How did Cherry Crossing become the name of Book 1 in the Montana Meadows series? It's pretty simple, really. Two things (in addition to other historical cool stuff like vintage houses, great big hats, and butterflies) that really inspire me: horses and cherry trees in full bloom during the springtime. Cherry Crossing thus became the name of my book and the fictional farmstead at the base of Silver Mountain in Montana Territory in the 1870s. Equipped with a cherry tree orchard after Pa Hayes proves up the claim in the book, he had always wanted to transform the land into a prosperous horse farm to supplement his small cherry harvest, along with some acres of wheat, corn, and potato crops. When he and his wife perish in a blizzard, his daughter, Miss Josie Hayes, carries the dream of having a horse farm in her heart and strives to make it happen with the help of her two younger sisters.
When Jake comes along and swindles Josie out of the horse she wanted, it will take a miracle for him to win her heart and maybe some quirky nuns who play matchmaker.
Here are eight things you probably didn't know about cherry trees, including the fact they are only bloom for typically about a week:
How to Grow and Care for Fruiting Cherry Trees:
It wasn't until a dear reader pointed out to me how everything in the kitchen would turn pink-- including aprons and such "back in the day'--during the canning of cherry preserves after harvest-- that I knew I had to write this into the novel. A wonderful tip from a faithful reader!
Here's where to purchase your copy of Cherry Crossing, Book 1 in my new Montana Meadows series, available in paperback or Kindle eBook versions--:
https://www.amazon.com/Cherry-Crossing-Montana-Meadows-Book-ebook/dp/B09TV55Y8K/