Hot Texas Summer Hello and Book Release

Hi! Hope y'all are having a good week. I know, I know, it's only Tuesday, but I hope for the best. My week is going well, I think. The book I just finished is with my editor and readers, so I will get it published this month. The timing is later than I'd hoped, but, as it turns out, the release will coordinate with the event the story is centered around. My husband says, "Even a blind hog finds a acorn." Now, you know I got a might touchy at his bluntness, but truth is truth, no matter how you slice it.

For those who've read my books, you know, in addition to family, I build my stories around actual weather events that happened in the book's time period. If you didn't notice, that's okay, it didn't register with me either until a good friend pointed it out. The hero and heroine have to deal with floods, blizzards, tornadoes, and hurricanes. You know, it gives them something to do in case they get bored.

Inspiration for Faith and Joe's house in Galveston, Texas

The book I'm talking about is, FAITH AND THE TEXAS LAWYER, A Brides of Texas Code Series Novella, Book 4. Faith Daniels and Joe Benning, unfortunately, have very little time to get bored since this is a time-travel. The story is set in Galveston, Texas, and centered around a house they both own, except Faith is from 2016, and Joe is from 1900. The obvious weather event is the devastating Hurricane of 1900, or Isaac's Storm, that occurred on September 8.

Blurb:

Faith Daniels has had a hard time fitting in all her life, from the time she was left on the steps of a firehouse to her recent divorce. The only time she feels connected is when she rehabs old houses. Often she wishes she could have experienced life in a simpler time. Her current project, a 1900 Galveston mansion, is all she ever wished for and more. When some mysterious force transports her from 2016 to 1900, just prior to the most devastating natural disaster on record, will Faith give up all she has attained in her present life to stay in the past with the sexy turn-of-the- century lawyer?

Joseph Benning has serious trust issues. He is still recovering from the jolt of being dumped by his fiancé shortly before their wedding. In order to prove to himself he can manage on his own without a woman in his life, he decides to reach outside of his routine and buy a house. Suddenly, a strange woman shows up inside his house telling fantastic stories of disaster and destruction. Will Joe be able to make the right decision and let her go, when it comes time to save her life?

Follow me on Amazon to find out the release date!

School starts soon, an i know you'll be busy with all the end of summer stuff. Be careful and stay cool if you can.

Hugs,

Carra

Galveston, Texas: A City with a History

There are so many cities and towns in Texas that own a piece of my heart. Galveston is but one of them. My first trip to the island was in 1965 when I was a junior at Sam Houston High School. I was a member of Vocational Industrial Training of America, and our class went there to participate at the State Conference.

Galveston Arial View

You can imagine the fun we had with our first major trip away from home. I think there were eight of us along with our teacher, Mr. Kenneth Pickett, one other teacher I think, and my mother as chaperone. If memory serves, I think my younger brother tagged along, too. We stayed on Seawall Boulevard just across the street from the Gulf of Mexico and the beach.

Galveston Beach

Galveston Beach

The Flagship Hotel

A main attraction for many years was the Flagship Hotel which was built out on a pier into the Gulf. We stayed there once when our kids were small. Unfortunately, it didn't survive Hurricane Ike in 2008.

Pleasure Pier Present Day

Now they've built a Pleasure Pier with rides and games for tourists.

I'm currently writing another book set in Galveston And I've discovered there were earlier places on the beach for fun and games called The Pavilion, Murdoch's Pavilion, Bath Houses, many of which were destroyed either by fire or hurricanes.

The Electric Pavilion 1883

Before the 1900 Hurricane, Galveston was so lush and plush, it was thought of as the Wall Street of the South. Galvestonians liked to call their city the Coney Island of the South. The devastating Hurricane changed all that.

Over six thousand souls were lost on September 8th and 9th, 1900. The island was lost. In order to prevent this devastation from happening again, the people of Galveston built a seawall. Construction began in 1902 and the initial segment completed in 1904. From 1904 to 1963 the wall was extended from 3.3 miles to over 10 miles long. 

After Hurricane Alicia in 1983, the Corp of Engineers estimated that  $100 million in damage was avoided because of the Seawall.

My characters, Faith and Joe, are not the first that I've put through the trials and tribulations of severe storms. Joe's father and step-mother, Ian and Matelyn O'Donnell Benning struggled to survive during the 1875 Galveston Hurricane, in my book, Matelyn and the Texas Ranger. Joe and Faith will have to deal with the aftermath of the 1900 Hurricane, sometimes referred to as Isaac's Storm, and we'll see how they do.

I have an e-book of Matelyn and the Texas Ranger for one commenter, so if you'd like to read about Joe's family before his book comes out this summer, talk to me. Don't leave me lonely down here all by myself.  =D

Thanks for stopping by,

Carra

 Amazon Author Page