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Wednesday, July 20, 2011

A Civil War Love Story--THIS TIME FOREVER--LASR Five Star Book of the Week-by Linda Swift

 If you haven't met Linda Swift, now is your chance. I consider her one of the best "classic romance authors" in the business. She has a long history of publication when Kensington was her publisher. Now, she's discovered small presses and is enjoying a resurgence of creativity. Meet her in her own words.
~*~*~*~
A four-year commemoration of the American Civil War Sesquicentennial has begun. And with an existing plethora of Civil War books, both fact and fiction, why should I feel compelled to write another one? Hasn't Margaret Mitchell said it all? Since reading Gone With The Wind, I have been fascinated with this period in our nation's history. The magnificent plantations, southern belles in their exquisite gowns, not to mention Rhett Butler, are the stuff dreams are made of.
SOUTHERN PLANTATION HOME, PERHAPS LIKE WHITEHAVEN 

I was born in the border state of Kentucky. I attended university in South Alabama. And I lived for a few years in Chattanooga, Tennessee with its hallowed battlegrounds at Chickamauga Creek, Missionary Ridge, and Lookout Mountain. Swept up in the tragic history of this location, I wanted to tell a story of my own. Although the setting of the book is mainly Chattanooga, I have also included Oswego, New York and a family loyal to the Union.

I usually dedicate my books to  my husband but I have dedicated This Time Forever to three other people. First, my deceased mother, who loved all things related to the "old South." Then to my late cousin, a professional educator, who was terribly worried about my "wasted mind" when I began writing romance books. I think the research required for this story proves that my brain cells are still intact. And last, to a dear friend's son, a Chattanooga newspaper photographer who died from a staph infection following elective surgery. It saddens me to know that these three who would have enjoyed this story best of all I've written, will not have that opportunity.
My dedication is: "I wish you could have read this book."
AUTHOR LINDA SWIFT
And now I extend the invitation to you. If you only read one new book about the Civil War this year, I hope you will read this one. I will take you behind the battles into the hearts of both Yankees and Rebels as they live and die for the cause they believe in.
THIS TIME FOREVER is available from:
and  
  Or you may find out more about it from my website at

Blurb:
The Civil War brought casualties beyond the bloody battlefields as North fought South. Philip Burke, against his family's wishes, volunteered to defend the Union and became a prisoner of war who bartered his medical expertise to remain out of prison. When the Union Army invaded Tennessee, Clarissa Wakefield's antebellum mansion became a Confederate hospital.  Philip was placed in charge and against propriety she volunteered to stay on and help nurse the wounded. Clarissa's husband was a Confederate soldier and Philip's fiancée waited for him in Oswego but the fire between them soon raged out of control. As the opposing armies fought for possession of Chattanooga, Clarissa and Philip faced their own battle. Caught in the passions of war and love, with hurt inevitable either way, would they be faithful to their vows or listen to their hearts?


