For immense help with all things culturally and linguistically Dutch, my heartfelt gratitude goes to dear author friends Kimberly Belle and Jean Kwok—and, by default, Jean’s poor husband, Erwin Kluwer—as well as to Janet Lee Berg. Similarly, I thank Stephanie Cale for her assistance with my Ukrainian phrases; Claire Organ (as always) with my Gaelic and Irish brogue; and Marina Kruckmeyer and Nick Burger for additional help with my German dialogue.

For their valuable input on the Bethnal Green Tube Disaster, I’m tremendously thankful to survivor of the tragedy Babette Clark and to Sandra Scotting, Hon. Secretary of the Stairway to Heaven Memorial Trust. For feedback on illusions and escapes, I thank professional magician Brent Allan and John Ragone, a member of the Society of American Magicians Assembly 77, Long Island Mystics. I’m also grateful to the FB page “You Know You’re in Copper Country When…” and to Keweenaw historian Lynette Webber, who even enlightened me on panking, chooks, and choppers.

Then, of course, there are you, the readers. Thank you for allowing my words into your imaginations and hearts. And to the booksellers, book clubs, librarians, and other book champions who continue to support and spread word about my stories, please know it truly means the world to me. Finally, above all, to my family: for the daily hugs and laughs, for keeping me fed through countless writing marathons, and for your infinite love throughout this journey.

About the Author

© Holland Studios

Kristina McMorris is a New York Times bestselling author of two novellas and six novels, including the runaway bestseller Sold on a Monday. Initially inspired by her grandparents’ World War II courtship letters, her works of fiction have garnered more than twenty national literary awards. Prior to her writing career, she owned a wedding-and-event planning company until she had far surpassed her limit of “Y.M.C.A.” and chicken dances. She also worked as a weekly TV-show host for Warner Bros. and an ABC affiliate, beginning at age nine with an Emmy Award-winning program. A graduate of Pepperdine University, she lives near Portland, Oregon, where she somehow manages to be fully deficient of a green thumb and not own a single umbrella.

Sold on a Monday

2 Children for Sale

The sign is a last resort. It sits on a farmhouse porch in 1931 but could be found anywhere in an era of breadlines, bank runs, and broken dreams. It could have been written by any mother facing impossible choices.

For struggling reporter Ellis Reed, the gut-wrenching scene evokes memories of his family’s dark past. He snaps a photograph of the children, not meant for publication. But when it leads to his big break, the consequences are more devastating than he ever imagined.

Inspired by an actual newspaper photograph that stunned the nation, Sold on a Monday is a powerful novel of love, redemption, and the unexpected paths that bring us home.