OSKAR AWARD: Best Antagonist in Zina Abbott Books

Today on my "Oskar Awards" series of posts, I am featuring my best antagonists in my 2019 books. Who better to make a plot exciting and interesting than a good villain? Here are my top five choices:

Spotted Horse in Charlie's Choice:
          Spotted Horse is my heroine Meadowlark's father. He is not a villain, but he is an antagonist. He is part of the tradition Kansa (Kaw) faction that rejects any interaction and intermarriage with white Americans. He opposes Charlie Gray Cloud's request to marry Meadowlark.

Mortimer Crane in Diantha:
          Mortimer Crane is a villain. He is common to the entire Widows of Wildcat Ridge series. He is mean and self-serving, always trying to get the widows under his control.

Charley Jardine in Escape from Gold Mountain:
          Based on a real person, Charley Jardine had been in trouble with the law for years. He was a mean drunk known to attack anyone who rubbed him the wrong way when inebriated. He rustled cattle, planned the stagecoach abduction, hired Tex to do the abduction, and held Ling Loi for ransom.

Tex Wilson in Escape from Gold Mountain:
          Tex Wilson was known for cattle rustling and stagecoach robberies. Fresno County had a warrant out for his arrest. He carried out the stagecoach abduction. 

Herbert Price in Nathan's Nurse: 
          Herbert was more an antagonist than a villain with evil intent. He drank too much, was self-centered and disrespectful toward women, and resisted following rules. He caused continual trouble for his brother, Nathan.

And my choice for the best antagonist/villain is

Charley Jardine

In real life and in my book, Charley was an outlaw and a trouble-maker with complete disregard for the people around him. Although he worked as a miner, he felt no qualms about making extra money by any means--legal or illegal. He loved power and control. He had run with a rough crowd and terrorized the citizens of Lundy for years before the time this story takes place. Once the mines began to shut down there, he moved to Bodie, another rough and lawless town. In real life, between Charley (sometimes spelled Charlie) Jardine and Tex Wilson, which man took the prize for being the most lawless and violent, I don't know. However, in my book, it was Charley. I wrote it that way because local historians claimed he was the head of the gang that included Tex.

For the full book description and purchase link for Escape from Gold Mountain, 

please CLICK HERE.

If you missed the Oskar Award for Zina Abbott's best 2019 hero post, CLICK HERE. 
If you missed the Oskar Award for Zina Abbott's best 2019 heroine post, CLICK HERE. 
If you missed the Oskar Award for Zina Abbott's best 2019 secondary male character post, CLICK HERE. 
If you missed the Oskar Award for Zina Abbott's best 2019 secondary female character post, CLICK HERE. 

Valentine Countdown Blitz: The Stranger She Married

Donna Hatch is the author of the best-selling “Rogue Hearts Series,” and a winner of writing awards such as The Golden Quill and the International Digital Award. A hopeless romantic and adventurer at heart, she discovered her writing passion at the tender age of 8 and has been listening to those voices ever since. She has become a sought-after workshop presenter, and also juggles freelance editing, multiple volunteer positions, and most of all, her six children (seven, counting her husband). A native of Arizona who recently transplanted to the Pacific Northwest, she and her husband of over twenty years are living proof that there really is a happily ever after.

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When her parents and twin brother die within weeks of each other, Alicia and her younger sister are left in the hands of an uncle who has brought them all to financial and social ruin. Desperate to save her family from debtor's prison, Alicia vows to marry the first wealthy man to propose. She meets the dashing Lord Amesbury, and her heart whispers that this is the man she is destined to love, but his tainted past may forever stand in their way. Her choices in potential husbands narrow to either a scarred cripple with the heart of a poet, or a handsome rake with a deadly secret.

Cole Amesbury is tormented by his own ghosts, and believes he is beyond redemption, yet he cannot deny his attraction for the girl whose genuine goodness touches the heart he'd thought long dead. He fears the scars in his soul cut so deeply that he may never be able to offer Alicia a love that is true. When yet another bizarre mishap threatens her life, Alicia suspects the seemingly unrelated accidents that have plagued her loved ones are actually a killer's attempt to exterminate every member of her family. Despite the threat looming over her, learning to love the stranger she married may pose the greatest danger to her heart. And Cole must protect Alicia from the killer who has been exterminating her family before she is the next target.

