Friday News and Reviews – Battle of Winchester

Posting over at Slip Into Something Victorian today about the 150 anniversary of the First Battle of Winchester.

Wednesday Excerpts – Sweet Redemption

Maddie stared into the eyes of the strange, hypnotic man. Was she dreaming again?

Captain Hackett’s voice broke through her stupor.

Oh, God! What’s happening? She lifted her arms and pushed against the powerful grasp that held her hostage.

A horrible, putrid smell emanated from him. Her breath came out in gasps. Turning her head toward the captain, her eyes widened. He bared his teeth, exposing two wicked-looking fangs. She stared into eyes that glowed red as her heartbeat raced. Was she having another nightmare? Growling, he launched himself at the monster still holding her.

“You are starting to show the signs, Jon,” the oily voice gloated. “I’ll make you what I am. Give you my power. All you have to is give yourself completely to me.”

Maddie was thrust aside. She cowered, in a corner of the foyer, her head spinning. This wasn’t happening. The two combatants hissed and bared their horrible fangs, circling and lunging at each other. She pushed her hands against both ears, trying to block out the terrible grunts and hisses.

She sat frozen for a minute, until the monster lifted Jon and threw him into the table by the staircase. She jumped back as her porcelain vase shattered at her feet. Glancing up, she caught a flash of silver around the captain’s neck. The crucifix!

“Captain!” Could she still get through to him? “Use the crucifix.”

The captain halted, then yanked the chain, pulling the crucifix before him. He shoved it into the creature’s face.

The odor of burning flesh drove Maddie’s gaze to the monster’s charred cheek. He screeched and backed out the open doorway.

“I’ll return for both of you,” he hissed.

Jon jumped to the doorway, stuck his head out, then hissed and covered his face, as he backed away from the door.

Maddie took a deep breath to calm her racing pulse. Slowly rising, she moved around Jon, with a cautious eye upon him, to the door. A rosy glow lit the sky. She saw no sign of the monster and slammed the door, then secured the lock.

Sweet Redemption is available at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Redemption-ebook/dp/B0056ICETQ/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1313157188&sr=1-7

Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sweet-redemption-susan-macatee/1018988355?ean=2940043310798&itm=3&usri=sweet%2bredemption

only $1.99 at The Wild Rose Press  http://thewildrosepress.com/sweet-redemption-p3750.html?zenid=efc2f41ac353b198c6926be0514ff6ab

and All Romance Ebooks http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sweetredemption-391948-139.html

Monday Inspiration – Vampires, why I love them

With the release of the Dark Shadows movie with Johnny Depp, I have to wonder, will we ever tire of vampires in our stories?

I grew up watching the Dark Shadows daytime soap back in the sixties and early seventies and that show influenced me as a writer. I always wanted to write a vampire story and now have two short historical vampire romances out with The Wild Rose Press.

Early vampire legends didn’t portray them as the beguiling creatures we see in popular modern fiction. Even before the term ‘Vampire’ was coined, stories existed of creatures with abilities and characteristics we equate with vampires. Legends and myths date back to the early Greeks and Romans. These creatures drank the blood of the living to sustain their existence.

The Goddess Hecate’s daughter was said to be a vampire-like creature. Empusa would appear as a beautiful young woman, seducing men so she could feast on their blood. She also drank young children’s blood.

European’s also had legends of vampire-like creatures. But these vampires were said to be half-decomposed and repugnant creatures, nothing like the seductive beings we think of. These vampires were said to be more akin to living corpses, crawling from their graves to find victims. Of course, no living person ever saw these creatures roaming about. It took an unexpected occurrence, like the untimely death of a person or animal to confirm their existence.

When someone died and others started to also die with symptoms like strange bleeding, rumors spread that the newly dead had risen from the grave and was feasting on the living. Corpses would be exhumed and any sign, such as bloating of the body or blood running from the mouth, would be enough to convince the villagers that they had a vampire running amok. The cure for this was to drive a stake through the corpse’s heart to stop his nightly rampages.

Religious symbols—crosses and rosaries—as well as holy water and garlic, were said to repel a vampire.

