Showing results by author "Jean Hackensmith" in All Categories

Rebecca Sutherland fell in love with her best friend, Jacob Walker in “The Promise”. But before Jacob, there was Henry Olsen, a kind, gentle man who was twenty years her senior. She was only fourteen when she met Henry and much too young to even consider him as a mate. Nearly three years later, Rebecca’s father dies of heart disease, and their good friend Henry is the logical one to help Owen’s wife and daughter run the farm. Of course, it would be indecent if he were to simply move in without marrying Rebecca first. What starts out as a marriage of convenience quickly turns into an...

If you liked the poignancy and wholesome nature of “The Promise,” you will LOVE “A Dream In the Wilderness.” Unable to find a teaching position in the flooded job market that is New York City, twenty-one-year-old Sarah Bentley accepts the position of nanny to Caleb Wachsmann’s three children after the farmer’s wife, parents, and infant son die in the Cholera epidemic of 1834. The twist? The job is in Superior, Wisconsin in the Michigan Territory, an unsettled wilderness located on the northwestern tip of Lake Superior. Caleb is not looking for love; his heart will always belong ...

“If you ever need anything, Rebecca, you just let me know and I'll be there." Those were the words 16-year-old Jacob Walker told his best friend before her family moved to Oklahoma. Never did he expect that he would have to live up to that promise 14 years later. It was now 1931, and Rebecca was a widow, left to care for her four children alone. She was also the lone caretaker of a failing 500-acre farm. That was the least of her problems. Oklahoma was about to enter the "The Dust Bowl."

A neutron star is on a collision course with Earth. The tremendous gravitational pull of this dense, intergalactic object will rip the planet apart. Fortunately, world leaders have come up with a plan to ensure continuation of humanity, and they have fifty years to do it—time that will be used to fast-track antimatter propulsion technology and send a hundred thousand survivors into outer space in search of a new home. Garrett Long and his team of astrophysicists have been tasked with this near insurmountable feat. As Exodus begins, Garrett has only five years to perfect his late ...

It’s the family vacation of a lifetime. A trip on a genuine wagon train headed west across the Great Plains of Kansas. The brochure promises adventure, realism and romance, but it says nothing about the possibility that your entire caravan of more than forty twenty-first century pioneers could become unwilling participants in a real trek west. A trip destined to take place in the year 1845; a trip that will test your stamina and courage as you cross endless deserts, towering peaks and raging rivers. Add to that a prairie fire and a ghostly caravan of Oregon-bound immigrants who trudge ...

Matt Walker was fifteen when he almost died of dust pneumonia in “The Promise.” Now, ten years later, he is a twenty-five-year-old WWII flying ace with 34 kills, four of them at Pearl Harbor. His high school sweetheart, Julie Sullivan, promised to wait for him when he went off to war, but a single careless night in Papua New Guinea left Matt with a wife and child on the way, breaking Julie’s heart. When Matt returns home after the war, he makes his living in the skies once again, this time as a crop duster. His Piper J-4 Cub Coupe is his pride and joy, second only to his infant son, ...

Kaitlyn Emberland was brutally raped five years ago. She almost died, and her assailant left behind forty-two scars to remind her of their encounter. She will never trust a man again. She will never love again. The mere thought of a man’s touch makes her skin crawl—and then she meets Marc Campbell. He is different. He’s kind, gentle, understanding, and he loves her. He is willing to do whatever it takes to convince Kaitlyn that she can put the rape behind her and live and love again. But is it even possible? Can such a brutal act of violence and betrayal ever truly be overcome? ...

The Great Chicago Fire drew the nation's attention on October 8, 1871 when 300 people died. There was another fire on that day, though, in a little town called Peshtigo, Wisconsin. The Peshtigo Fire was the largest wildfire in US history, yet it was also the "forgotten fire." A firestorm packing 100 mile-an-hour winds destroyed the town in one hour, killing 800 people in the city of Peshtigo alone, and burning 1.2 million acres of old growth forest. This is a fictional account of how actual events unfolded that day, seen through the eyes of a family who will experience the horrors of ...

It’s 1883, and the Wachsmann family is devastated by the tragic loss of their beloved matriarch, Sarah. Just as they are grappling with this heartache, Denise Wachsmann, a simple-minded woman who has faced challenges her entire life, goes missing during a routine trip to town. Her disappearance ignites a frantic search, plunging the family further into turmoil and uncertainty. As the search for Denise continues, Michael Wachsmann finds himself facing a life-altering event that forces him to confront the future he once envisioned. As the heir to the family farm, he knows that one day he ...

The story of the Wachsmann family continues in “Whispers In The Wilderness”, Book Two in “The Wilderness Saga”. As Wisconsin edges closer to statehood, Caleb and Sarah Wachsmann’s family expands in the heart of the Wisconsin wilderness, yet they are relentlessly pursued by a troubled past. An unyielding foe is intent upon ending Caleb and Sarah’s lives, convinced that they and they alone are responsible for Lucas Roberts’ death. Despite the fact that Caleb nearly lost his life after the encounter with Lucas, the truth holds little weight with this newest adversary. Meanwhile, ...

