I'm taking a Holiday Hiatus through January 10. This will allow my injured arm to heal a bit more, and let me learn how to work with DragonSpeak.
I hope you have a wonderful Holiday Season, and a joyous New Year!
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."
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Sample Saturday - Dec 13, 2014
Welcome to Sample Saturday. This week's sample is from Trail of Storms, where Jessie Bingham accepts Ned's previously unwelcome proposal. (The print edition of this novel is on sale here for $10, personalized and autographed. Hurry. The offer is only good while supplies last!)
~~~
Jessie wiped her mouth on her apron. Getting rid of her supper had relieved the pain in her stomach, but the hurt in her heart remained. She was sobbing. Even though the news of James’s betrothal to Ellen Bates had cut into her soul like a hot knife, knowing that he was free and somewhere in this country had given her hope. Jessie shuddered. She couldn’t think of James anymore.
She wiped her eyes and looked around. She’d been lucky when she left the kitchen. No one had been around. Just then, two men came out of the stable, laughing and talking. George and . . . Ned.
Ned! Ned wants me. James doesn’t. Ned does. He’ll take care of me, and I’ll never have to think about James Owen again.
She ran toward Ned, forcing a smile. He’ll be happy. I’ve got to be happy. “Ned,” she called.
“Jessie?” He smiled at her, and left George, taking long strides to meet her. “What is it?”
Jessie halted and let Ned approach. He says he loves me. He’ll never leave me. She grabbed her upper arm with the other hand and waited. He’ll make me happy.
Ned smiled down at her, and she lifted her head. “I’ll marry you,” she said.
Ned’s smile widened to a grin. “You mean it?”
“Yes.” She waited, her fingers gripping her arm. She’d be safe with Ned.
Ned picked her up by the waist and swung her around. She clutched his shoulders to keep her balance.
“Jessie, I’m the happiest man in the world. We can get married at the next town.” He put her on her feet.
Married? So soon? She hadn’t thought beyond her acceptance of Ned’s offer. What if I get pregnant? She thought of Hannah, and the physical discomfort she was going through in carrying her child. “I think we should wait until we get to Albuquerque to wed. We have so far to go. I don’t want to be . . . like Hannah is.” She watched disappointment mask Ned’s eyes. Then he accepted her condition, though his shoulders sank a bit.
“I reckon you’re right, honeybunch. I wouldn’t want you to be burdened by—” He pressed his lips together, sighed, and nodded. “We’ll wait.”
~~~
Thank you for visiting. I hope you enjoyed the sample. I appreciate your support of my work.
Author Marsha Ward wrote the novella, Faith and the Foreman, in the best-selling Timeless Romance Anthology Old West Collection. She is the author of an acclaimed novel series featuring the Owen family. Book 4, Spinster's Folly, won the 2013 USA Best Book Award for Western Fiction, and recently was named Finalist in Western Fiction in the 2014 International Book Awards. A former journalist, Ward has published over 900 articles, columns, poems and short stories. She is the founder of American Night Writers Association, a.k.a. ANWA.
~~~
Jessie wiped her mouth on her apron. Getting rid of her supper had relieved the pain in her stomach, but the hurt in her heart remained. She was sobbing. Even though the news of James’s betrothal to Ellen Bates had cut into her soul like a hot knife, knowing that he was free and somewhere in this country had given her hope. Jessie shuddered. She couldn’t think of James anymore.
She wiped her eyes and looked around. She’d been lucky when she left the kitchen. No one had been around. Just then, two men came out of the stable, laughing and talking. George and . . . Ned.
Ned! Ned wants me. James doesn’t. Ned does. He’ll take care of me, and I’ll never have to think about James Owen again.
She ran toward Ned, forcing a smile. He’ll be happy. I’ve got to be happy. “Ned,” she called.
“Jessie?” He smiled at her, and left George, taking long strides to meet her. “What is it?”
Jessie halted and let Ned approach. He says he loves me. He’ll never leave me. She grabbed her upper arm with the other hand and waited. He’ll make me happy.
Ned smiled down at her, and she lifted her head. “I’ll marry you,” she said.
Ned’s smile widened to a grin. “You mean it?”
“Yes.” She waited, her fingers gripping her arm. She’d be safe with Ned.
Ned picked her up by the waist and swung her around. She clutched his shoulders to keep her balance.