In 1897, author Bram Stoker took these legends and wove them into his tale, Dracula. In Stoker’s story, Dracula was seductive and powerful. Women immediately would fall under his spell. This classic novel changed the image of the vampire for all time.

Today, although we know vampires are only the stuff of fiction, we see them as emotional and sentimental creatures who truly hate the demon forces that compel them to harm others.

I’m looking forward to seeing the new version of Dark Shadows. Just can’t get enough of those vampires.

For more info on vampires, visit these sites: http://halloweenexpress.com/history-of-vampires.php
http://www.history.com/videos/vampire-myths#vampire-myths

You can also view the trailer for Dark Shadows here: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/dark-shadows/10051393/trailers

And visit my website for info on my two vampire stories: http://susanmacatee.com/myvampireromances.html

Wednesday Excerpts – Cole’s Promise

“Miss Hirsch?” The stern voice of an older woman broke the spell. Claire’s face burned as she realized it was Mrs. Benson.

Claire pulled out of Cole’s embrace. “Yes, ma’am.”

The matron rounded on Claire and stared Cole down. “And you, sir, what are you doing back here with one of my nurses?”
Cole straightened. “I was just showing Miss Hirsch we can clear away some of this brush to make more room for the wounded.”

The matron’s scowl evidenced she didn’t believe a word Cole said.

“And your name, sir?”

Cole stood at attention. “Lieutenant Manning. Cole Manning.”

“You’d best take your leave, Lieutenant. I’d like to have a word with my nurse.”

Cole’s gaze shifted from the matron to Claire. Claire bit her lip but nodded for him to do as the woman bid.

“I hope to see you ladies later.”

The matron scowled. “In a more proper venue, sir.”

He bowed slightly, then turned and strode to the front of the tent, not looking back.

Claire sighed, her face aflame with shame at having been caught in his arms.

“Miss Hirsch, you know how improper this is. You must protect your reputation so as not to be confused with a common camp follower.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Claire bowed her head.

“We opened this nursing corps to serious women who truly want to serve the Union, not find eligible men in the ranks.”

‘Yes, ma’am.”

“I will speak to this young man’s commanding officer about this incident and have him reprimanded as well.”

Claire’s pulse raced. She didn’t want to see Cole get into any trouble. She was as much to blame for allowing him to take her back here alone.

“Please, ma’am. He did me no serious harm. If I promise to stay away from him, could you allow the matter to drop?”

The matron scowled, but nodded. “So long as you stay away from him and he from you. I do not wish this escalating. If it does, I’ll be forced to dismiss you from the corps and send you home.”

“Yes, ma’am. I understand.”

Mrs. Benson led Claire from the shelter behind the tent. Cole was no longer in sight. He likely wanted to steer clear of the angry matron.

“Are you still on duty in the hospital?” Mrs. Benson asked.

“Yes, ma’am. Until noon.”

“Then resume your duty, and at noon, report to me at the aid station. And stay visible to others while you are in camp.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Claire entered the tent, hoping to see Cole, but knowing he wouldn’t dare show his face for a while. After sharing such an intimate kiss, how would she stay away from the man, or even keep him from her mind?

Cole’s Promise available at The Wild Rose Press http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=176_135&products_id=4821

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Coles-Promise-Love-Letters-ebook/dp/B007VRKQ04/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1334931371&sr=1-4

Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1110282244?ean=2940014529969

All Romance Ebooks http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-cole039spromise-780707-158.html

Monday Inspiration – Dorothea Dix

In my new release, Cole’s Promise, the heroine is a relief worker assigned to a Union camp during the Civil War.

But prior to this time period, real life heroine, Dorothea Dix was involved in social reform. Although soft spoken, Dix was a crusader working toward improvements in treatment of mentally ill patients and better conditions in prisons.

She saw the war as another opportunity to aid soldiers as well as the war effort. Although military officials were skeptical, she convinced them women could perform the work of nursing soldiers. Prior to that, military personnel were assigned to that task.

Dix served as the Union’s Superintendent of Female Nurses over the course of the Civil War.

