Friday, October 25, 2024

A Home for Christmas


I'm going to admit one of my guilty pleasures today.

I love reading cozy Christmas stories. Yes, I also watch Hallmark romances while I wrap presents and drink wine. That time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is my time to pretend the world out there is softer and sweeter than it often really is.

So, when I had the chance to share some historical Christmas stories with you, I couldn't say no. I've got A Home for Christmas queued up on my Kindle for an evening curled up under a blanket with a cup of tea. Do you like reading Christmas cozies too? 

A Home for Christmas

Will six strangers find hope, love, and family at Christmas? A collection of three historical western short stories to inspire love and warm the heart. 

"Christmas Mountain" 

In search of family she barely knows and adventure she’s always wanted, Katherine Donahue is saved from freezing on a winter night in the mountains of Montana by August Hollister. Neither of them expected that what one woman had in mind was a new beginning for them both. 


"Teton Christmas" 

Heartache and a thirst for adventure lead McKensie Stewart and her sister to Wyoming after the death of their parents. With the help of a widowed aunt and a charming horse breeder, McKensie discovers that hope is a cherished promise, and there is no greater gift than love. 


"Lily's Christmas Wish" 

Lily Malone has never had a real family or a real Christmas. This holiday season, she might get both. From an orphanage in New York City to the rugged mountains of Colorado, Lily sends out only one wish. But when the time comes, can she give it up so someone else’s wish can come true? 


If you love inspirational romance and heartfelt holidays, then you'll enjoy this trio of stories as we remember the true meaning of love any time of the year.

Praise for A Home for Christmas:

"Ms. McClintock has a true genius when writing beauty to touch the heart. This holiday treat is a gift any time one needs to remember the true meaning of love!" 
~ InD'tale Magazine on A Home for Christmas

"The cold nips at your face and delicious Christmas cake leaves you wanting more."
~ M. Ann Roher, author of Mattie on A Home for Christmas


Connect with the Author

MK McClintock is an award-winning author of historical romantic fiction about chivalrous men and strong women who appreciate chivalry. Her stories of romance, mystery, and adventure sweep across the American West to the Victorian British Isles with places and times between and beyond. 
 
MK enjoys a quiet life in the northern Rocky Mountains. You can find her online at www.mkmcclintock.com.

•••

Her works include the Montana Gallagher, Crooked Creek, British Agent, and Whitcomb Springs series. She has also written A Home for Christmas, a heartwarming collection set in 1800s Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado, and The Case of the Copper King, a romantic and adventurous western mystery set in 1899 Colorado. 

Connect with MK McClintock on her websiteInstagramBook Bub, or Amazon.  



Friday, October 18, 2024

Life and Times of James Alexander Hamilton

Exciting news! My biography of James Alexander Hamilton is available for preorder most places where you buy books. I've included a few links below. I've had some questions about what is included, since most people know a fair amount about Alexander Hamilton but not so much about any of his children.

This gives you an idea: 



James A Hamilton lived through an exciting time in US history. Unfortunately, it's also an era that we don't spend a lot of time talking about. Besides defending his father's memory and national bank, James served as temporary Secretary of State under President Andrew Jackson, enabling him to observe the Eaton Scandal and the Nullification Crisis first hand. My hope is that everyone reading this book will gain an appreciation for James and for other sons of founders who were left with the challenging work of building a new nation.

Since he lived a long, 'varied and somewhat eventful life,' James also provides us with a look into America's western expansion and growing reputation abroad. As a member of the crew of the America, he was on the schooner for which the famous America's Cup is named. 

Becoming almost as outspoken as his famous father, James spoke and wrote about the abolition of slavery and other issues related to the Civil War. He even provided Abraham Lincoln with a draft of an Empancipation Proclamation and offered his own services if General Winfield Scott had anywhere to place one in his mid-seventies. 

I'm also excited to share the cover of this book with my readers, because it features a portrait of James privately held by a descendant and therefore not often seen. With this image and much of what is between the covers, I hope you will agree that this book is one-of-a-kind. Thank you to all my readers who have supported me through the writing and publication process!

