Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Author Interview - Anne Bradshaw, author of True Miracles with Genealogy

My guest today is multi-published author Anne Bradshaw, who lives in Central Utah with her family. She's the proprietor of the popular blog, Anne Bradshaw's Place. We'll talk about her new non-fiction work today, entitled True Miracles with Genealogy~Help from Beyond the Veil.

Hello Anne! You write in several genres, correct? Tell us about those.

I’ve tried my hand at several—YA mystery suspense (my other new book is titled Dingo), adult fiction, poetry, non-fiction, and screenwriting.

What type of writing schedule do you have?

Anne: Now the children are grown and flown, I can write any time I choose, which is most of the day on one thing or another. I get up at 5.30 a.m. and fit speed walking, chores and meal-making between writing.

How do you handle life interruptions?

Interruptions are good breaks for me. If I type too long, I get neck and shoulder pain, so I welcome a change of pace—unless I’m in the middle of something that’s going particularly well, or coming to an end—then I grit my teeth and hit "save." And I usually scribble down whatever thought was passing through my mind at the time, because I'm sure to forget it later.

I don't have a writing degree, but many authors do. Did you major in writing at college?

No. I studied writing through an online college course in England. The rest was practice, practice and more practice. And reading, reading and more reading – especially books about writing.

How much time does writing take?

Many long hours. For me, getting it right is not a fast process. Re-writes take forever. Marketing takes even longer.

What else do you do besides writing?

My hobbies include vegetable and herb gardening, photography, and getting lost in great books. I’m a lousy cook, but we have to eat. Years ago in England, we reared goats, chickens, and bees, and I really enjoyed those times. As for travel, if it weren’t for children and grandchildren spread around the country, I’d be perfectly happy staying home. Travel seems such a huge, uncomfortable thing these days, but, like eating, it has to be done.

What have been some of your most successful work habits as a writer?

Probably my most successful habit is the ability to stay focused. And I'm happy to change a manuscript if it means a better story. Growing a thick skin against rejection was a tough one for me, because rejection feeds self-doubt. It never gets any easier to read, "Thanks for your manuscript, but . . ." However, these days I'm doing better at shrugging it off and battling on.

So you struggle with a writer's self-doubts?

Oh yes, all the time. If I dwelt on doubts, I would never get anything written. But they do serve a purpose. My doubts make me continue to read about the art of writing. There is much to learn and relearn. I attend writing conferences, also. They are great for rekindling enthusiasm, and an excellent resource.

Excellent advice! What is your current book and how would you describe it?

I actually have two new books out, but the one I'm concentrating on right now is True Miracles with Genealogy~Help from Beyond the Veil. Compiling it was an amazing experience.

True Miracles is a collection of inspiring research stories, spiritual moments as help comes from beyond the veil. It is unique, comforting, and powerful. Each account can't help but touch hearts as readers come to the heady realization that there really is a world of spirits.

How and when did you gather stories for this book?

I put out requests for stories on many social websites, including Facebook. Genealogists from all over the USA and from other countries responded. It amazed me to read so many unusual experiences—to learn of the many different ways researchers received the help they needed.

My book contains only a tiny portion of the vast number of stories that go unrecorded every year—even every day—throughout the world. As someone says in the book, "Heaven is only a whisper away." It really is that close, but most times in the busy hours of our life, we're not in tune, or not ready to listen and act.

I began compiling seriously at the beginning of 2010. The more stories I received, the more fascinating and compelling it was to keep going. Once the initial call for stories went out, friends began telling others about the project and story gathering took on its own momentum.

There was a lot of work involved in the initial story editing to make each one fit the book's style. I thought about putting different accounts into categories within the book, but as stories kept arriving, they simply didn't fit neatly into any particular groups, because each experience was unique, and as such, each one needed its own classification, which defeated any effort to make them match others.

Is there a website for True Miracles with Genealogy?

Yes, I created a website at http://www.truemiracleswithgenealogy.com/ to further the book's purpose of sharing research stories. I hope many readers will send in their experiences. I realize it's unusual for most people to have more than one or two genealogy miracles in a lifetime—and many have none—but treasuring and sharing these events is so worthwhile.

The website is also home to the book's reviews. These are under the Book Review tab, top of the page.

Where can readers purchase this book?

