Happy Monday! Today I'm stepping aside and giving the floor over to the lovely and talented - Author, Brandi Boddie. I met Brandi through blogging. We both share a deep love for history. I am so thrilled for her. This past week was the release of her debut novel The Preacher's Wife. Please welcome my dear friend, Brandi Boddie!
A big thanks to my friend and fellow writer Loree
for inviting me to guest post on her blog. Loree and I both love history. When
I found out that she was a Civil War re-enactor, I thought that was very
amazing.
The Civil War had such a profound impact on the
people of the United States that its effects were felt years after. The events
of my historical romance The Preacher’s
Wife take place in 1870 during the Reformation era. Rowe Winford is a young
veteran who ventures west to make a new life for himself as a preacher. Despite
the wishes of some very vocal family members who insist that he stay to rebuild
their Virginia tobacco farm, Rowe leaves for the small town of Assurance,
Kansas.
Rowe’s journey is a deeply personal one. Like many
Civil War veterans, both Union and Confederate, he finds employment that takes
him far from home. Also, he seeks to escape from the grief of losing his wife
who died in childbirth a few years before. It is in his new town that he meets
Marissa Pierce, a saloon girl who’s in the midst of reforming her life and
battling the cruelties of her abusive employer.
At first glance, Marissa seems to be the type of
woman that any well-bred southern gentleman is taught to avoid, but Rowe finds
himself intrigued by her independent spirit, beauty, and determination to make
a better life for herself. But as the town’s new preacher, Rowe is expected to
maintain an untarnished image. What will they think if they knew he was
developing feelings for a woman of supposed ill repute?
The
Preacher’s Wife follows Rowe and Marissa on a journey
of faith, love, and trusting in God.
Book Excerpt:
This
excerpt takes place shortly after Rowe arrives in Assurance, Kansas. Marissa
sees him on her way to deposit the saloon’s earnings in the bank. The town’s
gossipy seamstress Linda Walsh stops to have a word with Marissa about the new
preacher.
“That
must be our new preacher.” Linda Walsh, the town’s young seamstress, walked up
beside Marissa. Always eager for conversation, Linda would speak to anyone who
stopped to listen, as Marissa had learned since coming back to Assurance a
couple years ago. “We weren’t expecting him for another two weeks. I wonder
what made him take off from home so fast.”
Marissa
groaned at the thought of meeting another preacher. Every preacher she came
across had turned her away once they discovered her profession.
She
watched the small schooner pull up to the local inn. She recognized the driver
Dusty Sterling seated beside the other man. Dusty hopped down and tethered the
horses. The man in black stepped onto the dusty curb. His recently polished
boots gleamed.
“Fancy
one, he is,” Linda continued. “I hear he comes from a city somewhere in
Virginia.”
“Where
did you hear that?”
“It
was in the paper a month ago. Our advertisement for a new preacher was answered
from a man back East.”
Marissa
focused again on what was in front of her. The traveler indeed looked foreign
to the prairie. Not a hint of travel dust stuck to his long, black frock coat
and four-inhand necktie, probably changed into just before departing the train.
His gray pants were new and expertly tailored. He removed his hat briefly to
wipe his brow, and Marissa saw the dark, wavy hair cropped close to his head.
“He
doesn’t have a wife or children with him. Such a shame.” Linda clucked her
tongue. “He’s a handsome fellow, for certain.”
Marissa
agreed with her on that. He must have stood over six feet tall, with broad
shoulders and a powerful build. The man’s profile was strong and rigid, his
square jaw and straight nose a true delight for the eyes. Assurance’s former
preacher, Reverend Thomas, did not look like this. “Would having a wife and
children make him a better preacher?”
Linda
tossed her a look. “That’s got nothing to do with it. One ought to be settled
down at a certain age, wouldn’t you say so? Instead of running wild with the
barmen?”
Marissa
absorbed the sting of emotional pain. Anything she said in response would not
sway Linda or anyone else’s notion that she was just a beer-serving
streetwalker. She put on a polite stoic face. “I’m sure the ladies of this town
will clamor for his attention. Will you excuse me, Miss Linda? I should be
going.”
She
left the seamstress just as Dusty carried the new preacher’s valises inside the
inn. The preacher moved to follow then stopped short, pausing for Marissa to
walk past. Marissa saw his blue eyes widen and take in her entire form, from
the feathered hat on her head to the dainty-heeled boots on her feet. By his
expression she didn’t know whether he admired or disapproved.
His
lips settled into a firm line of what looked to be distaste, and she got her
answer.
The
preacher hadn’t been there for an hour and already she drew out his scorn.
Marissa returned the stare until her image of him blurred with beckoning tears.
He
jolted from his perusal. His low, straight brows flicked. “Good day to you,
ma’am.” He amiably tipped his hat to her.
She
paused, not used to being addressed in that fashion. Kindness was in his greeting,
not the sarcasm she normally heard from others. Marissa tilted her head to get
a clear look at him. His eyes were friendly, calm deep pools. The rest of his
face, with its strong, angular lines, remained cordial.
“Good day,” she replied, hoarse.
Awkwardness seized her
person. Marissa hastily continued on her way to the bank.
I am giving away a signed proof copy of The
Preacher’s Wife. Enter your email in the Rafflecopter drawing for a chance to
win!
Brandi Boddie holds a juris doctorate from Howard University School of Law
and a BA in political science from Youngstown State University. Her love of
writing and research has led her to work that includes case management for the
Office of the Attorney General in Washington DC and teaching assignments for
elementary and secondary students. When she is not working on a story, Brandi
enjoys hiking, fencing, and swing dancing. Soon to be a Texas resident, she lives
with her husband and a cocker spaniel who aspires to be a food critic. Visit
Brandi’s blog at http://brandiboddie.blogspot.com.
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| Author, Brandi Boddie |
Thank you, Brandi!
I just ordered your book and can't wait to read it! Sounds good. I'm very glad you dropped by to give us a taste. I love that you swing dance, Brandi. That's something I always wanted to learn to do. So great to get to know you better! Congratulations on your book!
Also I would like to wish Author Julie Jarnagin a big congrats! She is now represented by the fabulous Nicole Resciniti with the Seymour Agency! Welcome aboard, Julie!
Have a great week!
Between you, me and the gatepost,
Loree
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