BERLIN — Mary K. Tilghman will launch her new novella, “Love Letters & Gingerbread,” at The Greyhound, an independent bookstore in Berlin, on Wednesday, July 24 at 11:30 a.m.
Tilghman, who splits her time between Baltimore and Ocean Pines, will sign both the new Christmas-themed novella as well as the second edition of “Divided Loyalties,” a Civil War story set after the Battle of Antietam.
“Love Letters & Gingerbread” recalls the romances of two sisters living in 1831 Annapolis. Patsy burns with love for Vincent, until he goes away for the Christmas season. Her still-unmarried older sister, Angela, is devoted to helping her family when Gordon knocks at her door and enters her heart. Changes in circumstances prompt the sisters to reconsider what love really is.
The story, which can be read on its own, was inspired by two minor characters in “Divided Loyalties.” Set in 1862 Sharpsburg, “Divided Loyalties” tells the story of 18-year-old Maureen who chooses to listen to her heart and volunteer as a nurse in a battlefield tent hospital — even though she knows disobeying her father may cost her a place in his heart.
“Love Letters & Gingerbread” is Tilghman’s second book published July 1. She has spent 40 years writing for Eastern Shore and Baltimore newspapers and magazines. In addition, she wrote six editions of Frommer’s travel guide for Maryland and Delaware. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America, Maryland Romance Writers and the Historical Novel Society. She is currently working on a novel set in 1895 Ocean City.