Location, location, location…

A B C D E F – I bet you’re wondering what the alphabet has to do with location. Well I’ll tell you. Believe it or not, there is an area about thirty miles north of San Francisco, California – Point Reyes Peninsula – which in 1866 was sectioned off into 33 tenant dairy ranches. Each was given a letter in the alphabet, with ranch A being the closest to the lighthouse.

And this is where Once a Vagabond plays out and Abby and Ethan’s path cross again for the first time since he put her on the orphan train. Ethan is now the new first assistant to the lighthouse keeper and Abby is one of the peninsula’s teachers.

Neither recognized one another at first – almost ten years can do that you know – and the fact that Ethan mistakes Abby as a hooker only causes their relationship to start off as turbulent as the waters surrounding the rocky and rugged cliffs of the peninsula.

Unfortunately, by the time Ethan finally figures it out that Abby is the young girl he’d befriend in New York City, he’s afraid to tell her since she knows him as John Cable. A man she now finally trusts.

Happy New Years!!!!

So until next time, happy reading.

Kim Leady
Incredible stories…Unforgettable characters
www.kimleady.com

Once a Vagabond’s hero…

It always amazes me how and when things come to me concerning the characters I’m writing about, or the stories I’m working on.

As we all know the shopping season is in full swing, and I was one of those many brave (or stupid depending on how you look at it) souls battling the crowds on Black Friday. And while waiting in line to check out, the face of Ethan, Abby’s hero, became crystal clear. Up until then I had a loose idea of what Mr. Dreamy looked like, so this was like fine tuning a pair of binoculars.

So I thought I’d share with you what Ethan looks like in my mind. He has piercing blue eyes. His unruly chocolate waves brush his collar. Ethan’s square chin and strong nose have seen a fist a time or two, which ads to his already rugged stubble face. He has broad shoulders and stands several inches over six feet. And he’s very good at using his devilish smile to get himself out of scrapes.

Ethan is easy going and quick to laugh, but he can also strike as swift as a rattler when cornered or made mad.

Meet Ethan, although this photo is of Patrick Dempsey, Ethan could be his brother.

Until next time, happy reading.

Kim Leady
Incredible stories…Unforgettable characters
http://www.kimleady.com/

The wrong train…

Here is a snippet on how Abby ends up on a train – the wrong train.

The hero, Ethan, who is only 14 at the time, decides he can no longer protect ten-year-old Abby from the streets of New York – a vow he made to Abby just months earlier after her mother and father were killed in a dock accident.

Not knowing what to do, he seeks out his old friend Father Malone, who helps children get out of the city. Knowing Abby’s fear about cramped spaces and crowds, Ethan has Father Malone help him drug Abby to get her onto the train.

Unfortunately, Abby is not put on one of Father’s Malone’s Catholic trains. She is accidently put aboard another orphan train – one that doesn’t have specified families waiting for the children on the train. The type of train Abby finds herself on is one that stops at small towns along the rail line, and for a better description, holds orphan auctions at each stop.

Things are moving a little slower than my normal pace. Research, research and more research. But fear not, the train has picked up speed.

Until next time, happy reading.

Kim Leady
Incredible stories…Unforgettable characters
www.kimleady.com

Welcome

There are only six months before Champagne Books’ Orphan Train Series hits the shelves. However, before that train pulls into the station there is much to be done. So join our authors – Rebecca Goings, Angela Abate, Kim Leady, Ciara Gold, Lee Ann Ward & Jane Toombs as they discover how their girls deal with the hands life has dealt them, and the pact they made with one another.

1st book – Once A Dreamer, by Rebecca Goings
2nd book – Once A Rebel, by Angela Ashton
3rd book – Once A Vagabond, by Kim Leady
4th book – Once Jilted, by Ciara Gold
5th book – Once Wayward, by Lee Ann Ward
Final book – Once An Outcast, by Jane Toombs