Dorothea Dix was born in Hampden, Maine on April 4, 1802, to Joseph Dix and Mary Bigelow Dix. Her father was an itinerant Methodist preacher. During the War of 1812, the British took over the town, but her family had already taken refuge in Vermont before the war began. The first of three children, Dix’s family life was harsh. Her mother suffered from mental illness, while her father abused alcohol.

At an early age, Dorothea had to care for her two younger brothers. She later made the comment, “I never knew childhood.” She often fled to her paternal grandmother’s when the fighting in her home proved too much for her.

Despite her abusive upbringing, Dorothea was able to learn things from her father that aided her later in life. He taught her to read and write at a young age. When she entered school, she was well beyond the other students her own age. Her passion for reading and teaching grew as she taught her own brothers.

After the family moved to Vermont, her parent’s were deemed unable to care for their three children and Dorothea’s grandmother took over, moving them into the Dix Mansion in Boston. By this time Dorothea was twelve.

Life changed for Dorothea as her grandmother demanded she learn to develop the interests of a wealthy girl. She was schooled in dance and her grandmother hired a seamstress to see to Dorothea’s personal needs. But she rebelled and was punished when her grandmother caught her giving food and her brand new clothing to beggar children at the mansion’s front gate.

By the age of fourteen, Dorothea was turned over to Madame Dix’s sister to learn how to act as a lady. Dorothea acquiesced hoping by doing as she was told, she’d be allowed to return to the Dix Mansion to care for her younger brothers.

While living at her aunt’s Dorothea met Edward Bangs. She wanted to establish a public school for girls, since in this time period, girls weren’t permitted to attend school. He helped her and she ran the school for three years. Edward was thirty-one and Dorothea eighteen when he announced he’d fallen in love with her. His announcement frightened her. She closed the school and returned to the Dix Mansion in Boston. Edward was not deterred. He arrived in Boston and proposed marriage. Although Dorothea accepted the proposal, she wouldn’t agree to a set date for the nuptials. She feared ending up like her parents. To her marriage spelled “desertion of children, emotional outbreaks, fights and heavy drinking.”

Fearing her grandmother’s reaction, Dorothea wrote her a letter, though they now lived under the same roof. She told her she wanted to open a school for poor girls. To her surprise her grandmother was thrilled and agreed to help her. Dorothea ultimately returned Edward’s engagement ring and devoted her life to teaching.

Her social reform activities continued throughout her life, leading to her role during the Civil War. She led 3000 women during the conflict and was known as “Dragon Dix” due to her insistence that the women serving as nurses should be older, plain looking women. They also needed to follow a strict dress code that was plain and utilitarian.

Under Dix’s supervision, military nursing saw much improvement. She cared for her nurses and the soldiers under their care and wouldn’t hesitate to confront the military establishment to see both received care and needed supplies, issued in a timely manner.

After the war ended, Dorothea traveled the United States and Europe on behalf of the mentally ill, gaining support of the wealthy.

Dix helped establish 32 mental hospitals in the U.S. by 1880. This was an increase of 110 since 1843. At age 80, Dix lived in a guest room of the state mental hospital in Trenton, New Jersey. She lived there for five years, dying on July 18, 1887.

For more on Dorothea Dix, visit these sites:
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1092.html
http://www.civilwarhome.com/dixbio.htm
http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/dorotheadix.html

Friday News and Reviews – New book cover for time travel romance

Got the cover for my new time travel romance, Thoroughly Modern Amanda, under contract with The Wild Rose Press.

What do you think?

Blurb:  Believing anything is possible, magazine reporter Amanda Montgomery dreams about being a modern woman in a nineteenth century world, much like her exceptional step-mother.  But society expects well-off young ladies to focus on finding a suitable husband and raising a family.  And then Jack appears—with no past and unconventional ideas. Does he hold the key to another century as well as her heart, or is she destined to stay in her own time?

Construction worker Jack Lawton wants to preserve an old home that’s scheduled for demolition.  But when he sneaks inside for a final look, a loose beam falls on his head, and upon waking, he finds himself in the arms of a beautiful woman.  His only problem—he’s no longer in the twenty-first century.  Can he find his way back home? Does he really want to?

And I’m over at Slip Into Something Victorian today with a post about the destruction of the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia.

