Today, we're doing something a little different. Fellow author Jacqueline T. Moore is stopping by to talk about her series!
Hi, Marie! Thanks for having me here.
My pleasure, of course! So, let me ask a few questions since you're here...
All right.
Can you tell us a little about your book? When did it come out and where can we get it?
THE CHECKERBOARD, next day sequel to The Canary,
continues the story of the 1900 Galveston hurricane survivors Myra Gallaway,
her new husband CB, and Black Jack and his new wife, Marguerite, the
‘red-headed colored gal.’ The men show that, against all odds, a mixed race ship
sails well. The wives band together in
the house in LaPorte to prove the same thing to their new neighborhood. All
seems to go as expected until that crazy gypsy, Lulah Marie, shows up and
practically sets the house on fire.
Myra’s eldest, Junior, is in serious trouble and his
rebellion lands him in jail on Galveston Island. His only hope for redemption
lies in a very unusual punishment. The
boy is forced to sail with the man he hates, his step father, CB
Ledbetter. This voyage will either make
or break Myra’s family. After all, what
do you do with a twelve year old drunken sailor? Only time will tell.
Both The Canary, released in 2014, and THE
CHECKERBOARD, released in 2015, are available from Amazon, Kindle, Barnes &Noble, Books a Million, Alibris, and HPB Marketplace, just to name a few
on-line catalogue shopping sites.
Interesting!
So, what inspired you to write your book? How did you get into writing Historical Fiction?
Interesting!
The Canary is based on family rumors concerning the
origins of heirloom yellow diamond that rests on my finger. It was whispered
that my ancestor walked the docks of Galveston in the late nineteenth century.
She was a very young widowed mother making her way, selling sweets to the
sailors. Her acceptance on the docks allowed her to become part of a jewelry
smuggling ring. I took the reality of the gem and the juiciness of the rumor,
turning it into a delicious adventure short story. Suddenly the story wasn’t so
very short. After months of accuracy research concerning everyday life in
Galveston right before, during, and after the hurricane, The Canary’s
characters took over and their fictional lives exploded on the page. However,
after the release of The Canary, they wouldn’t leave me alone. So, THE
CHECKERBOARD happened.
The Canary is based on family rumors concerning the
origins of heirloom yellow diamond that rests on my finger. It was whispered
that my ancestor walked the docks of Galveston in the late nineteenth century.
She was a very young widowed mother making her way, selling sweets to the
sailors. Her acceptance on the docks allowed her to become part of a jewelry
smuggling ring. I took the reality of the gem and the juiciness of the rumor,
turning it into a delicious adventure short story. Suddenly the story wasn’t so
very short. After months of accuracy research concerning everyday life in
Galveston right before, during, and after the hurricane, The Canary’s
characters took over and their fictional lives exploded on the page. However,
after the release of The Canary, they wouldn’t leave me alone. So, THE
CHECKERBOARD happened.
Wow! Isn't it wonderful how the muse works? ;)
So, tell us...what, do you feel, sets your book apart from other books in the genre?
In The Canary, the widow Myra fights all social
conventions, including the gossiping church ladies that think they run the
neighborhood, to support her children without taking handouts. Who would think
the most straight laced of those ladies would be her partner in crime, moving
the smugglers’ jewels? In THE CHECKERBAORD, post-Civil War racial prejudices
are met face on as two strong women and two strong men combine their families
to survive.
In The Canary, the widow Myra fights all social
conventions, including the gossiping church ladies that think they run the
neighborhood, to support her children without taking handouts. Who would think
the most straight laced of those ladies would be her partner in crime, moving
the smugglers’ jewels? In THE CHECKERBAORD, post-Civil War racial prejudices
are met face on as two strong women and two strong men combine their families
to survive.
All right.
Give us a teaser or two of the series if you can.
THE CHECKERBOARD excerpt
(Note--- Junior became the man of the family at age
six. Now twelve, he is not taking lightly to his mama up and marrying CB
Ledbetter. The adults thought sending him to live with his Great Aunt Ada and
Uncle Harry would straighten him out. Things did not go well.)
