BWL Publishing Inc. New Releases for January 2025

 Happy New Year everyone. I'm wishing for all of you a wonderful year filled with everything you need and desire in your life. Good health and prosperity, love from everyone in your circle and success in all your set out to accomplish.

A Glimpse into the Past by Eden Monroe

 

 

 https://bookswelove.net/monroe-eden/

A GLIMPSE INTO THE PAST

 

When man invented the wheel, he was only limited by his imagination as to what to what he’d eventually use it for.

Over time horse-drawn carriages became a popular form of conveyance. They are featured prominently in the romantic suspense novel, Bound for Somewhere, Book One of The Kavenaghs, a series set in Eastern Canada during the 1870’s. Garrett Kavenagh was keen to rise above his humble beginnings and find his place in the industry that had long fascinated him:

“He’d seen fine carriages pass by on the road from time to time, pulled by equally fine horses. That had strengthened his dream and the opportunity to realize it had now been unexpectedly laid before him…. Someday he’d help build those carriages he told himself, and he would take great pride in that work.”

But first the wheel….

According to www.citeco.fr/10000-years-history-economics/the-origins/invention-of-the-wheel: “The wheel was invented in the 4th millennium BC in Lower Mesopotamia (modern-​​day Iraq), where the Sumerian people inserted rotating axles into solid discs of wood. It was only in 2000 BC that the discs began to be hollowed out to make a lighter wheel.

This innovation led to major advances in two main areas. First, transport: the wheel began to be used on carts and battle chariots.”

 

Interestingly, there are still chariot builders today, although of course not to the same extent as was practiced in antiquity. We think of chariots in terms of warfare or racing, or indeed hunting, but this open vehicle (two or four wheels) was likely first used in royal funeral processions says britannica.com/technology/chariot: “The chariot apparently originated in Mesopotamia in about 3000 BC; monuments from Ur and Tutub depict battle parades that include heavy vehicles with solid wheels, their bodywork framed with wood and covered with skins. On the earliest chariots the wheels rotated on a fixed axle that was linked by a draft pole to the yoke of a pair of oxen. To the axle was attached a superstructure consisting of a platform protected by sidescreens and a high dashboard. These Mesopotamian chariots were mounted by both spearman and charioteer, although it is doubtful that fighting was conducted from the vehicle itself.”

Automakers would eventually take their place too in the scheme of things, and we must remember who brung it to the dance. As set out in ingeniumcanada,org, that would be Henry Seth Taylor who “beat Henry Ford by about 30 years with a Canadian-made ‘steam pleasure carriage.’ “

So the first automaker in Canada established himself in Stanstead, Quebec in the 1800’s, again according to ingeniumcanada.org:

“Taylor was a skilled artisan and loved to build things, and decided to make a steam carriage after seeing an American model in action. Using his metal-working skills, he crafted the carriage’s two-cylinder engine and driving mechanism while a local blacksmith, Joseph Mosher, constructed the carriage frame. Taylor first drove his steam-powered car in 1867 and demonstrated it publicly on September 24, 1868, at the Stanstead agricultural fair. Powered by a rear-mounted coal-fired boiler, the car used a tiller instead of a wheel for steering. Taylor had no plan to produce his invention for sale: he built it to test his mechanical skill and satisfy his own curiosity. Once he’d accomplished these goals, he put the steam buggy aside and moved on to other projects, leaving the buggy stored in a safe place that protected its metal parts from the ravages of time….”

The invention of the automobile certainly impacted carriage making, but there was an overlapping of the two industries at one point because business was still booming in carriage factories during the mid to late 1800’s. There were once carriage factories aplenty in North America alone, and in some instances fascinating relics remain of this bygone era. Preserved as museums, they provide a tantalizing glimpse into the past. Such as the hugely popular Campbell Carriage Factory Museum (tantramarheritage.ca/) located in Sackville, New Brunswick. It proved to be a treasure trove of important information in the writing of Bound For Somewhere. The (factory employee) characters mentioned in the book are of course pure invention, but a much-deserved salute is in order for this wonderful historical facility.

Campbell Carriage Factory

 

Started in 1855 by Ronald Campbell, this family business would thrive for nearly one hundred years. It was John Beal who undertook the original construction of the building in 1838 and used it as a tannery, before it was purchased and converted into a carriage factory by the Campbell family. High-quality horse-drawn vehicles were the Campbells’ basic stock and trade, but they also made tools, agricultural equipment and funeral caskets. (Subsequent generations included hay dealership and funeral undertaking as part of their business plan.)

