WRITING WITH A FRIEND

By Caroline Clemmons

I apologize for the weird color and type. I struggled with this post for several hours and still can't get the color and fonts correct. Please bear with me.

My friend Jacquie Rogers is a member of this blog. When she and I are together, I have soooo much fun. Fortunately, our husbands enjoy talking to one another and leave Jacquie and me to our projects. If you're within a few miles you probably heard our laughter. We're just as noisy on the phone.

In the past we wrote about sisters in Kirsten Osbourne’s American Mail-Order Brides series. Jacquie’s book was MERCY, BRIDE OF IDAHO, #43. https://www.amazon.com/Mercy-Bride-American-Mail-Order-Brides-ebook/dp/B017GOU3WC

Mine was PATIENCE, BRIDE OF WASHINGTON, #42. That was fun and

involved coordinating each woman’s journey to become a mail-order bride and meet her groom.

https://www.amazon.com/Patience-Bride-Washington-American-Brides-ebook/dp/B017HLR6CE/

We came up with MAIL-ORDER TANGLE, a duet about sisters and included MAIL-ORDER PROMISE by me and MAIL-ORDER RUCKUS by Jacquie. From the titles you can tell Jacquie’s will include humor.

Here’re the summaries:

MAIL-ORDER PROMISE by Caroline Clemmons
Ellie Dickerson and her sister are in desperate straits when she contracts to become a mail-order bride to a Texas rancher. After her arduous trip from Virginia, she learns her fiancé has died. His handsome brother has sworn to take care of her and she's instantly attracted to him, but he seems indifferent toward her. What will happen to her and her sister?

Kage Johanssen, co-owner of a ranch in Idaho with his cousin Matt, is forced to take over his family's Central Texas ranch on the death of his older brother. Kage is in no hurry to get married, and when his brother's bride shows up, she's everything he doesn't want in a wife--except she's stunningly beautiful. Despite his deathbed promise to his brother and his attraction to Ellie, he's convinced she doesn't have the grit to be a rancher's wife.

When a greedy, sadistic villain attempts to take over the ranch and kill Kage, can Ellie save her true love? What will it take to prove that she's the only woman for Kage?



MAIL-ORDER RUCKUS by Jacquie Rogers
Matt Johanssen returned to the ranch he and his cousin Kage started in Owyhee County, Idaho Territory, not knowing he took Laura Dickerson's heart with him. Now that her sister no longer needs her, Laura wants a home of her own and a family to put in it. No other man would fill the bill as well as Matt, but he's not interested. Not wanting to live as a spinster aunt the rest of her life, Laura signs a contract with a marriage broker, choosing to go to Silver City, near Matt's ranch, in hopes that he might come around. But he's not on the roster of eligible grooms!

When Matt sees Laura among the brides on display on the balcony of the Idaho Hotel, he feels gutshot. He's in no position to take a wife, not with a ranch eating up every spare moment and dollar. But if he doesn't step forward, the one woman he wants will be wed at the end of the week--and not to him.

MAIL-ORDER TANGLE buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Mail-Order-Tangle-Caroline-Clemmons-ebook/dp/B00MZ6ZRXC/

That's Polly on the left with Ford and
Merry on the right with Blake.

ORPHAN TRAIN BRIDES is our latest project, now on preorder, will be released July 19. Again, mine is first, A FAMILY FOR MERRY. Jacquie’s is A FAMILY FOR POLLY. These were released earlier this year as part of the anthology UNDER A MULBERRY MOON. I added a scene or two to A FAMILY FOR MERRY from the earlier version. Jacquie went over A FAMILY FOR POLLY.

That brings me to explain titles. Authors strive to choose a unique title that will not be repeated others. You know that the children on the orphan train are not marrying. I wanted the words “orphan train” worked into the title and Jacquie wanted the word “bride” included. Easy peasy.

Here’re the summaries:

A FAMILY FOR MERRY by Caroline Clemmons

Rescuing three quirky orphans from a current orphan train was irresistible—if not quite legal. Former orphan train child now grown, Merry Murphy Bird has built a successful life operating the boarding house she and her adopted sister Polly purchased. Merry is determined to give her three children a better life than the ons she and Polly endured in Nebraska.

Boardinghouse resident and lawyer Blake Woolf has come to town to take over the practice of his late uncle. Weighed down by family responsibilities, Blake was the eldest of ten children. For now he wants nothing more to do with children—at least not until he has made enough to buy a home, marry, and start his own family.

A FAMILY FOR POLLY by Jacquie Rogers

Children’s Aid Society authorities don’t exactly know Polly Friday Bird and Merry Murphy Bird are single and neither woman intends to volunteer the information. Polly hated the life she and her sister led after they were adopted by a surly Nebraska farm couple who really wanted free drudges. She would never treat the two children she’s adopted so harshly.

In fact, she believes the large boarding house she and Merry purchased is an ideal place to raise children, with a large yard, numerous rooms, and a good school nearby. Still, Polly needs a husband so she convinces Ford (Manford) Daily to marry her and be on his way. The problem is, he won’t go.

Preorder link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TW8JH44/

In case you haven’t read or preordered these books, I’ve included the Amazon buy links. Do Jacquie and me a favor and read these books and review them. I believe you’ll enjoy the stories. When released, they will magically appear on your e-reader. While writing is my profession and is work—even when I love the story—plotting with Jacquie Rogers is always fun.

See you next month,
Caroline