Carol Cox and Trouble in Store Giveaway

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CAROL COX is the author of 30 novels and novellas. A third-generation Arizonan, Carol has a lifelong fascination with the Old West and hopes to make it live again in the hearts of her readers. She makes her home with her husband and daughter in northern Arizona, where the deer and the antelope really do play--often within view of the family's front porch.

TROUBLE IN STORE
by Carol Cox
Published by Bethany House

ABOUT THE BOOK

Fired from her most recent governess position, Melanie Ross must embrace her last resort: the Arizona mercantile she inherited from her cousin. But Caleb Nelson is positive he inherited the mercantile, and he's not about to let some obstinate woman with newfangled ideas mess up all he's worked for. He's determined to get Melanie married off as soon as possible, and luckily there are plenty of single men in town quite interested in taking her off his hands. The problem is, Caleb soon realizes he doesn't want her to marry up with any of them. He's drawn to Melanie more every day, and he has to admit some of her ideas for the store unexpectedly offer positive results.

But someone doesn't want the store to succeed, and what used to be just threatening words has escalated into deliberate destruction and lurkers in the night. When a body shows up on the mercantile steps--and the man obviously didn't die from natural causes--things really get dangerous. Can Melanie and Caleb's business--and romance--survive the trouble that's about to come their way?

Readers, buy your copy of Trouble in Store today!

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR FEATURE AUTHOR

Researching a story is one of my favorite parts of the writing process. You just never know where it will take you! When it came to writing Trouble in Store, there were a number of topics I needed to learn about, from 19th-century mercantiles to Native American cliff dwellings to patent medicines.

The Ross-Nelson Mercantile (the store Caleb and Melanie squabble over in the book) has a number of quirky customers, including Idalou Fetterman. Mrs. Fetterman is a great believer in the curative powers of patent medicines and spends a lot of time browsing the shelves in search of the ideal remedy for whatever happens to be ailing her that day.

Back in 1885, these "miracle" medicines weren't produced by pharmaceutical companies, but by self-proclaimed experts who often billed themselves as doctors, although it's doubtful that many (or any!) of them actually had medical degrees. The labels bore colorful names . . . and boasted equally colorful claims.

Dr. Sherman's Prickly Ash Bitters billed itself as the cure for biliousness, vertigo, or a torpid liver, and contained "only the purest drugs, among which may be enumerated: prickly ash, mandrake, buchu, button snake, senna." I don’t know about you, but I have yet to reach for a dose of buchu or button snake when I’m feeling under the weather.

A little research turned up the information that the government declared the good doctor's remedy misbranded. That may have had something to do with the fact that the cure-all (which contained 20% alcohol) was recommended in wineglassful doses three times a day, but was declared to be "not an intoxicating beverage."

Then there's Dr. Kilmer's Female Remedy, the Great Blood Purifier and System Regulator, one of the best known quack medicines of the 19th century. The company was one of the first firms to advertise nationally, and targeted this nostrum at medical problems specific to women. Dr. Kilmer's nostrum also contained a substantial amount of alcohol and couldn't do much more for his female patients than make them a bit tipsy for a time.

And let's not forget Seelye's Wasa-Tusa. The name alone is enough to catch your attention, even before learning it was guaranteed to bring about good results with: muscle soreness, bruises, headache, toothache, earache, colic, and cramps. If something ached, it was Wasa-Tusa time!

Hostetter's Celebrated Bitters became a national best-seller in the 1850s. During the Civil War, it was marketed to soldiers as "a positive protective against the fatal maladies of the Southern swamps, and the poisonous tendency of the impure rivers and bayous." By now, you probably won't be shocked to learn the original formula was made up of about 47% alcohol--an amount so high that it was served by the the glass in Alaskan saloons. I'm sure those Alaskans were reassured to know they wouldn't fall prey to any maladies contracted in an impure bayou!

In addition to the widespread prevalence of alcohol, most patent medicines included vegetable extracts. Since there was no regulation on the ingredients, their curative properties were often doubtful . . . and could be deadly. Many were also laced with morphine, opium, or cocaine while being advertised for use with children and infants--which sometimes ended in tragic results.

