Talkshow Thursday: Welcome Iris Lim!

Talkshow Thursday: Welcome Iris Lim!

Thank you, Linda, for having me! I am very excited today to talk about my latest book, Befriending Burgess, and to share a snippet of it with everyone. The entire Beniton Hall series is actually broadly inspired by a family in our church, where a young woman from a family of all girls married a young man from a family of all boys (to the great delight of both sides of the clan). The first book of my series, One Night in Beniton Hall, portrayed the marriage between Heather Nottingham and Edgar Avington, which united the two families. Every book after that has since featured the love story of one of Heather’s sisters or one of Edgar’s brothers.

I’d really looked forward to writing Befriending Burgess from the start because I love Rose. She is sort of the quiet middle child in the Nottingham family, but she’s actually the most insightful of her sisters. What surprised me while I was writing the book was actually the hero, Frederick, the Duke of Burgess, and how endearing he was. As someone abruptly thrust into the spotlight, he is nothing like the usual swaggering, self-important dukes so common in Regency stories. Instead, he is bookish and shy and a little bit awkward but also incredibly sweet. My best friend, who beta reads for me, told me she loves him because, “What’s not to like about a shy and humble duke?”

Here is a preview of the prologue of Befriending Burgess, which starts off from Frederick’s perspective. The story starts off a little sad, but there is a sweet happily-ever-after by the end!

It was ironic, almost humorously and tragically so, that while the world made grave distinctions between a duke and a marquess, a marquess and an earl, an earl and a viscount, and a viscount and a baron—the younger sons born to such peers of the realm had rather similarly unglamorous fates. No matter the splendor of one's upbringing or the diverse trappings that might embellish one's father's name, the only true differences in the lives of younger sons hinged upon two things: the generosity of one's eldest brother and, in somewhat related territory, how keenly one might wish for the untimely demise of said brother.

For all of his two and thirty years on earth, Frederick Arthur Colin Roy Griffith St. John had never truly

Pixabay/Mabel Amber

entertained the thought of ever becoming the Duke of Burgess. His brother was five years his senior and blessed with both a healthy constitution and a hale and hearty young son. His father, while not quite the sportsman, had never shared most of the ailments common to those of his generation. One harsh bout of pneumonia, however, rendered more severe by an unforgiving winter, had ended his father's earthly sojourn with alarming efficacy—and, surprising everyone, taken the lives of his eldest son and only grandson along with it.

It was a twist of fate that inspired plenty of envy, both stated and implied, particularly from Frederick's more ambitious contemporaries. It was a rather public secret that fellow younger sons, and even the odd nephew or cousin, rather resented the fact that it was upon Frederick, and not them, that fortune had chosen to smile thus.

But Frederick himself did not care much for the turn of events at all. He loved his father, brother, and nephew, and had no desire whatsoever to witness their demise. He never expected to be a duke and most certainly never wanted to be one. Shy and scholarly at heart, he harbored little affection for prestige and heraldry.

PIxabay/Dan Johnston

He had been content—content with his books and his writings, content with the simple cottage his formal but charitable brother had allotted to him. The dukedom came with its honors. But it carried with it a frighteningly hefty number of duties as well.

No longer could Frederick live the quiet life of a dedicated scholar, a willing recluse in the English countryside surrounding himself with the beauty of knowledge and learning. Now he had Parliament. Now he had tenants. Now he had an estate, or three, to run.

And perhaps most frightening of all, now he needed to find himself a wife.

Thanks for having me! I hope you enjoy the book and come to appreciate Frederick and Rose as much as I have.

_____________________

About Befriending Burgess:

She feeds him information to keep the title hunters at bay. He starts with wanting her help and ends up wanting her heart.

A duke, even a reluctant one, is duty-bound to marry and to sire his own heir. When the savagery of the marriage mart overwhelms the quiet, scholarly Duke of Burgess, he turns to a friend to help him repel the worst of the bunch.

Newly emerged from mourning her father, the unassuming Rose Nottingham believes herself outside most eligible men's notice. Instead, she lends her knowledge of the ton to helping her beleaguered friend Frederick St. John, the Duke of Burgess. But watching him court other, more eligible ladies turns increasingly harder the deeper her own feelings grow.

