Book Title:  Marie Conner, A Leading Lady

Book Title with Subtitle:

Marie Conner, A Leading Lady: Her Life and Civic Leadership in a Bygone Era

Author Name:  Elle Mott

Publication Date:  February 11, 2026

Publisher:  Luminare Press

Pages:  303 Print Pages

Genre:  Nonfiction Historical Biography

Any Triggers:  

As a historical nonfiction book, some people die, should death be a trigger. Otherwise, no triggers. It is very family friendly and is safe to read.

Twitter / X Handles: @novellemott @cathiedunn @maryanneyarde

Instagram Handles: @thecoffeepotbookclub @yardereviews

Hashtags:  #MarieConner #BiographicalNonFiction #HistoricalNonFiction #ReaderReach #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub #YardeBookPromotions

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2026/07/blog-tour-marie-conner-a-leading-lady-by-elle-mott.html

Book Title and Author Name: 

Marie Conner, A Leading Lady

by Elle Mott 

Blurb: 

Marie was born a girl. That was only her first mistake, according to her father.

In an era when daughters and wives are not supposed to be concerned with matters outside the home, Marie is determined to prove him wrong. To do this, she must break down barriers placed on women in society, overcome difficulties that befall her, surpass hardships from the Great Depression, and then face an inevitable relocation.

Marie steps into her community and into the hearts of many people to give her time and help with their needs. She wants nothing in return other than her father’s acceptance as a worthy woman and yet, she gains much in return, even if it is not her father’s praise. This is Marie’s story—of a rise from her girlhood angsts to become a leading lady—and much more.

This definitive biography is the empowering true story of one trailblazing woman who, in the mid-1900s in small-town America, changed her community and beyond for the better and forevermore.

Excerpt 3:

Marie’s documented written words from December 1952 are shared in Chapter 15 “Love”

“Love for our fellow man is larger than any building or any faith.” –Marie Conner, 1952.

I opened the shop at 10:30. The first thing of course is building a fire in a wood heater. The wood is rather wet, no kindling and no axe. But we always get it started. By this time, we have quite a group of people in the shop. They are there for various reasons. Saturday, 89 people came to the shop. Some came for help, some out of curiosity, and some to buy. Today the first thing I must do is drive nearly to Berlin to aid a lovely old couple. It is nearly 1 p.m. when I arrive back in Lebanon.

We prepare a hasty lunch in our little kitchen and as I try to eat a few bites I receive the most wonderful gift that could have come to the shop. Our telephone had arrived. Nothing was ever needed more. The number is 7042. I felt my day had been full. Also, during this time, I interviewed three people while I was at a cup of tea and a sandwich, trying to get a bite in now and then. I was able to help all three people due to those who had made purchases during the morning. You see, the shop is a place to help one another. The one who pays helps the one who needs and the one who gives the articles helps the other two and I am sure the giver is repaid by the joy she brings. 

Since the opening of the shop, I have had a dream of a sewing room, but we have never had time to get the room cleaned out because it was the room where things needing repair or cleaning was kept. Now the barn that is directly behind the shop has been almost completed so that we were able to remove these things to there. With one helper and so many to wait on it seemed an impossible task. But again, a wonderful thing happened. A mother and daughter who are old friends of mine walked in and offered to help. We certainly could use them, and they worked all afternoon.

Several old people without transportation wanted boxes of things delivered so my trusty pick-up and I were out in the rain off and on all afternoon, so you can imagine how time flies when we are that busy. My closing time came only too soon. We had not completed the renovation of the room needed for sewing. I went to the home of a helper who had to stay home all day with two grandchildren. Her daughter relieved her of this job in the evening, so she and I went back down after a bite to eat, and at 12 midnight, we had the room in apple pie order and now my dream has come true. Anyone who has an hour or so to spare and wants to drop in and do some mending or tie quilts will now be able to do so.. Of course, all I need now is a sewing machine and ironing board for this room. I purchased a nice machine from a woman who needed money, but someone needed the machine so badly and of course I now do not have one.

Saturday, a beautifully dressed person came in and looked around and asked, “What is this place?”

She understood what I meant when I answered her. “It is the heart of Lebanon.”

© Elle Mott 2026

Buy Links: 

Universal Buy Links:  

Amazon universal paperback link: https://mybook.to/AmazonMott

Author’s Website for all links: https://ellemottauthor.com/product/marie-conner  

Author Bio: 

Elle Mott is a creative nonfiction author who weaves advocacy and strength into her writing, empowering readers to find their purpose.