A blacksmith shop was added to the Campbell Carriage Factory in 1856, certainly a mainstay in carriage-making with the custom-made metal components for sleighs, wagons and carriages it was able to produce, and much more.

And production was brisk at the carriage factory, by 1870 turning out up to forty wheeled vehicles and twenty sleighs a year. Even that number was improved upon during their time in operation. Nevertheless, like most such factories they eventually had to close shop as the automobile increased in popularity. But back in those halcyon days of the 1870’s, there were many young men who shared Garrett Kavenagh’s dream and found the means to take it all the way to a better life:

“Garrett had a mind that whatever he said the old man would find it amusing. ‘Waiting on tables, finding out what people want to eat and bringing it to them,’ he explained. ‘It’s just for now though,’ he added when he saw Gault winding up for another guffaw. ‘I got a job waiting at the carriage factory. I’m going to be making carriages.’

‘For certain?’

‘For certain, and someday I’ll own one.’

Gault kept his eyes on the road ahead. ‘Sure you will, and a pair of fine horses to pull it too.’

He was expecting that. ‘I will,’ he said with conviction, ‘someday.’”

 

 

 

Canadian Historical Brides ~ Quebec

                                                                    Belle Canadienne at  Amazon

                                                     

This charming cover is a romantic 19th century vision of what was, according to my research, a far harsher reality.  Women were scarce in all frontier colonies, but those who did dare the journey were as strong and probably just as ready to put the past behind them as the men for whom they are destined.

Jeanne Joly is among them. Brought up in a comfortable bourgeois home in the port city of Brouage, Jeanne runs away with a handsome sailor to La Rochelle. Her outraged father predicts she will rue the day she allowed her heart to rule her head. Now, a teen-age romance will decide her future.

Jeanne believes that "love conquers all" and so it does--for a few years. The little family is poor, but her husband adores her and her new in-laws are welcoming. However, sea-faring in the 1630's is a fraught calling and the day comes when neither her husband nor any of his shipmates return home. Within a few years, Jeanne's little boy too, becomes a victim of the ocean when he ventures too close to the waves.

A chance encounter with a charismatic lady shows her a way to escape both her "ruined" past and her current poverty. Soon, Jeanne is on her way to the undiscovered, wild country along the St. Lawrence River.  

Here's an excerpt from the newest entry in the Canadian Historical Brides Series, Belle Canadienne. It is available as e-book in all formats and in print.

 All my historical novels may be found: 

 Kobo

Smashwords

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

********************************************************************************************************** 

Ocean and sky! Ocean and sky!

Jeanne had never before sailed out of sight of land.  To see nothing but the ship surrounded by so much deep, deep water and feel herself riding over such massive swells--like hills that endlessly traveled beneath the ship--was a new and frightening experience.  Agathe had sailed to the Canary Islands with her brother and all the way down the coast of Spain, too, but even she appeared full of wonder at the endlessness of the Atlantic. 

In Jeanne's earlier coastal voyages, the welcome shout "Land Ho" had come quickly, but now a month had passed and they were only half--or, perhaps a third – of the way to their next sight of land.  Only time alone would tell. A single heavy two-day storm through which they had passed had made both women seasick and afraid for the first time in all their sailing lives... 

Below the main deck were those who were emigrating.  A few had wives with them.  Some of these folks were tradesmen--cobblers, coopers, and smiths--who had been engaged to work only for an indenture's term in New France.  There were soldiers and some carpenters too.  Two of those were indentured, but there was also the ship's carpenter and his apprentice. 

As well, peasant farmers were among the passengers, men who were promised land after they served a three-year term of indenture to the gentlemen seigneurs among whom the new land had been divided.  Their job would be immense for they would be clearing virgin forest, breaking sod, and facing the savages.  After their term of indenture was over, just as such peasants did in France, they would continue to pay rent to the mostly absent seigneurs who held title to the land on which they labored.  It was a hard bargain, this Jeanne understood, but she also knew that farmland was almost impossible to obtain in France if you were a younger son.  These brave paysan were willing to take the chance...

****************************************************************************************

Also in the Canadian Historical Brides series:

Fly Away Snow Goose

a residential school story set in Northwest Territories

Amazon

Kobo

Barnes & Noble

Teens caught by the Mounties and sent to an Indian Residential School in 1950's. Based on actual survivor stories, this is a tale of terror, endurance, escape, survival, and love, as 4 children journey home through the Canadian wilderness.