It takes a rumor and a near compromise, but Frederick soon discovers that the best choice for his duchess is already by his side. A sweet, friends-to-lovers Regency romance.

Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4dRXQMx

Wayback Wednesday: Take a Journey to 1914

Wayback Wednesday: 

Take a Journey to 1914

Love and Chocolate is set in 1914, a time when the world was in a turmoil, but modern conveniences and inventions never imagined made people’s lives easier. In America, Henry Ford’s Model T vied for space with horses and carriages. The telephone had been invented, and nearly every business installed one. Radio technology was in its infancy, but there were broadcasts to listen to.

Eleven years had passed since the Wright brothers historic flight at Kitty Hawk, and aviation had come into its own. In January 1914, the first commercial flight took off from Petersburg, Florida and landed in Tampa twenty-three minutes later. Races and record-setting events abounded as men and women took to the air to test their mettle. Many of the larger nations had developed air power, and by the time World War I erupted in July, zeppelins and bi-planes were part of battle strategy.

Fashion changed dramatically, allowing women less restrictive clothing without corsets, and

Lily Absinthe

significantly less fabric with higher hemlines. The “empire waist” style returned, and fashions based on “Orientalism” emerged. The hobble skirt had come and gone, a skirt so narrow at the bottom, it made walking difficult. Even though the US didn’t enter the war until 1917, American women were affected by the changes in European fashion that included tunics and long uniform-like jackets.

Thanks to advances in chemistry, the use of gases gave rise to the first electric refrigerators - kicking “iceboxes” to the curb. Air conditioning units came next to those located in the South and Southwest regions of the U.S. Another gas that changed the face of America was neon when French inventor Georges Claude figured out how to store it in glass tubes to create lighting. Advertising would never be the same.

Suffragism continued to gain momentum, and in March the Senate put forth a constitutional amendment to grant women the right to vote, but the measure fell short of the required two-thirds by eleven votes. In October thousands of men and women marched on Cleveland in support of a bill to amend the Ohio constitution and give women the right to vote. The war, during which women served in place of men and proved they were just as capable, helped the suffragist cause with more and more individuals getting onboard.

________________

Love and Chocolate

She just needs a job. He wants a career. Is there room in their hearts for love?

Ilsa Krause and her siblings are stunned to discover their father left massive debt behind upon his death. To help pay off their creditors and save the farm, she takes a job at Beck’s Chocolates, the company her father despised and refused to supply with milk. Then she discovers her boss is Ernst Webber, her high school love who unceremoniously dumped her via letter from college. Could life get any more difficult?

A freshly-minted university diploma in his hand, Ernst Webber lands his dream job at Beck’s Chocolates. His plans to work his way up the ladder don’t include romantic entanglements, then Ilsa Krause walks back into his life resurrecting feelings he thought long dead. However, her animosity makes it clear she has no interest in giving him a second chance. Can he get her to change her mind? Does he want to?

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/mdQerZ

Talkshow Thursday: Welcome back Johnnie Alexander!

Talkshow Thursday: 

Welcome Back, Johnnie Alexander!

I'm thrilled to welcome author Johnnie Alexander back to my blog. I've been stalking, er, following her since I read Where Treasure Hides back in 2012! Draw up a chair and learn about this fascinating lady and her books!

What was your inspiration for the story?

The spark for this story ignited more than fifteen years ago, back when writing a full-length novel was still a dream I hoped and prayed would come true. Though When Memory Whispers has had various titles over the years, to me it’s simply “Sparrow,” the codename for the Ohio farm girl with big dreams who became an Allied courier during World War II.

Back to the spark ~ I found a book called Hitler’s Soldiers in the Sunshine State while browsing through the shelves of my local library. Remember this was over fifteen years ago. At that time, I had no idea German soldiers were imprisoned at camps throughout the U.S. and neither did anyone else I asked.

That intriguing book led to my fascination with World War II and a question: what kind of woman would help a German soldier escape from a POW camp?

What sort of research did you do for your story, and was there an exceptionally interesting tidbit you knew you had to include?

I imagined a woman might help a POW escape if she already knew him. But how could an American woman know anyone from Germany?

