Blurb:
Big Meadows Valentine is the first novella in the
Eastern Sierra Brides 1884 series by Zina Abbott. Although it
includes a chapter with a Valentine’s Day theme, it is not strictly
a valentine story. It begins in the first week of January, 1884. Here
is a little of what it is about:
Some men left the civilized settlements
of the east to risk life and limb in the lawless gold and silver
mines of California and Nevada for wealth. Beth Dodd left behind her
little sister and the civilized farming region of southern Ohio that
she loved to travel to those same mining regions to search for her
scalawag of a husband who deserted her. In Lundy, Beth finds rancher
named Val Caldwell with a heart bigger than all the gold in the Mono
County mountains of the eastern Sierra-Nevada. She stays, knowing she
has a responsibility to settle affairs with her husband. But, having
lost almost everything she valued due to the decisions forced upon
her first by her father and then by her husband, can she ever again
trust a man to have any degree of influence or control over her life?
Bitter over laws that favor men over
women and determined to start a new life for herself and her sister
on her own terms and through her own efforts, Beth resists the
attraction she feels towards Val. Can Val make any headway in his
quest to persuade Beth to consider a future with him someday?
Excerpt:
“I done made provisions
for you, daughter. You ain’t gonna be workin’ like this no more.
I found me a man to buy the farm.”
His words immediately
propelled Beth into action. Her face suffused with shock, she threw
her splayed hands up next to her head as she sucked in her breath.
Next, she leaned forward and reached to grab her father’s hands
clinging to the wooden arms of the rocker. At the last moment, she
thought better of it and clasped her hands in front of her.
“No, Pa! There ain’t no
call you doin’ that. We’re doin’ right fine. Sellin’ the farm
will force us to move to town. You don’t want that.”
“We ain’t movin’ to
town. We’re stayin’ right here. I done found you a husband, Beth.
It’s part of the deal. He’s goin’ to marry you as part of
buyin’ the farm.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Zina Abbott is the
pen name used by Robyn Echols for her historical novels. Her novel,
Family Secrets, was published by Fire Star Press in October
2014 and her novelette, A
Christmas Promise, was published by Prairie Rose
Publications in November 2014. The first two novellas in the Eastern SierraBrides 1884 series, Big Meadows Valentine and A
Resurrected Heart, are now available.
The author currently lives with her husband in California near the “Gateway to Yosemite.”
She enjoys family history and any kind of history. When she is not piecing
together novel plots, she pieces together quilt blocks.
Please visit the Zina Abbott’s Amazon Author Page by
clicking HERE.
Zina Abbott Author Links:
Purchase Links for Big Meadows Valentine:
Purchase Links for A Resurrected Heart:
Good morning Zina. What a great excerpt. Now there's one Pa that would be dead! LOL
ReplyDeleteThanks for being my guest today.
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ReplyDeleteThank you, Penny. Unfortunately, this type of thing took place all too often in the past, especially for women who were not of age, yet (21 years old). In this story, this is in the prologue and takes place years before 1884. Pa knows he is dying of consumption, but does not believe in willing the farm to his two daughters--only a MAN can take care of a farm. He thinks he is doing a good thing. I encourage readers to find out whether or not Pa made a wise choice when it came to providing for Beth and her sister.
ReplyDeletePenny and Zina, thank you for sharing. I am going to go look at this one. It looks very interesting.
ReplyDeleteStacey