Excerpt:
Tip-toeing past the snoring guard, Clarissa stepped onto the moonlit veranda and made her way toward a wicker chair facing the river. It was only as she sat down that she saw the glow of Philip Burke’s pipe.
“Oh, excuse me, I thought—”
“That you would be alone? I was just finishing my pipe.”
 He made a move to stand but she said quickly, “Please don’t go. It is I who have intruded.”
“I scarcely think so. This is your home after all, Mrs. Wakefield.” He settled back in his chair and took another puff.
“Let’s not belabor such a trivial matter, Captain Burke. I’m glad of someone to talk to.”
“Then I’ll stay for a while longer with your permission.”
“Yes, do. The quiet seems eerie. As if we’re suspended in motion,
waiting for something to happen.”
“Waiting for all hell to break loose.” He didn’t appear to notice his offensive language and she forgot it with his next words. “I’ve experienced this before. It’s the lull before the battle.”
“Do you really think so?”
“It’s inevitable, with the Army of the Tennessee on the march and the Army of the Cumberland right on their heels.”
“Perhaps General Bragg will just go on to Atlanta.”
“With thousands of battle-ready troops at his command?” Philip asked drily. “Not likely.”
“When do you think it will begin?” Clarissa asked with dread.
“Perhaps tomorrow. If not tomorrow, soon.”
Clarissa shivered. “I wish my son was back at Fleur-de-Lis. What if the Union…?”
“Have you forgotten I am a Union officer? You and yours will be safe as long as I’m here.”
“Thank you, Captain.”
Clarissa silently regarded the man who sat near her, his features highlighted each time he drew on the coals of his pipe. It was difficult for her to remember that he was a prisoner but that must have been the thought
uppermost in his mind all these months.
The night sounds of early autumn filled the silence—dry flies and tree frogs and raucous insects too numerous to be identified. Clarissa became aware of Philip’s eyes on her and a warm sensation began in the pit of her
stomach and spread to her breasts and thighs. She watched his slender hand as he knocked the ashes from his pipe and imagined the hand touching her.
She felt her heart flutter and said with a catch in her voice, “I should go in now. It’s getting quite late.”
He stood at the same time she did and they were only inches apart.
Clarissa felt his warm breath on her face and dared not look up.
Her hair was luminescent silver flowing about her shoulders in the moon glow. Philip reached out to touch it and willed himself to stop. But his hands with a will of their own moved to her shoulders and she raised her
head and met his eyes.
In a dream-like motion they closed the space between them as their mouths slowly met and with a long-repressed hunger they sated themselves. Their bodies melded, soft against hard, silk against wool, and a fire blazed between them that blotted out all else except their awareness of each other.
He brought his hand to the back of her head and wove his slender fingers into her silken tresses; the kiss deepened as his tongue became a licking flame in her mouth. When the kiss finally ended, the flame licked the hollow of her throat and the rise of her breast as he pushed aside the fabric of her gown. Fire burned against her flesh in every place his tongue touched and she arched against him, eager to be consumed by it.
“Clarissa, my beautiful Clarissa,” he whispered. “No matter how hard I fight this, I can’t stop wanting you. There’s never an hour that you’re not in my thoughts. I am obsessed by you.”
She moved her hands from his chest to caress the sides of his face and he groaned with pleasure. “And I you.”
He cupped her against him and she linked her arms at the back of his neck as he bent his head to take her mouth again with greater intensity. “I tell myself that you are married but it doesn’t matter in what I feel. And I think you feel it, too.”
“Yes, oh yes,” she whispered.
*~*~*~
Thank you, Linda. Guests—please leave a message to be eligible to WIN a pdf copy of THIS TIME FOREVER.

Celia


63 comments:

  1. Good morning, Celia. My, you are up early this morning. And so am I. I was eager to start my day with a visit to Sweethearts of the West. Thank you so much for inviting me share an excerpt from this "book of my heart." I hope your readers will enjoy this excerpt from the story. I'll be checking in as often today as I can to chat with any who stop by and leave a comment. Linda

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  2. Good morning Linda! My family has deep confederate roots.

    There is a legend in my family--and it was substantiated by the Little Rock newspaper--my g-g-g-grandfather and his brother had traveled by foot into Tennessee and Arkansas where they became of age and joined the confederacy.

    The story will eventually be written into a book by me so I won't share all the details but each thought the other was dead and it wasn't until a fifty year reunion of the surviving men brought them to Little Rock did they discover the other was in fact still living!

    Another legend of the family has to do with another ancestor who "sold out" his family by being a part of the "yeller rag boys". If you do a lot of research you'll know how dangerous this actually was. Yep--another one of the family stories that will be turned into a book!

    Thanks for sharing and best of luck!
    Donica

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  3. Hello Donica, and what great stories you have in your family history to write about. I was especially drawn to the first one you shared. What a story. I hope reading my book will inspire you to get your books out during this Sesquicentennial of the C.W. The time is right for the next four years. Good luck! Linda

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  4. Hi Linda..and good morning... I don't think I have any family who was in the civial war, most of my ancestors came from Ireland, Scotland and England in early 1900's to Canada, but then who knows there may have been someone. I have always been fasinated by the south and the cival war era. Maybe because it is so different from my own anscesters, but of course mine always fought the english for thier land too.. Ireland and Scotland... so I too have decended from a cival war...

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  5. Wonderful excerpt, Linda. I'll be getting my copy of This Time Forever. I too love the Civil War era.

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  6. What I love about books like yours, Linda, is that I get to take another look at history, a subject that bored me to death in school. So thanks for the chance to learn more about the civil war.

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  7. Very nice excerpt, Linda. And I like your dedication. I live very close to Gettysburg, PA and have ridden my horse through the battlefields often.
    It's very easy for me to go back in time when I walk the streets of Gettysburg because many spirits remain in that town. Wishing you many sales on this new book.

    Stacey Coverstone

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  8. Hi Linda-Thank you for a lovely excerpt that reminds me of the famous historicals of Heather Graham and Johanna Lindsey.

