The Great Halifax Explosion: The Halifax/Boston Bond

By Terrie Todd

There’s nothing like a disaster to form a bond between two previously rival cities. Citizens of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, once considered Boston, Massachusetts, their “ancient foe.” As the crow flies, these two cities are only 400 miles apart. But with an international border and mass of water between them, travel can be complicated.

The interest in Halifax began for Boston around 1749, when the port was viewed as an asset for shipping and fishing. But during the Revolutionary War, the British evacuated Boston in favor of Halifax. In mid-March 1776, General Howe ordered the evacuation. Under threat of American artillery fire, British troops and Loyalist civilians boarded ships crowded with essential supplies. Thousands of Loyalists who feared retribution from the Patriots chose to leave with the British, contributing to the chaos and overcrowding.

Eventually, of course, the United States declared its independence and peace was established. In 1867, Canada became its own country. For some, bitterness remained between the two cities.

Along came the Great War and with it, the Halifax Explosion of December 6, 1917. Caused by the collision of two ships in the harbor, one of them loaded with explosives intended for Europe, Halifax was devastated.

Cloud seen for miles following the explosion 

Boston authorities learned of the disaster via telegraph. By ten p.m. they had dispatched a relief train loaded with medical staff, food, water, and more. That night, a blizzard delayed the train. Halifax citizens were amazed when Boston’s train arrived in the early morning on December 8, and immediately began distributing desperately needed supplies. American doctors and nurses went to work, relieving the Nova Scotians who had worked nonstop since the explosion occurred.

Some of the wreckage in Halifax following the explosion.

Over the many difficult months to follow, Massachusetts continued to come to the aid of Halifax with supplies, funding, and personnel. Although help came from across Canada and other parts of the world, many Haligonians praised Boston as their greatest source of assistance. So grateful were they, that in 1918, they sent a beautiful Christmas tree to the city of Boston in appreciation.

Fifty-three years later, in 1971, Boston’s goodness was still not forgotten. The gift of the Christmas tree was resurrected, becoming a tradition that has lasted to this day. The tree is Boston’s official Christmas tree and is lit on Boston Common throughout the holiday season, an important symbol to both cities.

For more, watch this moving video celebrating the bond between these two cities: 102 Years of Nova Scotia and Boston

The Reluctant Healer of Halifax is the final and sixth book in Barbour Publishing’s Enduring Hope series by various authors. In one-fifteenth of a second, the world’s prettiest harbor suffered the world’s largest man-made explosion prior to Hiroshima. A story of love, loss, faith, and honor set against Canada’s most devastating moment of the First World War. Watch for it in August 2026. 

Terrie Todd is the award-winning author of ten historical novels, all set in Canada where she lives with her husband Jon. A former church drama team leader and newspaper columnist, she’s also a frequent contributor to Guideposts Books, mother of three, and grandmother of five.

 

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Boston Gilded Age Department Stores by Linda Hoover

Downtown Crossing is at the intersection of Washington, Winter and Summer Streets in Boston. In the Gilded Age, that’s where you’d find the Big Three department stores, Jordan Marsh, Filene’s and Gilchrist’s. Today, it’s a pedestrian shopping zone.

Jordan Marsh 1891 Public Domain

In 1861, Eben Dyer Jordan and Benjamin L. Marsh opened the first departmentalized store in Boston, MA. They called it Jordan Marsh, then later Jordan Marsh & Co. No longer did shoppers have to travel from one specialty shop to the next. Almost everything they could want was for sale in one place. The two men initially focused on dry goods, ready-made clothing, and household goods. As they grew, they added more departments until they had a dazzling array of stock that included men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, furs, carpets and rugs, furniture, silverware, jewelry, hats, shoes, books, toys, stationary and more. If it could be sold, it was offered. Jordan Jr. became known for searching the world for merchandise to fill the eight floors of the store.

Shoppers at Jordan Marsh, 1910
thedepartmentstoremuseum.org/store-eh-ma-bos-jordon-marsh

Jordan and Marsh combined an elegant atmosphere with excellent personal service. They pioneered services such as offering credit accounts and money-back guarantees. “The Customer is Always Right” policy originated there. As time went on, Jordan Marsh was one of the first to have electric lights, glass showcases and elevators in their store. They also offered fashion shows, art exhibitions, and afternoon concerts. A café and bakery were available, where you could purchase their famous blueberry muffins.

