ANNOUNCING…THREADS OF TIME

THREADS OF TIME is a seven-story collection of romantic novellas that span more than 150 years following the journeys of a quilt and the comfort it offers to the many hands through which it passes.

 Authors:
Constance Shilling Stevens (Connie Stevens)
Ralph Vogel (Kim Sawyer’s dad)
J. Michele Franklin (Jalana Franklin)
Marjorie Vawter
Darlene A Dodds (Darlene Wells)
Eileen Key
K. Marie Libel (Kristian Libel—Kim Sawyer’s daughter)

When my crit buddies proposed the idea of us collaborating on a collection of novellas, we were all in! What fun! The brainstorming sessions and emails flew back and forth across the country (we live in Georgia, Tennessee, Kansas, Missouri, Texas, and California).
Then in June, we all gathered at the gorgeous Bed & Breakfast owned by Kim Vogel Sawyer and her hubby, and fine-tuned the seven workable story lines with a common thread to tie them together. A quilt that is made by the character in the first story (1867) travels through many decades, and requires repairs and patching and re-binding before it is discovered—tattered and worn out—in an estate sale in 2014.

Now it’s one thing to build separate story lines for seven stories whose characters are related in some way, but when we decided to have these stories unfold chronologically over 150 years, that’s when things got interesting. Some of the stories feature characters who are related by blood to the characters from the previous story, and the characters in some of the other stories come into possession of the quilt through various circumstances other than from the hands of a relative. The quilt travels west on a wagon train, endures a fire, comforts a Titanic survivor and a Vietnam war survivor before it enters the 21^st century and teaches an ambitious young woman the value of history.

One of the hardest things about doing a series of this type is making sure all the details are consistent. So my critique partners burned up cyberspace with emails, nailing down even the most insignificant points so all seven stories would flow smoothly from one decade to the next.

My story appears first in the series. A THIMBLEFUL OF PEACE is set in 1867 and introduces a young lady, Susannah Westbrook, and the special quilt she made, intended to grace her marriage bed. But the quilt remains tucked away and unused because Susannah’s sweetheart never came home from the War Between the States. When she takes a job in the home of Thomas Rutledge, a widowed riverboat captain, caring for his two children, the quilt accompanies Susannah, but only serves to remind her of her unmarried status.

Thomas has locked his heart away for over three years. With the arrival of this quiet and gentle young woman, the wall he’s built up around himself begins to crumble, and he is at a loss to know what to do about it.

Susannah struggles to believe God will listen to “someone like her” and Thomas is startled to realize he is ready to thaw out his heart.

Circumstances cause Thomas and Susannah to make unexpected decisions, but threats from a woman to whom Susannah owes money will unravel the tiny thimbleful of peace she holds within her grasp unless God indeed hears her prayers.

This E-book is available NOW from Amazon for only 99 cents. But this introductory price won’t last long.

Now here is the fun part. To celebrate the release of THREADS OF TIME, I am giving away a $25 Amazon gift card. So you can download this book for yourself and 24 friends! Or, perhaps buy $24 worth of books for yourself!

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL!! In addition to the gift card, I’m also giving away a quilted sofa throw (50”x 60”) just right for snuggling up and reading THREADS OF TIME. There is more than one way to enter.

1)      Leave a comment on this blog, along with an email address so I can notify you if you win.

2)      Go to my Facebook author page and leave a comment, and then LIKE my author page, and SHARE the post about the book release. If you win, I can private message you.

The drawing will be on February 28th. One prize per person.