a small town mayor

NOTE: I don't normally simultaneously post to two blogs, but I'm going to do that today. I just can't bear to share the cover of my May 2009 release over on Writes of Passage and not share it with all of you, the readers of Write Thinking.

No, as much as I like Sarah Palin, this blog post has nothing to do
with the new Republican VP candidate. The small town mayor referred to
in my blog title is Guinevere Arlington, the heroine of A Vote of Confidence. [Click cover at right to see larger version.]

Gwen,
as she is known, is a young single woman who teaches piano and writes a
column for the newspaper in the small town of Bethlehem Springs, Idaho
in the year 1915. When the existing mayor must resign from office for
health reasons, a special election must be held to elect his
replacement. Trouble is, the only candidate who has declared also
happens to be the hard-drinking owner of the local saloon, so Gwen's
sister urges her to run for office. Gwen is college-educated, smart,
and dedicated to improving things for the town. She throws her hat into
the ring. Ah, but wait. The third hat that flies into the ring belongs
to a newcomer to the area, Morgan McKinley.

You and I both know sparks begin to fly! Right?

The
first woman mayor in the United States was the mayor of Parma, Idaho,
elected in 1918. Readers of my books know that I'm enormously proud of
my home state, and I love sharing it with others through the stories I
write. I especially love knowing that Idaho enacted suffrage for women
24 years before the 19th Amendment was enacted. However, although the
woman's suffrage movement is a huge interest of mine, A Vote of Confidence
isn't a suffrage novel. It is a story of courage, including the courage
to love another enough to trust that person with your heart.

Anyway,
as you watch the election coverage over the next two months and wait to
see if Sarah Palin, former small town mayor, will become the first
woman VP in American history, I hope you'll also look forward to the
story of Gwen Arlington, a candidate for mayor in 1915.

A Vote of Confidence
releases in May 2009. [Note: the cover shown isn't final; some tweaks
are still being made, but I just couldn't wait to share it with you.]

-rlh-