FEATURED BOOK:  Texas Reclaimed

AUTHOR:  Sherry Shindelar

PUBLISHER:  Wild Heart Books

GENRE:  Christian Historical Romance

SERIES OR STAND ALONE:  Lone Star Redemption Series

TARGET AGE:  17 and up

IT IS MY PLEAUSRE TO WELCOME AUTHOR SHERRY SHINDELAR TO PATTI’S PORCH. SHERRY TALKS ABOUT THE IINSPIRATION FOR HER LATEST NOVEL, THE DEVASTATING EFFECTS OF LAUDANUM THROUGHOUT HISTORY.

BREAKING THE CHAINS: THE HIDDEN CIVIL WAR

by

Sherry Shindelar

Texas Reclaimed is a story of victory, redemption, and the rebirth of trust. It is a story of courage and of freedom from the chains of the past and the chains of addiction. It is a story that honors the Civil War soldiers who survived their wounds, only to return home to fight another battle: dependency on the opioid-based medicines that had helped save their lives.

I first heard of laudanum when I watched the movie Amazing Grace about William Wilberforce’s eighteen-year battle to end the slave trade in Great Britain. Wilberforce played a pivotal role in ending the slave trade and eventually slavery itself in Britain by speaking, campaigning, and introducing bills into the British parliament. However, Wilberforce was also addicted to laudanum, a tincture of opium.

It wasn’t his intention to become dependent upon a drug. A doctor prescribed it to him when he was twenty-nine years old for ulcerative colitis and other health ailments. Laudanum was used to treat a number of health issues and ailments in the 18^th and 19^th centuries, and no one, including doctors, had much understanding about addiction and dependency. The word addiction didn’t even exist as we use it today. But the soul-deep struggle was very real for too many people, even a man of faith like Wilberforce.

Addiction is pernicious, and laudanum took its toll on Wilberforce. He suffered physically, mentally, and spiritually from its poisonous effects.

Years later, I learned that even some of the nineteenth-century authors that I admire, such as Louisa May Alcott and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, struggled with laudanum dependency, as well.

In the nineteenth century, doctors and the public viewed opium, in its various forms, as an essential medical tool. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers were wounded in the American Civil War, and many more suffered from debilitating and potentially life-threatening illnesses. A Civil War medical manual, quoted in Dr. Jonathan Jones’s Opium Slavery, states that opiates were as “important to the surgeon as gunpowder to the ordinance [military weapons].”

Unfortunately, the medicine that saved their lives, too often, enslaved them for years after the war. According to Dr. Jones, “Veterans, their families, and communities struggled to cope with addiction’s health and social consequences, which included much victim-blaming that compounded suffering unnecessarily.” Too often, society’s reaction hindered instead of helped the men’s recovery.

My heart went out to Wilberforce, the tens of thousands of soldiers, and others enslaved to laudanum or other substances through no fault of their own. For many, once infected, it could be a lifelong battle, one that many did not win on their own. But there were victories.

And I love to write about soul-deep struggles and victories.

My hero, Ben McKenzie, is a Federal Cavalry captain captured and imprisoned in the notorious Andersonville Prison Camp. He barely survives the harsh conditions of the camp. His best friend, Jeb Scott, does not. Ben makes a deathbed promise to his friend that he will look after Jeb’s mother and sister who live in Texas.

Ben aims to keep that promise, but the medical treatment that he receives after his release from prison camp leaves him dependent upon laudanum. My story starts a year later. Ben determines to break the chains that are eating away at his self-respect. He throws away his bottle of medicine and heads to Texas to keep his promise.

I asked a friend of mine about his own deliverance from addiction. He had this to say, “It was a lifetime ago, my addiction was strong, but my pain was stronger. I’ve lost so much in my life, but then I found that God’s love was deep, and He was even bigger to forgive. Out of His mercy He set me free, and through His grace He healed me from my past.”-Rev. Mark Little Elk.

That is my prayer for all of those who struggle. And I look forward to sharing Ben McKenzie’s story with you in Texas Reclaimed.

Blurb for Texas Reclaimed

Can love blossom between a woman haunted by her family's past and a man with a war-scarred heart?

Cora Scott is determined to hold onto her family's Texas ranch and provide a stable home for her young half brother, Charlie, despite the mounting challenges of post-Civil War frontier life. But when a scheming creditor threatens to seize their land, she must accept help from Ben McKenzie, a former Yankee soldier sent by her late brother. Though Ben's generosity and strength draw her, the man's private struggle she stumbles upon—too reminiscent of her father's alcoholism—makes her question whether she can trust her heart to him.

