Robin E. Mason's Blog: Robin's Book Shelf, page 187

BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 17 January 2017 – AUTHOR DOWN

BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 17 January 2017 – AUTHOR DOWN

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AUTHOR DOWN

 

Blogwords, Author Down

BLOGWORD – 16 January 2017 – NEW WEEK NEW FACE – HEATHER ...

BLOGWORD – 16 January 2017 – NEW WEEK NEW FACE – HEATHER BLANTON
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NEW WEEK NEW FACE – HEATHER BLANTON

 

Freedom. A true lady in Defiance cries out for it. Refuses to live without it. Pursues it at any cost. Society, propriety—even commonsense won’t stop her from wrapping her slender fingers around it. In the end, she may only have her memories of it, but at least she tasted it. For a time, she lived free.

 

And it is that refusal to live without living that draws me to writing strong female leads in my books. Now, I write Christian fiction, but I study history with passion and have stumbled upon some fearless women. Though I have pity that they did not in most cases know the Lord, I have to admit to a scandalous admiration for their lust for life.

 

One of my favorite ladies was one they called Queen of the Klondike.

 

Kathleen Eloise Rockwell (1873, give or take, to1957) came from an unstable home, growing up in at least four different states. Perhaps the shifting sand beneath her feet contributed to her headstrong ways and desire for adventure. Dubbed a tomboy by the neighborhood kids, Katie played better with the boys than with the frilly little girls. She was a bit sassy and, arguably, incorrigible—at least according to the boarding school that kicked her out.

 

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In the early1890’s, Kate’s mother divorced her father and the two girls wound up in New York City. The young girl got involved with the theater scene and learned to sing and dance, but eventually even the Big Apple wasn’t big enough for the free spirit. The siren call of the Alaska Gold Rush reached her ears and Kate headed off for Alaska.

 

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, however, denied her entry. Because she was a woman. Alone. On the frontier. Think, McFly. Think.

 

Can’t you hear the wheels turning in her head? Kate lived to circumvent rules and create her life on her terms.

 

So she dressed up like a boy and waltzed right into the Klondike. (Well, actually she took a boat.) I can see her waving at the RCMP as she sailed by.

 

Now, it’s one thing to try to make it on the Great White Way. Lots of competition and all that. Kate had a suspicion that in Alaska she could be a big fish in a little pond. I mean, really, how many pretty girls could there be willing to face the wild frontier? Sub-zero temperatures, knee-deep spring mud, lawless towns. Sounded like her kind of party. Kate just wanted to sing and dance. It didn’t matter if the audience was comprised of desperately hungry, cold, mud-encrusted miners who hadn’t seen a woman, much less a pretty one, in months.

 

She intended to mesmerize them and had a grand plan. For her “Flame Dance” she came on stage wearing an elaborate gown covered in red sequins and trailing an enormous cape. She took off the cape to reveal a cane that was attached to more than 200 yards of red chiffon. Kate leaped and twirled with the shimmering, floating fabric, spellbinding the hapless men. At the end she would dramatically drop to the floor, as did the men’s jaws.

 

Yeah. She was a big hit. For three years, she was the belle of the ball. Parisian gowns, gold jewelry, men falling at her feet. They called her Klondike Kate and Queen of the Yukon.

 

But the gold eventually petered out and Kate drifted around, with a few different husbands. She owned some theaters in the Pacific Northwest, swindled some miners, got swindled by a husband. She made some special appearances in the 1930’s, and even coached starlets in the 40’s. She homesteaded in Oregon and kept the place till her death. Early on, she was often spotted working the place in her sparkling evening gowns. I suspect that was because she didn’t own any work clothes, not because she was showy. She was also recovering from a broken relationship so maybe the glitz and glam had worn off and she didn’t give a fig about her designer-dresses-straight from-Paris.

 

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Either way, in the little town of Bend, Oregon Kate became a valued, appreciated member of the community due to her generous, civic-minded heart and undying audacious spirit. In her later years, she earned the nickname Aunt Kate. Doesn’t quite have the ring of Klondike Kate, but I don’t think she minded.

 

Time and age catch us all, though. Kate slowed down then finally finished the ride in Oregon in 1957.

 

By no means an angel, Kate was a woman who defied conventionality, shook her fist at the lack of social mobility for women, and cut her own path through life. You have to kind of admire that. She didn’t let life happen to her. She happened to it! With a vengeance.

 

While she was a tad over the top, I appreciate her character arc. She went from young and hungry for success at any cost to redefining her idea of success. I know it reads like a sweet romance, but she found happiness in a small town. Even better, she married a miner who had fallen in love with her back when she was still Klondike Kate. It took her a long time to come round to him. But better late than never.