Even so, these hucksters found a ready market for their goods. By the middle of the 19th century, the manufacture of patent medicines had become a major industry in America.

Doctors and medical societies spoke out in increasing numbers, and even more strident opposition came from the temperance movement, which protested the use of alcohol in medicines. It's no surprise that the manufacturers fought against regulation of any kind, and their resistance was aided by the press, since many newspapers had become dependent on money received from advertising these remedies.

We can all be grateful for the Pure Food and Drug Act, enacted in 1906, which required manufacturers to list ingredients on their labels and restricted misleading advertising. That's a very good thing for us . . . and Mrs. Fetterman should be grateful she's a fictional character!

Question for Readers: Many people today are shying away from traditional medicine and looking for alternative, more natural cures. Some of those seem to make inflated claims similar to the patent medicines of yore . . . but others have proven effective.

What non-traditional remedies have you heard of or used? And were they beneficial or not?

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Thank you, Carol, for sharing with us today.

ENTRY RULES Readers, leave your email address (name [at] domainname [dot] com) along with your answer to the question for your chance to win a free autographed copy of the book featured above. If you do not answer the question, and your email address isn't provided, you will not be entered.

This week, the drawing is open to US/Canada residents.

Guest Blogger Carol Cox and Love In Disguise

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CAROL COX is the author of nearly 30 novels and novellas. A third-generation Arizonan, Carol has a lifelong fascination with the Old West and hopes to make it live again in the hearts of her readers. She makes her home with her husband and daughter in northern Arizona, where the deer and the antelope really do play--within view of the family's front porch.

LOVE IN DISGUISE
by Carol Cox
Published by Bethany House

ABOUT THE BOOK

Jobless and down to her last dime, Ellie Moore hears about a position with the Pinkerton Detective Agency and believes it's the perfect chance to put her acting skills and costumes to use. Reluctantly, the agency agrees to give her one assignment, one chance to prove herself. Disguised as Lavinia Stewart, a middle-aged widow, Ellie travels to Arizona to begin her investigation. When the need arises, she also transforms into the dazzling Jessie Monroe, whose vivacious personality encourages people to talk.

Mine owner Steven Pierce is going to lose his business if he can't figure out who's stealing his silver shipments. In his wildest dreams, he never expected to receive help from a gray-haired widow... or to fall in love with her beautiful niece.

Then the thieves come after Lavinia and Jessie. Ellie isn't safe no matter which character she plays! Should she give up and reveal her true identity? What will Steven do when he realizes the woman he's falling in love with doesn't really exist?

Readers, buy your copy of Love in Disguise today!

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR FEATURE AUTHOR

One of the things I enjoy most about writing historical novels is the research that goes into them. Poring over musty old books and digging up tantalizing nuggets of information that add texture to a story is an adventure for me, not a chore.

My favorite form of research is making onsite visits to the location where a story is set to get a sense of the sights and sounds my characters would have experienced. It’s exhilarating to walk in the steps of those characters, even if getting inside their heads sometimes means getting odd looks from the people around me . . . and occasionally from my family.

Sometimes an actual town works perfectly for a story. At other times, creating a fictional setting serves the story best, and that was the case when I was writing Love in Disguise. While exploring the back roads of southern Arizona with my husband and daughter, we came upon the site of an old ghost town near the banks of the San Pedro River. The location was made to order for what I had in mind, and so the town of Pickford was born.

Now that I’d decided upon the town’s location, I needed to plan its layout. We were using Tombstone as our headquarters during that trip, and while we walked from our hotel to a restaurant for dinner one evening, it occurred to me that the way Tombstone’s streets are laid out was exactly what I needed for Pickford.

I picked up a local street map and spent the evening locating the points where different scenes would take in the book and marking them on the map. The church, the stage depot, the telegraph office . . . eventually I’d chosen places for them all. It was like creating my own little SimCity!

The next day we set out for the corner where my heroine’s house was situated. My breath caught as I realized that this was the perfect opportunity to experience what Ellie would as she went from one spot to another around Pickford.

