Cover Reveal! Cameo Courtships

Susanne here, with Deb Marvin, Jennifer Uhlarik and Kathleen Y'Barbo. We are honored and delighted to have a 4-in-1 collection, Cameo Courtships, coming soon from Barbour Publishing--four interrelated stories about a special cameo and a special family.

And today, it brings us great pleasure to reveal the cover!

The new style of covers is really something: believe it or not, the front cover features a cut out. Open the cover and you get to see the full picture of the heroine wearing the heirloom cameo! Pretty neat, eh?

Curious to know more? Read on.

A Family Heirloom Inspires Romance...

In 1851, a special cameo is gifted by Queen Victoria to Letitia Newton, who though considered an old maid, meets the perfect gentleman minutes after donning it. Told by the Queen the cameo is to be shared, Letitia gifts the "Victoria Cameo" to a woman in her family, hoping adventure and romance will follow each of its subsequent wearers. 

PINNED ABOVE HER HEART by Susanne Dietze

1851 – Pittsburgh, PA

After receiving the Victoria Cameo, aspiring journalist Clara Newton works to expose a smuggler, but reporter Byron Breaux must break the story first or lose his job. Working together is out of the question until they learn secrets that threaten Clara’s father. . .and her heart.

TAMING PETRA by Jennifer Uhlarik

1875 – Colorado Territory

Trouser-wearing frontierswoman Petra Jayne Hollingsworth has no intention of donning the heirloom cameo, but when a crooked brothel owner steals the treasure, securing its return becomes Petra’s highest priority. Assisting her, Reverend Dustin Owens is appalled to learn the price of its ransom is that Petra must work in the brothel. He may save the woman’s virtue, but can he help Petra regain her cameo and rediscover her faith?

MEET ME AT THE FAIR by Kathleen Y’Barbo

Spring 1885 – New Orleans during the 1884 World’s Fair and Cotton Exposition

It takes a Pinkerton to find a Pinkerton, and Ethan Butler has been charged with finding Elizabeth Newton. Just when he locates her, the cameo he is to deliver is stolen. It appears his previous case has discovered his presence in New Orleans, but he can’t return to that case until the cameo is found. With Miss Newton as a reluctant partner in crime fighting, can Ethan Butler locate the cameo and its thieves without losing his heart?

LENDING MY HEART by Debra E. Marvin

1895 – Pittsburgh, PA
The arrival of a handsome Scottish administrator ruins Miss Bertie Hart’s dream to oversee the new Carnegie Library children’s department. Yet bristly Mr. Russell Smart’s working-class determination and his love of books make him the perfect partner to better the lives of Pittsburgh’s poor. She might just have to wear the family cameo she’s avoided for the last eleven months!

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We hope you enjoy the cover--and the stories!

Available June 1 from Amazon and your favorite retailers.

Old Friends in New Books

Do you like reading a new book and discovering an old friend in the pages?

I sure do. I think many people enjoy it, and that's one reason why series are popular. We grow emotional attachments to characters and love following along with them on new adventures.

Nancy Drew. Harry Potter. Percy Jackson. Star Wars. Marvel heroes. The list goes on and on.

Nancy, George, Bess and Ned! Love you guys!

I haven't yet been blessed to write a contracted series, but that doesn't mean I haven't been able to offer sneak peeks at characters who appeared in a different book of mine.

This month I'm celebrating the release of my newest novella, The Right Pitch from Of Rags and Riches Romance Collection, nine stories set during the Gilded Age.

My heroine, Winnie Myles, lives next door to a little girl named Penny...who grew up and had her own story in The American Heiress Brides Collection. (Yes, I went back in time. I started with Penny's story, and then wrote a story set almost twenty years earlier with The Right Pitch. And no, I didn't know about Winnie when I wrote In for a Penny, so there are no peeks into her future there. But I assure you she and her Mr. Right are very happy!)



It was satisfying to write about Penny's childhood, because even when she's an adult, she struggles with her parents. I was glad for the opportunity to plant a few of those seeds, even though they're quite minor in The Right Pitch.

Bringing back characters is satisfying!

My January 2017 release, A Mother For His Family, contains some old friends, too: Tavin and Gemma from The Reluctant Guardian. (Cover isn't yet available. I'm on tenterhooks!)

I love this cover so much. I can say that, right?

What are they up to now? If you read the book, you might remember Gemma's nephews, Petey and Eddie. What happened to them? Do they still live with Gemma, or did they have to go back to their disinterested parents?

It was fun answering those questions.

It's hard to say goodbye to characters. I always hoped to write a story about Gemma's friend Frances Fennelwick, a so-called "bluestocking" (one reviewer lovingly called her a nerd). Since Love Inspired Historical is folding, I won't have a chance to submit a proposal about Frances, but that doesn't mean I don't think about her and what happens to her...or the very special man who falls head over heels for her.