“Marie Conner, A Leading Lady” is her third book. She is also the author of “Out of Chaos: A Memoir” and “People Helping People.” Her next book, releasing this fall, will be as a contributing co-author to “When Women Talk, Notes From the Future: What I Would Tell My Younger Self.” Her other publications have been featured in literary journals, news magazines, and anthologies.

She has a background working in libraries, both at the college level and, for more than ten years, at the public library in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. While library work is her livelihood, writing is her passion.

Elle grew up in Oregon and now makes her home in the suburbs of northern Kentucky with two cats and several pet birds.  

Author Links: 

Website: https://ellemottauthor.com

Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/novellemott

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ellemott.author

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/marie-conner-a-leading-lady-her-life-and-civic-leadership-in-a-bygone-era-by-elle-mott

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Elle-Mott/author/B07G4FXMSJ

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/elle_mott  

Other Author Links (optional):

AllAuthor: https://allauthor.com/author/ellemott

Kofi: https://ko-fi.com/ellemott

Book Title: The Duke and the Spirits of the Past

Series: The Duke of Hertford

Author Name: Michael Stolle

Publication Date: June 1st 2026

Publisher: Independently published

Pages: 426

Genre: Historical Fiction

Any Triggers: n/a

Twitter / X Handles: @cathiedunn @maryanneyarde

Instagram Handles: @thecoffeepotbookclub @yardereviews

Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalMystery #ReaderReach #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub #YardeBookPromotions

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2026/07/blog-tour-the-duke-and-the-spirits-of-the-past-by-michael-stolle.html

Book Title and Author Name:

The Duke and the Spirits of the Past

Michael Stolle

Blurb:

A gripping historical novel full of intrigue, dark secrets, and deadly struggles for power!

France in the 17th century – an age of conflict, love, and honour, where any means are justified in the pursuit of power. Henri de Beauvoir is a man who will stop at nothing — even making a pact with the devil — to achieve his sinister ambitions. As the ruthless cousin of the Marquis de Beauvoir and Duke of Hertford, he spins a perilous web of deception, intrigue, and betrayal to bring about his cousin’s downfall.

• A secret enemy from the past threatens to destroy the Marquis.
• Danger lurks in the shadows — always ready to strike.
• An unexpected love may change everything.

When the fate of the Marquis hangs in the balance, a deadly game of cat and mouse unfolds — one where every move is could prove fatal. Can Henri carry out his dark plans, or will the secrets buried in his past become his downfall?

Perfect for fans of Ken Follett, Rebecca Gablé, and Philippa Gregory!

• Historical setting with atmosphere and authentic detail
• Intrigue, betrayal, and a ruthless battle between two men over a great inheritance
• A dark anti-hero battling his own demons
• Suspense right through to the final page!

Dive into a world of power, passion, and dark secrets!

Get your copy now and lose yourself in an epic historical adventure!

Buy Link:

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/mgXQ8v

This book is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Author Bio:

Michael Stolle, award-winning and best-selling author, was born and educated in Europe. His enduring passion for history has deeply enriched his understanding of the human experience. Through his exploration, he has arrived at a powerful insight: the core essence of humanity is timeless, remaining as relevant today as it was in the 17th century.

Stolle started his writing journey in 2012, and since then, he has enthralled readers worldwide, selling over 250,000 copies of his books. His compelling narratives offer an immersive experience that breathes life into the richness of history, inviting readers to engage with the past in an intimate and vivid way.

Author Links:

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Michael-Stolle/author/B01GM0M2DY

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4319310.Michael_Stolle

Book Link

From Amazon:

Jaelyn Riba:
Age: 30
Looks: If you ask the new doctor in town, a Spanish goddess.
Favorite Food: Why choose just one?
Status: Single and avoiding the mingle.

Major Warren:
Age: 39
Looks: Tall and handsome with a killer pair of bedroom blue eyes.
Favorite Food: The Spanish Rooster.
Status: Single but afraid to mingle.

Dr. Major Warren arrives in Bells Pass searching for a fresh start but doesn’t expect to find it in the middle of the town square. Jaelyn Riba can’t help but notice the hot guy in the three-piece suit standing by her taco truck, but she has no time for romance, even when their paths unexpectedly intertwine. The townspeople spy their next Christmas couple and get an assist from a Spanish rooster, a tumbling toboggan, and an infamous legend filled with undeniable charm. When the chips are down this Christmas, Major will question if he’s healing Jaelyn or if she’s healing him.