“Let’s walk to the Grand Hotel.”

My husband and daughter peered over my shoulder at my revised street plan. “The Grand Hotel . . . which is actually The Bird Cage Theater?”

I nodded happily. It made perfect sense to me, and by now they’ve learned to recognize the signs when I start to slip from the real world into an alternate reality.

I heard faint sighs of resignation as they looked at each other. “Okay, let’s go.”

In no time at all, I felt as completely immersed in my role as Ellie as she was when she took on the roles of Lavinia Stewart and Jessie Monroe in her capacity as an undercover Pinkerton operative. Every step that echoed along the boardwalk seemed to anchor me more firmly in that earlier time as I strode along, nodding to the passersby.

My daughter nudged me. “Why are you holding your camera like that?”

I looked down at the camera, dangling by its strap from my wrist in front of my waist. “It isn’t a camera anymore. It’s my reticule.”

Was that a faint whimper I heard? I thought about reaching out to give her a comforting pat on the arm, but my other hand was busy holding up an imaginary parasol to protect my delicate complexion from the harsh Arizona sun.

As we passed the Pickford stage depot (or in Tombstone, the site of the Longhorn Restaurant), I stepped down off the boardwalk to cross the street, ready to investigate the Pickford Bakery.

A sharp yank on my arm jolted me from my reverie as my husband pulled me to a halt. I blinked and tried to get my bearings. Had the dear man just saved me from being trampled by a runaway horse?

Not exactly. A car was pulling up to the stop sign on the cross street, and he wanted to keep me from stepping out into its path. The realization brought me back to the 21st century with a thud.

That research trip turned out to be one of the most enjoyable I’ve had to date. I hope Pickford will become as real to my readers as it did to me . . . minus the runaway horses and oncoming cars.

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Thank you, Carol, for sharing with us today.

Guest Question:  If you could step back in time, what period and place would you visit? Who would you be, and what would you experience there?

ENTRY RULES Readers, leave your email address (name at domainname dot com/net) along with your answer to the question for your chance to win a FREE autographed copy of the book featured above OR a heart-shaped pocket mirror with a sticker featuring the cover of the book above. Your choice if you win. If you do not answer the question, and your email address isn't provided, you will not be entered.

This week, the contest is open to US/Canada residents only.

Spotlight on Carol Cox and A Test of Faith

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CAROL COX is the author of over 25 novels and novellas, both historical and contemporary. She lives with her husband and daughter in a rural area of northern Arizona, where they have an abundance of dirt roads, rolling hills, wide open spaces, and glorious views. Her husband pastors two churches and operates a saddle shop in what they laughingly call his "spare" time. In addition to writing, Carol homeschools her daughter and enjoys crocheting and gardening (especially when she manages to keep the local rancher's cattle from grazing in her flower bed).

A TEST OF FAITH
by Carol Cox
Published by Guideposts

ABOUT THE BOOK

When everything falls apart, can faith hold them together?

When a stolen car crashes through the front window of the Country Diner, Kate Hanlon vows to find the mysterious driver, who has somehow vanished into the night. But when Kate's wallet is discovered in the front seat of the car, she has a whole new reason to find the real culprit. How did it end up there? No one in town seems to believe that the pastor's wife is innocent, and with their whole ministry on the line, Kate sets out in search of answers. Meanwhile, Kate finds herself caring for her ailing husband after Paul breaks his ankle in a church basketball game, and the diner's owner Loretta isn't talking about when--or if--everyone's favorite restaurant will reopen. Is this all simply a test of faith, or is this a sign that the Hanlons' time in Copper Mill is coming to an end?

Buy Your Copy of A Test of Faith today!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. What gave you the inspiration for this story?