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  9. Very cool! I enjoyed reading how you got into this period. My grandmother, who was from New Orleans, was the daughter of a Confederate officer, and she was really gung ho on Civil War history. She wanted me to join the Daughters of the Confederacy... but I declined. I saw my share of plantation houses too-- some of the houses near New Orleans are just these ginormous things. The architecture is pretty amazing.

    I really liked your writing. The sexual tension was both delicately written, and a delicious slow burn... it's good stuff.

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  10. Hi, Linda. My grandmother's father fought for the Confederacy and died from his wounds in a prisoner of war camp. My grandfather on my father's side of the family, fought for the Union. Both were living in Arkansas at that time. My grandparents married after the Civil War. I often wish I could have listened to what they discussed over dinner/supper.
    I look forward to reading This Time Forever.
    Wanda

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  11. Hi Linda. Congratulations on your wonderful book! Can't wait to read it. I recently ran across a quote attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte --"History is a set of lies agreed upon." When I think of this, and being a Southerner, I wonder how many lies have been agreed upon regarding the Civil War? I'm sure on both sides....It was a horrible, sad time in American history, and I look forward to reading your take on it! --Ellen Kelley

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  12. Ah, this brings up old memories. I grew up in southeastern Missouri, but my family had lived in Kentucky and Tennessee back then. So you can guess which side they were on.
    My home town of Ironton, Missouri, still has a court house that displays a dent made by a cannon ball in the battle leading up to the one at nearby Fort Davidson, where a small band of Union soldiers held off massive Confederate troops for four days, thus saving the city of St. Louis from being over-run. Or so they claim.
    Lots of CW stories and they still fascinate me; by the looks of it not just me. Good luck with your intriguing book, Linda!
    Pat Dale

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  13. Hello Kathleen. Yes, I am aware of the wars fought in the British Isles as well. When we lived in England for a time, a dear English friend gave me a white rose pin that signified "her" side of the War of the Roses. And while living there we visited some of the battlefields that commemorated those wars. Thanks for visiting today. Linda

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  14. Hello Linda L. And thank you for your comments and for reading my book. There is something so fascinating about the Civil War, isn't there? For me, it involved the great plantations and a lifestyle depicted by movies like Gone With The Wind. The research for this book reminded me forever of the grim realities of what the war was all about. Linda, too.

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  15. Good...lunchtime. I had to run into town--recycle, supermarket, bank, and library day!
    But hello, Linda, and our wonderful guests. I know you'll be back in a little while--we all must do those little chores that keep us from the fun stuff.
    I'm very happy I read this book and had the opportunity to show our readers just how good it is.

    Each comment has taught us a little more about the Civil War and how, that now in this century, it serves to unite us more than divide. We all have a story. Celia

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  16. Hi Sherry, I agree that history was a bit boring when I was in school as a teen, but when I went back to college as a mature adult, it was my favorite subject! And I spent a lot of time with thick history books researching the battles and the entire four year course of the Civil War. The mode of fighting back then seems so unbelievable now. But it took a lot of brave soldiers to face each other the way they did then. Linda

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  17. Hi Stacey. I didn't realize you lived near Gettysburg. Your description of your feelings there mirror what I felt when walking through Chickamauga Park and Lookout Mountain. You could "feel" the presence of the dead. Thanks for visiting today.
    Linda

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  18. Hi Mona, and thank you. To even have my book mentioned as a reminder of Heather's and Johanna's book is high praise. I have the series of C.W. books that Heather wrote but haven't read Johanna's. What do you recommend by her? Linda

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  19. Hello Suburban--- Thank you for your compliments of my story. I like your comment that it is good stuff. I have an author friend whose highest compliment of anything I write is to say "That is a damn good book." When she tells me that, I know she really judged it highly. And I fell in love with Philip myself. Too bad he had eyes only for Clarissa. Linda

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  20. Hello Wanda. The submject of the Civil War may have been a subject that was off-limits between those two people. There are still deep feelings about this war in many locations where I have lived. I think too many people don't consider that Arkansas and Missouri and other areas in the West also played an important role in this War Between The States. Linda

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  21. Hi Ellen, I loved your quote from Napoleon. And yes, I'm sure both sides have a different story for the same events. So I suppose it all depends on what history books you read as well as what TV news programs you watch for the "fact."
    Thanks for visiting today. I appreciate it. Linda

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  22. Hello Pat, and thank you for sharing this bit of history from your neck of the woods. I didn't know you lived in Southeast MO. I lived there four years and spent my high school years in Oran. Was back there this summer for the Heartland Writers Guild Conference. My book is set mainly in Tennessee but does include New York State and many battle settings between. Thank you for your comments. Linda.