Inclusions: Hero is an above-knee amputee.

My Review:

Mary Schmidt

5 out of 5 stars

Sweet

Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2026

Format: Kindle

Verified Purchase

This romance set in Bells Pass was a truly sweet read. With misunderstandings and being unsure, those who wear a prosthetic device and have severe PTSD are understood helping those readers who need to understand war, and that one injured doctor can’t save everyone. Equally tough being a female who’s never known love, raised by her grandmother from a young age after her parents were in a MVA that took their lives. Those in Bells Pass come together throughout the novel and celebration to follow.

Happy Anniversary with WordPress.com!

You registered on WordPress.com 11 years ago.

Thanks for flying with us. Keep up the good blogging.

11 years ago. Time flies.

Book Title: The Fern Flower

Series: n/a

Author Name: Kathleen Shoop

Publication Date: August 1, 2026

Publisher: Independently Published

Pages: 598

Genre: Historical Fiction

Any Triggers: Set 1908-1917 so people weren’t so kind to each other. Mila’s in ballet school at one point and living away from home. She always has adult support of some kind, but faces abandonment to some degree from those she loves.

Twitter / X Handle: @kathieshoop @cathiedunn @maryanneyarde

Instagram Handle: @kathleenshoop @thecoffeepotbookclub @yardereviews

Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #TheFernFlower #ballet #WW1 #ReaderReach #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2026/07/blog-tour-the-fern-flower-by-kathleen-shoop.html

Book Title and Author Name:

The Fern Flower

by Kathleen Shoop

Blurb:

St. Petersburg 1908-1917

Born into privilege as the daughter of the Tsar’s favored vodka maker, Mila appears to have everything: wealth, status, and a household devoted to her happiness. But behind the gilded doors of her family estate, she is trapped by the cruelty of a stepmother whose greatest wish is to give birth to her own child.

Each summer on Ivan Kupala Eve, Russia turns its gaze to river bends and forest floors in search of the legendary Fern Flower—a mythical bloom said to grant fortune, power, and the deepest desires of the heart. Only one person had ever found it.

Until Mila.

Years later, in the fading grandeur of Petrograd, Mila and her friends slip into the fabled Stray Dog Café, once the sanctuary of Russia’s most daring artists and dreamers. Inspired by its ghosts, murals, and memories, Mila’s group resurrects the work she’d first imagined as a child. The Fern Flower is a breathtaking ballet drawn from folklore, magic, and the secrets of Mila’s past.

But in the fiercely competitive ranks of the Imperial Ballet School, talent is never enough. Though Mila wrote the ballet and her gifted musician friend composed its score, rivals question whether Mila is worthy of claiming the coveted lead role.

As World War I intensifies and revolution ignites, the Russia Mila knows begins to collapse. Family secrets surface, loyalties are tested, and the people she loves begin to disappear. When her parents flee and her young brother’s life hangs in the balance, Mila is faced with an impossible choice: remain with the found family who helped her chase her dreams or risk everything to save the person who needs her most.

With Russian folklore, imperial grandeur, and the fierce beauty of ballet, The Fern Flower is a sweeping tale of ambition, friendship, sacrifice, and the magic that survives even when the world is falling apart.

Buy Links:

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/m0jpWJ (Kindle & Apple)

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-fern-flower-kathleen-shoop/1150136033?ean=2940183381290

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-fern-flower

Author Bio:

Bestselling author, Kathleen Shoop, PhD’s novels have won awards in the Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY), Eric Hoffer Book Awards, the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Readers’ Favorite, and more.

Kathleen has more than 20 years of experience in the classroom and has been featured in USA Today and the Writer’s Guide. She co-coordinates Mindful Writers Retreats and co-coordinated the 2023 Pennwriters Conference.

She frequently teaches and is a regular presenter at conferences for writers.

Author Links:

Website: http://kshoop.com

Twitter / X: https://x.com/kathieshoop

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057696591811

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathleenshoop/?hl=en

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/kathleenshoop.bsky.social

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/kathieshoop/

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kathleen-shoop

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kathleenshoopauthor

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Kathleen-Shoop/author/B0051FCVQU

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/4787101.Kathleen_Shoop

Book Link

From Amazon:

Allie Blue’s dream of buying the old Smithington mansion and converting it into a bed and breakfast gets crushed by someone willing to pay more. Heartbroken, she tells one small fib to become a flight attendant with Upward Airlines. On day four of her employment, she’s to take care of their worst-case-scenario passenger — billionaire playboy, Kiptyn Thomas, III. Before the plane takes off, something raw and potent develops between them, but Allie fights the attraction for the man who thinks he’s at the top of the food chain.

