Friday, December 31, 2010

Happy New Year!

What a great year we've had! My hope is that 2011 will bring you happiness and fulfillment, love, good times with your family, and much satisfaction.

All my best wishes,
Marsha Ward
Westerns with Heart & Grit

Happy New Year!

To all my readers and friends: May this New Year bring much happiness and fulfillment into your lives.

From Marsha, the Owen Family, and all their friends.


Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Rapid Recipes For Writers . . .

And Other Busy People is the name of my most recent eBook. Sounds like a cookbook, right? Well, it is.





It was the prize I awarded to the winner of my recent contest. Now, it is available to all of you, free, as my Holiday Gift to You! Click here to go to Smashwords.com to download your copy, in whichever eBook format suits you and your preferred eReader or computer program. If you like it, feel free to leave a review and rating.


Enjoy!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

WINNER - 75th Follower Contest

Well, the magic day has arrived and I've drawn a winner of the 75th Follower Contest, to whom I will email the prize of a pdf copy of . . .



And the winner is . . . Shelli!!!

I will have another announcement about the eBook in a couple of days.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Author Interview - L.C. Lewis, author of Oh, Say Can You See?

My friend, LDS author L.C. Lewis, reminded me that the bicentennial of the War of 1812 is less than two years away, and America is gearing up to host spectacular celebrations of the 200th anniversary of her second war of independence. Woohoo!

Several years ago, Lewis saw the fast-approaching event, and began writing a historical fiction series to commemorate this often overlooked moment and generation. Along the way, Free Men and Dreamers has garnered an impressive array of reviews, endorsements, and awards. Though each book continues the overall story, each volume is written as a stand-alone read as well, and Lewis thinks volume four, Oh, Say Can You See?, which weaves her characters through the events surrounding the writing of The Star-Spangled Banner, may be the most timely of all the volumes.

The novel launched nationally in October. 

As always, I'm awestruck at L.C. Lewis's mastery of detail-rich prose. If you have any interest in the history of our nation, and in particular, the background of the tumultuous days in which our National Anthem came to be written; if you have read any of the previous novels and have fallen in love with the multitude of well-fleshed-out characters; you must read this novel!

Don't forget: this interview is part of L.C.'s blog tour, and there are prizes involved. See details here.

Here is material from the backliner of the book:

Although the British raids have left Washington a devastated, blackened city, the battered Constitution has held and the presidency has survived!

But the struggling government has no home. The British saw to that. Gone is the Capitol and her magnificent library, the chambers of the Supreme Court, the President’s House, and every relic and document not secreted out of the city.

Next on the list of British prizes—the rebellious port city of Baltimore! A victory here would assure the Americans’ defeat, but a loss would dilute the importance of the destruction of Washington.

But has the raid on Washington stiffened the backs of the Americans? This is the question gnawing at the leaders on both sides.

The Willows women are mourning their absent men—gone to war, or wounded, or captured—as they await the birth of a blessed child.

Mere miles away, attorney Francis Scott Key embarks on a diplomatic mission that will leave an everlasting mark on America. Proving that a pen can be more powerful than a sword, Key records his fears and hopes—the fears and hopes of his embattled people—as he watches the bombardment of Baltimore while detained in the midst of the British fleet.

What changed in this noble man’s pacifist heart, empowering him to pen the powerful anthem, known today as “The Star Spangled Banner,” an epic poem that rallied a shattered nation to rise from its knees to claim the dream of “one nation under God?”

Experience the personal sacrifice of five families placed in the firestorm of the War of 1812, citizen heirs of the sacrifice of the Founding Fathers.

L. C., you mentioned that Oh, Say Can You See? may be the most timely of all your books. What do you mean by that?

I could lump volume three, Dawn’s Early Light, in there as well because it surrounds the British attack on Washington. In my opinion, the devastation there really culminated in the writing of the Key’s epic poem, “Defence of Fort McHenry,” which we know now as The Star-Spangled Banner

But what I meant is this: America is enjoying a renewed reverence for the Founding Fathers and their brilliance in designing the government they did. Sadly, many of us know less about the Constitution now than we did in sixth-grade, but that is changing today. 

