Let’s Take a Field Trip (virtually speaking) on an Ocean Liner
Most of the trips I’ve taken over the years are to research the places I write about in my books. When travel is not possible, YouTube is the best place to go to visit places in history. Two of my last few books took place on ocean liners, The Mauretania and The Queen Mary, crossing from England to New York City. Luckily, the Queen still sits in Long Beach, California’s harbor, and is a hotel now. So, my son and I flew to Los Angeles to spend a night on it.
Was it comfortable? No. The rooms were not air-conditioned, and although the original fans hung on the walls, they didn’t work. We were lucky enough to have a porthole to let in some air, but the adjacent parking lot held hundreds of partygoers celebrating the annual Hallowe’en festival. Guess we 21st-century peeps are a bit spoiled.
Did I learn a lot? Yes. The ship offered daily tours. We were able to visit many of the rooms that my characters visited, such as the ballrooms, the library, the swimming pool, and the decks and how the different classes were treated on each.
By the way, I recently married my high school boyfriend Mike Boomershine, whom I hadn’t seen for over fifty years, so my life has changed as well as my name. You can’t believe how difficult it is to change your name! I haven’t done a lot of writing in the past year, but I’m going to be more consistent in writing to you. I’m offering a copy of each of the aforementioned books: An Uncommon Gift and In the Presence of Her Enemies to the person to email me the title of the book and a highlighted word from this newsletter. sherri@stewartwriting.com.
What I’d really appreciate is for you to read my books and write a review on Amazon. Write your honest opinion. If you don’t like them, give me feedback. My books are also available in Spanish and German, and on Audible. Here’s a bit about the two books (the second one is a novella).
In the Presence of Her Enemies
By Sherri Stewart
Former lead soprano, Margot Van Ormer, is the closest thing to an enemy Tamar Feldman has ever known. But when Tamar discovers Margot's four-year-old son has been mistreated in an orphanage, she rescues him and tries to keep him in her home until Margot is released from prison. Will her enemy become her friend, or is it true that no good deed goes unpunished?
Ilse Bergman knows that her husband, former Nazi officer, Erich Bergman, is too smart and too mean to be dead. She also knows of his penchant for pretty sopranos. It's time to make Erich pay for abandoning her. Will a certain soprano lead Ilse to her husband?
An Uncommon Gift
By Sherri Stewart
Ella Davis’s papa always told her there’d be no class difference in Heaven, but Ella has years to live on God’s green earth until she reaches her reward. She’s content to be a maid on the Huntington Estate, as long as she has her books and her kitten. But when her ladyship, Amberly Huntington, coerces Ella to take her place on the Mauretania, the fastest ocean liner in 1910, Ella’s worst nightmare has come to pass. She must pretend to be nobility for the eight days it takes to reach New York. In other words, she must live a lie—and this just before Christmas! https://bit.ly/4v4laPA