Historical Romance: A Bear Lake Family Saga

This Historical Romance Series, A Bear Lake Family Saga, has strong female characters who have a destiny to fulfill. Each woman wants to make a difference in the small town where she lives. No matter the trial that comes her way, she is ready to fight for what she believes. Even though the heroes are strong and masculine, they have their tender moments that can melt your heart. Bear Lake Family Saga has plenty of adventure along with a tender love story.

Below is a brief description of each story in this series along with a review.

Melinda and the Wild West (Book 1): Melinda is a schoolteacher. She has many challenges but it’s a rugged rancher who challenges Melinda with the one thing for which she was least prepared—love.

“Melinda and the Wild West is rich with historical settings and provides as much of a 'historical' education as entertainment. Linda Weaver Clarke displays an easy and excellent style of writing, blending adventure/romance/history/humor and courage. "Melinda and the Wild West: A Family Saga in Bear Lake, Idaho" is an instant classic and should put this author on the literary map all over the world. A MUST read!” –Page One Literary Book Review

Edith and the Mysterious Stranger (Book 2): Edith is a nurse. When a mysterious stranger starts writing to Edith, she gets to know a man's inner soul before making any harsh judgments. Whoever he is, this man is a mystery but is he as wonderful in person as he is in his letters?

“Clarke draws the reader into a world full of color and intrigue right from the first page. Her characters have faults that you want to see them overcome as you laugh, cry and cheer at just how genuine and vivid they are. It’s refreshing to be able to read a story that can make you run the full range of emotions. The end is uplifting while making you wonder what could happen in the next addition. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would highly recommend Edith and the Mysterious Stranger to anyone looking for a novel that just makes you feel good.” --Melynda Gascoyne – The Amherst Bee Newspaper: Buffalo, New York

Jenny’s Dream (Book 3): Jenny is an aspiring author. She has a dream to fulfill, but the only thing standing in her way is an unpleasant memory, which has haunted her since childhood. She must learn to forgive before she can follow her dream.

“Jenny’s Dream tells a beautiful story that incorporates the value of loyalty, love, family and forgiveness into it. I found myself greatly enjoying the romances between Jenny’s parents and between Jenny and Will. I also enjoyed how the author put real experiences, taken from her family, into the plot. This is a great touch because it makes the story seem real. It is a wholesome novel that will be able to be enjoyed by family members of all ages who would enjoy a great historical romance. I think that this series is destined to be a classic.” --Review by Paige Lovitt – Reader Views

Sarah’s Special Gift (Book 4): Sarah is a beautiful and successful dance teacher but she is not an average young woman. Sarah is deaf, but this does not stop her from living life to its fullest. And it does not stop her from falling in love with a man who needs her help.

“The romantic friction between David and Sarah is central to a story that will have you cheering for them to get together! The fun part is wondering if there is truly a monster in the lake. It makes for an interesting adventure, with a surprise ending to the tale. I love that the author based the monster on a local folklore in Idaho. This is a heart-warming story of finding that right person to live the rest of your life with. So, if you want to laugh, learn and live in the life of some wonderful characters...read this book and enjoy the journey.” --Allison King,  Allison’s Attic

Elena, Woman of Courage (Book 5): The Roaring Twenties was a time of great change, when women raised their hemlines and bobbed their hair. As Elena fights to prove herself as the town’s first female doctor, the town’s most eligible bachelor finds it a challenge to see if he can win her heart.

“John, a confirmed bachelor, is entranced by the new woman in town, who just happens to be the new doctor. Clarke’s books are enjoyable to read, and although they're wholesome, they're never boring. Linda Weaver Clarke is outstanding at presenting the characters' thoughts, especially when it comes to romance, and she captures the highs and lows of romantic life rather adeptly. The author also pays close attention to historical accuracy, enabling readers to learn about U.S. history in her novels.” --Suko’s Notebook

LEARN HOW TO GET A FREE AUDIO BOOK FROM AUDIBLE! Receive this audiobook free if you join audible.com. Membership includes two free audiobooks and you can choose from 470,000+ titles. Go to Linda Weaver Clarke’s Audible Page and find the book you’re interested in and sign up for some free audiobooks. My Audible Page: https://www.audible.com/author/Linda-Weaver-Clarke/B004P47EWO

The Importance of Research When Writing Historical Romance

Research is very important when writing Historical Fiction. I had fun writing the Bear Lake Family Saga series because I was able to put some very interesting historical facts in each of my books. Some things I added were from history while others were experiences of my ancestors. I will list one historical fact from each book so you will understand what goes into my research.

In Melinda and the Wild West, I found that Butch Cassidy robbed the bank in Montpelier during the time period of my story, which takes place in 1896 at Paris, Idaho. I used every detail of the robbery in my novel. I found that Butch Cassidy referred to himself as the “Robin Hood of the West.” He actually wrote, “The best way to hurt them is through their pocket book. They will holler louder than if you cut off both legs. I steal their money just to hear them holler. Then I pass it out among those who really need it.”

Cassidy never acted without a well staked-out plan. That was why he never got caught. He had two partners in crime at the time of the Montpelier robbery. Meeks held the horses while Cassidy and Lay robbed the bank. When the robbing was done, Cassidy nonchalantly walked outside and climbed upon his horse. Then he rode out of town while Elsa Lay held a gun on the bank teller. Then Meeks followed shortly afterwards. No one took notice of Cassidy or Meeks. After a while, Elsa Lay walked out of the bank, hopped on his horse, and took off at high speed. All three got away without a problem. (Treasured Tidbits of Time, Bear Lake Historian Pat Wilde) Every year, Montpelier puts on a reenactment of the robbery for the public.

