by Crystal Caudill | Aug 10, 2021 | Counterfeit Love
It is FINALLY time when I can share with you my cover for Counterfeit Love!! I am so stinking excited. I couldn’t have imagined a better cover for the story. The designer captured everything I desired. So, it is with great excitement I share with you my debut cover for Counterfeit Love.
Cover Reveal
I absolutely adore this cover. The designers at Kregel took what little I offered them and made it into something I could have never dreamed up on my own. I wish I had their individual names so I could give them a shout-out and just tell them how truly grateful I am for all the hard work they put into creating such a beautiful design.
I just love how Broderick is looking back at Theresa with suspicious regard. Has the woman he loved become one of the criminals he hunted? I can’t believe how well the designers captured Theresa’s independent and stubborn nature. They even included her briefcase. I don’t know if you can tell, but the background takes place at the edge of a cemetery where the first couple chapters of the book take place. I can’t believe how perfectly they captured the essence of this story, and I am forever grateful for their talent.
The Back Cover Blurb:
Can this undercover agent save the woman he loves–or is her heart as counterfeit as the money he’s been sent to track down?
After all that Grandfather has sacrificed to raise her, Theresa Plane owes it to him to save the family name–and that means clearing their debt with creditors before she marries Edward Greystone. But when one of the creditors’ threats leads her to stumble across a midnight meeting, she discovers that the money he owes isn’t all Grandfather was hiding. And the secrets he kept have now trapped Theresa in a life-threatening fight for her home–and the truth.
After months of undercover work, Secret Service operative Broderick Cosgrove is finally about to uncover the identity of the leader of a notorious counterfeiting ring. That moment of triumph turns to horror, however, when he finds undeniable proof that his former fiancée is connected. Can he really believe the woman he loved is a willing participant? Protecting Theresa and proving her innocence may destroy his career–but that’s better than failing her twice in one lifetime.
They must form a partnership, tentative though it is. But there’s no question they’re both still keeping secrets–and that lack of trust, along with the dangerous criminals out for their blood, threatens their hearts, their faith, and their very survival.
Combining rich history, danger, suspense, and romance, Crystal Caudill’s debut novel launches this new historical series with a bang. Fans of Elizabeth Camden, Michelle Griep, and Joanna Davidson Politano will be thrilled to find another author to follow!
Preorders
If you are interested in preordering a print copy, you can click one of the links below. As of this moment, the e-book is not yet available for preorder, but I will let you know as soon I discover it’s been added. To my knowledge, there won’t be an audiobook at this point, but I look forward to hopefully having that option in the future. My MIL is legally blind, so I know how desired that option can be.
Amazon Barnes & Noble Christianbook
*Christianbook has the best deal at the moment.
I hope you love the cover as much as I do. Feel free to share the cover far and wide. I prepared some images for my cover reveal team that you can use as well. Check those out here. Thank you so much for being a part of this writing journey. You’ll never know how much your excitement, support, and prayers mean. I am far from a perfect person or author, but may God always be glorified through it anyway.
by Crystal Caudill | Jul 13, 2021 | Counterfeit Love
There are lots of exciting parts about being an author. Two of those things are Title and Cover reveals. While I can’t yet reveal a cover, I DO have a title for not only my debut novel but for the series at large, and I decided I wanted to have a bit of fun and throw a party. Want to know more about the book, you can read the tentative blurb here. Before I jump into a fun Title Reveal Party, I want to get a little prep work for my cover reveal out of the way.
C
OVER REVEAL LAUNCH TEAM SIGNUP
It will soon be time for me to reveal my cover to the world at large. If you would like to sign up to join my cover reveal team, please click here. Anyone who wants to can sign up, I just ask that if you do, that you be willing to share the social media images created on a preplanned day (when I have it). More details will come when I know more. 🙂 NOTE: If you are a newsletter subscriber, you will need to sign up on this list to be on the Cover Reveal Team. It is a completely separate thing.
Now on to the party! … Well, sort of.
I’m still on a book deadline, everyone’s summer schedules are crazy, and setting up a party on social media meant not everyone would get to participate at their own pace. Enter the bright idea of a website party. There are virtual games to unveil my titles and digital goody bags for everyone.
