Wednesday in Wyoming - June 24, 2020

You've probably guessed that this is a lunch bucket miners at South Pass City used. It's fairly large, but that's because mining was hard work, and they'd bring a lot of high-calorie food.

What you might not know is that sometimes they took more than chicken bones back with them at the end of their shift.

Yes, there were thieves in the mine shafts.

Wednesday in Wyoming - June 17, 2020

Can you guess what this is?

Since this month's posts are about South Pass City, if you guessed it has something to do with gold mining, you're right.

This is a metal sole that miners wore to protect their feet. You'll see that there are small tacks around the top, presumably to attach the sole to their shoes.

Ingenious, isn't it?

Wednesday in Wyoming - June 10, 2020

What did the inside of the gold mine at South Pass City look like? This model shows the details.

To give you an idea of the sheer size of the mine, look at the man pushing a cart at the top left.

Cover Reveal

One of my favorite parts of the whole process of turning a manuscript into a finished book is being able to share the cover art and the title with you. And now, at last, I can do that.

What do you think? I was thrilled when I saw the cover. As I told Revell's Art Director, I think it's even more beautiful than the one for Out of the Embers, and that's saying a lot, since Embers has a fabulous cover. This one is even more fabulous. At least that's my opinion.

The model is exactly the way I envisioned Dorothy, and I love how the colors of her dress coordinate with the autumn scene. Then there's the title, which continues the fire theme from Out of the Embers at the same time that it gives you a hint about the story. I like it as much as I do the cover.

To give you a sneak peek into Dreams Rekindled, here's the blurb that'll be part of the sales catalog.

Though she hopes for a quiet, uncomplicated life for herself, Dorothy Clark wants nothing more than to stir others up. Specifically, she dreams of writing something that will challenge people as much as Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin seems to have. But in 1850s Mesquite Springs, there are few opportunities for writers—until newspaperman Brandon Holloway arrives, that is.

Brandon Holloway has seen the disastrous effects of challenging others and has no intention of repeating that mistake. Instead of following his dreams, he’s committed to making a new—and completely uncontroversial—start in the Hill Country.

As Dorothy’s involvement in the fledgling newspaper grows from convenient to essential, the same change seems to be happening in Brandon’s heart. But before romance can bloom, Dorothy and Brandon must work together to discover who’s determined to divide the town and destroy Brandon’s livelihood.

With this second novel in the Mesquite Springs series, bestselling author Amanda Cabot invites you to discover the healing power of truth.

If you've read my bio, you know that at one point I aspired to be a newspaper reporter, so you can imagine how much fun I had telling Dorothy and Brandon's story and including details of 19th century papers and printing presses. 

And, since I suspect you're curious, let me tell you that Dreams Rekindled is scheduled to be released on March 2, 2021. 

Now come the important questions. Would the cover make you want to read the book? What about the blurb? Does that intrigue you? I'd love to hear your reaction to both.

Wednesday in Wyoming - June 3, 2020

Welcome to South Pass City, one of Wyoming's historic mining towns.

It was here that miners spent their days bringing precious ore from the hillside, that others made their fortunes providing services to the miners, and that Esther Morris became the nation's first female judge.

For more information, visit South Pass City's website.