She should have stayed in the shadows—but Leonor de Guzmán yearned for the sun
Castile in the 1330s is a place of constant turmoil. King Alfonso must contend with the incursions from the Muslim Marinids eager to reclaim Al-Andalus while struggling with repeated rebellions against his firm rule.
When Alfonso needs respite, he finds it in the arms of his Leonor—the most beautiful woman in the realm. But while he may love Leonor over all others, his lawful wife, Maria of Portugal, is tired of being constantly displaced by the fair Leonor.
Leonor loves her man. She gives him healthy sons, a place to be himself. But she is only a mistress, even if Alfonso treats her like a queen. Leonor’s enemies watch and hate.
Flying too close to the sun comes at a high price. How much will Leonor’s love cost her?
Based on the true story of Alfonso XI and his complicated relationships to wife and life-long mistress
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
About the Author
Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with three absorbing interests: history, romance and writing. Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as two equally acclaimed medieval series; The King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14th century England, and The Castilian Saga ,which is set against the medieval conquest of Wales. She has also published a time travel romance, The Whirlpools of Time, and its sequel Times of Turmoil, and is now considering just how to wiggle out of setting the next book in that series in Peter the Great’s Russia, as her characters are demanding. . .
All of Anna’s books have been awarded the IndieBRAG Medallion, she has several Historical Novel Society Editor’s Choices, and one of her books won the HNS Indie Award in 2015. She is also the proud recipient of various Reader’s Favorite medals as well as having won various Gold, Silver and Bronze Coffee Pot Book Club awards.
“A master storyteller” “This is what all historical fiction should be like. Superb.”
Find out more about Anna, her books and enjoy her eclectic historical blog on her website, www.annabelfrage.com where you will also find her post about Alfonso and Leonor:
Book Title: The Queen’s Sister uthor Name: Carol McGrath Publication Date: 4th June 2026 Publisher: Headline Accent Pages: 300 Genre: Historical Fiction
A mother, a wife, a woman of substance…
At nineteen, Elizabeth Seymour is already a mother, has been recently widowed, and seen her Queen, Anne Boleyn, lose her life. Against the wishes of her father, she heads North, away from Wulf Hall and the court in London to Yorkshire, determined to establish a new beginning as a landowner and business woman. As her family in Wiltshire curry favour with King Henry, aided by Thomas Cromwell, Elizabeth makes Kexby Manor her home, finding loyalty among her people there.
Soon, news comes to Elizabeth of the King’s desires for her sister, Jane and while her brother, Edward, encourages her own betrothal to Gregory Cromwell, son of Thomas. It is a happy second marriage for Elizabeth, but it brings unwanted involvement in the dark plots and secrecy of the court, while in the wider country, changes in religious practice threaten to alter the traditions and values of all she has known…
THE QUEEN’S SISTER vividly imagines the story of the woman possibly portrayed in Hans Holbein’s beautiful painting ‘Portrait of a Lady,’ and is a colourful, meticulously researched novel of Tudor life behind the scenes.
What readers say about Carol McGrath’s novels:
‘Another beautifully crafted, well-researched work of historical fiction from Carol McGrath’
‘Brimming with intrigue, tension and adventure, The Lost Queen is a powerful Medieval tale full of atmosphere, danger and emotion and transports the reader to another world’
I am Elizabeth Seymour, sister to the Queen. My second marriage to Gregory Cromwell is barely a month old, yet to my surprise, my portrait has already been commissioned by my father-in-law. As Lord Privy Seal, Thomas Cromwell has both affluence and influence; it is the celebrated Master Hans Holbein who is to paint me. He enjoys King Henry’s patronage and has recently completed a likeness of my sister.
‘Master Holbein,’ I say, after he arrives at Mort Lake, and I am looking at a selection of drawings he has displayed on a table in the great parlour.
‘I do believe you truly capture the humanity of your subject.’ I look up at his eager round face and thoughtful brown eyes. ‘This is all I ask for, since I wish to appear human and not merely portrayed as a stiff poppet in her best gown.’
One by one, I lift sketches he had drawn of my sister Queen Jane before painting her. These are fine drawings and capture her serenity. I consider them for some minutes. ‘They look like Jane but there is something intangible and sad too. She looks as if she will never reveal her true feelings.’
‘Her mystery,’ the painter says. ‘Everyone has secrets, and their public face can guard that which is unknown. I hope my work permits a glimpse of the sitter’s soul.’
I hold the sketches at arm’s length to study them closely again and tilt my head enquiringly. ‘My sister, does she have secrets, for I think her guileless?’