Filene's Department Store 1912 Public Domain

Edward Filene opened his first store a year later than Jordan Marsh. By 1881, he and his sons had a wide variety of merchandise, while also offering personal services. They had three barber shops, hairdressing, manicuring and shoe shine departments. All with a No Tipping policy. You could even buy theater and travel tickets. Filene's is most famous for its Bargain Basement

Gilchrist Department Store Public Domain

Gilchrist, while having a wide variety of merchandise in its multi-level store, wasn’t considered as high-end as its neighbors. It did just as well, though. While people went to Jordan Marsh for blueberry muffins, they went to Gilchrist’s for almond macaroons. Kennedy’s and Raymond’s were also in Boston. Each store had a signature dish or dessert that people would go to their restaurant for. Between 1880 and 1900, the stores began using their street-level windows to entice people to come inside. It must have been especially beautiful at Christmas.

commonswikimedia.org

People used different modes of transportation to get to downtown Boston. Besides walking, horse-drawn trams with their clanging bells brought people from inner neighborhoods and nearby towns. Electric streetcars started becoming available in the 1880s, but horses were still used until 1900. The “EL”, elevated railway, started taking passengers over congested streets in the 1870s. It was noisy, but connected more distant neighborhoods. The Tremont Street subway opened in 1897. It was the first subway in America.

The department stores served shopping and entertainment needs for people of all economic levels. They were also an employment opportunity. The heroine in my novella set in 1881 Boston, Joel & Ella, finds work at a department store based on Jordan Marsh. If you’d like to read Ella’s story, be sure to sign up for my newsletter. Joel & Ella is my gift to subscribers. Link is with the blurb.

Follow this link to get the recipe: https://newengland.com/food/breads/jordan-marsh-blueberry-muffins/

JOEL & ELLA

1881 Boston. It’s been a year since Ella's fiancé left town on the eve of their wedding, and she still can’t bring herself to go to church or see her friends. To help her move past her hurt, her parents insist she get a job. In the process, she gets reacquainted with Joel, a neighbor who accompanies her on the trolley to and from the large department store where she finds work. They enjoy each other’s company, and Joel begins to think they might share a future.

 

Then, Ella’s ex-fiancé returns, asking for a second chance. He’s already broken her heart once. Can she trust him? Does she still love him? Her feelings for Joel pull her in another direction. Or maybe she should stay away from any man so she won’t get hurt again. Mama advises her to pray. Will Ella look to God for her answer or turn away from both men to avoid heartache?

https://lindahooverbooks.com

Linda, a retired librarian, lives in west central Ohio with her husband and grandson. An avid reader and writer since childhood, she began her publishing career writing columns and a middle-grade serial for the South Charleston Spectator. Her desire is to entertain, but more importantly, to encourage readers with God’s faithfulness.

References, Further Reading, & External Links for Jordan Marsh: wikipedia.org/wiki/jordan_marsh

THE GREAT MOLASSES TSUNAMI OF 1919 by Mary Davis

By Mary Davis

Wednesday, January 15, 1919 started like any other winter day in Boston’s North End neighborhood. People headed to work, children to school, trains traveled on the elevated track, and ships docked in the harbor. Around 12:30 PM, the seemingly normal day changed lives forever.

Near the harbor sat a 2.5 million gallon tank designed to hold molasses. It stood 50 feet high and 90 feet in diameter. That’s a lot of molasses! Which made me wonder: What is this sweet, thick syrup made from that goes into one of my favorite cookies? This dark liquid is the byproduct of refining sugar cane or sugar beets. So what did Boston need 2.5 million gallons of this sticky substance for? Certainly not all of it for baking.

When fermented, it creates ethanol. Ethanol was used to make rum and industrial Alcohol, which. It was also used in making munitions like dynamite and smokeless powder. So at the time the tank was built in 1915, the world was in the midst of the First World War. It took gallons of molasses to make one liter of ethanol, which in turn could make one pound of smokeless powder. And the allied forces used millions of pounds of the powder in the Great War. That’s a lot of molasses, so it makes sense for a tank of that size.