Maybe one day I'll jot it down and put it out for my newsletter subscribers. I'm not sure about copyright issues. Just thinking out loud.

But in the meantime, I'm hard at work on a story that'll be out in April's First Loves Forever Romance Collection from Barbour. Here's the beautiful cover:

OOOOHHHHH! Coming in April!

The heroine of my story, First Things First? Georgia Bridge, who first appeared in my novella For a Song from The Cowboy's Bride Collection as a precocious four-year-old.

Still available!

If you want to know what happened to her, Bridge Ranch, her pa Jackson and the woman she wanted to be her new ma, Lily Kimball, be sure to check out First Loves Forever in the spring!

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Do you like seeing old friends in new books?

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Susanne Dietze began writing love stories in high school, casting her friends in the starring roles. Today she's the author of over a dozen inspirational romances. Visit her and find her books at www.susannedietze.com

Release Party for My Heart Belongs in Ruby City, Idaho! And a Giveaway

Yeehaw! It's a hoedown celebration to celebrate the release of My Heart Belongs in Ruby City, Idaho: Rebecca's Plight, third in a new series from Barbour Publishing... and Susanne's new release!

Owyhee County-Public Domain

We'll travel back to 1866 via magic stagecoach to get to the site of the party. It's high up in the gorgeous Owyhee Mountains of Idaho--but it's an untamed land, where men currently outnumber women 200 to 1!

Our magic, time-traveling stagecoach! Public Domain

Be warned! The last lady who got off the stagecoach in Ruby City got married within the hour to the handsome fellow who greeted her...and it was a big mistake! (Or was it? Hmm...)

Poor Rebecca, our heroine. She's a mail-order bride, and she's supposed to marry Theodore Fordham, but she accidentally marries his cousin Tad.

That's nuts! How could a woman marry the wrong cousin? Don't these people talk to each other, or listen to the names when they exchange wedding vows? How goofy can this be?

Don't fret. It's all explained by the end of Chapter One.

(But you have to get to the end of the book to see how it all untangles.)

Now that you're safely off the stagecoach and didn't marry anyone, Mr. Wrong or Mr. Right, let's party.

It looks like the whole town turned out: miners, storekeepers, and families. There's a brass band playing, bunting decorating the buildings, and refreshments for all.

Scrumptious cake! Public Domain

So what is this book about anyway? A mail-order mix-up?

Pretty much. Plus a lot of falling in love...with a man, a town, and yes, even a mule.

Rebecca Rice was looking forward to a quiet life and a full stomach by becoming mail-order bride to her shopkeeper intended, Mr. Fordham—until the justice of the peace calls him Thaddeus, not Theodore, proceeded by the title Deputy. Rebecca would never marry a lawman like her father, so an annulment seems in order—and fast, since Rebecca’s true intended is impatient to claim her as his own. But when the legalities take longer than expected, Rebecca wonders if Tad Fordham wasn't the right husband for her all along....

Below, you can enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for the book and some Heart-themed kitchen goodies: tea towels, cookie cutters, and a hot pad! Can you feel the love? This is the My Heart Belongs in Series, after all, and the kitchen is the heart of the home.

In the meantime, enjoy the party. Just don't accept any marriage proposals from a fellow named Ulysses. He's asked every female in Ruby City. Trust me on this.

GIVEAWAY!!!

Enter to win the book plus some heart-themed goodies for your kitchen. Contest ends Friday, May 5, 11:59 pm EDT. So don't delay!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Rails to Love Collection Release Party...and a Giveaway!

All Aboard The Rails to Love Collection, featuring Inkwell's own Susanne Dietze!

Here's Susanne, held by her rail-fan dad, with her brother, investigating a train way back in the 1970s. Trains have been a part of her life since infancy, so it's pretty sweet to be in a collection of train stories!

Care for some background noise that is sure to get you in the mood? Click play and then scroll on down.

Now on to the book!

Journey the Transcontinental Railroad along with nine unlikely couples who encounter all the dangers and disappointments of traveling the rails in the late 1800s. From sight-seeing excursions to transports toward new lives, from orphan trains to circus trains, can romances develop into blazing love in a world of cold, hard steel?

Here's our train. Actually, it's THE train. The Honeymoon Express, Susanne's novella, was inspired by a real-life train trip in 1876 called the Jarrett-Palmer Express. This is what it looked like:

Climb aboard and have a seat. Feel free to curl up with a good book or enjoy the passing scenery.

Our porter is Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman's own Sully, who looks suspiciously like Nash, the hero of Susanne's novella.

Welcome aboard. May I offer you a cup of punch? How about some dessert?

While we nibble our little cakes, here's the blurb on Susanne's story, The Honeymoon Express:

Can a jilted bride and a mysterious frontiersman thrown together on a trip meant for honeymooners solve a crime--and find love--before the end of the line?

Heroine Ellen needs a fresh start.

