About the Book

Book: The Schoolmarm and the Miner Author: Denise Farnsworth writing as Denise Weimer Genre: Christian Historical Romance Release Date: May 5, 2026 A teacher seeking independence. A widower guarding his heart. In Georgia’s gold country, the richest prize may be the love they’re afraid to claim. Adelaide Duncan’s dream of teaching is within reach until her father’s drinking and gambling force her to start over. Taking a position in the rough-and-tumble gold rush town of Dahlonega[DF1] , she’s determined to prove herself. But unruly students, strict rules against [DF2] teachers courting, and her growing feelings for a certain widowed father threaten the independence she’s fought so hard to claim. Wade Coulter walked away from the law after he lost his wife and unborn son. Raising his daughter alone is safer than letting anyone else in. But Lotty’s beautiful new teacher makes him question everything. Just as he begins to trust again, a dangerous man from Wade’s past threatens both the women he loves. A gold strike on Wade’s property promises security…but also revives old dangers. Scarred by her father’s choices, Addie fears any man who might put [DF3] selfish desires before love. As deadly threats close in and the past refuses to stay buried, Wade must prove he’s changed or risk losing his chance at happiness forever.

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About the Author

North Georgia native Denise Farnsworth, formerly Denise Weimer, has authored over twenty traditionally published novels and novellas—historical and contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and time slip. As a freelance editor and Acquisitions & Editorial Liaison for Wild Heart Books, she’s helped other authors reach their publishing dreams. A wife and mother of two adult daughters, Denise always pauses for coffee, chocolate, and old houses.

More from Denise

At the end of book one of my Twenty-Niners of the Georgia Gold Rush series, The Songbird and the Surveyor, the bad guy walked free! Saloon and mine owner Charles Martin’s manipulative plotting and family money spared him from facing justice. Well, we can’t have that… Wade Coulter, the sheriff whose sister died in a confrontation with Charles, turned in his badge after the man avoided standing trial for kidnapping the wife of Jesse Holden (the hero of book one) and his theft of a local mine owner’s gold. Jesse and Genny left North Georgia for a fresh start, but Wade gets stuck with the burden of failure and—following the deaths of his wife and unborn son—heartache. He’s retreated to his mountain farm with his plucky overall-wearing daughter, Charlotte, determined to keep her safe from the criminals who frequent gold rush boomtowns like the county seat of Dahlonega. But then a new teacher arrives…one who is also fleeing heartache in hopes of a fresh start. Forced by the mistakes of her drunken father to seek employment in the gold fields rather than at the prestigious girls’ academy from which she just graduated, Adelaide Duncan has no other choice than to make her way in Dahlonega. If that means doing battle with thieves on the square, a pompous school board president, and bullies as big as she is, fine. The one battle she doesn’t count on is keeping her heart safe from a moody widower who needs convincing by Addie and his aunt, the owner of the boardinghouse where Addie lodges, that his mannerless daughter desperately needs to attend school. It soon enough becomes clear that, despite her guardedness, Lottie longs for a mother’s love. Just when the discovery of gold on Wade’s land allows him to picture a family in his future, an old nemesis shows up with a new scheme…one that once again endangers the women Wade loves. The Schoolmarm and the Miner packs humor, romance, action, and all your favorite tropes into a real-life town setting so charming, it’s a Hallmark movie-filming destination. After you read the story, you’ll want to plan a road trip to tour the gold museum in the historic courthouse and the drippy tunnels of the Consolidated Gold Mine, one of many that operated in Lumpkin County from the 1830s through the early 1900s. As you wander the North Georgia mountains, you’ll see why I’ve long felt there’s still plenty of treasure there. And fodder for great stories!

Interview with the Author

Do you read books in this genre? If so, who do you like to read?

I certainly do! These days, my reading time is funneled into editing Christian historical romances by the other amazing authors of Wild Heart Books.

If a reader were to ask you what author you are like, what would you answer?

I’d say I’m like myself, and what goes into my writing is my own unique blend of my lifelong love of history, my spiritual understanding, and my right-brain creative writing side plus my left-brain, organized editing side. Hopefully, that makes for a very readable and enjoyable story. But story-wise…I’d say some of mine bear resemblance to those of other Eastern frontier romance writers like Michelle Griep, Shannon McNear, Laura Frantz, and Andrea Byrd.

What helps you to write? Do you eat snacks, listen to music?

I generally don’t play music while I write. And if I’m really into it, I forget to eat. But if I’m thinking…planning…yes, snacks. (That’s why I have to hike or walk so much.) And especially an afternoon cup of tea. 😊

If you could travel back in time, what time period would you go to?

It would be a toss up between being a settler on the unspoiled Southeastern frontier in the 1700s or the time just before the Civil War because I have the most familiarity with that period due to my living history background.

What is your favorite book and why?

The Bible, of course. Otherwise, I daren’t name a favorite.

What is your favorite hymn and why?

I’m not big on favorites. LOL. But I do love the old Wesley hymns because that’s the tradition I grew up in, including singing in chapel at Asbury University.

What is one thing readers would be surprised to learn about you?

Honestly, I’ve had a lot of hardship and heartbreak in life. You wouldn’t know it because I’ve also had a lot of blessings, and of course, that’s what usually shows in public or on social media. Just know that I write from a place of authenticity and the firm belief that God is in the business of bringing beauty from ashes.

What inspired you to write this book?

The Georgia Gold Rush is largely overlooked in fiction, and most people don’t even know it happened. This is the final book in my Twenty-Niners of the Georgia Gold Rush trilogy and is set in 1839 in the adorable mountain town of Dahlonega, Georgia. It certainly wasn’t adorable then, though! It was much more akin to the boomtowns of the Wild West. The hero of The Schoolmarm and the Miner, Wade Coulter, was the best friend/former brother-in-law of the hero of book one. Wade was a sheriff who hung up his gun after the bad guy of The Songbird and the Surveyor escaped. When the same man threatens his daughter and his daughter’s spirited teacher, Wade has one more chance to set things right.

Share with me a few of your favorite things.

Fall leaves, the scent of woodsmoke, a really good flavored coffee, dances of the mid-1800s, hiking and mountain rambles with my husband.

What is one question you would like readers to ask you? What would be your answer?

You’ve stumped me! I’m sitting here thinking and thinking but coming up blank. So perhaps if the readers have any questions, they can leave a comment on your blog or connect with me on Facebook.