Monday, March 28, 2016

2015 Whitney Lifetime Achievement Award

For moi?

My heart nearly exploded a week ago when I received a congratulatory email from Jaime Theler, the President of the 2015 Whitney Awards Committee. The Committee has seen fit to select me as recipient of the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award. Here's a link to the announcement on the site today. They even included a slide with a nice quote from one of my novels!

I'm equal parts flabbergasted and thrilled.


Here's a link to the main site, in case you don't have an inkling what the Whitney Awards are all about. The Award Presentation is in May. I need something new to wear!

All I've managed to do today is reply to emails of congratulations and like comments on Facebook. Thank you, everyone!

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Sample Saturday: Mended by Moonlight 2

Welcome to Sample Saturday. This tidbit is from my work-in-progress (WIP), Mended by Moonlight. Ella Ruth has suffered a nightmare.
~~~


"I'm not subject to nightmares," she protested, brushing her hair away from her face. Her muscles ached from struggling. Her head ach-- No, it felt fuzzy, but did not ache at present. She slipped off the edge of the bed, wanting no more of it for now.

The cold air in the room raised goose flesh along her arms. She hastened to the fireplace and tried in vain to stir the dead embers to life.

"I'll get Thomas to build a fire, Missy," Lula said, and started to leave the room.

"Wait." Ella Ruth held up her hand. "Is it night? How long did I sleep?"

Lula turned in the doorway. "It be cloudy outside, Missy. You slept about a hour. Do you want a fire?"

Ella Ruth began to pace, rubbing her bare arms. She had to get out of this confining room.

"No. Help me dress. I will take a walk in the garden to warm me."

"The garden pretty bare this time of year," Lula protested. "Nuthin' to see out there."

"Nevertheless, I need the air." She paused and looked at her servant. "Did Momma leave?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"You will say nothing of this . . . bad dream to anyone. Do you understand?"

Lula nodded, a baffled look on her face.

"No one. Tell me you understand."

Yes, ma'am. Missy, I don't tell tales."
~~~


While you're waiting to see what situation Ella Ruth will get into next, I'd like to suggest that you pick up a copy of my new novel, The Zion Trail, available at all major online retailers. $3.99 for ebooks; $12.99 for print books.


Friday, March 25, 2016

The Final Launch for The Zion Trail

At last! The Zion Trail is available in a print edition!


I know it's been a long wait, but the print book should be readily available for purchase at the following sites for $12.99:


The book is sized at 5.5 by 8.5 inches, features a silky matte cover, and contains a lively tale of old-fashioned romantic adventures and derring-do, set in the early period of the LDS (Mormon) Church.

Here's the novel's description:

On a hot summer day, young Elijah Marshall stops plowing to give a drink of water to two strangers and invite them to lunch with his family. His neighborly act sets in motion events that will drastically change his future.

The strangers share a new religion, which the family embraces. But the neighbors want no part of Mormons. Multiple acts of unkindness and starvation drive the Marshall family to flee to the Mormon city on the banks of the Mississippi River, Nauvoo.

Then the path of Elijah's life takes perilous detours, with twists and turns he never expected to make.

In a 19th century coming-of-age story ranging from Pennsylvania to the Great Salt Lake Valley, Elijah plunges into harrowing adventures filled with sorrow, danger, and romance.


I quickly let you know that Elijah goes by the nickname of 'Lije' and that his family consists of father, mother, older sister, younger brother, and little sister. They live in a rural area of Pennsylvania, tilling the soil and raising the usual crops and livestock for the times.

From there, it gets complicated.

I hope you will enjoy reading The Zion Trail as much as I enjoyed writing it.

In case you prefer reading fiction in ebooks, here are those purchase links:
Kindle | Nook | iTunes | Kobo | Smashwords (all ebook formats)


Thursday, March 24, 2016

It's Wildfire Season Already!

The Whitewater-Baldy Complex wildfire in Gila National Forest, New Mexico, as it burned on June 6th, 2012.
Credit: Kari Greer/USFS Gila National Forest

My local newspaper reported that we had a wildfire in the area last Sunday. With the camping season fast approaching, please give heed to these instructions about how to put your campfire dead out:

Extinguishing a campfire *
  1. Allow the wood to burn completely to ash, if possible
  2. Pour lots of water on the fire, drown ALL embers, not just the red ones
  3. Pour until hissing sound stops
  4. Stir the campfire ashes and embers with a shovel
  5. Scrape the sticks and logs to remove any embers
  6. Stir and make sure everything is wet and they are cold to the touch
  7. If you do not have water, use dirt. Mix enough dirt or sand with the embers. Continue adding and stirring until all material is cool. Remember: Do NOT bury the fire as the fire will continue to smolder and could catch roots on fire that will eventually get to the surface and start a wildfire.
Thank you!

