What do you really know about the Oregon Trail?
I remember always wanting to play "Oregon Trail" on my aunt's computer when I went to her house. She had one of the first home computers that I knew of anyone having. It was a Commodore 64. That's where my education of the Oregon Trail came from. Here's a fun way of learning more!
Trials
on the Trail
One fortunate winner will receive:
Trials
on the Trail
Melanie
Dobson’s latest release takes readers on
an unforgettable journey of trials and
triumph.
Many
events in our country’s history have shaped us into the nation we are
today—countless stories of brave men and women giving up the lives they knew in
hopes of making better ones for their families. Sometimes they lost everything
they owned to build this nation, but in the midst of their losses, many of them
discovered faith and love. Life was especially difficult along the Oregon
Trail, as depicted in Where the Trail Ends by Melanie Dobson
(Summerside Press/October 2012/ISBN:
978-1-60936-686-5/$12.99), one of two debut releases in Summerside Press’ new American Tapestries™
line of historical romance novels.
It’s 1842, and for 2,000
miles along the trail to Oregon Country, eighteen-year-old Samantha Waldron and
her family have faced tremendous challenges to reach the Willamette Valley
before winter. They have weathered autumn storms, hunger, thirst and the
dangers of a wild and unfamiliar country. After the loss of first their mother
and then their father along the trail, Samantha and her younger brother, Micah,
are rescued from the mighty Columbia River by British exporter Alexander Clarke.
Once the three of
them arrive at Fort Vancouver, Samantha is overwhelmed with men vying for her
affections; after all, few women made the journey, especially unmarried ones.
However, the only man who intrigues her, Alex, is already promised to another.
When his betrothed arrives unexpectedly from England to escort him home,
Samantha becomes determined to create a home for herself and Micah in the
fertile valley far away from the fort. But how will an unmarried woman support
herself and her brother in the wilderness alone? When Micah disappears into the
wilderness one rainy night, Samantha must rely on the man she has fallen in
love with—the man she’s trying desperately to forget—to rescue her brother again
before it’s too late.
Where the Trail Ends is
the one of two releases launching in Summerside’s new American Tapestries™
series this fall. Each novel in this line sets a heart-stirring love story
against the backdrop of an epic moment in American history. Whether they fought
in her battles, built her cities or forged paths to new territories, a diverse
tapestry of men and women shaped this great nation into the Land of
Opportunity. Even then, as is true now, the search for romance was a major part
of the American Dream.
Melanie Dobson’s writing
has allowed her to travel to and explore many locales around the country, but
she was excited that Where
the Trail Ends allowed her to stick closer to home. “Our family moved to
Oregon six years ago, and I’ve been intrigued by the unique history of this
state ever since,” explains Dobson. “Writing this novel gave me the wonderful
opportunity to delve into the history of my new home state and learn about the
strength and determination of the first Oregonians.”
Dobson has always
had a love for reading about history but admits she was much fonder of the
stories than the timelines. She often has to force herself to stop the research
process in order to start writing, and she loves learning new facts along the
way. “I’ve always been fascinated by how these emigrants could survive six
months on supplies from a wagon, so almost every detail of the research
captivated me. While I once thought that pioneers rode their wagons west, I
discovered that almost everyone walked the entire two thousand miles from
Missouri.”
Through her
stories, Dobson enjoys sharing with her readers what she’s learned along the
way and bringing to life the stories of what might have happened in a time gone
by. In each of her books, she includes an “Author’s Note” to give readers an
added bonus of more background behind the history of the story and pointers on
where to go to learn even more.
However, by the time readers reach the end of
the book, she hopes they have experienced an entertaining glimpse into our
nation’s history as well as a reminder of how God cares for those who put their
trust in Him. “Where the
Trail Ends
is about God’s faithfulness and protection and also about crossing over into
what The Pilgrim’s Progress calls the
‘Celestial City.’ I pray God will use this story about a harrowing physical
journey to encourage people wherever they are on their own journey.”
Advance Praise
"A
lovely, well-paced novel with enchanting characters and surprising plot twists.
This is not your typical Oregon Trail story—there is more love than loss and
more hope than grief on this wagon train west. Melanie Dobson gives her readers
the delight of what happens after people arrived in the Oregon territory, with
the assurance that the end of the trail is really not the end after
all."
~ Jane Kirkpatrick, bestselling author of All Together in One
Place
“More
a historical tale with a romantic subplot, this book will have readers feeling
like they are a part of the harrowing wagon train heading west on an exciting,
amazing journey that they won’t want to end. Dobson’s characters face a variety
of threats as they seek better lives.”
~ Romantic Times Book Review
About the Author
Melanie Dobson has written eleven
contemporary and historical novels, including five
books for Summerside’s Love Finds You series and one of two debut releases in the new American Tapestries™
line. In 2011, two of her releases won Carol Awards: Love
Finds You in Homestead, Iowa (for historical romance) and The Silent Order (for romantic suspense).
Not only does Dobson enjoy writing
historical fiction, she enjoys the research process that comes along with it. Because
Melanie visits each location she writes about, she’s been able to spend time in
the beautiful and fascinating towns across the country that bring her stories
to life.
Melanie received her undergraduate
degree in journalism from Liberty University and her master's degree in
communication from Regent University. Prior to her writing career, Melanie was
the corporate publicity manager at Focus on the Family and a publicist for The
Family Channel. She later launched her own public relations company and worked
in the fields of publicity and journalism for more than fifteen years.
She met her husband, Jon, in Colorado
Springs, but since they've been married, the Dobsons have relocated numerous
times including stints in Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Colorado, Berlin
and southern California. Along with their two daughters, Karly and Kiki, they
now enjoy their home in the Pacific Northwest. The entire Dobson family loves
to travel and hike in both the mountains and along the cliffs above the
Pacific.
When Melanie isn't writing or playing
with her family, she enjoys exploring ghost towns and dusty back roads, line
dancing, and reading inspirational fiction.
Readers
can keep up with Melanie Dobson by visiting www.melaniedobson.com or becoming a fan on Facebook.
You could win a Kindle Fire!
One fortunate winner will receive:
- A Kindle Fire
- Where the Trail Ends by Melanie Dobson
- Queen of the Waves by Janice Thompson
So grab your copy of Queen of the Waves and Where the Trail Ends and join Janice Thompson and Melanie Dobson on the evening of the October 18th for a chance to connect with the authors and make some new friends. (If you haven’t read the books – don’t let that stop you from coming!)
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