OUT NOW! Time-Travel Romance Set in Galveston, Texas

FAITH AND THE TEXAS LAWYER, A Brides of Texas Code Series, Novella, Book 4

I've had this romance story in my head and heart since I visited Dallas' Heritage Park many years ago. There are old homes, churches, and examples of the city and life of yesteryear. Touring one of the homes, a Time-Travel story began growing in my head and finally, this year, it worked its way onto the page.
When the setting took me to Galveston, Texas in 1900, the only logical thing was to include the hurricane of 1900. There hasn't been a natural disaster in the United States as devastating as 'Isaac's Storm' since. The island was nearly leveled from 140 MPH winds and a 15 ft storm surge. Over 6,000 lives were lost.
I enjoyed writing Faith and the Texas Lawyer and think it's the best book I've written to date. I hope you like it.

Blurb:

   Faith Daniels has had a hard time fitting in all her life, from the time she was left on the steps of a firehouse to her recent divorce. The only time she feels connected is when she rehabs old houses. Often she wishes she could have experienced life in a simpler time. Her current project, a 1900 Galveston mansion, is all she ever wished for and more. When some mysterious force transports her from 2016 to 1900, just prior to the most devastating natural disaster on record, will Faith give up all she has attained in her present life to stay in the past with the sexy turn-of-the- century lawyer?

   Joseph Benning has serious trust issues. He is still recovering from the jolt of being dumped by his fiancé shortly before their wedding. In order to prove to himself he can manage on his own without a woman in his life, he decides to reach outside of his routine and buy a house. Suddenly, a strange woman shows up inside his house telling fantastic stories of disaster and destruction. Will Joe be able to make the right decision and let her go, when it comes time to save her life?

Excerpt:

  Joe's hands stilled at her waist, and then bracketed her upper arms. He pulled her to him, lowered his head and kissed her neck just below her ear.

“You smell good.”

“Umm,” Faith crooned, leaning her head to the left to give him better access. “I found a bar of lavender soap in the trunk.”

“It’s more than little purple flowers,” he breathed the words against her temple as his left hand traveled up her neck to clutch a handful of her hair. “You smell down-to-earth, sensible, and exotic. You smell like . . . woman.”

“Wow, you not only kiss like nobody’s business, you talk real nice, too.”

I hope you'll give this Time-Travel Romance a try. I think you'll like it! She's at Amazon for $2.99 or FREE in Kindle Unlimited.

Amazon 

Hugs to all,

Carra

A New Anthology - Summer Solstice

SUMMER SOLSTICE -  noun
The solstice that marks the onset of summer, at the time of the longest day, about June 21 in the northern hemisphere.

This is a dictionary definition and one we go by. My husband has mentioned every day since spring that this day was longer than the one previous (did I notice?) and on June 22, he will bemoan the fact that the days are shorter than the one previous. (yes honey, I noticed that, too.)

This year, however, there's something new to mark this event. There is a new anthology/box set that can help extend those oncoming shorter days. The summer's best beach read!

This great group of USA Today and best-selling authors, J.L. Campbell, Sylvie Grayson, P.C. Zick, Nikki Lynn Barrett, Susan Ann Wall, Christine Warner, Jude Ouvrard, Hebby Roman, and moi, Carra Copelin, have put together a collection of full length contemporary novels that tell the stories of friends who've become lovers.

Love comes from the most unexpected places and is sweeter when friends turn into lovers. SUMMER SOLSTICE gives you nine, very different, exciting romances. Dive into a tantalizing selection of full-length romances that feature sexy heroes and their women who make the leap from the security of friendship to the heat and passion of new-found love.

A few snippets:

THE KEY TO MY HEART - Nikki Lynn Barrett - Randy chuckled, then placed his forehead up against hers. He had an arm around her, trailing his fingers along her back. "Last one," he said softly, leaning over for a kiss. "I saw you naked once. Before tonight."

MY BEST MISTAKE - Sylvie Grayson - Jenny has already made a big mistake. Can she risk her heart again, or will this just be another one?

Jordie let her get away the first time, that was his big mistake. He's determined it won't happen again.

SUMMER DREAMS - Hebby Roman - Will Natalia realize her Summer Dreams and win the heart of her childhood friend, Esteban?

Can Esteban overcome his bad boy image and make Natalia love him, as he's loved her, since they were children?

CODE OF HONOR - Carra Copelin - Maggie Benning is determined to establish a successful and independent life for herself and her son, Andy after the death of her husband. Can she overcome past hurt and loss of trust to accept a new love in her life?

