The Soul Mate Tree Series

Please welcome the author of the Soul Mate Tree

One randomly drawn commenter will receive a $50 Amazon/BN GC.

SOUL MATE TREE SERIES

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GENRE: Fantasy

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BLURB:

An ancient legend spanning eras, continents, and worlds.

To some, it’s nothing more than a dream.

To others, a pretty fairy tale handed down through the generations.

For those in critical need of their own happy ending, a gift.

Jack Billabard, mourning the loss of his wife and baby in childbirth, vows to never to love again. After their funeral at Fort Laramie, he rides into the Wyoming hills beyond the ranch he built for his wife. Through his grieving tears, an ancient tree appears, giving him the hope he doesn’t believe is possible. For the next four years, he acts as a guide on the Oregon Trail, taking families to a new life while his looms lonely and stagnant.

The night before her abusive husband’s death, an ancient tree appears in Sarah Nickelson’s yard as she agonizes over how to survive her marriage. The tree gives her hope she can’t help but reject. After all, a tree doesn’t just appear out of nowhere. After her husband ‘s death, and with no options as a widow in Independence, Missouri, Sarah decides to travel to Oregon City as a Mail Order Bride.

During their trek west on the Oregon Trail, Jack and Sarah encounter one another, each afraid of being hurt again. Can they survive dogs and puppies, wind and rainstorms, Indians and unfavorable fellow passengers, while their love blossoms? Will the tree fulfill its promise?

THE LEGEND OF THE SOUL MATE TREE

I am old, I am ancient, my purpose is clear

To give those who are needy a treasure so dear.

They who come to my roots, touch my bark, stroke my leaves

Find the soul of their lives if they but believe.

When I call and you listen, your prize will be great

If your heart remains open and you don’t hesitate.

Do you yearn? Be you lonely? Is your time yet at hand?

Reach for me and I’ll give to you. I’m yours to command.

For your trust, for your faith, keep my secrets untold

And I’ll gift you forever, to have and to hold.

Guest Blog: With a Little Help from My Grands

When I was asked to be part of The Soul Mate Tree, I was thrilled. To be an author in this unique concept had me jumping up and down. The day after I got the email, I had to watch my grandkids, who happened to be off from school. Alli was in sixth grade and Emmi in third. Here’s how the conversation went that morning:

Me: “Guess what? My publisher asked me to write a book for a thing called The Soul Mate Tree.” (Imagine me explaining what that was) “Since I’ve never done this before, I’m thinking of writing a historical, maybe a western.”

Alli: (Without a second’s hesitation) “The Oregon Trail. They have to go from Independence City to Oregon City, Oregon.” (They must have been studying it in school.)

Me: “Good idea. (I grabbed some paper to start taking notes) We need some characters. How about a guy’s name?”

Alli: “Jack Billabard.” (I have to add here that Alli loves to write.)

Me: “What? Where did you get that name?”

Alli: (Shrugging) “It just came to me.”

Me: “Okay, now we need a woman’s name.”

Emmi: “I like the name Sarah.”

Me: “Okay, since Alli picked the man’s name, you can have Sarah. Now I’m thinking Sarah is married to a man who is not very nice, so he’s going to have to die, so she can meet Jack.” (Since they picked two of the names, I chose Tommy for Sarah’s son’s name.)

Emmi: (Who didn’t understand how things were in 1854) “Are there horses in the story?”

Me: “Yes. They didn’t have cars or buses or trucks back then.”

Emmi: “Well then, he can be galloping down an icy road, falls off the horse, and (imagine the sound of a neck breaking and Emmi tipping her head to the side.) he breaks his neck.”

Okay, that’s how I’ll kill off Peter. As the morning went on, the girls started researching on the internet. They decided both Jack and Sarah each need a dog. The dogs would fall in love and have puppies in Jack’s sleeping bag. Did you know you can put two different breeds of dogs in the computer and it’ll show you what they’ll look like? I didn’t. Now I do.

While Alli looked into what supplies the emigrants would need for the trip, Emmi decided to research clothing. She worked so hard finding clothes for Jack, Sarah, and Tommy, I felt awful having to explain to her what the Oregon Trail was like and how they wouldn’t wear fancy clothes. But it didn’t bother her, she just put in a few more key words, and boom – she had their wardrobe.

Both girls were interested in my writing process and were always asking me how it was going. At one point, I let Alli read what I’d written so far.

Alli: “It reads like a movie, Titi.” (Titi is my nickname from the grands.)

Me: “I love you little girl.” I then had to go pick up her sister from school. “Alli, you know where this is going, why don’t you try your hand at writing more while I’m gone.” Before I was even out the door, she had my laptop in hand and was typing away. When I came back, she’d written several paragraphs. I was blown away. It was as if she’d been in my head and knew what I wanted to write. I then sent a few paragraphs before and a few after what she’d written and sent them to a friend asking her if she could tell what Alli had added. Nope.

I dedicated the book to both girls: “To my granddaughters, Alli and Emmi. Thank you for your help in researching, coming up with character names, and plotting. I look forward to when you’re old enough to read the book. And to Alli, who said what she was able to read sounded like a movie. Wouldn’t that be great if it was a movie? I love you both. TiTi.” (There are two love scenes in the book.)

A year later, “The Trail to Love” took first place in a contest, making me an award-winning author. Alli wanted to know if that made her an award-winning author, too

Fast forward a couple of years:

Alli: (Who is now a freshman in high school) “Titi, I’m old enough to read “The Trail to Love,” now.”

Me: Shaking my head. “Um, no.”

Alli: “But I’m old enough.”

Me: “I’m not old enough to know that you’re old enough to read a romance.”

I seem to be missing one of the books. Huh. Wonder where it went. What do you think?

Excerpt:

Cold seeped into his bones. Something warm blew across his face and ears. Jack swatted at his ears and peeled one gritty eye open.

“Papaya!” He pushed at the horse’s nose. “Go away.” Papaya continued prodding at him. “Darn horse.” He rubbed his cold hands together.

In the dim light, he wasn’t sure if it was morning or evening. The previous day’s events came back to him. He sat up and wiped a hand over his stubbly chin. Tears burned behind his eyes.

Papaya tugged at his sleeve until the only thing he could do was stand. “Darn it, horse, leave me alone.” He pushed the horse to the side. The sun rising behind the mountains from the east cast a shadow on a tree Jack swore hadn’t been there the night before.

Standing at least twenty feet high, the trunk was twisted and gnarled like the arthritic hands of his grandfather. Several roots rose from the ground making it look as if it would walk away. Some of its massive branches drooped close to the ground, like arms dragging across the grass.

As the sky lightened, he realized that, unlike the rough bark of the pines at this altitude, the tree’s light brown bark was smooth. Was it the lighting, or did some of the bark actually seem golden while in other places it was rough and dark brown? The surrounding trees paled in comparison.

Jack stepped closer. Pale green, oval leaves reminded him of an elm tree, only much smaller. When the wind blew, the undersides shimmered with a silvery glow.

Tina Susedik is an award-winning, multi-published author with books in both fiction and non-fiction, including history, children’s, military books and romances. Her favorite is writing romance stories where her characters live happily ever after. She lives in Northwestern Wisconsin and is a member of Romance Writers of America, Wisconsin Romance Writer’s of America, Wisconsin Writer’s Association, and Sisters In crime. Her twentieth book will be released in November with her Chandler County book, Missing My Heart.  Tina also write spicier romances as Anita Kidesu.

Buy link for The Trail to Love: http://a.co/8IPpl7M

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One randomly drawn commenter will receive a $50 Amazon/BN GC.

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