A few places you can pre-order your copy:

Directly from me (signed copies)

Pen & Sword

Waterstones

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Barnes & Noble

Friday, September 27, 2024

'Tho I Be Mute


Good morning, dear readers! Heather Miller is here to share an excerpt from her novel, 'Tho I Be Mute. You may remember her visiting before, with a snippet from Yellow Bird's Song. Based on a true story, Miller's novels dig into the history of the Ridge family and their removal from Cherokee Territory in the early 19th century.

Welcome, Heather!

~ Samantha
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Tho I Be Mute: An Excerpt

Guest Post by Heather Miller 

“Fly,” Clarinda Ridge Skili

I awoke to shaking floors from the successive beats of wooden-heeled boots against the hardwood. The vibrations were weighty, not the same as those made by my skinny brothers running through the house with calloused feet. The shakes came from intrusive brutes gathering strength from their unified purpose. 

In our room, ten-year-old Susan woke and picked up a crying Flora from her pallet on the floor. She swayed with Flora, listening at the door. I rose and brought both to my bed. We scurried under the covers and curled into one another, while I held onto their shaking shifts. We were too frightened to go outside; we were too frightened to move anything more than our eyes, staring at the lighted gap under the door.

Susan’s body shook when bare feet followed the boots. The first were Mama’s. Another pair followed. My brother Rollin was at her heels.

Susan’s body jolted at another sound I couldn’t know. Then, she covered her face with the quilt and held it against her ears with her hands. She heard what I could not. Mama was screaming.

Susan’s first tear ushered in sobs when stillness and sunlight peered under the crack. ‘Tho I be mute, I knew then that more than the morning sun slid under our bedroom door. The Angel of Death arrived with no warning, like a Passover ghost, and cast us in mourning night with its light.

Papa flew to the Nightland, June 22, 1839. Twenty-five men drug him from his pallet on the floor and tried to kill him, but the gun misfired. So, they unsheathed their knives and drug him outside. Mama and Rollin ran after them, but the warriors, still wielding pistol and rifle, surrounded her and my brother, crossed the barrels, and held them back. 

Mama’s hysterical tears did nothing to deter the assassins. 




Clarinda faces a moment of profound reality—a rattlesnake bite, a harbinger of her imminent mortality—and undertakes an introspective journey. In her final days, she immortalizes not only her own story but that of her parents—a narrative steeped in her family’s insights into Cherokee heritage during the tumultuous years preceding the forced removal of Native communities.

In 1818, Clarinda’s father, Cherokee John Ridge, embarks on a quest for a young man’s education at the Foreign Mission School in Cornwall, Connecticut. Amidst sickness, he finds solace and love with Sarah, the steward’s quiet daughter. Despite enduring two years of separation, defamatory editorials, and societal upheaval due to their interracial love affair, the resilient couple weds in 1824. This marks the inception of a journey for Sarah as she delves into a world both cherished and feared—Cherokee Territory. As John Ridge advocates for the preservation of his people’s land and that of his Muskogee Creek neighbors against encroaching Georgia settlers and unscrupulous governmental officials, the stakes are high. His success or failure hinges on his ability to balance his proud Cherokee convictions with an intricate understanding of American law. Justice remains uncertain.

Grounded in a true story, ‘Tho I Be Mute resonates with a compelling historical narrative, giving an intimate voice to those heard, those ignored, those speechless, urging readers to not only hear but to truly listen.

Connect with the Author:

History is better than fiction.
We all leave a legacy.

As an English educator, Heather Miller has spent twenty-four years teaching her students the author’s craft. Now, she’s writing it herself, hearing voices from the past. Heather earned her MFA in creative writing in 2022 and is teaching high school as well as college composition courses. 

Miller’s foundation began in the theatre, through performance storytelling. She can tap dance, stage-slap someone, and sing every note from Les Miserables. But by far, her favorite role has been as a fireman’s wife and mom to three: a trumpet player, a future civil engineer, and a RN. Alas, there’s only one English major in her house.

Heather continues writing the Ridge Family Saga. Her current work-in-progress, Stands, concludes the Ridge Family Saga. 

Connect with Heather on her websiteTwitterFacebookAmazon Author PageGoodreadsTikTok



Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Bandy: An Excerpt


Hello, dear readers! My guest today shares an excerpt from Bandy, a story of a boy so lonely he befriends a pigeon and a young enslaved girl who plans to escape through the Underground Railroad. Sounds like a unique and touching adventure!

