Today I bring to you an intriguing story with a bit of the paranormal thrown in. Keep reading to get a taste of Moria's Time by Dayna Leigh Cheser. You can learn even more about this book by visiting the other blogs hosting this tour. Before leaving make sure to fill out the form below for your chance to win a copy of this book or a $25 BN GC!
Janelle and her husband, Richard, are both concerned about the vision. They decide to do all they can to prepare their precious little girl for what likely lies ahead for her. It’s a future charged with risk the likes of which, for the unprepared and ordinary person, could spell certain doom.
So begins Moria’s Time—Book 2 of the TIME Series.........
At six-years old, Moria starts to learn about her heritage. Like her mother, Moria is a MacKendall. The women of this Scots clan have unusual powers including, among many other skills, natural medicine—which Janelle soon discovers is Moria’s special and strongest gift. Richard agrees with Janelle that she should train Moria, focusing on, and nurturing, her rare strengths in preparing for her future. By the time she’s a teen, Moria is a talented natural healer.
At fourteen, Moria meets Elizabeth Blackwell who befriends and mentors Moria, guiding her through the long and arduous journey to her goal of becoming a doctor.
Later, while visiting family in England, Moria meets Florence Nightingale—who will figure significantly in her life in the future. The family also meets Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
Later, Miss Nightingale summons Moria to London, where she works at a charity hospital and meets Dr. Simon Hensley.
Moria becomes one of the first 38 nurses bound for Scutari, Turkey with Miss Nightingale. Dr. Hensley, in love with Moria, follows her, much to her chagrin, but she’s skittish—about men, relationships,anything and anyone that might distract her from the challenge of being a woman daring to want a career in the male-dominated field of medicine—and, so … she rebuffs him.
At home for a visit, Moria is overjoyed to reconnect with her twin sister, Adelle, and meets her beau, Walter. He and Adelle convince Moria that Dr. Hensley isn’t the enemy. He may well be the one to protect her from the men she fears. Back in Turkey, Moria and Dr. Hensley work things out.
Simon and Moria return to London after the war. At Devonwood, the Grayson family estate, Moria’sGrandmother convinces Moria can marry Simon and not endanger her future. Simon proposes; Moriaaccepts. The twins plan a double wedding.
After the wedding, Simon and Moria visit medical schools for interviews. Moria is turned away from school after school, simply because she’s woman. Finally, a school in Pennsylvania accepts Moria who graduates at the top of her class.
Does Moria have the right to impose what her needs on Simon? How long will Simon put his life on hold while she pursues hers? Do they really want to open a practice? As doctors, is a practice all that’s available to them? There are so many questions, and too few answers.
EXCERPT:
Adelle is Moria's twin sister, but the two girls couldn't be less alike. Adelle is self-centered, self-absorbed and not caring about anyone else except herself. She has to be the center of attention, no matter what.
But, things start to change after the trip to New York for Moria to meet Elizabeth Blackwell, and Damian Gerard to meet Frederick Douglass. Adelle had wrangled an invitation to go because she wasn't going to be stuck at home if there was shopping to be done.
Moria knew at a young age what she wanted from life. Adelle did too, but the only person it made any sense to was ... Adelle.
After the trip to New York, Janelle raided Adelle's closet and removed most of her clothes, outfits she'd designed herself and had made without Janelle's knowledge or consent.
Editor’s Note: Adelle House is the Grayson family London town home - an estate in Mayfair, not far from Buckingham Palace, that Richard's grandfather had redecorated to resemble an North African villa.
********************
Moria pushed the door open and looked around. Except for the small pile of garments at Adelle’s feet, everything seemed to be in order.
“Let me help you put these away.” She moved the pile of clothes from the floor to the bed. When she opened the wardrobe and found it empty except for some footwear, she was surprised, but didn’t let on. She hung up the skirts, blouses, and day gowns. “What happened?”
“As you can see, Mother took most of my clothes and told me I’ll be doing volunteer work at the orphanage while you’re studying with your tutor.”
“I’m sorry she took your clothes, but the working at the orphanage should be fun.”
“Fun? What if they assign me to the kitchen, or to some cleaning crew?”
“So?”
Exasperated, Adelle tried to explain. “You don’t understand. I can’t let my hands look like Mother’s. She helps in the kitchen and with the cleaning sometimes … only sometimes … and her hands ….”
“You’re right. I don’t understand. Mother’s hands aren’t bad looking. She takes good care of her skin, as do you and I. Why do you need to further protect your hands?
“Like you, I have plans.”
“Your plans include your hands?” Moria was getting more confused by the minute.
“One day, I’ll live in England, and I’ll find a wealthy duke to marry.”
Moria closed her eyes and shook her head. “What?”
“If my hands look like I do menial work, I won’t catch the man of my dreams.”
“Back up a bit and tell me about this wealthy duke.”
“I haven’t met him yet, but when I live in England … at Adelle House … I will.”
It was Moria’s turn to be exasperated. “You’re an American citizen, a farmer’s daughter. The chances of you meeting, never mind marrying, a duke are slim, at best, even if you live at Adelle House.”
“If my hands—and the rest of me—are perfect I will. I know, at some time in the future, the door will open. I don’t know when, but it will happen.” She pasted a smug look on her face. There was no doubt in her mind she’d have her duke.
Moria sighed.
BUY LINKS: AMAZON | BN | KOBO
My mother, a non-fiction author, two brothers—one as a newspaper editor, the other, a copywriter—and a sister, a church newsletter editor, prove that clearly, writing ‘runs in my family’. Much of what I’ve written over the years was never published – much of it never shared with anyone.