“Jessie, I’m the happiest man in the world. We can get married at the next town.” He put her on her feet.
Married? So soon? She hadn’t thought beyond her acceptance of Ned’s offer. What if I get pregnant? She thought of Hannah, and the physical discomfort she was going through in carrying her child. “I think we should wait until we get to Albuquerque to wed. We have so far to go. I don’t want to be . . . like Hannah is.” She watched disappointment mask Ned’s eyes. Then he accepted her condition, though his shoulders sank a bit.
“I reckon you’re right, honeybunch. I wouldn’t want you to be burdened by—” He pressed his lips together, sighed, and nodded. “We’ll wait.”
~~~
Thank you for visiting. I hope you enjoyed the sample. I appreciate your support of my work.
Author Marsha Ward wrote the novella, Faith and the Foreman, in the best-selling Timeless Romance Anthology Old West Collection. She is the author of an acclaimed novel series featuring the Owen family. Book 4, Spinster's Folly, won the 2013 USA Best Book Award for Western Fiction, and recently was named Finalist in Western Fiction in the 2014 International Book Awards. A former journalist, Ward has published over 900 articles, columns, poems and short stories. She is the founder of American Night Writers Association, a.k.a. ANWA.
Saturday, December 06, 2014
Sample Saturday - Dec 6, 2014
Welcome to Sample Saturday. This week's sample is from Trail of Storms, where Jessie Bingham gets an unwelcome proposal. (The print edition of this novel is on sale here for $10, personalized and autographed. Hurry. The offer is only good while supplies last!)
~~~
After a matter of weeks, the Bingham party made camp near a spot where the westward trails divided. The northern branch led to Utah and California and Oregon. The southern track was still renowned as the Santa Fe Trail, which connected to old Spanish trails that continued through New Mexico Territory all the way to California, following a wagon road pioneered by a party of Mormon volunteers during the War with Mexico in the ‘40s.
Jessie stood over an iron skillet, frying bacon. She looked up from her task when Ned stepped into the firelight.
“Good evening, Jessie,” he began.
“Hello, Ned.” She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Ma’s not nearby, so I can call you that.”
Ned smiled and nodded. “You look very nice tonight,” he said. “Do you mind if I sit a spell?”
Jessie rolled her eyes in mild annoyance and said, “Suit yourself.” She turned the bacon with a fork.
“Thanks.” He found a box and lowered himself onto it. “Lovely night. Stars out and a full moon.”
“Uh-huh,” she said, laying down the fork and lifting the lid on a pot of beans. It needed stirring, so she picked up a wooden spoon and thrust it into the savory mixture.
Ned shuffled his feet
At the sound, Jessie looked up to see him gazing at George and Heppie, who were teasing each other near their wagon.
Ned cleared his throat, then spoke. “Married life seems to suit my brother and your sister.”
“They do seem over the moon.”
“Have you thought about getting married?”
Jessie cast her eyes down to her work. She hadn’t given the topic much thought since … since she’d been left behind when James went west. She bit her lip. It didn’t help. Her heart still hurt more. Slowly she looked up. Ned was sitting there, waiting for her to answer. She shrugged her shoulders. “Not for a long time.”
Ned bent over and fiddled with the top of his boot. “Do you know what double cousins are?”
Jessie frowned. What a strange question! “No.”
“That’s when two brothers marry two sisters, or a brother and sister marry a sister and brother. Their youngsters are double cousins.”
Jessie stirred the beans so vigorously that they sloshed over the rim of the pot.
“Jessie.” Ned paused, fiddling with the lacing on his boot. “I, that is, you, I mean …” His voice trailed off. “Oh, confound it,” he said, rising to his feet. “Will you marry me? We’ll run into a town sooner or later, and we can scare up a preacher or a mayor or a judge to say the words over us—”
“Mr. Heizer,” Jessie interrupted.
“Please, Jessie, hear me out. We’re good friends, that’s a fact, but I’ve got strong feelings for you. I thought of you a good deal during the months that I was lyin’ there in the hospital up north. When I got back to Mount Jackson and found out you were gone, it tore me up inside. I want to be with you now.”
Jessie turned and faced him. “Mr. Heizer, Ned, I—”
“If you don’t want to answer yet, I’ll understand.” He got to his feet, stepped forward, and took her hand. “Take all the time you need.”