I smile, but my gaze is steady. Holbein returns my smile. ‘My lady, your sister is the perfect Queen. Besides she is with child and very happy,’ he says. ‘Her secret is her awareness of her responsibility as Queen, and she was hopeful for the future when I painted her. Women are by nature lovely and mysterious creatures. The Queen was confident that she would conceive the King’s child. And now, the good Lord has granted her wish.’
I nod, my face composed and serious. ‘Yes, Master Holbein, and I am to be aunt to a future prince or princess of England. That is a responsibility too. So, Master painter, I give you carte blanche. You have my trust.’ I replace the drawings of Jane on top of the polished walnut table.
‘These drawings have truth. I see a sister who is dignified, human, guarded and calm.’
Yet also, I cannot forget the shy, timid young woman Jane was before she won the King’s heart.
‘Queen Jane remains reserved rather than diffident and I see that you are too, my lady. You seem serious minded and educated, noble and patient, practical, yet creative and you are already a mother. You are a clever handsome woman and, in your portrait, I hope to capture the keen intelligence behind your bright eyes.’
I’m flattered by Master Holbein’s recognition of me as an intelligent woman and I warm to him. ‘Come next week, Master Painter, and you can begin your sketches,’ I say. ‘But mind, my sister will go into seclusion by the calends of September so I cannot sit for you after that.’
‘We can at least make a beginning, my lady,’ he says, bows and gathers up his drawings.
About the Author:
Following a first degree in English and History at QUB, Carol McGrath completed an MA in Creative Writing from The Seamus Heaney Centre, Queens University Belfast, followed by an MPhil in English from University of London. She is published by Headline.
The Handfasted Wife, first in a trilogy about the royal women of 1066 was shortlisted for the RoNAs in 2014. The Swan-Daughter and The Betrothed Sister complete this highly acclaimed trilogy. Mistress Cromwell, a best-selling historical novel about Elizabeth Cromwell, wife of Henry VIII’s statesman, Thomas Cromwell, was republished by Headline in 2020. The Silken Rose, first in a Medieval She-Wolf Queens Trilogy, featuring Ailenor of Provence, saw publication in April 2020. This was followed by The Damask Rose. The Stone Rose was published April 2022. The Stolen Crown 2023 and July 2024 The Lost Queen about Berengaria of Navarre and The Third Crusade. The Queen’s Sister, sequel to Mistress Cromwell sees publication in June 2026.
Carol writes historical non-fiction as well as fiction. Sex and Sexuality in Tudor England was published in February 2022 by Pen & Sword. She speaks at Conferences and gives interviews.
Some Starry Night Written by Irene Latham Publication Date: April 14, 2026 Publisher: Historium Press
Under the pale glow of a Parisian spring in 1886, two restless souls move toward the same horizon-unaware that their meeting will ignite a love as luminous and fleeting as the stars themselves.
Vincent van Gogh arrives in Paris with little more than paint-stained hands and an aching determination to create something worthy of the world. Living in the cramped apartment of his brother Theo, he struggles against poverty, doubt, and the relentless pull of his own restless mind.
Across the ocean in Amherst, Emily Dickinson receives news that changes everything. Faced with the nearness of death, the reclusive poet does the unthinkable: she leaves the quiet safety of the Homestead and sails for Paris, determined to taste life before it slips beyond her reach.
When Emily agrees to sit for Vincent’s portrait, their worlds collide in a blaze of color, poetry, and dangerous intimacy. Through letters, poems, and whispered confessions, the two artists discover in one another a fierce, unguarded understanding-one that will shape their art, their faith, and the fragile hours they have left.
But love between stars is never simple. As time grows short and darkness gathers, Vincent and Emily must decide whether beauty is meant to last…or simply to burn bright enough to change the night forever.
Some Starry Night is a sweeping, lyrical imagining of the hidden story behind Vincent van Gogh’s most iconic painting-an unforgettable tale of love, creativity, and the courage to live fiercely, even in the shadow of the end.
Forget Agostina. And forgive my careless words. In my
rush to share all I can with you, I sometimes do not
think about what effect my words will have when they
come so cold and dry on paper, and not from my
mouth.
If we were together, you would know it is not just a
portion of my heart that you occupy. My whole paint-
splattered soul is yours.
I’ve been in such a frenzy, trying to make the time
pass to the moment when we shall meet again, that I
fear I have run out of flowers. All the Paris greenhouse
keepers know me by name. Asters, dahlias, daisies,
geraniums, hollyhocks, lilacs, phlox, salvia . . . It’s a
shame I’m not a better gardener, and I only keep the
cuttings long enough to set them dancing on the canvas
in fields of blue.