SUMMER SOLSTICE is available on Amazon, iTunes, and Nook.  SUMMER SOLSTICE

Thanks for visiting today!

Carra

xoxoxo

Amazon Author Page 

Galveston: A City with a History

There are so many cities and towns in Texas that own a piece of my heart. Galveston is but one of them. My first trip to the island was in 1965 when I was a junior at Sam Houston High School. I was a member of Vocational Industrial Training of America, and our class went there to participate at the State Conference.

Galveston Arial View

You can imagine the fun we had with our first major trip away from home. I think there were eight of us along with our teacher, Mr. Kenneth Pickett, one other teacher I think, and my mother as chaperone. If memory serves, I think my younger brother tagged along, too. We stayed on Seawall Boulevard just across the street from the Gulf of Mexico and the beach.

Galveston Beach

Galveston Beach

The Flagship Hotel

A main attraction for many years was the Flagship Hotel which was built out on a pier into the Gulf. We stayed there once when our kids were small. Unfortunately, it didn't survive Hurricane Ike in 2008.

Pleasure Pier Present Day

Now they've built a Pleasure Pier with rides and games for tourists.

I'm currently writing another book set in Galveston And I've discovered there were earlier places on the beach for fun and games called The Pavilion, Murdoch's Pavilion, Bath Houses, many of which were destroyed either by fire or hurricanes.

The Electric Pavilion 1883

Before the 1900 Hurricane, Galveston was so lush and plush, it was thought of as the Wall Street of the South. Galvestonians liked to call their city the Coney Island of the South. The devastating Hurricane changed all that.

Over six thousand souls were lost on September 8th and 9th, 1900. The island was lost. In order to prevent this devastation from happening again, the people of Galveston built a seawall. Construction began in 1902 and the initial segment completed in 1904. From 1904 to 1963 the wall was extended from 3.3 miles to over 10 miles long. 

After Hurricane Alicia in 1983, the Corp of Engineers estimated that  $100 million in damage was avoided because of the Seawall.

My characters, Faith and Joe, are not the first that I've put through the trials and tribulations of severe storms. Joe's father and step-mother, Ian and Matelyn O'Donnell Benning struggled to survive during the 1875 Galveston Hurricane, in my book, Matelyn and the Texas Ranger. Joe and Faith will have to deal with the aftermath of the 1900 Hurricane, sometimes referred to as Isaac's Storm, and we'll see how they do.

I have an e-book of Matelyn and the Texas Ranger for one commenter, so if you'd like to read about Joe's family before his book comes out this summer, talk to me. Don't leave me lonely down here all by myself.  =D

Thanks for stopping by,

Carra

 Amazon Author Page 

WOMEN IN TEXAS HISTORY

I'm a little late for Women's History month, but it's never really too late to talk about women in history is it? Whether they get mentioned or not, women have always played a part in Texas History. A lot of times, as used to be typical, a woman was the wind beneath a man's wings. I'm not particularly fond of that, but it is what it is. In truth, women played a prominent role in Texas history and here a few.  

Sarah Cockrell (1819-1892), a business woman who built the first iron bridge over the Trinity River in Dallas in 1872. She thought big and invested wisely and set up her own corporations. When she died in 1892, her properties were so extensive that her will had to be published in pamphlet form.


Molly Goodnight (1839-1926) established the first ranch household in the Texas Panhandle in 1877. She rescued orphaned buffaloes, had her own cattle brand, the Flying T and helped establish the Goodnight College in 1898.

Mollie Goodnight

Elizabet Ney

Elizabet Ney (1833-1907) was a renowned sculptor from Bavaria. She
moved to Texas with her husband in 1872. She secured a commission to create statues of Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston for the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. She became the outspoken advocate of the teaching of fine arts in the state's schools and was instrumental in the founding of the Texas Fine Arts Association.

Minnie Fisher Cunningham

Minnie Fisher Cunningham (1882-1964) was President of the Texas Equal Suffrage Association from 1915 to 1920 and became the first executive secretary of the National League of Women Voters. She was an important leader in the campaign for votes for women on the state and national levels. Graduating in 1901, she was one of the first women in Texas to receive a pharmacy degree from the University of Texas medical school. She ran for but lost races for the U.S. Senate in 1928 and for governor in 1944.

