My Historical Fiction

Charlotte (Charley) Harris is a Pinkerton agent who goes undercover as a newspaper journalist to find a notorious train robber rumored to rob the inaugural trip of the Oversea Railroad to Key West. Allen Walker works security for Henry Flagler, the owner of the railroad, and takes on the persona of a photographer to ferret out any potential sabotage to the train’s success.

What will happen when Charley and Allen suspect each other?

Is the danger only to the train, or are their hearts in danger as well?

Only two more months remain before Lydia Palmer’s fiancé Nathan will return from his time on a merchant ship on Lake Superior.

Daughter of the head keeper at Au Sable Lighthouse, she watches from the gallery on top the lighthouse each day for Nathan's return. But when his brother Jesse returns without Nathan, Lydia’s hope is crushed when she learns Nathan drowned in a shipwreck. Lydia blames Jesse for convincing Nathan to leave in the first place and now blames Jesse for Nathan’s death.

Jesse has enough guilt to deal with, feeling responsible for his brother’s death and regretting the fact that he survived instead. Add to his guilt the condemnation from Lydia, who he has loved for years, but stepped away when he saw the relationship between Nathan and Lydia develop.

How can Jesse ever forgive himself, especially knowing Lydia will never forgive him? If only she knew how much he cared for her and never wanted to hurt her.

Will it take another shipwreck to restore their former friendship? Can forgiveness lead to love?

Winner of 2023 Golden Scrolls award

A Board Game Holds Keys to Prisoners' Escape

Full of intrigue, adventure, and romance, this series celebrates the unsung heroes—the heroines of WWII.

After the Nazis started the bombing blitz of England, Beryl Clarke puts her college on hold to return to Leeds, care for her mother, and work as a secretary at the Waddington game company. While she endures the war at home, her brother James fights the enemy in the air. When he is shot down, injured, and captured, James reunites with a former college friend American POW Kenneth Bordelon, and they plan to escape the Nazi prison camp. Beryl knows there is a board game with escape plans being delivered to POWs by the Red Cross. But how can she let them know about the game's secret without revealing the information to the enemy?

Book Club Discussion Questions (Downloadable PDF)

What happens when a trained nurse/midwife goes up against a Voodoo queen?

New Orleans, 1890

Camille Duval has been a trained nurse and midwife for a short time in Charleston when she loses both her parents, and her uncle Claude Duval insists she come live with him in New Orleans. When wealthy Vincent Rousseau hires her as a midwife for Adelaide, his young bride, Camille has no idea she will come up against Madam Lafleur, the local voodoo queen, who has staked her claim on the pregnant woman and her future child. How can Camille convince Adelaide to trust her instead of voodoo for the health of her baby? Can she enlist the help of the young family physician, Julian Charbonnet who apparently is not interested in what he sees as women’s affairs?

Julian Charbonnet graduated from Tulane University in medicine just two years ago, and he has gained the respect of the wealthy residents of New Orleans’ Garden District. When the Rousseau family hires a midwife for their future heir, he is surprised to discover the midwife is a pretty young woman instead of the usual old ‘grandma’ for the birth. But Camille Duval surprises him even more with her knowledge of medicine as a nurse. However, Miss Duval doesn’t know about the hold voodoo has on those that employ it, nor does she know the power Madam Lafleur wields in the city. Julian is content to stay out of the conflict until he finds out that not only is the baby in danger, but so is lovely Miss Duval, a woman who has unintentionally cast her own spell on him.

Sarah Beth Taylor inherits a saloon she plans to convert into a genteel café. Even though her lack of cooking skills threatens disaster, she rejects the town banker's advice.

What will happen when the two lock horns and an unlikely romance simmers on the back burner?

A brave fight for literacy during the Great DepressionFour women set out on horseback to bring the library to remote communities

Part of FDR’s New Deal was the Works Progress Administration, which funded the Pack Horse Library Initiative. Ride along with four book-loving women who bravely fight for literacy in remote communities during the Great Depression by carrying library books via horseback. Will their efforts be rewarded by finding love in the process?

Love’s Turning Page by Cynthia Hickey
1936, Ozark Mountains
Grace Billings jumped at the chance to be a traveling librarian, but she didn’t anticipate the long days of work, the intense poverty, or the handsome new schoolteacher whose love for the mountain people surpasses even her own.