***
Principal Dirkman lost his wife and
his mind in the hurricane and had to go live with his sister in Kansas. The
school’s new headmaster, a mere child sent in desperation straight from
Southwest State Normal School with 1 ½ years college, did not know Junior from
Adam.
“Ma’am?” The young man barely looked
up from his cluttered desk in what once was the pastor’s study. “What do you
want?”
“Your secretary said you need to sign
this.” Ada handed him the form.” I am taking my nephew, Everett Gallaway
Junior, out of school. He is having difficulties and we are going to teach him
at home.”
“Good.” The man did not care if
another unruly boy was gone. He scribbled on the line and handed back the
paper.
As Ada left, she thought she heard,
“God help you. I can’t.”
Uncle Harry sure did appreciate
having Junior staying on the island with him while Ada was helping Myra wait
for that baby. The new store was a showplace. The shelves were stacked like
pyramids with cans of anything you could want. Right below the displays were
the bins of dried fruits, flour, sugar, crackers, and coffee beans. Frank B.
Hale High Grade Tea—oolong, y hyson, orange pekoe—sat right there for all to
see through the glass tops. Oranges and apples were piled in the windows beside
the small burlap bags of pecans. It was Junior’s job to build the pyramids.
The iceman returned to his route after the
streets were cleared and the houses put up. Harry proudly sold fresh meat from
the new walk-in cooler. The folks of Galveston Island had been mostly surviving
on rice, beans, and tack. Now there was meat to buy and store in their kitchen
iceboxes. It was Junior’s job to tend that ice.
Harry was especially proud of his
candy case. It was glass all around with oak for the side supports. These days
candy was about as important as fresh meat. Mothers brought children on
shopping day. One look at that big glass box was all it took. Nonpareils were
the most favored, but plain lemon drops came in a close second. It was Junior’s
job to clean and fill the candy case.
Once a month on Saturday night, after
the OPEN sign was flipped to CLOSED, Harry would sweep the store extra good.
Then he would pour coal oil on the wood floor and rub it in with his wire brush
push broom. He said it kept the dust down and the critters out. It was Junior’s
job to help with the scrubbing and clean the wire brush when done.
Yessireebob, Harry
sure was happy. Junior wasn’t. Just because he was away from CB and all that
kissin’, did not mean he was anybody’s slave boy. No man would tell him what to
do. That was his mama’s job, and she was up in LaPorte, about to have another
baby. Uncle Harry seemed to think that the answer to all Junior’s problems was
more work.
"Do this, do that,” Junior muttered
low as he stood outside, washing the front window glass with vinegar water, old
newspapers, and rags. “Who do you think you are? You’re not my boss.”
“What say?” Uncle Harry came around
the side of the building, taking his cigar from his mouth. “Who are you talking
to? All I see is a reflection of a hard workin’ helper.” Harry smiled at his
nephew.
“Nothin’. Nobody.” Junior scowled. He
kept polishing.
Interesting!
Let's try another question, okay?
I'm sure readers are curious about your next writing project. Can you
tell us what you've got cooking up now or is that a secret?
This has always been a trilogy. The Canary is about
the Protestant community that Myra and her family live in. THE CHECKERBOARD is about the racial aspect
of the times on both land and sea. While the first two books touch on the
subject, the third book, yet unnamed, intertwines the thriving Jewish culture
of Galveston with our established characters. I do know that the series ends
before 1907. I cannot possibly put my
dear friends through another killer hurricane.
This has always been a trilogy. The Canary is about
the Protestant community that Myra and her family live in. THE CHECKERBOARD is about the racial aspect
of the times on both land and sea. While the first two books touch on the
subject, the third book, yet unnamed, intertwines the thriving Jewish culture
of Galveston with our established characters. I do know that the series ends
before 1907. I cannot possibly put my
dear friends through another killer hurricane.
Can't blame you there!
Well, we certainly look forward to your next book!
Thanks so much for stopping by to tell us about your series, Jacqueline!
Of course! Thanks for having me here.
It's my pleasure!
Readers, you'll just have to pick up a copy of this fascinating slice of historical fiction! ;)
Here are the blurbs.
