Author Jodie Wolfe Visits!

Welcome to Jodie, author of Historical Romance books. Let's start off today by getting a glimpse into her book with this excerpt from TAMING JULIA:

Matrimony News, February 6, 1875 edition

Minister bachelor aged 27, height 5 feet 10 inches seeks 

genteel, honest and first-rate homemaker with a desire to serve God. 

Must be willing to marry by proxy and arrive in Burrton Springs, Kansas by May 1.

~*~

Burrton Springs, Kansas, Saturday, May 1, 1875

Dear Lord, please don’t let that creature be my new wife. 

Drew Montgomery swiped the sweat trickling a path down his neck and shoved the new hat back on his head. He squinted, taking in the lone passenger stepping from the stagecoach. At least, he thought it was a woman. He shielded his eyes from the sun, taking in the britches.

Britches? A gun belt strapped to a slim waist. 

He gulped. 

A rifle rested on her shoulder, and she wore a Stetson situated low on her brow. The figure shifted sideways, and Drew groaned, fearing his proxy mail-order bride had arrived by the look of all the curves. He squared his shoulders and crossed the street.

"Are you Montgomery?" Her coffee-brown gaze seared through him.

He snapped his gaping mouth shut and nodded. "Y-yes."

"Name’s Jules Walker." She shoved her hand into his and shook it so hard his teeth clattered. "I reckon, Jules Montgomery since we’re hitched." She waved a slip of paper in his face. "Got the paper here to prove it. So are you my husband or not?"

Drew caught a whiff of dirt. He coughed and cleared his throat.

She peered at him as if he were a chicken with one leg.

"I’m Drew." He managed to choke the words out. "Isn’t your name Julia?"

She scrunched her face, pushed her Stetson from her head, and allowed it to dangle from the string around her neck. Her brown hair scattered in disarray, slipping from a shoulder-length braid. "I can’t remember the last time I’ve been called Julia. Like I said, name’s Jules."

"But..." Drew let the word hang between them. No matter. "Where’re your things?"

"Got my knapsack and that there." She pointed to the top of the stagecoach. 

He expected to see a trunk, but a saddle rested there instead. What kind of woman brought a saddle into a marriage? What kind of woman showed up dressed like a man? 

No. No. 

Something was terribly wrong.

 Back Cover Blurb for Taming Julia:

In 1875, Kansas bachelor Drew Montgomery's sole desire is to serve God, but his congregation's ultimatum that he marry or leave forces him to advertise for a wife by proxy.

Jules Walker strides into Drew's life wearing breeches and toting a gun and saddle--more cowboy than bride. After years on the trail, she's not exactly wife material, but she longs for home and family and will do anything to ensure Drew never discovers what she really is.

Purchase Links for Taming Julia:

Amazon

Barnesandnoble.com/

NOW, let's talk to Jodie a bit about her writing!

Welcome, Jodie. What distracts you the easiest from writing?

Social media and research bunny trails. It's so easy to get caught up and spend way more time online than I wanted.


What kind of books do you enjoy reading? (Book recommendations very welcome!)

Historical romance, especially anything by Karen Witemeyer, Mary Connealy, Jen Turano, and Regina Jennings.


Which character in your new release most interested you while you wrote? Why?

Most definitely my heroine, Jules. She is full of quirks and has limited experience when it comes to being a wife which gave me lots of room to create fun situations for her to find herself in.


What is your favorite season of the year?

Winter! I love the cold and snow. Every winter you'll find me and my husband praying for snow.


Are there things you put off doing because you dread them?

Cleaning the house. Still waiting for it to clean itself. Hasn't happened yet. :)


What's your favorite meal with family and friends? (and feel free to share a recipe with us!)

Steak, baked sweet potato, and salad shared with my best friend, my husband.


Are there spiritual themes you like to write about?

Each of my books addresses the hope that can only be found in Christ.

About Jodie:

Jodie Wolfe creates novels where hope and quirky meet. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), Romance Writers of America (RWA), and COMPEL Training. She's been a semi-finalist and finalist in various writing contests. A former columnist for Home School Enrichment magazine, her articles can be found online at: Crosswalk, Christian Devotions, and Heirloom Audio. She's a contributor and co-founder of Stitches Thru Time blog. When not writing she enjoys spending time with her husband in Pennsylvania, reading, walking, and being a Grammie. Learn more at www.jodiewolfe.com.