Back to the disaster in question. On January 12th, a ship loaded with molasses docked in the harbor and offloaded 600,000 gallons of molasses, adding to the cold molasses already in the tank. Though the dark liquid had been warmed to reduce viscosity for transfer, it still took over a full day. This brought the total liquid within the tank to over 2.3 million gallons. The creaking, groaning, and dripping warnings of the tank’s demise went unheeded. These were normal sounds of the day.

That's the tank in the background.

Around lunch time on the 15th, the reverberation of machine-gun fire rang out in the North End and a low rumbling could be felt for blocks. However, it wasn’t gun fire at all. The rivets in the tank popped out in rapid succession. In an instant, the metal sections of the tank flew through the neighborhood as all those gallons of molasses flooded the streets in a tsunami, flowing in all directions.

Flood Zone

The wave was some 25-40 feet high at its peak (depending on the source I found) and raced at up to 35 mph. It uprooted buildings from their foundations and crushed them, threw a truck into the harbor, covered the area in a several feet of molasses, and destroyed a section of the elevated train track. Only moments before, a train had passed over that section, narrowly escaping disaster. The fast-thinking brakeman stopped the train, went to the guard shack, and told the guard on duty to stopped the next trains due imminently. Then he stepped onto the track, waving his arms frantically to halt an approaching train. The engineer stopped just in time.

As the sticky brown liquid hit the cold January air, it thickened, trapping everything in its wake.

“Molasses, waist deep, covered the street and swirled and bubbled about the wreckage [...] Here and there struggled a form—whether it was animal or human being was impossible to tell. Only an upheaval, a thrashing about in the sticky mass, showed where any life was [...] Horses died like so many flies on sticky fly-paper. The more they struggled, the deeper in the mess they were ensnared. Human beings—men and women—suffered likewise.” Boston Post

This tragedy claimed the lives of 21 people, including two children, and another 150 were injured. Horses, cats, and dogs also died. The clean up took weeks. Salt water was pumped from a fireboat to wash away the molasses, because they found it cut through the gelatinous mass better than fresh water. Sand was also used to soak up the molasses. Even after the area was cleaned, all of Boston was sticky from people tracking the thick syrup across the city. It was on subway platforms, train seats, telephone handsets, floors, in homes, and on every surface a Bostonian touched, which took even longer to eradicate than the disaster zone. The city smelled of molasses for decades after. They say that on a warm summer’s day, you can still catch a whiff of molasses in the air.

So why didn’t anyone take notice of the leaks, creaks, and groans on this day. Because the behemoth had been leaking, creaking, and groaning since the beginning, making this like any other day. People had been bringing containers (jars, cups, and cans) to the tank to fill with the seeping liquid for years. Instead of fixing the leaks, the United States Industrial Alcohol Company disguised the problem by painting the tank brown to match to color of the ooze dripping down the sides.

Several factors contributed to this tragedy:
    •    Warm molasses added to cold, beginning the fermenting process
    •    Unseasonably warm temperatures the day before of over 40 degrees
    •    Substandard building materials (metal too thin and too brittle for a tank this size)
    •    Overseer of the construction of the tank in 1915 had no architectural or technical experience, couldn’t read blueprints, and had no knowledge of safety factors, AND the tank was tested with only six inches of water
    •    The drop in temperature from the inside of the tank to the outside caused the molasses to cool and thicken (In summer, the molasses would have been thinner and more easily to escape.)
    •    Ignoring the signs of imminent failure (leaks, creaks, and groans)
    •    Being winter, the vent to allow the fermentation gas to escape was closed, allowing pressure to build

Fatalities

This disaster led to laws being passed to regulate construction building codes for structure that were not typical buildings and certify engineers.

I will never look at the molasses cookies I love the same and will likely always think of this tragedy and the people who lost their lives. Bittersweet.

Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmdEzJWgNfM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMWrk_94L8Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMPGm3OSvMg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adPuti-SL5o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-mzKm3NHqI
https://www.farmersalmanac.com/boston-great-molasses-flood-101323
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Molasses_Flood

The Irish in America – with giveaway By Donna Schlachter

Photo by Serinus from Pexels

When we think of Irish immigration to America, we often think of the 1845 Potato Blight and the subsequent years through the 1860s as the prime time when folks from Ireland fled to America. However, the Irish came to America during colonial times, too. Charles Carroll emigrated in 1706, and seventy years later, his grandson, also Charles Caroll of Carollton, signed his name to the Declaration of Independence, a brave move by men from any nation, as that act alone could place a price on their heads.