Kiptyn Thomas is used to getting what he wants, when he wants it. Allie Blue both annoys and intrigues him, and he wants her.

Allie & Kiptyn’s story reveals well-intentioned fibs, secrets they’d rather remain unearthed, a sprinkling of OCD, complete opposite lifestyles, and a need to find that one extraordinary person who they’d never be complete without.

My Review:

Funny romance

Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2026

Format: Kindle

Verified Purchase

Jan always adds the right amount of funny bits between the sparky bits. Two opposites yet two people the same in many ways. Love is always a great thing and this novel has that and truly sensual moments and scenes were romantic without erotica woven in. A clean romance.

Book Title: One More Hour of Daylight

Series: n/a

Author Name: C.M. Gray

Publication Date: June 2026

Publisher: Constance Books

Pages: 417

Genre: WW II Thriller

Any Triggers: n/a

Twitter / X Handles: @cathiedunn @maryanneyarde

Instagram Handles: @thecoffeepotbookclub @yardereviews

Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #WWIIThriller #ReaderReach #TheCoffeePotBookClub #YardeBookPromotions #BlogTour

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2026/07/blog-tour-one-more-hour-of-daylight-by-c-m-gray.html

Book Title and Author Name:

One More Hour of Daylight

By C.M. Gray

Blurb:

From the Bestselling Author of Shadowland

On the first day of World War II, a young man makes a promise—one that will shape every choice he makes for the next four years.

Essex. September 1939.

A wounded German pilot drops from a clear autumn sky into a quiet English field. Seventeen-year-old Derrick finds him—broken and feverish. Not an enemy. Just a young man asking for one small mercy before everything ends.

One more hour of daylight. That is all I ask. A chance to breathe free air before whatever comes next.

Derrick gives him until morning.

When the stretcher comes, the pilot’s last words strike Derrick like a blow he will never stop feeling.

Scotland. France. Germany. 1941–1943.

In the mountains of Scotland, they teach him how to kill, how to lie, and how to endure things that break most men. Then they give him a new name, put him on a plane, and drop him into the dark.

As an SOE operative deep inside occupied Europe, Derrick Sedgley lives on false papers, borrowed names, and nerves worn to nothing by years in the shadows. He moves agents to safety, builds escape routes, and stays one breath ahead of the Gestapo.

Then a mission collapses—and everything changes.

Forced to run, Derrick finds himself moving through the most dangerous corners of occupied Europe alongside someone whose connection to his past he cannot yet see. As safe houses fall, loyalties fracture, and the frozen passes of the Pyrenees rise ahead like the edge of the world, Derrick begins to understand something.

The choice he made in an Essex field on the first day of the war has been leading him here all along.

Some debts cannot be paid.
Some can only be carried.
And some—if you are brave enough, and fortunate enough—can finally be laid to rest.

From the quiet fields of Essex to the mountains of Scotland, from the dangerous streets of Lyon to the shadows of wartime Hamburg and the high passes of the Pyrenees, One More Hour of Daylight is an unforgettable story of courage, guilt and redemption—of ordinary people forced to make impossible choices in extraordinary times.

Some promises can survive a war.
Some people can too.

For readers who believe that even in war, what matters most is who we choose to be.

Praise for One More Hour of Daylight:

“A beautifully written book with a perfect pace that kept me reading
from start to finish.”
~ Bookcollector, Amazon 5* Review

“A confident, carefully crafted novel that handles its subject matter with restraint, earning the weight it carries.“
~ Indie Library, Goodreads 5* Review

Buy Link:

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/bz01nG

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Author Bio:

C.M. Gray’s first book, The Flight of the Griffin, was longlisted in the 2015 Times Chicken House Writing Competition. Shadowland, the first book in the Pendragon Saga, has so far received over 900 five-star reviews on Amazon. These things still genuinely astonish him, and he is deeply grateful for every one of them.

