Whistlestop Book Review: "The Dawn of a Dream" by Ann Shorey

After betrayal ruins her reputation, Luellen O'Connell revives a dream she discarded, the opportunity to earn a teacher's certificate. Financial difficulties, family opposition, sickness and even prospects of romance challenge her determination to finish her schooling. As each crisis comes, Luellen draws upon a reserve of strength instilled in her by a wholesome upbringing. 

Can anything make her surrender her dream?

The Dawn of a Dream is a gentle story of courage in a time gone by. With fine historic detail, Ann Shorey weaves a vivid tapestry of mid-19th-Century life in America. This novel is written in an excellent style, well-plotted, and provides intimate glimpses into the lives of its characters. I highly recommend The Dawn of a Dream by Ann Shorey to readers who enjoy historical fiction and historical romance set in America.

  

©2011 Janalyn Voigt, author of novel books

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My thanks to the publisher and author for a complimentary copy of this book, provided for purposes of reveiw.

Janalyn Voigt is an Amazon Associate and benefits when products are purchased on Amazon through links from Book Readers Central.

Meet and Greet: Ann Shorey

Book Giveaway Drawing!
Read the details later in this post.


Ann Shorey has been a story collector for most of her life and a full-time writer for over 20 years. Her writing appeared in Chicken Soup for the Grandma's Soul and the Adams Media Cup of Comfort series. She made her fiction debut the The Edge of Light. Book one in the At Home in Beldon Grove series released in January 2009. The third book in the series, The Dawn of a Dream, will release in April of 2011. 


Ann says she's tempted to thank Peet's coffee and Dove chocolates when she writes the acknowledgements for her books. 


When she's not writing, Ann teaches historical research, story arc, and other fiction fundamentals at regional conferences. Ann lives with her husband in southern Oregon.



Hi! I’m Ann Shorey. It’s a pleasure to visit here on Book Readers Central! Let me have a sip of my coffee, and I’ll tell you about my latest release. 


The Dawn of a Dream is the story of a young woman who battles huge roadblocks to reach a goal that has long been a dream. The tagline on my website is “Yesterday’s women—today’s issues.” My books are historical fiction, but when I plot a story, the issues facing my protagonist have to be situations to which women today can relate.


Luellen McGarvie is the main character in The Dawn of a Dream. I don’t want to spoil the story for you, so I won’t tell you her specific circumstances. Needless to say, they’re daunting. Her goal is to get an education so she can obtain a teaching certificate. 


Sounds basic, but The Dawn of a Dream is set in 1857, when education was considered wasted on women. Married women couldn’t be teachers, and it was assumed that all women would get married, so why waste the schooling?


I chose this plot theme because I see so many young women in my community today who give up too soon when it comes to reaching their goals. Personally, I didn’t attend college immediately after graduating from high school because I was afraid. Plain and simple. I didn’t think I could do it.


At this point in my life it’s easy to look back and condemn my decision, and that’s the point I hope to make in The Dawn of a Dream. Don’t be afraid—reach for your goals, no matter what you see as barriers.


I’ll get off my soapbox and sip some more coffee now—better make it decaf! 


The Dawn of a Dream is a fun read, not a lecture.  I had fun writing about Luellen! Those of you who’ve read The Edge of Light and The Promise of Morning will recognize Luellen McGarvie as Molly McGarvie’s daughter. In this book, she’s all grown up and has become a spunky young woman. And the man she meets . . .


Well, I’ll let you read the book for yourself.

Posted by Janalyn Voigt, author of novel books

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Book Giveaway Drawing: 


Ann Shorey will give away a free copy of The Dawn of a Dream. To enter, leave a comment to this post. If you are a follower of Book Readers Central and tell me so in a separate comment, I'll give you an extra chance to win. 

Please include a valid email address in an anti-spam format (example: youremailhandle[at]gmail[dot]com]) or your entry will become invalid. Entries will be accepted until this coming Sunday at midnight (Pacific Time/US).

I'll announce the winner on Book Readers Central next Monday. The winner must respond within two weeks of notification. Detailed rules of giveaways on Book Reader's Central are located in the footer of this blog.


Note: Janalyn Voigt is an Amazon Associate and benefits when products are purchased on Amazon through links from Book Readers Central.

Meet and Greet Monday: Ann Shorey

I’m Ann Shorey, and I’m delighted you’ve invited me to chat with your readers. To see the At Home in Beldon Grove series published is a dream come true for me. Starting with the first book, The Edge of Light, and continuing with my newest release, The Promise of Morning, these stories honor a promise I made to my four-times-great grandmother when we visited her grave on the original homestead land in Kentucky.

Book Giveaway Contest!!!
Find the details at the end of this post (limited to those with mailing addresses within the United States and Canada).
  

Today's guest, Ann Shorey, has been a story collector for most of her life. Her writing has appeared in Chicken Soup for the Grandma’s Soul, and in the Adams Media Cup of Comfort series. She made her fiction debut with The Edge of Light, released in January 2009. When she’s not writing, she teaches classes on historical research, story arc, and other fiction fundamentals at regional conferences. Ann lives with her husband in Sutherlin, Oregon. The Promise of Morning is the second book in her At Home in Beldon Grove series.

Contact Ann through her website at www.annshorey.com .

             These books are the novelized stories of my pioneer female ancestors. The Promise of Morning tells the story of Ellie and Matthew Craig. In the book, Matthew is a former circuit-riding preacher, as was my great-great-grandfather. Ellie struggles with the loss of three of her children as infants, which wasn’t all that uncommon in the early 1800’s. This situation comes from family history as well.

              I took what I knew and imagined what life would have been like for Ellie and Matthew, which is how my novel took shape. Most of The Promise of Morning is fictional, with bits of truth inserted here and there. I love hearing from readers with questions about what’s real and what isn’t in the stories. You’d be surprised—sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction.

              The theme in The Promise of Morning is the importance of keeping promises, and the often unforeseen consequences when we fail to do so. The funny thing is, The Promise of Morning isn’t the working title I gave the book. My publisher, Revell, suggested this title and it fits so much better with the story than the one I had chosen. The Lord at work, I’m sure, as He has been throughout my writing journey.

              Right now I’m working on edits for my next book, tentatively titled The Dawn of a Dream. Book 3 carries on with the characters from the first two books. For those of you who’ve read The Edge of Light, the protagonist is Luellen McGarvie, Molly McGarvie’s oldest daughter, now all grown up. I had a lot of fun writing this one, since Luellen is such a spunky character.

              Each story in the At Home in Beldon Grove stands alone, but since all the characters live in Beldon Grove, the reader can follow previous story lines.

              I can be reached through my website, http://www.annshorey.com. You’ll find my book review blog there, too. My books are available through all major booksellers, as well as online at http://www.amazon.com/ and http://www.christianbook.com/.  By clicking the “Buy This Book” link on my website, http://www.annshorey.com/novels.html,  you’ll be taken to a list of other online retailers.

              It’s been fun chatting with you. Thank you, Janalyn, for inviting me.

Book Giveaway: Leave a comment to this post to enter, or click here  to comment privately. Be sure and include "The Promise of Morning Giveaway" as your subject header. Entries will be accepted until midnight (Pacific time) on Wednesday. Visit this blog on Friday to find out the winner!