Tag Archives: The Brigand and The Bride

A Super-Awesome Day

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Sand Creek SerenadeToday is March 1. That means Sand Creek Serenade’s birthday is just two short weeks away! So I was already celebrating this day. I’ve waited a very long time to launch a full-length novel out into the world, and finally hitting the first day of its launch month was a red-letter event.

 

Then I got the news.

The Selah Award Finalist list was announced just a short time ago, and, well…two of my Barbour novellas are finalists in the Western category! Beyond that, there are so many of my friends’ names on this list too! So here’s a shout-out to all the finalists for their hard work and dedication to their craft!

2018 Selah Finalist Sticker

From: Eva Marie Everson, Director
BRMCWC Contests

Subject: The Selah Awards Finalists

Dear Edie and DiAnn:

As you know, The Selah Awards brought in a higher number of submissions this year than ever before! After months of reading by our judges, the preliminary scores are in. These scores were often so close, my heart ached that they didn’t all place in finals. Still, each category drew a number of finalists. The number of finalists per category was based on the number of entries per category.

And now, it is my pleasure to send you the following information:

These books and articles finaled for The Selah Awards:

 In the category of ANTHOLOGIES, the finalists are:

Granola Bar Devotionals: Spiritual Snacks on the Go
Alisa Hope Wagner
Marked Writers Publishing

Moments with Billy Graham
Edited and Compiled by Yvonne Lehman
(Multiple Authors)
Grace Publishing

Words to Cheer Your Heart Devotional
Entries by Michelle Medlock Adams
Ellie Claire

In the category of ARTICLES (ONLINE), the finalists are:

3 Ways to Raise Kids Who Care
Leigh Ann Thomas
Charisma Magazine

My Brave
Kaley Rhea
Arise Daily

The Day I Chose to Smile
Lucinda Secrest McDowell
(In)Courage

The Rock that Saved My Marriage
Melinda Eye Cooper
The National Christian Voice

In the category of ARTICLES (PRINT), the finalists are:

Dramatic Considerations
Leigh Ann Thomas
Southern Writers Magazine

Dream Comes True for Young Dancer
Julie Lavender
Statesboro Herald Newspaper

Mason Jar Blessings
Robin Luftig
Leading Hearts

Personality and the Writer
Linda Gilden
Southern Writers Magazine

Rescuing the Rescuer
Julie Lavender
Nazarene Publishing House
Standard Adult Take-Home Paper

Tarantula!
Julie Lavender
Guideposts: All Creatures Magazine

In the category of BIBLE STUDY, the finalists are:

A Whole Lot of Wonderful
Beebe Kauffman
Lighthouse Bible Studies

God is Out to Get Us: At All Costs—The Life of Abraham
Carol Bond Wagner
Relentless Pursuit Media

Heart Renovation
Katy Kauffman
Lighthouse Bible Studies

I Call You Mine: Embracing God’s Gift of Adoption
Kim de Blecourt
New Hope Publishers

Legacy: Living Now for Future Generations
Patty Schell
Kindle Direct Publishing

Strength in Adversity
Donna E. Lane
David Lane
Create Space

In the category of CHILDREN’S LITERATURE, the finalists are:

C is for Christmas
Michelle Medlock Adams
Little Lamb Books

Dinosaur Devotions
Michelle Medlock Adams
Thomas Nelson

That Grand Easter Day
Jill Roman Lord
Worthy Kids/Ideals

The Silent Noisy Night
Jill Roman Lord
B&H Publishing Group

The Very Best Story Ever Told
Robin Currie
Beaming Books

In the category of CHRISTIAN LIFE, the finalists are:

Courageous Women of the Bible
LaTan Roland Murphy
Bethany House/Baker

Holy in the Moment
Ginger Harrington
Abingdon Press

Like Me or Not: Overcoming Approval Addiction
Dawn M. Owens
Worthy Publishing

Praying God’s Promises
Linda Evans Shepherd
Revell/Baker

Prepare for the Harvest
Pamela Christian
Protocol Ltd.

