Lucinda Breeding

Denton writers have had a spate of books hit the market this year. They­ have spun historical romances, children’s books and a self-help spoof about having a few too many cats.

Ever My Love is the second novel in a series by Denton au­thor Gretchen Craig. The follow up to her debut novel, Al­ways and Forever, the book is a historical romance about the next generation of Southern plantation dynasties, the Cha­mards, Johnstons and Deb­lieux.

The novel finds young Mari­anne Johnston alone on The Mag­nolias. Her absentee father has left Louisiana and her brother Adam would rather drink, hunt or chase New Or­leans chanteuse Nicolette Cha­mard, one of the Creole south’s shadow children — neither white nor black, but a seductive mix of the two. Marianne is running the show on the plantation, honing her skills as a horticulturalist and growing into a fine doctor.

The only hitch? Marianne spends most of her medical care on her slaves, a community she’s growing more sympathetic to each day. That she’d rather spend her evenings nur­sing ailing slaves — or saving the lives of fugitive slaves torn apart by an evil overseer’s bloodhounds — makes the young woman an oddity on the high-society marriage market. Sparks fly, however, when Mari­­anne joins the Under­ground Railroad only to discover a family friend, the rakish Yves Chamard, is himself a freedom fighter.

The book is sold as a historical romance, but Craig thankfully keeps most of the ro­mance tucked into the tense mo­ments between Marianne and Yves. Happily, Craig also pays attention to Pearl and Luke, a slave couple who’s un­ion is threatened alternately by the auction block and Luke’s determination to run away to the free states. There are a few seduction scenes, but they aren’t the focal point of the book.

Craig is a competent writer, rendering tight prose with be­lievable suspense. Sure, her char­acters seem too lucky at points, but slavery wasn’t abolished by law alone. Covert work by abolitionists made free men and women of many.

Craig also proves she can write believably about plantation medicine, achieving scenarios that are both credible and understandable.

Sugar Lump’s Night Before Christmas

By Lynn Sheffield Simmons, illustrated by Sue Marshall Ward

Pelican Publishing

Hardcover, 48 pages

$14.95

Who does Santa Claus turn to when he needs to take a sick day on Christmas Eve?

Argyle Author Lynn Sheffield Simmons promises it’ll be a Texas orphan calf named Sugar Lump.

Simmons brings back one of her first characters for a special, seasonal stint with St. Nick. She began publishing her children’s books through her own small press, then got a contract with Pelican Publishing, which is known regionally for its Night Before Christmas series. The company is probably best known for its titles by the late James Rice — Cajun Night Before Christmas, A Christmas Carol, The Principal’s Night Before Christmas — all expertly written and illustrated.

Simmon’s book is a simple story, in verse, about Santa and his reindeer stricken down by the sniffles. A hoarse but determined Santa brings Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen to a Lone Star ranch. He relieves his reindeer and selects Texas cows to get the job done. Sugar Lump, deemed too little to fly, has one very special gift: he can bawl for Santa, who can’t raise his voice to guide his substitute team.

Simmon’s poetry doesn’t trill quite as easily as Rice’s, but her story is sweet and very Texas. Sue Marshall Ward’s illustrations are kid-pleasing and cuddly.

Simmons sticks to what she does best — cheering for her hometown characters.

Outing the Cat Lady: Embracing Your Feline Addiction With Style

By Crystal Wood

Tattersall Publishing

Hardcover, 112 pages

$14.95

Cyrstal Wood has a lot of cats.

Or do a lot of cats have her?

The Denton writer and founder of Tattersall Publishing releases her pseudo self-help title this month. The book declares on its cover that it is “Tastefully Embellished by Rebekah Wells.”

The book is really sort of a tribute to any woman who has ever loved a cat — or 12. It’s also a casual tract extorting the virtues of women who respect cats. Mostly, it’s one-part cat supremacy and one part apologia for women sometimes referred to as “crazy cat ladies.” Wood wants you to know you aren’t alone. In fact, you’re fabulous.

The book does have some helpful attributes. Wood and Wells recommend some great names — Mr. Henderson, Pancho Villa and Hairy Pawter, to name a few. They also opt to give it to you straight. The only furniture that matters to your cats is you. And yes, they really do have to “flex their boots into your lap.”

The book could be shorter, and the illustrations could be bigger, but Cat Lady shows off Wood’s ease of phrase and humor.

On a serious note, Wood is a serious advocate of cat welfare. She and her husband, George, are transporters for Texas Siamese Rescue. Sure, you can pay good money for a cat, but always consider the merits of a rescue. 

LUCINDA BREEDING can be reached at 940-566-6877. Her e-mail address is cbreeding@dentonrc.com .