Stumbling Across History

Those of you who follow along with this blog already know I hold a special place in my heart for the history of our nation. I stare at what has to be a 200-year-old tree in my neighborhood and wonder what events it has possibly seen. With Oberlin's rich history as an antislavery town and devoted to helping those traveling on the Underground Railroad, any number of things could have taken place near the tree. Was it a gathering place for townspeople to express their opposition to slavery? Did it at one time hide escaping slaves under its branches? These are the things I ponder as I take my afternoon walks.

My brother was in town this past week, for a conference in downtown Cleveland. When we picked him up at the end of the meetings, he said we needed to make one more stop before we headed back to the west side suburbs. His profession is a city planner and he really gets into sustainable and repurposing of things. I don't care for grocery shopping on my best day, but he insisted we go to the downtown Heinen's.

What a surprise!

Located on the corner of East 9th and Euclid Avenue, Heinen's is housed in what had at one time been a bank building. The Cleveland Trust Rotunda Building has been converted, quite beautifully, into an upscale grocery. This example of early 20th century architecture provides a glimpse of Cleveland in its heyday. Designed by George B. Post, renowned architect, this building was, and still is, one of the most iconic buildings in Cleveland. A painstaking renovation was undertaken by Heinen's, one of the oldest Cleveland grocery stores, and is now a creative use of repurposing a building while retaining much of its original charm.

Which proves that history awaits you around every corner, if you know where to look. And sometimes, when you don't.

Lots Of Firsts This Week

Yes, dear friends, it's been one week of triumphs. First steps on my new hip, first BookBub ad for the Cotillion Ball Saga bundle of three books which vaulted sales into the top 100, first novella trending well on Amazon. All good things.

Your Deals

The Cotillion Ball Saga By Becky Lower Ginger, Heather, and Basil Fitzpatrick were raised to follow their hearts — even if it means defying all of society’s conventions. Passion, suspense, and adventure combine in these captivating novels set in the tumultuous years before the Civil War.  $0.99 Originally: $2.99 Amazon   Barnes & Noble  Category: Historical Romance

I live in a Cape Cod house in a quaint college town, which has two bedrooms upstairs and two down. There were several reasons why I bought it, not the least of which was for the wide-board pine floors in the two massive upstairs bedrooms. Having lived in small spaces for so many years, I reveled in the largesse of the master bedroom upstairs. Sadly, those days are gone. The house no longer works for me, since it's best that I avoid stairs now. Thankfully, my great neighbor gathered the troops and got the bed moved down. So, now I am living all on the first floor.

My first novella, An Unconventional Courtship, is selling well this week, too. It was such a fun story to write, since I am already very aware of the personalities of Charlotte and George, the heads of the Fitzpatrick family. Now I got to explore exactly how they got that way. One of the reviewers said the book was quirky and fun, which pleased me immensely, since that's exactly who they are.

While I was laying around with my bum hip, I took a workshop from one of the masters in the industry. I applied her principles to the next book in the series, number 8. The edits are due back to me on Monday, and my editor told me her suggestions are very light, which was a first. So that worked, too.

Like I said, a week of firsts. What will next week be like?

Excerpt time!

On September 19th, I'll be asking a question on The Romance Reviews. If you answer the question correctly, you'll be entered into a drawing for all kinds of great prizes. Here's the excerpt from The Duplicitous Debutante in which you will find the answer:

“So you still want me to play the part of Mr. Elliott for you? I could free myself up for a portion of the afternoon.”

Rosemary smiled the tiniest bit. “Do you think you could pull it off, Papa?”

“I will be the first to admit your mother is better at making people see things her way, but I believe I could pass for Mr. Elliott. After all, you had me check over the contracts before you signed them over the years, so I’m familiar with the legal end of your business. But you’ll have to tell me about your story line. What’s the hero’s name again? Henry? Henry Eagle?”

Rosemary groaned. “No, Papa. Henry is the villain in this case. That’s the name of the new publisher. Henry Cooper. My hero is Harry Hawk, a half-breed.” She placed a hand on either side of her face and shook her head. “Perhaps my plan won’t work after all. Henry Eagle. Indeed.”

Her father smiled and took one of her hands. “I was close, wasn’t I?”

“I’ve molded Harry Hawk after Joseph, and the stories I write are all based on tidbits I get from the letters sent to us from Ginger, Basil, and Heather.”

“I can pull it off then, since I read the same letters. Your sisters and brother do lead exciting lives on the wild frontier, don’t they?”

“And someday, I’ll get to join them in St. Louis. But for now, my source of income is about to dry up unless you can remember our hero’s name.”

“I got it. Harry Hawk. Now, tell me something about Mr. Cooper. Is he an old ogre with a hunchback?”

Rosemary smiled for the first time since she sat, as she pictured Henry’s face on a stooped-over body. “No, Papa, Mr. Cooper is a man in his mid-twenties, I would guess. Tall, dark, and handsome.”

Her father’s quick glance was not lost on her.

“And no, don’t get any ideas. You’re as bad as Mother. I have no interest in him, other than business.”

“All right then, daughter. What time is your meeting with the handsome Mr. Cooper?”

“It’s at two o’clock. I thought I’d come by the bank first and go with you to the meeting.”

“You have this all thought out, don’t you?”

Rosemary smiled, a true smile, finally. “Well, I have had an overnight to come up with a plan. And I am a writer. When someone says to find the man and bring him to them, I can usually figure out a plot device, given enough notice.”

“All right then. I must get to work and get my day started. I’ll see you at the bank around half past one then?”

“I’ll be there. Thank, you, Papa. Mr. Cooper will now have no reason to cancel my contract.”

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