It's available in both paperback and electronic form. I deliberately kept the price low so more can afford to enjoy it. The Kindle and Nook eBook versions are only $2.99. I hope local bookstores will soon make it available. The book is on many Internet sites. Below are sample links. If you don’t have a Kindle, you can download free software for your computer, phone, iTouch, iPad, and more on Amazon at http://amzn.to/4nck80 .

Amazon's CreateSpace $8.99, shipping $3.61 http://www.blogger.com/goog_1297817760
Amazon $8.99, shipping $3.99 http://amzn.to/9IenR5
Kindle eBook $2.99 http://amzn.to/cqZX9P

Anne, do you believe there is any "magic" formula to being published?

I’d love to know it if there is one. Sometimes, it seems more like good luck, striking the market at the right time, and combining that with huge marketing efforts.

Thank you so much for joining me today, Anne. Good luck with all of your writing endeavors!

To learn more about Anne Bradshaw visit http://www.annebradshaw.com/

Monday, November 29, 2010

Cyber Monday Sale

It's Cyber Monday! Both of my electronic books are on sale at Smashwords.com for 25% off. Use the coupon codes below at checkout to buy The Man from Shenandoah and Ride to Raton for only $2.99 each.

The ebooks are available in nine different DRM-free formats. After you sign up for a free Smashwords membership and purchase one or both of my novels, you can download whichever format suits you and your ebook reading device, or several formats, or use them all! Just be sure to read the books.

If you enjoy them, I would appreciate your comments/reviews/ratings at the Smashwords site.

Coupon codes are valid today only, Monday, November 29, 2010.

To buy The Man from Shenandoah, which is the first book in the Owen Family Saga, for only $2.99, go to this page at Smashwords.com.
 
Use this coupon code when you check out: DT39N
 
If you already own The Man from Shenandoah, buy Ride to Raton, the second book in the Owen Family Saga. It includes a bonus Spanish Glossary not available in the print edition.

Go to this page at Smashwords.com.

To buy Ride to Raton for $2.99, use this coupon code when you check out: CT56Z
 

Thank you!

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Weather Report - First Snow

I woke up this morning when my phone rang. It was someone from my church, telling me that due to the heavy snow fall, and the icy road conditions, church services would be only for one hour, and they were optional, if I didn't feel it was safe for me to venture out.

I looked out the window, saw a scattering of snow on the ground (from 1/4 to 1/2 inch) and none falling, and called back to let the caller know the situation here.

While I was in church, another inch and a half fell, then it stopped for a while. Now it's starting to snow again.

I'm ready with all my tools. I even bought a new snow shovel yesterday. So far, so good. I'll let you know how it goes.

Added: It's snowed a bit more, with maybe 1/2 to 1 inch of accumulation. I'm glad to report that my cobweb removal tool (a rounded brush on an extension pole handle) works fine to remove snow from satellite dishes. :-)

Friday, November 26, 2010

An Independent Woman

I'm trying to set Marie Owen up as having an independent streak, in a time when independence in women wasn't valued. How well did I do here?

As the first vestiges of light brightened the eastern sky,  Marie let her horse follow Rulon's toward the corral. They drew up in a line behind Rod on the left side of the trail.

The cowboys had driven the chosen beef cattle down from the  mountain the previous afternoon. Now they mooed and moved around in the enclosure, as Clay went to unlatch the gate and let them out.

The moment Clay swung the gate open, a fat steer burst through the hole, and Albert, on the right side, and Rod, on the left, headed the animal toward the trail south. The other eleven steers followed. Clay mounted his horse and caught up to Albert, while Marie let Rulon follow their father. She lagged to the rear, as she had been told to do the previous day. She didn't expect to do any work, but found that she occasionally needed to urge a cow forward. Bess seemed to know what to do, so she eased up on the reins and let the horse have its head. Marie merely hung on for the ride.

After a while, Marie began to enjoy chasing the errant cows. One took off to the left, and Marie leaned forward in the saddle, put her heels into Bess's sides and yelled "Hi there!" The horse jumped forward, and set out after the cow. With Marie's vocal encouragement, Bess drove the animal back to the little herd.

Rod looked around, and rode back to where Marie followed the cows. "I don't mean for you to work the cattle, Daughter. Follow along, and if a cow escapes, call out for one of your brothers."

"I can do the job, Pa," she answered back.

He gave her a disapproving look, but said nothing else before returning to his position at the side of the herd.

"Hmm," Marie said. "He's going to allow it." She didn't dare give vent to the yell she wanted to launch. Instead, she whispered, "Yippee."


