Special Offer

Next spring we’re going to release the Heritage Edition of Wind of the Spirit so it’ll be consistent with the rest of the series. We’re starting work on the cover right now, and as soon as I have confirmation on licensing the image I want to use, I’ll post that here. But we still have some stock of the original edition that we need to sell out, so we’re offering a special deal.

For the next few months, anyone who orders any or all other volumes of the American Patriot Series from Sheaf House Direct will receive Wind of the Spirit free! And of course, all copies will be autographed. So if you don’t have all the books of the series or want to gift someone, this is a great time to order. Just remember, you have to order from Sheaf House Direct to receive the free copy. I'd appreciate it greatly if you'd let other fans of historical fiction know about this offer too!

By the way, I’ll have a new interview up on Lena Nelson Dooley’s blog on Sunday. It was a really fun interview, and I hope you’ll stop by and leave a comment to be entered in the drawing for a free copy of Crucible of War!

I have a new interview up on ForeWord This Week! Click on the link, then scroll down to the bottom to read it. It was a fun interview to do, and I hope you enjoy it!

Below is an excerpt of the review of Daughter of Liberty that ForeWord did back in the spring.

“The fiery inhabitants of colonial Boston are shown in all their gritty, conflicted glory—grasping for independence as neighboring Loyalists pledge their allegiance to Mother England—in J. M. Hochstetler’s meticulously detailed Daughter of Liberty, the first book in her American Patriot Series. The year is 1775, just before the first battles of the American Revolution take place. At the heart of the story is Elizabeth Howard, who works as a young spy for the American militia, and Jonathan Carleton, a high-ranking officer in the British army. Hochstetler does an excellent job of breathing life into Elizabeth, who, as the spy ‘Oriole,’ defies gender roles as she undertakes daring midnight forays for the rebels and works alongside her father as a doctor’s assistant.

“The spirited wordplay and attraction between Elizabeth and Jonathan keep the book moving at a quick pace. But the real strength lies in the well-crafted research and historical details that illuminate the brick mansions of Beacon Hill, the bustling alleyways of downtown Boston, and the carnage of Bunker Hill: ‘Staring along her musket barrel, with a shock she recognized Howe standing a hundred yards from her, all alone, dead and wounded men tangled at his feet. His white gaiters and breeches were so splattered with gore they appeared red, and his face was fixed in an expression of horror that burned deep into her memory’. . . .

“Daughter of Liberty will appeal to fans of historical fiction, strong female characters, smart romance novels, and series. At the end of the story, the reader undeniably will want to tuck into the next American Patriot book to learn more about how Elizabeth and Jonathan are helping to craft the future of a young and fledgling America.”

—Dana Rae Laverty, ForeWord Magazine

Tea Party on Colonial Quills!

Please do join us on the Colonial Quills blog today for a tea party at the Golden Plough Tavern in York, Pennsylvania, in honor of Laura Frantz and moi for our newest releases! Not only do we have tea, a profusion of delectable sweets, and agreeable conversation for your pleasure, but we’re also holding a drawing for a copy of Love’s Reckoning, Crucible of War, and a lovely print by Pat Iacuzzi! So please do stop by, have a cup of tea, and leave a comment to be entered in the drawing!

Oooops!!

I apologize for the delay, everyone! After we celebrated my hubby's birthday Monday, I totally forgot to post the winner of our last drawing for the series set, which includes Crucible of War! And since then I've been covered up with production. My brain is full!

But now ... drum roll, please ...

The winner is ...

18th Century Dreamer, aka Amber Hammrich! Persistence pays off. :-) Congratulations, and I'll be in contact asap to get your snail mail addy!

Stay tuned, everyone! I'll be having more drawings for Crucible of War soon, so check back regularly.

Crucible of War Releases Today!

Today is the official release date for Crucible of War. New authors tend to have the feeling that something spectacular is going to happen on the day their book finally releases, so it can feel like an anticlimax when nothing much really does. Those of us who are in the industry or have had previous books published know it’s simply the date that the book is supposed to be available for purchase in the stores and online. It’s sort of a birth date, and it’s something for the author to celebrate!

In this case, of course, the ebook edition of Crucible has been available from Kindle, Nook, and Christianbook.com for several weeks. And now the print version should already be in stock and ship right away when ordered, though the major retailers’ websites are often slow to change over from preorder to regular order.