A Test of Faith is the first book I did for the Mystery and the Minister's Wife series from Guideposts. This series is a bit different than most in that individual books are written by different authors. It's been a real blessing to be part of this team! With an ongoing series like this, the main characters and setting details were already established, but there was plenty of room to develop a story within that framework. Kate Hanlon, the heroine, is a small-town pastor's wife who is also a stained glass artist. Being a creative person, she looks at life in a different way than most people, and her unique perspective--plus her faith in the Lord--helps her to solve mysteries. I've loved being part of this series, because I can relate to Kate on a number of levels. My husband has pastored small-town churches for over 20 years, and I've experienced the joys and quirks of living in a tight-knit community. Kate's creativity is expressed in her stained glass art, and mine is expressed in my writing. Of course, there are differences, too. For instance, Kate is a fabulous cook who does some of her best thinking while baking. We won't go into details about my talents in the kitchen other than to say that I don't share that gift with her!

2. How much of your own experiences influenced your characters? What aspects became traits that are theirs and theirs alone?

I think we've all experienced times when we've felt isolated, even in the midst of a crowd. I was able to draw on the times this has happened to me in writing about the way Kate felt ostracized when people in her own community were willing to believe she had been involved in a crime. Kate and I also share an inquisitive nature--a much nicer term than "nosiness," don't you think?

One of the characters I enjoyed writing about most was Avery Griffin, a man who is trying to overcome his past. I haven't experienced the same struggles he goes through, but I have a strong admiration for those who have the grit and tenacity to leave their old life behind and make a new start.

3. If one of your characters were an ice cream flavor, what would he/she be and why?

Kate is definitely not plain vanilla! Her deep faith and her dedication to seeking out the truth give her character a much richer flavor than that. Given her love for coffee, let's say she's cappuccino ice cream with a fudge swirl. (I'm sure chocolate must be good for the mental processes involved in all her sleuthing.) And since she's a stained glass artist, would it be too much to add some rainbow sprinkles on the top?

4. Are there any themes in A Test of Faith that you hope the reader sees? Are there any themes that weren't overt but developed as the stories progressed?

A theme of trust runs throughout the book, both trusting in the Lord and trusting other people. How do we trust God when things in our life turn upside down? And what do we do when people who ought to know better don't trust us?

Another theme that came up as the story progressed was how to handle being falsely accused. What happens when circumstances seem to point to us being guilty of something we didn't do? We expect people who know us to give us the benefit of the doubt, but sometimes no amount of explanation will convince others that we haven't done anything wrong. When that happens, there is little else we can do but hold our heads up and keep on going, trusting that the truth will eventually come out and remembering that the Lord already knows the truth and will sustain us no matter what. And that is much easier said than done!

5. What were your most difficult parts to write? Your favorite?

For me, the first draft--all of it--is the hardest part of any book. After 25 titles, you'd think the process would get easier over time, but that hasn't been the case. It's always an uphill battle to get that rough draft down, but I feel a huge sense of relief once that's done and I can start refining the story.

The most enjoyable part of this book was writing the scene where the townspeople are picketing the diner. I wanted something to happen that was over the top in a goofy, yet lovable way. Quirky characters and scenes are always my favorites to write, and I treasure those offbeat moments in real life. They add the humor that lightens situations that would be pretty dismal otherwise.

6. When is your next book coming out and what is the story?

I'm currently at work on my fourth book for the Mystery and the Minister's Wife series. It's still in the early stages--so early that I don't even have a definite title or release date yet! Since I don't want to give away the plot, I'll just say that in this one, Kate isn't able to go out and sleuth on her own, so she has to rely on her faith, her deductive abilities, and help from her friends more than ever. Readers can check my website at http://www.carolcoxbooks.com/ for updates as the book progresses!

Thank you so much for having me here today. Those were wonderful questions, and I've had a great time!

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Thank you, Carol, for being in the spotlight with us.

Readers, leave a comment for your chance to win a FREE copy of A Test of Faith.

If you wish to comment but don't want to be entered, say so when you post. Make sure you also leave your email address (name at domainname dot.com/net). Wouldn't want you to miss out on winning a book. :)

And if you want to make certain you don't miss anything, check the box that says 'email follow-up comments to:' when you leave a comment and they'll be sent to the email address associated with your blogging account. That way you'll be notified of any comments and will know when I announce the winner.

This week, the contest is open to US/Canada residents only.