There is a sense of patriotism sweeping across the land that resembles that passion and urgency felt in 1814. Remember, the American political landscape was changed after the British attacked us. The iconic buildings Americans were beginning to identify with their nation and government had been destroyed. It was then that the flag rose from being a mere fort marker, to an emblem of this nation. Key recognized that as he peered across the Baltimore harbor, praying to see one of the last surviving symbols of America—that star-spangled flag flying above Fort McHenry. I think most Americans can identify with those feelings.

I’ve read that your research has been extensive. Why did you choose to write the events of this period as historical fiction rather than just as straight history?

There are some spectacular historical accounts of this period, many of which I reference, but as I read reviews of those authors’ brilliant work, I recognized that there was an entire audience of people who didn’t enjoy that format, but who learn history best when it is personalized and wrapped around a compelling storyline. So I researched this period and created characters readers can invest in, and had them experience these events. By doing this, I can place them anywhere and in the midst of any event I choose.

What was the hardest part of writing Oh, Say Can You See?

Since this volume thrusts our characters into the pivotal Battle of Baltimore and the events surrounding the writing of The Star Spangled Banner, I really wanted readers to feel the emotions experienced by the families as well as the soldiers and sailors during that "perilous night" with "bombs bursting in air.”

The cover is beautiful! Did you have a hand in designing it?

I had input. I knew I wanted an image of the bombardment of Fort McHenry with the focus on that splendid flag. Amy Orton, the cover designer at Walnut Springs Press, presented a concept and we tweaked it together. I hope it will make readers hungry to tear into the book.

Tell us a little about your  research for this volume.

Aside from tons of reading, and visits to Frederick and other sites, my research for this book took me to Fort McHenry where I spent time with the expert on the Battle of BaltimoreScott Sheadswho not only heads the staff at the fort, but who has served as the curator of the "Star Spangled Banner" exhibit at the Smithsonian. Like most historians with whom I've had the pleasure of chatting, Sheads is generous with his research and observations, offering me tidbits of little-known information about the perilous battle upon which the hopes of a battered nation hinged, and about the principal characters, like Francis Scott Key, who observed it as a detainee in the harbor. He included many details about the days surrounding the writing of the poem that became our nation's anthem.

I hear one more volume is planned after this one. When will it be released, and tell us about the other volumes.

Book five is set for a spring 2011 release and it will carry us forward, as we see how the events of this period shaped America and affected the next generation. We’re toying with two titles—The Morning Breaks, and In God We Trust. Right now, we’re all leaning towards In God We Trust.

In God We Trust would get my vote. Tell us about the first three books in the Free Men and Dreamers series.

Volume 1, Dark Sky at Dawn, introduces the complex story of our six lead familiesthree American, two British, one slaveand the devastating prelude to the war.

Volume 2, Twilight's Last Gleaming carries readers into the harrowing events at Hampton, Virginia, and illustrates the toll the war takes on civilianswomen and children. But through it all, a new tenacity begins to strengthen the young nation's spine as Americans rally to the cause of their nation.

Volume 3, Dawn's Early Lightthrows our characters into the attack on Washington and the events that proved the mettle of the the Constitution and the Presidency.

Tell us a little about L.C. Lewis.

Well, many readers will be surprised to hear that I’m a grandma and not a grandpa! Publishers tend to obscure female historical fiction authors behind a pen name because some readers just expect the authors of these books to be male. I write women’s fiction under my real name, Laurie Lewis. My most recent release was in April—a women’s novel titled, Awakening Avery, which is currently nominated for a Whitney Award.

I’m a long time resident of Carroll County, where my husband and I still reside. The past few years have been consumed by these books, but as soon as volume five is released I hope to pick up some of my old hobbies—genealogy, cross-stitch, the guitar and gardening. I’m dying to learn to play the piano and my brave daughter has offered to teach her uncoordinated mother the ropes.

Thanks so much for stopping by and chatting with us today. 

It was a pleasure.

Let’s just remind readers that autographed copies of Oh, Say Can You See? are available at This is the Place Bookstore, and they also carry the entire series.

Visit L.C. Lewis at her web site and at her blog.

View the book trailer for Oh, Say Can You See?  here at YouTube.com.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Blog Tour Underway Monday: Oh, Say Can You See? by L.C. Lewis


It's blog tour time for
Set against the War of 1812 and the penning of "The Star Spangled Banner," Oh, Say Can You See?, the latest novel in the FREE MEN AND DREAMERS series by L.C. Lewis, brings this often overlooked period to life.

