I want to wave you farewell till June as I’m leaving for Scotland again soon. Once in Glasgow I’ll take a train into the Highlands then ferry over to the Hebrides and stay here in the islands. Scotland in May is a marvelous thing:) There are only a few hours of darkness and everything is so vividly green.

For centuries the Hebrides have been known as the Edge of the World. You get a little glimpse of why this is so in this remarkable picture. National Geographic says, “Scotland’s Hebrides, islands both stern and sublime, have taught centuries of artists, scientists, poets, and travelers to treasure the wild.”

My brother and his family live in Spain so I’ll end May with them here. I haven’t been to Spain in many years so it will be wonderful to return. They’re in ministry and it’s the first time I’ve visited them on the field so am very thankful. I’d so appreciate your prayers as I travel. I’ll be thinking of you and the prayer requests you’ve shared here and via email.

See you in June!

Václav Brožík (1851-1901) – Spring, the fence.

 

Celebrating Kaye Dacus’s new series which releases today!

And also want to share her stellar post on the…COVER SHOOT.

Kate and Christopher Dearing’s lives turn upside down when their father loses everything in a railroad land speculation. The siblings are shipped off to their mother’s brother in England with one edict: marry money.

At twenty-seven years old, Kate has the stigma of being passed over by eligible men many times—and that was before she had no dowry. Christopher would like nothing better than to make his own way in the world; and with a law degree and expertise in the burgeoning railroad industry, he was primed to do just that—in America.

Though their uncle tries to ensure Kate and Christopher find matrimonial prospects only among the highest echelon of British society, their attentions stray to a gardener and a governess.

While Christopher has options that would enable him to lay his affections where he chooses, he cannot let the burden of their family’s finances crush his sister. Trying to push her feelings for the handsome—but not wealthy— gardener aside, Kate’s prospects brighten when a wealthy viscount shows interest in her. But is marrying for the financial security of her family the right thing to do, when her heart is telling her she’s making a mistake?

 Mandates . . . money . . . matrimony. Who will follow the heart?

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

Kaye Dacus is the author of humorous, hope-filled contemporary and
historical romances with Barbour Publishing, Harvest House Publishers, and
B&H Publishing. She holds a Master of Arts in Writing Popular Fiction from
Seton Hill University, is a former Vice President of American Christian Fiction
Writers, and currently serves as President of Middle Tennessee Christian
Writers. Kaye lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where she is a full-time academic
advisor and part-time English Composition instructor for Bethel University.

One of my favorite things about The Ballantyne Legacy series has been the quotes or epigrams at the start of each chapter. They foreshadow what is to come or hint about the action to unfold. Some readers love them, others feel they are author intrusion. Obviously I love them or they wouldn’t appear. I apologize to those readers who feel they are pulled out of the story by chapter quotes!

I never get tired of coming across new quotes. One of my favorites is by Tolstoy from his Russian epic, Anna Karenina. I’m reading through the pages of Love’s Awakening right now before it goes to print and you get a peek above.

I’m also finishing up Ballantyne book 3 and would love if you’d share some of your favorite quotes below. I tend to only use historic quotes from the 19th-century or earlier but feel free to share from any century. If they dovetail with the chapters I’ve written I’ll try to use them.

So…any favorite epigrams you’d like to see in a novel?

Today Love’s Reckoning is on sale via e-reader at Amazon and Barnes&Noble.

Heartfelt thanks to artist friend extraordinaire, Heather, at Audrey Eclectic, for this lovely photo.

Heather has such a creative, inspiring site if you’d like to gift yourself with a few minutes of beauty on this busy Friday.

Have a blessed weekend!

The Elopement

by Edmund Blair Leighton (1893)

I suppose it’s just not fair to have a heroes post and not a heroines post…so here it is:)

Hats off to Jan for prompting me!

People sometimes ask how I name the characters in my novels. I think it’s a little like naming a baby:). I give it a great deal of thought. I always search for a name that fits the heroine’s heart and spirit. The first name and surname need to be true to the time period and setting. No Britneys or Desirees in 18th-century America, at least none that I’ve found! Hopefully it’s a name the author and reader both like as they’ll be repeating it over and over again.

Lael was an archaic name I’d tucked away to use many years ago. Don’t remember where it came from but I liked it. Only when I finished the novel did I research the name and find it’s Hebrew in origin and means pursued by God. I was touched and humbled discovering that as the book really was about the Lord’s pursuit of Lael throughout the novel. Her last name, Click, was a variation on my grandmother’s maiden name, Cleek.

Morrow was borrowed from the Billy Graham Family as Mr. Graham has a granddaughter by that name. Little was snagged out of thin air and fit her well since she was small.

Roxanna was the name of my Great-Great Grandmother who was called Roxie. I chose Rowan because it’s one of my favorite Kentucky trees.

Eden was described as lush in the novel and loved her garden. Lee was very simple and easy to type umpteen times!

Ellie is the shortened form of the Scots Elinor. Ballantyne is a corruption of my mother’s family name, sadly. Ballantyne is so much richer-sounding than Blanton!

Which brings me to my need for my next character name…help!

Which old-fashioned female names do you like? Any relatives with interesting names in your family history? Any names that you’d like to see used in a novel?

This past Friday I turned another year older/better/nearer heaven ~ take your pick . Birthdays are generally low key for us though we did go out for Thai food. That’s my oldest son, Wyatt, with yours truly. Paul was hiding and Randy was operating the camera so you’re not getting the whole story, so to speak. There were so many wonderful things about the day even though it rained buckets and I never did get around to writing the final scene of book 3 Ballantyne like I’d planned.

I did find out that Love’s Reckoning is a finalist for the Christy Award. I didn’t realize my publisher had entered the book but am honored they thought enough of the story to do so – and that the Lord blessed me with the news on my birthday.

My dog-eared, dated copy of Christy means a lot to me and is the reason I fell in love with historical fiction years ago. Some of you may have this little gem tucked in your library somewhere, too. I’ve read most of Catherine Marshall’s books, both fiction and nonfiction, and can’t recommend them highly enough.

If you’d like to read more about this award, please follow the link here…Christy. You’ll find some new titles to add to your reading list.

There’s been quite a bit of buzz since the announcement of finalists so I’ll close comments here lest people feel they need to comment again.

Just wanted to thank Revell and Christy judges for their dedication to Christian fiction.

Have a blessed Monday!

Today, Friday, April 19th, The Colonel’s Lady is on sale for $1.99 via e-readers internationally.

The inspiration for this story can be found at The Colonel’s Lady board on PINTEREST.

Have a wonderful weekend!

“The Letter” by William Kay Blacklock (English, 1872-1922)