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  23. Hello Celia, glad you are back. Hope the trip went well. We've been into having the carpet cleaned throughout the house this morning so I spend time on the patio "chomping at the bit to get back to this blog. I think I've caught up with all the nice comments now. So I'll break for lunch and return ASAP. And thanks you for your praise of THIS TIME FOREVER. You know I value your opinion of everything I write. Linda

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  24. I am the keeper of the family genealogy and have ancestors who fought for the Union and (many more) who were Confederates. All of their stories are facinating, and those who were in Missouri especially knew the reality of neighbors who were on the other side. I enjoyed the excerpt very much!

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  25. Thank you, Lynn. I'm glad you enjoyed this much of the story. And I'm a native of Kentucky so my ancestors were also on both sides of the issue. But I've lived in the "deep South" where I was told that damnYankee was one word! Once I came into a classroom where I taught and on the chalkboard some student had written "The South shall rise again." This pretty well summed up the feeling of the whole town. Linda

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  26. Your story sounds so interesting. I've always been intrigued with this part of history. Your excerpt sounds very interesting and something I'm going to enjoy reading.

    Very nice to meet you today. :)

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  27. Hello Paisley. It's very nice to meet you, too. And I love your name. May I borrow it for a heroine in a book someday? I can conjure up a very complex lady just from the name. I hope you will enjoy my entire book and let me know your reflections after the read. You, and other readers, can always reach me at swift2208@yahoo.com. And please check out my website anytime for more info on my books. Thanks for visiting today. Linda

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  28. I would be honored to have you use my name in one of your stories. My Kirkpatrick ancestors actually lived in Virginia and had a plantation where they grew cotten and turned it into a cloth they called something like lindsey woolsey. (If you should ever want to use this, I will get the proper name. We had a piece of the cloth my Mom put into one of the geneology books.)

    I have just downloaded your book into my new Kindle. With all my writing I don't spend as much time in reading as I'd like, but I now have it for when I find moments to read.

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  29. Your book looks fantastic. It is such a shame that the three people you cared so much about didn't get to see your book.
    My great grandfather McNeal was in the Union Calvary out of Pennsylvania in the Civil War. I know. A Yankee. What can I say? LOL
    I wish you all the best, Linda.

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  30. Hello Sarah, and thank you for sharing my disappointment that these three people did not live to enjoy this story. Two of them lived long productive lives but one died far too soon. And if you read this book, you will know that it has characters you can sympathise with from both sides of the conflict. The issues were never black and white, but varying shades of grey. Thanks for stopping by. Linda

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  31. Hi Linda,
    I am so glad to have discovered you today. I really enjoy passionate love stories about forbidden love and war. I find them the most emotional but often they also bring hope amidst all the tragedy. After reading the blurb and excerpt for "This Time Forever" I can say I look forward to reading it. One of my favourite historical romance revolved around the Civil War so I would really like to read more stories like it. I love the picture of the plantation home in the post. Homes like these are what I would love to call home one day because they are so charming and have character.

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  32. I have already added this to my TBR list, in case I don't win:) I am defintely Southern. Born and raised in Mississippi and now live in Louisiana. I love everything "old South".

    Thanks for the fabulous excerpt. I really enjoyed it.

    Judy
    magnolias_1[at]msnn[dot]com

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  33. Linda,
    I love the excerpt for this book. Sorry I'm so late getting over here, but I made it! What a lovely, lovely dedication to those three people who mattered so much to you. I have often wished that my parents could have lived to have seen my books in print. It would have meant the world to them. This Time Forever sounds like a wonderful read, and I look forward to it. Thanks so much for joining us today at Sweethearts of the West! Loved this blog, Linda.
    Cheryl

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  34. Hello again, Paisley. What an interesting story about your family. And I think you have the lindsey woolsy correctly defined. I have heard of it before. Thank you so much for buying my book. If you are a romantic at heart, I think you will enjoy this story of two people who didn't want to love each other but did.Let me hear from you when you have finished the book, please. I always welcome reader comments. Linda

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  35. Hello Na. I'm glad you found me, too! And yes, this book contains forbidden love and war, both passionate subjects. I have often said I was born in the wrong century. I would have loved those beautiful ballgowns, the magnificant antebellum mansions, the chivalry of the gentlemen. I think THIS TIME FOREVER captures it all. That's why it is the book of my heart. Linda

