Book: As Far as the West
Author: Barbara A. Curtis
Genre: Christian Historical Fiction
Release Date: September 23, 2025
His only chance at
happiness lies in the hands of a woman determined to expose his
family’s darkest secrets.
Josiah Calloway lives in the shadow of two battles—the war that cost him his future and his leg, and the shame of his father’s betrayal. To restore his family’s honor, Josiah secretly repays the debts his father left behind, one by one. But the largest debt remains unpaid—to the Morgan family, his father’s sworn enemies.
Determined to save her family’s ranch, Lizzie Morgan takes a job at a Boise tailor shop, only to discover her employer is Benton Calloway, a man with a decades-old vendetta against her parents. Lizzie suspects he’s up to no good and plans to uncover proof of his schemes against her parents. The one bright spot in her dangerous game is Benton’s kind-hearted son who walks her home each evening, whose gentle ways and protective nature make her heart flutter.
As every evening walk draws them closer, Josiah finds himself falling for this determined seamstress with fire in her spirit and grace in her heart. When feelings deepen and Benton’s threats escalate, Josiah is given an ultimatum. But protecting Lizzie from his father might risk losing her trust and love forever. Can love overcome a legacy of betrayal or will the truth shatter everything they’ve built?
Click here to get your copy!
Barbara A. Curtis lives
in Connecticut with her husband, and they have one grown son, a
blessing to their hearts. She is a member of American Christian
Fiction Writers and Novel Academy.
Have you ever felt like a kid in a candy store?
In As Far as the West, eleven-year-old Gideon Brighton has the joy of living out that saying as he works for his grandmother in her candy shop, with his pay being in candy. And as a young entrepreneur, he has big dreams for Brighton’s Candy Shop.
Can you picture yourself sticking a hand into a big glass jar and pulling out favorites like Tootsie Rolls and Mary Janes? And other favorites of the day—Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Kisses and Clark’s Teaberry and Wriggley’s Juicy Fruit gums. DeMet’s Turtles, Whitman’s Samplers, Cadbury’s, Life Savers, and Brach’s caramel squares. Necco wafers and butterscotch Reed’s Rolls. Yes, all available in 1920 and ready for Gideon to dig into. But his favorite of all? His Grandma Brighton’s homemade fudge.
Do you have a favorite “old-fashioned” candy that fills you with nostalgia? Or images of being a kid in a candy store yourself?
If you continue on with the next book in the series, Gathered from the North, you’ll get to meet Gideon once again—as an adult and owner of Brighton’s Candy Shop—and see if the young businessman fulfills his dream of adding an ice cream parlor to it.
I hope you enjoy As Far as the West—and maybe it’ll inspire you to make a visit to an old-fashioned candy shop yourself.
Blessings!
Barbara
lakesidelivingsite, October 8
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 9
Texas Book-aholic, October 10
Simple Harvest Reads, October 11 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, October 12
For Him and My Family, October 13
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, October 14
Devoted To Hope, October 15
Books Less Travelled, October 16
Stories By Gina, October 17 (Author Interview)
Holly’s Book Corner, October 17
Pause for Tales, October 18
Life on Chickadee Lane, October 19
Cover Lover Book Review, October 19
Lily’s Corner, October 20
Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, October 21 (Author Interview)
To celebrate her tour, Barbara is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/3d274/as-far-as-the-west-celebration-tour-giveaway
Interview
If you could give advice to a newbie writer, what would it be?
First of all, read, read, read in the genre you wish to write in. Second, study the craft of writing. There are now so many writing craft books and “methods” that one is bound to resonate with each author and their style. I learned so much from the two online groups I belong to: ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) and Susan May Warren’s My Book Therapy/Novel Academy.
Do you have a favorite character you’ve created? Tell us about them.
As I write each book, the heroine in that particular book becomes my favorite. But in the Blooms of the Bitterbrush series, across the books I’d say spunky Lizzie has become my favorite. She first appears in this current book, As Far as the West, but she keeps popping up in the rest. As she grows through the years covered in the series, she has also grown in wisdom, which I hope shines through.
Give us an insight into your faith in the Lord.
I claim Christ as my Redeemer. As He gives me these stories, I pray He’ll use them to touch hearts with the Scriptures embedded in them—to encourage and strengthen believers with His Word and to bring others to Himself, again through the verses brought out in the stories. That readers would see His grace, forgiveness, and love in their own lives. I consider writing a mission field of sorts, as the books will reach people I’ll never meet on earth.
Do your books revolve around certain themes?
Though I didn’t start out with a particular overriding theme in mind, as each story developed, the theme of forgiveness runs through each of them. And that’s what God offers us—forgiveness.
Is your book part of a series?
Yes, As Far as the West is book two in the Blooms of the Bitterbrush series. This series is a generational story of four women named Elizabeth Rose after the matriarch of the Double E Ranch (Eliza, Lizzie, Beth, and Elizabeth). Each one learns the legacy of the old bitterbrush that the original Elizabeth Rose insisted always remain on the edge of the yard as a testimony that a drab, “bitterbrush” life can turn into something beautiful when it flowers. Her legacy is passed down as a reminder of God’s goodness and faithfulness to all generations.
Thank you for hosting me on your blog!