In my research, I discovered the important and dangerous work undertaken by women during the war as couriers, radio operators, and “femme-fatale” spies. Too many of their stories ended in tragedy as those caught by the enemy were imprisoned and executed.

It made sense that an American woman who worked in England as an Allied courier could meet a

Photo: Pixabay/
Rene Rauschenberger

German who loved his country but hated the Nazi regime. The story continued to grow from there.

Here’s an amusing anecdote ~ the German POWs were fascinated with Florida snakes. They collected skins and made belts out of them to take home after the war. The author of Hitler’s Soldiers writes about a POW who tried to tame a young alligator.

He got bit!

If your book is part of a series: Did you set out to write a series? Why did you decide to write a series?

Way back then, all I wanted was to write a novel and have it published. However, the next novel I wrote, with a major character from When Memory Whispers becoming the protagonist, won the American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis contest and became my debut novel, Where Treasure Hides. Though the two novels share a few characters and a similar timeline, they can be read in either the order they were written or the order they were published.

They are marketed as companion novels in the Echoes of War Series.

How do you come up with story lines?

There’s no simple answer to that question. Where Treasure Hides was inspired by my fascination with the juxtaposition of the hiding of art and the hiding of children from the Nazis. My first contemporary series was founded on my love for a mid-19th-century brick house, rumored to have been part of the Underground Railroad, that I lived in as a teenager.

Most ideas and story lines are God’s answers to my prayers. The process is often slow, but I know I’m on the right track by that strange tingling sensation I feel deep inside myself that whispers, “Yes! This is it!”

What draws you to the time period about which you write?

As I said above, I’ve been fascinated and intrigued by WWII since discovering that book about POWs. Researching that topic led to research on other topics ~ women spies; Nazi art theft; the hiding and rescuing of Jewish children; the Dunkirk evacuations; escaping POWs, both German and Allied soldiers; and more. My other two WWII stories are “Blue Moon,” a romantic suspense novella set in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which is also known as the Atomic City; and The Cryptographer’s Dilemma, a historical romance based on the true story of an American doll collector who sent coded messages to the Japanese about our naval capabilities. (“Blue Moon” is one of four historical novellas, all titled for 1940s-era songs, in Homefront Heroines).

What is one thing you wish you could do?

Such a fun question! I’d like to live in a picturesque European town for several weeks ~ long enough to live the life of a leisurely tourist.

What writers or books have influenced you?

Ann Tatlock and Davis Bunn were my favorite inspirational authors when I first delved into reading and writing Christian fiction. They write captivating stories with complex characters and in-depth themes ~ the kinds of stories I most aspire to write.

What was your favorite childhood book and why?

How can I choose one from so many?!

City of Gold and Lead by John Christopher may not be my most favorite childhood book, but it was one I checked out of the library multiple times. Around the third or fourth time, I discovered the story was the second in a trilogy. So I read the three in order!

Late last year, I bought the boxed set of The Tripods Series which includes the original three stories plus a prequel the author wrote several years after the trilogy.

As much as I wanted to read the stories again, I feared losing the magic of my childhood memory of them. (That happened with another story I once considered a childhood favorite.)

I needn’t have worried. Even though the stories are post-apocalyptic science fiction—a genre I rarely read now and seldom read as a kid—I enjoyed them immensely.

What is your next project?

Guideposts recently asked me to write a third story for their popular Mysteries of Cobble Hill Farm Series. I’ve already written #4, Three Dog Knight, and #11, A Will and a Way, and am honored to be writing another one.

BOOK BLURB:

What will she risk to save the man she loves?

Marie Wyatt ran away from her farm girl past in search of fame and fortune and found herself in wartime London working as an Allied courier. Whether disguised as a middle-aged British housewife or playing a role on the London stage, she acts her part to its fullest. But when a routine mission turns deadly, a mysterious German agent becomes her unlikely savior.

Plunged into a dangerous game of deception, Marie relies on her acting talent to pass false information to the Nazis. Yet the line between duty and loyalty blurs when the German agent is imprisoned in a Florida POW camp with Axis soldiers who consider him a traitor. Marie embarks on a desperate mission to save him before he’s fatally injured.