Photo by Monstera from Pexels

 

Between 1820 and 1860, over one-third of immigrants to the US originated in Ireland. In the 1840s specifically, that number climbed to almost half of all immigrants. Prior to the Potato Famine, almost all immigrants from Ireland were male, but during and after the Famine, entire families sought a better life in America.

Courtesy of Pixabay.com

 

The majority of Irish immigrants left a rural lifestyle, and they found it difficult to assimilate into a primarily east coast urban setting, including the latest in industry and technology. Most larger cities on the east coast of the US were specialized, which meant families were sometimes separated because of occupation. While the poorest could never escape Ireland because they couldn’t raise the needed boat fare, the middle class arrived in America with little more than the clothes on their backs. As a result, they accepted whatever work they could find, and they crowded together in tenements to be able to keep a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs. As a result, cholera, typhoid, tuberculosis, and mental illness ran rampant. They sometimes faced hostility because they were accused of carrying or starting these epidemics.

Irish immigrants often entered the workforce at the bottom of the pay scale, which meant that everybody in the family had to work so they could survive. Many women became servants, while many men labored in mines or built railways and canals.

Photo by Enric Cruz López from Pexels

 

As Irish immigrants moved inland, they found themselves in competition for jobs they often had no experience in. However, employers hired them because they’d work for less than anybody else. This then resulted in complaints, strikes, and outright battles from other workers trying to keep their jobs.

Most Irish immigrants stayed true to the Catholic upbringing and faith, which didn’t always set well with a primarily Protestant America. From verbal abuse to mob attacks, the Irish struggled to survive in their new land. In particular, in the 1840s, anti-immigration and anti-Catholic groups formed strong alliances which rejected “foreign influences” and promoted “traditional American ideals”, a notion now considered ironic considering the majority of those living in America at the time had been born elsewhere, or were first or second generation immigrants themselves.

Photo by Gotta Be Worth It from Pexels

 

Added to these problems was the Conscription Act of 1863, which made all white men between twenty and forty-five years of age eligible for the draft by the Union Army. Free men of color could volunteer if they chose. Monied white men could buy their way out of the draft, while the less affluent couldn’t. Into this latter category is where more Irish fell. Racial tensions increased, and several cities fell victim to draft riots. Enrollment officers and free men of color were targeted, primarily by Irish men.

Photo by PrathSnap from Pexels

 

By the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, however, Irish Americans became a powerful political force in the US. As they had done in Ireland, they formed strong alliances that created political groups that focused on raising the Irish presence at all levels of politics. For example, New York’s Tammany Hall was under Irish American control for more than fifty years, and the city boasted its first Irish American mayor in 1880. In 1884, Hugh O’Brien added Boston to that prestigious club. These alliances enabled Irish Americans the open doors needed to get better job, deal with naturalization issues, and also rewarded supporters with political appointments.

While Irish Americans might have had a rocky start, those who came to America were changed by this country, and they changed this nation. They and their descendants contributed through politics, industry, labor, religion, literature, and art. 

https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mary-harris-jones

For example, Mary Harris, also known as Mother Jones, spent more than fifty years unionizing works throughout the country. Trained as a schoolteacher and seamstress, she was arrested, personally attacked, and faced with many hardships, but she earned an audience with United States Presidents from McKinley to Coolidge.

Regardless of the difficulties these early immigrants from Ireland faced, they came to America in hopes of finding a better life than the one they left behind. They set the example for chain immigrations, bringing family and relatives to the US, because they still believed in the American dream.



Leave a comment, and I’ll enter you into a random drawing for a free print (US only) or ebook (winner’s choice otherwise) of “Time Will Tell.” Don’t forget to cleverly disguise your email address so phishers can’t steal it: name AT email provider DOT extension For example, donna AT livebytheword DOT com

About “Time Will Tell”:

After Sadie Bauer inherits her father’s watch and clock repair shop in Pueblo, she soon learns that Fate conspires against her.