Do you like reading about women who have spunk? Or do you prefer that they be rescued from their difficulties by the Male Main Character?

It's the Black Friday eBook Sale!


Today I'm observing Black Friday, the great Sale Day After Thanksgiving, by having a 50% Off Sale on my ebooks! 

If you read yesterday's Introduction to Smashwords.com, you correctly surmise that I use the Smashwords service to dispense my eBooks in 9 different DRM-free formats.

After you sign up for a free Smashwords membership and purchase one or both of my novels, you can download whichever format suits you and your ebook reading device, or several formats, or use them all! Just be sure to read the books.

If you enjoy them, I would appreciate your comments/reviews/ratings at the Smashwords site.

Use the coupon codes below to download The Man from Shenandoah and Ride to Raton for only $1.99 each. Coupon codes are good only today, Friday, November 26, 2010.

To buy The Man from Shenandoah, which is the first book in the Owen Family Saga, go to this page at Smashwords.com.
Use this coupon code when you check out:

If you already own The Man from Shenandoah, you want to buy Ride to Raton, the second book in the Owen Family Saga.

Go to this page at Smashwords.com.

To buy for $1.99, use this coupon code when you check out:

If you're buying both ebooks and want the discount, although I haven't ever tried that out, I imagine you need both coupon codes.

Maybe you'll come back here and share your experience.

Thank you!

Edited to remove coupon codes. Yes, it was a one-day sale. Come back on Monday for a Cyber Monday Sale.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Smashwords: How About an Introduction?

1. Friday is the retail sales day known as Black Friday. 
2. I'm going to be running a 50% off sale on two electronic (ebooks) books, The Man from Shenandoah and Ride to Raton

Because of the foregoing facts, I thought you might be interested in what Smashwords is and how creating and publishing ebooks works at their shop. Here's an Introduction:



See you on Black Friday!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Blog Tour: Perilous, by Tamara Hart Heiner

Perilous is Tamara Hart Heiner's debut novel from WiDo Publishing. A YA suspense, here's the first page:

Detective Carl Hamilton shielded his eyes against the blaring blue lights and flashed his badge at the police officer. The man moved aside. Hamilton stepped off the paved, two-lane highway just outside of Havre, Montana. Orange tape blocked off the crime scene, hidden by the darkness of early morning. He ducked under the tape and pushed his way into the dry shrubbery.

A sergeant shone a flashlight on his face and asked, “Are you Detective Hamilton?”

He gave a short nod.

“I’m Shirley White.” Pressing her hand to her nose, she turned her attention back to the ground.

The stench of rotting flesh was strong. “Ma’m. What have we found?”

“It’s a girl. We think it’s one of the four you’ve been looking for.”

Carl’s stomach knotted. “Cause of death?”

“We’ll have to perform an autopsy, of course, but it appears to be a gunshot wound. Is it one of them?”

“Where is she?”

“Under the bushes.”

He crouched down and moved the bushes aside, breathing through his mouth. This never got any easier. The branches parted to reveal a young girl, features distorted by death but still recognizable. The open eyes stared blankly up at him. He released the branches and stood up, giving a nod. “Yes. It’s one of them.”

The case had just gone from a kidnapping to a homicide. And there were three girls still missing.


Tamara, who currently lives in the South of the U.S., began writing her novel one day in high school study hall when she was bored. Now a wife and mother, she is working on a sequel to this fast-paced book. Here's a link to the book trailer for Perilous.

And the premise:

Jaci Rivera has plans for her sophomore year: go to regionals with the track team, make the honor roll, and eat too much pizza with her best friends, Callie and Sara. Her biggest concern is Amanda, the pushy girl who moved in a few months ago.

What she doesn't plan for is catching a robber red-handed, or being kidnapped. The desperate thief drags her and her friends 2,000 miles across the Canadian border. They escape from his lair, only to find that he has spies and agents watching their path home, waiting to intercept them and take them back.

Then Jaci finds something out about her family. Something which irrevocably connects her to their kidnapper, and makes her question their chances of escape.


As if that isn't enticement enough to buy and devour this exciting read (you know it's thrilling adults as well as YA readers, right?), Tamara is conducting a contest on her blog, with not one prize, but two! Actually, it's a two-pronged giveaway: one prize is a signed copy of Perilous, the other is a KINDLE eBook reader!!!

Check out the contest details and requirements on my post last week, or on Tamara's blog.

Order Perilous in print here, or as a Kindle ebook here.

What are you waiting for?