This romantic story of loss and betrayal, forgiveness and redemption, and strangers marrying, will leave you laughing, crying, and swooning. Sprinkled liberally with suspense, mystery, and heart-melting kisses, this is not your ordinary historical tale of an arranged marriage nor of redeeming the rakes. Fans of Victorian and Regency Eras as well as those seeking clean and wholesome romance with plenty of chemistry, not to mention the redemptive power of love, will love this story!

Dance with a duke, outwit pirates, save a kingdom, and fall in love. Believe in happily ever after.

The Rogue Hearts Series:
The Stranger She Married
The Guise of a Gentleman
A Perfect Secret
The Suspect's Daughter

Praise for Donna Hatch:
“Donna Hatch is one of the masters of clean romance with electric tension and smokin’ hot kisses.” ~ Reading is My Super Power Reviews


“Written with heart and depth, Donna Hatch’s books are absolute must-reads for any fan of swoon-worthy historical romance.”  ~ Sarah M. Eden, USA Today best-selling historical romance author

Join the Cover Reveal for the 5th book in the Rogue Hearts Series

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Snippet:

     Mrs. Hancock beamed as Alicia reached her side, put an arm around Alicia, and brought her into their circle. “Miss Alicia Palmer, allow me to introduce Lord Amesbury.”
     Even more devastating up close, Lord Amesbury turned to her. His piercing blue eyes threatened the strength in her knees. Though taller than most ladies, Alicia still had to look up to meet his gaze. No other color existed in those eyes; no green or gray, only deep, dark blue, like the fathomless depths of the ocean.
     All the other men she had met lately, namely those her uncle insisted she consider for a husband, had taken careful note of her figure. But this gentleman only looked into her eyes. Very deeply.
     Lord Amesbury inclined his head. “Miss Palmer.” His resonant, bass voice touched her very soul.
     Alicia met his frank gaze and a sensation she did not quite understand stirred within her until breathing became a conscious effort. Mrs. Hancock discreetly coughed, and Alicia realized she’d been locked in eye contact with the Viscount much longer than appropriate.
     Unable to pull her eyes away, Alicia sank into a curtsey. “My lord.”
     No longer merely polite, his smile broadened, warmed, transforming an already handsome face into a perfectly stunning visage. Sensuality radiated off him, not in a manner that left her feeling threatened, but in a way that left her breathless for more. More of what, she did not know. But she wanted to find out.
     “Miss Palmer,” Lord Amesbury said, “May I have the next dance?”
     Alicia blinked. She looked back at Elizabeth who smiled encouragingly. Mrs. Hancock also smiled and nodded, but a touch of disappointment tainted her approval, reminding Alicia the dear lady had hoped her own daughter would attract the attention of the very eligible Lord Amesbury. That he’d singled out Alicia seemed a dream.
     She squelched all hope that she might hold his interest. Surely only politeness motivated him to dance with the plainest girl first. He’d soon turn his attention to the beautiful ladies.
     Finding her voice, Alicia replied, “I would be delighted, my lord.”
     As the final notes of the current dance ended and the next began, Lord Amesbury offered his arm. She took it, an unfamiliar quiver beginning in her stomach. The art of dancing, she found as the set began, had not abandoned her as completely as her wits. The handsome viscount danced with athletic grace, his attention focused upon her. The warmth of his hand seeped through their kidskin gloves. He held her gently, firmly.
     A playful glint touched his sapphire eyes. “I must warn you. Now that we’ve danced, my aunt will take it upon herself to ask you your opinion of me. She will most certainly interrogate me regarding you.”
     She met those probing eyes and her mouth curved. “Oh? Has your aunt become your self-proclaimed matchmaker?”
     A wry smile touched his lips. “Of course. I’m thirty and not yet married. She feels it her duty to ensure I produce an heir before I’m too old. Despite my efforts to delay that obligation, she persists.”
     Alicia nodded, her smile deepening at his indelicate statement. “That is a dilemma.”
     “Since you and I have only just met, it will be difficult to offer a fair assessment of your character. And if I say anything positive about you, she’ll plan the wedding.” His smile brightened, lighting up his stunning face.
     Alicia missed her step. Even while dancing with the very handsome Duke of Suttenberg two Seasons ago, such a keen attraction for a man had never overcome her as it did tonight. Yet she was nearly twenty, for heaven’s sake, not a missish schoolgirl!
     “Your aunt is a strong woman and a kind lady, my lord. I am sure you can reason with her.”
     “I suppose she possesses a good heart deep, deep down inside, but be truthful; she’s sharp-tongued and outspoken.”
     She laughed and then clapped her hand over her mouth. “My lord! She might hear you.”
     He chuckled. “Fear not. We needle each other as frequently as possible. I say worse things to her face. I enjoy watching her squirm and plot a counter- attack.”
     That reminded her of the playful banter she shared with her cousin Robert. “I don’t recall her ever mentioning you, my lord.”
     His smile turned self-deprecating. “I’m one of those relations no one mentions.”