Ben McKenzie arrives in Texas intent on fulfilling his promise to his dying friend to protect Cora and Charlie. While using his inheritance to save their ranch, he battles not only the loss of their cattle but also his dependency on laudanum—a medicine that turned into a curse after his imprisonment at Andersonville. As his feelings for Cora deepen, he must choose between his promise to his father to take over their Philadelphia newspaper and his growing dream of a life with Cora in Texas.

When a Comanche warrior begins courting Cora and Ben's responsibilities in Philadelphia threaten to tear them apart, they must decide if their love is strong enough to overcome their fears and forge a future together on the Texas frontier

Originally from Tennessee, Sherry Shindelar loves to take her readers into the past. A romantic at heart, she is an avid student of the Civil War and the Old West. When she isn’t busy writing, she is an English professor, working to pass on her love of writing to her students. Sherry is an award-winning writer: 2025 Maggie winner, 2023 ACFW Genesis finalist, 2023, & 2021 Maggie finalist, and 2022 Crown finalist. She currently resides in Minnesota with her husband of forty-one years. She has three grown children and three grandchildren.

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FEATURED BOOK:  My Argentina: The Early Years: 1945-1963

AUTHOR:  Rita Koch

PUBLISHER: Rita Press

GENRE: Missionary Memoir

SERIES OR STAND ALONE:  Stand Alone

TARGET AGE: 18+

IT IS MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME AUTHOR RITA KOCH TO THE OVER FIFTY WRITER. RITA SHARES HOW MEMORIES OF ARGENINA AS A CHILD OF MISSIONARY PARENTS AND THE DOCUMENTATION THEY LEFT BEHIND LED TO THE CREATION OF HER MEMOIR.

A LONG “PREGNANCY”

by

Rita Koch

My “baby” came into the world in March, 2026.

The dream of writing a book grew over time as resources accumulated. I inherited decades of letters between my parents and grandparents, diaries, years of correspondence from other missionaries, my own teenage writings, dozens of photos, and numerous articles from the denominational magazine. The idea was conceived to put together the story of my growing-up years in Argentina and honor my parents’ missionary legacy.

A freelance writing class I attended toward the end of my Spanish-teaching career, inspired and propelled me to learn the craft. I attended many writers’ conferences.

Then, a house fire threatened to destroy the dream. As I watched the house engulfed in flames I screamed, “God, the house is on fire!” Then realizing that he already knew that, I said, “You can protect what is important.” Amazingly, the wealth of sources was protected, even those in areas of greater fire damage. This compelled me to write and fit together the puzzle of those early years from the rescued resources.

Twice a month I posted a chapter of my life story in a blog. At the end of twenty-six months, I had written more than 95,000 words about those first twenty years.

I questioned, would anyone be interested in reading about the history, culture, and life of 1940s, 50s, and 60s Argentina as well as the trials and triumphs of my missionary parents?

Eighteen months later, with the help of an editor, book designer, and formatter, my first book is published and available! The first book launch in the local library was well attended. I joined the many Grant County authors eager to display our tomes in the new independent bookstore, the Bookworm Orchard in Marion, Indiana.

The memoir covers my life from 1945 when my parents chose to leave the US and go to Argentina until the family returned in 1963, and includes history of the Peron era, natural disasters, plagues, stories of church plants and buildings, school systems and daily life struggles.

The book (my baby) is here. The long publishing process (like a pregnancy)is over. And now?we, the readers and I,?enjoy?(like baby smiles and coos)?how the words and memories make us feel.

Book Cover Blurb for My Argentina: The Early Years: 1945-1963

An engaging story into the ethos of God’s work accomplished by obedience and determination, leaving an indelible mark on the landscape of a country.

For decades, TCK Rita Koch reflected on her parents’ missionary work in 1950’s Argentina. But when she inherited years of correspondence, photos and diaries, she discovered a narrative far more beautiful than her own childhood memories.

Two determined, young American missionaries arrived in Argentina. Learned Spanish from street vendors and parishioners. Shared the gospel in dusty plazas and cramped living rooms. Established churches in forgotten neighborhoods. And shared it all in their denominations’ newsletter, The Brethren Missionary Herald.

Part memoir and part mission history,My Argentina: The Early Years: 1945-1963 reflects a transparent account of two lives surrendered to a sacred calling—and a daughter’s careful effort to honor their sacrifice and faithfulness.

Rita Koch’s life has crossed continents and cultures—from her childhood and youth in Argentina to missionary work in Europe and South America including five years on a ship, the M/V Doulos with husband Michael and three children. A former Spanish professor and retired engineer, they now live in the house he built in the woods. Their six grandchildren and four greats live not far. When not at her desk or involved with friends and family, Rita enjoys watercolor art or knitting.