Will O’Reilly longs to help this beautiful damsel in distress, but she’s about as prickly as a porcupine.

Can Sadie overcome her mistrust of men in general, and of a certain suave salesman in particular? Can Will get past his former betrothed’s infidelity? And can both learn to trust the God who makes all things beautiful in His time?

Check out the book here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09MNX4SKV



About Donna:

A hybrid author, Donna writes squeaky clean historical and contemporary suspense. She has been published more than 50 times in books; is a member of several writers groups; facilitates a critique group; teaches writing classes; ghostwrites; edits; and judges in writing contests. She loves history and research, traveling extensively for both.

www.DonnaSchlachter.com Stay connected so you learn about new releases, preorders, and presales, as well as check out featured authors, book reviews, and a little corner of peace. Plus: Receive a free ebook simply for signing up for our free newsletter!

www.DonnaSchlachter.com/blog

 

Check out previous blog posts at www.HiStoryThruTheAges.wordpress.com and www.AllBettsAreOff.wordpress.com

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Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/donna-schlachter

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Etsy online shop of original artwork: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Dare2DreamUS

Resources:

https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/immigration/irish/irish-contributions-to-the-american-culture/
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mary-harris-jones

Anniversary of a Revolution

By Elaine Marie Cooper

April 19, 2020 was the 245^th Anniversary of the start of the American Revolution. Just twelve years prior to this 1775 event, the American colonists had fought side by side with the British soldiers against the French. But the years that followed created discontent among the colonists who believed the monarchy in Britain had unfairly taxed them on everything from paper to playing cards. (You can read about the Stamp Act at my March post at Heroes, Heroines, and History https://www.hhhistory.com/2020/03/from-stamp-act-to-revolution.html )

The laws in America went from bad to worse as England’s Parliament issued restrictions on the colonists that made them realize they did not have the same rights as their British counterparts across the ocean. To make matters worse, no one in Parliament represented the colonists for voting purposes. 

For the hard-working, independent-minded colonials, this was an affront not to be tolerated. As emotions grew, talk of revolution grew as well. 

The Jason Russel House in Menotomy

Rumors and secret meetings had abounded in Lexington, Concord, Menotomy Village and other small towns nearby the British-held port city of Boston. Quiet talk of war permeated the conversations, increasing the anxiety of the colonists as they knew conflict approached closer every day. When it exploded into full scale skirmishes on April 19, 1775, the dye had been cast. The American Revolution had begun. 

Rumor had reached the British that the colonists had a hidden store of gunpowder in the town of Concord. In an effort to confiscate the powder, British soldiers left Boston, then travelled west through Charlestown before they marched in the dead of night through Menotomy Village, MA. As the local residents awakened to the vibration of soldiers marching down the main road on their way to Concord, bells sounded the alarm and residents seized their muskets, preparing to make their stand. These lands were their homes and they intended to defend their families and farms to the death, if need be. 

Concord Bridge where shots were fired

Just west of Menotomy was Lexington, where the first shots were fired on the town green. The color of the spring lawn was watered with the red blood of the local men and boys who had risen before dawn to defend their town. Eight patriots were killed and several wounded. One British soldier was also injured.

The British forces proceeded towards Concord. Wise patriots had actually moved the weaponry & gunpowder elsewhere before the enemy troops arrived. But that didn’t stop the confrontation immortalized in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s poem, “Concord Hymn.” Two British soldiers were killed in the battle at the Old North Bridge. Their graves near the bridge are decorated with flowers to this day, courtesy of the British Embassy. 

As the exhausted British troops retreated down the road toward Boston, colonists who had learned to fight behind trees and stone walls, picked off numerous red-coated soldiers along the way. In the meantime, reinforcements for the Brits were on the way down the main road from Boston. Once they joined forces west of Menotomy Village, the battle grew even uglier. By the time the conflict reached the Jason Russell farm in Menotomy, the fiercest battle of the day—and the deadliest for both sides—occurred at the Russell House. 

Menotomy Village is today called Arlington, Massachusetts. When I grew up there, I frequently walked by the Jason Russell House. It was now designated a historical site with a sign out front and, as a young girl, I wondered what had occurred there. It was not until I grew up that I learned the full story of this major incident, hidden from most history books. I was so moved by what I learned, I determined to write about it in novel form. I wanted to bring the characters alive on the page through words that would help my readers understand that these were living, breathing humans who sacrificed so much for the birth of America.

