“The Legacy of Lucie Bosell” was my original title for the second book in the Mountain Women Series, which later changed to Cold Comfort.
This book has a real legacy because it introduces characters and conflicts important in later books of the series.
First there are the women of Wanda’s family: Granny Lucie and Wanda’s aunts, Ruth and Piney. Lucie is the old woman you love to hate. Piney reminds me of so many kind and patient women who make life better for everyone around them. Ruth is a strong woman with a weakness for alcohol.
Then there’s Will Herff, grown up from the loyal boy introduced in The Girl on the Mountain. Will is everything we might admire in a man: talented, handsome, hard-working, and dedicated to serving others. I’m sure you’ve known men like him.
In this book we also meet one of my favorite characters, Virgie White, who later styles herself as Virgie Gold. She remains an important secondary character throughout the series, flawed but lovable.
Cold Comfort introduces troublesome characters, too, like the irritating Hargis Boone, who reappears in later stories, and the really bad Cotton brothers–Coyne, Raz, and Duck.
In The Girl on the Mountain, Wanda is 13. In Cold Comfort, she’s 28, and she’s weathered a lot of storms.
Cold Comfort is an important bridge between The Girl on the Mountain and the third book of the series, Midwinter Sun, which brings May Rose and Wanda back to Winkler. Don’t miss it!