~~Juliet Waldron

A Christmas Gift to my BWL Readers (Free short story) "Rachel and Lynx--Rodeo Romance" By Connie Vines #A Cowboy For Christmas, #Lynx #Rodeo Bull Rider

 

canva book cover

Readers have emailed me and posted messages on my social media accounts over the years requesting a sequel to Lynx and Rachel's story...

I've always hesitated. This was my first published romance. And Lynx Maddox and Rachel Scott will forever hold a special place in my heart.

This month, I've been dreaming of thunder, lightning, and the freezing winds of Amarillo, Texas. The scent of rain drenching the Great Plains was a magical moment from my nomadic childhood.

So, during this time of Christmas and Hanukkah, I am giving my readers a long-awaited short story. 

©  2024 A Cowboy For Christmas  By Connie Vines

Rachel listened to the wind wrap itself around the ranch house. It shook the double-paned windows, and the icy cold penetrated the glass. Lynx had warned her that the Texas Panhandle had the harshest winds in the country. And the family ranch was miles from civilization.

Rachel said it didn't matter. 

She'd adapt. 

And so she had.

Until now.

Adjusting her fleece robe, Rachel leaned over the sofa to check on Mattie. Borrowed beneath a hill of blankets and quilts, her four-year-old daughter was toasty warm and blissfully asleep. Resisting the urge to stroke her daughter's soft auburn curls, she glanced back out the window.

Lynx was due back from San Angelo yesterday. He reminded her that a Texan always kept his promises. 

"You had better keep that promise, cowboy." 

Minutes passed. Rachel continued to pace across the room, holding back tears.

  

The crackling fire from the brick fireplace warmed the room. 

Rachel felt the baby kick, and she placed her palm protectively against her stomach. "Everything will be alright," she whispered.

Winters in the Bittterroot Valley of Montana were different. She lived in a small town, and her neighbors were nearby. 

She considered herself strong and self-reliant.  

After she married Lynx, she changed. They shared life's burdens and joys, and she felt safe. 

Until now.

She was on a ranch. Located in the coldest county in Texas. It was snowing. She had a three-year-old daughter and a baby who was due to be born in nine days. 

 "Lynx Maddox, you'd better not leave me alone with two..."

There was a loud thumping sound at the door.

Mattie jumped from the sofa before Rachel could process the sound and headed to the door. "Daddy. Daddy!"

Lynx stepped inside the room, followed by a guest of wind and snow.

He closed the door while their daughter scampered around him in delight.

Rachel stared at him. She was angry, frightened, and unable to speak.

Lynx walked over and gently kissed her tears away. "How often must I remind you to lock the door?" 

Rachel laughed, and a deep, rumbling chuckle erupted from Lynx's throat. 

"Welcome home, Wild Cat," she whispered.

The End (for now)

I hope you've enjoyed "A Cowboy For Christmas."

This is the story of Rachel and Lynx.

Award of Excellence, HOLT Medallion, The Orange Rose, and Colorado Gold Award.

 

Smashwords:https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/887552

BWL site:https://bookswelove.net/vines-connie/

All Of my BWL ebooks:

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/vinesbwl

May 2025 bring you love, joy, and many, many ebooks!

XOXO

Connie Vines

Follow me on:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Substack

Blogspot (mizging.blogspot.com)

GoodReads

Amazon

YouTube

My Website

and more.

 

 

The Frogs

 

THE FROGS WHO WISHED FOR A KING

The Frogs were tired of governing themselves. They had so much freedom that it had spoiled them, and they did nothing but sit around croaking in a bored manner and wishing for a government that could entertain them with the pomp and display of royalty, and rule them in a way to make them know they were being ruled. No milk and water government for them, they declared. So they sent a petition to Jupiter asking for a king.

Jupiter saw what simple and foolish creatures they were, but to keep them quiet and make them think they had a king he threw down a huge log, which fell into the water with a great splash. The Frogs hid themselves among the reeds and grasses, thinking the new king to be some fearful giant. But they soon discovered how tame and peaceable King Log was. In a short time the younger Frogs were using him for a diving platform, while the older Frogs made him a meeting place, where they complained loudly to Jupiter about the sleepy do-nothing government.

To teach the Frogs a lesson the ruler of the gods now sent a Crane to be king of Frogland. The Crane proved to be a very different sort of king from old King Log. He gobbled up the poor Frogs right and left and they soon saw what fools they had been. In mournful croaks they begged Jupiter to take away the cruel tyrant before they should all be destroyed.

"How now!" cried Jupiter "Are you not yet content? You have what you asked for and so you have only yourselves to blame for your misfortunes."

Be sure you can better your condition before you seek to change.