A love too rare to forsake.
♥
AUTHOR NOTE
Although the characters in FOREVER MINE lived entirely in my imagination, everything mentioned about Judge Owen Denny and his efforts to establish Chinese ringneck pheasants in Oregon is true. Today, thanks to Judge Denny and breeding farms established in 1911 near Corvallis and Hermiston, Oregon, Chinese ringnecks can be found in nearly every state of the nation, as American as Bartholomew's favorite apple pie.
The Cape Meares Lighthouse was lit for the first time on January 1, 1890. In 1895 a much-needed, heated workroom was erected between the light-tower and the sloping rise of the upper bluff. That same year, the slippery wooden stairway was replaced by one made of steel. The light was replaced by an incandescent oil-vapor lamp in 1910, and electrified in 1934. On April 1, 1963, an automatic light was installed and the old light forever retired.
Today, the barn, houses, oil storage buildings and original workroom are gone. Only the ghosts of a colorful past, which will never be known again, inhabit the windy bluff and the whitewashed tower of the Cape Meares Lighthouse—except in the minds of those imaginative enough to hear the old voices, and to sense the passions that might once have stirred within.
I have been asked about the rock thrown through the lighthouse by the waves. Yes, the ocean truly can toss rocks two hundred feet into the air to smash into the light. I acquired a number of tales about the light from the son of one of its last keepers, and used a few in the book. “Ol Hig,” as he called himself, would have enjoyed that. Unfortunately, he did not live to see the book released.
ABOUT CHARLENE RADDON
Charlene began her writing life at an early age, often penning stories where she cast herself as the heroine. It was after college when she dug out her old college typewriter and started her first novel, which came from a spirited dream she'd had the previous night.
While that book never sold, her second novel did. Tender Touch became a Golden Heart finalist and earned her an agent who signed the book, and two others, in a three book contract with Kensington Publishing. Kensington went onto publish five of Charlene's western historical romances: Taming Jenna (1994); Tender Touch (1994 Golden Heart Finalist); Forever Mine (1996 Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer's Choice Award Nominee and Affaire de Coeur Reader/Writer Poll finalist); To Have and To Hold (1997 Affaire de Coeur Reader/Writer Poll finalist); and as Rachel Summers, The Scent of Roses (1999).
Charlene took a break from publishing, but not from writing. A Kiss and A Dare is Charlene's first paranormal romance.
Divine Gamble is Charlene's most recently completed work and earned her first place at the 2010 Romance Through The Ages contest in their western historical romance category. Currently, she's reworking that first book she wrote that resulted from a spirited dream.
When Charlene isn't writing, she loves to travel, research genealogy, create digital scrapbooks and dye eggs in the Ukrainian style. She also enjoys camping and fishing with her husband in the Utah wilderness.
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Get in touch with Charlene
Charlene Raddon (http://www.charleneraddon.com)
Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/charlene.b.raddon)
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Thank you for reading Forever Mine.
If you liked this story, watch for other releases from Charlene Raddon.
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