Sarah T. Hughes

Sarah T. Hughes was an attorney, legislator, women's rights activist, United Nations supporter, and Texas' first female state and federal judge. A member of a Dallas law firm from 1923 to 1935. she was elected to her first term in the Texas House of Representatives as a Democrat on 1930 and voted "Most Valuable Member" her second term. In 1935, she became Texas' first female district judge and was reelected seven times. She was Dallas County co-chair of the Kennedy-Johnson campaign in 1960, and in the following year, President John F. Kennedy appointed her Texas' first female federal judge. After Kennedy's assassination in 1963, she administered the Presidential oath of office to Lyndon B. Johnson.


These are but a few of the many women who have influenced me and I hope by reading about these women, you'll be inspired to read more about them or look up other influential women in our state of Texas and other states in our great nation.

Thank you for stopping by today. I love seeing y'all here.

Hugs, Carra

  Carra Copelin Website 

Sharing a review from Smart Girls Read Romance blog:

By Mary Adair

Matelyn And The Texas Ranger: A Brides of Texas Code Series, Book 2

by Carra Copelin

I give Matelyn and the Texas Ranger 5 Stars!

This is a story of love and loss and the strength of the human spirit to overcome. I love that this story is grounded in the time of an actual event. In 1875 a Hurricane hit the Texas gulf. This story, though it is a fictional account, casts a realistic light on the devastation of such a tragic event. It also cast a light on the resilience of the human spirit and the kindness of others in a time of need.

The backdrop of the Hurricane provides a powerful visual, but it is not the whole story.

 Ian Benning, rancher and Texas Ranger, lost his wife to a tragic accident. He leaves his home and travels to Houston where he takes over a case involving an international embezzler for the local authorities.

Hurricane's destruction 1875

Matelyn O'Donnell is in the employment of Gerard de Marceau as companion to his wife, Veronique de Marceau. Matelyn is fond of the younger Veronique, but looks forward to the end of their journey to Texas. Once they arrive at Houston after traveling by ship from New Orleans she plans to travel on to Dallas where she can start a new life near her cousin Katie McTierman.

We all know what happens to well laid plans. Bound by fate, mystery, deception, and a hurricane, life will play out for the two couples in a way that will keep you intrigued to the end.

I have a new favorite author. This story is well written, plotted to keep you guessing, and filled with the strength of human spirit. If you enjoy a story that is not afraid to address the emotion of tragedy and the ability of the heart to find love after loss, you will be glad you found Matelyn And The Texas Ranger.

Carra Copelin's Katie and the Irish Texan Free For a Limited Time

KATIE AND THE IRISH TEXAN, A Brides of Texas Code Series Novella, Book 1, is free for a limited time on Amazon and Apple iBooks. This book tells about Katie O'Donnell and Dermot McTiernan and their beginnings here in 1873 Texas.

Blurb:

Dermot McTiernan is determined to move on with his life after losing his one and only love to another man. He decides to try his hand at ranching in North Central Texas with his friend, Ian Benning. He figures if that doesn't work out, there are many other opportunities in the booming post-war state. When the luscious red-head from County Cork, Ireland shows up in Dallas, can he retain the courage of his convictions and move on without her?

Kathleen O'Donnell made a monumental mistake marrying, Kelsey Gilhooley. Her decision for entering the union, no matter how honorable, had made her life a living hell. Even though still married, she holds out hope for finding the man of her dreams. When she comes across her tall, dark-eyed Irishman in Dallas, Texas, will she be able to abandon happiness and walk away a second time?

Exerpt:

Dermot looked around the room and its many patrons. Most were men dressed in black business suits. He noticed two women serving food and drinks, one a tall brunette, the other had red hair worn in a long single braid down the center of her back. He sincerely hoped the brunette served them because he wanted nothing else to remind him of Katie O'Donnell What-ever-her-married-name-was.

He closed his eyes to the memory and swore he caught a whiff of her scent. His imagination was playing a cruel trick. He thought to get up and leave, but before he could tell Ian he'd changed his mind about eating, a female voice whispered in a familiar brogue.

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph."

CHAPTER TWO

Kathleen O'Donnell Gilhooley almost swallowed her tongue. The very moment she'd prayed for since the day she'd left Ireland a year ago had materialized, yet she wanted to run as far and as fast as she could. She'd hoped to meet Dermot McTiernan dressed in her best, but obviously the saints had other plans.

Hands shaking, she smoothed the humidity-laden curls back from around her face, and blotted the perspiration from her forehead with the hem of her apron. Trying her best to hide her nervousness, she stepped forward, shoulders squared. "Dermot, is it really you?"