My father, a school teacher/reading specialist, started teaching me to read after story-time one night when I was four years old. I’d stopped him mid-story to ask how he was able to say the same thing every time he read that story to me. My lessons started that night, beginning a life-long love affair with books—and for that, I am grateful.
The short stories I wrote in junior high school entertained my peers – and the occasional teacher who intercepted them in their travels. At the high school level, one English class assignment was to write an autobiography. In the teacher-specified chapter entitled ‘Future Plans’, being a published writer topped the list. I can’t remember not wanting to write.
After a college professor told me I ‘couldn’t write my way out of a paper bag,’ I stopped writing for years. It was not until the late 1970s, when I wrote an article for the now-defunct World Radio News (San Diego, CA), that my writing gene was reactivated. The article was about our amateur radio clubproviding communications for a March of Dimes Walk-a-thon. Seven of the twenty pictures my husband submitted with my article were used.
In early 2002, between jobs and wanting to write seriously, I obtained a third-shift position as a gated-community security officer and used the ‘free time’ to write what became Janelle’s Time. When the draft was complete, it went on the shelf. At that time, the industry was shifting from the Post Office to the internet – a very confusing time! In 2009, when I started my Twitter page, @Writers_Cafe, the WIP came off the shelf. What I’ve learned from my (now) 19,000 followers is prodigious – I feel like I’ve earned a degree! By August 2011, it was ready—at last—for submission.
@RileyCarney, a Colorado teen, and prolific YA fantasy author, who heads her own non-profit literacy project moved me to write an article about her. Never officially published, countless people have seen the article, thanks to Twitter retweets and some carefully chosen email inboxes.
On New Year’s Day, 2010, my shiny new blog, A Place for Writers, went ‘live.’ It evolved into a combination chronicle of my writing journey and helpful posts on publishing industry topics.
In the fall of 2011, I added ‘DIY Interviews’ to my blog (see the ‘DIY Interviews’ tab of my website for details on doing an interview). Not a primary task in the overall scheme of things, over fifty authors have submitted interviews to date.
Janelle’s Time is book one of my ‘TIME Series’ and was published in July of 2012. Book two, Moria’sTime, was my winning NaNoWriMo project for 2011. It’s now complete and will be released in August 2013. There are three more books in the series: Adelle’s Time (my winning 2012 NaNo project), Logan’s Time, and Clarissa’s Time (my 2013 NaNo project for 2013).
In September of 2012, I switched from my blog A Place for Writers, and went to a full website: www.DaynaLCheser.com. With thirty+ pages, my new blog, ‘Posts by Dayna,’ is there now, along with ‘DIY Interviews,’ and extensive information about the ‘TIME Series.’
My husband, Pete, and I have been married for forty-five years—no children—and have lived in Southwest Florida for over twenty years, originally hailing from New England.
E-mail: Dayna@DaynaLCheser.
Website: http://DaynaLCheser.
Blog: http://DaynaLCheser.
TIME Series info: http://DaynaLCheser.
FB Fan Page: https://www.facebook.
Twitter: https://www.twitter.
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/
Amazon Author Page: http://Amazon.com/
In early 2002, between jobs and wanting to write seriously, I obtained a third-shift position as a gated-community security officer and used the ‘free time’ to write what became Janelle’s Time. When the draft was complete, it went on the shelf. At that time, the industry was shifting from the Post Office to the internet – a very confusing time! In 2009, when I started my Twitter page, @Writers_Cafe, the WIP came off the shelf. What I’ve learned from my (now) 19,000 followers is prodigious – I feel like I’ve earned a degree! By August 2011, it was ready—at last—for submission.
@RileyCarney, a Colorado teen, and prolific YA fantasy author, who heads her own non-profit literacy project moved me to write an article about her. Never officially published, countless people have seen the article, thanks to Twitter retweets and some carefully chosen email inboxes.
On New Year’s Day, 2010, my shiny new blog, A Place for Writers, went ‘live.’ It evolved into a combination chronicle of my writing journey and helpful posts on publishing industry topics.
In the fall of 2011, I added ‘DIY Interviews’ to my blog (see the ‘DIY Interviews’ tab of my website for details on doing an interview). Not a primary task in the overall scheme of things, over fifty authors have submitted interviews to date.
Janelle’s Time is book one of my ‘TIME Series’ and was published in July of 2012. Book two, Moria’sTime, was my winning NaNoWriMo project for 2011. It’s now complete and will be released in August 2013. There are three more books in the series: Adelle’s Time (my winning 2012 NaNo project), Logan’s Time, and Clarissa’s Time (my 2013 NaNo project for 2013).
In September of 2012, I switched from my blog A Place for Writers, and went to a full website: www.DaynaLCheser.com. With thirty+ pages, my new blog, ‘Posts by Dayna,’ is there now, along with ‘DIY Interviews,’ and extensive information about the ‘TIME Series.’
My husband, Pete, and I have been married for forty-five years—no children—and have lived in Southwest Florida for over twenty years, originally hailing from New England.
E-mail: Dayna@DaynaLCheser.
Website: http://DaynaLCheser.
Blog: http://DaynaLCheser.
TIME Series info: http://DaynaLCheser.
FB Fan Page: https://www.facebook.
Twitter: https://www.twitter.
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/
Amazon Author Page: http://Amazon.com/
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Hello WoW, The Scarf Princess,
ReplyDeleteI'd like to thank you so much for hosting Moria's Time and me on your blog. As a blogger myself, I know the work involved in doing a 'regular' post, never mind a vbt post.
Thanks again and have a great day,
Dayna Leigh Cheser