Happy Thursday! I’m excited to share another new release with you. Please welcome good friend and talented author, Jan Sikes with her latest book baby, A Beggar’s Bargain. If you enjoy historical fiction, this is one you won’t want to miss! I loved the era and the location. Jan brought both vividly to life and told a spell-binding story. I’v read her work before, but this book is in a league of its own.
Look for my 5-star review toward the end of this post, but first please welcome Jan!
Thank you, Mae, for so generously offering to help me spread the word about my new book, A Beggar’s Bargain. I deeply appreciate your support!
There are often controversial social issues we have to address in our stories and in A Beggar’s Bargain, I had to share a bit of history about gypsies. Sara Beth’s mother was a gypsy, which was one reason the townsfolk thought she was a witch. One of my favorite scenes to write was when Uncle Seymour shared some memories about Esmerelda.
Take a look:
Sara Beth pulled a chair out from the table and pointed. “Rest while I pour you a glass of tea. I have lots to learn about growing things.”
He accepted the cool glass. “I’ll teach you everything I know.”
She dropped into a chair across from him. “You’ve never told me. How did you meet my mama?”
“They was traveling through Mississippi. Reckon it was about 1926. You know, folks shunned the Gypsy caravans. Thought they was all thieves. It was common for the black folk to offer them food and a place to camp.”
“She camped on your family’s place?”
He nodded. “I was sharecropping. A hard livin’ if ever there was one. When it came time to leave, she asked if I’d like to get out of the field and go with them. It wasn’t a hard choice.”
“How old were you? She must have been a young girl.”
“She might’ve been seventeen or eighteen. I was already close to my fifties and plumb wore out from working the fields. We had some sort of instant kinship. She read the cards for me, and they all said to go. Didn’t have a clue where either one of us would end up. A short time later, she met your daddy, and they married. Part of her agreement to marry Homer Williams was that I could stay.”
“What about her folks? My grandparents?”
“Her mama and daddy had done passed on. Never knew them.”
“I wonder what they would’ve been like? I never had any grandparents. My father’s folks were dead too.”
“If her parents were anything like her or you, they were good decent folks.” Seymour finished his tea and stood.
When I was a kid, I loved dressing as a gypsy for Halloween. The nomadic lifestyle of the gypsies has always fascinated me, but I never realized that part of that lifestyle was due to the fact that they were shunned everywhere they went. I found some interesting facts in my research. They were often thought of to be thieves and because of their penchant for the occult, such as fortune telling and tarot reading, God-fearing folks believed they were evil. I loved making this part of Sara Beth’s heritage.
Let’s talk about society perceives how certain groups of people. Can you think of other groups society has shunned like they did the gypsies?
Book Blurb:
A shocking proposal that changes everything.
Desperate to honor his father’s dying wish, Layken Martin vows to do whatever it takes to save the family farm.
Once the Army discharges him following World War II, Layken returns to Missouri to find his legacy in shambles and in jeopardy. A foreclosure notice from the bank doubles the threat. He appeals to the local banker for more time—a chance to rebuild, plant, and harvest crops and time to heal far away from the noise of bombs and gunfire.
Only the banker firmly denies his request. Now what?
Then, the banker makes an alternative proposition—marry his unwanted daughter, Sara Beth, in exchange for a two-year extension. Out of options, money, and time, Layken agrees to the bargain.
Now, he has two years to make a living off the land while he shares his life with a stranger.
If he fails at either, he’ll lose it all.
AUTHOR’S SOCIAL MEDIA:
Website | Facebook | Bookbub | Twitter | Amazon Author Page | Goodreads
REVIEW BY MAE CLAIR:
This is a moving account of one man’s determination to save his family’s farm from foreclosure. Set shortly after WWII in Missouri, the setting and time period are every bit as vibrant as the characters who populate this extraordinary novel.
Layken Martin agrees to a marriage of convenience with Sara Beth Williams in order to keep her cold-hearted banker father from foreclosing on the farm that has been in his family for generations. Emotionally damaged from living under her father’s controlling and abusive thumb, Sara Beth nonetheless bristles at the idea of marriage to a complete stranger.
At the start, these two tread around each other as though walking on eggshells. Given time, however, both begin to realize their own self worth and the blessing of the marriage. It’s a gradual process that unfolds slowly and believably.
Lest you think this book is a romance, it’s far from it. Rather the story focuses on damaged individuals overcoming adversity through dedication, hard work, and belief in the goodness of others. While Layken and Sara Beth are the central characters, there is also a handful of strong secondary characters—and I do mean STRONG—who flesh out several intricate threads woven into the plot.
From “Uncle” Seymour, a hired hand Sara Beth has known since childhood, to Tab, a skittish young boy with troubles far outweighing his years, the way these characters come together is beautiful to witness. I read one chapter of this novel, then had to set it aside for the day. The next morning, I picked it up and read straight through to the finish. During that period, the author had me on an emotional rollercoaster with her brilliant plotting, heart-wrenching drama, and unforgettable characters. I’ve read Jan Sikes before, always enjoying her stories, but this book is an entirely different league. The writing is both earthy and pristine, and shorter chapters keep you eagerly flipping pages.
If you enjoy moving historical fiction, I highly recommend this gem with its roots set deep in America’s past. Bravo!
Thanks for helping me welcome Jan today. I hope you enjoyed her visit and will drop her a comment below. Don’t forget to grab your own copy of A Beggar’s Bargain through the purchase link above, then step back in time to the dusty byways of Missouri, and an earlier generation!
From the Pen of Mae Clair 