The Wreck of the James Davidson

What better way to start a historical romance set on the Great Lakes in the 1880s than with a well-researched shipwreck? At least ... that's what I thought.

Anna's Tower, part of The Great Lakes Lighthouse Brides collection, starts with the wreck of the James Davidson.

At over 200 feet long, the James Davidson was considered a giant in its day. Hauling coal and towing the barge Middlesex, the captain miscalculated the position of Thunder Bay Island and rammed into the shoal not far from the lighthouse.

The crew at the lifesaving station on Thunder Bay Island rescued all involved. The barge Middlesex was floated away unharmed, but the James Davidson was damaged beyond repair. Battered by waves, it eventually broke up and sank.

I determined the hero of Anna's Tower would be a stowaway aboard the James Davidson. Hauling coal and towing the barge from Buffalo, New York, to Duluth, Minnesota, I needed to find a likely person who would have been aboard the vessel. That sent me digging into the history of both ports.

Duluth was fast becoming a farming area, growing grain that would feed the masses on the East Coast. The poor immigrants of that day included many Russians who fled the pogroms - Russia's attempt to exterminate the Jewish race. My hero, therefore, was a poor Russian farmer.

I knew nothing about poor Russian farmers.

It's a good thing I enjoy research. I dove into it with a passion and discovered that - as with Germany years later - it wasn't just the Jewish people who got swept into the pogroms. My hero, therefore, was Russian Orthodox, and that made my story easier in many ways.

This is what I love to do. I take great pains to never change the history, but to weave my story through it as seamlessly and logically as possible. It's a craft. It's a passion. It's just ... what I do. I hope readers will enjoy it as much as I did.

I'm giving away Beacon of the Bay Shawl to celebrate the release of The Great Lakes Lighthouse Brides collection. All my shawls are made from wool off my own sheep! I do everything from shearing to spinning to knitting these one-of-a-kind shawls. No two are ever just alike. One lucky subscriber to my newsletter will be the winner on Nov. 30th. To be a subscriber, join here.


Pegg Thomas
Writing History with a Touch of Humor

No Less Days

No Less Days

by Amanda Stevens

Really interesting book. And it takes place in Michigan, my home state - so already, this book is a winner for me!

Our protagonist is a regular guy – except he can’t die. How does that affect your daily relationships? What do you tell people you’ve known for 10 years when they age and you don’t?

I found myself speculating . . . hmmm…maybe that’s why this genre is called speculative fiction? Not sure, but anyway, when I put down the book, late at night, because I’d stayed up too late reading, I found myself wondering how you could kill a guy whose blood would automatically heal the body from any wound, illness, accident, or catastrophic event. What if there was an apocalyptic event and everyone died – except that guy?

The cool thing about this book is that it’s written from a Christian worldview, so God is a factor. It’s awesome to imagine God using a mortal who’s been given a seemingly eternal life on earth before he dies. All Christians look forward to eternal life – after they die. So will this guy be like Enoch? Never dies? Or will he just live super long – a Biblically long life – and then die and then begin eternal life?

And that makes you ask the question…what if eternal life were just like our regular lives? Is eternal life in a fallen world something to be desired? Because lots of people seem to think so. 

I loved all the great questions raised by this novel. In fact, I've really only shared with you the questions this book raises. But it's so refreshing to read a book that makes me think! The plot is great and I found this book to be a real page-turner. So many great scenes to read. Interesting turns of the story lead to a satisfying ending with room for something more. And I have heard from Amanda Stevens herself, that she is currently at work on a sequel. This is great news! I hope you'll give this book a try - I think you'll like it!

Tell us some of your pros and cons if you were unable to die. If you leave us a comment, you'll be entered to win our giveaway this month.

Jennifer Fromke writes from North Carolina, where the skies are blue, the tea is sweet (not that she drinks it), and the summers are so hot she writes in the shade of her back porch, literally sweating over each novel she writes. She talks about books ad nauseam and recommends them to everyone she meets, so she started a book review blog for sheer joy: www.shetalksbooks.com 

Blueberry Guest Post: Carol Stratton

When I think of blueberries, I think of the cool summers of Western Michigan. We lived on the coast of the mitten state for several years, smack dab in the middle of blueberry country. As someone who grew up in California, I hadn’t ever picked blueberries so I didn’t know about one of life’s little pleasures, the blueberry bush.

Almost every summer we lived in Michigan, I’d round up my four children and drive to a blueberry farm near our house. We’d go inside of a large tin shed where each one of us would grab a metal bucket with a rope attached to the handle. After I tied all the kid’s buckets around their waists, we walked down a wide sandy lane until we reached the blueberry bushes.

Blueberries grow about 4-5 feet tall and the bushes are round and wide. To pick the berries, you merely take a berry branch in your hand and with a rolling of the fingers, the purple blueish fruit drops into your bucket with a satisfying, “ping.” In only an hour or two it is very easy to fill the bucket, providing you don’t keep sampling the juicy fruit.

When we thought we had enough berries for the year, we’d take them back to the fruit shed where the buckets were weighted. All the way home, I’d be fantasizing about blueberry cake, pie and muffins, knowing I’d probably eat dessert for dinner that night.

In my novel, Lake Surrender, my character Aunt Nettie is renown in the area for her baking, and one of her favorite recipes is Blueberry Crumb Bread. By special permission, she’s allowed me to share the recipe with you.

Between the rich cake batter, juicy blueberries and crumb topping, I think you’ll find it’s the ultimate dessert.

Aunt Nettie’s Blueberry Bread

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 t freshly grated lemon zest
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 cups fresh blueberries (15 ounces)

Preheat oven to 375°F. 
Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Blend
1 1/2 sticks butter into flour with fingertips or a pastry blender just until mixture resembles coarse meal the size of corn kernels.

Take out 1 1/2 cups flour mixture and set aside for crumb topping. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar to crumb topping. Blend with your fingertips until large lumps form.

Whip sour cream, eggs, and vanilla, then add to remaining flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Fold in lemon zest and blueberries and put in a buttered 13 X 9 pan. Sprinkle batter evenly with crumb topping.

Bake in middle of oven. When a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean the cake is ready, about 40 to 45 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 20 minutes before cutting.

Lake Surrender Blurb:

Quicker than you can say "downsized, unemployed, and divorced," Ally Cervantes finds herself with the Pacific Ocean in her rearview mirror as she and her two children head to Lake Surrender in rural Northern Michigan to live with her aunt. The dry hills of California are a metaphor for her empty soul, but she can't afford to wallow in self-pity with an autistic son who can't make eye contact and a precocious twelve-year-old daughter counting on her to get it together.

With no other available jobs, Ally steps through the only open door for employment, working as head cook at a dilapidated Christian camp. Problem is, she doesn't cook and doesn't like religious fanatics.

But despite everything, she finds herself strangely hopeful as she learns her journey ends where the lake begins. Available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Main Street books in Davidson, N.C.

Thanks for joining us here on the Stitches blog, Carol! I (Jennifer Fromke) am a native Michigander and blueberries definitely played a major role in my summers up there. I can't wait to try this recipe! Does anyone remember the children's book, Blueberries for Sal? Classic! I hope everyone has a chance to check out Carol Stratton's recent debut novel, Lake Surrender.

Did you grow up picking blueberries? Strawberries? Cherries? Leave a comment for a chance to win this week's giveaway.