About the Book

Book: Love’s Winding Road

Author: Susan F. Craft

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: February 27, 2024

They were forced into this marriage of convenience, but there’s more at stake than their hearts on this wagon train through the mountain wilderness.

When Rose Jackson and her Irish immigrant family join a wagon train headed for a new life in South Carolina, the last thing she expects is to fall for the half-Cherokee wagon scout along the way. But their journey takes a life-changing turn when Rose is kidnapped by Indians. Daniel comes to her rescue, but the effects mean their lives will be forever intertwined.

Daniel prides himself on his self-control—inner and outer—but can’t seem to get a handle on either when Rose is near. Now his life is bound to hers when the consequences of her rescue force them to marry. Now it’s even more critical he maintain that self-control to keep her safe.

When tragedy strikes at the heart of their strained marriage, they leave for Daniel’s home in the Blue Ridge Mountains. As they face the perils of the journey, Rose can’t help but wonder why her new husband guards his heart so strongly. Why does he resist his obvious attraction for her? And what life awaits them at the end of love’s winding road?

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About the Author

Susan F. Craft retired after a 45-year career in writing, editing, and communicating in business settings.

She authored the historical romantic suspense trilogy Women of the American Revolution—The Chamomile, Laurel, and Cassia. The Chamomile and Cassia received national Illumination Silver Awards. The Chamomile was named by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance as an Okra Pick and was nominated for a Christy Award.

She collaborated with the International Long Riders’ Guild Academic Foundation to compile An Equestrian Writer’s Guide (www.lrgaf.org), including almost everything you’d ever want to know about horses.

An admitted history nerd, she enjoys painting, singing, listening to music, and sitting on her porch watching geese eat her daylilies. She most recently took up the ukulele.

More from Susan

Colonial American medicine fascinates me. The shortage of doctors made it critical for women to maintain medicine kits that included remedies brought with them from Europe as well as those shared with them by Native Americans.

In Love’s Winding Road, my character Rose falls into river rapids and suffers serious scrapes and bruises. Daniel, the half-Cherokee scout of her wagon train, rescues her and makes witch hazel flowers into a paste.

With gentle movements, he spread the ointment on her arms, legs, and neck. When he dabbed some on several raw places on her scalp where her hair had been ripped out, Rose clenched her teeth until her face hurt. With her hand trembling, she reached up to touch her hair.

“Don’t worry. It will grow back. Just thank the good Lord, for though it may be distressing and painful to have lost some of your hair, the strands helped me keep track of you.”

Rose’s father suffers from arthritis in his hands, so he chews on the twigs of black willow trees (not weeping willows) and drinks the tea his wife prepares from the bark also used to treat back pain, headaches, and inflammatory conditions.

When a mountain lion attacks Daniel, Rose stitches the laceration. She cleans the area with whiskey and offers it to him as a painkiller.

She threaded her needle with her finest flax fiber, and holding her breath, she began the first tiny stitches. Think of it as cloth. Think of it as cloth. She repeated the words over and over in her head.

Sometimes doing research can be amusing.

The night before I was to see my doctor, I’d read a resource book, Indian Doctor – Nature’s method of curing and preventing disease according to the Indians. I showed my doctor the Indian cure for my problem.

What a hoot! We had such fun looking through the book. Seems as if every cure involved mixing something with wine, ale, beer, or liquor. We came to the conclusion that with enough alcohol, even if you still had the problem, you wouldn’t care anymore.

Two weeks later, I saw my doctor for an earache. Of course, we looked up the Indian cure. It involved lily onions, marsh mallows, oil of violet—all taken with wine. And then, bleeding.

I’ll stick with antibiotics.

I pray that my Great Wagon Road series honors the Lord and the gifts He has given me and that you will love my characters as much as I do. Soli Deo Gloria.

Interview with Susan

Share something your readers wouldn’t know about you.

I love the Blue Ridge Mountains and include them in almost all of my books. They are about two hours from my home in Columbia, SC, and I visit as often as I can. My senses come alive surrounded by God’s magnificent creations—autumn colors, wildflowers, waterfalls, overlooks with views for miles, the aroma of cedar wood campfires, thousands of fireflies floating through pine forests, squawking cicadas at dusk before they go to sleep, the hoot of an owl, a wolf howling in the distance, crisp apples plucked from orchards in October…

If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?

saved; thoughtful; nerd

Can you share with us something about the book that isn’t in the blurb?

I am my absolute happiest when I’m researching, chasing down facts that I consider treasures to share in my novels. The ways settlers handled sickness and injuries in the absence of doctors have always fascinated me. Almost every household had a medicine kit including remedies brought with them from their homelands as well as those shared by Native Americans.

When Daniel, the wagon train scout, is attacked by a mountain lion, Rose stitches his wound with needle and thread, but has nothing but whiskey to clean the wound and numb the pain.

After Rose falls into tumultuous river rapids, Daniel treats her cuts and bruises with a paste he makes from witch hazel blossoms and water.

Rose’s father suffers from arthritis in his hands. To calm the inflammation, he chews on twigs from black willow trees (not weeping willows) and drinks tea made from the bark. Rose and Daniel, who discover a shared love of climbing trees, scale to the top of a black willow to cut twigs.

Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?

I adore Tsiyi (pronounced Dee-Jee), Daniel’s hound dog. When Rose asks what his name means, Daniel replies that it is canoe. “Canoes are crucial to the Cherokee for traveling, hunting, trading. They are solid and reliable. A good name”—he patted Tsiyi’s head—“especially good for a dog who does well in water.”

Tsiyi is an ever-faithful companion, always there to listen, to share his body warmth and solace, and to guard. Tsiyi is a hero who saves Rose from a charging bison and is wounded in the process. Don’t worry. He recovers. I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to my precious Tsiyi.

Any current or upcoming projects you’d like to tell us about?

Love’s Winding Road is the first in a series of three Christian historical romances that take place in the 1750’s along the Great Wagon Road that stretched down the US east coast from Philadelphia, PA, to Augusta, GA.

The second, Trail of Promises, will be released in June. It features Tessa Harris, a portrait artist, and Stephen Griffith, a former British cavalry officer. The third, Trail to Love, will be released in September. It features Anne Forbes, a seamstress/tailor, and Michael Harrigan, a lumberman.

Blog Stops

Locks, Hooks and Books, April 3

Simple Harvest Reads, April 3 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

lakesidelivingsite, April 4

Pause for Tales, April 4

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 5

For Him and My Family, April 5

Lighthouse Academy Blog, April 6 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 7

The Lofty Pages, April 7

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, April 8

Bizwings Book Blog, April 9

Life on Chickadee Lane, April 9

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, April 10

Texas Book-aholic, April 11

Connie’s History Classroom , April 11

Cover Lover Book Review, April 12

Batya’s Bits, April 13

Holly’s Book Corner, April 13

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, April 14

Books You Can Feel Good About, April 15

Blossoms and Blessings, April 15

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, April 16 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, April 16

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Susan is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2ac74/love-s-winding-road-celebration-tour-giveaway