THREE people will win a copy of Oh, Say Can You See? One GRAND PRIZE WINNER will win this beautiful patriotic necklace!


Blog tour runs from December 13th--December 22nd.

It's easy to enter.
1. Visit the fabulous reviews and leave a comment letting us know why "The Star Spangled Banner" means so much to you. Remember to include your email address.
2. If you tweet about the blog tour, or post about it on your blog or facebook, leave the link in the comments section and you'll receive an additional entry.


Good Luck! Entries close at midnight (MST) on December 31.

December 13
Braden Bell

December 14
Marsha Ward

December 15
Rachelle Christensen

December 16
Anna Del C. Dye

December 17
Stephanie Abney

December 18
Lynn Parsons

December 20
Susan Dayley
Marilyn Bunderson

December 21
Liz Adair
Valerie Ipson

December 22
Kathi Oram Peterson

****
Though the capital smolders, the battered Constitution and the presidency have survived. But the British left the struggling government no home. Gone are the symbols of America--the Capitol Building and the President's House, and nearly every relic of the infant nation.

Britain's next target is the port city of Baltimore, but has the raid on Washington stiffened the Americans' backs?  

As the Willows women mourn their absent men - gone to war, or wounded, or captured - they await the birth of a blessed child.

Miles away, attorney Francis Scott Key embarks on a diplomatic mission that will leave an everlasting mark on America. Proving that the pen can indeed by more powerful than the sword, Key records the fears and hopes of his embattled people. His epic poem, soon set to music and titled "The Star-Spangled Banner," rallies a shattered nation to rise from its knees to claim the dream of "one nation under God" during the closing hours of the War of 1812.

See you on Tuesday!

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Be careful what you wish for

The new novel is progressing well. Last night's output reminds me of the old saw, "Be careful what you wish for." A character sees hopes dashed and a future muddied. What really lies ahead?

I still haven't found the right title, but I'm getting closer. I don't think "Be careful what you wish for" would make a good novel title, though.


I wish I could find a way to condense these words from the lyrics of "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" into a stunning title:

and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.



I think that sums up the yearning my character is experiencing to have her own home, filled with light and love. She's not finding it in last night's output!

Did you ever have a wish turn to ashes in your mouth? What do you wish for now? Something safer?

Thursday, December 09, 2010

Blog Tour: Sun Tunnels and Secrets, by Carole Thayne Warburton

This is the last day of the Blog Tour for Sun Tunnels and Secrets, Carole Thayne Warburton's third novel.


The publisher, Walnut Springs Press, is giving away three copies of the novel, plus a lovely piece of Carole's pottery, represented by this graphic:



Here's the back cover copy, which sets up our understanding of this delightfully piquant novel:

On a trip to the Sun Tunnels in the Utah desert, Norma and her sisters find a body on the side of the road. But this awful discovery turns out to be the least of their problems. Norma's husband just passed on, and she learns he kept a secret from her for sixty years. LaRue is keeping a secret from Norma. The sisters' young friend Tony is keeping a secret about his famous father, and Tony's mother is keeping a secret of her own. Tony is secretly in love with his friend Kelli, who recently escaped from a polygamist cult. And who is the mysterious young car thief with whom Norma feels a special connection? Everything converges in Grouse Creek at the Fourth of July celebration. Will secrets prove everyone's undoing?
Carole used to write under the name Carole Thayne, as there is another LDS author using the name Carol Warburton. She gleaned ample experiences and met many intriguing people when she and her husband, Mick, were teachers in the two-room school in Grouse Creek, Utah. In addition to being an author, she is a talented pottery artist, and teaches that craft, as well.

Since I've been living in a small-town atmosphere for the last five years, I related very strongly to the characters and situations Carole wrote about in her current thought-provoking novel, Sun Tunnels and Secrets. Not that I've ever come across a supposedly dead body out in the desert, but the mind-set and the hilarity are the same.

Norma and her elderly sisters, Mabel and LaRue, are sometimes wacky, sometimes serious, and always capable of tugging on my heart-strings. The multitude of other characters reflect their heritages and the secrets they bear. The novel is an interesting journey into and through the many secrets that unravel in a small corner of a Western state and beyond.