In a postwar world still reeling from conflict, the couple’s lives are again threatened by a past enemy. Will they ever find the peace they crave? Or will the echoes of war destroy them?

Plummet into a heart-wrenching tale of courage, treachery, and a love that defies all odds.

BIO & SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
Johnnie Alexander is a wannabe vagabond with a heart for making memories. As a bestselling, award-winning novelist, she has written more than thirty works of fiction in a variety of genres. She is a Mosaic Collection author, co-hosts a weekly online show called Writers Chat, serves on the Mid-South Christian Writers Conference Executive Board, and is a regular contributor to the HHHistory.com blog. A fan of classic movies, stacks of books, and road trips, Johnnie shares a life of quiet adventure with Rugby, her raccoon-treeing papillon. Connect with her at JohnnieAlexander.com.

BookBub http://bit.ly/JA-BBub
Facebook Page http://bit.ly/JA-FBk
Goodreads http://bit.ly/JA-Goodreads
Instagram https://bit.ly/JAInstag

Wayback Wednesday: More Inventions from the Progressive Era

Wayback Wednesday: 

More Inventions from the Progressive Era

Last week I introduced several inventions that patented during the two decades that comprise the Progressive Era, a time period of great social activism, political reform, and technological advances. Here are a few more items that came to fruition between 1900 and 1929:

• Disposable Safety Razor: Most folks living in New England are quite familiar with King Camp Gillette, a traveling hardware salesman who invented the double-edged, disposable safety razor attached to a re-usable razor handle because of the multi-million-dollar company that bears his name and has sponsored the professional football team. Gillette applied for a patent in 1901, and it was granted in 1904.
• Air Conditioning: I had no idea A/C was invented this early in history. Willis Carrier (recognize the

  

  Pixabay/Lucio Alfonso

  name?) actually created his system in 1902 to address quality problems at a Brooklyn printing plant, Sackett-Wilhelms Lithographing and Publishing Company. Humidity and heat were making papers stick together.
• As an HR professional, much of the paperwork that I dispose of gets shredded because of its confidential nature. This handy device is credited to inventor Abbot Augustus Law of Horseshoe, New York. His patent for a "waste paper receptacle" to offer an improved method of disposing of waste paper received a U.S. patent on August 31, 1909.

• 

  Pixabay/Dimitiry

  Binder Clip: Another office product many of you are familiar with was invented in 1911 by Washington, D.C., resident Louis E. Baltzley to help his father, Edwin, a prolific writer and inventor, keep manuscripts in order. The original design was modified five times, but the essential mechanism has never changed.
• Masking tape was invented in 1925, by Richard G. Drew, an employee of the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (3M). He filed U.S. patent #1,760,820 on May 28, 1928, and was issued to him on May 27, 1930. You may remember another 3M invention: the post-it, that was the result of a mistake.
• Kool-Aid: Invented in 1927 by Edwin Perkins of Hastings, Nebraska who had come up with a a method of removing the liquid from a drink called "Fruit Smack." He re-packaged the powder in envelopes and called it "Kool-Ade."

_____________________

Love and Chocolate

She just needs a job. He wants a career. Is there room in their hearts for love?

Ilsa Krause and her siblings are stunned to discover their father left massive debt behind upon his death. To help pay off their creditors and save the farm, she takes a job at Beck’s Chocolates, the company her father despised and refused to supply with milk. Then she discovers her boss is Ernst Webber, her high school love who unceremoniously dumped her via letter from college. Could life get any more difficult?

A freshly-minted university diploma in his hand, Ernst Webber lands his dream job at Beck’s Chocolates. His plans to work his way up the ladder don’t include romantic entanglements, then Ilsa Krause walks back into his life resurrecting feelings he thought long dead. However, her animosity makes it clear she has no interest in giving him a second chance. Can he get her to change her mind? Does he want to?

