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LIFE AND LOVE CONTINUE: PUBLISHED 2023 BY MILL CITY PRESS (No longer available) The book was revised in 2024 and republished by Readers Magnet as “Life and Love Continue, Revised Edition.

JOURNEY TO THE PACIFIC, ONE MAN’S QUEST: PUBLISHED 2023 BY READERS MAGNET*

*Kirkus Review: In Perkins’ historical novel, a young boy raised in an Illinois orphanage vows to one day see the Pacific Ocean.

George Seevers was born in Streator Illinois in 1859 and he was just 2 years old when he was sent to an orphanage. He was his parents unexpected third son. After his two older brothers lost their lives in the Civil War and his father died from dysentery, his mother fell into a severe depression and could no longer care for him. For the next 13 years, George endures an arduous childhood of cleaning kitchen and field labor, finding relief only through his love of reading. Stories about the Pacific Ocean inspire him and he hopes to one day reach its shores. As he approaches his 15th birthday, he runs away, hops a freight car and begins his journey west, landing in Rapid City in the Dakota Territory. He spends 10 months as a ranch cook there and then heads to Cheyenne in the Wyoming Territory, which turns out to be a turning point in his life when Fred Lewis hires him as his assistant in his hotel restaurant. Fred and his wife, Mary have three daughters: 17 year old Marie, 15 year old Susan and 10 year old Jane. George enjoys cooking and baking and he falls in love with Marie, who is equally smitten with him. Their marriage provides George with a close extended family that will eventually travel with him to Portland, Oregon and finally to Rawlings in what will become Washington State. In unadorned, straightforward prose, Perkins presents a pleasant engaging narrative of the American West. Despite a few crises here and a couple of tragic losses, the narrative features few surprises and little tension. Still, George is a fully developed character who will capture readers hearts and they’ll enjoy the books intricate inside view of the development of the small town of Rawlings, which grows from an end of the line railroad community in to burgeoning city. Overall this is an uplifting family saga with plenty of optimism and warmth.

A quiet, amiable read that extols the determination and fortitude of 19th century Western settlers.*

THE EMANCIPATION OF WILLIAM JONES JR:. PUBLISHED 2024 BY READERS MAGNET

Sequel to “Journey to the Pacific, One Man’s Quest”

LIFE AND LOVE CONTINUE REVISED: PUBLISHED 2024 BY READERS MAGNET