Thanks for stopping by in the third installment from Author and friend Susan G. Mathis as she shares about her upcoming release.

In the 1800s, laudanum was the painkiller of choice, a strong opioid that was riddled with side effects and banned in 1914. In Libby’s Lighthouse, the first in my Love at a Lighthouse series, Owen awakes on the shore of Lake Ontario wounded and with no knowledge of who he is, or where he was headed when his ship wrecked. He’s is stitched up—with the use of laudanum—and has no choice but to accept the hospitality of the lighthouse keeper and his lovely daughter. But as Owen works to repay their kindness, and his relationship with Libby turns into something more, he knows their budding romance can go no further until he uncovers his past.

Here's a glimpse of what laudanum did to its users:

“Was this what dying felt like? Did it even matter? Owen must relax and let the good Lord do His bidding.

When they began tending to Owen’s head again, that was too much.

“Ach! Blathers, man. That hurts.” He willed his eyes to open, and before him stood the prettiest woman he’d ever seen, a tall man in a white coat with small round spectacles, and the

two men who had undressed and dressed him. He vaguely recalled seeing the woman’s face, but from where? Maybe he wasn’t dying, after all.

“Does he need laudanum, doctor?” Another woman in a nurse’s uniform worked at a table on the other side of the room.

The tall, bespeckled doctor acknowledged her, then turned to search his face. “I’m Dr. Renicks, and this is Nurse Connie. You’ll be all right, young man, as soon as I get this nasty gash in your scalp stitched up and stop the bleeding. Drink this. It’ll lessen the pain.”

Owen surveyed the medicine and frowned. “Isn’t laudanum illegal?” How did he recall that? Dr. Renicks’s gray brows rose as he handed him a small cup.

“I see you’re a clever chap. Well, that’s something. The bill is before the Congress now, so I suspect they’ll ban it before long. This is all the pain killer I have at the moment, but it’s a small dose, so it won’t hurt you. Drink up. The sooner you relax, the quicker I can fix you.”

Owen took the reddish-brown liquid and swallowed the bitterness. Horrible stuff. Before long, his brain grew fuzzy, and his limbs felt disconnected from his body. Instead of arms, he

had grown wings, so he took to flight and soared on the breeze.

Islands, more than he could count, dotted a majestic river. Large ships and sailing vessels of all shapes and sizes chugged upstream and downstream, reminding him of a game he’d played with his friends as a child. The boys had raced each other home from school through people’s front yards and backyards.

Each one had to weave their way through the neighborhood without crossing paths or they were out. Like those sailing vessels were doing among the islands. He had only played it twice before old Mr. Stallings took him firmly by the ear and reported the trespassing to his father. And that was the end of that.

Thunder? Lightning? Pain! Was he struck by lightning or by his father? He couldn’t tell. But as quick as it had come, the storm subsided, and he kept on flying.

Garbled voices threatened to distract his flight, so he shut them out and turned his attention to the wind whispering through his feathers. He soared into a puffy cloud and out the

other side, swooped down to catch bugs on a tiny island, and then dove into the water to catch a fish.

Someone tapped his wing, and he dropped the fish. “Son. Wake up. I’m through here.”

He was a boy again. No…a man. He forced his eyes open, blinked several times, and waited for the blurring to pass. Five faces stared down at him.”

Libby’s Lighthouse

When a lighthouse keeper’s daughter finds a mysterious sailor with amnesia, the secrets she uncovers may change her life forever.

Elizabeth Montonna, daughter of the Tibbett’s Point Lighthouse keeper, thought she’d love the lighthouse life forever—until her mother, on her deathbed, reveals a long-buried secret. Now Elizabeth’s world has been turned upside down, making her question if she’ll ever truly belong and be loved. But when a dashing young sailor appears on her shore, wounded and disoriented, she finds purpose in helping him recover. Although the man knows nothing about his past or identity, his kindness and character steal a little more of her heart each day. If only she knew his full name. With each passing day, Owen inches closer to discovering the secrets of his identity, but will the revelations bring him closer to Libby or tear them apart forever?

About Susan:

Susan G Mathis is an international award-winning, multi-published author of stories set in the beautiful Thousand Islands, her childhood stomping ground in upstate NY. Susan has been published more than thirty times in full-length novels, novellas, and non-fiction books. She has twelve in her fiction line including, The Fabric of Hope: An Irish Family Legacy, Christmas Charity, Katelyn’s Choice, Devyn’s Dilemma, Sara’s Surprise, Reagan’s Reward, Colleen’s Confession, Peyton’s Promise, Rachel’s Reunion, Mary’s Moment, A Summer at Thousand Island House and Libby’s Lighthouse, the first in her three-book lighthouse series. Her book awards include three Illumination Book Awards, four American Fiction Awards, three Indie Excellence Book Awards, five Literary Titan Book Awards, a Golden Scroll Award, and a Selah Award. Susan is also a published author of two premarital books, two children’s picture books, stories in a dozen compilations, and hundreds of published articles. Susan makes her home in Northern Virginia and enjoys traveling around the world but returns each summer to enjoy the Thousand Islands. Visit www.SusanGMathis.com/fiction for more.

Where can people find you online?

Susan’s website: https://www.susangmathis.com/fiction-books

Buy links: Amazon | Barnes&Nobles | Wild Heart Books

Book trailer: Libby’s Lighthouse book trailer

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