Pre-order Link: https://books2read.com/u/mdQerZ

Fiction Friday: An Interview with Ilsa from Love and Chocolate

Fiction Friday: 

An Interview with Ilsa Krause 

from Love and Chocolate

In anticipation of tomorrow’s release, Love and Chocolate, we’re sitting down with main character, Ilsa Krause. Grab a cup of your favorite beverage and listen in…

Hello, Ilsa, tell us a little bit about your family. I’m the eldest and have three siblings, Nadine, Tobias, and Hedwig whom we call Heddie. We are very close and live together on our farm which is located in Cocoatown, Wisconsin. We lost Mama fifteen years ago to consumption, and Papa recently died. He was never the same after Mama died. It’s been very difficult but we’re getting by. I don’t know what I’d do without my siblings.

You went to work for Beck’s Chocolate factory. How is that going? Frankly, it’s a mixed blessing. Receiving a regular paycheck has been our saving grace. We’re able to make regular payments to our creditors. You see, Papa left behind lots of debt, so we made agreements with the men he owed money too. It was rather embarrassing, but they’ve been most understanding. I love the job itself; it’s very challenging, but sometimes there are difficulties with my co-workers. Why can’t they just do their jobs and get along with each other? Who cares if someone comes from another country? At some point, all our ancestors came to America as strangers. {shakes her head} Anyway, I’ve learned a lot which is good.

Did you ever consider leaving Cocoatown? Why or why not? No, not at all. I was born and raised here.

Photo: Pixabay

My family is here. Friends. I can’t imagine starting over somewhere else.

How would your siblings describe you? Probably dictatorial, overbearing, and unbending…{grins}…but hopefully, in an afterthought they say confident, organized, and well-meaning.

What is your biggest regret? Not telling Papa that I loved him. We don’t tend to be a demonstrative family. We don’t hug or tell each other we care or that we’ve done something well. After Papa, I realized how important it was to say those things to him.

Photo: Pixabay/
Jose Antonio Alba

Where is your “happy place?” Between the pages of a good book, most definitely. The actual place doesn’t matter. I can read lying in bed, curled in a chair in the parlor, or sitting on the grass under a tree. When I begin reading, the world fades away.

What is one thing you always carry with you? A book. Not very practical, I know, but having a book with me means I’m never alone.

____________________

Love and Chocolate

She just needs a job. He wants a career. Is there room in their hearts for love?

Ilsa Krause and her siblings are stunned to discover their father left massive debt behind upon his death. To help pay off their creditors and save the farm, she takes a job at Beck’s Chocolates, the company her father despised and refused to supply with milk. Then she discovers her boss is Ernst Webber, her high school love who unceremoniously dumped her via letter from college. Could life get any more difficult?

A freshly-minted university diploma in his hand, Ernst Webber lands his dream job at Beck’s Chocolates. His plans to work his way up the ladder don’t include romantic entanglements, then Ilsa Krause walks back into his life resurrecting feelings he thought long dead. However, her animosity makes it clear she has no interest in giving him a second chance. Can he get her to change her mind? Does he want to?

Pre-order Link: https://books2read.com/u/mdQerZ

Talkshow Thursday: Welcome Darlene Turner!

Talkshow Thursday: 

Welcome Darlene Turner!

I'm pleased to welcome Love Inspired author Darlene Turner to my blog today.

What was your inspiration for the story?

My childhood friend kept joking with me about including a malamute in a book since I’ve used other dogs previously. That got me thinking about a storyline, and I thought what better place to include a malamute but on a ranch set in the Rocky Mountains in the winter time! That’s how it all began. I like to create strong heroines and after watching the show Unforgettable, I came up with the idea of my police officer having hyperthymesia but with a twist. And who doesn’t like a hunky rancher/k-9 handler?

What sort of research did you do for your story, and was there an exceptionally interesting tidbit you knew you had to include?

Lots of fun stuff! First…my heroine, Constable Isabelle Tremblay, has something called “hyperthymesia” and that is an ability for someone to remember almost every event of their life in great detail. Izzy has used this “gift” in her police work, but at the beginning of the book something happens, and she’s lost a 3-hour window of time. This totally frustrates her.

I had fun researching different dogs for my K-9 ranch. The “star” of the book is an Alaskan Malamute and she is modeled after a childhood friend’s malamute. Plus, my friend even let me use her name—Névé which means “snow” in Latin. Did you know that malamutes can lift 3,000 pounds when working in groups? WOW! These dogs are amazing.

I also researched electric fences, ciphers (loved writing in that Nancy Drew angle), towns in British Columbia to model my “fictional” town after, etc.

