A Revised Novella with A New Cover—A Law of Her Own

I'm grateful to my publisher, The Wild Rose Press, for allowing me to revise A Law of Her Own and have a new cover. Not that anything was wrong with the first one, but the 2nd and 3rd story's covers were entirely different in style and now they look like a set.

Some of my readers complained the novella was too short, and that they wanted to hear how Charity Wade, a 21st century New York lawyer, adjusted to the confines of life in the 19th century.

All three novellas are set in Prairie, Texas located in the Panhandle Plains of Texas in and around 1890.

Here are the covers in the order they were written and published.

 

                   

These three novellas will be out as an anthology in both ebook and paperback on July 9, 2014. Woot! I am excited as this is something I've wanted for a long time.

Here is the cover for the Anthology that will include all three novellas.

I hope if you've not read these, you'll order copies from Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Or, wait until July and order them as a set in either ebook or paper. 

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Reading and Writing!

Linda

www.lindalaroque.com

A Haunting Evening at Miss Molly's in the Fort Worth Stockyards

Have you ever wanted to visit a haunted house or hotel and spend the night to see what all the hoopla is about? I have. Though I can't say for sure that I truly believe in ghost, the possibility has always fascinated me. So, when one of my writer friends suggested several of us spend the night at a B&B in Fort Worth, one that is haunted, I was all for it.

There were five of us, and we all right paranormal romance of some kind, so the trip was strictly research, you understand. After checking in, we walked down the street for dinner.

A little history about Miss Molly's. It was built around around 1910 as a boarding house and called the Palace Rooms. During prohibition is was called The Oasis and around 1940 became a brothel called the Gayette Hotel. Old enough to experience the old west, Miss Molly's also caught a glimpse of  the 40s the speak easy and bordello days.  It is now the oldest B&B in Fort Worth. Some of the many boarders who once stayed at Miss Molly's have been reluctant to leave.

              

Miss Molly's is on the second floor. The Texas Cafe is on the lower level and a bar is in the basement. If you spend the night, don't expect to go to sleep until the bar closes at 2:00 AM as they leave the windows and doors open and the music is loud. Even the window air conditioner couldn't drown out the noise.

The B&B is kept locked until guests arrive. Lodgers are given keys to let themselves in after hours. Guests past through the pink door and climb two sets of stairs to reach the parlor.

The parlor. Stairs to the right.

Miss Josie's Room

Miss Josie

The portrait is of Madam, Miss Josie. It hangs in her room shown in the picture with the three globe light. Miss Josie's room is the only room with a private bathroom. Guests in the other rooms must visit one of three baths at the end of the hall. They have claw foot bathtubs and vintage pull chain toilets.

"The seven themed rooms in the hotel all share stories of paranormal activity, with the Cattlemen’s and Cowboy rooms having some of the more famous sightings of apparitions.  Visitations have also occurred in the current owner’s private room’s number eight and nine of a young girl, who is considered a former tenant of the hotel.  Most of the sightings have involved the former working girls from the hotel’s days as a bordello."

"The phenomena at Miss Molly’s includes full bodied apparitions, unexplained scents, items disappearing and reappearing, toilets flushing on their own, lights turning on and off, cold spots, unlocked doors refusing to open, and a variety of unidentified but entertaining sounds."

All of the rooms had either antique or vintage furnishings and decorations fitting the theme of the room. I stayed in the Cattleman's room which was a private room. Many of the other rooms had two beds.The Cowboy's room had two beds and the spreads were hides of some kind.

Cattleman's Room

Cowboys Room

Many of the ladies experienced smells that came and went. In one room, cigarettes, pancakes, and syrup. In another rose cologne. I smelled nothing out of the ordinary. One individual went into bathroom number two and immediately felt a heavy, dragging sensation and a definite icy chill. Our hostess said a man had a heart attack and died in there. While she was in the room, the chain swung in fast circles. When I entered it had slowed down considerably.

There are many sad tales associated with Miss Molly's. Over the years many boarders lived there and several died, all of natural causes. However, one small boy whose mother died leaving him alone. Lonely and neglected, he cried himself sick and died.

Different paranormal investigative groups, along with Texas Christian Universities paranormal class, have been to Miss Molly and recorded paranormal activity. Pictures of their findings hang in the parlor. So, something must be there.









Below is a picture I took. Actually it may have been one of those many pictures taken when I wasn't touching the button. It is definitely out of focus, but something is there. No one was in the room at the time. 

Share with us what you think the dark shape is in the picture. Leave a comment and you'll be entered into a drawing for an copy of A Stolen Chance.

For more on Miss Molly's, visit the website.

Thank you for stopping by and reading my blog. Visit Lorelei Buckley's Blog for her post on Miss Molly's. She has a lot to share.

Happy Reading and Writing!

Linda
www.lindalaroque.com