I’d like to share a trick I use when painting trees or
flowers. I try to find the soul in them. Do you know
what I mean? Sometimes, a stand of willows might re-
semble a procession of weary, old men. Or I might find
a child’s face in a zinnia. It’s a special way of looking.
A poet’s way of looking.
Just a bit longer, mon petit oiseau. Every time I
read your words in your distinctive pen, it’s almost as
if the hand of God is upon my chest. The demons I
carry stop their chortling. You have that power, Emily.
Love,
Your Vincent
About the Author:
Irene Latham writes poems and stories from the Purple Horse Poetry Studio & Music Room in Blount County, Alabama. She is the author or co-author of many books for young people, including African Town, winner of the Scott O’Dell Award for Outstanding Historical Fiction.
This is her first novel for adults. Learn more at irenelatham.com.
If the newspaper reported your death and no one questioned it, would you
correct the mistake… or take the lifeline?
Dan Driscoll is consumed by gambling debt, cornered by bookies and loan
sharks, forced to bet on one last scheme. When things turn violent and two
people are shot, his best friend, Stan Neumann, swallows what he suspects. He
can’t risk divulging a closely-held family secret.
Then a body washes up on the Lake Michigan shoreline, and the lake gives Dan
what the bookies never would: a way out. Authorities call it an accident and
list him as the drowning victim. For Dan, it’s an escape route delivered
in black ink.
He becomes a ghost, an imposter, a chameleon. But lies don’t stay
buried.
As America is pulled into World War II, Stan enlists, choosing duty on his
terms before the draft can rewrite his life. In Pearl Harbor, one chance
encounter dredges up a name he thought was long buried.
War changes everything, but it doesn’t erase unfinished business. And
when the truth demands to be heard, how long can a stolen life stay buried
before the past comes to collect?
While author Mark Bearss was setting the stage for his retirement, concerned
co-workers would ask, “What are you going to do when you’re not
working?” He found this question rather curious. It should have been
posed, “What are you going to do first?” Mark knew that if travel
was involved, he had had enough of commercial flights after 28 years of
teaching for the medical device industry. Mark yearned for road trips –
to visit those places he only saw from 38,000 feet. Little did he know that
wish journeyed down an unexpected fork in the road. He would become an author.
While conducting genealogy research, Mark discovered archived de-classified
military documents that revealed the name of a U.S. Navy destroyer his father
served aboard during WWII. The reason this was a poignant discovery was
because, while growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, his father made no
mention of this. Apart from being a U.S. Naval Reserve flight instructor, he
knew his father served aboard the carrier USS ESSEX. But in what capacity?
That, too, was not revealed. More discoveries materialized the further he dug.
In fact, there was a lot more his father didn’t mention. This
wasn’t unusual. Many WWII veterans didn’t talk about what happened
back then.
Because of the pandemic, the National Archives in St. Louis was closed and
rendered Lt. Bearss’ military records unavailable. Thus began a project
that challenged Mark’s research endeavors for over two years and about
5,000 miles on the road. The biographical sketch was sorted from creative
Internet search strings, history books, navy publications, and networking with
journalists, librarians, archivists, bloggers, aviation enthusiasts, museum
and historical society curators, navy veterans, relatives, and more. One
online resource that was instrumental in tracking his father’s journey
was the weekly newspaper published in the county where his parents grew up:
The Oceana Herald. It included a Local News section where family members and
organizations could submit a short blurb about a relative’s visit, a
social gathering, or – where a son or husband was currently stationed.
This project culminated in 2022 with Mark’s first publication titled,
Undisclosed Stories Discovered: Honoring the World War II Military Journey of
Lt. Joseph Ward Bearss, USNR. When asked what was one of the highlights
surrounding this story, he described the road trips to seek out and discover
places where his father lived, trained and was stationed during the war. What
prompted him to write this as a biography took place during a meeting with the
curator of the World War II Home Front Museum on St. Simons Island, Georgia.
St. Simons Naval Air Station was the site for the U.S. Naval Radar Training
Station, where Lt. Bearss was trained in shipboard radar operations, enemy
interception, and Fighter Direction. While the museum had ample archived
materials about the facility, it had very little documented about the
servicemembers who trained there.
Only 250 copies were printed. Mark went back on the road in his Class-B
motorhome and personally donated those copies to family members, friends and
relatives, the librarians, archivists, researchers, museums, curators,
historical societies, newspapers, The American Heritage Center, VFW Posts,
airport FBOs, and other assorted WWII enthusiasts in 12 states who helped in
his endeavors. It was a two-fold reward. Not only did his father’s story
finally become told, Mark experienced the pleasure of meeting all these
wonderful people who were his resources, advisors, collaborators, and
consultants. Up until that point, they were only names in an email contact
list.
