From her home in the forest, writer Marsha Ward offers up an eclectic collage of musings on life, insights into the writing process, sample scenes and snippets from her work, book spotlights, and author interviews. Now including "The Characters in Marsha's Head."
Friday, July 31, 2009
Character Notes: Amparo Garcés de Owen
I don't have a picture on Amparo's card. On StoryCasting.com, I put Maya Zapata in the role. I don't have accents, either, so maybe I should leave them out, although it irks me to do so.
AMPARO GARCES MARTINEZ (de OWEN)
Amparo, a girl from Santa Fe, is about 17 years old. Her step-mother, Ana Maria viuda de Garces, recently lost her husband, Amparo's father, to death. In her impoverished and hopeless situation, she has arranged a marriage for Amparo with a wealthy young Mexican rancher in the Huerfano River region of Colorado Territory. Then she shipped the girl off with a family moving north and left town with a man who wanted a companion to go with him to San Francisco. Amparo is up a creek when her intended is thrown from his horse and lights on his head upon a rock in the trail to La Plaza de los Leones, where they were scheduled to meet and marry. She arives, is left off by the family that brought her, and she sits in the church, waiting for the man to show up. Then a handsome young gringo shows up instead, with a grim tale of woe: He buried the days-old body of her bridegroom and set out to find someone to tell and to give his effect to. Amparo, in a strange town without friends, and no future husband, uses her wits to find a substitute spouse. Then she binds him to her in the oldest way; with the only thing left to her: herself.
Okay, if you have questions or comments about Amparo, hit me.
Look Inside!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Writerly Sayings
"Be nice to me or I'll make you the villain in my next novel."
"Writing keeps my head from exploding."
"My muse is on strike."
"Writers don't have to be lonely. They can talk to the people that live in
their heads."
"Develop your character."
"Please don't make me mock you in my novel."
"Writer. Donations accepted."
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Character Notes: James Owen
The photos I have on James's two, yes, two character cards, are of some unknown advertising actor from an Adidas layout in a magazine. Over on Storycasting.com, I've chosen Lucas Black to play James's role, although I don't know if his hair curls or not, since I've only seen it short.
Several years ago, I acquired a photo in a heavy frame that was on the wall of a restaurant. When I first saw it, I gasped, because it was James! Serendipitously, when the restaurant changed decor, I was able to buy the portrait. (If he really is some outlaw, or somebody's grandpa, please let me know!)
JAMES OWEN
James was a twin, the one who survived babyhood. He has curly black hair and beard (temporary), and dark brn eyes. James is tall and lanky. He was drafted in 1864 when the age dropped to 17 years, and he got a flesh wound at the battle of Five Forks, Apr 2, 1865, in the unsuccessful defense of Richmond. James sees no marriage in his future, as revealed in the story.* He picked up a habit of creative cussing during his war service. His brother, JOHN OWEN, only lived two days after birth.
*This was the original plan, but it got changed over the course of re-writing, revising, and editing The Man from Shenandoah for publication. Readers know this wasn't the case in the published version of James's life.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Monday Randomness
Second, I'm glad all of you who read books are out there: Buying and reading books, reviewing them, spreading the word, and talking up your favorite authors. I'm humbled that I qualify for some of that readerly love. Thanks!
Third, if you do Facebook, I now have an Author Page up. I'd love if you would come by and join it.
Fourth, check my sidebar under "Readers have Power" for ways to keep this writer animated and in business.
Fifth, check out my new blog, The Characters in Marsha's Head. You never know which character might stop by and chat with me. I post my original character notes and tidbits from unfinished novels, too. I'll continue my Author Interviews, insights into the writing process, and musings on life right here, so please bookmark both blogs.
Thanks!
Saturday, July 25, 2009
A Glimpse at Elijah Marshall
by Marsha Ward
Excerpt from Chapter One
As I made a half-circle at the end of the row, I pulled the horse to a halt, swept off my old hat, and wiped the trickles of sweat from my eyes with the back of my wrist. I ran my fingers through my dripping black hair to train it back from my eyes before I replaced my hat. Settling the shade once again on my head, my eyes caught a movement far up the road to my right. (Yikes! A big woopsie!)
Across the rows of fresh young corn stalks I saw the dust rising slowly into the air as two figures walked along the dry surface of the lane. I knew them for strangers by their dress, for no one in our area wore a black suit except on Sunday, and this was Tuesday.
Curiosity was part of my makeup, so I leaned on the plow a while, watching their progress and wondering about their errand. They saw me, and hopped the ditch to approach the fence as they came alongside my position.
At fifteen, I had reached nearly my full growth, and I wasn't beyond considering myself a man. I did as much as my father on the farm, except for the planning and the worrying, so I wasn't surprised when they hailed me as a man.