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OSKAR AWARD: Best Secondary Female Character in Zina Abbott Books

This is day four of my "Oskar Awards" for different categories of characters in my own 2019 books. Today I am featuring the characters I consider to be my best secondary female characters in 2019:

Chases Quail in Charlie's Choice:
          Chases Quail, or She-who-chases-quail, is my heroine Meadowlark's aunt. She is known for being meddlesome and gossipy, but she looks out for the daughter of her deceased sister.  She stands up to Meadowlark's father who opposes Charlie Gray Cloud's request to marry his daughter.

Hilaina Dowd in Diantha: 
          Hilaina is actually a secondary heroine, since she played that role in the secondary romance in the novel. A chatterbox, she is a hard-working woman, fearless when standing up for what is right, a character who knows what she wants and goes after it. Once Buck returns to Wildcat Ridge, she wants him.

Drusilla Chilton in Virginia's Vocation:
          Drusilla is a middle-aged, busy-body boardinghouse owner who rules over her dining table and meddles in the lives of her boarders. Her curiosity drives her to follow Virginia and discover her secret vocation. As annoying as she can be, in the end, she helps Virginia not only succeed in her vocation, but she throws Virginia and Avery together to encourage the attraction she knows they feel toward each other.

Kate Flanagan in Two Sisters and the Christmas Groom:
          Kate signs up as a mail order bride as a means to get out of the dead-end poverty of the Irish sector in lower east Manhattan. After one potential groom chooses another woman, she submits to her sister's pleas to marry Michael, a miner in Jubilee Springs. She is also a secondary character in another of my novels, Nathan's Nurse.

Fiona Flanagan in Two Sisters and the Christmas Groom.
          The mother of both Annie and Kate, Fiona must deal with the poverty of lower east Manhattan, her husband's alcoholism, finding enough money beyond what her husband spends on his drinking to keep her family fed and educated. Although she is resigned to stay with her husband to the end, her goal is to get all of her children away from the greater New York area to a place where they can have a better life.

This was a tough decision for me. In so many respects, my secondary characters are what make my books. Chases Quail, although annoying, is admirable. "Salt of the earth" Hilaina I love. Mrs. Chilton was so effective with her meddling her character annoyed one my readers to the degree she quit reading the book and left me a terrible review. Because her choices will greatly affect others, Kate's must make some difficult decisions. Same with the character of her mother.

And my choice for my best secondary female character is:

Fiona Flanagan

          Where Kate is not staunch in her Catholic faith, Fiona is. Fiona is intent on her daughters marrying Catholic men. Although he is a less-than-admirable character, Fiona takes her marriage vows to her drunkard husband seriously. She will stay with him for better or worse, until death separates them. She struggles to find the means to educate her children so they can find work other than the poverty-level employment currently available to them, less and less however, since immigrating Italians and other minorities are competing for the same jobs. All the while, she scrambles to get her hands on enough money to keep everyone fed. She makes tough decisions to achieve her goal to help her children escape the dead-end poverty of lower east Manhattan.

To find the book description and purchase link,

please CLICK HERE.

Three reasons why Zina Abbott is skipping tomorrow for her series of "Oskar Awards" posts:

1.  It is Valentine's Day.
2.  I am featuring a guest author on my Zina Abbott Books blog on Valentine's Day.
3.  I will be gone on a day trip for Valentine's Day. My sweetheart and I are taking our box of See's Nuts and Chews and driving up to Sonora, a town that is 4-5 miles from Columbia and is a secondary locality in my latest book. It is time I peruse the Tuolumne County Historical Museum and other historical buildings in this early California gold rush community.

