2012 B.R.A.G. Medallion^TM Honoree 

Maggie Blaine, a widow with two teenage daughters, runs a rooming house smack dab on the town square.  In 1860 this makes her a social outcast.  Boarding houses are only semi-respectable and hers has a collection of eclectic boarders – a failed aging writer, an undertaker’s apprentice, a struggling young lawyer, and an old Irishman.  In addition, she has a friendship with Emily and Nate, an African-American couple with whom she shares her home and chores.  It is a good thing the town doesn’t know that Maggie, along with Nate, Emily, and Eli Smith (the free-thinking editor of the weekly newspaper) are involved in the Underground Railroad.  When she is asked to house handsome, gifted Jeremiah Madison, the new Methodist minister, Maggie hopes that he will both revive the little church she attends and provide her boarding house with a bit of badly-needed respectability.  But Jeremiah comes with some dark secrets that challenge Maggie’s resolve to love and respect all people.  As the town’s people reel from a series of shocking events, the compassionate, faithful Maggie searches for truth and struggles to forgive and love.

 Based on a historical event.  

Good News!

Saint Maggie is a B.R.A.G. Honoree.  IndieB.R.A.G. asks readers to nominate self or independently published books for a B.R.A.G. Medallion.  (B.R.A.G. stands for "Book Readers Appreciation Group.")  Readers judge the book on a number of criteria, the most of important of which is "would you recommend this to your best friend?"  Thank you, indieB.R.A.G. and thank you readers!

See the B.R.A.G. Medallion website

Reviews

PRAISE FROM THE CRITICS

Historical Novels Review Online (November 2011):  "Saint Maggie is a delightful book that captures the pre-Civil War Northern ambivalence toward Abolition, and it also deals with more timeless themes, such as 'who is my neighbor?' Never sanctimonious, never preachy, always true to her beliefs, Stafford's Maggie is the kind of Christian one would like to see and to be."

Bookviews by Alan Caruba (July 2011): “…a very good story from beginning to end.”

Small Press Bookwatch (from the Midwest Book Review), August 2011:  “…a fine read… highly recommended.”



Bookwire.com: “recommends Saint Maggie”

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING

First time novelist Janet Stafford hits a home run with this great book, that was hard to put down! From the very first sentence to very last word this book kept me engrossed. She is able to seamlessly combine religious and mystery in a historical thriller and I found myself anxiously turning page after page.

Set in the early 1860s, the pages come to life when a new captivating pastor comes to town and shakes up the townsfolk (especially the ladies) with his inspiring awe-producing sermons and his dashing good looks. He settles into the local boarding house, which also serves the underground railroad thanks to the rebel matriarch heroine, Maggie Blaine. But is Pastor Jeremiah Madison all he is cracked up to be?

The vivid descriptions of period are so well written I almost felt like I was actually there. The characters were so rich, I found myself rooting for the heroine, Maggie Blaine, even when it seemed she naive. Overall this was a fascinating story (based on real events) of what can be brooding just below the surface in even the most unlikely of all of us -- love, lust, faith, and even murder!

G. Sasso

It was fantastic!  Couldn't put it down. It's a real religious novel not a pretend story with a little religion thrown in.  You have done a great job in all aspects of the book-:  character development, setting, description and the characters are as real as they can be.   It's a gem!

Rev. C. Smallwood

Just finished reading your book, WOW. It's as good any any christian fiction I've read. I think you fall into somewhere between Beverly Lewis & Blackstock. 

L. Coccia

Just finished your novel last night...I really enjoyed it!  When's the next one going to be available?

L. LaVigne

Saint Maggie is an enthralling book that you simply won't want to put down. The religious references are well researched but not the heart of the story. There are plenty of twists and turns that keep you turning page after page. Just when I thought it was becoming a little predictable, the ending was a surprise! 

R. Blair