Unhitching from the Crazy Train
Julie Sparkman
Jennifer Phillips
New Hope Publishers

When God Says, “Go”
Elizabeth Laing Thompson
Shiloh Run Press

In the category of CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE FICTION, the finalists are:

Crossroads of the Heart
Dana R. Lynn
Annie’s Publishing

Finding Love on Bainbridge Island, WA
Annette M. Irby
Mountain Brook Ink

Freedom’s Kiss
Sarah Monzon
Radiant Publications

New Duet
Cindy Erving Huff
Clean Reads

Return to Walhalla
Laura Hodges Poole
Firefly Southern Fiction/LPC

The Promise
Susan Lantz Simpson
Kensington Publishing Group

In the category of DEVOTIONALS, the finalists are:

Buckeye Believer: 40 Days of Devotions for the Ohio State Faithful
Del Duduit
Burnett Young Books

Extraordinary Hope
Elizabeth Ann Wallace
Morgan James Publishing

Fabulous & Focused
Michelle Medlock Adams
Gena Maselli
Worthy Inspired

Live Bold
Andrea Tomassi
Cynthia Cavanaugh
Redemption Press

In the category of FIRST NOVEL, the finalists are:

Hidden Danger
Jennifer Pierce
Anaiah Press

Seeing Beyond
Kent Wyatt
Winged Publications

The Children of Main Street
Merilyn Howton Marriott
Firefly Southern Fiction/LPC

The Forgotten Life of Evelyn Lewis
Jane Rubietta
Guiding Light/LPC

The Secret Heir
Janice Broyles
Heritage Beacon Press/LPC

Yoshi of Bethlehem
Sharon Mullen
Woodsong Publishing

In the category of GENERAL NONFICTION, the finalists are:

Anchored: Leading Through the Storms
Cynthia Cavanaugh
New Hope Publishers

If You Give a Girl a Giant
Karen Porter
Bold Vision Books

The Final Race
Eric Eichinger
(with) Eva Marie Everson
Tyndale Publishing

In the category of HISTORICAL/BIBLICAL FICTION, the finalists are:

Dangerous to Know
Megan Whitson Lee
Elk Lake Publishing

Faith is Not Silent
Billie Fulton
Elk Lake Publishing

The Secret Heir
Janice Broyles
Heritage Beacon Press/LPC

The Shenandoah Road
Lynne Basham Tagawa
Blue Rock Press

In the category of HISTORICAL ROMANCE FICTION, the finalists are:

Across the Blue
Carrie Turansky
Multonomah/Penguin Random House

Ain’t Misbehavin’
Jennifer Lamont Leo
Smitten/LPC

A Love Restored
Kelly Goshorn
Pelican Book Group

A Mother for His Family
Susanne Dietze
Harlequin Love Inspired Historical

A Musket in My Hands
Sandra Merville Hart
Smitten/LPC

Minding the Light
Suzanne Woods Fisher
Revell Books/Baker

Mist O’er the Voyageur
Naomi Musch
Smitten/LPC

River to Redemption
Ann H. Gabhart
Revell Book/Baker

In the category of INSPIRATION & GIFT, the finalists are:

Deep Waters: Lift Your Gaze
Kim M. Clark
Deep Waters Books

Spiritual Verse Today: God’s Light Volume One
Sharon CassanoLochman
Ontario Shore Publishing

When God Calls the Heart
Brian Bird
Michelle Cox
BroadStreet Publishing

 

When God Calls the Heart at Christmas
Brian Bird
Michelle Cox
BroadStreet Publishing

In the category of MIDDLE GRADE NOVELS, the finalists are:

Battle Buddies
Shelley Pierce
Elk Lake Publishing

Saving Mount Rushmore
Andrea Jo Rodgers
Anaiah Press

Sour Lemon and Sweet Tea
Julane Fisher
TouchPoint Press

In the category of MYSTERY/SUSPENSE FICTION, the finalists are:

Blood Moon Redemption
Judy DuCharme
Ambassador International

Deep State Stealth
Vikki Kestell
Faith-Filled Fiction

Perilous Treasure
Dan Walsh
Bainbridge Press

The Last Hemlock
Larry M. Arrowood
Woodsong Publishing

In the category of NOVELLAS, the finalists are:

Above All These Things
Connie Stevens
Barbour Publishing

Ice Melts in Spring
Linda W. Yezak
Firefly Southern Fiction/LPC

Falling for Grace
Janet W. Ferguson
Southern Sun Press

Perfect for the Preacher
Megan Besing
Barbour Publishing

The Return
Marianne Evans
Pelican Book Group

In the category of ROMANTIC SUSPENSE FICTION, the finalists are:

Amish Christmas Emergency
Dana R. Lynn
Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense

Called to Protect
Lynette Eason
Revell/Baker

Expecting Danger
Jennifer Pierce
Anaiah Press

Fugitive Spy
Jordyn Redwood
Love Inspired Suspense

In Too Deep
Lynn H. Blackburn
Revell/Baker

Lone Witness
Rachel Dylan
Bethany House/Baker

Vanished in the Night
Lynette Eason
Love Inspired Suspense

In the category of SPECULATIVE FICTION, the finalists are:

Mark of the Raven
Morgan L. Busse
Bethany House/Baker

Sky Light Falls
Donna E. Lane
Bear’s Place Publishing

The Revolutionary
Kristen Hogrefe
Write Integrity Press

In the category of WESTERN FICTION, the finalists are:

Heartfelt Echoes
Jennifer Uhlarik
Barbour Publishing

Rose’s Redemption
Donna L. H. Smith
Hartline

The Brigand and the Bride
Jennifer Uhlarik
Barbour Publishing

In the category of WOMEN’S CONTEMPORARY FICTION, the finalists are:

Daring to Live
Mary Vee
Never Give Up Stories Publications

Manhattan Grace
Clarice G. James
Elk Lake Publishing

Miles from Where we Started
Cynthia Ruchti
Gilead Publishing

Mourning Dove
Claire Fullerton
Firefly Southern Fiction/LPC

The Children of Main Street
Merilyn Howton Marriott
Firefly Southern Fiction/LPC

In the category of YA Fiction/Nonfiction, the finalists are:

Bold and Blessed
Trinitee Stokes
(with) Crystal Bowman
Teri Mckinley
Zonderkidz

F’lorna of Rodesh
Alisa Hope Wagner
Marked Writers Publishing

Get Your Spirit On: Devotions for Cheerleaders
Michelle Medlock Adams
SonRise Devotionals/LPC

Uninvited
Beckie Lindsey
Elk Lake Publishing

I look forward to receiving the winning scores and in announcing the winners at awards night during Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference.

Respectfully Submitted,

Eva Marie Everson
Contest Director
(along with) Taryn Souders
Assistant to the Contest Director
BRMCWC

 A heartfelt thank you to Edie Melson, DiAnn Mills, Eva Marie Everson, Taryn Souders, and the many judges who made this contest happen! I know we all are thankful for you!

And a huge congrats to all who entered. No matter the outcome, we are all winners, because we tried!

The Story Behind The Brigand and The Bride

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The Mail-Order Brides CollectionHi all! Jennifer Uhlarik here. I’m so excited to share with you the story behind the story on The Brigand and The Bride, my selection from The Mail-Order Brides Collection. So…where did the idea for this story come from? As I pondered the idea of a mail-order bride story, I knew it needed to be different than a previous mail-order bride story I’d done (Wedded to Honor from The Convenient Bride Collection). I began thinking of different scenarios and quickly struck on the idea of a woman marrying a stranger to escape her outlaw family. Probably not the most original of ideas—but then, every story’s been told a million times already. It’s the fun twists you add that makes a story unique. So as I pondered the heroine that was taking shape in my mind, I saw a scene begin to unfold.

The heroine hurries through town, anxious about being caught by her brother. Rather than heading straight to the church, she stops in the seamstress’ shop to pick up a suit for her mail-order groom—something they’d pre-arranged through their letters. Suit in hand, she goes to the church, lays out the clothes and grooming supplies for him, then waits in the sanctuary. A bit later, the hero rushes in, shaves and cuts his hair, dons the suit, and steps out of the room, where the pastor’s wife shoves him down the aisle, scolding him for his lateness.

The scene played so vividly in my mind’s eye that I knew I had to write it and find out how the rest turned out. From the couple’s first awkward face-to-face meeting to the “quickie” wedding that ensues, I was giggling and grinning ear-to-ear. I sure hope you’ll read The Brigand and The Bride to find out why!

The Brigand and the Bride by Jennifer Uhlarik
1876, Arizona 
Jolie Hilliard weds a stranger to flee her outlaw family but discovers her groom is an escaped prisoner. Will she ever find happiness on the right side of the law?

Purchase from your local bookseller or online at:

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books-A-Million
Christian Book Distributors

juhlarik-HR-3Jennifer Uhlarik discovered the western genre as a pre-teen when she swiped the only “horse” book she found on her older brother’s bookshelf. A new love was born. Across the next ten years, she devoured Louis L’Amour westerns and fell in love with the genre. In college at the University of Tampa, she began penning her own story of the Old West. Armed with a B.A. in writing, she has won and finaled in numerous writing competitions. In addition to writing, she has held jobs as a private business owner, a schoolteacher, a marketing director, and her favorite—a full-time homemaker. She currently writes historical novellas of the American West for Barbour Publishing. Jennifer is active in American Christian Fiction Writers and lifetime member of the Florida Writers Association. She lives near Tampa, Florida, with her husband, college-aged son, and four fur children.