 

 

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A former journalist, Heather is an avid researcher and skillfully weaves truth in among fictional story lines. She loves exploring the American West, especially ghost towns and museums. She has walked parts of the Oregon Trail, ridden horses through the Rockies, climbed to the top of Independence Rock, and even held an outlaw’s note in her hand. You can learn more about her and her work at https://ladiesindefiance.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/heatherfreyblanton. Sign up for Heather’s email newsletter to receive the latest book release updates, as well as info about contests and giveaways

http://eepurl.com/crDmv5

She writes Westerns because she grew up on a steady diet of Bonanza, Gunsmoke, and John Wayne movies. Her most fond childhood memory is of sitting next to her father, munching on popcorn, and watching Lucas McCain unload that Winchester!

She can be reached several different ways:

http://ladiesindefiance.com/

https://www.facebook.com/authorheatherblanton/?ref=hl

https://www.facebook.com/heatherfreyblanton

https://twitter.com/heatherfblanton

https://www.pinterest.com/heatherfblanton/

 

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#Blogwords, New Week New Fact, #NWNG, Guest Post, Heather Blanton, Klondike Kate, Queen of the Klondike

BLOGWORDS – Sunday 15 January 2017 – FRONT PORCH FELLOWSHIP – LOVE ENDURETH ALL

BLOGWORDS – Sunday 15 January 2017 – FRONT PORCH FELLOWSHIP – LOVE ENDURETH ALL
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FRONT PORCH FELLOWSHIP – LOVE ENDURETH ALL

 

We’ve got weddings coming up in our family. The first one is in March, but the bridal shower was yesterday. So I thought I’d look at what Father says about love.

 

1 Corinthians 13 (NIV)

13 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

 

 

Love is not a feeling. Feelings change, feelings are subject to so much outside influence and force. But Father’s love is abiding. It is a decision that sustains the feelings. It is a decision that must be made sometimes daily, sometimes moment by moment.

 

When we look for the feelings, when we hold onto emotions, that’s when we fall. Emotions are ephemeral, evanescent, fleeting.

 

But when we make a commitment, a decision to love one person, and when that commitment is a covenant with God, we can know that God and all of heaven will be there to sustain us. Even when the feelings hide, or flee. God never does, and neither does His love.

 

 

#Blogwords, Front Porch Fellowship, #FPF, Sunday Devotion, Love Endureth All, The Greatest of These, I Corinthians 13

BLOGWORDS – COMING IN FEBRUARY – WHAT’S IN YOUR KITCHEN – FAVORITE RECIPES

COMING IN 2017 – WHAT’S IN YOUR KITCHEN – FAVORITE RECIPES

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 COMING IN FEBRUARY – WHAT’S IN YOUR KITCHEN
#Blogwords, #AuthorsEat, What’s in Your Kitchen, New Feature, Favorite Recipes, Cooking Techniques and Secrets, Family Recipes, Shared Recipes

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BLOGWORDS – Friday 13 January 2017 – FIRST LINE FRIDAY – LOVE ABIDETH STILL by SCOTT R. REZER

BLOGWORDS – Friday 13 January 2017 – FIRST LINE FRIDAY – LOVE ABIDETH STILL by SCOTT R. REZER
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FIRST LINE FRIDAY – LOVE ABIDETH STILL by SCOTT R. REZER

 

 

  Reading is My SuperPower
Bookworm Mama
Singing Librarian
Faithfully Bookish
Radiant Light
Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen

Fiction Aficionado
 

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THE BLURB:    

A grieving widow…

A country torn by civil war…

A handful of letters professing a husband’s love…

Five months after his death, the body of Sarah’s husband, a Union soldier, finally comes home for burial in Philadelphia. Taylor’s burial, though, rather than putting her unresolved grief to rest, begins a journey that will not just test her faith, but will plumb the depths of her devotion to her dead husband. Pushed to the edge of anger and despair, Sarah turns to the few letters sent to her by Taylor from the front lines in a desperate need to understand the guilt she feels over his death. From the bloody battlefields of Winchester and Bull Run to the quiet streets of Philadelphia, comes a tale of war and forgiveness–of a love rekindled from beyond the grave.

 

THE FIRST LINE :   

March 1883. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  The solemn gray heavens of early March wept a gentle rain, washing away the last snowy vestiges of winter.

 

MY THOUGHTS:    

The history in this book! The passion of both husband and wife, as seen in the letters. The crushing blows of war. Mr. Rezer has written a compelling story, his knowledge of the war and its effects clear and evident. For me, it got bogged down with too much telling and narrative in places, but Mr. Rezer has won a reader-fan in me.

GENRE:

Historical fiction.

