Sixteen year-old Josh receives a letter from Rachel informing him that she and her family safely made it to California.  They are settled in Sacramento and her father got the job with the railroad he was hoping for.  As Josh now has Rachel’s address and is secure in the knowledge that Rachel has not forgotten him, he and Scout head south along the Native American Siskiyou Trail toward California to reunite with the girl of his dreams.

This story will also be narrated by Scout as they work their way to Sacramento.  Josh will work first for Rachel’s father on the very first railroad to be built in California, before later heading to the Gold Fields to hopefully make his fortune.  When neither of these prove successful, Josh ultimately returns to Sacramento to marry Rachel and start married life as a farmer.

Due for release in Spring 2025

Sarah was 13 years old in the original novel.  Therefore, she was born in 1839 and would be 18 years old by 1857.

In the original novel, we are introduced to Sarah as the frugal and financially responsible one of the three Churchill children.  She has money when Josh doesn’t and prevents Molly buying candy when she feels they have already spent too much money after buying Scout.

As Sarah becomes a young adult, she is already very entrepreneurial and driven in nature.  She is ambitious, industrious, and a determined young woman, that is until she meets, Grant, the love of her life.

Little Lady, You Can’t Do That is intended to be a YA Novel even though Sarah matures into her 20s for much of the story.  It is not intended as a middle-grade story as it will deal with courtship in the 19th century, marriage, and devastating tragedy and loss.  However, I do not intend it to be an adult novel as the story is fictional, centering on a young widow overcoming gender bias and stereotyping.  A topic that I think would be of interest to modern day girls and young women.

Due for release in 2026

Molly was 6 years old in the original novel.  Therefore, she was born in 1846 and would be 20 years old by 1866.  The Transcontinental Railroad was completed three years later in 1869.

As a teenager, Molly was small for her age, and still had a slight limp as a result of the snake bite she suffered on the trail.  But otherwise, she was in good health.  She had light brunette hair and generally wore it in braids.

Molly never marries, as she dedicates her life’s work to medicine, particularly in the service of women & children, the poor, and the abused.  The story is intended as a Young Adult novel as the story is a fictional account of a young woman facing the difficulties and prejudices of a female becoming a doctor in 19th century America.

Growing up on a farm, Molly is exposed to the birth of domestic livestock.  Including Scout’s puppies, cows, horses, and possibly others.  As an older teenager, she assists a local midwife in the birth of a neighbor’s baby. Assisting with the neighbor’s baby was not a planned event, but she was called in to help when no one else was available.

Molly took to the challenge of midwifery and soon began assisting on a regular basis.

Molly never marries as she becomes more involved in the community as a midwife.  Local doctors began to refer her to expecting mothers.  Over the next several years she delivered dozens of babies without any major issues.

While in her early 20s, she is attending a problem birth.  The baby is still born, and the mother dies the following day from a hemorrhage.  Molly is devastated that she couldn’t save either one of her patients.  A local doctor tries to comfort her, and she realizes that if she was a doctor, she may have been able to save one or both of them.

I intend for this to be a YA Novel even though the protagonist is in her 20s for most of the story.  It is not intended as a middle-grade story as it will deal with maternity, childbirth, and children’s health as it was experienced in the mid and late 19th century.

Due for release in 2026