Visit Jodie at these sites:

Website: https://www.jodiewolfe.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jodie-Wolfe-553400191384913

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JodieAWolfe

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/JodieAWolfe

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15220520.Jodie_Wolfe

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Jodie-Wolfe/e/B01EAWOHXO/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1



Thanks for joining us today, Jodie

Readers, do check out Jodie's books. I'm sure you'll love them if historical romance is your reading love! 

Story Sparks and Six Authors: Featuring Jodie Wolfe Today!

125^th Anniversary of the Cherokee Strip Land Run of 1893

By Jodie Wolfe

Welcome to the Story Sparks multi-Author Blog Tour. Between May 21-26, 2018, readers get a chance to enter and win ebooks from six different authors. Today, Jodie Wolfe is the featured author. Two lucky winners will be awarded either her To Claim Her Heart or Mrs. Wigglesworth's Essential Guide to Proper Etiquette and Manners of Refined Society. Jodie will be talking about the Cherokee Strip Land Run of 1893. Read on to discover what sparked Jodie's creativity and to enter the Rafflecopter to win her heartwarming book.

September 16^th will mark the 125^th anniversary of the Cherokee Strip Land Run of 1893. It was our Nation’s last great race for land. 115,000 people showed up to race for 42,000 plots. I can clearly picture that day. It was hot and dry. Folks gathered along nine different starting places located along the Kansas border and south of the Cherokee Strip in Oklahoma Territory.

All manner of conveyances could be seen—people on foot, horseback, buggies, wagons, bicycles, trains, etc. I can easily imagine the clamor and chaos as all those assembled awaited the gunshot that would signify the start of the race at noon. People were desperate. The country had undergone an economic catastrophe with the plummet of the New York Stock Exchange due to the overinvesting in the railroads. Many businesses that depended upon the railroad were forced to close their doors. Quite a number of banks either closed or called in their loans. It was a difficult time.

Such is the backdrop for my new novel, To Claim Her Heart. This book is especially significant to me since it was my dear mother-in-law who introduced me to the history of the land run. It mattered to her because she had several relatives who completed in the landrace and found claims. I vividly remember the summer of 1997 when we stopped off in Oklahoma to see one of those original properties. My sons and I tromped over the land and saw the homestead that was built in 1894. The first home had been a soddy that didn’t last longer than a year.

The rock home I saw was partially built into the side of a hill and in a state of disrepair. A stream gurgled nearby and within a couple of miles, the Gloss (Glass) Mountains cropped out of the landscape. It didn’t take much for me to start imagining characters tromping through the area and choosing to settle there.

While Mom never lived to see this book finally published, she knew that I was working on it in her last days. I’m so thankful that she shared her rich family history with me. Quite a few of the family stories she told me were included in my book.

Here’s what the back cover blurb says:

In 1893, on the eve of the great race for land, Benjamin David prays for God to guide him to his 'Promised Land. Finding property and preaching to the lost are his only ways of honoring his deceased fiancée. He hasn't counted on Elmer (Elsie) Smith claiming the same plot and refusing to leave. Not only is she a burr in his side, but she is full of the homesteading know-how he is sadly lacking.

Obtaining a claim in the Cherokee Strip Land Run is Elsie Smith's only hope for survival, and not just any plot, she has a specific one in mind. The land's not only a way to honor her pa and his life, but also to provide a livelihood for herself. She's willing to put in whatever it takes to get that piece of property, and Elsie's determined to keep it.

Her bitterness is what protects her, and she has no intentions of allowing that preacher to lay claim to her land . . . or her heart.