* Source: SmokeyBear.com

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Cover Reveal! The {Re}Model Marriage

Today I'm sharing the Cover Reveal of fabulous sweet romance author Maria Hoagland's new novel, The {Re}Model Marriage!

Title: The {Re}Model Marriage
Series: Romance Renovations
Author: Maria Hoagland
Publisher: Red Leaves Press
Genre(s): Sweet Romance, Family Life, Women's Fiction, Clean Gentle Read
Vendors: Will be available in paperback and all ebook platforms
Release Date: March 29, 2016

Book Description:

From the outside, Kirk and Jamie appear to have a beautiful home and the perfect marriage. Inside, the aging Craftsman is falling apart, their marriage is crumbling from neglect, and Jamie Royce wants out! Kirk, on the other hand, isn’t ready to give up on either the house or their relationship.

With their divorce scheduled for the day after their daughter’s high school graduation, Jamie and Kirk have to fix the home’s problems to lift their selling price out of the basement. Working to renovate the home together, they discover secrets—in the home, in their marriage, and in the fertility clinic that helped give them their daughter—and find themselves questioning what true love really is.

About Maria Hoagland:

When Maria Hoagland is not working at her computer, she can be found combing used furniture stores, remodeling houses with her husband, or sitting on the sideline of a son's soccer game. She loves crunching leaves in the fall, stealing cookie dough from the mixing bowl, and listening to musicals on her iPod. While she appreciates the home office she shares with her husband, Maria's favorite writing places are outdoors where there is sunlight and no internet. She and her husband and their children have lived in Idaho, Missouri, Ohio, Utah, and in six Texas cities.

Maria Hoagland has several published works including The {Re}Model Marriage, Home for the Holidays, Nourish & Strengthen, Family Size, and Whitney Award finalist, Still Time. Her prize-winning poems and short stories have been published in small magazines. Maria Hoagland earned a degree in English at Brigham Young University.

Order Your Copy Now!


Connect with Maria Hoagland:

To learn more about The {Re}Model Marriage and author Maria Hoagland, find her at the following places:
Mailing List (with free ebook): mariahoagland.com
Twitter: Maria Hoagland

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Sample Saturday: Mended by Moonlight

Welcome to Sample Saturday. Today's tidbit is from my forthcoming work, Mended by Moonlight. Ella Ruth Allen Owen is not faring well in the aftermath of the American Civil War. She's been struggling with headaches, but now, a new malady is plaguing her.
~~~

Momma did not press Ella Ruth to accompany her on the day's visits, and Ella Ruth retired to her room. Lula had a cold cloth waiting, and Ella Ruth sank into slumber, fending off the painful headache until she remembered no more.

Bye and bye she found herself struggling in the candle-lit parlor with a bolt of lavender cloth that unwrapped above her head, swirling her into its folds until she was caught tight, arms pinioned to her sides. She tried to fight, to wriggle out of the binding fabric, but it held her fast, until she fell in a heap and dissolved into tears.

She awoke then, screaming and thrashing against her encumbering bedclothing.

Lula bent over her, trying to sooth her with soft words as she tugged at the bedspread and sheet.

When she felt the bedclothes release her, Ella Ruth sat up, panting and whimpering, until the her panic subsided.

"Missy, it was a bad dream, no more. You be fine soon."

~~~

Will Ella Ruth really be all right, as Lula promises? She has vowed to remain in mourning in honor of her husband, Ben Owen, but will her parents force her to abandon the secluded life she wants to live?

Stay tuned. While you wait, be sure to pick up a copy of my new novel, The Zion Trail, available at all major online retailers.

The Zion Trail - currently in ebook formats
(Print coming March 25):
ebooks: 