My Oskar Awards posts will continue on Saturday (in lieu of my Saturday Snippet) and conclude on the President's Day holiday, Monday, February 17th.

If you missed the Oskar Award for Zina Abbott's best 2019 hero post, CLICK HERE. 
If you missed the Oskar Award for Zina Abbott's best 2019 heroine post, CLICK HERE. 
If you missed the Oskar Award for Zina Abbott's best 2019 secondary male character post, CLICK HERE. 

OSKAR AWARD: Best Secondary Male in Zina Abbott Books

I am now into day 3 of my "Oskar Awards" for my 2019 books. Today, I am discussing some of my secondary characters who are male. This has been a difficult category. I could have added several more names to the list. These are the ones I chose:

Buck Kramer in Diantha:
          Buckley "Buck" Kramer is actually a secondary hero in Diantha due to there being two romances in the book. After the death of his parents, he was forced to farm himself out and ended up on the Grassy Forks Ranch. While in Wildcat Ridge for a horse auction in my first Widows of Wildcat Ridge, Nissa, he met Hilaina Dowd. In Diantha, unable to get her out of his mind. He returns to Wildcat Ridge to see if there is anything between the two of them.

Jefferson Atwell in Virginia's Vocation:
          Jefferson has been a secondary or tertiary character in all the Atwell Kin books. As Virginia's older brother and guardian prior to him moving the rest of his family to Kansas Territory, he plays a large role in Virginia's Vocation. He takes his role seriously, but ultimately comes around to supporting his sister in her vocational goals.

Ah Chin in Escape from Gold Mountain:
          Ah Chin is a tong hatchet man, one with a nasty disposition who was sent to manage the brothel and opium den in the rustic mining town of Lundy because the tong leaders in Chinatown do not want to deal with him. He hates being in Lundy, but guards his power jealously. He is particularly envious of Ling Loi's popularity and enjoys making life difficult for her. When she is returned to his brothel instead of continuing to his tong boss in Chinatown, he is enraged. In this work of "fictionalized history," he is a fictional character.

Sheriff C. F. McKinney in Escape from Gold Mountain:
          This character is based on a real person who was sheriff of Mono County at the time the stagecoach abduction happened. I believe local histories have not given him his due for his efforts to maintain law and order in raucous county towns like Lundy and Bodie. The scene of him being confronted by Tex Wilson's attorney and challenged to a fight is based on a real incident. I portrayed him as a proud member of law enforcement dedicated to his job in spite of the difficulties that arose, because I believe that is what he was in real life.

Charlie Brewster in Nathan's Nurse:
          Charlie is a middle-aged miner who lives in the single miners' boarding house and enjoys harassing those miners who are corresponding with potential brides. I first wrote about him in Cat's Meow, an earlier Sweethearts of Jubilee Springs book. In Nathan's Nurse, due her stationary smelling of "high-quality tobaccy," Charlie is convinced Dahlia smokes a pipe. 

And, my choice is for best secondary male character is...

Buck Kramer

Although the word was not used--it probably was not known at the time--Buck feels he is stupid because he has dyslexia and is unable to read or write. In reality, he is talented in construction. At the Grassy Fork Ranch, he worked mostly around the ranch buildings and as a wrangler since he was not the greatest at handling cattle. In Wildcat Ridge, he his hard-working as he hauls coal, wood, cargo, and does handyman work. He is dedicated to building a life so he can one day marry and provide for Hilaina. He comes into his own in this book.

For the full book description and purchase link,

please CLICK HERE.

If you missed the Oskar Award for Zina Abbott's best 2019 hero post, CLICK HERE. 
If you missed the Oskar Award for Zina Abbott's best 2019 heroine post, CLICK HERE. 

OSKAR AWARD: Best Heroine in Zina Abbott Books

Following yesterday's "Oskar Awards" for my best heroes for my 2019 novels, today I am featuring five heroines in my books that I think are my best characters in that role:

Diantha Ames in Diantha:
          A sweet Southern lady widowed when her husband was killed in the same mine disaster that took the lives of most of the men in Wildcat Ridge, she is fortunate that she still has her husband's hotel and postmaster position for financial support. Her sorrow has been that she was never able to have children, a condition her husband suggested was due to so many intermarriages among cousins over the years. Even though she is one of the few in town who own her own property, that does not stop Mortimer Crane, the owner of the mine and most of the buildings, from trying to get a hold on her. She must learn to ward him off and stand up for herself.