 

STARS:

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#Blogwords, First Line Friday, #FLF, Love Abideth Still, Scott R. Rezer, Historical Fiction

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BLOGWORDS – Friday 30 December 2016 – FIRST LINE FRIDAY – LOVE ABIDETH STILL by SCOTT R. REZER

BLOGWORDS – Friday 30 December 2016 – FIRST LINE FRIDAY – LOVE ABIDETH STILL by SCOTT R. REZER
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FIRST LINE FRIDAY – LOVE ABIDETH STILL by SCOTT R. REZER

 

 

  Reading is My SuperPower
Bookworm Mama
Singing Librarian
Faithfully Bookish
Radiant Light
Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen

Fiction Aficionado
 

 [image error]

 

THE BLURB:    

A grieving widow…

A country torn by civil war…

A handful of letters professing a husband’s love…

Five months after his death, the body of Sarah’s husband, a Union soldier, finally comes home for burial in Philadelphia. Taylor’s burial, though, rather than putting her unresolved grief to rest, begins a journey that will not just test her faith, but will plumb the depths of her devotion to her dead husband. Pushed to the edge of anger and despair, Sarah turns to the few letters sent to her by Taylor from the front lines in a desperate need to understand the guilt she feels over his death. From the bloody battlefields of Winchester and Bull Run to the quiet streets of Philadelphia, comes a tale of war and forgiveness–of a love rekindled from beyond the grave.

 

THE FIRST LINE :   

March 1883. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  The solemn gray heavens of early March wept a gentle rain, washing away the last snowy vestiges of winter.

 

MY THOUGHTS:    

The history in this book! The passion of both husband and wife, as seen in the letters. The crushing blows of war. Mr. Rezer has written a compelling story, his knowledge of the war and its effects clear and evident. For me, it got bogged down with too much telling and narrative in places, but Mr. Rezer has won a reader-fan in me.

GENRE:

Historical fiction.

 

STARS:

[image error]     Four stars.

 

#Blogwords, First Line Friday, #FLF, Love Abideth Still, Scott R. Rezer, Historical Fiction

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BLOGWORDS – Thursday 12 January 2017 – CHAT THURSDAY – AUTHOR INTERVIEW – SUSAN REINHARDT

BLOGWORDS – Thursday 12 January 2017 – CHAT THURSDAY – AUTHOR INTERVIEW – SUSAN REINHARDT
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CHAT THURSDAY – AUTHOR INTERVIEW – SUSAN REINHARDT

 

“Faith put into action on the small things prepares us for when big situations come our way – and they do show up.”

 

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“There’s a difference between productivity and living off adrenaline. One leaves you with a sense of accomplishment, while the other drives you to exhaustion. Could this be a secret of time management?

 

In an age of time-saving gadgets, we’re deluded into thinking we can do it all. We can’t. Our spirit, soul, and body all need quiet times, fun times, and kick-back-and-relax times.”

 

 

I’d like to give a big welcome to SUSAN REINHARDT to my blog.  Susan, thank you for joining me today.

 

rem:  Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?

SUSAN:  I was born and raised in Bronx, NY. I currently live in Pennsylvania.

rem:  Never been to either! Tell us three things about yourself.

SUSAN:   1) I’m a believer in Jesus Christ. 2) Home body is a good description of me. 3) I love chocolate (then again, so do most writers).

rem:  Of course we love chocolate!

Wednesday Wisdom – FALL DOWN

“For He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth’; Likewise to the gentle rain and the heavy rain of His strength.” —Job 37:6 (NKJV)  I’m one of those odd people who would choose a wi…

Source: Wednesday Wisdom – FALL DOWN

BLOGWORDS – Wednesday 11 January 2017 – WREADING WEDNESDA...

BLOGWORDS – Wednesday 11 January 2017 – WREADING WEDNESDAY – BELLANOK
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WREADING WEDNESDAY – BELLANOK

 

 

[image error]A haven for myths and legends . . . until evil discovers a way in.

With evil darkening the mountains to the north, the fairy queen, Fauna, must journey from the island realm of Bellanok to the modern world to find the man the Creator appointed to save their kingdom. A man she has been dreaming of her whole life.

Brian is a down-on-his-luck pastor on the verge of giving up on God. He’s tired and frustrated–a failure. No sooner does he make a decision that jeopardizes his career than an unusual blonde woman shows up and tries to convince him he is some kind of savior.

Fauna must open Brian’s eyes to a different reality, and Brian needs to embrace the haven’s secrets. If neither of them succeeds, Bellanok will succumb to evil and the world will lose all trace of innocence.

 

 

 

 

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Whether she’s wielding a fantasy writer’s pen, a freelance editor’s sword, or a social media wand, Ralene Burke always has her head in some dreamer’s world. And her goal is to make it SHINE BEYOND! She has worked for a variety of groups/companies, including Realm Makers, The Christian PEN, Kentucky Christian Writers Conference, and as an editor for a number of freelance clients.

Her first novel, Bellanok, is available on Amazon!

When her head’s not in the publishing world, she is wife to a veteran and homeschooling mama to their three kids. Her Pinterest board would have you believe she is a master chef, excellent seamstress, and all around crafty diva. If she only had the time.

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Ralene-Burke/e/B016PHY8BI/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

 

 

 

#Blogwords, Wreading Wednesday, Featured Book, Bellanok, Ralene Burke, The Reluctant Savior, Fantasy Fiction

BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 10 January 2017 – CRICKETS – AUTHOR DOWN

BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 10 January 2017 – CRICKETS – AUTHOR DOWN

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#Blogwords, Crickets, Author Down, Gotta Take Care of Me