Amid the turmoil of the Civil War, the women of Wachsmann’s Farms face an unprecedented challenge. With the men drafted under The Enrollment Act of 1863, the spirited Sarah Wachsmann defies her son Seth’s wishes to abandon the fields until their return. Instead, she envisions a bold plan: to build a cheese factory that will produce Cheddar cheese and condensed milk for the soldiers fighting on the front lines. When the crew she hires proves to be dangerous and threatening, Sarah’s dream hangs in the balance. Desperate to protect her home and the other women in her family, she turns to...

The average U.S. citizen is tired of all the corruption in our nation’s capital. They’re tired of the lies, the kickbacks, and the personal agendas that take precedence over the needs of middle-class America. They’re also tired of cookie-cutter Presidents who have made the term “politician” a four-letter word. Ethan Ward is tired of it, too. Consequently, he sets out to show the American people that there can be honesty in Washington. Ethan is an average guy; married, father of three, and owner of a small construction company located in Gordon, Wisconsin. Like many small ...

In the rugged landscape of 1840s Wisconsin, a new state emerges, but the promise of a fresh start is overshadowed by personal tragedy. When the Wachsmann family faces an unimaginable loss, young Seth and his wife, Hannah, are thrust into a battle to sustain the family unity. Amidst the turmoil, Hannah gives birth to a son who is afflicted with a mysterious condition, forcing the couple to confront heart-wrenching choices about their child’s future. Can they defy societal expectations and raise him themselves, or will fear and stigma dictate their decision? In A State In The Wilderness, ...

The story of the Wachsmann family continues in “Whispers In The Wilderness”, Book Two in “The Wilderness Saga”. As Wisconsin edges closer to statehood, Caleb and Sarah Wachsmann’s family expands in the heart of the Wisconsin wilderness, yet they are relentlessly pursued by a troubled past. An unyielding foe is intent upon ending Caleb and Sarah’s lives, convinced that they and they alone are responsible for Lucas Roberts’ death. Despite the fact that Caleb nearly lost his life after the encounter with Lucas, the truth holds little weight with this newest adversary. Meanwhile, ...

Nathan Branigan, a descendant of Irish immigrants and a gold miner by trade, became part of history as one of 400 men who blasted and chiseled the faces of four American presidents into the hard granite of Mount Rushmore. Kinsley Abrams, a waitress at the onsite restaurant, cares about Nathan more than she's willing to admit, and her heart pounds frantically in her chest every time he climbs the 700 steps to the top of the mountain.

In this gripping continuation of the Wachsmann family saga, the stakes are even higher as the farm flourishes into a thriving dairy business, complete with two bustling milk wagons making weekly rounds to Superior, WI and Duluth, MN. Set against the backdrop of the post-Civil War era, only two of the Wachsmann men remain, leaving the resilient women of the family to pick up the slack, determined to honor their loved ones’ legacies and ensure the farm’s success. As the Wachsmann’s thrive, the cities of Superior and Duluth find themselves embroiled in a fierce rivalry over access to a ...

It is the year 1856 when Diego Hernandez saves Samantha Montgomery's life. He is different. A Mexican immigrant, Diego is bound and determined to gain his citizenship and make his fortune in America. Together, he and Samantha will take Thunder Ridge into the next decade, which was riddled with epic natural disasters, including mudslides, stampedes, wild fires, drought, and an atmospheric river storm in 1861 that will flood the valley and kill thousands of people and 200,000 head of cattle.

In the heart of Wyoming, Private Detective Brian Koski and his tenacious investigations team embark on a harrowing journey to uncover the truth behind a devastating tragedy. Three brothers—convicted of murdering their parents and younger siblings—are languishing in prison, their youth stolen at just 15, 13, and 10 years old. With an airtight case against them, the evidence seems insurmountable, but Brian senses something amiss. These were good boys. Boy Scouts and Honor Roll students. Could they really be capable of such horror? As he delves deeper into their case, Brian is also faced ...

Book 2 in the Brian Koski Stalker Series Carrying a dark secret, Brian Koski is forced to resign his position as captain of the Sixth Precinct in Cheyenne, Wyoming and go into business for himself as a private detective. His partner? A mahogany colored Belgian Malinois named Sinbad. A former NYPD police dog, Sinbad is vicious when need be and reliable to a fault—unless a train goes by or there’s a thunderstorm, then chances are he will turn tail and run. Brian’s first clients are Jeff and Melody Patten. He’s an explosives expert for a local demolitions company, she’s a stay-at-...

In the rugged landscape of 1840s Wisconsin, a new state emerges, but the promise of a fresh start is overshadowed by personal tragedy. When the Wachsmann family faces an unimaginable loss, young Seth and his wife, Hannah, are thrust into a battle to sustain the family unity. Amidst the turmoil, Hannah gives birth to a son who is afflicted with a mysterious condition, forcing the couple to confront heart-wrenching choices about their child’s future. Can they defy societal expectations and raise him themselves, or will fear and stigma dictate their decision? In A State In The Wilderness, ...