You’re probably asking, “How is all this relevant to Mark’s
new novel, Cain’s Chameleon?” It was the research from The Oceana
Herald that planted the seed for this story. While perusing its issues, Mark
stumbled on two articles that piqued his curiosity. The first reported an
attempted murder in a home close to his family’s summer cottage on Lake
Michigan. The second reported a drowning victim that washed up on the beach
right where Mark and his friends used to play. Just two more stories never
divulged while growing up. He wondered, Were these two events related? Then
Mark decided — he would make them related.
Title: Circus Bim Bom: A Cold War Adventure Series: Book One of a Duology Author: Cliff Lovette Publication Date: March 1, 2026 Publisher: Bim Bom Books Print Length: 478 Pages Genre: Historical Fiction / Romantic Adventure / Political Intrigue
Soviet circus performers arrived in America hoping to build cultural bridges. Instead, they became unwitting pawns in a Cold War game of international intrigue.
When the first privately owned Soviet circus arrived in 1990 in America as the Soviet Union disintegrated, its elite performers expected to build cultural bridges through spectacular shows. Instead, this prestigious troupe faced a perilous journey through Cold War America.
Circus director Yuri had to navigate treacherous waters where American mobsters, Soviet agents, and political forces circled like predators. Young aerialist Anton dreamed of becoming a clown against his family’s wishes, while forbidden romances and unexpected connections bloomed between Soviet performers and Americans who saw past the ideological divide. As high-stakes conspiracies threatened to tear the circus family apart, they had to choose between the authoritarian chains of home and the uncertain promise of freedom.
As the Ringmaster reminds us, “The best Soviet stories are like vodka—they burn with suffering, intoxicate with conflict, keep you stewing in reflection, and yearning for your heart’s desire.” This genre-bending tale explores whether human connection can transcend ideology—and whether storytelling can bridge the divides that separate us.
✨ Discounts on Gifts and Merch ✨ Exclusive glimpses into the self-publishing journey ✨ Previews of historical curiosities about Soviet circus life that didn’t make it into the book ✨ Exclusive “Rabbit Hole” bonus stories and other literary surprises ✨ A front-row seat to the book’s development and launch ✨ Sign up for Free
Circus Bim Bom offers an innovative multimedia reading experience. The novel includes 45+ YouTube links to period music, historical speeches, and cultural moments embedded throughout—readers can listen to the actual songs characters dance to as they waltz, and watch Reagan’s Brandenburg Gate speech as it’s referenced in the text.
Character Avatars: 25+ talking video introductions where characters speak directly to readers
Re-Imagined Circus Posters
Book Club Experience: Interactive forums, live chat, and community discussions
Historians Room(under construction): A space for Cold War history buffs to fact-check the novel, explore primary sources, and debate historical accuracy
GUEST POST – THE GENRE CONUNDRUM
Six years ago, I set out to write a story—not a “historical fiction” or a “political thriller.” Just a story. But then came the marketing phase, and suddenly I needed to pick a shelf.
The word genre comes from the French for “kind” or “type,” derived from Latin genus. The concept traces back to Aristotle, who classified literature like a botanist sorting plants. And honestly? Genre serves useful purposes. It helps readers quickly find books they’ll love and avoid those they won’t. It tells booksellers which shelf gets which spine. It creates communities of like-minded readers who gather around shared passions.
But for writers like me, it creates dilemmas.
Some in the historical fiction community disregard Circus Bim Bom because 1990 isn’t “old enough”—or because I was alive when the story took place. Never mind that my novel checks every box on M.K. Tod’s “Top Ten Ingredients of Favourite Historical Fiction”: dramatic arc of historical events, characters both heroic and human, immersion in time and place, corridors of power, ageless themes, high stakes, love and loss, and dysfunctional families.
My story also has four distinct romantic arcs threading through it. Does that make it a romance? God forbid I disappoint devoted romance readers too impatient to wade through political machinations and mob entanglements to reach the juicy love stories. And don’t get me started on tropes.
But fundamentally, my book is satire. Is that even a genre? What’s a self-publisher to do?
I put it to you: Read my book. If it were a dog, it would be a mongrel—like one of its favorite characters, Kratu. But then again, mongrels have a way of stealing hearts.
Sometimes the best stories refuse to fit neatly on any shelf.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Father, storyteller, and dog lover living in Sandy Springs, Georgia, with London curled at his feet. Cliff Lovette is an entertainment lawyer who learned about the real Circus Bim Bom in 1991 when the circus’s American road manager became a client at his Atlanta law firm. Circus Bim Bom: A Cold War Adventure is the first book in his debut duology
William Sukara, a gregarious dreamer, emerges from the 1950s an estranged son.
