Hello Readers!
Welcome to this week’s installment of First Sentence Friday and Free Book Friday! For the foreseeable future, the free book is a signed Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of When the Jessamine Grows.
Special Note If you comment (the way to win a book) on the blog site, please be sure to add your name at the bottom of your comment because some of them are showing up as Anonymous. ????
It is understood the Civil War brought hardship in many ways to everybody. No one was excluded, no one escaped sacrifice, and many suffered, particularly as the war dragged on. By 1863, the North had labor shortages and inflation which created problems for its citizens, but despite this, their economy did very well. Actually, it was “booming.” Meanwhile, in the South, the outlook wasn’t great. The South was starving. Literally. Food shortages were caused by a variety of problems which piled up, one on the other. From a drought (1862) to Union blockades, to shipping problems, the situation over time became dire, not only for the Confederate soldiers, but for civilians as well. They figured out how to make do, using what they could as a substitute. For instance, okra seeds were roasted, then boiled into “coffee,” for example. Foraging for food became a necessity, and was required for survival, but after some time, the Southern landscape was so ravaged there was no wildlife to hunt. Desperate for sustenance, looting (mostly among soldiers) became a big problem. In Richmond Virginia, and across the South, there were the infamous bread riots where men and women took or threatened to take what they so desperately needed.
You can read about the riots and the hardships here.
********************************************************
Chapter 22
Joetta looked out the small window of the kitchen every so often, examining the soldiers enthusiastically tearing into large steaming chunks of meat from the pig’s carcass.
********************************************************
FREE BOOK FRIDAY!!!
For this week’s chance to win a signed ARC of When the Jessamine Grows, can you think of a time where you’ve experienced an unexpected hardship in your life that required you to make do in some way? What was it, and how did you handle it?
***********************************************************
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
***************************************************************
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!
The hardest time in my life was 1967 – my father was suddenly killed in a fishing accident on the Chesapeake Bay. I was 16 and my older brother was away at college. My mother gathered all her strength to become the head of household and I had to learn to drive. (My mom didn’t drive.) We kept moving forward – my mom got a job and I worked after school to cover my expenses. My mother was my hero. ❤️
Wow – that’s really tough. Thank you for sharing. ????
This week question: hardship
I’m currently going through hardship. I’m dealing with it the best I can. I have been praying things will turn around here like really soon. It’s been 14 months since I felt safe, warm, and blessed. Without divulging any details let’s just say I don’t wish to go through this again. It’s been hard to say the least.
I’m sorry you’re going through this difficult period. I paused when I considered the question for this week, but it’s so in line with the story situation, I felt many could relate. 2019 was a year I don’t want to repeat. Here’s to better times ahead for you, and soon. ????????????
One had to make do with what you have.
Always – I think people can find ways to do that, no matter the circumstance.
I was pregnant in the early 70’s during the oil shortage. Local gas stations would only sell one gallon a day so my husband and I would get up at 4 am in order to get that one gallon of gas and I’d take him and pick him up from work. He worked 20 miles away. We were really worried we would not have our allotted gallon when I went into labor, the hospital was 30 miles away. I was not able to find work because I was pregnant so we had to live with my mom. I made him 2 banana and mayo sandwiches for lunch which he ate everyday for lunch it was all we could afford. Needless to say he will not eat a banana sandwich to this very day!
As hard as it was, I love these kinds of stories people share. That had to be SO nerve-wracking. I’m sure the VERY last thing you wanted to do was have your baby on the side of the road, a few miles from a hospital. It sounds like it was such a big gamble. Tell your husband I LOVE banana sandwiches like that – so funny b/c just the other day, I had one. ????????
I was about 12 or 13 during this time, and I remember my dad coming home and talking about the lines at the gas station and seeing it on TV. We were lucky. Everythingg we needed was within a few blocks and no more than say 2-5 miles from our house.
The hardest time in my life was in 2001 when my husband at a young age of 35 got an open heart surgery. I had two little girls 4 and 1 and no one to help around. I had to be the one to step up to take care of my husband and keep things as normal as possible for my girls. I feel blessed to have my husband in my life, doing well health wise now
by gods grace.
The hardest time in my life was in 2001 when my husband at a young age of 35 got an open heart surgery. I had two little girls 4 and 1 and no one to help around. I had to be the one to step up to take care of my husband and keep things as normal as possible for my girls. I feel blessed to have my husband in my life, doing well health wise now
by gods grace.
Reena Gilja
I think we sometimes look back on those hard times and wonder how we got through it, you know? I’m glad he’s doing better!
Thankfully, I have never experienced that. I am blessed for sure.
You are!
When my husband and I first married, money was tight. I was between jobs, and we were both in school. We had paid for our wedding ourselves. We counted pennies and bought only what we absolutely needed, and everything on sale. Anything that needed doing, we did ourselves rather than hiring people to do it for us. It didn’t do us any harm. We were happy.
Perseverance, discipline, and independence are such strong traits to have. They’re priceless – as is a good husband.