I feel like it’s been forever since I began the Legends of Madeira series, and in a way, it has. Finally, over three years since I released Cold Dark Night, I have a preorder link for book two, Blood Red Dawn.
I’m excited to release this story on October 30. I’ll also be a guest on Teri Polen’s Bad Moon Rising that day. If you haven’t visited Teri’s annual feature, it’s a great time to “meet” other authors and learn about their latest work. Be sure to check out her blog, Books and Such.
Blood Red Dawn is a dual-timeline story set in the fictional town of Madeira, New Mexico. The historical main characters are Captain Jonathan Tucker and Faydra Webb. Jonathan is stationed at nearby Fort McKittrick, and Faydra is the daughter of a local mercantile owner.
Here’s an excerpt from the 1870s:
The sound of pounding hoofs drew near, and Jonathan looked to see a courier from Fort. McKittrick. The rider pulled his horse to a stop when he reached Jonathan.
“Captain Tucker, I have a message from Colonel Ware. You and the other soldiers are to return to the fort immediately. Brave Eagle and a band of warriors ambushed one of our patrols. Several men were killed.”
Jonathan’s heart sank. His worst fears about the consequences of Ware’s actions had been realized. “Understood, Corporal. The others are inside the barn. Go fetch them, and I’ll be along soon.”
After the soldier left, he turned to Faydra. “I’m sorry.”
“Jonathan, what does this mean?”
“I’m not sure. Ware has no choice now but to retaliate. He brought this on himself, but I fear others will suffer because of him.”
“I’m afraid for you.” Tears formed in her eyes.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be okay, but I don’t know when I’ll be able to see you again.” With his thumb, he wiped a tear that rolled down her cheek.
“I understand.”
He lowered his head, then brushed his lips over hers. “I love you, Faydra Webb.”
“I love you, too.”
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
As he walked away, Faydra called out. “Stay safe.”
He didn’t respond. There were no comforting words. Only God knew what lay ahead for him and the other soldiers.
The modern-day characters are Connor Hughes and Abbey Lane. You’ll probably remember them from Cold Dark Night. Jason and Tami Montgomery, also from CDN, are minor characters.
The fireworks show, an annual Independence Day event, was sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber president stood on a makeshift platform to announce the start of the show, promising this year’s display was bigger. The crowd applauded upon hearing his words.
At nine, the first rocket shot into the air, breaking overhead in a barrage of colors and bringing more cheers. Connor laced his fingers through Abbey’s. Her earlier misgivings about him acting distant faded. She squeezed his hand. He brought hers to his lips then kissed it.
The display was nearing the end when several firefighters and other first responders rushed from the park.
“Wonder what’s going on?” Abbey leaned close to Tami.
“It must be something big since so many are leaving,” Tami said.
Jason’s phone rang.
Still focused on the show, Abbey absently heard his end of the conversation. He soon ended the call.
“Sorry, but I need to leave. There’s been an explosion.” His next words were directed to Connor. “Hate to tell you this buddy, but you’ll want to come. It happened at the shooting range.”
Hope you enjoyed these excerpts. To preorder your copy, just click the button below.
31 Responses
Congratulations, Joan. I look forward to seeing you at Dark Moon Rising.
That’s always a fun time of the year. Teri puts a lot of work into it. I enjoy reading about other authors.
Sounds awesome! Congratulations, Joan.
Thank you, Darlene!
Fantastic, Joan, and kudos on bringing forth another book for this storyline.
It’s been way too long in coming, Grant, but I’m glad the book is ready to go. If I ever write another series, I think I’ll have at least a first draft of all the books done before the first one is published.
Interesting, you say that about a series, Joan. On my website, I wrote a post about ‘Build a Story Spine.’ It was based on the popular movie ‘The Iron Giant’ (one of my all-time favorites). The post described how to use a fairy-tale format to fast prototype stories, perfect for building the framework of a series before you write. If that’s of interest, head over to my site and enter ‘build a story spine’ in the search menu (at the top of the page). BTW: I made the story spine an integral part of the ‘Outline Beats’ step of the Trellis Method. The story spine makes prototyping a snap.
Exciting news, Joan! I look forward to reading Blood Red Dawn!
Thanks, Priscilla!
Wonderful news, Joan. Hope you sell a ton of them.
That would be nice! Thanks, Craig.
I am so excited to read this story again! Sharing and hoping for lots of pre-sales for you, Joan. Congratulations!
Thank you so much, Jan! I hope you enjoy it the second time around.
So excited for you! Placed my order. Congratulations!
Thank you, Staci!
It seems very intriguing and like I said before the cover is very eye catching. Congratulations on your upcoming release.
Thanks so much, Thomas. I enjoyed writing this book. Just took a long time to get through the edits. And life sometimes gets in the way.
Congratulations, Joan. Best wishes on your latest.
Thank you so much, John.
😊
Congrats on your latest, Joan 🙂 Loved the excerpts, has me curious. I have my copy pre-ordered. Xo
Thank you, Denise. I hope you enjoy the book.
Ooh a dual timeline story. Wonderful, Joan. Congrats on the coming book and enjoy the glow. 🙂
Thanks, Diana. I have one more dual timeline to write. I didn’t realize how much work went into writing one. In a way, it’s like writing two different stories. After this series, I think I’ll stick with modern-day. (Or at least, the same time period.)
Lol. Yes! It would be like writing two stories. And then having to weave them together. Eeek.
Congratulations, Joan. I’ve pre-ordered and look forward to reading this latest jewel. 🌞
Thank you so much, Gwen!
Thanks for the shoutout, Joan! Just preordered my copy.
What exciting news! Congratulations!!
Thank you, Liz.
You’re welcome, Joan.