Divine Desserts Publishing LLC

The Blacksmith’s Bride & Summertime

I hope all of you have been enjoying yourselves!

Train Porters

I wanted to update you on my current work-in-progress, The Blacksmith’s Bride!

As I mentioned last week, I have a train ride that occurs in 1867 from New York City to Philadelphia. I also shared information about porter’s uniforms in my previous newsletter. I found other information about this profession. Porters only served the white passengers. The African-American passengers had to load their own baggage – this rule even applied to handicapped and elderly passengers. I’m assuming if there were persons of color needing assistance with their luggage – then other black passengers may have assisted.

Smoking

In The Blacksmith’s Bride I have a secondary character who is a juvenile delinquent. When he’s first introduced in the story – you will see him chewing tobacco. I paused when I wrote the scene – realizing that I didn’t know much about chewing tobacco! Historicals are a lot of work because so many things need research! It’s fun but adds extra time to craft a realistic story.

Back in the 1800s boys as young as 10 or 12 often smoked. If the boy was part of a trade such as blacksmithing they may have picked up the habit early. Schools and well-to-do households may have discouraged such behavior, but it was not shocking to see. These boys might smoke/chew cigars, pipe tobacco or chewing tobacco. Although cigarettes existed during the timeframe of my novel – they were not very common. Cigarettes didn’t become popular until the late 1800s.

Another fact that I discovered – back then, smoking was often accepted as a stepping-stone to becoming a man. The tobacco came in different forms, it could be loose (like tea), plug (you’d bite it off of a block), or twisted like a rope. The container might look something like this:

The tobacco might have looked like this inside the tin:

Want to know more about The Blacksmith’s Bride? Pre-order today and tell a friend!

Have you ever known anybody who chewed tobacco as a child? When I was growing up, I had a friend. Her brother was only ten and he chewed tobacco. My friend usually came to my house to play. When I went to her house for the first time I saw wads of brown stuff nestled in their yard. I asked what that was on the ground. (I wanted to be careful to avoid stepping on it!) She said that it was her brother’s chewing tobacco. I was surprised since I’d never known anyone to consume nicotine at such a young age!

Summer is Coming!

Want a nice emotional treat during the summer? Check out my Candy Beach Series! These are heartwarming delicious novels and novellas that you can read all summer! All are beach themed! Perfect for reading during your summer vacation!

Want an extra treat? Check out my Christmas Holiday Romance Book Bundle. Continental US only! These are paperback books that make great gifts for yourself and your friends and family!

I’m sure you’ll enjoy these wonderful stories as much as I enjoyed writing them!

Do you have any cool summer plans? If so, I’d love to hear about them!

Speaking of summer, I’ve finally finished my planting! Here’s a few pics. Also a pic of me after my planting!

As stated earlier, I’m still writing The Blacksmith’s Bride – a historical novel set a few years after the Civil War. The Blacksmith’s Bride is the third book in the Romance Bride Series.

I’m enjoying writing The Blacksmith’s Bride as each character goes through an emotional journey of change and faith. Pre-order a copy for yourself and a friend!

Writing Services

As a reminder, I offer writing-related services. I work with writers who may need help with their fiction. Interested in working with me? Details here.

Events

I currently have one in-person event – scheduled for June 28th. More information here.

Our Country!

Remember to keep our country in prayer as all/some of these changes take place! At times, transitions do not run smoothly! Also, remember to pray for all that are suffering in our nation! Be sure to check on your friends and loved ones to be sure they are okay!

Enjoy your day!