In divorce debt and with limited visitation rights as a father, he searches
for order in failure. Pursuing self-discipline as an answer, he enlists in the
Navy, volunteers for underwater demolition team training, and survives the
elite course.
With five other team members, he raises his hand for a clandestine mission,
knowing only that it’s a “hundred day operation in a warm climate.” They
are led by a mysterious civilian who alludes that their authorization comes
from the Oval Office, and they are to operate with extreme malice. They
revolt, escaping under bizarre circumstances.
The Helmsman of Anthesis is a raw, close to the nerve, psychological
thriller about a mission gone wantonly mad.
About the Author
At age twenty, Lee Hodiak joined the Navy and spent most of his enlistment
attached to Underwater Demolition Team 12. After serving, he joined the San
Diego Police Department but realized he needed to follow his passion for
wilderness travel and adventure instead. He went on to backpack the Baja
California Peninsula, built a thirty-six-foot sloop, and lived in Australia
for twenty years.
Now a resident of Central California, Lee enjoys
birdwatching and living by the ocean. Sixty years in the making, The Helmsman
of Anthesis is his debut novel.
Publication Date: 18th November 2025 Publisher: Independently Published Page Length: 162 Genre: Historical Fiction
Praise: “The Relic Keeper” ultimately stands as a radiant celebration of hope, kindness, and the beauty that emerges when wounded souls dare to reach towards the light. It is a story to savour, reflect upon, and carry with you — an unforgettable addition to Eljarbo’s heartfelt repertoire of novels that bring history to life. Yarde Book Promotion
ABOUT THE BOOK
Italy, 1620.
Angelo is an orphan, lonely and forgotten. Having been passed on from one family to the next, he ends up as a common thief, subject to and under the thumb of a ruthless robber called Tozzo.
Angelo knows no other life and has lost hope that any chance of providence will ever replace his lonely, misfortunate existence. When he loses his master, his livelihood is shaken. Tozzo’s plunder is hidden in a safe place, but what will happen if someone comes after Angelo to get their hands on the stolen relics? More than that, he feels threatened by words he’s heard too many times; that he’ll always remain unforgiven and doomed.
One day, a priest invites Angelo to help with chores around the church and rectory and, in exchange, offers him room and board. Padre Benedetto’s kindness and respect are unfamiliar and confusing, but Angelo’s safety is still a grave concern. Two older robbers have heard rumors about the hidden treasures and will stop at nothing to attain them.
With literary depictions and imagery, Angelo’s story is a gripping and emotional journey of faint hope and truth in seventeenth-century Italy—an artistic and audacious tale that crosses paths with art collector Vincenzo Giustiniani and the powerful Medici family.
That night, Angelo returned to the church. The street had been quiet. The merchants had packed up their stalls, and the villagers were safely asleep in their homes.
Angelo had been a thief for as long as he could remember, but lately, he’d started debating with himself, wondering whether stealing from a church was considered sacrilegious. God was a stranger…a distant king, and the people who worshipped him seemed more inclined to talk about the devil. Angelo had been the victim of plenty of threats in his short life. If there were a God, what would He think of a lowly thief like Angelo? Would He pour his wrath down on Angelo’s head like hot lava from an erupting volcano, or would He show mercy upon a young man who had experienced little goodness in his life?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
HEIDI ELJARBO grew up in a home full of books, artwork, and happy creativity. She is the author of historical novels filled with courage, hope, mystery, adventure, and sweet romance during challenging times. She’s been named a master of dual timelines and often writes about strong-willed women of past centuries.
After living in Canada, six US states, Japan, Switzerland, and Austria, Heidi now calls Norway home. She lives with her husband on a charming island and enjoys walking in any kind of weather, hugging her grandchildren, and has a passion for art and history. Her family’s chosen retreat is a mountain cabin, where they hike in the summer and ski the vast white terrain during winter.
Heidi’s favorites are her family, God’s beautiful nature, and the word whimsical.
It is June 1924 when an inquisitive but skeptical Gemma Danforth
graduates from Wellesley College. Despite a loving family, an idyllic New
England girlhood, and family summers in the Hamptons, little had assuaged her
doubts Now, with college behind them, she and two classmates leave America
bound for post war France where they will be immersed in the pulsating culture
of European modernism. While in France, she reunites with her Paris based
parents, and, in Nice, amidst its creative ferment, she falls in love with
Rhys, a British aristocrat and ex-pat journalist. During this year spent along
the Cote d’Azur, encounters with Sara and Gerald Murphy, Somerset
Maugham, Zelda, Isadora Duncan and others, adds a depth and richness to the
ambience of le midi. And so begins the process of displacing her doubts.