Although the cover indicates this is an LDS novel, there is nothing restricting it from being read and enjoyed by a general audience, since little mention is made of Mormonism, other than in setting up the milieu.

Sun Tunnels and Secrets is available at Amazon.com 

Don't forget the giveaway, which I posted about here.

Tuesday, December 07, 2010

75th Follower Contest


Arlee Bird dropped by today and mentioned that he is my 75th follower. This calls for a celebration and a contest based on comments.

Come by and leave a comment on this post to be entered in a drawing to be held on December 23. Tell me why you should win. If you convince someone else to drop by and become a follower, you'll have two entries. Verify that your friend has become a follower, and drop another comment to that effect.

I'll probably draw the winner from a hat, as I'm old fashioned in some things, and occasionally like to stir things up, like little pieces of paper. Ooo, I'm all shivery with anticipation!

This calls for a prize. Let's see, a prize, a prize. [drumming fingers] Yes, I have it. I'm working on an eBook version of a cookbook I produced several years ago. It's called "Rapid Recipes for Writers . . . And Other Busy People." 



The prize will be a pdf document of the cookbook (which may or may not have the original cover, part of which is pictured above), so be sure to leave your email address in your comment, or send it to me here

The original book was chapbook size, that is, 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches, and contained 31 original recipes collected from writers in a magazine I used to edit and publish, and a few other people in my life. All the recipes were pretty quick to assemble and cook. Some were designed for slow cookers, some to stow away in the freezer, and some to make and eat on the spot. The eBook version will have all those great recipes.

Spread the word about the contest. Blog posts, tweets, and Facebook mentions will get you additional entries. Be sure to comment with links.

Thank you!

Monday, December 06, 2010

Ellen Bates teaches us about love

Here's a snippet where Ellen shares her newlywed joy with Marie:
Marie headed toward the creek, intent on dipping up a handful of water to cool her face. Her cheeks still burned from the encounter with her pa, and she didn't want Ma asking uncomfortable questions.
"Drat Pa anyway," she muttered, head down as she tromped along the bank to her favorite place. "Why does he meddle so?" She started to gather her skirts to kneel in the grass.
"Marie? What's wrong, sweetie?"
Marie dropped her dress and looked toward the origin of the familiar voice. Yes, it was Ellen, standing on the opposite side of the creek. What was she doing here? She should be in her cabin, tending to Carl.
"I--" She brushed at one cheek, feeling for heat. Perhaps her blush had faded. "I've been out riding," she said, in case it hadn't. "I thought you'd be up yonder." She gestured toward the forested bench where Carl had built his new home.
 Ellen's chuckle surprised Marie, but she tried to hide her expression by rubbing her forehead.
"I can't be there all day and night. We needed water, and I wanted a stroll, besides."
"Ain't newlyweds supposed to stay indoors? Most all the ones I've known went away and I didn't see them for a long time after the weddin'."
"It's a tiny mite different when the groom is laid up with a horrid wound," Ellen, said, but there was no hint of self-pity in her tone.
In fact, Marie detected laughter underneath the grim words. "What's funny?" she demanded to know. "You're all sunshiny for a bride in such a circumstance."
Ellen laughed out loud. "I like being married," she said, once she had regained composure. "I like bein' Carl's wife. He's cheerful, and he's funny, and he loves me to pieces." She wrapped her arms around herself, smiling.
Marie frowned, and thought, Will Tom Morgan ever make me feel that way? A shiver ran through her body, top to toe. She hugged herself then, feeling alienated from her friend by her discouragement.
Ellen noticed Marie's movement and laughed again. "Look at us," she said, "a pair of sillies a-huggin' on ourselves."
What's your favorite expression of joy in a novel? Did you write it? If not, who did?

Friday, December 03, 2010

Blog Tour underway for Sun Tunnels and Secrets

It's blog tour time for Sun Tunnels and Secrets
by Carole Thayne Warburton


Walnut Springs Press is giving away three copies of 
Sun Tunnels and Secrets

One lucky GRAND PRIZE WINNER will win a beautiful pot by Carole
(who is also a talented potter)!

Blog tour runs from November 30th to December 9th (which is my day).

