Help me welcome author Marisa Masterson as she shares about her latest release and offers one lucky reader a free book.

Left with younger siblings, one only a baby, Minnie needs to find a way for them to survive. She has one great talent—baking. News about free land in Oklahoma tempts her. With her brother’s support, they leave Kansas to join the April land rush.

Along the way, Reese Davies befriends her family. With his help, Minnie manages to claim a town plot in the new city of Norman.

Gossip forces the two into a marriage. She and her husband are determined to make the best of this hurried marriage, but strange things keep happening.

Then, Granny is kidnapped...

Will getting the old woman back take the life of the man she's only now coming to love?

Tell us about Minnie:

One theme that rose to the front as I wrote involved the words we are told. Early on, parents and siblings, and then friends, shape how we see ourselves.

That’s the case for my heroine. Her brother is the smart one. She’s only good for nurturing. Let someone else make the decisions, or so her father says again and again to her.

Changing what a person believes about herself isn’t easy. It takes experiences for someone to see that she can do more or be more. This was very true for Minnie in my novel.

Giveaway

How has this been true in your life? Please leave a comment, along with your cleverly disguised email address, to enter the drawing. For example: donna AT livebytheword DOT com  Comments without an email address will not be included in the drawing.

(One commenter will win an ebook copy of Molasses Cookies by Minnie.)

About Marisa:

The smiling teacher-- That's what her students called her. Marisa spent twenty-two years teaching writing and literature, loving almost every minute of it. After a disability kept her from teaching on top of the desks, she wondered how she could still impact others.

Fast forward to 2022. After writing thirty-seven novels and novellas, she loves the connection she has found with readers. You can find her on Facebook at the Sweet Wild West Reads group. You can also discover more about her at www.marisamasterson.com.