Katherine's Hope is set in the late 1870's in Baker City, Oregon, and is part womens' fiction, part romance. Here's the opening scene (as it stands now) to give you a tiny taste of what's coming.
Baker City, Oregon
Late June, 1879
Katherine
Galloway’s soft breath sent the dandelion fluff dancing on the warm current of
air, but it didn’t bring the anticipated relief. Gripping the stem, she sat in
the grassy field with her eyes closed and waited. Why didn’t it come? It had
always appeared when she needed it before. How many years had it been? Ten?
Fifteen?
She shook her head and a loosened curl scraped her cheek.
More. Many more years. But always her mind returned to those times when the
dandelion fluff had carried her away to a place where mothers were loving and
kind, and little girls didn’t need to be afraid of cutting words.
Had
she ever known a time like that, other than in her dreams? She’d thought she
had, but now she knew. It was all an illusion, just like the sunbeams glinting
off the tiny bits of white settling to the ground. Seeds, that’s all they were.
Seeds that brought unwanted weeds when they matured. Just like her life.
Unwanted.
Unwelcome. Unsung.
At least by the
one person who mattered the most while growing up. Her mother.
She pushed to her feet, letting the dandelion stem
dangle from her fingers. There was no fantasy world where thirty-two-year-old
women, or little girls for that matter, could ride the dandelion fluff and
become someone they weren’t. No. It was time to put the past behind her. Mama
was coming to stay at her house, and somehow Katherine had to survive.
3 comments:
Congratulations on your contract, Miralee! You write with emotion and sensitivity, and I've always enjoyed your books. I look forward to your new series and wish you the best.
I'm EXCITED for you, for your contract!!
I even know where Baker City, Oregon is though it wasn't in that year we have been through there. Hmm... wondering if some of the dandelions growing there are descendants of the seeds scattered in that first chapter.
I also can feel, along with Katherine, time for someone coming to stay that is going to be hard to deal with.
Looking forward to it!
Carole, thank you so much! I always love hearing from people who've enjoyed my books, and to hear that I write with sensitivity and emotion is a huge compliment.
Pamela, Bless your heart, thank you. What a cool idea that Katherine could have helped scatter those dandelions! We went to Baker City two wks ago to do some research. It's a beautiful area.
Yes, she's going to have a struggle with her mother coming to stay. This is a romance, but also has a strong thread of women's fiction, and it's something I've wanted to write for over two years now. I'm indeed blessed that Cook loved it, and believes in it, too!
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