Tell us about your road to publication.

My love of writing began with reading Nancy Drew as a girl, but even though I continued to read, the

writing spark faded, and life happened. I started working, got married, and eventually moved to a different city. I didn’t have time to write…or at least, I didn’t think I had the gift, so I put it out of my mind.

Years flew by, and then the unspeakable happened. I went through some rough times and through my journey, I decided to take a creative writing course. This triggered the idea for the very first book I wrote. That’s when my love of writing re-surfaced and grew. So, God does use ALL circumstances in life to grow us, right?

If you were to write a spin-off book about one of your secondary characters, which one would you choose and why?

Actually, I am! The first book in my new series features my heroine’s sister, Blaire Tremblay. Also, my hero’s brother, Maverick Shaw, Sawyer King, and two of the dogs from the Murray K-9 Ranch will be included in other books. It’s always fun to put secondary characters in other books.

Why do you write in your particular genre?

I fell in love with mysteries from the time I picked up my first Nancy Drew book. That blossomed into reading the Hardy Boys and watching shows like Charlie’s Angels, Cagney and Lacey, then years later, Alias, Castle, Bones, CSI, etc. Writing romantic suspense was a nature fit for me!

What is your process for writing? (do you outline, have a special place or time of day you write, etc.) What is your favorite part of the process?

Every writer’s process is different. I’ll share a bit about mine. I’m definitely a pantser! I come up with a basic storyline and pick the occupations for my characters. Then I take my hero, heroine, and villain through a character sketch to get to know them. This is my favorite part. It’s fun to create their likes, dislikes, fears, quirks, etc. I choose actors/actresses to base their physical descriptions on. I’m a visual person and need to “see” them! After I finish this, I begin chapter one. My first draft sometimes runs over the LIS 55K limit, so I normally have to cut words. I usually go through three to four rounds of editing before I do a read-through and send it off to my beta readers. Once I hear back from them, I finalize the manuscript and read it once more before sending to my LIS editor.

How do you celebrate when you finish a manuscript?

After pressing send, I treat myself! Sometimes to a movie, or sometimes to my favorite latte!!

PIxabay/Robert Sloma

What is your advice to fledgling writers?

Keep at it! I totally understand. My road to publication took 10+ years. There were times I wanted to give up, but then I’d get encouraging words from someone who read one of my blogs. It was like God whispered in my ear, “Don’t give up.” Please, please…don’t give up. God really has the best journey in store for you!

 
What writers or books have influenced you?

DiAnn Mills was a huge influence in my writing journey. I met her while taking a Jerry Jenkins course and she became my mentor. She’s amazing!

What is your next project?

My first ever trade book (published through Love Inspired Trade) is currently with my editor. It’s called Echoes of Darkness and releases in June of 2025. I’m so excited about this story, but it’s a bit grittier (okay more than a bit) than my LIS books.

I also just passed in book one of a brand new LIS series. This is a six-book series centering around the Hoyt family. You met Jayla and Dekker in Alaskan Avalanche Escape and Hazel in Mountain Abduction Rescue. Book 1 in the new series is Dekker’s story. I’m loving writing these stories. You’ll meet new Hoyt siblings, and previous ones will make appearances!

I’ve also collaborated with three amazing Canadian authors on a Christmas Anthology called I’ll Be Home. Each story centers around going home and has a train in there somewhere. My story is called Mystery and Mayhem in the Rockies. It’s my first cozy mystery and has a Hallmarky (is that a word?) vibe to it.

K-9 Ranch Protection

A killer on the loose. A K-9 keeping watch.

Police constable Izzy Tremblay knows her father’s death was no accident, so when she finally discovers a lead and is immediately attacked, her suspicions are confirmed. The ambush leaves her in the hospital with three hours of crucial memory missing, which she knows holds the key to finding her father’s murderer. For protection, she takes refuge with her ex-partner, Austin Murray, on his K-9 ranch while she races to uncover the truth. But with danger still lurking, can they stay alive long enough to take down a killer?