In This Moment by Patty Smith Hall
1936, Pine Mountain, Georgia
Forced out of her nursing job due to budget cuts, Ruth Sims applies for a position with the Pack Horse Library incentive, only to discover she must go to the one place she swore never to return. The children instantly steal her heart with their thirst for books, and she’s happy in her post until she meets their teacher, Will Munroe—the man who broke her heart. 

Book Lady of the Bayou by Marilyn Turk
1936, Mississippi
Forced out of her comfort zone, Lily Bee Davis travels by mule or boat taking books to remote areas. When she meets little Evie and her reclusive father at dilapidated plantation house, she is drawn by their losses and longs to draw them out into life again. 

The Lawman and the Librarian by Kathleen Y’Barbo
1936, Kentucky
Lottie Trent connects with a backwoods bully’s wife by secretly carrying messages for her in exchange for books. FBI agent Clayton Turnbow is on the trail of a criminal gang and discovers the packhorse librarian maybe a key member. 

The Christmas Gift – Marilyn Turk

1910

Amateur photographer Lettie Morgan accompanies her aunt to Springlake, Florida for the annual Springlake Assembly. Jonathon Townsend, wealthy heir to the family fortune and first-time chairman of the event, wants the event to run smoothly. But when the train bringing guests to the Assembly is robbed, Jonathon, who is part-owner of the railroad, must find the robber and appease the attendees. Can the young photographer who’s captured his attention provide clues to the robbery? As Christmas approaches and the Assembly comes to a close, will Jonathon find a way to entice Lettie to stay?

The Christmas Surprise – Lenora Worth

When Lynsey Milton comes to Springlake, Florida, to revitalize the town’s historic main street, Jon Townsend, the heir apparent, resists helping her. He’d rather return to the quiet life of a country lawyer. Lynsey needs to seal this deal since a promotion is in her future. But Jon wants to stay in his Victorian mansion, keeping his grief to himself. He won’t fall for a woman who’ll soon leave.When they make a discovery in the gazebo by the lake, Lynsey gets Jon into the Christmas spirit. Can an old gazebo and a beautiful vintage ball gown bring them together?

She ran away from the war only to find herself in the middle of it. Who will protect her now?

It’s 1861, Florida has seceded from the Union, and residents of Pensacola evacuate inland to escape the impending war. But Kate McFarlane’s impulsive act of rebellion changes her life and that of many others in ways she never expected.

As a result, Kate finds herself with an eccentric aunt in an unfamiliar place. Lieutenant Clay Harris, a handsome Confederate officer, offers a chance for romance, but his actions make Kate question his character. When a hurricane brings an injured shipwrecked sailor from the Union blockade to her aunt’s house, Kate fights attraction to the man while hiding him from Clay. She’s determined to warn her sea captain father about the blockade, but needs someone to help her. Who can she trust – her ally or her enemy?

“Rebel Light by Marilyn Turk is an absolutely delightful yet compelling read. If you like Civil War stories, romance, and heart-pounding action, you will love this book!” —

Kathi Macias, award-winning writer of more than 50 books, including Red Ink, Golden Scrolls Novel of the Year.

1883
Sally Rose McFarlane follows her dream of being a teacher when she accepts a position as governess in post-Reconstruction, Florida. A misunderstanding of her previous experience in Ohio forces her to keep a secret to retain her job. When she learns about the recent Jim Crow laws, she realizes she also has to hide her bi-racial ancestry.
When Bryce Hernandez, former Pinkerton agent, becomes a law partner to Sally Rose’s employer, he and Sally Rose become involved with each other to stop a smuggling operation involving their employer’s dishonest business partner.

What will happen the family Sally Rose works for learns the truth of her work experience and her parents? How will Bryce react when he finds out? And will anyone find her when she’s captured by smugglers, or will it be too late?

Cora Miller, a recent widow, moves to St. Augustine in 1875 with her young daughter Emily to start life over as a single mother. She opens a fine millinery shop to court the tastes of the wealthy and become part of the town’s social elite. She succeeds in gaining the hat business of tourists Pamela Worthington and her daughter Judith, as well as, the attention of their family friend, extravagant Sterling Cunningham. But aloof Daniel Worthington, Pamela’s son, is more interested in the Indian captives recently brought to the fort.

Daniel Worthington has escorted his mother and sister to St. Augustine. Their trip has coincided with the arrival of Plains Indians being brought to Fort Marion as prisoners. He is sympathetic to the plight of the Indians and seeks to help them learn to communicate through art. Daniel believes Cora Miller is only concerned with unimportant frivolities, but when he sees her with a benevolence group at the fort, his opinion begins to change.

