After spending these last weeks sharing my Story Inspiration pages, I realized I’d forgotten to share a STORY TEASER. How does an author write a teaser and then forget about it? Because it served its first purpose and I got distracted by Christmas.
Hello March and a slightly clearer head 😊
It’s now time to share again. Here’s the why and when of MY FORGOTTEN TEASER…
WHY WRITE A TEASER?
In order to entice readers to continue reading each and every day of the 12 Days of Christmas Mail-Order Brides series, each author wrote a short story teaser to add to the very end of the book preceding ours.
WHEN TO USE A TEASER?
The teaser for my story, The Calling Birds: The Fourth Day, went in the back of Merry Farmer’s The Hens: The Third Day. And nowhere else. Until now!
Scroll past the book blurb below and you’ll read (in just 700 words) what happens in the autumn before 12 brides (including Birdie Bell) arrive on Christmas Eve in Noelle (a town in as much need of saving as 12 brides and their 12 grooms).
THE CALLING BIRDS – BOOK BLURB
Noelle, Colorado – Christmas, 1876
Many years have passed since Bernadette Bellamy fled the Cariboo Gold Rush and her reputation as the sister of a French-Canadian gang of thieves. Armed with only an honest talent for sewing and a willingness to lead a solitary life on the run, she stays one step ahead of everyone seeking her brothers’ last—and now lost—heist. Until a craving to settle down makes her reinvent herself as Birdie Bell, a dress shop owner. The arrival of an old foe combined with her desire to hold onto her treasure trove of fabrics has Birdie joining a wagonload of brides bound for a remote town.
After losing his leg and his wife, Jack Peregrine buries his pain under a mountain-high pile of work. He only agrees to sign up for a mail-order bride to save the town of Noelle, keep his freighting business, and care for his absentminded grandfather. But Jack’s request for a sturdy bride who won’t crumble under his burdens brings him a woman as tiny as she is troubled. Can two mismatched people band together to become the perfect match?
A wanted woman’s flight, a man in pursuit of honesty, not stolen gold…and only nine days left to save the town.
THE CALLING BIRDS – STORY TEASER
Denver, Colorado – Autumn 1876
Birdie Bell stared out the window of the Benevolent Society of Lost Lambs, scanning the people rushing to meetings, running errands, minding their own business—before heading home to their loved ones. Ordinary folks leading full lives.
Unlike her. All she had was her sewing. She should’ve stayed in her dress shop. Not only today but earlier this year. The desire to secure a bit of exquisite French lace had first led her down this street where she’d glimpsed a shadow from her past. She’d fled through the nearest door and met Genevieve Walters, a single-minded matchmaker.
Mrs. Walters remained steadfast. She handed Birdie a sheet of parchment and gestured to the pen and ink pot on the desk. “Your groom will be delighted to hear from you.”
Birdie tried not to scowl at the blank paper waiting to be filled.
She’d already been matched with Jack Peregrine. Further writing seemed like a formality. Or perhaps an opportunity to discover if the matchmaking had been done in haste? Or a chance to find a reason to stop her nuptials and remain alone in her dress shop?
Unfortunately, staying in Denver was no longer an option. She had to leave, to run away, to hide. Jack Peregrine and the town Noelle were a means to that end. “What should I write?”
“Whatever’s in your heart, dear.”
She recalled the letter that Mrs. Walters had already given her. Jack Peregrine’s carefully precise and controlled handwriting covered less than half of that page. A man of few words. A man who, according to his letter, lived for his work. She understood that. She picked up the pen, dipped it in ink, and wrote.
Dear Mr. Peregrine,
Thank you for your letter and the kindness of not only paying for my train ticket but agreeing to transport my dress shop inventory to your home.
A shout on the street made her flinch. Her gaze darted to the window. Had Lachlan Bravery returned to Denver? Was he at this very moment racing up to the Benevolent Society’s front door? After fourteen years, had he finally found her?
An overturned tinker’s cart sprawled in the spot where she’d previously seen the legendary fugitive hunter and his equally famous wife.
Mrs. Walters sighed deeply. “Sorry to rush you, but I’m keen to post as many of the brides’ letters as I can today.”
Birdie frowned at the dark smudge on her letter. Her fear had smeared the last word she’d written—home. “Maybe I should start over. Maybe I shouldn’t—”
“The choice is yours, Miss Bell, but I would encourage you to stay on course. Continue writing,” Mrs. Walters urged. “Tell Mr. Peregrine who you are.”
Another jolt of alarm made her stiffen. Did Mrs. Walters know her secret?
From under her lashes, she studied the woman—who wasn’t looking at her. The many letters on the desk held the matchmaker’s attention. Organizing so many brides and grooms must be a daunting task.
Mrs. Walters flashed her a brief but sincere smile. “Tell your intended about your dress shop. Share your hopes and dreams with him.”
My dreams are dangerous. I hope he doesn’t come to curse my name. She shook her head. There was only one thing she could share.
I hope I can be an asset to your work. Your descriptions of Peregrines’ Post and Freight portray a sound business.
And Noelle? He’d written little about the town. Others had made up for that shortfall.
The matchmaker says your town reverend has written favorably about your community. Noelle sounds perfect.
A remote place tucked high in the mountains. A train line that ended many miles out of town. A road so steep that travel had to be slow, especially during winter. Noelle sounded like the perfect place to disappear—and never be found.
She firmed her hold on her pen and wrote her final words.
I look forward to meeting you in Noelle.
Your bride,
Birdie Bell
She stared at her signature. Her name, but not her name. What would Jack Peregrine do if he found out he was really marrying Bernadette Bellamy, sister to the infamous Bellamy Brothers, a French-Canadian gang of gold thieves?
What do you think? Would you be enticed to read The Calling Birds? Or do you need to see what happens next? Well, you can because the moment of Birdie and Jack’s first meeting is on my website’s excerpt page. CLICK HERE to read what happens on Christmas Eve when Birdie Bell finally arrives in Noelle.
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