Two Brides Too Many (33 page)

BOOK: Two Brides Too Many

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One of those fun discoveries was the twist on the spelling for
Harper’s Bazar
. If you’re like me, you wanted to add another “a” after the “z,” but until the November 1929 issue, the magazine was spelled with only two “a’s.” Also,
Harper’s Bazar
is known for its careful focus on fashion and homemaking, but when I discovered that they also published fiction and essays for women during the late 1890s, I decided it would be the perfect fit for Kat’s writings about women, for women.

In each of the Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek novels, you’ll meet at least one real woman from Cripple Creek history. In
Two Brides Too Many
, Sister Mary Claver Coleman serves as the historical woman in my fictional tale. Sister Coleman was part of the Catholic Order of the Sisters of Mercy and was sent to Cripple Creek to establish the town’s first general hospital.

I look forward to our time together in these stories.

May God make a way for you in your wilderness. May His wisdom gird you. May His dreams for you come true.

Mona Hodgson

A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS

I liken writing a novel for publication to either birthing or building. So as not to offend any sensibilities here, I’ll use the building metaphor. I could not have constructed this story without the selfless support and endless resources of capable and committed subcontractors who offered the blueprints and tools I needed to get the job done.

Bob, my hubby—a.k.a. caregiver, researcher, walking encyclopedia, personal computer technician, and cook.
Janet Kobobel Grant of Books & Such Literary Agency, my agent extraordinaire.
DiAnn Mills, my ultra-dedicated critique partner and friend. She kept my tools sharp.
Shannon Hill Marchese, my super-duper editor, and her strong editorial team who helped me add bricks and mortar, windows, and the finishing trim to the story.
The entire WaterBrook Multnomah–Random House team—you all provided the foundation on which I build.
Jeanine, Shirley, Debbie, Karen, June, Lauraine, Ann—my personal prayer team, and all who prayed for me during this construction project.
My mom, June Gansberg, and my sisters, Cindy, Tammy, and Linda—your raised pompoms cheered on this contractor.
Dr. Kirk Stetson, my extremely patient and bighearted medical information supplier.
Jan Collins, Director, Cripple Creek District Museum, a generous purveyor of historical information.
Vicki Smothers, a gracious and knowledgeable volunteer at the Pikes Peak Heritage Center in Cripple Creek, Colorado.
Leon Drew, an ardent volunteer at the Outlaws and Lawmen Jail Museum in Cripple Creek.
A gargantuan thank you to all of these listed, and to all who aren’t, who had a part in the building of this novelist and this novel.

Dedicated to the Master Builder and Cornerstone, Jesus—the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

A
BOUT THE
A
UTHOR

M
ONA
H
ODGSON
is the author of twenty-eight children’s books, including
Real Girls of the Bible: A Devotional
and the Princess Twins series. Her writing credits also include hundreds of poems, articles, and short stories in more than fifty different periodicals, including
Focus on the Family, Decision, The Upper Room, The Quiet Hour, Bible Advocate, Clubhouse Jr.
, and
Highlights for Children
. Mona speaks at women’s retreats, schools, and writers conferences, and she was founding director of the Glorieta Christian Writers Conference. Mona is one of the four Gansberg sisters of Arizona. She and her husband of thirty-seven-plus years have two grown daughters, a son-in-law, three grandsons, and one granddaughter. To learn more about Mona, or to find readers guides for the Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek books, visit her Web site:
www.monahodgson.com
. You can find also Mona at
www.twitter.com/monahodgson
or
www.facebook.com/mona.hodgson
.

T
WO
B
RIDES
T
OO
M
ANY
P
UBLISHED BY
W
ATER
B
ROOK
P
RESS
12265 Oracle Boulevard, Suite 200
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80921

All Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version.

The characters and events in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons or events is coincidental.

Published in association with the literary agency of Janet Kobobel Grant, Books & Such, 4788 Carissa Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95405.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published in the United States by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc., New York.

W
ATER
B
ROOK
and its deer colophon are registered trademarks of Random House Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hodgson, Mona Gansberg, 1954–
       Two brides too many : a novel / Mona Hodgson.— 1st ed.
           p. cm.
       eISBN: 978-0-307-45891-9
    1. Sisters—Fiction. I. Title.
       PS3608.O474T86 2009
       813′.6—dc22

2009029180

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