Just when Cora’s business is picking up, jewelry from her wealthy customers begins to disappear and then mysteriously reappear in Cora’s shop. What will happen to her when she is accused of theft? Will her reputation and future be ruined? Or will someone else step up in her defense?

At the onset of the Civil War, Sarah Turner’s hope to marry fiancé Josiah Hamilton crumbled when her father forbade her to ever see Josiah again because he chose the Union side. Now the war has ended, and Sarah and her family return to Pensacola to start life over. For seven years, Sarah harbored hope that she and Josiah could be reconciled, but she never heard from him again, and her father is pushing her toward marrying his business partner, a man Sarah has no attraction to. But when she sees Josiah with another woman, her hope of a future with him ends. Lieutenant Josiah Hamilton has returned to Pensacola as well, as an engineer for the US Army with orders to find the original lens of the Pensacola Lighthouse and build the new keepers’ house. He still loves Sarah, but when he sees her with a young child, assumes she is married, and the child is hers. Meanwhile, Josiah is being pursued by the lightkeeper’s daughter and distracted by an apparent plot to prevent him from carrying out his job.Who is the arsonist starting fires at area lumber mills? What will happen when Sarah’s life and Josiah’s mission collide with someone who wants to end them both?

After her brother is killed at Pearl Harbor, Lexie Smithfield returns to Jekyll Island to handle the disposition of Destiny, the family’s impressive vacation cottage. Ten years before, the family quit coming to the exclusive Millionaire’s Club after a series of freak accidents. Her mother believed God cursed the island. Locals say it’s haunted.

Russell Parker, whose family has worked at the Jekyll Island Hotel since it opened in 1887, knows many secrets. For the past ten years, he has kept his promise to Lexie’s brother and kept quiet about the incident that ended the Smithfield’s resort vacations. But when Lexie and Russell meet again as adults, familiar feelings of friendship mix with new, more intimate feelings of attraction.

With the resort’s popularity in decline due to the Depression and war, many of the cottages remain abandoned, casting a cloud of gloom over the island. With German U-boats offshore, Lexie faces daily threats to her safety as well as her own fears of rejection.

Is Lexie’s destiny cursed by her family’s history? Or will Russell help her learn the truth and find peace for her trouble heart?

“The Gilded Curse is my kind of novel. I was totally drawn into the story from the very first page. I loved the setting and the entire cast of characters. It has everything you want in a novel: history, mystery, suspense, romance and intrigue. Highly recommended!” — Dan Walsh, bestselling author of The Unfinished Gift, The Discovery and When Night Comes

“I don’t give high reviews lightly. This book took me back to another day when ALL good books were well written and just told a story- a good story; and one worth reading. In fact I couldn’t believe that this book had only come out recently and not back around the time it took place. Another thing that impressed me was not only was it obvious that the author had researched the historicity (if that’s a word) of the settings and people- she also had the characters act true to the time period.”

“This is a great book – held my attention to the end! Very good development of characters, location, and historical events. The mystery kept me reading! I highly recommend it!”

(Formerly Shadowed by a Spy.)
The country is in the midst of World War II, and Lexie Smithfield has left the danger at Jekyll Island behind her. Pursuing a career in psychiatric nursing and trying to do her part for the war effort, she has no idea new danger awaits when she unknowingly encounters Nazi saboteurs who also take the Long Island train to Manhattan.

Her fiancé Russell Thompson has also moved to Manhattan where he works as a hotel manager and moonlights playing piano for the USO. Due to an old injury, Russell is unable to join the military and isn’t satisfied with his contribution to the war, so when an opportunity arises for him to go overseas, he has to leave Lexie to pursue it.

Alone in Manhattan, Lexie senses she’s being followed, but by whom? And when a patient escapes from the psych ward, her fears increase. Who will protect her now that Russell is gone?

Contributor

In the spirit of cozy Christmas traditions, Guideposts Books’ A Cup of Christmas Cheer, is a two-book set of original fiction brimming with inspiring stories of faith and family set in Christmases past and present by various authors. Marilyn’s story is “A Stranger’s Visit to the Lighthouse.” Book One has Tales of Faith and Family and Book Two has Tales of Joy and Wonder. Each book includes eight stories that will encourage, inspire and uplift you with the Christmas spirit.