Since they were children running barefoot about Toulouse Plantation, Josie and Cleo have been as close as sisters, forging an unbreakable bond that defies their roles as mistress and slave. Together, the two have shared secrets and protected each other through happiness and heartbreak. They never dream they could also share an intense passion for the same man, the elegant, charming, and irresistibly seductive Bertrand Chamard. His love will change their friendship forever and set in motion a series of events from which there can be no turning back.
Gretchen Craig is the critically acclaimed author of novels and short stories.
Her most recent novel, Theena's Landing, takes her readers into the lush landscape of South Florida, the land of exotic birds, fragrant blossoms, and bright skies. In that narrow strip of land between the Atlantic and the Everglades, Gretchen grew roses in the sandy soil and orange trees in dark loam reclaimed from the swamp. In Theena's Landing, the early settlers living among the scarlet ibis and wild orchids tamed the wilderness to make way for the storied city of Miami.
She has also been recognized for her ante-bellum historicals, set in Louisiana among the Creoles, Cajuns, and African slaves. Always and Forever, from Kensington Zebra, won the Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence for Mainstream with Romantic Elements and was chosen as an Editor's Pick in the Historical Novel Society reviews. Continuing the saga of the same extended families, Ever My Love won the Booksellers Best Award from the GDRWA. The last book of the trilogy, Evermore, carries the families into the early days of the Civil War.
Gretchen was born in the Florida Panhandle and grew up in St. Petersburg on the Gulf Coast. She and her husband have lived in South Florida, Germany, and Maine, and are now in Texas among the mesquite and sunflowers. Maybe because she's lived in such diverse climates and terrains, Gretchen's novels are notable for their strong sense of place. Readers swear they can smell the bayous of Louisiana and taste the gumbos of New Orleans. Crimson Sky, a Kindle Novel inspired by the pueblos, mountains, and deserts of northern New Mexico, evoke the lives of people living under a searing sun among the stark beauty of mesas and canyons. Visit her website at www.gretchencraig.com.