Most of his previous work has been fantasy: either pure fantasy or historical fantasy, the kind of writing where druids turn up uninvited and one of your main characters develops an unsettling affinity with wolves before you have quite decided what sort of book you are writing. Shadowland began with every intention of staying grounded in historical reality, the story of Uther Pendragon. It did not. It has turned out to be a popular book, so he does not complain.

His years travelling through Asia, India, Africa and the Middle East have a habit of finding their way onto the page. He has seen and done some fairly strange things along the way and met some extraordinary people, and writing fantasy has always felt, to him, only a short step from writing fact.

New for 2026

One More Hour of Daylight, marks C.M. Gray’s return to writing. It will be fully published in June 2026, marking a departure: pure historical fiction, no druids, no wolves. It follows Derrick Sedgley, a seventeen-year-old from Essex who makes a single moral choice in a field one September morning in 1939 and spends the next four years living with the consequences. From the Essex countryside to occupied France, from the mountains of Burgundy to the Pyrenees, it is a story about promises, betrayal, courage and the cost of doing the right thing too late.

And for those who have been waiting patiently for the Pendragon Saga to continue: the third book, Shadow’s Heir, the story of Arthur Pendragon, follows in September 2026. More on that very soon.

C.M. Gray was born in England and grew up in the Essex countryside near the Suffolk border, which is where Derrick Sedgley grows up, too. The flat fields, the big skies and the particular quality of Essex light found their way into the book, whether he intended them to or not.

C.M. Gray is now very happily settled just outside Barcelona with his wonderful wife and partner in life, Adriana.

Author Links:

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0H23SV952/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5752854.C_M_Gray

Book Link

From Amazon:

After spending two years in Wyoming, Cade Weston is eager to return to his family’s ranch to celebrate the Christmas holiday. But fate intervenes in the form of a tortured soul—Nicole. Her guardian has abused her, leaving Cade with little choice but to pay for her freedom and take her with him. Holed up with her in a Denver hotel, a feeling hints he wants more from her than a thank you for having helped her. Problem is she doesn’t return the feeling.

Nicole Lamar has spent the past six months dreaming of freedom. Savannah, with its warmth and sunshine, beckons. Now that Cade has rescued her from an evil proprietor, that freedom is within reach. But when the handsome cowboy proves he’s the owner of a Christmas Heart, a life without him suddenly isn’t so desirable. Before she can approach him about the matter, he purchases a ticket for her on an eastbound train. And one for himself on a southbound train.

My Review:

Mary Schmidt

5 out of 5 stars

Short western romance

Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2026

Format: Kindle

Verified Purchase

Lence has written a wonderful od west Christmas romance that started off dark for a woman sold to a man who only abused women. Enter Cade, and that abuse ended then and there. Nicole has a hard time coming to trust Cade.

Book Title: The Duty of Daughters

Series: Falling Pomegranate Seeds

Author Name: Wendy J. Dunn

Publication Date:  November 17, 2019

Publisher: Poesy Quill

Pages: 310

Genre: Historical Fiction

Any Triggers: Adult themes and situations.

Twitter / X Handle: @cathiedunn

Bluesky Handles: @wendyjdunn.bsky.social @cathiedunn.bsky.social

Instagram Handle: @wendyjdunnauthor @thecoffeepotbookclub

Hashtags: #KatherineofAragon #TheDutyofDaughters #HistoricalFiction #WomenInHistory #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2026/07/blog-tour-the-duty-of-daughters-by-wendy-j-dunn.html

Book Title and Author Name:

The Duty of Daughters

El Deber de Las Hijas (Spanish version)

by Wendy J. Dunn

Blurb:

Castile, 1490.

Doña Beatriz Galindo is an uneasy witness to the Holy War of Queen Isabel of Castile and her husband, Ferdinand, King of Aragon. A holy war pushing the Moors out of territories ruled by them for centuries.

Beatriz does not want a life like other women. She desires power over her own destiny. Even if this means walking a far harder road.

A passionate and respected scholar, Beatriz serves her friend Queen Isabel of Castile as her advisor. She also tutors the queen’s youngest child, Catalina of Aragon.

Dedicated to Queen Isabel and her children, Beatriz guides the young Catalina of Aragon to walk her own hard life road.

But can she prepare Catalina to be England’s queen?

Excerpt 1:

Firelight flickered, glinting upon the gold, silver and jewel-decorated vessels set upon a nearby table. Beatriz stepped into deeper shadows, where no candle or firelight reached, seeking not to be noticed. Her eyes rested on the royal family. The queen’s blessing done, Catalina clambered onto her mother’s bed and kissed her cheek. The queen wound her arms around her youngest child. She laughed softly, caressing Catalina’s hair.

