I have finally published A Life of Joy, the seventh and last book in my series about the Oregon Trail and the settlement of the American West! I hope those of you who have been reading my series enjoy this story. It’s taken a bit over two years to write and edit, but in the end, I am pleased with it.
Here’s a bit about the book:
Maria McDougall refuses to be bound by her birth, her overprotective family, or the rigid expectations of 1870s Oregon society. Determined to establish a career, she goes to work for The New Northwest newspaper. But a family tragedy threatens her aspirations and brings her adoptive brother, Will McDougall, home from Boston.
As Will seeks more responsibility in his father’s business, he uncovers an embezzlement scheme. At work, he struggles to identify the thieves. At home, he pursues his feelings for Maria, but learns she is more interested in her career than in marriage.
Caught in a web of deception and desire, Maria and Will risk their lives and hearts to forge their own destinies. A Life of Joy is a sweeping tale of ambition, resilience, and love set in the developing West.
A part of me is sad to see this series end. I began writing about these characters in 2007, though I didn’t publish the first book in the series (Lead Me Home) until 2015. Since then, however, I’ve published another novel in the series about every 18-24 months. Sometimes in even less time.
And now, there are seven books in the series. It is time to let it go. I have followed the arc of the Oregon Trail from near its beginning (the first Great Migration of wagons to Oregon was in 1843) until near its end. The coming of railroads across the nation caused the flow of wagons to taper off significantly. One plot line in A Life of Joy deals with the coming of the Northern Pacific Railroad to the Pacific Northwest.
At that point, the emigrants to the West had to ask themselves: Why travel for months by wagon when the land could be crossed in a week or two by rail?
A Life of Joy is available in both paperback and ebook formats on Amazon, and it is also available as an ebook on Barnes & Noble. Here are the links to each of these sources:
- Amazon paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/098532449x
- Amazon ebook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FK22SRB6
- Barnes & Noble ebook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-life-of-joy-theresa-hupp/1147905209
Please take a moment to look at A Life of Joy. If you read it and enjoy it, please consider leaving a review on the site where you bought it. Thank you!
I posted a review on Amazon on Sunday. It has not appeared as of this morning. I will follow up later today.
Thank you, Terry!