"It would appear so, wouldn't it?" He stared past her to the window apparently fascinated by the activity on the street.

 There was no way she could've known how he'd react to seeing her for the first time in almost ten years, but his tone took her aback none-the-less.  She wondered if he'd gotten her letter explaining the circumstances surrounding her union with Kelsey Gilhooley.  From his reaction this morning, she guessed he hadn't. Either that or it hadn't made a difference.

Well, that was okay. They were here now and, hopefully, with time on her side, she could make him understand. "How many eggs for ye?"

Dermot's friend and the taller of the two by a couple of inches, spoke up first. "I'll have four, please."

Kathleen waited patiently for Dermot to speak. He took so long, she wondered if he'd gone mute in the last minute and a half.

Finally, he lifted his head, looked her straight in the eye but spoke to his companion, "Ian Benning, this is Katie O'Donnell."

"Pleased to meet you, ma'am." The man stood, offered his hand in greeting.

She shook his hand, correcting her name, "Kathleen Gilhooley, 'tis my pleasure." She directed her attention back to Dermot. "Will ye be havin' four eggs, as well?"

"Sure."

After turning in the order, she checked on the pan of biscuits she'd left cooking in the oven. She'd placed them in to bake just before going out to help Sarah take orders. Normally she liked to help out in the dining room instead of being cooped up in the over-heated kitchen. This morning, however, turned out to be a different story.

Following what just happened in the dining room, she certainly questioned her decision to leave her homeland. She might've expected anger when they met, discomfort to be sure. What he'd exhibited had been much different. He'd been distant and sullen. That scared her more than any outburst.

She put two biscuits on each plate and took them to the table. The man introduced to her as Ian, thanked her. Dermot said nothing until she grabbed the pot and poured each of them a cup of coffee. The hurt and betrayal in his eyes wounded her far more than any physical injury she'd endured in her marriage to that drunken monster Gilhooley.

As she turned to walk away, he grabbed her hand demanding, "What're ye doin' here?"

His tone set her off and, while she knew it wasn't rational, that he was trying to defend himself by making the first strike. But she'd learned to protect herself, too, and rose to the bait. "'Tis a free country and I can be here if I want." She backed away in an effort to pull her hand from his grasp, but he only tightened his grip.

"I want to know why you're here," he demanded through clenched jaws. "How could ye've done such a thing to me?"

Ian stood. "McTiernan, calm down and let her go."

"I'll let her go when she gives me a good answer."

Kathleen looked about the large room in a panic. Every one of the café's patrons watched the scene with interest including the owner, Mr. Browder, who was walking in their direction. She feared what Dermot might say and she needed this job to keep her room above the establishment.

"Can we talk outside?" she pleaded. With one last great tug, she wrenched her hand loose but the motion sent her reeling backwards into the table behind her where she sat in a plate of fried eggs and a bowl of strawberry jam. A couple of gentlemen, their mouths agape, helped her stand, after which they returned to their seats. Her face heated with humiliation, she straightened to face her boss.

"Mrs. Gilhooley, please return to the kitchen. I'll handle the situation from here." He turned to Dermot and Ian. "I apologize for the interruption to your meal. Let Sarah or me know if there's anything else you require."

Kathleen entered through the kitchen door, as Mr. Browder aided the diner who'd lost his eggs to her backside. The whole incident had been embarrassing enough without having to sashay through the dining room with bright yellow yolks streaming down her green skirts.

Mrs. Browder waited for her with a wet soapy rag. "What in the world caused all that commotion?"

"A reunion with an old friend that didn't go as well as I'd hoped."

"I see."

Sarah came into the kitchen carrying the customer's empty plate. Her look was one of wary amusement. "Mr. Browder said to replace Mr. Smith's breakfast right away."

 Kathleen took the egg soaked rag from Mrs. Browder and, while the older woman fussed over cooking the gentleman's eggs, she found she didn't care if her dress could be saved. She really didn't even care if she lost her job.

The only thing that mattered to her more than her livelihood or a place to lay her head at night was Dermot. She had to talk to him and make him understand she'd married to ensure a good future for her parents. After that, well, she didn't know yet but, being the optimist she was, something was bound to turn up.

I hope you're able to pick up the first in the series. Buy links are below:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Katie-Irish-Texan-Brides-Texas-ebook/dp/B00LD0XRPG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1418974332&sr=1-1&keywords=carra+copelin&pebp=1418974354046

Apple iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/katie-and-the-irish-texan/id923172124?mt=11

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Carra