So come and stay as long as you want. Play the games, or don’t. It just thrills my heart that you’ve come to find out the titles of my book/new series. If you don’t want to play the games to find out the titles, and just want the answers, you can go here.
GOODY BAGS FOR EVERYONE!!!
What is a party without goody bags and prizes? Click to download your free Goody Bag containing a heart-filled bookmark, coloring page, and suggested reading list.
Fun and Prizes!
*CONGRATULATIONS KELLY G. YOU WON!!!!* We had 16 individuals participate! Thank you so much!
I have two games you can play to uncover the names of the series and book #1. I’m super pleased about these titles and had way too much fun coming up with the image of the Series Title Puzzle. I hope you have as much fun doing them, as I did coming up with the games. Of course, there HAS to be a prize for those who want to play.
To be entered to win your choice of one book from my stack of giveaway books featured above, play the games AND fill out the form at the bottom. Everyone who fills it out gets an entry, and everyone who fills it out with the CORRECT answers gets an extra entry for each correct answer. All answers need to be received by midnight (EST) on July 20th. The more people who play, the more winners there are. For every 20 unique individuals, I’ll add one winner. Up to 20 entrants = 1 winner, 26 – 40 entrants = 2 winners, 41 – 60 entrants = 3 winners. You get the picture.
I’m assuming honesty, so please do not click on the answer page before submitting your answers in the form below. That just takes the fun out of it.
Winner(s) will be randomly selected on July 21st and then emailed. Winners announced on the July 27th post. (Print copies are only available to U.S. residents. Entries opened to all those legally allowed to enter. International participants will have a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card.)
Thanks for coming by to celebrate with me. I’m so excited to party with you.
Game # 1 – What’s in a Name
“What’s in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” – William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
Well, obviously names are important, but for this game, I used a thesaurus to give Book #1 a new title. See if you can guess what the real title will be by looking at this similar title.
Bogus Attachment
Don’t forget to put your answer in the form below.
Game # 2 – Series Title Puzzle & Heart Scavenger Hunt
Below is an image that not only has the title of my new series, but an undisclosed number of hearts in the image. Once you put the puzzle together and know the series title, count how many total hearts you see in the image. For my visually impaired friends, instead, put how many times you found the word heart or hearts in the text of this blog post.
Entry Form
Thanks for partying with me! Let’s chat it up in the comments.
I am so glad that you chose to play the games and hang with me. Remember, please, don’t put the answers to the games below in the comments. However, I WOULD love to hear from you. What are your favorite book titles? Have you have read a title that made you pick up a book from an author you didn’t know just to learn more? Do you think the title is important to a book? I’d love to hear from you and just chat things up!
by Crystal Caudill | Feb 11, 2021 | Counterfeit Love
One of the most nerve-racking parts of being an author is sending your book out into the world for the first time, knowing you can no longer change a single word of your book. Thankfully, the first people to read my novel outside of my critique partners and the Kregel team are endorsers. I am so honored and encouraged by the ladies who read my book and then wrote up beautiful endorsements. For the next few months, I’m going to feature one endorser every couple of weeks. So settle in, hear what they have to say about Counterfeit Love, and then learn about who they are, the books they’ve written, and how you can connect with them. Maybe you will be blessed to discover a new author . . . or in today’s case, a book blogger.
At the end, I’d be blessed if you would leave an encouraging note for this author who has encouraged me so much!
I am pleased to introduce you to . . .
Carrie Schmidt
aka Meez Carrie
Carrie is the author of the Reading is my Super Power blog. She is also an avid reader, book reviewer, story addict, KissingBooks fan, book boyfriend collector, cool aunt, and a little bit Yankee & a little bit y’all. She loves Jesus and THE Story a whole lot.
Connect with Carrie:
What she had to say about Counterfeit Love:
“With swoony romance, intriguing history, gripping plot twists, and strong characters, Counterfeit Love is one of the strongest debut novels I’ve ever read! Caudill’s writing voice is pitch-perfect and draws readers immediately into the heart of the story, holding them in thrall until the end. And did I mention the swoony romance?? I couldn’t put it down, and I am already eagerly waiting for the next book!”
