A #HistFic Book Spotlight | Enjoy this extract from “Into the Heartland” by Jack Casey

Posted Monday, 3 May, 2021 by jorielov , , 0 Comments

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How I started hosting for HFBVTs: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours whereupon I am thankful to have been able to host such a diverse breadth of stories, authors and wonderful guest features since I became a hostess! HFVBTs is one of the very first touring companies I started working with as a 1st Year Book Blogger – uniting my love and passion with Historical Fiction and the lovely sub-genres inside which I love devouring. Whether I am reading selections from Indie Authors & publishers to Major Trade and either from mainstream or INSPY markets – I am finding myself happily residing in the Historical past each year I am a blogger.

What I have been thankful for all these years since 2013 is the beautiful blessing of discovering new areas of Historical History to explore through realistically compelling Historical narratives which put me on the front-lines of where History and human interest stories interconnect. It has also allowed me to dive deeper into the historic past and root out new decades, centuries and millenniums to explore. For this and the stories themselves which are part of the memories I cherish most as a book blogger I am grateful to be a part of the #HFVBTBlogTours blogger team.

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Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

I was originally hoping to read and review this lovely #HistNov for the blog tour – however, by some interesting twist of fate, my copy of the novel didn’t reach me in time for the tour. I didn’t have enough time to properly compose a guest author feature which is why I’ve chosen to host an extract from the book and help promote the novel rather than grieve the missed chance to read the story. I am quite curious to follow along the route myself – seeing what my fellow book bloggers thought about the story and peer into their readerly experiences as that is one of the blessings of being in this lovely community; the shared impressions and the different takeaways of different readers who are all reading the same story.

I especially love stories such as this one which is a historical narrative and drama with a dash of romance added in for good measure. I was quite excited to make the blog tour and I know one day, I’ll seek out this novel to read as it was such a captivating premise. I hope this extract helps you choose if this story sounds like a wicked good fit for you as well.

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Notation on Cover Art: This is such a portrait of life inside this novel, isn’t it? Your eyes nearly miss the scene playing out below the main characters featured on the cover, too! It reminded me of a painting and how cleverly this is a dual-image which speaks to the heart of the story (at least I presume given the expanded details!). I truly was captured by the artwork and felt as if I could just ‘step through’ the cover into the novel itself which is always the best kind of cover to have on a book – the ones which inspire you before you even start reading!

A #HistFic Book Spotlight | Enjoy this extract from “Into the Heartland” by Jack CaseyInto the Heartland
by Jack Casey

A forbidden love.

An impossible dream.

And a daring venture to open America…

The year is 1810. For decades men have dreamed of reaching west of the Hudson – of unlocking the untold riches in America’s heartland. Yet, these visionaries lacked the necessary skill, willpower, and political might.

Enter: DeWitt Clinton, mayor of New York City.

Ignoring naysayers and cynics, Clinton vows to construct an audacious waterway through the wilderness to Lake Erie. For this he needs support from the highest echelons of New York society. And there is only one woman with the talent and connections for the job.

Eleanora Van Rensselaer, an aristocratic widow, rules a vast Hudson Valley estate, but her wealth and power will vanish if a dark secret is revealed. Clinton enlists her charm and intelligence to battle his formidable opponent Martin Van Buren. When Eleanora encounters Daniel Hedges, a dashing ship captain with frontier ingenuity, she knows he is the key to this massive project. Eleanora’s social savvy and Hedges’ skills make them an ideal team – if they can fight the powerful feelings growing between them.

But as America plunges into the war of 1812, they could lose all that they have built.

From America’s stunning naval victory on Lake Erie to the British invasion of Washington, D.C., Daniel and Eleanora persevere through tragedy and deep personal loss. Despite Van Buren’s plot to sabotage Clinton and expose Eleanora’s secret, Daniel and Eleanora won’t stop until they make their colossal dream a reality.

And somewhere along the way, they might just find a love that will change them, and America, forever.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical Romance



Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 978-1734366624

Published by Diamonds Big as Radishes LLC

on 1st March, 2021

About Jack Casey

Jack Casey

JACK CASEY is an attorney who has handled civil, criminal and constitutional matters for thirty years in his solo practice. In HAMILTON’S CHOICE, Casey dramatizes the last three years of Alexander Hamilton’s life, and plausibly explains why he went to his first and fatal duel. Casey’s newest release, INTO THE HEARTLAND, is a sweeping saga of adversity and triumph around the building of the Erie Canal (1810–1825). His other published historical novels are LILY OF THE MOHAWKS and THE TRIAL OF BAT SHEA.

Casey graduated with honors from Yale University and Albany Law School, and has studied literature at Edinburgh and Cambridge Universities. He lives in Troy, NY and Raleigh, NC with his wife and editor, Victoria.

Converse via: #HistoricalFiction, #HistFic or #HistNov and #HistRom
+ #IntoTheHeartland and #HFVBTBlogTours

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Read an Extract from “Into the Heartland”:

“Love?” Lady Eleanora turned and frowned at her maid. “Did you say you were in love?”

Again, Kate’s idle tongue had betrayed her. Her face flushed and her nimble fingers, braiding her ladyship’s hair, darted and wove more quickly. “Yes, mum,” Kate thrust her chin up heroically. “Leastways, I believe I’m in . . . in love.”

“And what, poor lamb, would you know of love?” Lady Eleanora’s eyes gleamed with mirth. The maid stepped behind the chair to avoid her gaze, but Eleanora turned fully around. “Well?”

Kate pulled the braid and her ladyship winced. “P’rhaps it weren’t that neither.”