She and Rhys return to American where their values collide with antithetical
and alien attitudes. It is these experiences that come to challenge long-held
beliefs and provide a vivid counterpoint to their recent immersion in the
Modernist aesthetic and world view.
Resolved to return to France, Gemma shares a final day in America with Gerald
Murphy at his ocean front Hampton estate. As this unhurried afternoon unfolds,
it becomes clear that Gemma’s skepticism and doubtfulness have been
replaced with a clear-sighted maturity and hardened resolve. The next morning,
aboard the Ile de France, Gemma and Rhys sail for France.
About the Author
Stephen Asher is a graduate of UCLA and was subsequently educated at the
University of Rochester School of Medicine, University of California San
Francisco, and St. Catherine’s College Oxford. His professional life was
spent as a neurologist, often walking the fine line separating the mind from
the brain, a vantage point which encouraged a perspective molded not only by
the scientific and the rational but also shaped by the aesthetics of the
senses. It is this unity of world view that fashions one of the novel’s
central themes.
Asher and his wife were drawn to Idaho’s arid vistas, glistening rivers,
and rugged skylines. As a travelling angler, he has pursued Atlantic salmon
throughout their natural range, has sought sea run brown trout in Patagonia,
and steelhead in his home waters in the Pacific Northwest. He and his wife
have cycled much of France, and, during quiet times at home, he enjoys music
and plays cello.
Previously, he has published essays, and short pieces in the British sporting
literature. He is a member of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Society, the Barbara Pym
Society, and is a proud supporter of PEN America. He lives in Idaho with his
wife, adult children, and his bird dogs.
Publisher: Ray M. Schultze Publication date: December 2, 2025 Genre(s): Mystery, murder mystery, historical fiction, historical mystery, literary fiction, biographical fiction
In 1898 San Francisco, Jack London and Murder on Nob Hill by Ray M. Schultze begins with Jack London witnessing a murder that disappears from official record. The unanswered moment propels him into an investigation that intersects with contested spaces, unseen influence, and longstanding tensions.
Jack’s attempt to report the crime results in complete dismissal, prompting him to follow discreet signs into places steeped in unspoken conflict. The narrow streets of Chinatown reveal a network of rival groups balancing shifting control while disappearances persist without public response. Jack’s encounters, including one with a woman whose past is intertwined with these forces, add complexity to the information he gathers. As he examines how disparate elements connect, he confronts individuals intent on maintaining silence where their authority is most effective. His effort to uncover what transpired reflects broader dynamics shaping interactions across the city’s hidden districts.
It had been a long time since he had been so demolished. This was the day he committed himself to make up for lost time. It was a clear, moonlit evening, the city’s gaslights blazing, but his disorientation was so intense that for all he knew he could have been wrapped mummy-like in the fog.
At the age of twenty-two, he had been drunk innumerable times in innumerable places. One could fairly say he had earned an advanced degree in inebriation at the school of John Barleycorn. Truth be told, he had never cared for the taste of liquor, but that was hardly the point. He cradled the glass to grease the wheels of camaraderie or to establish his manly credentials among hard-drinking men. And if not that, to ameliorate the bouts of depression he was prone to or simply to escape the hardships of growing up poor and being forced to become a work beast from a very early age. This day, he was intent on doing a deep dive, swimming down into the current of forgetfulness, stealing a glimpse of oblivion, even while knowing that it was a transitory experience, that he must at some point rise back up and burst painfully onto the surface. With his head pounding and body wracked, he would once again have to face the reminders of failure: the stream of rejection letters, the dashed-off notes declaring his writing unfit for public consumption.
Had these editors embraced so much hackwork that they could no longer discern honest, robust writing? Did they really favor gross sentimentality over impassioned realism? Yes, he was of a raw age, but he knew he had experienced more of the world—and discovered more of its truth—than many men over a lifetime. He had slaved in the factories, processing jute, canning fish, shoveling coal. He had pirated oysters along the bay before switching sides to enforce the marine law. He had ridden the rails west to east, seen the fat Iowa farm country, marveled at Niagara Falls in the moonlight, endured the living hell of jail as a convicted vagrant and walked the slums of New York City. He had braved the Pacific on a seal hunter, stepping ashore in Japan. And he had met the ultimate physical and mental challenges prospecting for gold in the unforgiving wilderness of the Yukon.
Yet these smug literary gatekeepers kept themselves cloistered in their offices, stooping to consider the supplications of someone they surely regarded as a lesser mortal. Would they care to know how hard Jack had labored since returning from the goldfields in midsummer, how he had disciplined himself to sleep no more than five and a half hours a night and chained himself to the writing desk except for brief meals and the occasional odd job? How he had churned out short stories, essays, poems, even jokes, any kind of writing he could think of, desperate to make the handful of dollars that would allow him a decent living and help support the family? No, of course they wouldn’t care. He would have taken soulful satisfaction in reaching out, grabbing them by the lapels and shaking them until their brains rattled. Since that was not feasible, he had sought solace in the bottle.