Y’all, I continue to be knocked speechless. Carrie reads HUNDREDS of books a year. Her words have just blown me away and made me “squeally” all at the same time. Who knew I wrote swoony romance? I blame it all on my husband. Thank you, Carrie! (And I’m shamelessly putting the link to Counterfeit Love here if you would like to learn more or preorder it.)
Reading is My Super Power
Reading is My Super Power is one of my absolute favorite book blogs. From Top Ten Tuesdays, honest book reviews, book spotlights, author Q&A’s, excerpts, First Line Fridays, and easy to find giveaways, I can always leave Carrie’s blog with a new pile of books to add to my TBR. She even has a Facebook group where daily suggestions and reviews come up from other members of the group. It’s a great place to hang and really enjoy the world of Christian fiction.
I’ve stolen some from Carrie’s about page to help you get an idea of what an amazing place her blog is.
What can you expect from this blog?
Books reviewed honestly and from the heart, written out of my love for stories and my knowledge of what makes good fiction. Interviews with some of my favorite authors. Giveaways of some of my favorite books. Top Ten Tuesdays. Gushing over my latest book boyfriends. (Sorry, oh-so-tolerant hubby!)
The highlight of blogging for me is when I am able to introduce you to your next favorite read or a new-to-you author!
What kind of books do you review?
My passion is Christian fiction, but I have a handful of go-to authors in the general market as well. I love to laugh. I love books that touch my heart too. I read both historical and contemporary fiction, and I’m always on the outlook for another great kissingbook! If it’s got suspense, all the better. You won’t find much science fiction/fantasy here, other than fairy tales and the occasional nod to Narnia or Harry Potter, though I’m starting to find many more books that I love in this speculative genre. No vampires or werewolves, though.
Do you ever do anything besides read?
Not willingly. 😉 Actually, in my other life, I live in Georgia with my hubby, and I’m the long-distance cool aunt to TEN-going-on-eleven nieces and nephews. When I’m not blogging here at RimSP, you can find me at Seekerville, Diversity Between the Pages, and Hoarding Books. I also used to review for RT Book Reviews.
Not sure where to start? Here are some popular posts/pages:
Leave an encouraging note for Erica Vetsch in the comments. This writing journey is rough, and I’d love to bless her as much as she has blessed me.
by Crystal Caudill | Apr 1, 2020 | Counterfeit Love, Writer's Life
Welcome to the end of a crazy month (so crazy, I’m a day late on this post) with the prospect of one more left to go. It’s wild how much our world can change within a matter of weeks. I pray you are staying home, staying healthy, and if you are one of those essential workers getting out every day to serve the rest of us, THANK YOU SO MUCH. My prayers are with you no matter where you may be working.
I am back at editing my Secret Service story, so to shake things up a bit, I thought I’d share the inspiration for each of my Secret Service heroes.
Meet the Heroes of Counterfeit Love
Broderick Cosgrove
Broderick works as an undercover Secret Service operative during the early 1880s. He is focused, loves puzzles, and sees his service to country as primary in his life. He pursues justice and truth with care so that no innocent person comes to harm and all who are guilty face a punishment befitting their crime.
His goal in Counterfeit Love: Ferret out the leaders of an elusive counterfeiting gang before they can get the new counterfeit twenties into circulation and damage an already fragile economy.
The Challenge: His former fiancée has somehow become entangled with the gang. She is innocent, but how can he prove it and protect her while doing his job?
The real inspiration behind the character:
Andrew L. Drummond, Chief of the Secret Service between February 1891 and January 1894 – The initial inspiration for this story came from his book True Detective Stories. One of my favorite stories is where he was “arrested” and escaped jail with a counterfeiter in order to build the trust of an elusive gang. Where did his escapades lead him, but Cincinnati? The location of my story.
Andrew Darlington
While Andrew Darlington may not seem the hero type, he is a man trying to overcome a secret past which could cost him his job as a Secret Service operative. Therefore, he strikes every case with a vengeance. Collateral damage don’t matter so long as the criminal is brought to justice and put behind bars.
His Goal in Counterfeit Love: Prove Theresa Plane is the real mastermind behind the elusive counterfeiting ring. No one knows better than him how corrupted and devilish a woman’s soul can be.
