Tag: Travel

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Horse Powered Delivery

ellenparkerwrites

Step back to 1851 with me.

The Perch, the daily packet has arrived at the Elm Ridge, Illinois levee. Among the passengers, are Hans Hoffmann and Louisa Mueller.

Hans brings few material goods. However, Louisa brings two trunks of household items and bakery tools.

I can picture Louisa climbing up to sit beside the freight wagon driver in the journey from the levee to her cousin’s farm three miles out of town.

You will find Louisa & Hans’s journey and adventures in New Dreams. Details & purchase links —

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3vWydWE

Nook: https://bit.ly/3wR900t

Also available in print!

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Listen…Can you hear it?

ellenparkerwrites

Creak. Groan. Snap.

Close your eyes and listen. Do you hear the sails, lines, and fittings singing in the wind? Can you imagine this as the background to your two month (or more) journey across the Atlantic Ocean?

While this mast and sail is safe and quiet in a museum — the fictional Flying Gull was battered and tossed by storms — and then left to drift in the calm.

I can imagine the immigrants huddled in their quarters below, or enjoying some fresh air on deck, praying for a fair wind and relief from illness.

Eight days – one week and a day – to the official release of NEW DREAMS, a clean & wholesome romance highlighting immigrants in 1851. Pre-order from your favorite retailer now:

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3vWydWE

Nook: https://bit.ly/3wR900t

Can a woman on her own trust the man with interesting stories?

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1850’s Immigration Steps

ellenparkerwrites

First you board the sailing ship and survive sixty or more days in crowded, unpleasant conditions.

Then you board a steamboat and hope the captain does not engage in a reckless race with another boat — or you hit snags, or collide with another boat, or…

Then you set out on a smaller steamboat to arrive at any of the dozens of small towns on the Upper Mississippi River or its tributaries.

And then…the immigrant of the 1850’s arrives at their destination. Perhaps it is a town mentioned in letters back to their home in Europe. Or to join relatives already carving out a new life. Or maybe this particular town is appealing because your money has run out.

Sailing ship, steamboat, and author representing the multiple steps of mid-19th century immigration.

NEW DREAMS, a story of two of these immigrants, will be released March 22. Pre-order now:

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3vWydWE

Nook: https://bit.ly/3wR900t

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Ready for Dessert?

ellenparkerwrites

Do you end your meals with a sweet? Or are you more inclined to take an additional serving of rice or potatoes?

If you like a hint of sweetness without overwhelming your taste buds — I have just the treat for you.

The baker heroine in the upcoming NEW DREAMS enjoys making Kuchen. The bakery customers look forward to apple, cherry, plum, and the pictured apricot.

While I’m sure her creations looked a little different — please allow for changes in oven and dishes 170 years later — I expect they tasted wonderful. A portion of Kuchen would be a great finish for a hearty meal of stew and rye bread.

Save the date — March 22 — Louisa and Hans are on a journey to fictional Elm Ridge, Illinois to make dreams come true.

America beckons with opportunity during the 1850’s.

Louisa Mueller, a baker’s daughter, arrives in Elm Ridge, Illinois with determination to learn English and work as a baker. Since the death of her sweetheart a year ago, she pushes aside thoughts of marriage. However, she’s intrigued by a fellow passenger who tells the most interesting stories.

Desperate for a fresh start, a young thief takes the name Hans Hoffmann when a look-alike passenger dies during the trans-Atlantic passage. Vowing to be an honest man in America, Hans discovers temptation wears many disguises. Will the pair be rewarded as they attempt their new dreams in a strange land?

Kindle edition: https://amzn.to/3vWydWE

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The Boat’s Coming

ellenparkerwrites

Do you hear the steam whistle? Can you feel the energy?

Four weeks from tomorrow — March 22 — the steamboat The Perch will land at fictional Elm Ridge, Illinois.

Well, that’s the first day you can buy the story which includes the landing. However, the story begins months before and thousands of miles away. Oh — and in the past — 1851 to be precise.

So mark your calendars — or pre-order for your Kindle here: https://amzn.to/3vWydWE

Hans and Louisa will meet you on the page!

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Final Call

ellenparkerwrites

The Twelfth Day of Christmas is here! This is your final chance to wish family and friends MERRY CHRISTMAS — or Blessed Epiphany — until the calendar spins all the way to December again.

Okay, so some of you are not calendar people. However, I cling to the old ways. Two rooms of my home host a paper calendar on a hook (or pin in corkboard). A datebook resides in my purse. A planner is within reach at my desk. And yes — for those of you of a younger generation — many important meetings and appointments are tapped into an electronic version.

