pa eighteen years prior, but the news is not good. Determined to help her family, Biddie sets out for a remote desert ranch with her adopted father and best friend. Nothing she finds there is as she expected, including the man who came to cook for the shambles of a ranch.

When tragedy strikes, the danger threatens not only her plans to help her sister, but her own dreams for the future—with the man who’s stolen her heart.

Please give us the first page of the book.

June 6, 1873

San Francisco, California

Bridget “Biddie”Davidson’s future might hinge on this next bite. The tick-tock of the mantel clock in Mr. Green’s office seemed loud in the near silence of his elegant home. She held her breath as he took his first taste of her mille-feuille. The ingredients for the complicated pastry had cost her two weeks of pin money, and preparing it had taken the majority of her day after a week filled with the frenetic baking of each of her best dishes. Yet it would all be worth it if Mr. Green agreed to invest in her bakery. Well, not her bakery, exactly. Not at first.

If, after sampling the half-dozen baked dishes Biddie had prepared for him, Mr. Green believed her talent worthy of investment, he would purchase and remodel the newly vacant building on the corner of Eastwood and Bradbury. He’d even provide funds to purchase the supplies she would need to get started. She would then run the bakery in exchange for twenty percent of its profits until she’d saved enough to purchase the business from him.

Mr. Green took another bite, his expression inscrutable.

Biddie swallowed down the urge to jump with excitement. This is it, Mama. I can feel it. Mama would be so proud of her. So would Mother and Father.

From the first, her adoptive parents had encouraged Biddie to follow in Mama’s footsteps as a baker. They’d even offered to purchase the building she needed to start her bakery, but Biddie had declined their generous offer.

Any money spent on her would take away from the good works they did through the Davidson Home for Women and Children, which desperately needed expansion to accommodate more of the city’s vulnerable citizens. After nearly a year of fundraising and saving, her parents almost had enough to move forward with the project. In three months, they were due to receive the remainder of the needed funds, thanks to an investment they’d made in Mr. Green’s latest venture. Purchasing the building for Biddie’s bakery would have meant delaying The Home’s expansion. She was determined to find a better way.

Her parents had sacrificed enough for her. This bakery was her only hope of beginning to repay them.

Mr. Green set his fork on the plate and reached for his tea. Sipping, he eyed her over the rim of his cup.

She returned his calm, dark gaze. What was he thinking? Golden afternoon sunlight added an almost angelic glow to the thick brown curls crowning his head. The clock on the mantel of his study ticked loudly in the silence. She held her spine straight, chin level, ignoring the urge to fidget.

How can readers find you on the Internet? Readers can find me at www.KathleenDenly.com where they can learn more about me and my books. They can also sign up to join my Kathleen's Readers Club which will give them access to my KRC Freebie Library. In that library, members have access to loads of exclusive content, including a free ebook copy of the prequel novella for my Chaparral Hearts series, Ribbons and Beaus.

Thank you, Kathleen, for sharing Murmur in the Mud Caves with my blog readers and me. I have loved reading your novels.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

https://www.amazon.com/Murmur-Mud-Caves-Chaparral-Hearts/dp/1942265654/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1691013503&sr=1-1

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. 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 2 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Feedblitz, Facebook, 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: Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com