The Challenge: Broderick Cosgrove has been swindled by the woman and now he must work around a fellow operative to bring the truth to light.
The real inspiration behind the character:
William P. Wood, Chief of the Secret Service from January 1863 to May 1869
Chief Wood earned a reputation for rash aggressiveness. In the book Illegal Tender, David R. Johnson described Chief Wood as “prowl[ing] the boundaries between legitimate and deviant society” and “lacking scruples and good judgment.” This was the basis for my backstory for Darlington. He is a complex character which you only scratch the surface of in Counterfeit Love.
Josiah Isaacs
Poor Josiah Isaacs is an accidental play boy. He can’t help it that women take his friendliness to be flirtation, and bless his soul, he’s incapable of purposely breaking a woman’s heart. He’s been cornered into a proposal multiple times, and uses cases which take him away from home to convince the women he’s not a good for them so they break it off. He’s smart, caring, and understands Broderick’s position, but duty to their job must have the final say in the case.
His goal in Counterfeit Love: Allow Broderick–his partner and friend–the support and space he needs to prove whether or not Theresa Plane is guilty, but stand firm in revealing the truth should evidence prove otherwise.
The Challenge: Withholding information from their superiors could cost their job, and when the evidence continues to point toward Theresa Plane’s guilt, his friendship with Broderick becomes strained.
The real inspiration for the character:
There isn’t one particular Secret Service operative who stuck out to me to inspire Isaacs. He is sort of a meshing of many operative stories and characters. For me, I wanted a character who would play off the others and be fun to develop, and what more fun can I have than with a man who doesn’t mean to flirt and keeps getting engaged even when he never wants to marry? The story I have planned for him will be so much fun!
by Crystal Caudill | Feb 27, 2018 | Counterfeit Love, Writer's Life
Living on a river exposes many people to the challenges of rising spring waters, and this February has been no different. Many areas around the country are dealing with floods and the aftermath. Ludlow, Kentucky is one such area, which happens to be where my brother lives.
A pano of my brother’s front yard and street, just before the Ohio River crested at 60.53 feet on Sunday, February 25, 2018.
Bless his soul, not only does he have to deal with a flooded basement that forced him to cut power and gas to his house, he also has a writer as a sister. A writer whose current work in progress ends with the second highest flood in Cincinnati recorded history.
My story ends with the 1884 flood, which crested at 71.1 feet on Valentine’s Day, and if a disaster has to occur it couldn’t have occurred at a better time for this little writer. I am editing the scenes where that particular flood has a critical impact on my characters. (Do not take that to mean that I am not deeply grieved for those who are impacted. Disasters are no joke and I would never wish them upon anyone and am praying for those affected.)
Skatepark – 2/25/18
After texting pictures, videos, and questions back and forth, he finally just told me to come on over so I could see the flood first hand. Since this was the worst flood since the 1997 flood, I brought my boys along, because, hey! It’s history, right? Interspersed throughout are photos I took on my phone while walking only two or three blocks away from my brother’s house around sunset.
Some poor kid’s playset. Debris pushed against a tree. 2/25/18
So what was I looking for beyond the damage inflicted? This flood crested 12 days after my story’s flood, so believe it or not, water temperature was something that intensely interested me.
No, I did not let him get in. But we did touch the water. 2/25/18
You can’t interact with a flood and not get wet, so just exactly how cold did it feel? Cold enough that if you fell in you’d probably take a sharp breath and inhale some water. Cold enough that an extended stay in the water could most definitely lead to hypothermia – although perhaps not as quickly as I thought.
Someone else (not anyone I know) kayaking through the park. 2/25/18
When I saw this person kayaking around the park, I got way too stinking excited. As soon as they beached, I bombarded them with questions.
- How bad was the current? Not bad, but don’t go past the fence. The current really picks up and becomes dangerous.
- Did they have trouble controlling the kayak? Not here. There is a little current, but not much more than a pond or lake.
- If they fell in, did they feel they could swim back to safety? Here the water was shallow enough they could stand up and walk back if needed.