Ellen is a telegrapher

Sully was blue in the railcar on Dr. Quinn. when he wondered whether or not Michaela loved him. I wonder if Nash feels the same way as he struggles with his feelings for Ellen and his decision to never love again in Susanne's story.

If you'd like to win a copy of The Rails to Love Collection, please enter using the Rafflecopter below. Void where prohibited. Contest lasts until 11:59 pm EDT Sept 24, so don't delay!

PSST....The Rails to Love Collection is available from your favorite Christian retailer, and is priced at $7.49 on Amazon...that's half price! You can't beat that! Click here!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Susanne Dietze is the proud daughter of a railfan and the author of almost a dozen historical romances. You can learn more about Susanne (but not her dad) on her website, www.susannedietze.com.

Release Party for The Cowboy's Bride Collection ~ and a Giveaway!

Yeehaw! Susanne here. Put on your cowboy hat and celebrate my upcoming release with me!

Ride onto the open range alongside cowboys and cowgirls who embrace the adventures of living in the Old West from Kansas to New Mexico, Colorado to Texas. Whether rounding up cattle or mustangs, training horses, fending off outlaws, weathering storms, competing in rodeos, or surviving drought these cowboys work hard each day. But when hardheaded men have their weaknesses exposed by well-meaning women will they stampede away or will a lasting love develop? Find out in this exciting collection of nine historical romances.

Welcome to the Party! Our hosts step straight from the pages of my novella, For a Song.

Hero Jackson Bridge, after a tough day of breaking mustangs

Jackson's daughter, Georgie, whose request caused a huge misunderstanding

Heroine Lily Kimball wants to be the next Jenny Lind...and never go hungry again

You look parched, but no wonder. It is indeed a hot day here on Bridge Ranch in south Texas. Have some lemonade! Lily had to use dried lemons and lemon oil, but it turned out delicious. Just ask Jackson.

So refreshing.

Of course, a molasses cookie would go pretty well with it, too.

Yum!

While you chew, here's the blurb for For a Song (individual novella):

Two songbirds, red and yellow—a straightforward order for an upstanding widowed rancher’s lonely daughter. But when a sister-act of saloon singers (a redhead and a blonde) arrives on the stagecoach expecting him to give them a job, his daughter changes her tune and starts singing not for a pet, but a pretty ginger-haired Mama.

The picture that inspired the story!

To celebrate, I'm offering a giveaway  starting today and running until Friday, Feb. 26. Scroll below for the Rafflecopter form or hop on over to www.susannedietze.com to enter there! (Entry form is the same!)

Goodies include The Cowboy's Bride Collection, a vintage bird dish towel, and a mini birdie notebook.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Or find the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cowboys-Bride-Collection-Historical-Romances/dp/1634095251/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 The book is on a stellar sale of just over $8. That's less than a dollar a story!

Thanks for celebrating with me! 

Release Party and Giveaway for Susie & Gina

It's a big celebration at the Inkwell this week as we join Susanne Dietze and Gina Welborn in celebrating the release of Barbour's The Most Eligible Bachelor Romance Collection of nine historical novellas.

We congratulate Susie on her debut release, Love's Reward, one of the nine novellas in this collection.

In honor of her story, I've visited her Love's Reward pinterest board and invited her two main characters to be members of our wait staff.
.

We'll start with the heroine of Susie's Love's Reward novella, heiress Josie Price who will be serving an assortment of flavorful teas at whatever temperature suits your fancy.

And from Josie's expression, she may have caught sight of the hero of Love's Reward, architect Daniel Blair, weaving through the crowd.




Although Josie's eyes are on Daniel, it's the tray of scrumptious mini Orange Souffles he's carrying that's drawing guests to cluster around him. 

As we congratulate Gina on another release, we'll use an image I found on her Baker's Dozen pinterest board for the perfect setting of our party.

Can you see us here?

I can... I'm descending the stairs with my hand trailing down the polished surface of the banister, smiling at the guests who have come to congratulate Susie and Gina. A lavish setting in Gina's Baker's Dozen novella, called the Baker House, family home of her hero, cattle baron Duke Baker.

And here is Duke Baker himself, carrying a tray covered with rich slices of Chocolate Mocha Cake. Oh my, oh my.

And the woman at the coffee bar... I believe that's Gina's Baker's Dozen heroine, socialite Irie LeCroix.




With all those coffee flavours, both traditional and contemporary, she's sure to have something you like.

So make yourself at home and visit with guests and characters alike.

Before you drag yourself away, leave a comment for the giveaway detailed below. And tune back in on Wed for more of our celebration.

* * * GIVEAWAY * * *

Susanne Dietze and Gina Welborn are each giving away a copy (print or digital) of The Most Eligible Bachelor Romance Collection. That's 2 copies up for grabs. To be entered in this giveaway, be sure to leave a comment with a method of contact before the deadline of 11:59 EDT Sunday, May 10th.

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