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  36. Thank you, Judy, for your very heartwarming compliments. And I, too, love the "old South" best of all. The time I lived in Alabama was the period I experienced the closest feeling to that time period. But my time in Chattanooga, Tennessee was when I experienced the feeling of the Civil War. So I put it all together in THIS TIME FOREVER. I hope you will enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. Check my website for other guest blogs from time to time to learn more about how the book's journey to publication. Linda

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  37. Hi Cheryl. I'm so glad you found time to stop by. I know you are busy with our Christmas in July sales which I plan to get busy with as soon as I finish my visit here at Sweethearts of the West. And thank you for your kind words. They mean a lot to me. Linda

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  38. Great post! I have read THIS TIME FOREVER and it is one of my favorite books that I have read recently. You can tell that much research went into the story and the characters really come to life!! Congratulations and I think this is an award winning book on many levels!!

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  39. Each of us, in the South especially, have so many family stories set in this time. Thank you for sharing.

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  40. Hi Kaye, and thank you for visiting. I'm glad you liked THIS TIME FOREVER and I hope it lives up to your assessment of it. Thank you also for your support for all my books. Mother Linda

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  41. Caroline, thank you for visiting. I am so pleased to have this opportunity to be a guest at Sweethearts of the West. We've had a lot of visitors today and I'm looking forward to seeing more tomorrow. And yes, all of us have priceless stories, based on true experiences of this time period. But few will ever tell them in print for others to treasure. I will have to confess that only the settings are real in this book. I had no basis for any of the plot nor models for any characters. This book "jest growed" as Topsy said, in my mind. Linda

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  42. Good morning. It's after midnight where I live so it's Thursday morning. I'll check in later this morning and then be away from my computer most of the day. My husband and I will be driving to Nashville and then celebrating our son's birthday at our daughter's house. We'll spend the night, then drive on to Alabama for a night, and then to our condo in Florida on Saturday. This was not a good time for me to be offline, but real life takes priority at times and this is one of them. So please leave your comments and check back Thursday night if I haven't responded sooner. I will answer each and every one. Linda

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  43. Great excerpt, Linda, and I can't wait to read 'The Time Forever' when I get my Kindle in a couple of weeks' time.
    Although I'm British, I've been fascinated by the Civil War for a long time, and three years ago I did a week's guided tour of the battlefields in VA, MD and PA (in the same kind of heat as you're having over there right now). It was amazing to see the battlefields which had previously been just names to me before. Manassas, Antietam, Chancellorsville and, of course the most evocative and awesome of them all, Gettysburg. Surveying the battlefield from the spot where Pickett led his doomed charge is something I'll never forget.

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  44. Looks like a fascinating book. It will go on my TR list, which is growing monumentally. Sigh...
    Two of my adult children are Civil War enthusiasts and I'll pass on the information about your book.
    My great-great grandfather fought on the Union side and suffered a sabre wound on his back, which he showed only once to his grand-kids, who I understand pestered him till he succombed. He would never discuss the war and his scarred back remained covered from that day forth.
    A sad time for our nation, but a heroic time also.
    Best wishes with the success of your book, Linda.

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  45. I'm putting this on my must read list! Sounds like a great story. :)

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  46. Best of luck with your book, Linda! Having lived in both northern Georgia (where we regularly visited the Chatanooga Choo-Choo) and upstate New York, I can attest to the challenges you faced in accurately portraying such different atmospheres at a time of extreme unrest. Thanks for sharing your excerpt!

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  47. Not sure if Kathleen Woodiwiss' ASHES IN THE WIND was the first book I read set against a Civil War backdrop, but it is my very favorite. There is something about that time period, the stark differences between the North and the South--industrial world, agricultural world; all things new and traditions fought for. As if two countries already existed on the North American continent. I too, will remain fascinated by this intriguingly unique period of time.

    Story premise sounds VERY promising, Linda. Best wishes!

    Joanna Aislinn
    Dream. Believe. Strive. Achieve!
    NO MATTER WHY
    The Wild Rose Press
    www.joannaaislinn.com
    www.joannaaislinn.wordpress.com

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  48. Congrats on such great reviews. I can tell why you get them; the blurb and excerpt are wonderful. It's been so long since I read a Civil War-era book, I'd love to start another.