Virginia Atwell in Virginia's Vocation:
          A woman ahead of her times in 1858 Missouri, Virginia secretly writes for a political magazine of her time. An orphan, when her brother decides to move his family to Kansas Territory, she defies tradition and chooses a different path that will lead to greater education. She faces a crisis when her editor calls her into his office and discovered that his star writer is a woman.

Ling Loi in Escape from Gold Mountain:
          Sold by her brother in Canton, Ling Loi comes to the United States believing that she will marry a well-do-do Chinatown merchant. Instead, she is sold to a tong that specializes in brothels where she becomes "wife to one hundred men." Originally sent to the gold mining town of Lundy by her owner, he calls for her and her earnings to be returned to Chinatown. Only, barely outside Lundy, she is abducted off of the stagecoach and held for ransom for eight days.

Annie Flanagan in Two Sisters and the Christmas Groom:
          Annie was first introduced in an earlier Sweethearts of Jubilee Springs book. It is through the request of the heroine of that book that she is requested to come to town to work as a maid. Freed from the oppression of New York's elite society, she comes into her own as a spunky woman who goes after what she believes is right. Desperate for Michael O'Hare, one of two men to whom her sister, Kate, is writing, to ask her sister to be his wife, she befriends him to encourage him toward her sister. She also encourages her sister to choose to marry Michael so they can live in the same town.         

Dahlia Greenleaf in Nathan's Nurse:
          Dahlia fills the traditional role of the youngest daughter who stays home to nurse her father still suffering from his wounds from the Civil War. Once her father passes, she knows she needs to leave the home that now belongs to her brother. She chooses to marry Nathan, only to learn he has been injured in a mining accident and is in a coma. Unsure of what the future holds for the two of them, she makes the commitment to nurse him through his difficulties.

And my choice for best heroine is... 

Ling Loi

          This was a tough decision. I liked all my heroines, particularly Virginia and Dahlia. Diantha was in two of my books and so easy for me to feel close to. I also loved my Irish-American sisters, Annie and Kate Flanagan.

          For the character of Ling Loi, I did more research for her than I have for any other character I have developed to date. I did my best to portray accurately for the time the history of Chinese women brought to America. Her story depicted the life so many Cantonese Chinese women faced when they were brought to any port in America, but particularly San Francisco. In China, many were sold to "snake heads" who put them on ships, many were tricked into believing they were going to husbands, and many were abducted. Because there were so many more Chinese men than women in America (Gold Mountain), all but a fortunate few were bought as slaves and forced into prostitution. Most of their lives did not end well.

         Ling Loi's character is based on a real person. The stagecoach abduction and being held for ransom for eight days actually took place. Unfortunately, to give her a happily ever after ending, I created a fictional hero for her.

For the full book description and purchase link, 

please CLICK HERE.

If you missed the Oskar Award for Zina Abbott's best hero post, CLICK HERE.

OSKAR AWARD: Best Hero in Zina Abbott Books

Last night was the big Oscar Awards ceremony to honor the best-of-the-best in movies released in 2019. I decided to review my books written in 2019 and hold my own "Oskar Awards" ceremony to honor those characters I feel offered the best impact in the roles they filled in their story, and what I consider to be my best novel of the year. 

From the six books I published last year, here are my nominations for my best hero:

Charlie Gray Cloud in Charlie's Choice:
          I wrote this as the prequel to my Atwell Kin series. So far, the other books in this series are also part of Sweet Americana Sweethearts multi-author series books. Charlie is half-white American and known as Charles Jones in his fathers' world. He is also half-Kansa (Kaw) with a childhood name of Gray Squirrel in his mother's world. He plays a secondary or tertiary role in each of the Atwell Kin books. This book tells Charlie's story. He must choose which world he will align himself with as well as where he will seek romance.