Wednesday’s Excerpts – Cole’s Promise

He purposely strode toward the captain’s tent but halted at the sound of a feminine laugh. Glancing at the Women’s Aid tent, he was riveted by the sight of one of the new relief workers. Although he didn’t know her name, he’d seen her a few days ago when she arrived. Her hair, worn in a tight coil at the base of her skull, was golden blond. He imagined if he fingered the strands they’d feel like silk. He’d never been close enough to catch the color of her eyes, but they appeared to be a light color and her skin a smooth ivory.

She glanced his way, full, pink lips curving up at the corners. Taken by surprise, he quickly tipped his cap and looked ahead, but the delightful vision stayed.

Unlike Hannah, the young woman’s build was petite and delicate, not full and curvy like his best girl. But he’d made a promise to Hannah before he left not to stray. He’d not allow the sight of a pretty face shake his resolve to be true.

After his briefing with the captain, he strode back to see if the aid station had any treats ready for the men. The scent of hotcakes and syrup led him straight under the fly. He scanned the women serving soldiers food but didn’t see her…whatever her name was.

He hastened to his tent to dig out his plate, before the cakes were all gone. He accepted a stack of cakes and a dollop of butter and syrup from a smiling, matronly, gray haired woman, then retreated to his tent to devour his breakfast.

On this bright and clear summer morning, the scents of foliage, cooking fires, and horseflesh drifted through the air. He straightened his uniform and, coffee mug in hand, set out to the field for mail call. He’d written Hannah over a month ago and still hadn’t received a return letter. His regiment had only been stationed here, near Frederick, Maryland, for a couple of weeks, though, so the mail likely hadn’t caught up with him.

Men already stood in line when he reached the field. The post master called names and handed mail to women volunteers to distribute to the men.

She was here. Cole caught his breath at the sight of her. He really had to get his mind on other things. Patting his pocket, he focused on Hannah. He sidled up to one of his corporals.

“I’m running a little late, I see. Did they call anything for me, yet?”

Corporal Jenson smiled. “No, sir. Didn’t hear anything for you.”

“Good.” Cole stood in line patiently waiting as names were called and women handed the men their precious mail.

“Lieutenant Cole Manning,” the baritone voice called out. Cole stepped forward and watched as the post master handed his mail to the very woman who set his heart thumping wildly.

She lifted her gaze over the group of men. He held up his hand, and she smiled and angled her way toward him.

His breath caught as she stepped to his side. Tipping his cap, he accepted two posts. Their hands briefly touched, and a jolt shot through him. “Thank you, ma’am.” A delicate scent of lilac and woman settled over him, and he found it difficult to say more.

She smiled, and her amber gaze caught his. Such beautiful eyes. He felt lost.

“Good day to you, lieutenant.” She nodded toward the letters clutched between his fingers. “Hope it’s comforting news from home.”

He studied the first post. “It’s from Hannah.” Relief surged through him.

“Hannah?” She quirked her lips.

“My best girl back home in Grantley. I plan to ask for her hand right after the war ends.”

She nodded, but her gaze appeared pained. “How wonderful! I’ll leave you to read your posts.”

“Wait.” He couldn’t allow her to leave until he’d learned her name. “I saw you in camp the other day but never got an introduction.”

“Well…” She glanced around. “It’s not entirely proper for me to introduce myself, but…” She smiled with an endearing, mischievous expression. “I’m Miss Hirsch.”

“How do you do, Miss Hirsch? Lieutenant Manning, at your service.” He tipped his cap and bowed formally.

She laughed. “Very pleased to meet you, sir.” She motioned to the mail again. “I’m sure you’re anxious to see what Hannah has to say.”

Cole followed Miss Hirsch with his gaze until she was occupied delivering mail to another soldier, then found a spot under an oak tree to read his posts.

Cole’s Promise available at The Wild Rose Press http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=176_135&products_id=4821

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Coles-Promise-Love-Letters-ebook/dp/B007VRKQ04/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1334931371&sr=1-4

Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1110282244?ean=2940014529969

All Romance Ebooks http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-cole039spromise-780707-158.html