“But you said you were in love! I heard you!”

Kate’s eyes welled with tears. She longed to be away, out in the cool evening river breeze. “Well, to me, mum, it is!” Her breath came short and quick. “And it mayn’t be so grand as you knew, neither, but it’s the best I can ever hope for!” Now she dared to look into her mistress’ eyes and saw her smile. When Lady Eleanora smiled it was like the sun beaming on a summer morn. Only now her dark eyes held a gleam of ridicule, so Kate concentrated mightily on her work.

“Who is he?”

Kate threw up her hands and the braid fell, slowly untwining. “You mock me, mum! It’s not as though we’ll be setting up a household and scrapin’ the ground for a few bushels of corn, and raisin’ brats and growin’ mean and sour to each other! But if he should pr’pose, and mind you I believe he will, then I must think on it hard, and if I accept, as I’m not saying I won’t, then I’ll be his wife.”

Lady Eleanora spoke softly, “Who is he?”

“A groom of the stables here at the general’s manor. I’ll fetch the wig so’s you can descend the stairs to the ball. I can hear them fiddles now.”

Indeed, the strains of a Viennese waltz lilted up the stairs above the low rumble of men’s laughter.

“Let them wait, pet.” Eleanora turned to face her reflection in the mirror. She wore a low-cut sapphire gown with a lace bodice, and though her rich dark hair usually hung freely, tonight it would be tightly pinned under the heavy old-fashioned powdered wig. “Tell me more about him.”

“Why, he’s ever so nice. Joel Kipp’s his name. From Connetty-cut. He’s tall, mum, and lean, and he has such happy gray eyes. He can ride the most spirited of the general’s steeds with ease and skill. I bet he could ride your Hecate first time.”

“How does this, this love make you feel?”

Kate blushed. “It’s ever so wonderful, mum! When he speaks my name, I quiver, . . . though I’d never compromise my virtue! Never!” She shook her head seriously, then her eyes widened. “But I did kiss him once, and it stole my very breath away.” Kate pinned up the braid. “A-course it’s nothing, like you must’ve felt with Master Jacob . . . ”

The mention of her late husband stung Eleanora.

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I was quite curious why the mention of a lady’s maid sudden attraction to a bloke and her growing affection for him was unsettling Lady Eleanora. However, in the scene directly, your heart goes out to Kate — to be put on the spot like that and to try to sort out your heart, your feelings and the best route to take whilst your realising the person of whom your speaking isn’t quite on the same page as you. I would love to peer into the scenes and dialogue leading into this exchange but also shortly thereafter, as it would be interesting to see what kind of relationship these women share and how controlling Eleanora is about circumstances outside her control.

With Historical dramas, you are never short on moments like these – where emotions run high and sometimes, those in service overstep themselves without even meaning to cause such duress to their employers. It had to be hard, especially if you were the sort who liked to talk and share bits of your life – to know how to balance what was considered proper and what was considered an overreach. Goodness! What a part of the story to share and to give you enough of a reason to read more!

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This blog Tour is courtesy of:

Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours - HFVBTFollow the Virtual Road Map

as you visit others participating:

Into the Heartland blog tour banner provided by HFVBTs and is used with permission.

This lovely blog tour has a giveaway, too!

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 I look forward to reading your thoughts & commentary!
Especially if you read the book or were thinking you might be inclined to read it. I look forward to your comments about this spotlight. Kindly give the author a boost of joy by sharing your thoughts with us. Bookish conversations are always welcome!

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NOTE: Similar to blog tours wherein I feature book reviews, book spotlights (with or without extracts), book announcements (or Cover Reveals) – I may elect to feature an author, editor, narrator, publisher or other creative person connected to the book, audiobook, Indie film project or otherwise creative publishing medium being featured wherein the supplemental content on my blog is never compensated monetarily nor am I ever obligated to feature this kind of content. I provide (98.5%) of all questions and guest topics regularly featured on Jorie Loves A Story. I receive direct responses back to those enquiries by publicists, literary agents, authors, blog tour companies, etc of whom I am working with to bring these supplemental features and showcases to my blog. I am naturally curious about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of stories and the writers who pen them: I have a heap of joy bringing this content to my readers. Whenever there is a conflict of connection I do disclose those connections per post and disclose the connection as it applies.

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{SOURCES: Book cover for “Into the Heartland”, book synopsis, author biography, author photograph of Jack Casey the tour host badge and HFVBTs badge were all provided by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and used with permission. Post dividers and My Thoughts badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets were embedded due to codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Stories in the Spotlight and the Comment Box Banner.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2021.

I’m a social reader, I tweet my readerly life

About jorielov

I am self-educated through local libraries and alternative education opportunities. I am a writer by trade and I cured a ten-year writer’s block by the discovery of Nanowrimo in November 2008. The event changed my life by re-establishing my muse and solidifying my path. Five years later whilst exploring the bookish blogosphere I decided to become a book blogger. I am a champion of wordsmiths who evoke a visceral experience in narrative. I write comprehensive book showcases electing to get into the heart of my reading observations. I dance through genres seeking literary enlightenment and enchantment. Starting in Autumn 2013 I became a blog book tour hostess featuring books and authors. I joined The Classics Club in January 2014 to seek out appreciators of the timeless works of literature whose breadth of scope and voice resonate with us all.

"I write my heart out and own my writing after it has spilt out of the pen." - self quote (Jorie of Jorie Loves A Story)

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Posted Monday, 3 May, 2021 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Book | Novel Extract, Book Spotlight, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Indie Author




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