About the Book

Book: Gold Rush Bride Tegan

Author: Linda Shenton Matchett

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: February 25, 2022

Tegan Llewellyn has always been different than her adopted family, except Grandmother Hannah, a prospector during the 1829 Georgia gold rush. Now, seventy years later there are reports of gold in Nome, and the opportunity is too good to pass up. But Tegan doesn’t count on the dangers that strike from the moment she steps off the steamer, including the threat of losing her heart.

Elijah Hunter has prospected for gold all over the US and Canada and likes being on the move. The last thing he expects to find on his latest search is a lady miner who proves to be nothing but trouble. Can he convince her that leaving is for her own good before it’s too late…for both of them?

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About the Author

Linda Shenton Matchett writes about ordinary people who did extraordinary things in days gone by. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry (of Star-Spangled Banner fame) and has lived in historic places all her life. Linda is a volunteer docent and archivist for the Wright Museum of World War II and a former trustee for her local public library. She now resides in central New Hampshire where her favorite activities are exploring the state’s historical sites and immersing herself in the imaginary worlds created by other authors.

More from Linda

Dear Reader,

I am constantly amazed at the extraordinary things women did over the course of history (mostly done in dresses and skirts until about eighty years ago!). When I stumbled on the fact that women were involved during the gold and silver rushes that occurred in the US and its territories, I knew I had to tell their story.

A significant number of women followed husbands, brothers, or fathers, but an intrepid few set out on their own to find their fortune for as many reasons as there were women. Some went to escape difficult (or abusive) situations at home and others because they felt they had no choice. But there was a small percentage who made their way across thousands of miles for the sheer adventure.

The Nome Gold Rush started 175 years ago in 1898, and was different than previous rushes in that much of the gold was on the beach and could be plucked from the sand without any need for a claim. Later, claims were required to mine gold from the Snake River, and this is when things got dirty.

Initially, the courts upheld original claims, but after some of the “claim jumpers” offered to share proceeds from their invalid claims, a few crooked judges and politicians decided this was a great opportunity to line their pockets. Already guilty of stealing votes and voter intimidation, Alexander McKenzie, National Committeeman for North Dakota headed the pack and created an elaborate scheme with the help of Judge Arthur Noyes. It would take nearly two years for the men to be arrested and brought to trial. I included a fictionalized version of this situation in Gold Rush Bride Tegan.

I visited Alaska before writing Tegan and was overwhelmed by its majestic beauty. The photos I’d seen before the trip didn’t do justice to the reality of the state’s glaciers, mountains, rivers, and forests. Wildlife is so abundant that it literally walked or flew through town giving us “up close and personal” experiences with moose, wild sheep, eagles, and more.

Because of the inaccessibility of much of the state, one in fifty Alaskans hold a pilot’s license as compared to the national average which is one in seven hundred. However, in 1898, prospectors didn’t have that luxury, instead making their way to San Francisco by rail and then either going overland with wagons and mules or up the coast on schooners, either choice a difficult and arduous journey.

It is my hope that Gold Rush Bride Tegan honors the stalwart women who left all they knew for the chance of a lifetime.

Blessings,

Linda Shenton Matchett

Blog Stops

Sylvan Musings, May 10 (Author Interview)

Lily’s Book Reviews, May 11

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 12

Tell Tale Book Reviews, May 13 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, May 14

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 15

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, May 16 (Author Interview)

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, May 16

Connie’s History Classroom, May 17

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 18

By The Book, May 19 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, May 19

Books Less Travelled, May 20

For Him and My Family, May 21

For the Love of Literature, May 22 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 23

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Linda is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Visa Gift Card and signed copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/25f59/gold-rush-bride-tegan-celebration-tour-giveaway

Interview with Linda

What advice can you give to writers trying to break into the publishing world? There is no better time to be an author than right now because of the many ways to get stories into the hands of readers. Writers can choose to go the traditional or indie path, or a combination of both. There are myriad distributors or an author can sell directly to a reader from a website.

But the keys to getting noticed are creating a quality product (whether it’s a manuscript and “one-sheet” being presented to an agent or publisher or a professional-grade book that is offered for sale) and having an online presence. People can’t buy your book if they don’t know about it or you. “Online presence” isn’t the same for everyone, and certainly doesn’t mean you should be on every single social media platform available. Personally, I feel a website is important because that is “real estate” you own. No one can delete your account as can happen on social media sites. Choose sites where your readers hang out so you can engage with them. Word of mouth advertising is better than anything you can pay for.

What qualities do you look for in a hero and heroine? I enjoy characters who aren’t perfect and typically have a flaw that makes me wonder if they’re going to be able to get out of their own way. I also expect them to have integrity, to have a code of conduct they live by and stick with it. That’s not to say they don’t make mistakes.

What do you plan to work on next? I’m currently writing a mail-order bride book called Beryl’s Bounty Hunter. She has come to America to escape living on the streets of Liverpool, England, but after she arrives, she discovers the advertisement is fraudulent and ends up running for her life. After that is a Thanksgiving story set just after WWII ends when all the men are coming home and women are being asked to leave the workforce to make room for them.

If you could vacation anywhere, where would you go? I have been very blessed to travel somewhat extensively, but one of my favorite ways to travel is by train. I haven’t seen a lot of the American West despite writing about it, so I’d love to take a train trip through the central states of the US from Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Nevada to California, then north into Oregon and Washington. I’d like to have a sleeper berth and eat in the dining car just like in the “old days.” A trip like that might not be possible now, but if it was, would certainly involve changing trains multiple times to get where I was going, but that would be half the fun!

Where can readers connect with you? Here are my social media links:

Website/Blog/Newsletter signup: http://www.LindaShentonMatchett.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LindaShentonMatchettAuthor

Facebook Readers’ Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/lindashentonmatchettsreadersgroup

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/lindasmatchett

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lindamatchett

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/linda-shenton-matchett

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author_linda_matchett