Links:

Purchase Link for To Claim Her Heart: https://www.amazon.com/Claim-Her-Heart-Jodie-Wolfe/dp/1946016470/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1525790723&sr=8-1&keywords=to+claim+her+heart

Website: https://www.jodiewolfe.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jodie-Wolfe-553400191384913

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JodieAWolfe

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/JodieAWolfe

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15220520.Jodie_Wolfe

Purchase Link for Mrs. Wigglesworth's Essential Guide to Proper Etiquette and Manners of Refined Society:https://www.amazon.com/Wigglesworths-Essential-Etiquette-Manners-Refined-ebook/dp/B07CMWB8KB/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1525963859&sr=8-4&keywords=jodie+wolfe

Bio:

Jodie Wolfe creates novels where hope and quirky meet. The power of story to influence lives and change hearts is what motivates her to weave tales that tell of the Savior's faithfulness and forgiveness. She's been a semi-finalist and finalist in various writing contests and is a member of ACFW and RWA. When not writing she enjoys spending time with her husband in Pennsylvania, reading, walking, and being a Grammie. Learn more at www.jodiewolfe.com.

Here’s the first scene:

Chapter One

Competition should be relegated to the male species. Proper young ladies should avoid a situation which permits rivalry, particularly involving the male species. If unavoidable, allow the gentleman to win. Be above reproach in this manner.

Mrs. Wigglesworth’s Essential Guide to Proper Etiquette and Manners of Refined Society

September 15, 1893, Kiowa, Kansas—Border of the Cherokee Strip

“Elmer Smith?”

For once in all of her days, Elsie welcomed the name Pa had insisted on when her life began and Ma’s had ended.

“Is that you, son?”

“Ain’t your son.” Ain’t no one’s son. Elsie shifted her Stetson lower to ward off the man’s scrutiny.

“There’s no need to get your prickles up. Do you testify you’re at least twenty-one years of age and head of your household?”

Elsie nodded and bit back a retort.

“Then sign here.” The man shoved a paper across the makeshift desk. Beads of moisture dotted his upper lip.

She scrawled her name on the line. The page crinkled when she folded and shoved it into her shirt pocket, along with the copy of The Homestead Laws and Pa’s hand-drawn map.

“Get out of the way, kid.” A scraggly looking fellow jabbed into her shoulder.

Elsie stepped out of line, glaring at him. He ignored her and turned his attention to the clerk.

She elbowed through a crowd of men. How had her small town swelled to so many folks? Thankfully there were few she recognized, or, more so, who could recognize her. The less who knew her gender, the better. She certainly didn’t need no man to help her get the land she and Pa had dreamed about.

Elsie scooted her hat up and swiped at the sweat on her forehead before dropping it back into place, scrunching the thick braid she’d pinned up three days prior. Hefting her saddlebags to her opposite shoulder, she hiked the short distance to the livery and retrieved Buster. A short ride would clear her head and prepare her for what lay ahead.

Dust swirled and nearly choked Elsie as she rode in the opposite direction of the throngs, to see the old farm one last time.

Acrid smoke filled her lungs. Nearby fires, to deter Sooners from entering the strip before the race began, burned in the west, but not out of control.

Elsie urged Buster, careful not to tire him. Everything hinged on finding the land tomorrow.

Everything.

At the beginning of each chapter I created advice from a Mrs. Wigglesworth. Of course, most of my characters do the complete opposite. :) Because I’ve had such positive feedback in regard to these sayings, I created an ebook of her quips. I’ll be giving away a copy of it as well as an ecopy of To Claim Her Heart, so be sure to leave a comment.

Question for Readers:

What time period/historical event draws your attention?

ENTER to WIN BOOKS!!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/831a42731/?

My Twelve Favorite Things I Love About Christmas! by Jodie Wolfe

Delighted to have my long time friend, Jodie Wolfe visit today and share her delights about Christmas. Read on for an entertaining list . . .

12 Things I Love About Christmas  By Jodie Wolfe


1. The weather turns colder and we have a better chance of snow. 
Okay, we haven't actually had any snow yet, but a girl can hope. :) We won't mention the fact that it's been much warmer than normal... instead I'm hoping and praying the temperatures drop and we get some Christmas snow!





2. The lights.
There's something special about the season that gets everyone in a holiday mood. Residences put up lights
and Christmas displays. Last night my husband and I drove around our neighborhood to see the beauty of lights. For us it's a reminder of Jesus, the Great Light that came into the world for us.




3. Decorations.
Along with the lights, the special Christmas decorations come out to grace trees, front yards, mantels, etc. While I haven't been able to bring out some of my favorites this year, I delight in seeing the simplistic charm of the things I'm able to display.






