Dear Reader,
I cannot express how honored I am that you decided to pick my book, "A Dream In The Wilderness" (Book One in The Wilderness Saga) out of the millions of historical romances out there. It sometimes seems that everybody and their brother are writing books these days, and yet you chose mine. There are even AI books arriving on the market as we speak, and I have to warn you. Be careful. As an experiment, I plugged an idea into an AI program one day just to see what it would spit out, and it was atrocious. (Thank God!) It takes a human to write about humans. To express the emotion; the love, the hate, the jealousy, the envy, the complacency. AI can capture none of that, because it is not human.
I began writing over 40 years ago, when I was 22. (And, yes, I'm disclosing my age.) It all started during a phone call with my mom. I was, is, and always will be a doodler and, among all the curly cues, smiley faces, and thingamabobs that appeared on the paper in front of me there mysteriously emerged this line. One sentence. I read it to my mom, and her response was, "Man, that would make a great first line for a book." I still remember it today: "Jenny McCall awoke with a scream on her lips." That was it. I was hooked.
My favorite author at the time was Kathleen Woodiwiss. She wrote steamy historical romances. And I mean STEAMY. So, naturally, that's where I began my career as well. Thirty years and eleven novels later, frankly I started to get tired of writing basically the same old story over and over again, just in a different locale with different plot twists and different characters. So, I tried my hand at several other genres, including science fiction, mystery, thriller, and even a political novel. I enjoyed writing every one of them, but I had still not found my niche; that one book that would break through and actually get noticed--until "The Promise."
The idea for "The Promise" actually came from my sister. She helped me plan the basic plot, which took place during the 1930's and the Dust Bowl era--and then she passed away. I had about half of the book written by then, and just couldn't make myself pick it up again. It was HER book, not mine. Then one day, I realized I needed to finish it FOR her. "The Promise" was released in early 2024 and has sold over 20,000 copies to date. I cannot help but think that Sue is sitting up in Heaven right now nudging people to buy her book. After all, the most copies I'd sold of any one book before that was around 1000. What would you think?
Anyway, to make an already long letter a little shorter, I had discovered my niche. "The Promise" is basically a "sweet" romance (although it does have one steamy romance scene because, when polled, readers told me that's what they wanted and like a dummy, I listened.) They also wanted a sequel. So, I did a sequel AND a prequel. (I'm an author. What can I say?) Both of those are totally absent of graphic love scenes and contain only mild profanity. What a refreshing concept! To actually just tell your characters' story, throw in a lot of history, some humor, heartache, suspense, and sometimes greed (gotta have greed for a good book) and, for me anyway, it was the magic potion that worked. Every book in THE WILDERNESS SAGA, which is now four books strong, has those components. What they don't have is a lot of unnecessary sex and profanity that I finally realized just turns the majority of readers off.
So, if you're looking for a good, family-oriented, history-packed series set in the wilderness that was Superior, Wisconsin in the 1840s and will probably run close to 20 books before I'm done, check out THE WILDERNESS SAGA exclusively on Amazon. You won't be sorry you did. Oh, and if you do happen to enjoy those "steamy" romances also, check out my other books at www.jeanhackensmith.com.
Thanks, and happy reading!
Sincerely,
Jean Hackensmith
I have been writing since the age of twenty. (That’s 47 years and, yes, I’m disclosing my age.) I am the proud mother of three and grandmother to four wonderful grandchildren. After losing who I thought was the love of my life, my late husband Ron, in November of 2011, I met Rick. So, it is definitely possible to have more than one “love of your life.” Rick and I were married in July of 2018 and are still going strong today. He is my soulmate, my confidant, and my biggest fan. He has read every book I have ever written (even the romances!)
Next to writing, my second passion is live theater. I founded a local community theater group back in 1992 and directed upwards of 40 shows, including three that I authored. I also appeared on stage a few times, portraying Anna in The King and I and Miss Hannigan in Annie. I am sad to say that the theater group dropped its final curtain in 2008, but those 16 years will always hold some of my fondest memories.
I moved from Superior 15 years ago, seeking the serenity of country living. I also wanted to get away from the natural air conditioning provided by Lake Superior. We moved only 50 miles south, but the temperature can vary by 20-30 degrees. I guess I’m a country girl at heart. I simply love this area, and am lucky to, once again, have someone to share its beauty. I love the solitude, the picturesque beauty of the sun rising over the water, the strangely calming effect of watching a deer graze outside your kitchen window. Never again, will I live in the city. I am an author, after all, and what better place to be inspired than in God’s own backyard.
Let’s Connect!
Website: https://www.jeanhackensmith.com.
Unable
to find a teaching position in the flooded job market that is New York
City, twenty-one-year-old Sarah Bentley accepts the position of nanny to
Caleb Wachsmann’s three children after the farmer’s wife, parents, and
infant son die in the Cholera epidemic of 1834. The twist? The job is in
Superior, Wisconsin in the Michigan Territory, an unsettled wilderness
located on the northwestern tip of Lake Superior.
Caleb is not looking for love; his heart will always belong to his beloved Annie. What he does need
is a woman to watch after the children while he toils in the fields
making a living for his family. Sarah turns out to be that woman. She
raises his children with a gentle and loving hand and also helps Caleb
to overcome an unbearable loss. As Wisconsin vies for statehood, the
young couple will face challenge after challenge as they struggle to
tame a wilderness that really doesn’t want to be tamed at all.
A Dream in the Wilderness is available at https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Wilderness-Saga-Book-ebook/dp/B0DJS19HMH.
Thank you so much for hosting me today. It is an honor. Jean
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