Hello readers,
Welcome again to this week’s installment of First Sentence Friday and Free Book Friday! This week the winner gets a signed Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of When the Jessamine Grows and EXTRA story-related swag as pictured here! I wish I could include one of each thing but, unfortunately, I don’t have enough. There are enough of the little wooden birds and wooden spoons for the remaining weeks and winners will get something extra, thanks to the generosity of my publicist who sent along these goodies. ????????
*********************************************************
NOTE, for website blog commenters only: When you answer the question in the comments area, (how you get the chance to win a book) be sure to add your name at the bottom because some of you are showing up as Anonymous.
**********************************************************
Joetta and her family have lived in Nash County, North Carolina since she and Ennis married in 1845. As mentioned in an earlier post they’re a few miles away from the town of Whitakers. In real life, this town was established by the Whitaker family on Fishing Creek in 1740. For all of my research, I didn’t find much as far as a description of how it might’ve looked during the time of the Civil War, other than what’s on the town’s website. Today, it’s split down the middle by railroad tracks, with half of it in Nash County and the other in Edgecombe. Sometime before the Civil War, and also mentioned in another post, a turn-out was needed for the steam engines to be able to stop, and get water and wood necessary to continue on their way. For a brief time the town was known as Whitakers Turnout.
I’m explaining this because in the story, I create the town from my own imagination with the shops, etc., since I couldn’t find much on how it looked and what was there during the war. Either way, Whitakers is where Ennis, Mr. McBride, Henry and Robert go for dry goods, like coffee, flour and sugar, so of course I have what was called a “mercantile” where mail was also delivered. This is where Joetta goes to get mail, and Mr. McBride to get his updates on what’s going on with the war.
Eventually, going into town becomes a precarious mission for Joetta once word gets out “she’s not secesh,” meaning she hasn’t taken the Confederate side. (Secesh was the shortened, slang word of the Civil War era for secession and supporters of North Carolina leaving the Union became known as being “secesh.”)
*********************************************************
Chapter 26
Joetta skirted the backside of buildings, growing ever more indignant at being forced to creep along like some sort of criminal.
***********************************************************
To win a signed copy of an ARC, what do you think it is about small towns like Whitakers, that appeals to most people? Is it the sense of belonging, and knowing everyone? Is it the hominess, the quaintness, or that there’s not so much traffic? I live in a small “city,” the city of Dunn(about 9,500 people) and have for about twenty-five years. We love it here. Our neighbors are fantastic, and there truly is a sense of community. There are favorite little eating spots, like the Deli, Sherry’s Bakery, and the Butcher’s Table. Downtown Dunn has been made over so it almost has a storybook look.
**********************************************************
Sneak Peek!
Now you can read an excerpt of When the Jessamine Grows in this special Sneak Peek Kindle version! Hopefully, it will encourage your fingers (or legs!) to pre-order a copy. ????????
*************************************************************
Unsure if you want to pre-order? Read the first 50 pages for free and find out! Go to one of these sites to download (in e-book formats only):
**************************************************************
PRE-ORDERS
Pre-orders gauge the interest and signal to the publisher readers are eager for an author’s work! Please consider pre-ordering because it really does help! If you’re holding out because you might win an ARC or a finished copy, remember you can always give away the extra as a gift to one of your reader friends. ????
Pre-order links for your convenience:
Kensington Publishing Corporation
***************************************************************
Social Media
Last, but not least, don’t forget to:
- Add WHEN THE JESSAMINE GROWS to your Goodreads “To Read” shelf
- Share this post with your reader friends
- Follow me on Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, Bookbub, or my blog!
I grew up in a small town, Sugar Grove, PA (population ~600). I think it’s the sense of community that is most appealing, neighbors helping neighbors in good times and bad. I have many wonderful memories of growing up on those old dirt roads!
IMO, there’s nothing better than a dirt road! (unless you just washed the car – haha)
Hello Donna. I relocated to a small town in Northern Idaho in 2013 so my kids could be near their father who had moved to another small town less than half an hour away. The population was roughly 3,000, but if you add the countywide population you could double that number. I loved living in a small town for the simplicity of it all. I could walk to anything: the kids’ school, a coffee shop, the library, and more. We only had one traffic light too, so the lack of crazy traffic was wonderful. The negatives: moving to the area when my kids were just entering fourth grade proved to be very difficult; the townspeople, including the kids, had their social groups and newcomers weren’t welcomed very easily. We had somewhat of a social life as the kids got involved in school sports, but aside from that, nothing. As a single mom I became the babysitter, never invited to participate in social gatherings, rather, I was asked to watch the kids. I felt the town was very closed in to where you were only accepted if you were involved in their churches or had roots in the community. Needless to say once Covid cleared up, we moved and my kids finished school online. I love small towns, but was saddened that after eight years I still never felt like it was truly home.
Michele Waite
Hi Michele! Doggone. While I LOVE what you wrote about the town logistically, I wish they would’ve been more inclusive when it came to socializing. It’s a shame that’s how it ended up for you. I thought, wow, she probably offered, as a kind gesture, hoping to get a connection somehow. I hope wherever you and your kids are now is much better.
friendly people
Yes, at least for some! (one commenter felt like an outsider)