In Edith and the Mysterious Stranger, my heroine is a nurse. My great grandmother, Frances Davies, saved a man’s life who had been gored by a bull. When the doctor was away, the neighbors went to her. Every detail was recorded in her biography and I used it for my story.

One day a bull gored my great grandmother’s neighbor and she went to his aid. Finding that his abdomen was torn open, she washed away the blood and relocated the man’s protruding intestines. Then she sewed him up with a violin gut string that she had sterilized. Afterwards, Frances fixed a liniment of arnica burrs steeped in alcohol and then she applied some sterilized cloths to his wound, which was saturated with the liniment. When she was done, Frances wrapped a clean strip of cloth around his body to hold the bandages in place. Each day she washed his wound with carbolic water and applied fresh bandages. The man lived for over 20 years after his accident. I instantly knew that Edith had to have this experience as a young nurse in my story.

For the subplot of Jenny’s Dream, the community has to deal with a vicious grizzly bear that is roaming the mountains. In the history of the Rocky Mountains, there have been many bears that roam the mountains, but none so famous as Old Ephraim. He roamed the mountains from Soda Springs, Idaho to the Logan Utah Canyon from 1911 to 1923. They called him Old Ephraim or Old Three Toes, since he only had three toes on one foot. As a subplot to my story, I added the actions and deeds of this vicious grizzly. Old Ephraim measured at exactly nine feet and eleven inches tall, and weighed 1100 pounds.

As the subplot in Sarah’s Special Gift, I added the intriguing story of the Bear Lake Monster. The mystery of the Bear Lake Monster has been an exciting part of the Bear Lake history ever since the pioneers arrived in Paris, Idaho in 1863. Prominent leaders of the area encouraged the Native American legend because no one had a desire to move to the cold Bear Lake country. The valley was located at the tops of the Rocky Mountains and the winters were harsh.

The legend of the Bear Lake Monster made life a little more exciting for the pioneers. Some people claimed to have seen the monster and gave descriptions of it. Throughout the years, no one has ever disproved the Bear Lake Monster. Is it fact or fiction, legend or myth? It was fun to add accounts of those who claimed to have seen it into my story.

Elena Woman of Courage was such fun to research. I wanted Elena to be a doctor during the 1920s, so I had to do some research and find out if there were women doctors back then. I found that Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman to graduate with a doctor’s degree in 1868, and she opened a medical college for women where they could have the opportunity to get an education. Women were not allowed to attend a medical university until 1899. So how did Elizabeth get in?

She hounded them until the faculty gave in and admitted her as a joke. They figured she would fail miserably. But she fooled all the professors and graduated at the top of her class. After her graduation in 1849, she sadly found that no hospital would hire her because she was a woman. But this did not stop her. Elizabeth organized her own clinic in New York and helped many people.

Elena, Woman of Courage takes place during the roaring twenties when women stood up for their rights. They bobbed their hair, raised their hemlines, and wore long beads down to the waist. It was a new era for everyone, with new challenges. The new styles caused a lot of commotion. Women with bobbed hair were fired from their jobs without any warning. A preacher pounded the pulpit, saying that a “bobbed woman was a disgraced woman.”

The language of the twenties was new. Parents were in the dark, wondering what their children were talking about. I will list just a few slang words I got from my research:

Ah, horsefeathers! - An expletive

Tomato - a woman

Bearcat - a fiery woman

Doll - an attractive woman

Cat’s pajamas! – How wonderful!

Chassis - a woman’s body

Gams - a woman’s legs

Goofy - in love

Hotsy-totsy - something pleasing

Moonstruck - acting in a dreamy, confused way; in love.

Spooning - kissing or talking about love

Bank’s closed – There’s no kissing tonight.

You slay me! - That was real funny!

 

LEARN HOW TO GET A FREE AUDIO BOOK FROM AUDIBLE! Receive this audiobook free if you join audible.com. Membership includes two free audiobooks and you can choose from 470,000+ titles. Go to Linda Weaver Clarke’s Audible Page and find the book you’re interested in and sign up for some free audiobooks. My Audible Page: https://www.audible.com/author/Linda-Weaver-Clarke/B004P47EWO

A Preteen Novella

Author Blake Leonard is twelve years old. He is an avid reader, likes science, animals and video games. Blake lives in North Carolina, close to his co-author grandmother, Mary L. Ball who writes Christian Mystery Romances. This young man has written his first novella and published it. What a great accomplishment!

Take a look at this young man's teen shirt. I love it. I believe it might represent his new story.

An Angel’s Burden is a Pre-teen Novella. Deep in the forest, danger shadows two children. Eleven-year-old Michael and his sister Caitlyn’s beloved pet, Sparky, has gone to Heaven, so Mom and Dad plan a camping trip to Indian Trails to lift their spirits.

When an accident happens, the children have no choice but to find help but they miss the correct path and are lost. But that’s nothing compared to the lone cry of a white wolf stalking them. Can the children face fear and continue on their journey to save Dad?

This is an inspirational creation. A reviewer wrote: “Absolutely adored this book. It's exciting. I couldn't wait to see what happened next! Plus it has a great Christian message.”

This preteen novella can be purchased at:
Amazon 
Media on Demand 

Kobo