"Hello, Brother. Can you give us a drink?" the taller man called, indicating my water bucket under a nearby tree.
I wrapped the lines around the plow handles and strode to the fence. "Plenty, and welcome." I bent to shoo away a drinking yellowjacket, and lifted the pail to the top of the fence.
The taller man drank first, and I saw that he was older by three or four years than the shorter man. As they slaked their thirst, I wondered how long since they had tasted water, for they drank with great gusto, and an air of thankfulness.
Their suits were covered with the fine dust that abounded on our roads, but they seemed not to mind, giving all their thoughts to dipping water down their dusty throats.
While the shorter man drank, the taller one looked at me and smiled. "It's been a long, dusty walk. We're thankful for the water. I am Nathan Caldwell, and my companion is Matthew Long. We are ministers of the gospel, and would welcome the opportunity to preach in your neighborhood."
I stuck out my hand and pumped his. "My name is Elijah Marshall, and my pa will be glad to see you. He's a God-fearing man, and every man of the Lord is welcome in his house." I squinted up at the sun. "It's nearly dinner time. Come and eat with us."
Mr. Long grinned his acceptance as Mr. Caldwell nodded.
"Just follow the road to the first lane on the right," I directed them. "Tell my ma I sent you. I'll be along with the horse by and by."
They waved their thanks as I hauled the bucket off the fence and turned back to the plow. Old Tom still stood where I'd reined him in, flicking flies away with his tail and standing three-legged in the sun. His ears twitched at my approach, and I patted his flank before I unhitched him from the plow.
"Tom, boy, we've got company. Won't that make Ma's eyes dance!"
Character Notes: Julia Helm Owen
Julia's grandfather and grandmother were Elijah Scow and Louisa Phipps. They had two daughters, Phoebe and Emily Scow. Phoebe married Joseph Helm, and their children were Jonathan and Julia. Julia married Roderick Owen, and the rest is "history." Emily Scow married James Marshall. This family joined the LDS Church. Their son, Elijah, chronicles his adventures in an unpublished novel I started several years ago, The Zion Trail.
On the back of the character card, I have two photos of Elinor Donahue, whose early work included 68 episodes of "Father Knows Best" as Betty Anderson, and 12 episodes of "The Andy Griffith Show" as Ellie Walker. I think Melissa Gilbert is about old enough to play Julia now. Since Bruce Boxleitner would make a great Rod Owen, the couple is high on my wish list for the roles of the parents in a movie version of The Man from Shenandoah. Of course, there is no movie version in the works at this time. One can hope, right?
Here is the content of Julia's character card notes:
JULIA HELM OWEN
Julia is about 5' 2" tall, dark brown hair and brown eyes, she loves her husband and family, she's not an aristocrat, but a farm woman, but she is very attractive. Her hair is beginning to have a few wisps of grey, she has become quite independent because of keeping things going during the war with her man gone. Levelheaded and quick thinking, Julia taught her children to work and to amount to something thereby. She is called Ma, except by Julianna, her youngest, who calls her Mama. She is a passionate woman, who enjoys her marital relationship, and understands her husband. They usually can say a lot between them with a glance, catching the other's meaning easily. Julia is very religious, has a strict code of gallantry which she has passed to her children.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Author Interview: Caleb Fox
Welcome, Caleb! Tell us who you are and what you do.
I’m a kid from
What type of writer are you? Do you plan ahead/plot or do you simply fly by the seat of your pants?
I start with a lot of research and from that usually stumble on an idea for a story. I launch with a couple of pages of notes about where I may go, but I try to let the story fly free.
Do you write best at a certain time of the day?
All times, whenever. When I’m doing a book (and now I aim for two a year), I make a point of writing every day and recording the number of pages.
What food or snack keeps the words flowing?
None. I usually have to hold the words back.
What sparks a story?
A character’s strong desire for something. A teenager wants to do something to be recognized as a man, so he can marry the woman he fancies. A chief wants to expand his tribe’s lands to the sea, so his people can have access to the ocean’s foods. A trapper wants to find a place where his mixed-blood children can grow up and be accepted. A Lakota wants to keep his people from being overwhelmed by the emigrants. Whatever drives a character.
What was it about your genre that interested you enough to choose to write in it and not in another genre?
I want to explore the wild possibilities of fantasy, to let go of the boundaries of the earth we know, to tell more archetypal stories. I want to spin tales that, though not factual, have the large truths of myths.
Character you wish you had created?
You mean some other writer’s character? Huckleberry Finn.
What authors do you look to as a role model and inspiration?
Mark Twain (and I guess Samuel Clemens).
What's the best advice you ever received?
