I’m thrilled to announce that Sand Creek Serenade is up for pre-order in Kindle format! The paperback version will be available sometime in the future–I’m hoping before the release date, but I can’t give you a firm date yet. Please check it out on Amazon!
Okay, so maybe that headline is a touch of click-bait, but the news certainly IS exciting, and it ranks pretty darn high on my list, even if it is not the BEST news ever! I found out a couple nights ago that my upcoming novel, Sand Creek Serenade, is going to be reviewed by Publishers Weekly!
For those who don’t know, Publishers Weekly is a magazine that goes out to bookstores, libraries, and other bookish places, to help them find stories they might like to carry. Never in my lifetime did I expect to see one of my titles in this publication, so I’m just a wee bit THRILLED!
I’m being honest when I say that I’ve been terrified of what the response might be to this story–for a number of reasons. For one, I’m used to being in novella collections, where the overall success of the whole book isn’t on any one author’s shoulders, but rather, we all write the best story we can, we all help market and promote it, and so we all reap the benefits of each others’ work. This time, it is my name alone on the cover. That’s fantastic, and I’m excited about it, but it also means I will sink or swim alone. It’s new territory for me, and the “new” can often be frightening.
This story was also scary in that it was about a well-documented historical event, the Sand Creek Massacre. While many average readers may not know about this terrible piece of American history, there is enough information out there that many readers will know about it. I have always shied away from writing about such events because, no matter how hard an author tries, he or she will never get every shred of the history correct. I guess there is enough “perfectionist” in me that I haven’t wanted to get any of the facts wrong. But the moment this story came to me, I knew it had to be told, so I’ve had to fight past my fears of writing about such a well-documented event.
The last reason why this has been a scary story for me is that most times, the faith elements in my stories are fairly light. The characters pray, perhaps quote a Scripture from which they draw strength, or perhaps someone hears a sermon with just the right point to speak to their current issue. Through most of this book, that’s just what the faith element was. But toward the end, there is one scene where the spiritual arc takes a bit of a deep dive–far deeper than any other story I’ve written to date. I absolutely love what happens, and I hope readers will as well. But it has always felt like a risky scene, and as a fairly conservative person, the risk scares me.
All that said, I am taking some great encouragement from the fact that Publishers Weekly has chosen to review my story, and most of all, trusting that God is going to allow this book to reach those readers He meant it for. If He will do that, I have nothing to fear!
Thank you to everyone who participated in my first giveaway! Yes, I said first giveaway. Keep an eye out in the coming months for more…I’ve got several in the works, so if you didn’t win this time, there will be more chances in the future!
So…without further ado–Cynthia Roemer, you are my winner of the Of Rags and Riches Collection, The First Love Forever Collection, and the tea sampler and Biscotti! I will be contacting you by email to get your mailing address.
Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you have a wonderful holiday full of fun, family, and many blessings!
It’s Christmas season! Who wants free books and some yummy goodies??? I am giving away autographed-by-me copies of the Of Rags and Riches collection (which includes my story Union Pacific Princess) and the First Love Forever Collection (which includes my story, Heartfelt Echoes). Also included is a package of biscotti and a sampling of different teas.
Here is a bit about each collection, and my story in each:
Of Rags and Riches Romance CollectionLove Flourishes during America’s Gilded Age
Journey along in nine historical romances with those whose lives are transformed by the opulence, growth, and great changes taking place in America’s Gilded Age. Nine couples meet during these exhilarating times and work to build a future together through fighting for social reform, celebrating new opportunities for leisure activities, taking advantage of economic growth and new inventions, and more. Watch as these romances develop and legacies of faith and love are formed.
Union Pacific Princess by Jennifer Uhlarik – Cheyenne, Dakota Territory, 1867
In the hell-on-wheels rail town of Cheyenne, grieving Boston socialite Dara Forsythe must choose between her estranged father; Connor, a bigwig with the Union Pacific Railroad; and Gage Wells, a former Confederate sharpshooter bent on derailing the Transcontinental Railroad’s progress.
Other authors in this collection are Susanne Dietze, Kathleen Y’Barbo, Natalie Monk, Michelle Griep, Erica Vetsch, Jaime Jo Wright, Anne Love, and Gabrielle Meyer.
First Love Forever Romance CollectionA first love is never easily forgotten…
and coming face to face with that person again can be awkward when the heartstrings are still holding on to the “what ifs.”