I’ve written about this story in the multi award-winning Fields of the Fatherless. I hope that reading about this little-known battle will help you appreciate our ancestors who shed their blood to create a free America. 

April 19 is now a public holiday called Patriot’s Day in Massachusetts and Maine. In Wisconsin, schools are required to teach students about the events and notable people of the American Revolution.  

It is regrettable that most of these United States do not commemorate the first day of the war that birthed America. We should never forget. I will do my part to help Americans remember.

Elaine Marie Cooper has two historical fiction books that released in 2019: War’s Respite(Prequel novella) and Love’s Kindling. Love’s Kindling was recently named a Finalist in the 2020 Selah Awards. It is the second book in the Dawn of America Series set in Revolutionary War Connecticut. Cooper is the award-winning author of Fields of the Fatherless and Bethany’s Calendar. Her 2016 release (Saratoga Letters) was finalist in Historical Romance in both the Selah Awards and Next Generation Indie Book Awards. She has been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul and HomeLife magazine. She also penned the three-book historical series, Deer Run Saga. Her upcoming release, Scarred Vessels, is about the black soldiers in the American Revolution. Look for it in October 2020. You can visit her website/ blog at www.elainemariecooper.com

Only Surviving Chest from the Boston Tea Party

Blogger: Amber Schamel

When my family and I visited Boston this past fall, we had the pleasure of seeing the Boston Tea Party museum. It's a fantastic place with actors bringing the characters and events of the past to life. If you ever get a chance to go, this museum is worth the stop!

I love visiting the places I've read about, because you almost always learn something you didn't come across during your research. For me, the new tidbit was found at the center of the Tea Party Museum. The artifact was mesmerizing as it rotated in a glass cylinder, illuminated by a light designed to highlight the carvings and paintings on its sides. The Robinson Tea Chest.

During the night of the Boston Tea Party, the 'Indians' used tomahawks to break open the chests of tea and throw the contents into the harbor. They were thorough in their work. The tea chests were demolished and only slats of wood remained, floating in the foamy harbor. Of the 340 chests destroyed, only two survived. A teenager by the name of John Robinson spotted one of them half buried in sand while walking along the shore the next morning. He took it home and put it in a storage space underneath the stairs. It survived the war in that hiding place and has been passed down in the Robinson family for generations. Someone painted flowers on one side, someone else etched a game board into the bottom. It was used as a doll house, and even a nest for a litter of kittens. But the Robinson family diligently kept the story of the chest alive and passed the history and artifact along. In 2012, the chest became a part of the Tea Party Museum upon its grand opening.

Tea Chest Exhibit at Boston Tea Party Museum.

So how do we know this chest is an actual East India Company artifact that was indeed a part of the tea party? Fair question. Besides the oral history of the chest as provided by the Robinson family, there is also a letter and affidavit from one of the recipients of the crate. Helen Ford Waring, who inherited the crate from her mother, had a specific fascination with the relic and traced its path back up the family tree to John Robinson. This information proved valuable when the Smithsonian Institute contacted the family in regards to the artifact. In addition, forensic testing revealed traces of the salt-water from Boston harbor, and period accurate wood and nails, confirming the oral legend of the box. Thus, the Robinson Tea Chest stands as one of the most interesting artifacts of the Boston patriots.

Replica of the Robinson Chest

If you'd like to learn more about how the box was passed down through the years, you can read more details on the museum website: https://www.bostonteapartyship.com/partners/a-box-worth-keeping

Do you have any heirlooms or artifacts passed down in your family? I'd love to hear about them!

 *****

Two-time winner of the Christian Indie Award for historical fiction, Amber Schamel writes riveting stories that bring HIStory to life. She has a passion for travel, history, books and her Savior. This combination results in what her readers call "historical fiction at its finest".  She lives in Colorado and spends half her time volunteering in the Ozarks. Amber is a proud member of the American Christian Fiction Writers Association. Visit her online at www.AmberSchamel.com/ and download a FREE story by subscribing to her Newsletter!