If you’re enjoying the American Patriot Series, I very much appreciate positive reviews on retailer sites such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Christianbook.com as well as on the social media such as Facebook. And if you’re not familiar with the series yet, I hope you’ll get a copy of Daughter of Liberty and see if you like it! If you do, then please tell others about it.

Sales are what keep any series going, and word of mouth is the most effective recommendation for any book. Please help me through these stories to continue to entertain, inspire, inform, and educate readers about the heroic generation that courageously opposed the most powerful nation in the world in their day . . . and won liberty for us and for those who follow us!

Love's Reckoning by Laura Frantz

I’m sure everyone is familiar with Laura Frantz and her wonderful historical novels—and if you aren’t, you ought to be!. Today I’m celebrating the release of Laura’s new historical, Love’s Reckoning, Book 1 of the Ballantyne Legacy Series by featuring her and all of her books.

A former schoolteacher and social worker, Laura credits her 100-year-old grandmother as being the catalyst for her fascination with Kentucky history. Her ancestors followed Daniel Boone into Kentucky in 1792 and settled in Madison County, where her family still resides. Laura currently lives in the misty woods of Port Angeles, Washington, with her husband and two sons.

Love’s Reckoning, which releases September 1, is already receiving enthusiastic reviews—and I’m totally bummed because my Kindle edition hasn’t released yet, and I can’t wait to read it!! But enough whining. I’ve loved every one of Laura’s previous books, and I know I’m going to love this one and look forward to each volume in the series.

A summary of each of her books follows. I encourage you to become acquainted with this outstanding author if you aren’t already!


Love’s Reckoning, Book 1 of the Ballantyne Legacy Series

On a bitter December day in 1784, Silas Ballantyne arrives at the door of blacksmith Liege Lee in York County, Pennsylvania. Silas is determined to finish his apprenticeship quickly and move west. But because he is a fast worker and a superb craftsman, Liege endeavors to keep him in York by appealing to an old tradition: the apprentice shall marry one of his master’s beautiful daughters.

Eden is as gentle and fresh as Elspeth is high-spirited and cunning. But are they truly who they appear to be? In a house laced with secrets, each sister seeks to secure her future. Which one will claim Silas’s heart--and will he agree to Liege’s arrangement?

In this sweeping family saga, one man’s choices in love and work, in friends and enemies, set the stage for generations to come. This is the Ballantyne Legacy.

The Colonel’s Lady

Can love survive the secrets kept buried within a tormented heart?

Roxanna Rowan may be a genteel Virginia woman, but she is determined to brave the wilds of the untamed frontier to reach a remote Kentucky fort. Eager to reunite with her father, who serves under Colonel Cassius McLinn, Roxanna is devastated to find that her father has been killed on a campaign. Penniless and out of options, she is forced to remain at the fort. As she spends more and more time with the fiery Colonel McLinn, the fort begins to buzz with intrigue and innuendo. Can Roxanna truly know who the colonel is—and what he’s done?

This powerful story of love, faith, and forgiveness immerses readers in the tumultuous world of the frontier in 1779.

The Frontiersman’s Daughter

One woman searches for love—and herself—in a wild land.

Lovely and high-spirited, Lael Click is the daughter of a celebrated frontiersman. Haunted by her father’s ties to the Shawnee Indians and her family’s past, Lael comes of age in the fragile Kentucky settlement her father founded. As she faces the many trials of life on the frontier, she draws strength from the rugged land. But the arrival of a handsome doctor threatens her view of her world, her God, and herself. Can the power of grace and redemption break through in this tumultuous place?

This epic novel offers a glimpse into the simple yet daring lives of the pioneers who first crossed the Appalachians, all through the courageous eyes of a determined young woman who will not be defeated.


Courting Morrow Little

Caught between the wilderness and civilization, Morrow Little must find her way to true love.

Morrow Little is haunted by the memory of the day her family was torn apart by raiding Shawnee warriors. Now that she is nearly a grown woman and her father is ailing, she must make difficult choices about the future. Several men—ranging from the undesired to the unthinkable—vie for her attentions, but she finds herself inexplicably drawn to a forbidden love that both terrifies and intrigues her. Can she betray the memory of her lost loved ones—and garner suspicion from her friends—by pursuing a life with him? Or should she seal her own misery by marrying a man she doesn’t love?

 This sweeping tale of romance and forgiveness takes readers from a Kentucky fort through the vast wilderness of the West.