4. Cantata.
Our church choir performs a Christmas cantata ever year. I love being a part of the choir and being able to sing about my Savior's birth. While this isn't a photo of our choir, it does remind me of the joy of singing to the Lord.




5. The Crèche.
I love seeing around town the different nativity scenes that are placed on the lawns of folks and various churches too. The crèche is a reminder of what the season is all about. If you haven't ever read it before, pick up a Bible and read Luke chapter 2.










6. Special sights in town.
Every year before Thanksgiving, our town has a holiday parade. Before that takes place, the historical district of my town bedecks the street lights with greenery and lights that gives it a wondrous appearance. I love to drive along main street when it's arrayed in all its beauty.





7. The music.
Most years you'll find me starting to listen to Christmas music as early as July. Let's just say I love the music of the season. :) Even though I have quite a number of Christmas CD's to listen to, each year I add to my collection.



8. Goodies. :)
While I'm not always the greatest cookie baker, I enjoy the special foods of the season. My waistline may not always appreciate it, but it only comes once a year, right? LOL. I do enjoy special times with family and friends and often good foods are involved too.





9. Time.
While this is often tied with #8, I love being able to spend time with family and friends. Okay, I admit, sometimes the preparation beforehand can be stressful, but I'm blessed to have family and friends in my life and to be able to spend time with each other.




10. Christmas cards.
Most years I love writing out the Christmas cards. We've always written one of those newsy family letters
that share what has happened in our lives the past year. While we may experience many ups and downs, we always are reminded of God's faithfulness seeing us through each situation.





11. Joy.
The season is especially meaningful to me because of the reminder that Jesus is our Joy. If He hadn't come to the world as a baby we wouldn't be able to experience true joy.


12. Last, but most important - JESUS.
There would be no reason to celebrate the holiday if it wasn't for Jesus. He came into this world as a baby, to grow up to die on the cross for our sins, so one day we can live in heaven with Him. Our world needs a Savior. We.... you... I need a Savior.






Jodie got bitten by the writing bug as a young girl after reading and watching Little House on the Prairie. She loves writing stories about feisty heroines and strong, godly heroes. The power of story to influence lives and change hearts is what motivates her to weave tales that tell of the Savior’s faithfulness and forgiveness.

You can find her on FB, her website and other social media.

My Favorite Things I Love About Autumn by Jodie Wolfe

Thrilled to have my friend Jodie Wolfe with me today sharing about her Five Loves of Autumn. Enjoy!



1. The Smells - I love the smell of the leaves as you walk through them. Then there's the scent of hot apple
cider, apple crisp hot from the oven and the smell of the apples as they become ripe on the tree. I love to have either an apple or pumpkin candle burning once fall hits. Sorry, I couldn't limit it to just one smell. :)



2. The Sounds - While I'm not crazy about raking, I do love the sound of leaves as they crunch and rustle under foot. Almost every year when my sons were still at home we would take a fall leaf hike up on the mountain near us. There's was something about that sound as we trekked through the forest to be the first to find a unique leaf.





3. Change of Temperature - I really enjoy when the weather begins to turn cooler. I love to take a stroll early each morning and I find it invigorating to walk when there is a briskness to the air. Somehow it makes me feel more alive.





4. The colors - I live in PA and this year the colors were exceptional. Each morning as I walked in my
neighborhood I took stock of what new trees were beginning to show signs of color. I truly enjoyed seeing the progression from the first hint of hue until now when very few leaves are remaining on the trees.







5. What's to Come - While I truly have enjoyed the colors, sounds, smells and cooler temperatures, my most favorite thing about fall is that winter is right around the corner. :) Winter is my favorite season because I absolutely love SNOW. My friends are always giving me a hard time in winter because whenever there is any threat of precipitation, I'm the one praying for snow. :)





BIO:

Jodie Wolfe loves to stroll through history with the characters she creates. When not writing she enjoys
spending time with her husband, reading and walking.



You can find her on her
Website:  http://www.jodiewolfe.com
Putting on the New blog:  http://puttingonthenew.com
Stitches Thru Time blog:   http://stitchesthrutime.blogspot.com



Thanks for stopping by for a visit, Jodie!
Readers, what's a favorite Autumn item you love? Can you identify with any of Jodie's?


Blessings!