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Denise Weimer returns to the show this week to talk about two books—When Hope Sank and A Calculated Betrothal. She shares the fascinating history behind both books, how she redeems her characters, and why she loves dressing up in period fashion. Patrons will get to hear what her next great adventure is going to be.

When Hope Sank by Denise Weimer
The Civil War has taken everything from Lily Livingston—her parents, her twin brother, her home. Now she works at her uncle’s inn and keeps her head down. Speaking up for her beliefs proved too costly in a part of Arkansas split by conflicting loyalties and overrun by spies and bushwhackers.

Emaciated in body but resilient in spirit, Lieutenant Cade Palmer is crowded onto the Sultana with other paroled Andersonville and Cahaba POWs for the journey north. But a fiery explosion on April 27, 1865, rends the steamer and empties two thousand men into the frigid Mississippi River.

Recovering from wounds that might end his career as a surgeon but clinging to his faith, Cade threatens both Lily’s defenses and her heart. How can she tell him she might’ve prevented the tragedy if only she’d reported a suspected saboteur’s claims? And when the man returns to town and encoded messages pass through the hotel, will Lily follow her convictions to prevent another tragedy?

Get your copy of When Hope Sank.

A Calculated Betrothal by Denise Weimer
The death of her titled husband means that not only is Tabitha Gage no longer a lady—but she’s also abandoned on an isolated Southern Georgia plantation on the eve of revolution. With the fine house and fields sold to a neighbor, she’s left with a log cabin on unsettled timber land. Rather than marry the neighbor’s son, Tabitha determines to make her own way—and never again be shackled to a man she doesn’t love.

Sergeant Edmond Lassiter is one assignment away from promotion when he comes to the aid of a red-haired beauty fending off cattle rustlers. Thrown together during an attack at a nearby fort, the Patriot scout and Loyalist widow are surprised by the values they share—including honesty, loyalty, and equality. When Edmond learns the same man who ruined his family is after what little Tabitha has left, he convinces her they should work together to make her land profitable—all while fighting off the British from East Florida and her greedy neighbor, who sabotages their every effort to succeed. Their work together will be a business arrangement…nothing more. But as a British invasion threatens, the truth soon becomes clear—continuing the connection between them will risk far more than their hearts.
Get A Calculated Betrothal by Denise Weimer.

More about Denise:
I write historical and contemporary romance and romantic suspense mostly set in my home state of Georgia. I've authored around fifteen traditionally published novels and a number of novellas. A freelance fiction editor and a mother of two wonderful young adult daughters, I always pause for coffee, chocolate, and old houses.
Visit Denise Weimer's website.

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Jaime Jo Wright comes to visit with us again, and we had a great chat about her latest book, Specters in the Glass House. We talked about the economic impact of Prohibition, especially in Wisconsin, if she ever thinks her body count gets too high, and about why she handled mental illness the way she did in the book. Patrons hear about if she's passed on her love of hunting to her kids.

Specters in the Glass House by Jaime Jo Wright

An ominous butterfly house. A sinister legacy. An untraceable killer.

In 1921, Marian Arnold, the heiress to a brewing baron's empire, seeks solace in the glass butterfly house on her family's Wisconsin estate as Prohibition and the deaths of her parents cast a long shadow over her shrinking world. When Marian's sanctuary is invaded by nightmarish visions, she grapples with the line between hallucinations of things to come and malevolent forces at play in the present. With dead butterflies as the killer's ominous signature, murders unfold at a steady pace. Marian, fearful she might be next, enlists the help of her childhood friend Felix, a war veteran with his own haunted past.

In the present day, researcher Remy Shaw becomes entangled in an elderly biographer's quest to uncover the truth behind Marian Arnold's mysterious life and the unsolved murders linked to an infamous serial killer. Joined by Marian's great-great-grandson, can Remy expose the evil that lurks beneath broken wings? Or will the dark legacy surrounding the manor and its glass house destroy yet another generation?

"Wright is in a class by herself."--Library Journal

Get Specters in the Glass House by Jaime Jo Wright.

Jaime Jo, the coffee-fueled and cat-fancier extraordinaire, has entwined her life with the legendary Captain Hook, residing serenely in Wisconsin's rural woodlands.

Her literary vocation involves penning chilling Gothic tales, a baffling change from that of Austenites, with a strong preference to the master of dark, Edgar Allan Poe. Two mischievous urchins adorn their family, who keep their mother on her toes - providing an exhilarating amount chaos.

"If I were to summarize my life in three words, my instinct is to say: "I love coffee", and leave it at that. But, I realize that is rather shallow and a tad obsessive. So, summarizing who Jaime Jo Wright is can be a challenge.

I love life. I always have. God has blessed me, even in severe trials, such as the loss of three of my babies. He has never failed, never given up, never gone easy on me, and always disciplined me with a loving hand. (and trust me, when you have my personality which pushes boundaries and considers rules to be negotiable, you need discipline).

​I married my husband in 2000. He wasn't exactly Prince Charming when I met him, so I aptly nicknamed him Cap'n Hook after he pirated off with my heart and has yet to give it back.

Our ship was joined by a little Tinkerbell in 2009. Our CoCo has tamed the pirate exponentially better than I ever could. Peter Pan came along in 2012 and whisked me away to Neverland where we refuse to grow up and make mischief on a daily basis.

Visit Jaime's website.

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Hannah Linder returns to the podcast this week to chat about her latest release, Never Forgotten. We talk about how she came to write Regency romantic suspense, if she designed the cover for this book, and her new favorite hobby, square dancing. Patrons will hear if she reads reviews of her books and why or why not.

Never Forgotten by Hannah Linder

All He Wanted was Justice. All She Wanted was His Heart.

Georgina Whitmore, not accustomed to any man being unaffected by her charms, is plagued with the disappearance and rejection of Simon Fancourt. Twelve years later, Mr. Fancourt returns to British society with two children and a mad hunger for justice.

Racing against time, Simon works to uncover the men responsible for his wife’s horrific murder, protect his children, and fulfill his father’s unexpected will by marrying Georgina—the last thing in the world he wants to do.

Though her heart throbs to accept, she would rather lose him again than have his name without his love. She denies his proposal of matrimony, knowing it will cost them both. But as tragedies unravel and secret enemies narrow their sights on Simon, Georgina risks her life—and her reputation—to protect him and the children. Will the danger scorch them alive? Or will it, for the first time, open his heart to her?

Get your copy of Never Forgotten by Hannah Linder.

HANNAH LINDER resides in the beautiful mountains of central West Virginia. Represented by Cynthia Ruchti with Books & Such Literary Management, she writes Regency romantic suspense novels filled with passion, secrets, and danger. She is a four-time Selah Award winner, a 2024 Carol Award finalist, and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW).

When Hannah is not writing, she enjoys playing instruments—piano, guitar, ukulele, and banjolele—songwriting, painting still life, walking in the rain, square dancing, and sitting on the front porch of her 1800s farmhouse. Her greatest desire is to please her Savior and to write in a way that glorifies and uplifts Him. Follow her journey on Instagram, Facebook, or the newsletter.

Visit Hannah Linder's website.