Where the hell am I?That’s the existential question, isn’t it? There was nothing more existential than struggling to put one foot in front of the other, to keep from falling down and possibly being trampled by the carefree souls out for an evening of entertainment or being kicked or robbed by those malevolent ones looking for a sadistic thrill or profit. He took a tiny measure of relief in realizing he was staggering along the sidewalk and not in the street where a horse-and-carriage might thunder over him, pounding him into the cobblestones. So, where? Washington Street? Montgomery? Likely one or the other, since he had just tried to gain admission to the Bank Exchange Saloon, with its crystal chandeliers, marble embellishments and elegant oil paintings. It wasn’t really his sort of place—too refined, too welcoming to the lawyers and well-heeled capitalists that he disdained. But he fancied invading it just for amusement’s sake. Not surprisingly, the saloonkeeper ejected him. Just as well, he told himself, since the taste of the bar’s renowned Pisco Punch would have been lost on him.
He had begun his odyssey in late afternoon at his favorite watering-hole, Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon, which teetered on pilings on the Oakland waterfront, not far from his home.
“What’s up with you, Jack?” asked Johnny Heinold, who was used to seeing him huddling with a dictionary at a side table rather than elbow-bent at the bar. “You got writer’s block?”
Writer’s block? Jack had to laugh. The spigot of his creativity was gushing. The problem was, the magazines and newspapers weren’t thirsty for it. “No, just need something to warm the blood in my veins after writing about all those freezing nights in the Klondike.”
About the Author
Ray M. Schultze is the author of six novels, five of them works of suspense—The Last Safe Place, Combustion, The Devil in Dreamland, Decatur’s Dig, and Beranek’s Stand. His most recent novel, Russian River, is historical fiction. His interest in writing began in childhood with a handmade, folded-paper “magazine” that his mother encouraged. After graduating from the University of California at Riverside, he pursued newspaper reporting as a practical way to support himself while writing fiction. Over a twenty-five-year career, he covered politics, the legal system, and education for newspapers in California, Florida, and Arizona. When he turned to fiction full-time, he drew inspiration from authors such as Alan Furst and Ken Follett. Ray now lives in Santa Rosa, California, with his wife, Judi. They enjoy tennis, hiking, exploring the region’s beaches and headlands, and international travel—experiences that often shape his novels’ settings. He is also an award-winning woodworking artist. Visit him at his website.
She never had anything and he lost everything, but together they create a Christmas to remember.
Title: CINDER BELLA (‘TIS THE SEASON BOOK 3)
Author: Kathleen Shoop
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 228
Genre: Historical Fiction
Format: Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, Kindle / FREE on Kindle Unlimited
She never had anything.
He lost everything.
Together they create a Christmas to remember.
December, 1893–Shadyside, Pennsylvania
Bella Darling lives in a cozy barn at
Maple Grove, an estate owned by industrialist Archibald Westminster. The
Westminster family is stranded overseas and have sent word to relieve
all employees of their duties except Margaret, the pregnant maid, James
the butler, and Bella. Content with borrowed books and a toasty home
festooned with pine boughs and cinnamon sticks, she coaxes the old hens
to lay eggs–extraordinary eggs. Bella yearns for just one thing—someone
to share her life with. Always inventive, she has a plan for that. She
just needs the right egg into the hands of the right man.
Bartholomew Baines, a Harvard-educated
banker, is reeling in the aftermath of his bank’s collapse. With his
friends and fiancé ostracizing him for what he thought was an act of
generosity, he is penniless and alone. A kind woman welcomes him into
her boarding house under conditions that he reluctantly accepts.
Completely undone by his current, lowly position, and by the motley crew
of fellow boarders who view him as one of them, Bartholomew wrestles
with how to rebuild.
With the special eggs as the impetus,
the first meeting between Bella and Bartholomew gives each the wrong
idea about the other. And when the boarding house burns down a week
before Christmas it’s Bella who is there to lend a hand. She, Margaret,
and James invite the homeless group to stay at the estate through the
holidays. But as Christmas draws closer, eviction papers arrive. Maple
Grove is being foreclosed upon. Can Bella work her magic and save their
Christmas? Is the growing attraction between Bella and Bartholomew
enough for them to see past their differences?
