Sixteen Brides by Stephanie Grace Whitson

The year is 1871, the Civil War has ended, leaving countless families without their menfolk. Sixteen widows board a train at St.Louis' Union Station bound for Coyote, Nebraska. Before reaching their destination, however, it becomes clear that the "gentleman" who helped them move out west has some ulterior motives of his own. Mr.Hamilton Drake, for a price, would transport and arrange for some lonely homesteading bachelors to meet these potential "brides" upon their arrival in Coyote.
Five of these brave pioneer women choose to remain in the nearby town of Plum Grove rather than take their chances with this western form of Bachelor Roulette. They form an alliance and stake claims adjacent to each other, pooling their resources and talents, forging rock-solid friendships in the process.

Just because the ladies object to being used as a kind of mail order bride doesn't mean that love won't find them in spite of themselves. How could the title be Sixteen Brides if love didn't factor in?

This is a story of perseverance, faith and Westward Expansion. Sixteen Brides is about courage and necessity, from rags to riches and riches to rags and trusting in God who is the author and finisher of our faith.

I am getting into this Pioneer Spirit thing. It's fun.

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Sixteen Brides

Bethany House (April 2010)

by

Stephanie Grace Whitson





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A native of southern Illinois, Stephanie Grace Whitson has lived in Nebraska since 1975. She began what she calls "playing with imaginary friends" (writing fiction) when, as a result of teaching her four home schooled children Nebraska history.



She was personally encouraged and challenged by the lives of pioneer women in the West. Since her first book, Walks the Fire, was published in 1995, Stephanie's fiction titles have appeared on the ECPA bestseller list numerous times and been finalists for the Christy Award, the Inspirational Reader's Choice Award, and ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year.



Her first nonfiction work, How to Help a Grieving Friend, was released in 2005. In addition to serving in her local church and keeping up with two married children, two college students, and a high school senior, Stephanie enjoys motorcycle trips with her family and church friends.



Her passionate interests in pioneer women's history, antique quilts, and French, Italian, and Hawaiian language and culture provide endless story-telling possibilities.



ABOUT THE BOOK

In 1872, sixteen Civil War widows living in St. Louis respond to a series of meetings conducted by a land speculator who lures them west by promising "prime homesteads" in a "booming community."



Unbeknownst to them, the speculator's true motive is to find an excuse to bring women to the fledgling community of Plum Grove, Nebraska, in hopes they will accept marriage proposals shortly after their arrival! Sparks fly when these unsuspecting widows meet the men who are waiting for them.



These women are going to need all the courage and faith they can muster to survive these unwanted circumstances--especially when they begin to discover that none of them is exactly who she appears to be.



If you would like to read the first chapter of Sixteen Brides, go HERE.