Prince Juan, Catalina’s twelve-year-old brother, dropped his harp on the bed. His blue eyes glowing with mischief, he tickled his sister’s underarm. She giggled, nestling into him. The prince stood on the threshold between pretty boy and beautiful youth. Blond down intermixed with a darker, thicker colour upon his cheeks. He tickled Catalina again. The child giggled.

“Stop it, Juan!”

Juan laughed. He flicked back the straight fringe from his eyes before reclaiming his harp and plucking a short tune. The black velvet of his doublet increased the bright blond lustre of his hair, candlelight creating an aureole around his head. Angel, his mother called him. Prince Juan well deserved his nickname. All loved him. “Your command is mine! What song shall I play you, sister?” asked the prince.

The queen’s smile embraced them both. She rested her fingers on her son’s arm. He returned a gaze full of love.

“Son, not yet. I want to first speak to Catalina.” She encircled her daughter with her arms, drawing her closer. “Mi chiquitina, can you remember what happened two years ago?”

Catalina looked up, bewildered. “Mamá?”

The queen sighed. Her jaw slackening, she no longer smiled. A candle gusted out, casting her face into deep shadow. Communing as if with the unseen, she tightened her hold on her daughter.

“I forget – ‘tis long for a small child to remember… In truth, you were little more than an infant when the English came and I, holding you on my lap, showed you the bulls.” The queen smiled slightly. “You wore your first gown of black velvet that day, one rich with jewels. The next day we promised you to their prince.” She looked again at Catalina and stroked her hair. Wrapping a lock around her finger, she studied it and let it go, her face becoming strong again. “I have just received word from your father. We have promised another of our hijas to another king’s son. My Isabel?”

Princess Isabel playfully peered over the book. “Mamá?”

“Come, and tell your sister your news.”

Isabel strode over to the bed with all the grace and confidence of a young woman of twenty. She sat on the other side of her mother’s wide bed and took Catalina’s hand. “I’m to be wed.”

Catalina cried out and threw herself into her sister’s arms, pulling at the long chain of Isabel’s heavy, gold crucifix. Princess Isabel’s laugh overlaid the silence of the other occupants in the queen’s chamber. Disentangling herself from her sister, she said, “Be careful, Mi chiquitina.”

“Married! But to whom?”

“Can’t you guess?” Isabel laughed, but didn’t wait for Catalina to answer. “I’m marrying Prince Alfonso of Portugal. One day he’ll be Portugal’s king, and I its queen.”

Queen Isabel gazed at her eldest and youngest daughters with cheerless eyes. “Isabel, I hoped that service for your sister, María, many years hence. Whilst your father, before he owned to the French king’s treacherous heart, wished you wed to the French prince, I wanted so much to find you a husband of suitable birth to keep you with us in Castilla. You are my first born, after all. But Alfonso remembers you too well from the time when you both were hostages together. He wants you, and only you.”

Princess Isabel smiled, stretching out her hand to her mother. The queen clasped it and held it against her cheek. Catalina’s wide eyes travelled from her mother to her sister. “You’re leaving us?”

Isabel’s eyes shone with sudden tears. “I must, mi chiquitina.”

Catalina wrapped her arms around her sister. “Don’t go, I beg you!”

Over her head, Isabel the mother and Isabel the daughter gazed at one another. Lines of pain scored deep in the queen’s white face, rending her almost ugly. She shut her bloodshot eyes, biting her bottom lip. In the heavy silence, Beatriz could hear the drum of her own heart in her ears.

The prince swung from the bed with nimble grace. Standing between María and Juana he clasped their hands. All three of them gazed at the bed.

With a short laugh, Isabel’s arms tightened around her youngest sister. “Catalina, listen. Portugal is not so far away that I cannot ever come home. In any case, I know my duty and do it willingly.”

Catalina grabbed her sister’s habito, as if she wouldn’t let her go. Isabel frowned and shook her head, not one strand of hair daring to shift from its rightful place. “When you’re older, you too will do your duty and marry your English prince. You will not fail God or your country then. I will not fail it now.”