He didn’t know how long he’d been daydreaming before excited murmurs drew him back to the line he was standing in and his assigned errand. So distracted by his childhood memories, he hadn’t even noticed the egg girl arriving and fitting her bin into the table space the bread lady had cleared. But he did watch as the bread lady hugged the egg lady and though he could see her only from behind, he could tell the egg girl was much younger. A scuffle in the line drew his attention to two women in front of him, one shouldering ahead of another for the “best selection of the special eggs.”
The dustup died down when the bread lady huddled up to referee. The egg girl was prancing away looking like she had the world on a leash, like he used to feel every day. Imagine feeling like that in such dire times. He watched those ahead of him gently place eggs in their baskets, only permitted to select twelve at most. None of them picked up eggs and weighed them in their palm. Choosing in the hopes of winning a double yolk was apparently only the desire of Mrs. Tillman and as he inched closer to his turn he was growing more self-conscious about what he had been commissioned to do.
When it was his turn he followed his orders, picking up each egg, closing his eyes and feeling the weight or whatever in his palm before either placing the egg back in the box and selecting another or putting it into the basket.
When he’d gotten to egg number six the woman behind him pinched the back of his arm. Not that it hurt through layers of clothing, but it startled him. “What?”
“What is right, all right. Think I got all day and night to wait for you to court each egg like it’s the princess you’re taking to the Christmas ball?”
He flinched and stared at the woman. Sooty cheeks and raw hands gave her station in life away. And her treatment of him caused him to lose any chance of responding. How dare she?
“Cat got your tongue, fancy pants? Let’s go or I’ll butt right in front of you.”
“Yeah, get the lead out,” another voice came from farther down the line.
“Ain’t got all day, sailor,” a third heckler joined in.
He lifted his basket. “I’ve been issued specific instructions for—”
A snowball smacked into his back, shutting him up. He spun around and scanned the crowd for who’d thrown it.
“See, even people not in line with us are tired of your mouth. Move it.” The woman behind him held his gaze.
He’d never felt so… he didn’t even know how to describe how this treatment made him feel. He tried to stop himself from rattling off the specifics of his resume and instead went with the general query of, “Don’t you know who I am?”
Another snowball thwapped his back.
“A regular jackass,” someone said from down the line.
He turned again to see who’d hit him with the snowball and the woman behind him used the opening to slide in front. He turned back and stuck his hand into the box, blocking her out. “I’ll hurry. Just let me get the other six.”
She crossed her arms, the baskets resting in the crook of each bent elbow. “Six seconds for six eggs. Get on with it, moneybags.”
“Thank you,” he said. He reached for an egg and lifted it in his palm as he had the others.
The woman started counting one, two, three and the rest of the line joined in. They were serious about him moving quicker. Mrs. Tillman would just have to understand. He didn’t doubt they’d toss him out of line if he didn’t just pluck eggs from the box and move on. And so he did. The last thing he wanted was to break eggs and have to shovel coal or something to make up for it when he got back to Mrs. Tillman’s.
“I have things to do, too, you know,” Bartholomew said. “You folks aren’t the only ones with obligations and—”
“Yeah, whada you have to do today, change into other pairs of fancy pants another three times before burrowing into a bed laid with golden goose feathers?” the woman who’d pinched him asked.
His tongue tied, but he didn’t stop himself from responding. “Uh…”
“Uh? Smoke a pipe of the finest tobacco? Yeah, what else? Sit all day with the paper while someone shines your shoes?” another voice from down the line said.
He straightened, face burning hot, blindly plucking eggs from the pile and placing them into his sack. All of those things would have been fairly close to his daily life before. Before it all crashed around him. “No. Newspapers, yes, but for the market reports and…” Suddenly his studying the news of the day seemed like a luxury instead of the work it was when pronouncing the task to the particular crew waiting in line. Suddenly, he had no words at all. “Forget it.” It was as though none of them knew he was a nice guy. It was as though they assumed he’d done something awful—that it was written across his forehead. He hesitated before moving to pay, considering whether to give them an education in all his achievements and good works. But the woman muscling past him sapped the last bit of energy he had that morning.
He paid and stalked away having been saturated with enough degradation to last the day, to last a century.
– Excerpted from Cinder Bella by Kathleen Shoop, Independent, 2021. Reprinted with permission.
About the Author
Bestselling author Kathleen Shoop, PhD writes historical fiction, women’s fiction, and romance. Shoop’s novels have garnered awards in the Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY), Eric Hoffer Book Awards, Next Generation Indie Book Awards, and more. You can find Kathleen in person at various venues. She’s on the board of the Kerr Memorial Museum, teaches at writing/reader conferences, co-coordinates Mindful Writers Retreats and writing conferences, and gives talks at various book clubs, libraries, and historical societies.