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  49. Good morning, again (this time at a respectable hour!) I am just overwhelmed with all the response to my blog. I am in the throes of getting the van ready to go with a husband walking the floor saying, "Aren't you ready yet? Do you want to take this? Or that?" So I can't possibly reply to anyone until later today. Please, please do check back tonight, about 8 or 9 hours from now if you will, as I do want to talk with each of you. Meanwhile, thank you so much for your kind words. Linda

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  50. Linda,

    Living in the South I have nothing but love for the Civil War era. What I mean by this. Is this war was fought with passion from both sides. People believed they were fighting for the right thing.
    This war really tore so many familys apart.
    I love the courage of the people for standing up for what they believed in but truly there were no winners when the family lost there loved ones.

    I'm looking forward to read this book by you. I wish you much success.

    Teresa K.
    tcwgrlup41(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  51. wow i like the historical and the old west type of books the cover of the book is great it will go a long way

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  52. Hi Paula, I was wondering where you were as you are always faithful to say hello when I do a guest blog. Congratulations on getting a Kindle. I'm sure you will love it. The convenience of reading any place you choose is so nice. I am sorry you missed the Chattanooga area when you took your Civil War Tour. I hope you will get down South on your next visit. And you expressed perfectly the emotions one feels when surrounded by these historic places. Are you sure you aren't "one of us?" P.S. I felt the same way in England and I'm not one of you, either! Linda

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  53. June, what a touching story about your great, great grandfather. It needs to be part of a book, don't you think? And I am happy that you are going to share the info about this book with your children. I know what you mean about a TBR pile of books. But when they are on your Kindle you don't have them staring you in the face all the time. Out of sight, out of mind, perhaps? Thanks for visiting. Linda

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  54. K. Victoria, I am so pleased that you plan to read this book. I hope you enjoy it and I wish you'd let me know your comments with an email after you finish the story. I'm at swift2208@yahoo.com. Thanks for stopping by. Linda

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  55. Hi Debbie. Ah, the Chattanooga Choo-Choo. The food was great there and the atmosphere, too. We used to take guests there when we lived in Red Bank (Chattanooga) some years ago. We didn't live in Oswego very long, but long enough, I hope, to get the "feel" for the location. And I tried to show, in THIS TIME FOREVER, that the locale might be different, but the people were the same. Linda

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  56. Hello Joanna (I have a heroine named Joanna is my book, CIRCLE OF LOVE) You expressed the dichotomy of North and South so well. And I think your statement about it being as if there were already two countries in the US said it all. But thankfully, the Union was preserved. Though there are many in the South who feel otherwise even today. Linda

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  57. Hi Linda K. Have you ever noticed how many Lindas we have on our loops? Thank you for your nice comments. If you are looking for another Civil War book to read, I recommend THIS TIME FOREVER. I love to read anything in this period and it seems a lot of other people do also. Thanks for visiting today. Linda, too.

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  58. Hello Teresa K. Yes, I know what you mean about the Civil War times. We have a fascination for the keep emotions that both sides felt. And as you so wisely said, there were no winners in this war as families lost so much on both sides. Thank you for visiting. I hope you enjoy the book. Linda

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  59. Desitheblonde, hello. I hope I spelled this right? And I also hope your prediction about the book is right. And thank you for the compliment of the cover. I am happy with it. I think it depects the sadness of the conflict and also the love between the two people from opposing sides. I appreciate your visit today. Linda

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  60. Hi, Linda. Yep, I had family in the union army. Opps, better not say that too loud since I'm now a southerner. But my ggg grandfather played the violin and when he went to war, he played for the generals' meals. I guess they really traveled in style.

    My first book dealt with the underground railroad of which my grandparents farm was a part. And I better not say that too loud either.

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  61. Hello Allison. Yes, the Civil War soldiers, especially the officers, did sometimes live in style. Many of the Southerners took their personal slaves with them in the beginning of the war, as they did in my book. And I also have a character who used to underground railroad to escape. Ooops, I'm telling too much of the plot, aren't I? Thanks for visiting.
    Linda

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  62. I will check back before bedtime tonight in case we have any late night visitors. I realize other time zones don't correlate with mine after all.
    This has been such a wonderful two days for me. I've met many new readers and most if not all are also authors I know. Your stories and comments have been so interesting. And your comments and compliments of THIS TIME FOREVER have been very gratifying.
    Thank you, Sweethearts of the West for giving me this opportunity to share a little of this book. If you only read one new Civil War book this year to commemorate the Sesquicentennial, I hope it will be this one. I don't think you would be disappointed. And if you are, write and let me know. Linda

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  63. Thank you, Linda, for being such a wonderful guest.
    We'll pull a name out of a hat--or something--and when we have a winner, Linda will notify you.
    Celia

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