RECIPE FOR ADVENTURE: 1 spunky widow, 1 hateful church lady, 2 sailors & 1 checkerboard, 5 little darlin’s + I smarty stinker, Add 1 apron pocket full of jewels, Mix well and bake in the 1890’s Galveston heat. Myra Gallaway, a young widow with five children, supports her family by walking the wharves of Galveston selling homemade sweets. She never imagined she’d be joining forces with husband-hating church society queen, Julia Jameson. Myra’s apron pockets are soon filling up with the unspendables man smuggling sailor friends Sure Foot and Black Jack need to move. The Klondike gold fields are calling hapless dreamers and the boys are all about obliging them, yet everybody knows that a sailor cannot spend what he does not earn. My goodness, those unspendables are one serious problem!
Purchase Links:
Amazon Universal: http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00N34SRVO
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-canary-jacqueline-t-moore/1120321083
CreateSpace: https://www.createspace.com/4971668
Publisher: http://solsticepublishing.com/the-canary/
Books-A-Million: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Canary/Jacqueline-T-Moore/9781625261175
Alibris: http://www.alibris.com/The-Canary-Jacqueline-T-Moore/book/28661352
HPB Marketplace: http://www.hpbmarketplace.com/The-Canary-Jacqueline-T-Moore/book/28661352
September 8, 1900
Five Thousand Lives Blotted Out
The headlines say it all. Death, destruction, and desolation is
everywhere on Galveston Island. The papers don’t mention the survivors.
THE CHECKERBOARD, sequel to THE CANARY, continues the story of Myra
Gallaway, her new husband CB, and Black Jack and his new wife,
Marguerite, the ‘red-headed colored gal.’ The men showed that, against
all odds, a mixed ship sails well. The wives band together in the house
in LaPorte to prove the same to their new neighborhood. All seems to go
as expected until that crazy gypsy, Lulah Marie, shows up and
practically sets the house on fire.
Myra’s eldest, Junior, is in serious trouble and his rebellion
landed him in jail on Galveston Island. His only hope for redemption
lies in a very unusual punishment. The boy is forced to sail with the
man he hates, his step father, CB Ledbetter. This voyage will either
make or break Myra’s family. After all, what do you do with a drunken
sailor? Only time will tell.
Purchase Links:
Amazon Universal: http://bookgoodies.com/a/B017MFWS8M
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-checkerboard-jacqueline-t-moore/1122965708
CreateSpace: https://www.createspace.com/5846827
Publisher: http://solsticepublishing.com/the-checkerboard/
Books-A-Million: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Checkerboard/Jacqueline-T-Moore/9781625263025
Alibris: http://www.alibris.com/The-Checkerboard-Jacqueline-T-Moore/book/33347374
HPB Marketplace: http://www.hpbmarketplace.com/The-Checkerboard-Jacqueline-T-Moore/book/33347374
We'll be sure to check these out! They sound interesting, for sure!
About the Author:
Some people call Jacqueline T. Moore a snowbird
because she spends so much time writing in South Carolina. Not so.
She loves the Ohio winters with all the ice and snow. She says,
“Traveling south in the summer makes me a sunflower…and a beach bum!” As a
writer and educator, Jacqueline surrounds herself with words. She savors the
sounds and sense of letters put together to create a lasting memory. Her debut
novel, THE CANARY, is inspired by a most beautiful yellow diamond that rests on
her finger and all the whispers about how it got there. Its sequel, THE
CHECKERBOARD, continues the saga of Myra and her family. While THE CANARY
caused her aunt to wag her finger, Jacqueline hasn’t heard any family fussing
about THE CHECKERBOARD. Shhh, perhaps secrets really aren’t meant to be kept.
Please visit her at www.jacqueline-t-moore.com and on Facebook at
Jacqueline T. Moore for conversations and updates on the next book in THE
CANARY series. Tweet her @JacquelinTMoore.
Author Links:
Website: http://www.jacqueline-t-moore.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JacquelinTMoore
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Jacqueline-T.-Moore/e/B00NH83D0G/
Jacqueline's Books:
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