Historical novel – Page 2 – Kathryn Spurgeon

Family reunions celebrate families

08/22/201908/22/2019 by Kathryn Spurgeon, posted in Historical novel

Akin Family Reunion abt 1920. Elisha Levi Akin and Dora Alice Valentine and their nine children and families.

Family get-togethers began in our family ions ago. That’s what families do—get together—if they like each other. Or not.

I have a picture of an Akin family reunion dated in the early 1900s. My Grandpa Thomas Elisha Akin stands in the middle of the back row, as good looking as Clark Gable. He’s surrounded by his wife, my great aunts and uncles, and a row of corralled youngsters sitting in front. His parents, Elisha Levi and Dora Alice Valentine Akin, born in 1851 and 1856 respectively, perch on chairs. There are so many relatives I’ve never seen nor heard about except tidbits here and there. Their lives are a mystery.

It makes me wonder about them. What did they talk about? What was Great-grandma’s favorite pastime? Did she make homemade biscuits as delicious at my grandmother’s? Did she hate the drudgery of doing laundry by hand? Did she discuss deep life questions with her children? Was my great-grandpa Akin one of those staunch, tough-as-nails men who didn’t know how to communicate? Like my grandpa and my father? What genes and traits were passed down to me and my family? Stubbornness? An inquisitive mind?

Old family reunion picture found in Akin/Thomas album. No idea who they are.

I was born an Akin and proud of it. With research, I traced our family history back across the United States to Arkansas, Georgia, New York, Rhode Island, and then to Dartmouth, Massachusetts and a Quaker community. Tracing farther back, our Oklahoma Akin family originally came from Aberdeen, Scotland, traveling to the U.S. in the mid-1600s.

Most of all, I speculate about their beliefs. Living in Scotland, did some of the Akins leave their homes during the Bishop’s Wars or because of religious or political persecution? Just why did they travel by boat to the U.S.? Perhaps someone has researched this and has more knowledge.

That would be an awesome trip—to travel to Scotland to see where the Akin/Aikine’s lived!

Did the Akins have faith in God to help them through the hard times? Perhaps their faith still lives on. My family trusts in God and still tries to follow His ways.

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. Deuteronomy 7:9

A thousand generations to those who love him. And keep his commandments. And it’s been less than ten generations back from me when my ancestors lived in a Quaker community. Maybe some of them were praying hard. Perhaps faith continues on just like our family reunions continue on, and that means I need to be praying for the next ten generations!

The Five Thomas Sisters

12/15/201801/26/2025 by Kathryn Spurgeon, posted in Historical novel

Five sisters faced difficulties in life. Each unique. Each stressful. And each life choice seriously tested their faith. These sisters had the same background with similar genes but were confronted with different issues in life.

They lived in Oklahoma during the 1930s Dust Bowl, and I’m really excited to share their stories with you. Read a short story about each one.

Mary Bobbie

Mary Bobbie, the oldest and most jovial of the sisters, keeps a terrible secret for eight years. Will her husband be devastated if he finds out she had a part in their child’s death? Will he still respect her?

Sally Matilda

Sally Matilda, once a high school football queen, marries the school’s handsome running back. Her perfect life shatters when he falls into abusiveness and addictions. How will she respond when a life-changing crisis arises?

Susie May

Susie May, the petite, shy middle sister, marries the most attractive band director in the country. After many moves and disappointments, what will she do when his tragic, double life becomes known in her hometown?

Jennie Rue

Jennie Rue, stable and God-fearing, agrees to nurse the sickly wife of an older man with two children. When he becomes a widow and wants to marry her, is it for love or convenience?

Annie Crump

Annie Crump still grieves the loss of her fiancé, but a tall, good-looking barber melts her heart. For some reason, he never tells her about his former life. How will she respond when an ex-wife appears and files a lawsuit to take everything they own/

Each Thomas Sister short story stands alone, and I hope you enjoy!

Mary Bobbie, a Historicl Novel

11/30/201807/28/2026 by Kathryn Spurgeon, posted in Historical novel

I’m excited to announce my new book!

Mary Bobbie

The First Thomas Sister

The oldest and most jovial of the sisters keeps a terrible secret for eight years. Will her husband be devastated if he finds out she had a part in their child’s death? Will he still love her?

Each of the five sisters face extreme circumstances that tests their faith. Living in Hollis, Oklahoma, during the 1930s Dust Bowl makes these issues more challenging. Based on true stories, I hope you’ll love the tales of these sisters as I release them – one every few weeks.

Order Mary Bobbie, the first story, now at https://books2read.com/u/bppPxJ

News about Book 3 in the Promise Series!

10/29/201801/26/2025 by Kathryn Spurgeon, posted in Historical novel, Memory House Publishing

Many people have asked when my third historical book in the Promise series will be released. I’ve researched and written throughout the year, and the book is almost, almost completed. I plan to publish it in early 2019, and the tentative title is A Promise of Hope. I’m excited to share it with you!

2014 11 thanks (21).JPG — Found a picture showing Margaret Pope’s beautiful blue eyes.

Sibyl and Fremont Pope, who lived in Shawnee, Oklahoma, from 1939 to 1941, struggled through the Great Depression, family disappointments and losses, and questions about God. The attack on Pearl Harbor coincides with a catastrophe of their own.

The incidents in the books are taken from family autobiographies, interviews, newspaper articles, and other published texts. Many fellow writer and people from Shanwee, Oklahoma, have given important input. However, the details are primarily memories from my mother, Margaret Pope, the baby born in the first book, A Promise to Break.

This year, my mother developed bladder cancer. She has gone through a lot of treatments, been seriously ill at times and, at 85 years old, is weak. For a strong woman who had a secretarial job at her church until she was 84, it has been difficult. Chemotherapy did not work and she ended up in the hospital for four days afterward, so she is taking immunotherapy. The last cat scan showed that the treatment is working, so we are hopeful that by next year she’ll have gained her strength and health back, enjoying life as much as she always has. Our hope is in the Lord’s mercy.

The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him. In those who hope in his mercy. Psalm 147:11

Our family appreciates all your prayers and concerns.

In the meantime, I have been working on a series of historical short stories. The five stories are about my Grandma Akin and her sisters during the 1930s in Hollis, Oklahoma. Each sister dealt with different issues. I look forward to sharing their lives with you soon.

If you haven’t read the first two historical books in the series, A Promise to Break, and A Promise Child, you can find them here.

Moms are precious people

04/02/201801/26/2025 by Kathryn Spurgeon, posted in Historical novel

Many people have asked when the third book in my Promise series books will be published. Your interest warms my heart and tickles my toes.

The books, A Promise to Break and A Promise Child are about Sibyl Pope, a banker’s daughter, and her marriage to a penniless hobo in the 1930’s. They survived many trials. Based on a true story, these books include their first child, Margaret, who is my mother. While I did most of the research for the books, my mother has supplied many of the anecdotes, analysis, and detailed information. The story is hers, as much as mine.

While work on the third book is about a fourth completed, a few months ago, my mother was diagnosed with bladder cancer. She is seriously ill. She’s my inspiration and it hurts to see her suffer. In the past few weeks, she has had outpatient surgery, infections, and been to the emergency room three times, twice being admitted to the hospital. She took her first chemo treatment and had a extremely bad reaction, so the treatment will have to be adapted. Wow. She’s been through a lot!

While in the hospital, she told me that I need to get busy on that third book!

Please pray for my mother and our work together. She wants to see this book finished. Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

By the way, I took a break from the Promise series to write five 1930s short stories about five sisters in Hollis, Oklahoma. The Thomas Sister stories will be released soon and I’ll let you know the date!