~ Samantha

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bandy: An Excerpt

Guest Post by Craig R Hipkins

The afternoon dragged along. Every cracking branch put Isaac on his guard. He kept the derringer loaded and at half cock. Joy had another episode and this one was longer than the one she had earlier in the day. Isaac had kept her as comfortable as possible next to the fire.

As nightfall approached, she felt much better, and they each ate a stale biscuit and a few slabs of bacon. It was a lean meal, but enough to give them energy to continue on their way.

They decided to use the railroad. There was a stillness in the air, and they would be able to hear the clomping of hooves if any horses approached. Isaac prayed Joy wouldn’t have another one of her headaches. They seemed to come on with little warning and were debilitating.

A short time later, they passed by another small village of ramshackle houses. Isaac noticed a blacksmith’s shop. The smithy, a raw-boned man with bulging biceps was hard at work at the forge and did not even notice their passing. The glowing light of a furnace left them longing for the warmth of a fire. With any luck they would be in Portsmouth by midnight.

They were about a mile past the forge when the sound of a neighing horse grabbed their attention and they quickly darted off the tracks into a stand of pines. They crouched down behind some brambles and waited.

A lone horseman came into view. He was a thickset man with a dark beard riding a large stallion, his menacing profile bathed in the moonlight. Isaac immediately felt a gnawing wave of fear in the pit of his stomach. The mounted man had obviously seen them. He had stopped and was peering in their general direction. He was most certainly a bounty hunter.

Isaac quietly pulled his derringer from his small holster and capped it. He felt Joy’s hand find his free one. They glanced at each other nervously.

“Come on out, yuh murderin’ boy! I done seen yuh along with that little slave girl yuh travelin’ with!”

Isaac’s pulse began to race. If he were older, he would pull this man from the saddle and pummel him for that comment.

“Let’s go, boy! I ain’t got all day now. Yuh come outta those bushes and don’t give me no trouble and ah’ll make sure yuh git a fair trial. If not, it ain’t gonna go well with yuh!”

Isaac weighed his options. The way he looked at it, he had three. He could surrender—an option which he immediately dismissed. His second option was to fight it out with the man. He had the drop on him but surely the bounty hunter had a weapon of some kind on his person, almost certainly a revolver, which would neutralize his one-shot derringer. His third and final option was to sit still and do nothing. Let the bounty hunter come to them. There was a chance, albeit a slim one, that he would not find them in the darkness. He chose option number three and quietly whispered his intentions to Joy, who wholly agreed with him. They waited. They would let their pursuer make the next move.




Isaac’s only friend is a passenger pigeon named Bandy. He deludes himself in believing the bird talks to him. Bullied, he is resigned to a life of being the misunderstood bookworm by neighboring boys until a disastrous fire kills his parents and little sisters, sparing only his younger brother, Thomas. He and Thomas are taken in by their Uncle Raymond, an abolitionist, who plans to send Isaac to Virginia to buy Joy, a young slave with debilitating health, from her slave owner, Wil Jericho. Shortly after arriving in Virginia, Isaac learns the ugly truth. The butler who accompanied him on the journey killed his uncle before leaving and plans to do the same to Isaac to steal Raymond’s estate.

Isaac, with Joy, escape into the backwoods of Virginia. Discovering passages of the Underground Railroad, stowing away in carriages, hiding in churches, and outwitting the mercenaries hired by Jericho, the two teens fight tooth and nail to make it to Boston before they’re caught. Will Joy be taken from this life by sickness before she’s found freedom? On their journey, they learn a lot about each other. Isaac promises to bring Joy to Bandy's pond, a heavenly place where peace and serenity reign.



Connect with the Author

Craig R. Hipkins grew up in Hubbardston Massachusetts. He is the author of medieval and gothic fiction. His novel Adalbert is the sequel to Astrolabe written by his late twin brother Jay S. Hipkins (1968-2018) He is an avid long distance runner and enjoys astronomy in his spare time.




Thursday, September 12, 2024

A Slice of Medieval

I had great fun chatting with Sharon Bennett Connolly and Derek Birks on this "Going Rogue" episode of A Slice of Medieval. When Sharon first contacted me, I thought she would want to discuss the Wars of the Roses, but we did a REALLY rogue talk about women of the American Revolution instead! So, here I am talking to my British friends about us winning our independence. 

Give it a listen!