About Darlene:

Darlene L. Turner is an award-winning and a Publishers Weekly best-selling author and lives with her husband, Jeff in Ontario, Canada. Her love of suspense began when she read her first Nancy Drew book. She’s turned that passion into her writing and believes readers will be captured by her plots, inspired by her strong characters, and moved by her inspirational message. You can connect with Darlene at www.darlenelturner.com where there’s suspense beyond borders.

Social Media Links:

Website: https://darlenelturner.com/
Facebook (author page): https://bit.ly/2Woy8dK
Facebook (personal): https://bit.ly/3kLG5ST
Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Qso27O
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/2UhbelT
BookBub: https://bit.ly/2QrdkhP
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darlenel.turner/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19553274.Darlene_L_Turner
Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/Darlene-L-Turner/e/B083RC78GW

Wayback Wednesday: Inventions During the Progressive Era

Wayback Wednesday: 

Inventions from the Progressive Era

The Progressive Era in the United States encompasses the two decades from 1900 to 1929 and was a period of sweeping social activism and political reform across the nation. Per Wikipedia: “Progressives sought to address the problems caused by rapid industrialization, urbanization, immigration, and political corruption as well as the enormous concentration of industrial ownership in monopolies. Progressive reformers were alarmed by the spread of slums, poverty, and the exploitation of labor.”

President Theodore Roosevelt was a leader in the Progressive movement and promised trust-breaking, regulations in the railroad industry and pure food and drugs. Conservation was one of his major focuses, and he established national parks, forests, and monuments. Other well-known progressives include author Upton Sinclair, journalist Ida Tarbell, social worker and reformer Jane Addams, and suffragist Susan B. Anthony.

Technological advances and inventions played a large role during the era with many items still in use today:

• A nickel-zinc battery is a type of rechargeable battery that may be used in cordless power tools,

  

  Pixabay/Thomas

  cordless telephones, digital cameras, etc. In 1900, Thomas Edison filed U.S. Patent #684,204 for the nickel-zinc battery, and it was issued on October 8, 1901. Today’s nickel-cadmium rechargeable battery is very similar with slightly less voltage.
• Fly-swatter: This one surprised me in that I thought it would have been invented long before 1900. The first modern fly-destruction device was invented in 1900 by Robert R. Montgomery, an entrepreneur based in Decatur, Illinois. On January 9, 1900, Montgomery was issued U.S. patent #640,790 for the "Fly-Killer."
• A windowed envelope is a conventional envelope with a plastic window to allow the recipient's address to be printed on the paper contained within. Calling it the "outlook envelope", Americus F. Callahan of Chicago was the first to patent the windowed envelope. U.S. patent #701,839 was filed on December 9, 1901, and issued on June 10, 1902.
• 
  The airplane was invented by Wilbur and Orville Wright of Dayton, Ohio, who made the first powered and sustained airplane flights under control of the pilot in the Wright Flyer on December 17, 1903, in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
• Perhaps mundane, but very important, nonetheless, the flushometer, or royal flushometer is a water pressure system that uses an inline handle to flush toilets and urinals The flushometer is still in use today in homes and public restrooms around the world. The flushometer was invented in 1906 by American businessman and inventor William Elvis Sloan.
• Do you use an electric blanket? The first electric blanket was invented in 1912 by American physician Sidney I. Russell. This earliest form of an electric blanket was an 'underblanket' under the bed that covered and heated from below.
• Traffic circles (AKA cloverleaf interchange) was first patented in the United States by Arthur Hale, a civil engineer in Maryland, on February 29, 1916.

_____________________

Love and Chocolate

She just needs a job. He wants a career. Is there room in their hearts for love?

Ilsa Krause and her siblings are stunned to discover their father left massive debt behind upon his death. To help pay off their creditors and save the farm, she takes a job at Beck’s Chocolates, the company her father despised and refused to supply with milk. Then she discovers her boss is Ernst Webber, her high school love who unceremoniously dumped her via letter from college. Could life get any more difficult?

A freshly-minted university diploma in his hand, Ernst Webber lands his dream job at Beck’s Chocolates. His plans to work his way up the ladder don’t include romantic entanglements, then Ilsa Krause walks back into his life resurrecting feelings he thought long dead. However, her animosity makes it clear she has no interest in giving him a second chance. Can he get her to change her mind? Does he want to?

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