In settings from 1865 to 1910, nine couples are thrown back on the same path by life’s changes and challenges. A neighbor returns from law school. An heiress seeks a quick marriage. A soldier’s homecoming is painful. A family needs help. A prodigal son returns. A rogue aeronaut drops from the sky. A runaway bridegroom comes home. A letter for aid is sent. A doctor needs a nurse. Can love rekindle despite the separation of time and space?
Heartfelt Echoes by Jennifer Uhlarik
1875—Virginia City, Nevada: A short, urgent letter mentioning his childhood love, Millie Gordon, forces deaf Travis McCaffrey to turn to his estranged birth father for help rescuing the woman he can’t forget.
Other authors in the collection include Susanne Dietze, Cynthia Hickey, Marcia Gruver, Carrie Fancett Pagels, Martha Rogers, Lorna Seilstad, Connie Stevens, and Erica Vetsch.
That’s eighteen novellas by fifteen different authors, plus tea and biscotti to enjoy while you read.
To enter, please:
The drawing of the winning name will be on the evening of Thursday, December 20. Good luck, everyone, and Merry Christmas!
(I will ship only within the USA. If you’re outside the country, I’m so sorry…)
Today is an anniversary. A terrible one. On this day one-hundred-fifty-four years ago, Colonel John Chivington led an army force of 700 men through the night to surround a peaceful encampment of Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians. Only weeks before, this very same colonel had promised Black Kettle and other chiefs of these tribes a peace treaty. They’d been instructed to fly the American flag and a white flag over Chief Black Kettle’s tent, and as long as those flags remained in place, the tribes would be at peace with the Army and Colorado’s territorial government.
But on November 29, 1864, just moments before dawn, Colonel Chivington’s men were instructed to fire on the sleeping encampment. Within the tents, there were mostly women, children, and the elderly. The fighting-aged men had gone to their hunting grounds to lay in food for the winter as they awaited the peace treaty.
If you’re interested in reading more of the true history of what led to this horrendous attack and what happened during and after, please see my blog post on the Heroes, Heroines, and History Blog. And keep watching there for more information about the historical players involved in this attack (my blogging day is the 25th of each month–though I won’t be blogging about the massacre on Christmas day. LOL). In upcoming posts, I will be delving more deeply into who the historical players were and why they acted as they did.
Speaking of…if you love history, follow Heroes, Heroines, and History. Thirty historical fiction authors have banded together to write a posts on historical topics every day of the month–a new post and new topic every day. Also, if you want to be kept in the loop of what’s upcoming with me, please be sure to follow my website for updates!
Oh my goodness, oh my goodness! It’s finally here! After having the honor of publishing seven novellas in seven different collections with Barbour (with more to come next year), I am finally getting the chance to see my name on a cover all by itself. Sand Creek Serenade, my first novel-length fiction, is coming out on March 14, 2019, and I am over the moon excited!
This story was a bit scary to write. I’ve never written about a well-known historical event like The Sand Creek Massacre. I’ve shied away from those because they are so heavily researched and written about, it’s been daunting to think about getting all the history correct.
However, from the moment this story came to me, I knew it was one that needed to be told. In fact, it was originally meant to be a novella-length piece in a collection of four stories. But as the plot came to me, I quickly knew I wouldn’t be happy writing just 20,000-30,000 words for this tale. It needed a full novel to do the story justice. Not to mention that I already had sequel ideas forming. So I made the decision to turn it into a novel, and to my wonderful surprise, Smitten Historical Romance was interested in it!
For those who haven’t heard about this story yet, here’s the back cover blurb:
Dr. Sadie Hoppner is no stranger to adversity. She’s fought to be taken seriously since childhood when her father began training her in the healing arts. Finding acceptance and respect proves especially difficult at Fort Lyon, where she’s come to practice medicine under her brother’s watchful eye.
Cheyenne brave Five Kills wouldn’t knowingly jeopardize the peace treaty recently negotiated between his people and the Army. But a chance encounter with the female doctor ignites memories of his upbringing among the whites. Too intrigued to stay away, tension erupts with the soldiers, and Five Kills is injured.
As he recuperates under the tender care of the pretty healer, an unlikely bond forms. However, their fledgling love is put to the test when each realizes that a much greater danger awaits—a danger they are wholly unable to stop and one which neither may survive.
