Tulsa Tempest / Tulsa Turning

Tulsa #1-2

by Norma Jean Lutz

TULSA SERIES BOOKS 1 and 2 TULSA TEMPEST: The boomtown is about to explode! When country girl Tessa Jurgen learns that her bootlegging father has promised her in marriage to a man she doesn't love, she seeks refuge in the supposedly progressive boomtown of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The year is 1921. As governess to the children of an oil baron, Tessa is befriended by the black household servants, Chloe, Jasper, and Pole. Together they become a true family. But the handsome schoolteacher, Gaven MacIntyre, is also interested in forming a partnership with Tessa, despite his worry that she is "overly friendly" to black people. Racial tensions remain at a simmer until Jasper and a friend are accused of "accosting" a white girl. Will Tessa stand up for what she knows is right, even if it means losing Gaven? Or will she be drawn into Tulsa' tempest of prejudice and hatred? TULSA TURNING: She's determined to get what she wants out of life. When Clarette Fortier is on assignment, the competition had better run for cover. An up-and-coming reporter for a New York newspaper, Clarette is now in Tulsa, hot on the trail of the inside story of the race riots that plagued that city. When Clarette is not on assignment, she is as determined to find the right man as the inside scoop. Shelby Harland is her current date du jour, a man who knows how to show a woman a good time. Also vying for her time is Erik Torsten, a big handsome Swede. But Clarette is uncomfortable when Erik talks about God and the Bible. Accustomed to finding and printing the truth whatever the cost, Clarette may not foot the bill this time. Her job is in jeopardy, and she's received threats from the Klan. When she looks death in the face, it's time to find out what truly matters in life.

276 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2006

About the author

Norma Jean Lutz’s writing career began when she enrolled in a writing correspondence course. Since then, she has had over 250 short stories and articles published in both secular and Christian publications. The full-time writer is also the author of over 50 published books under her own name and many ghostwritten books. Her books have been favorably reviewed in Affair de Coeur, Coffee Time Romance, Romance Reader at Heart, and The Romance Studio magazines, and her short fiction has garnered a number of first prizes in local writing contests.

Norma Jean is the founder of the Professionalism In Writing School, which was held annually in Tulsa for fourteen years. This writers' conference, which closed its doors in 1996, gave many writers their start in the publishing world.

A gifted teacher, Norma Jean has taught a variety of writing courses at local colleges and community schools, and is a frequent speaker at writers' seminars around the country. For eight years, she taught on staff for the Institute of Children's Literature. She has served as artist-in-residence at grade schools, and for two years taught a staff development workshop for language arts teachers in schools in Northeastern Oklahoma.

As co-host for the Tulsa KNYD Road Show, she shared the microphone with Kim Spence to present the Road Show Book Club, a feature presented by the station for more than a year. She has also appeared in numerous interviews on KDOR-TV.

Norma Jean has brought out past out-of-print novels to create a new series. These teen novels (which she likes to call "Clean Teen Reads") were published in the 1980s and 90s, yet the story lines are timeless. Sporting new titles and new book covers, these books will become part of the "Norma Jean Lutz Classic Collection" series.

Her newest teen offering is Brought to You By the Color Drab. A story of a young man living in the ghetto who seemingly was born in the wrong place in the wrong time. This is a story of redemption!