Hank Cauley in Diantha:
          Hank, after failing at his first business attempt in Salt Lake City, accepts a part-time postmaster position in a remote Utah mining town. He learns he has displaced a widow who operates the post office out of the hotel she has inherited. He persuades her to allow him to rent a vacant room in the hotel for the post office and his stationary and book shop--his second attempt at the business of his heart. Temperamental and outspoken, he is perfect for helping sweet Diantha deal with the scoundrel, Mortimer Crane.

Avery Wilson in Virginia's Vocation:
          A quiet professor who aspires to be published in the political magazines of his day, once he discovers the identity of his greatest competition, he must make a decision to advance himself or assist Virginia succeed in her assignment.

Luke McDaniels in Escape from Gold Mountain: 
          A young man seeking to flee family conflict, Luke finds himself in eastern California's Mono County hoping to find work. He gets mixed up with a couple of scoundrels and ends up being caught up in an abduction of a Chinese woman. As he works to free her from her captors, he begins to find himself and what he wants from life.

Michael O'Hare in Two Sisters and the Christmas Groom:
           A miner in line for a company house once he marries, Michael comes to know two sisters--one his mail order bride, and one who had come to work for the daughter of her former employer.

And my choice for best hero is...

Charlie Gray Cloud

          Charlie is a conflicted character who, as a young man, finds the complex problems he had dealt with all his life lead to his moment of truth. He faces discrimination by both white Americans and some Kansa (Kaw) who resist interaction and intermarriage with whites. Even in his choice of possible mates, he runs up against rejections by the fathers, one Irish-American and one Kansa. 

          His father married his Kansa mother according to "Indian tradition" which was recognized at the time. However, by the time Charlie is a young man, Kansas Territory is subject to American laws which regards him as illegitimate because it does not consider his parents' marriage valid. He learns he is unable to inherit his father's trading post. 

          A child of two nations, Charlie must decide his future based on where he thinks he will fit best. 

For the full book description and purchase link, 

please CLICK HERE.

(For the month of February, Charlie's Choice is reduced to $.99.)

 

Saturday Snippet: Are You Mocking Me?

The following snippet is taken from 

Kendrick 

Book 9 in the series,

Bachelors & Babies

 

            Kendrick offered what he hoped came across as a reassuring and agreeable smile. “Mrs. Thompson, I can assure you, I have no plans to marry. I’ve been content as a single man…”

            “Of course, you’re content.” Dorcas gestured in the direction of Madeline, who now sat up and, an expression of bewilderment on her face, looked about her. “It’s obvious how you have kept yourself content, Mr. Denham. However, I will not allow you to ruin my sister’s reputation. She comes from good stock, and deserves a husband who is responsible and conducts himself beyond reproach.”

            Conducts himself beyond reproach? Kendrick clamped his teeth together to keep from blurting out that he, along with many of the established men in town, knew Simon Thompson did not always stay away from home until late at night due to the demands of his job as a supervisor on the aqueduct project. He was known to keep company with a dark-haired French prostitute who had a place set up on Yankee Hill road. “Ma’am, believe me or not, as I know you will, but I did not father this child. For what reason I don’t know, the mother chose to name me as this baby’s father. I haven’t had enough time to figure out what I will do with her, but I will see she is well cared for.”

            “It’s the least you can do. Just make sure you do not ruin my sister’s reputation by pursuing her. She can do better than to marry a man who flaunts his indiscretions.”

            Kendrick huffed. Forget about trying to be agreeable with this woman. Like a dramatic scene in a vaudeville act at a show he once attended, Kendrick slapped the palm of his hand to his chest and swayed sideways. “Madame, you wound me. To consider the loss to me--oh, to be denied the pleasure of a familial connection with you, causes me great distress.”

            Dorcas narrowed her eyes as she studied Kendrick’s face. “Are you mocking me?”

           Yes. “No, ma’am, I wouldn’t dream of it. I will assure you of one thing. I will make no attempt to seek out and ruin your sister when she arrives.”

            If she is anything like you, I don’t want to come within a hundred miles of her.

PLEASE CLICK HERE for the book description and purchase link.

Here are a couple of specials for you. Click on the images to see the available books.

Sweet Historical KU Reads

Reduced prices and also available on Kindle Unlimited for the month of February only

 

New Historical Romances_ Sampler Giveaway

Sample before you buy these new books published in 2020