In 1884, extra officers were on duty as well as extra regiments brought in to not only protect the people from danger, but also from themselves. Floods bring out the crazies (and I probably fall into that category, too). True then and true now. The picture below is of a young man who inflated a raft with a leaf blower and then proceeded to paddle his way out to the skatepark with a guitar. Yes, I said guitar.
It is zoomed in a whole lot, so not easy to see, but when he climbed on the top of a ramp, he proceeded to “play” his guitar. 2/25/18
Whether it be due to drugs (very rampant in our region) or just a goofy young adult, he made for an interesting night. He did make it back to shore and when my kids approached him (TMNT Momma was close and watching, don’t worry), he gave them the guitar and said it came from Johnny Cash. My youngest son asked him why he paddled with the guitar. His response? “Because it helps him train and stuff.” Oh my, but it is a memory my kids will have. Oldest wants to mount the guitar on his wall.
Busted but cool. 2/25/18
Despite the destruction and turmoil the flood is still causing and did cause, it produced one of my favorite pictures ever. Just like the rough times in our life can be overwhelming, there can also be moments of beauty.
Island House – They built it ready for a flood, but who would have guessed they’d test that out in the first year. 2/25/18
While getting some hands-on research was fun, it was sobering to see the damage and to watch my brother deal with the aftermath. His damage is limited to the basement, and many others have so much more they have to deal with. My prayers are with all.
Do you have any flood stories? Any experiences you would wish to share? I am always on the lookout for first-hand accounts. Connect with me in the comments.
by Crystal Caudill | Apr 27, 2017 | Counterfeit Love, History Facts
Just as any career has its own jargon, so did the counterfeiting world and the Secret Service. Below are a few of the most important terms to know. Below that are a few fun facts about the Secret Service.
Secret Service and Counterfeiting Dictionary
- Boodle – notes bought from a production firmBoodle carrier – a courier who delivered counterfeit notes from the dealer to the shovers.
Chief Operative – first-class men assigned to the division’s major districts, each chief operative would have assistant operatives working under his direction, and would be responsible for all administrative and investigative activities within his district.
Dealers – people who bought the counterfeit notes from wholesalers and then used shovers to distribute the money into general circulation
Distribution – the spread of counterfeit money through an underground sales network
Engraver – the person who created the plates used to print money
Firm – the collective group of people used to print money
Issue – an edition of a set of counterfeit bills
Manufacturer – a person or group of people who printed counterfeit money
Network – the sum of one’s personal acquaintances (which included non-criminals).
Notes – another term for paper money
Operative – the official title of the Service’s employees
Plant – a term used to reference where counterfeiters made their money
Plates – metal pieces with copied images from the bill being counterfeited
Product – another name used for counterfeit money, generally used by the counterfeiters
Production Firm – the collective group of people used to print money
Queer – another term for counterfeit money
Retailer – another term for a dealer
Shover – a person who bought low priced items with a higher counterfeit bill to get real money back in change
Straw bail – a situation in which a false bondsman was contracted to swear they possessed sufficient property to pay the bond, and then the counterfeiter would subsequently fail to appear in court
Wholesalers – men or women who would buy counterfeit notes from manufacturers and then recruit potential customers through personal contacts or the mail to create a sales network
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Fun Facts about the Secret Service
- D.C. was the Service’s bureaucratic headquarters and the chief lived there
- Between 1875 and 1910, the division never employed more than 47 men, and the average was only 25. 1878-1893, the average number of servicemen was well below that.
- Chief operatives often had several cases under investigation at once and had
testy battles with headquarters over conflicting demands for economy and results
- Each chief operative maintained a retinue of assistants and informers
- Each district contained a number of states and a single operative maintained a headquarter in a major city
- There were field offices in 11 cities across the nation.
- Operatives were paid once a month on a daily scale, an average of $7 per day.
- Each work day ranged from 12 to 16 hours long.
- There were no days off and any “vacation” time was unpaid.
- Operatives were required to itemize all their expenses for everything from travel to personal needs.
- Operatives were to maintain peak physical fitness, swear unquestioning obedience to chief’s directives
- In 1881, all toy money was removed from shelves and industries.
- While time-consuming, the work was not particularly dangerous (no Service employee was seriously hurt in the line of duty until the murder of an operative in 1908).