And without wasting any more time, scroll down to see the beautiful cover that artist Elaina Lee did for this story.
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I love this cover! And I would love to hear what you think as well. Thanks for sharing in my excitement.
The cover for Sand Creek Serenade is done–and it’s GORGEOUS. I couldn’t be more excited about it. Can’t wait to share it with you all. I hope you’ll watch here for the big reveal on Monday, November 26!
In case you haven’t heard about Sand Creek Serenade, here’s the back cover blurb:
Dr. Sadie Hoppner is no stranger to adversity. She’s fought to be taken seriously since childhood when her father began training her in the healing arts. Finding acceptance and respect proves especially difficult at Fort Lyon, where she’s come to practice medicine under her brother’s watchful eye.
Cheyenne brave Five Kills wouldn’t knowingly jeopardize the peace treaty recently negotiated between his people and the Army. But a chance encounter with the female doctor ignites memories of his upbringing among the whites. Too intrigued to stay away, tension erupts with the soldiers, and Five Kills is injured.
As he recuperates under the tender care of the pretty healer, an unlikely bond forms. However, their fledgling love is put to the test when each realizes that a much greater danger awaits—a danger they are wholly unable to stop and one which neither may survive.
It’s been a while since I’ve updated you all on what’s going on. So let me do that.
I’ll actually have four releases next year. Three new titles and one re-releasing in a second print run. They are:
Sand Creek Serenade–coming March 14. After releasing seven novellas in the last several years, this one is my first novel-length title. That makes me a very happy woman! It is a historical romance set against the backdrop of the Sand Creek Massacre in 1864 Colorado and features a romance between a female doctor and a Cheyenne brave. It was a load of fun to write, and we’ve been working with the art department to finalize the cover these last couple of weeks. It’s beautiful–so keep watch. I’ll do a cover reveal sometime soon!
Cameo Courtships–coming June 1. Another novella collection, this time a 4-in-1 collection with Susie Dietze, Deb Marvin, and Kathleen Y’Barbo. In this collection, an heirloom cameo is given to a young woman by Queen Victoria, and it is passed from one family member to another. As each woman wears the precious piece, she discovers love. This is the first collection I’ve been in where we had a family connection between the stories, so it was a load of fun working with the other authors to be sure we weaved in hints of foreshadowing for the upcoming stories or little touches to reflect back on previous ones. I’m so excited to see it all together. My story is Taming Petra and is the second story in the collection. Can’t wait for you all to read it.
The Cowboys–coming August 15. This is another 4-in-1 collection, this time from Smitten Historical Romance. The other authors are Cindy Huff, Sandra Merville Hart, and Linda Yezak. When we brainstormed ideas for what collection we wanted to write, each of us agreed on Cowboys first. My story, Becoming Brave, is about a group of cowboys driving a herd north. It’s the first time I’ve written about a cattle drive, so it was much fun to try something new!
The Oregon Trail Romance Collection–second print run coming in November. This was the very first collection I participated in, and it was a real thrill. While the e-book version has been available all along, the print run ran out long ago. It’ll be nice to have new copies in circulation again.
I’m feeling hopeful there will be further contracts coming soon, though maybe not before January. Stay tuned for more news as it breaks. For now, I’m going to start on the sequel to Sand Creek Serenade.
I have some exciting news! As of a few weeks ago, I signed my tenth contract!
The Cameo Courtships Collection will feature four historical romance novellas set between 1852 and 1895, with two stories taking place in Pennsylvania, one in Colorado, and one in Louisiana. The idea behind the collection is that an heirloom cameo, once owned by Queen Victoria herself, is passed between various memebers of a family, and while in possession of the piece, each heroine will find her love of a lifetime.
My story, titled Taming Petra, is about an unladylike, buckskin-clad frontierswoman who falls for a straight-laced preacher. The two team up to retrieve the heirloom cameo she loses to a cheating brothel owner during a high-stakes poker game in 1875 Colorado.
I’ll begin writing this story in the next week or so, and the collection will release on June 1, 2019. Hope you’ll look for the Cameo Courtships Collection, as well as my two other 2019 releases–my first novel, Sand Creek Serenade (coming in March) and another 4-in-1 historical romance collection, Smitten Presents: The Cowboys (coming in August). And as always, thank you for your support!
Jennifer Uhlarik 