Jessie looked at Ned’s hand holding hers. She looked into his eyes. She looked away. “Ned, we’re only friends. I’ve never thought of marrying you.”
Ned dropped her hand and shuffled his feet. “I think friendship is a good start for marriage.”
Jessie stared at him. “But what about love?”
“I’ve never loved anyone but you, Jessie.”
Jessie smiled wryly. “That’s on your side of the matter, Ned. Don’t I need to love you too?” Her smile slipped away as Ned jerked upright, his throat working as he swallowed several times. “Being in love matters to a girl.”
She turned to the bacon and poured the grease into the bean pot. She whacked at the crisp bacon. It shattered into pieces that she scooped into the pot. She looked up. Ned was staring at her, his face somber.
After a moment, he spoke. “Don’t misunderstand me, Jessie. Naturally I want you to love me, but I’m sure that will come in time. For now, consider takin’ a good, hard look at your feelings for me. See if they ain’t sufficient for marriage.”
Jessie laid down her spoon and moved to face Ned. She put her hand on his arm. “I been in love before,” she whispered. “I don’t feel the same about you.”
Ned looked down at the ground, then up again. Finally he spoke, his voice dark. “James Owen?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Is he anywhere around?”
“No.”
“Then marry me.”
“I don't love you like that. You’re my friend.”
“It doesn’t matter to me what kind of love you bear me now.” Ned took her hand from his arm and brought it to his chest. His heart beat strong, hard. “I hope that will change in time. I care for you enough for both of us.” He nodded sharply, only once, then added, “You think about what I’ve said.”
Jessie lowered her eyes. Her heart thumped in her throat, matching the rhythm of Ned’s. Maybe I do love him, she thought. Maybe I should think about marrying him. Slowly she nodded. “I’ll give thought to your suggestion.” She looked up. Ned was watching her face. “It may take me some time to …” She swallowed, took her hand from Ned’s chest, then said in a gush of air, “To think it through.”
Ned’s eyes looked like the depths of a deep pool. He gazed at her for a long time, not moving, frozen in place. Then he nodded, again only one time. “I’ll wait.”
He strode off, his long legs barely limping, and Jessie wondered how hard it was for him to damp down his pride and give her the time she needed.
~~~
Thank you for visiting. I hope you enjoyed the sample. I appreciate your support of my work.
You may have noticed the new icon up at the left that I've added to this site. I'm now a member of the "Tip My Author" network. You can find out more information in the FAQs for Readers, or visit my profile here. I'm excited about the concept, which is designed to let you thank your favorite authors and show them your support. Learn more here.
~~~
Author Marsha Ward wrote the novella, Faith and the Foreman, in the best-selling Timeless Romance Anthology Old West Collection. She is the author of an acclaimed novel series featuring the Owen family. Book 4, Spinster's Folly, won the 2013 USA Best Book Award for Western Fiction, and recently was named Finalist in Western Fiction in the 2014 International Book Awards. A former journalist, Ward has published over 900 articles, columns, poems and short stories. She is the founder of American Night Writers Association, a.k.a. ANWA.
~~~
After a matter of weeks, the Bingham party made camp near a spot where the westward trails divided. The northern branch led to Utah and California and Oregon. The southern track was still renowned as the Santa Fe Trail, which connected to old Spanish trails that continued through New Mexico Territory all the way to California, following a wagon road pioneered by a party of Mormon volunteers during the War with Mexico in the ‘40s.
Jessie stood over an iron skillet, frying bacon. She looked up from her task when Ned stepped into the firelight.
“Good evening, Jessie,” he began.
“Hello, Ned.” She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Ma’s not nearby, so I can call you that.”
Ned smiled and nodded. “You look very nice tonight,” he said. “Do you mind if I sit a spell?”
Jessie rolled her eyes in mild annoyance and said, “Suit yourself.” She turned the bacon with a fork.
“Thanks.” He found a box and lowered himself onto it. “Lovely night. Stars out and a full moon.”
“Uh-huh,” she said, laying down the fork and lifting the lid on a pot of beans. It needed stirring, so she picked up a wooden spoon and thrust it into the savory mixture.
Ned shuffled his feet
At the sound, Jessie looked up to see him gazing at George and Heppie, who were teasing each other near their wagon.