Unmarred, these calendars five years ago were ready to be placed into prominent locations.

Calendars do not go to waste in this writer’s household. Each new story — even the ones suspended due to lack of real substance — gets events plotted out. How long between the meet-cute and the next encounter? When does the villain set foot on stage? Can I center an event around a holiday? (The year has more holidays than those in December.) Oh — we’ve had a season change — how does that figure into the weather or time of sunset.

In the clean and wholesome romance, MORNING TRYST, our heroine photographer tours Missouri State Parks capturing images used in tourist brochures and other publicity materials. I like to imagine one of these items is a calendar — with several spectacular sunrises and sunsets featuring forested hills or rolling grassland.

For more information on the book, click here: https://amzn.to/35gH37S

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Desert in Bloom

ellenparkerwrites

December’s a little early. You’ll find more color in the desert in another month or two.

This pair, however, look right at home in this puzzle.

Unlike many puzzle artists, this series appears to blend photographs. I wonder how many they used. One for each bird? How many for the yellow blossoms? How many to get the cacti this straight and close together?

Have you visited the desert? Remember the sunscreen! And a hat! Check for critters before you sit on the ground. If you’re lucky, you may see a road runner darting between the clumps of vegetation.

The “Gusto Gang,” a group of women who became best friends in US Navy boot camp years ago, meet for a hiking adventure in National Parks. Sign up for my newsletter and get a free copy of the short DESERT ENCOUNTER. http://mailchi.mp/0e2c43fb8029/newsletter-plus-gift

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Table-Top Travel

ellenparkerwrites

During the last three years — I actually started a little before the COVID lock-downs — I’ve assembled dozens of jigsaw puzzles. The idea at first was to minimize the snacking during evening TV. Has it worked?

Thanks to a gift of boxes of puzzles and the local library, my coffee table usually has a puzzle in some stage of assembly. Size limits the ones I dare attempt. And at the beginning, the pieces are often two deep.

This one, done in May, reminded me of European travel.

A riot of flowers in generous beds. Windowboxes. Red roof.

Can you imagine yourself as a guest with a second-floor room. The scent in the morning is a touch of heaven.

Travel without the airport hassle and long drive. Some assembly required.

Want to travel in a sweet romance? In MORNING TRYST you get an introduction to several Missouri State Parks. Kindle: https://amzn.to/35gH37S

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From Here to There

ellenparkerwrites

I want to go from here to there. (A person points off into the distance.)

Or, perhaps more often, the statement is more like: I want to go to the store. I want to visit a friend (or relative).

Sometimes it becomes a question. How can I get from the apartment to work? Or from my home to school?

The answer to these questions depends a lot on the distance involved. And the terrain. (I once looked at the map of a retreat property and thought — oh, it will only be a short, easy walk from A to B. The diagram did not show the steep ravine or forest which required a considerable detour. Ooops!)

Very often the best way between two places is via today’s blessing, in honor of the letter “R”, ROADS.

This well-maintained roadway enables visitors to this Missouri State Park to easily travel to trailheads and viewpoints. Do you like the view? Have you visited a state or national park this year? Roads go there.

For an armchair visit to several Missouri State Parks, pick up the clean & wholesome romance MORNING TRYST. Kindle: https://amzn.to/35gH37S

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A Thankful Attitude

ellenparkerwrites

Thank you. Please. Thanks for the…

Our parents taught us (hopefully), and we taught our children (hopefully) to thank people for gifts and kindness received. It’s good manners. I’ve even heard Thank You and Please called Keys to Success.

In that spirit, I plan to be more public with my “THANKS” this November. I have selected items or people to give a little special recognition during these weeks ending in the United States holiday of Thanksgiving.

Today I give thanks to my automobile. The vehicle, and the license to drive, give me a great degree of independence. In the multiple years this particular car has served me we’ve gone many places: grocery store; restaurants; writing groups; Kansas City; Wisconsin; Delaware and Vermont and the states between home and there; Atlanta, and Kentucky. Yes, and many other places — including the Missouri State Parks I visited while researching for MORNING TRYST.

I’ve brought home plants for gardens and blinds to cover my windows. I drove an elderly woman to her medical appointments. I pulled to the shoulder of the highway when rain (and hail) obstructed my view. I took the scene route (some would claim I got lost and confused) on several occasions.

Yes, independent transportation, an automobile, is an item to be grateful for.

For more information on Morning Tryst, the clean & wholesome romance mentioned above — click here: https://amzn.to/35gH37S