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Coming up Next Week . . .

. . . this blog will be a stop on Tamara Hart Heiner's tour for her debut novel, Perilous.

The blog tour started on Nov 15, runs through Dec 15, and you can look at the schedule here. You don't want to wait until you read my blog post to jump on the blog wagon! Oh no! Because Tamara is holding TWO incredible giveaways in connection with her book's debut. Here's her own words on the situation:

GIVEAWAY #1: Book giveaway 

1) There will be two book giveaways. Signed copies of Perilous, of course. All you have to do to get in on that action is make a comment anywhere in the blog tour. The drawing will be completely random. Of course, the more comments you make, the more chances you have of winning.

GIVEAWAY #2: Kindle giveaway

2) There will be a Kindle giveaway. This WON'T be random. Kindles are kind of a big thing, so I'm going to make you work for it. The giveaway will be point based, in other words, whoever has the most points at the end of the blog tour wins the Kindle. The contest will run until Dec. 15, at which point all hopeful winners will email me at tamara at tamarahartheiner dot com with their points and their proofs.

Here's how you get points:
+1 for each comment on the blog tour
+1 be a follower on my blog (old or new)
+1 retweet
+2 blog about the blog tour
(You prove all of those by emailing me the links.)
+5 purchase the book; ebook or paperback, doesn't matter
(Email me the confirmation number of your purchase.)

Again, click here for the tour schedule.
Email: Tamara at tamarahartheiner dot com.

Good luck!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Veterans Day, Resolution and Other Things

Andrew Malcolm's take on the history of Veterans Day in the LA Times, plus Pres. Obama's speechifying in Korea.


For some reason, I'm not handling past traumas well this year. Therefore, I think I need to make a resolution not to blog, tweet, use social media sites, initiate or answer email, or otherwise interact with human beings I don't want to hurt or offend on any of the days that might trigger depression and bad memories for me.

Sheesh, that includes a lot of birthdays, death dates, anniversaries, holidays, etc. I had a particularly bad meltdown on my wedding anniversary, so I think I'll spend it in bed in the future. I could certainly use the sleep! Just checked my calendar for the next possible bad day. It shows that I'm supposed to travel and attend a board meeting. Not good.

In other news, I finally changed the low battery in my phone answering unit, so you'll hear my voice again. I was delight to find that the screw opening the compartment holding the battery was attached to the cover. Nice! It's awful when you lose a tiny screw as you open something.

Another cousin joined Facebook and found me.

Last night was quite cold. Fall weather, with most of the leaves off the trees already, has morphed into winter weather.

I saw a squirrel on a walk yesterday. This is "destecable" because it was so close to me, and seemingly unafraid. Should I, therefore, be afraid? Was it possibly rabid? Or was it simply used to humans?

There's apparently no Spanish/English cognate for the verb destecar and its relatives. I guess destacable as I used it above means "something that stands out," "notable," or "newsworthy" in English. It's a little weird that, even after 40 years, sometimes I need a foreign word to express my precise meaning.

Something, something, something undoubtedly quite brilliant, but lost forever because it didn't stay long enough in the forefront of my mind. Lately, ADHD is a terrible pain!

My computer is making strained noises. I think another fan is giving up the ghost.

I haven't yet found the electronic device in my house that is chirping. It probably wants a new battery. If I could find the device, I would put a new battery in it.

Enough trivia. Have a good day, and for all you writers out there doing NaNo or a BIAM, write hard!

Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Author Interview - Lori Nawyn, author of My Gift to You

Lovely Lori Nawyn did an interview with me last year after my third Owen Family Saga book came out. Now I have the opportunity to return the favor, as her first novel, My Gift to You, has been released.

Lori is an extremely talented lady, as anyone who has visited her blog, Forethought and Purpose, knows. Lori's award-winning writing has appeared in regional and national publications including Outside Bozeman, Segullah, Deseret News, CraziBeautiful Women, and Latter-Day Woman. She is also a columnist for her local paper and a former member of Utah Press Women. One of her short stories was published in the anthology Stolen Christmas. She works as a freelance artist and is the illustrator of the award-winning children's picture book, What Are You Thinking? which was released in July 2010 by ThoughtsAlive Publishing. 

She and her fireman husband live in northern Utah where they enjoy spending time with their four children and two granddaughters, plus an assortment of dogs, rabbits, and chickens.

Lori, why did you write this book?