Ned cleared his throat, then spoke. “Married life seems to suit my brother and your sister.”
“They do seem over the moon.”
“Have you thought about getting married?”
Jessie cast her eyes down to her work. She hadn’t given the topic much thought since … since she’d been left behind when James went west. She bit her lip. It didn’t help. Her heart still hurt more. Slowly she looked up. Ned was sitting there, waiting for her to answer. She shrugged her shoulders. “Not for a long time.”
Ned bent over and fiddled with the top of his boot. “Do you know what double cousins are?”
Jessie frowned. What a strange question! “No.”
“That’s when two brothers marry two sisters, or a brother and sister marry a sister and brother. Their youngsters are double cousins.”
Jessie stirred the beans so vigorously that they sloshed over the rim of the pot.
“Jessie.” Ned paused, fiddling with the lacing on his boot. “I, that is, you, I mean …” His voice trailed off. “Oh, confound it,” he said, rising to his feet. “Will you marry me? We’ll run into a town sooner or later, and we can scare up a preacher or a mayor or a judge to say the words over us—”
“Mr. Heizer,” Jessie interrupted.
“Please, Jessie, hear me out. We’re good friends, that’s a fact, but I’ve got strong feelings for you. I thought of you a good deal during the months that I was lyin’ there in the hospital up north. When I got back to Mount Jackson and found out you were gone, it tore me up inside. I want to be with you now.”
Jessie turned and faced him. “Mr. Heizer, Ned, I—”
“If you don’t want to answer yet, I’ll understand.” He got to his feet, stepped forward, and took her hand. “Take all the time you need.”
Jessie looked at Ned’s hand holding hers. She looked into his eyes. She looked away. “Ned, we’re only friends. I’ve never thought of marrying you.”
Ned dropped her hand and shuffled his feet. “I think friendship is a good start for marriage.”
Jessie stared at him. “But what about love?”
“I’ve never loved anyone but you, Jessie.”
Jessie smiled wryly. “That’s on your side of the matter, Ned. Don’t I need to love you too?” Her smile slipped away as Ned jerked upright, his throat working as he swallowed several times. “Being in love matters to a girl.”
She turned to the bacon and poured the grease into the bean pot. She whacked at the crisp bacon. It shattered into pieces that she scooped into the pot. She looked up. Ned was staring at her, his face somber.
After a moment, he spoke. “Don’t misunderstand me, Jessie. Naturally I want you to love me, but I’m sure that will come in time. For now, consider takin’ a good, hard look at your feelings for me. See if they ain’t sufficient for marriage.”
Jessie laid down her spoon and moved to face Ned. She put her hand on his arm. “I been in love before,” she whispered. “I don’t feel the same about you.”
Ned looked down at the ground, then up again. Finally he spoke, his voice dark. “James Owen?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Is he anywhere around?”
“No.”
“Then marry me.”
“I don't love you like that. You’re my friend.”
“It doesn’t matter to me what kind of love you bear me now.” Ned took her hand from his arm and brought it to his chest. His heart beat strong, hard. “I hope that will change in time. I care for you enough for both of us.” He nodded sharply, only once, then added, “You think about what I’ve said.”
Jessie lowered her eyes. Her heart thumped in her throat, matching the rhythm of Ned’s. Maybe I do love him, she thought. Maybe I should think about marrying him. Slowly she nodded. “I’ll give thought to your suggestion.” She looked up. Ned was watching her face. “It may take me some time to …” She swallowed, took her hand from Ned’s chest, then said in a gush of air, “To think it through.”
Ned’s eyes looked like the depths of a deep pool. He gazed at her for a long time, not moving, frozen in place. Then he nodded, again only one time. “I’ll wait.”
He strode off, his long legs barely limping, and Jessie wondered how hard it was for him to damp down his pride and give her the time she needed.
~~~
Thank you for visiting. I hope you enjoyed the sample. I appreciate your support of my work.
You may have noticed the new icon up at the left that I've added to this site. I'm now a member of the "Tip My Author" network. You can find out more information in the FAQs for Readers, or visit my profile here. I'm excited about the concept, which is designed to let you thank your favorite authors and show them your support. Learn more here.