Want to win a copy of Sun Tunnels and Secrets? It's easy:

  1. Visit the fabulous reviews and leave a  comment letting us know why you're excited to read Sun Tunnels. Remember to include  your email address.
  2. If you tweet about the blog tour, or post about it  on your blog or facebook, leave the link in the comments section and  you'll receive an additional entry.
December 9 Marsha Ward--Writer in the Pines

See you on the 9th!

Thursday, December 02, 2010

Author interview - Joan Sowards, author of The Star Prophecy

My friend Joan Sowards is my guest today. Joan is an LDS author and songwriter who lives in Arizona with her family. Her brand-new novel, The Star Prophecy, is available just in time for Christmas gift-giving.

Joan, you're well known in LDS musical circles as a songwriter. How long have you been writing fiction?
I have been writing novels for over fifteen years. A friend invited me to ANWA (American Night Writers Association). I've learned so much about writing through ANWA.

Kerry Blair lived in my ward back then. She'd edit my chapters and I tried to learn the rules behind her changes. I learned a lot from her, too. During that time, she wrote her own first novel and sent it to Covenant. They accepted it within two weeks. Gotta love her! 

How did you break into publishing?
I admit it was luck. I was in the right place at the right time. An editor suggested I send Walnut Springs Press my novel The Star Prophecy--so I did. I pestered editor Linda Prince every few months asking if she had read it. After the eight month, she asked if I had an LDS romance and that she needed one right away. I sent Haunts Haven and she liked it! Chocolate Roses was published next. I was surprised when WSP came back and said they were ready to publish the Star Prophecy since it had been two years since I submitted it.

Okay, The Star Prophecy is your third published novel. What genre or sub-genre do you write, and why did you choose it?
The Star Prophecy begins its tale in the land of the Nephites. Haunts Haven is a paranormal mystery romance, Chocolate Roses is pure romance with a Jane Eyre parallel. I haven't been able to get away from the LDS genre, I guess, because it is so ingrained in me.

Do you write with music playing? If so, is the music likely to be songs with lyrics or only instrumentals?
I have too much music going on in my head as it is, so I have to have it quiet so I can think above it.

That makes sense! What has surprised you about being a published author?
As soon as Haunts Haven hit the stores, I was expected to promote it and myself. I've never felt comfortable with that.

It's expected so much these days, isn't it? What one thing do you like most about writing? Least?
I love crafting the story, plotting, writing subplots.
Least? The final editing process can be exhausting, but I'm grateful for my editor!

What do you like to do when you aren't writing?
I'm a family history addict. I love to sew, and to write music. My adorable grandchildren take a lot of my time, and I love being with my husband.

Tell us about The Star Prophecy.
The Star Prophecy is about Nephite young men who set sail to Jerusalem to find the Christ Child. When my daughter Kristy gave me the premise for this novel, I felt electrifying tingles come over me, the ideas began to flow, and I wrote the first draft in three months--an incredible experience! The main character, whose quest it is to find the infant Messiah, is named Enoch after my nephew, a beautiful, bright child, who passed away at the age of four.

The back cover blurb says:
“You are crazy. No Nephite has ever returned.”

Most people laugh when they hear of Enoch’s dream of returning to Jerusalem to find the infant Messiah. Even Enoch's future father-in-law mocks him when he asks for a postponement of the long-awaited wedding to his beloved Rebekah.  A few take Enoch seriously—the shipbuilder Omnihah, Enoch's teacher David, and Nephi the prophet.

Five years previously, a Lamanite named Samuel had stood on the wall of Zarahemla and prophesied that “five years more cometh” and the Christ would be born in Jerusalem. Time is running out! Enoch knows he must set sail across the great waters in search of his dream—to see the face of the Messiah.

The Star Prophecy is a surprising story of courage and love, faith and fortitude. Sail with Enoch and friends across the sea through hardship and adventure in search of the Christ Child.

That sounds awesome! I can't wait to read it. I know you're always coming up with new stuff. What are you working on now?
I'm writing a story about a recent ASU college grad who takes a summer journalist job in a seaside village in Oregon. The working title is Clairvoyance.  I love the characters.

Thanks for the Interview, Joan!
Thank you.


The Star Prophecy is available at Amazon.com and at DeseretBook.com.
 
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