My Gift to You is about forgiving ourselves, despite what we perceive as our shortcomings. When we judge ourselves as less than acceptable for any reason, small mistakes can cripple us with discouragement. It becomes easy to lose sight of our potential, as well as precious opportunities for growth.

I was an only child with ample time to ponder the intricacies of human behavior. At a young age, I became fascinated by the fact that while several people in my life were happy, upbeat, and in possession of inner peace in most if not all circumstances, some seemed inherently unhappy no matter what happened—good or bad. Money and possessions didn’t seem to have a bearing, and I wondered what did.

Though I’d been baptized when I was eight, my family didn’t attend church. If I wanted to go, I had to attend on my own. It took me a while to grasp gospel concepts, and I found that most of the time I was among those who were unhappy. About twenty years ago I decided to stop asking Why me? and instead start asking What if?

One by one, I replaced negative emotions with those of a positive nature. Instead of wondering why I couldn't make everyone around me happy—and becoming despondent because nothing I did seemed to change them or their opinions—I started asking things like, "What if happiness really is a choice? What if it can be my choice, no matter what anyone else thinks or feels?"

Instead of commiserating over why my extended family couldn't accept me for who I was and what I believed in, I asked myself, "What if I could choose my own thoughts and emotions based on what I know in my heart is right and true?" In short, "What if I accept myself for who I am?"

And, "What if I forgive—knowing that forgiveness doesn't mean acceptance?"

What a journey that must have been!

When I began writing My Gift to You, I decided I wanted my main character, Trish, to discover something important about herself: I wanted her to discover her own inner strengths and worth—much like I had when I began to unravel my own life.

Is there a theme or message you want your readers to take away from reading your novel?

Yes, I hope the book will lead the reader to consider some of these questions:

Why are women so hard on themselves? What defines true success? What can happen when we base our worth on what the world values? On what should we base our worth? What does charity mean? Why is it important we extend it to ourselves?

Important things to ponder. Thank you, Lori. Let's take a look at the text on the back of your book:

Trish Ingram works hard to maintain the perfect suburban household—or, at least, the appearance of one. By managing her outer world with lavish attention and rigid control, she’s able to ignore and conceal the darkness of her inner world, which is plagued by traumatic childhood memories of loss. Her terminally ill sister-in-law, Jamie, sees through the façade and reaches out in love to Trish, inspiring her to seek a more meaningful life and a more authentic self. But the childhood scars run deep, and despite Trish’s best efforts, she’s unable to be the wife and mother her family needs.

Devastated by the departure of her husband and daughter, Trish faces the challenge and opportunity of a lifetime. She desires to move forward in faith, but this desire alone cannot mend her family's shattered trust. The hollow realm of denial and fear has been her safe haven. To confront pain and transcend the shadows of her past will require a level of courage she’s not sure she possesses. This gripping story of familial love and conflict tenderly reminds us that forgiveness—of self, and others—is both a difficult choice and a precious gift.

What a good reminder not to hide behind "Sunday faces!"




My Gift to You is available at DeseretBook.com.

Saturday, November 06, 2010

A passel of pain

On Facebook I mentioned dredging up pain from my past to bring a character to life. Those who know me well can guess what I referred to. Here's the result of this exercise in self-torture:

Marie sank against Ellen and surprised herself by bursting into tears. They spilled from between her closed lids, hot and stinging, accompanied by sobs that shook her shoulders and tore at her throat. Shame suffused her body, shame at losing control of her emotions, shame at caring so deeply about her father's ongoing slight, shame at her actions toward Bill Henry, who had only been trying to help her, after all. She sobbed on, despite Ellen's comforting embrace, despite her father's claim that he would see to her wants and needs, knowing that marriage to a reluctant Tom would never bring her the happiness Ellen enjoyed. Then she sobbed because she was a hypocrite, begrudging Ellen her joy because she was miserable. Finally, she sobbed because James was gone. James had left them, and she didn't know if she would ever see him again. Her last exchange with him had been to belittle his pain, to berate him for his heedless flight from grief. She had not said goodbye.

Do you harbor pain? Can you use it somehow to help others?

Wednesday, November 03, 2010

BIAM: Book-in-a-Month

In an attempt not to scare myself, I made a goal of writing 25 words a day for the Book-in-a-Month that's going on at ANWAWrite. It's working so far! I've exceeded my goal by several times, and on the second day, I broke 11 thousand words total in this book!

I'm gratified by the interest you all show in my work. Thank you so much!
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