~~~
Author Marsha Ward wrote the novella, Faith and the Foreman, in the best-selling Timeless Romance Anthology Old West Collection. She is the author of an acclaimed novel series featuring the Owen family. Book 4, Spinster's Folly, won the 2013 USA Best Book Award for Western Fiction, and recently was named Finalist in Western Fiction in the 2014 International Book Awards. A former journalist, Ward has published over 900 articles, columns, poems and short stories. She is the founder of American Night Writers Association, a.k.a. ANWA.
Monday, December 01, 2014
Madcap Monday - New Box Set available now
A new Triple Treat Historical Romance box set containing my previously-published novel, The Man from Shenandoah, and two others by amazing authors Kristin Holt and Kelli Ann Morgan, is now available!
Whispered Promise: A Triple Treat Romance Box Set (Triple Treat Romances Book 11) is just $2.99, available as an eBook at many booksellers online. Here is what you get:
Three Bestselling Authors, Three Historical Romances, One Great Price
The Bride Lottery by Amazon bestselling author Kristin Holt
Colorado, 1881—It’s too bad the mail order bride agency failed to round up even half their order, ‘cause every man on the mountain wants a bride—except Sam Kochler. When Evelyn Brandt steps off the train, a last-minute addition to the brides, he can’t help but wonder why a pretty, well-to-do pregnant lady would take her chances with a bunch of unruly miners. Forty Bachelors. Fifteen Brides. What could go wrong?
The Rancher by Amazon bestselling author Kelli Ann Morgan
The deal was to share the ranch, not her heart... Abby McCallister can ride and shoot better than any man she’s ever met, but when the threat of losing her ranch forces her to find a husband, she is unprepared for the mysterious stranger who takes her hand and evokes in her a sudden desire to be a lady fit for his arm. He'd sworn to protect her. He couldn't do that if she married someone else... Cole Redbourne, immersed in guilt over the accident that claimed his best friend, discovers there was nothing accidental about it. When he sets out for Silver Falls, Colorado, to fulfill his friend’s dying wish and to flush out his killer, the last thing he expected was to find hope again disguised as his impromptu bride.
The Man from Shenandoah by Amazon bestselling author Marsha Ward
Returning from the Civil War, Carl Owen finds the family farm ruined and his father set to leave Virginia. Then Carl falls in love, and he battles a band of outlaws, a prairie fire, blizzards, a trackless waterless desert, and his own brother—all for the hand of feisty Ellen Bates.
Whispered Promise: A Triple Treat Romance Box Set (Triple Treat Romances Book 11)
eBooks: Amazon | Amazon UK | BN | iTunes | Kobo
Whispered Promise: A Triple Treat Romance Box Set (Triple Treat Romances Book 11) is just $2.99, available as an eBook at many booksellers online. Here is what you get:
Three Bestselling Authors, Three Historical Romances, One Great Price
The Bride Lottery by Amazon bestselling author Kristin Holt
Colorado, 1881—It’s too bad the mail order bride agency failed to round up even half their order, ‘cause every man on the mountain wants a bride—except Sam Kochler. When Evelyn Brandt steps off the train, a last-minute addition to the brides, he can’t help but wonder why a pretty, well-to-do pregnant lady would take her chances with a bunch of unruly miners. Forty Bachelors. Fifteen Brides. What could go wrong?
The Rancher by Amazon bestselling author Kelli Ann Morgan
The deal was to share the ranch, not her heart... Abby McCallister can ride and shoot better than any man she’s ever met, but when the threat of losing her ranch forces her to find a husband, she is unprepared for the mysterious stranger who takes her hand and evokes in her a sudden desire to be a lady fit for his arm. He'd sworn to protect her. He couldn't do that if she married someone else... Cole Redbourne, immersed in guilt over the accident that claimed his best friend, discovers there was nothing accidental about it. When he sets out for Silver Falls, Colorado, to fulfill his friend’s dying wish and to flush out his killer, the last thing he expected was to find hope again disguised as his impromptu bride.
The Man from Shenandoah by Amazon bestselling author Marsha Ward
Returning from the Civil War, Carl Owen finds the family farm ruined and his father set to leave Virginia. Then Carl falls in love, and he battles a band of outlaws, a prairie fire, blizzards, a trackless waterless desert, and his own brother—all for the hand of feisty Ellen Bates.
Whispered Promise: A Triple Treat Romance Box Set (Triple Treat Romances Book 11)
eBooks: Amazon | Amazon UK | BN | iTunes | Kobo
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