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Jane Kirkpatrick joins the show this week to chat about her new release, Across the Crying Sands. Oh my, what a wonderful talk we had. You might even get a few tears in your eyes as you listen to her share her personal story and the story of how Across the Crying Sands came to be. Patrons will get to hear all about the painting that's the header on her website.

Across the Crying Sands by Jane Kirkpatrick

A Tale of Uncharted Adventure and Discovery Inspired by a True Story

In 1888 Mary Edwards Gerritse is a witty and confident young woman who spends as much time as possible outdoors on the rugged Oregon coast where she and her husband, John, have settled. The two are a formidable pair who are working hard to prove their homesteading claim and build a family. But as Mary faces struggles of young motherhood and questions about her family of origin, she realizes that life is far from the adventure she imagined it would be.

After losing the baby she's carrying, grief threatens Mary, but she finds an unconventional way to bring joy back into her life--by taking over a treacherous postal route. As Mary becomes the first female mail carrier to traverse the cliff-hugging mountain trails and remote Crying Sands Beach, with its changing tides and sudden squalls, she recaptures the spark she lost and discovers that a life without risk is no life at all.

Get a copy of Across the Crying Sands by Jane Kirkpatrick.

Jane Kirkpatrick is a New York Times best-selling and award-winning author of over 40 books and numerous essays for over 50 publications throughout the United States including The Oregonian and Daily Guideposts.

She received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Romantic Times in 2012, the Caldera Achievement Award from The Nature of Words in 2006, and the Distinguished Northwest Writer award in 2005 from the Willamette Writers Association.

Her works have sold over two million copies, and have won prestigious literary awards such as the Wrangler (National Cowboy Museum), WILLA Literary (Women Writing the West), Will Rogers Medallion (Will Rogers Foundation), and the Carol (American Christian Fiction Writers).

Her many historical novels, most based on the lives of actual people, speak of timeless themes of hardiness, faith, commitment, hope, and love.

Jane speaks internationally on the writing and the power of stories. Her presentations reflect stories of inspiration and courage believing that our lives are the stories other people read first.

She is a Wisconsin native and graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Communications and Public Address and holds a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Clinical Social Work.

Prior to her writing career, she worked with Native American families on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in Central Oregon as a mental health and early childhood specialist for seventeen years. She was also the director of the Deschutes County Mental Health Program in Bend, Oregon.

Jane and her husband Jerry now live in Redmond Oregon with their dog Ruppert.

Visit Jane Kirkpatrick's website.

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Mary Connealy rejoins us on the podcast this week to talk about her latest release, Legends of Gold. We catch up with what she's been doing since she was last on the show, why she decided to write a story about a treasure map, and what she would do if she wasn't a writer. Patrons hear about how she came to be a writer in the first place.

Legends of Gold by Mary Connealy

On a risky treasure hunt in the rugged wilderness, can love trump all odds?

After years of solitude, Tilda Muirhead's life takes an unexpected twist when she accepts a teaching position at Two Harts Ranch following her cross-country pursuit of two brothers obsessed with a treasure map left by their grandfather. Tilda is now tasked with educating those mischievous MacKenzie boys, who are bent on remaining out west with the rest of their family until they find the hoped-for treasure. Then a man named Ben arrives, claiming to be her own long-lost brother. Raised as an orphan with no memory of her past, Tilda is both fascinated and wary of Ben's sudden interest in finding her.

When Ben's motives grow increasingly suspect, rancher Josh Hart suggests Tilda and the young MacKenzies set off on a quest with him that aims to protect Tilda while unearthing the map's secrets. As they explore the wilderness, Tilda becomes captivated by the history behind the map, though she doubts it leads to anything more than old artifacts. Yet danger looms ever closer, and Tilda and Josh must rely on faith and their blossoming love to navigate the treacherous path ahead.

A clean, witty, action-packed Western romance highlighting the bonds of family and the quest to belong. Fans of cowboy heroes, frontier romances, and hijinks adventure will be captivated.

Get your copy of Legends of Gold by Mary Connealy.

Get a copy of book one, Whispers of Fortune.

Preorder a copy of book three, Riches Beyond Measure.

Mary Connealy writes romantic comedies with cowboys and is celebrated for her fun, zany, action-packed style. She is a two time Carol Award winner, and a Rita, Christy and Inspirational Reader’s Choice finalist.

Mary Connealy writes romantic comedy with cowboys always with a strong suspense thread. She is a two-time Carol Award winner, and a Rita, Christy and Inspirational Reader's Choice finalist. She is the bestselling author of 75 books and novellas. She has over a million and a half books in print.

Mary lives on a ranch in eastern Nebraska with her very own romantic cowboy hero. Visit her website or find her at Petticoats & Pistols!

Christian Historical Fiction Talk is listener supported. When you buy things through this site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Sarah Loudin Thomas returns to the podcast this week to chat about her latest release, These Blue Mountains. It's a stunning story about German POWs in the US during WWI and a young woman's search for her missing fiancé in the time between the two wars. We talk about what the times were like, what Sarah would have done if she found herself in the heroine's position, and allow her to brag about her sweet dog. Patrons will hear her opinions on the Rocky Mountains vs. the Appalachians.

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda is stunned to see Fritz's name in a photograph of an American memorial for German seamen who died near Asheville, North Carolina. Determined to reclaim his body and bring closure to his ailing mother, Hedda travels to the US. Her quest takes a shocking turn when, rather than Fritz's body, his casket contains the remains of a woman who died under mysterious circumstances.

Local deputy Garland Jones thought he'd left that dark chapter behind when he helped bury Fritz Meyer's coffin. The unexpected arrival of Hedda, a long-suffering yet captivating woman, forces him to confront how much of the truth he really knows. As they work together to uncover the identity of the woman in the casket and to unravel Fritz's fate, Hedda and Garland grow closer. But with Hedda in the US on borrowed time while Hitler rises to power in Germany, she fears she'll be forced to return home before she can put the ghosts of her past to rest.

"These Blue Mountains is a masterful tale that weaves together two continents, two wars, and two lives defined by longing and resilience."--PATTI CALLAHAN HENRY, New York Timesbestselling author

"North Carolina's mountains hide the secrets of a war long past and a young love cut short in this atmospheric tale of unexpected hope."--LISA WINGATE, New York Times bestselling author

This inspirational historical fiction is set in the mountains of North Carolina in the tumultuous years before World War II. With threads of intrigue, romance, and an international cast of characters, These Blue Mountainsis the perfect book club pick and Southern fiction read.

Get your copy of These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas.

Sarah Loudin Thomas grew up on a 100-acre farm in French Creek, WV, the seventh generation to live there. Her historical fiction is often set in West Virginia and celebrates the people, the land, and the heritage of Appalachia.

Sarah is the director of Jan Karon’s Mitford Museum in Hudson, NC. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Coastal Carolina University and is the author of the acclaimed novels The Right Kind of Fool–winner of the 2021 Selah Book of the Year–and Miracle in a Dry Season–winner of the 2015 Inspy Award. Sarah has also been a finalist for the Christy Award, ACFW Carol Award and the Christian Book of the Year Award. She and her husband live in western North Carolina.

Visit Sarah Loudin Thomas website.