Buy Links:

Universal Buy Link – The Duty of Daughters: https://mybook.to/FPS

Universal Buy Link – El Deber de las Hijas: books2read.com/u/mVoKBA

Author Bio:

Award-winning Australian author of Tudor historical fiction, specialising in Anne Boleyn and Katherine of Aragon novels.

Wendy J. Dunn is an award-winning Australian author, playwright and poet fascinated by Tudor history – so much so she was not surprised to discover a family connection to the Tudors, not long after the publication of her first Anne Boleyn novel narrating the Anne Boleyn story through the eyes of Sir Thomas Wyatt, the elder. Her family tree reveals the intriguing fact that one of her ancestral families – possibly over three generations – had purchased land from both the Boleyn and Wyatt families to build up their own holdings. It seems likely Wendy’s ancestors knew the Wyatts and Boleyns personally.

Her second novel, The Light in the Labyrinth, set during final days of Anne Boleyn’s life, revisits the Anne Boleyn story through the eyes of her niece Catherine Carey. The Duty of Daughters and All Manner of Things tell the story of Katherine of Aragon. Shades of Yellow tells the story of a woman writing a novel about Amy Robsart.

All Dunn’s award-winning works weave together the lyricism of poetry with the pulse of history, creating stories of love, loss, and the endurance of the human spirit.

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Website: http://www.wendyjdunn.com/  

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Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/wendy-j-dunn

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Amazon Author Page: https://amazon.com/author/wendyjdunn

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LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-wendy-dunn-6358181a/

Newsletter: https://wendyjdunn.substack.com/

We are proud to announce that Earth’s Last Hope has been chosen as a Winner of the 2026 PenCraft Seasonal Book Award – Summer Competition in the Fiction – Science-fiction category!

This is an extraordinary accomplishment. The PenCraft Seasonal Book Awards honor works that shine with literary excellence, artistic distinction, and strong reader appeal — and your book met those standards. Your clarity, insight, and ability to empower readers made “Earth’s Last Hope” stand out in a highly competitive field.

We hope this achievement fuels your passion for writing and propels your career to even greater heights. Congratulations on this well‑deserved recognition — may it be one of many milestones in your continued success as an author.

Book Link

What if you live in Denver metro, and in one day, you must find or make a bunker, filled with non-perishable food, water, and cold weather clothing to last for ten years, and manage to prevent volcanic ash particles getting into the air you breathe, when Yellowstone’s caldera erupts with eruption lasting more than a year, and it starts erupting during an atmospheric river of snow and four day blizzard of up to twenty feet of snow, thrusting you into a volcanic winter of up to ten or more years, leaving behind an un-inhabitable, barren, and desolate Earth?

What would you do?

What if you thought you had two or more years of warning before the caldera of Yellowstone would erupt as a super volcano, and suddenly you are told you have one day at best to survive?

Dr. Theodore Grey decided that the scientists under him had their measurements wrong or there was a glitch in the system. Yes, Yellowstone was rumbling, but it did that every day, and the scientists at the USGS Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO), led by Scientist-in-Charge Dr. Theodore Grey, utilized a sophisticated network of GPS sensors and seismometers to monitor the heartbeat of this active super volcano. All the movement in and around the caldera that is Yellowstone National Park is monitored and measured every day, 24/7, with computerized resources. Many scientists and technical people are necessary to monitor the computers, all the equipment, and cover Yellowstone’s large expanse of crater and park land. Yellowstone has thousands of small quakes each year. The subtle Chicago-sized area of ground deformation near Gibbon Falls had buckled upward by one inch in January 2026, but these new numbers must be wrong! Even the newly discovered magma cap 3.8 km deep in January rose sharply overnight! Seven inches of rapid, sustained uplift? No way. That was too phenomenal for the caldera. Seven inches meant high-pressure fluid movement and is indicative of a significant magma intrusion. Real-time information stared back at him from the monitors. Real-time quakes were more pronounced in and around Yellowstone, and some areas close to Yellowstone certainly felt this shift and change. Dr. Rick Long confirmed what Dr. Grey saw in front of him. SEVEN inches in ONE day!! The ground was tilting and rising by inches, not centimeters! The Earth’s crust was reaching its breaking point! The energy built up was too much, too fast. Dr. Grey knew he had to update the President right away. Time was critical. Everything was critical. So much for having a ten to twelve year plus warning! That powerful atmospheric river and a “monster blizzard” projected to drop up to twenty feet of snow over much of the US, including Yellowstone, would not stop the eruption!

Can Earth be saved? If so, who or what will save Earth?