John Neihardt, the author of BLACK ELK SPEAKS, and a terrific teacher, inspired me to write to touch the lives of plain people like my parents and aunts and uncles, not for an intellectual elite.
I believe good writers read a lot. What do you use to mark your page when reading?
I do read a lot, and I just remember the page number.
What one thing do you like most about writing? Least?
I like playing in my imagination. The craft part, shaping sentences and paragraphs, is fun, but what really lights me up is dreaming my way into another world and playing around there. Dislike? The business that surrounds writing.
Your book is called ZADAYI RED, published by TOR Books this month. Tell us what the book is about and why you wrote it.
Since I found myself strongly attracted to Native magic and mysticism, I wanted to go further into that realm. The route I discovered was to go about two thousand years back in time, to prehistoric people. I chose to use the people who preceded my own ancestors, the Cherokee. Since we have very little firm information about that time, it had to be a fantasy. Yet it is a genuine effort to tell the truth about what those early cultures were like.
I also wanted to play with some of what they believed in—animal guides, shape-shifting, a world of Immortals....
Living in that imaginary world was a great experience, and the book has turned into a series called Spirit Flight. The second title will be SHADOWS IN THE CAVE, which uses ancient cave art as a principal theme.
Why should anyone part with their hard earned cash and precious time to read your book? Sell it to us!
ZADAYI RED is an epic and mythic story of the prehistoric ancestors of the Cherokee people.Dahzi feels cursed. His mother dallied with a man of the wrong tribe, and then died giving birth to him. His grandfather hates him.
Dahzi wants only to become a man so that he can marry the woman he wants. At the request of a medicine woman, he sets out on an adventure and is drawn into a quest of fantastic dangers. He goes deep into the strange, dark world of caves, far across mountain ranges, fights warriors sent to kill him, and finally crosses to the
Tony Hillerman said, "Caleb Fox is a major new writer. Adventure, drama, emotion, magic, imagination, mysticism, insight into prehistoric peoples—this book is an amazing ride into the unknown!"
Where can readers buy your book?
Basically everywhere. An easy way to get it, and one that would particularly help me, would be to get it at Barnes and Noble, http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Zadayi-Red/Caleb-Fox/e/9780765319920/?itm=1
What is your next project?
The third book in this Spirit Flight series. Then, if my agent can sell it, I’ll write a big biography of a major American religious leader. (For now I’m keeping his identity a surprise.)
What advice would you pass along at this point in your career?
Write only if you truly love it, if it is your bliss. Don’t write for imagined rewards like money and fame—write only for the joys of creating shapes from words and telling stories. If you do decide you can’t live without writing, do it every day. Yes, every day.
Thank you for the interview, Caleb. Is there anything you'd like to add?
ZADAYI RED is Caleb Fox’s first book, and SHADOWS IN THE CAVE will be the second, but these are far from my last. Start a dialogue with me at www.calebfox.com.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Review of Trail of Storms by Rebecca Talley
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Review of Trail of Storms and Interview with me
Since you need to belong to the site to access it, I've included her review here:
"I read this book over the weekend, and I really enjoyed it. It's been quite awhile since I've read a western (I'm a former Louis L'Amour fan). I enjoyed the historical details, and the story as a whole was intriguing. There was always something new happening, and the author didn't shy away from the challenges and difficulties of the frontier."
Today, author Kathi Oram Peterson posted an interview with me on her site, Kathi's Writing Nook. I hope you all will go take a look.
Thanks Heather and Kathi!
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
New Review for Trail of Storms
Thanks, Laurie!
I should mention that Laurie's third book in the "Free Men and Dreams" series, Dawn's Early Light, will be released in October.
Character Notes: Rulon Owen
The photos I have for Rulon are actors Geoffrey Scott, who started out his career on Dark Shadows and continued with a role in Dynasty and guest shots all over the tube in the 80s; and Nicolas Surovy, who started out in The Big Valley, and played roles on soaps and Westerns, and even Star Trek: Voyager. IMDb last shows him in Deadwood.
RULON OWEN
Rulon has dark brown hair and grey eyes. He is not tall, but he is solidly built--might have trouble keeping weight down later. Rulon had been casually courting Mary Hilbrands, but as the war broke out and he joined up, he married her. 9 months later they had a son. Mary lived with her parents until Rulon came home wounded in Oct, 1864. Fulltime wife and motherhood was a shock to her.
Rulon welcomes the change to go to the west. He has nothing to show for 4 years of marriage, and wants to start on building his life.
Summer Treasure Hunt has concluded
As Rachel answered, Rulon is the eldest Owen son. Click here to read the original character notes I made on Rulon's character on my blog, "The Characters in Marsha's Head."