Saturday, March 12, 2016

Sample Saturday: Blood at Haught Spring 3

Welcome to Haught Sp-- Sample Saturday! In this sample from Blood at Haught Springs, a novella I'll be publishing later this year, Wesley Haught is taking his new clients out to see the house they will be leasing.
~~~

As soon as he could get the buggy hitched, Wes drove it around to the store and halted the horses. He swung down and handed the girl up into the rear seat, although he would have preferred having her beside him. It was the father's place to sit up front, so he could see the house straight away as they approached it. That was more important than Wes being able to make a pitch for the daughter's attention. Even so, his toes tingled slightly.

As Wes drove out of town, he endeavored to make light conversation in order to save his sales push for when Mr. Badger saw the place.

“Have you folks come a long way to reach Haught Springs?”

“Montana,” Mr. Badger replied.

Wes kept quiet, hoping the man would expand on the one-word explanation. When he said no more, Wes asked, “Brutal winters?”

“Very.”

“You'll find the winters to be moderate in our area. You've made a good choice, coming here.”

“My sister, little Annie, couldn't get used to the cold,” Nina said from the back seat. “It made her ill.”

Wes envisioned a small girl shivering in a threadbare coat, like a character in a Dickens story, and then figured that was foolish. This man had enough money to keep his family warm.

He tried again. “What sort of commerce are you in, Mr. Badger? The bank building will need renovations, I imagine.”

“Not so. It suits as it is.”

“It does?”

“I'm opening a bank.”

“Well, that's good news. We could use a bank hereabouts. Business has picked up lately.”

“So I hear.”

And that was as far as the conversation stretched. Wes wondered what his father would have done to prod more responses from Mr. Badger. He hoped Miss Nina was more of a conversationalist. He could scarcely wait to get her alone to find out.

The silence continued as he drove the horses at a sprightly rate down onto the river road, thoughts of the lovely girl behind him filling his mind.

Miss Nina laid a hand on his shoulder and asked, “Is the house much farther? I’m so anxious to see it.”

He swung his head to look toward her, his toes tingling so much he could scarcely respond to her question. “It’s not so much farther on,” he finally managed to say. Her hand lay so softly upon him that he wondered if it was really made of flesh and bones.

“I’m glad. We’ve traveled so far in anticipation of arriving at a good place.”

“Haught Springs is the best place hereabouts to settle, Miss,” he replied. “We have abundant water from the river, and good weather. Your family has made a good choice.”

“Father is quite astute,” she murmured, and patted his shoulder.

He thought he would melt. The skin around her huge blue eyes crinkled a bit as she smiled at him.
~~~


Discount pricing for Read an Ebook Week lasts through tonight, March 12, 2016, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.

Click here to go to my Profile Page at Smashwords.com, where you will find a list of my books and stories.

Use the coupon code RAE25 at checkout for the following discounted items:

The Zion Trail
Gone for a Soldier
The Man from Shenandoah
Ride to Raton
Trail of Storms
Spinster's Folly
Western Stories: Four Tales of the West


The following items are regularly FREE:

The Owen Family Saga Sampler
Thumps and Losers: Two Short Stories
Rapid Recipes for Writers . . . And Other Busy People


Use coupon code RAE25 at checkout.

Monday, March 07, 2016

Read an Ebook Week is Here!

I am participating in "Read an Ebook Week" again this year. Several of my books or stories are discounted at 25% off their regular prices, and a few are regularly FREE, and are included in this promotion.

Read an Ebook Week is an international celebration of ebooks in which thousands of authors, publishers and retailers feature free and discounted ebooks to help promote the joys of e-reading to the world's readers. Each year, authors who use Smashwords are the most active participants, and their store features the largest selection of participating titles.

This year's Read an Ebook Week runs March 6 - 12, 2016, from one minute past midnight on March 6 Pacific time, and expires 11:59pm on March 12.

Click here to go to my Profile Page at Smashwords.com, where you will find a list of my books and stories.

Use the coupon code RAE25 at checkout for the following discounted items:

The Zion Trail
Gone for a Soldier
The Man from Shenandoah
Ride to Raton
Trail of Storms
Spinster's Folly
Western Stories: Four Tales of the West


The following items are regularly FREE:

The Owen Family Saga Sampler
Thumps and Losers: Two Short Stories
Rapid Recipes for Writers . . . And Other Busy People


Remember, use coupon code RAE25 at checkout.

My friends, author Stephanie Neilan, writing as LeAnn Mathis, and author Joyce DiPastena, are also participating in the Smashwords Read an Ebook Week promotion.

LeAnn's novel, Pele, is a clean ancient Hawaiian romance, and it's 50% off during Read an Ebook Week. Here's the link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/616879
Use Coupon Code RAE50 for Stephanie/LeAnn's book.

Joyce writes novels set in medieval times. She has three novels in this promotion, and all are 75% off! They are Illuminations of the Heart, Dangerous Favor, and The Lady and the Minstrel. Check them out from Joyce's Profile Page: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JoyceDiPastena
Use Coupon Code RAE75 for Joyce's books. 

During this week, Smashwords.com will have a link to a special catalog of Read an Ebook Week participants on their home page, but get all the books you want from my list first, of course. https://www.smashwords.com/books/category/1/newest/1

Enjoy the savings!

Saturday, March 05, 2016

Sample Saturday: Blood at Haught Springs 2

Welcome to Sample Saturday! I'm continuing this week with another tidbit from Blood at Haught Springs, a novella I'll be publishing later this year.

Wes Haught has just negotiated not one, but two leases to a newcomer in Haught Springs, a frontier town in west Texas.
~~~

Wes stuck his head into the back room and said, “I have an errand, so I’m leaving you in charge of the store.”  He didn't bother to explain to Lonnie where he was going before he shepherded Mr. Badger and his fascinating daughter toward the door. Let his lazy brother think what he wanted.

He opened the door wide, and Mr. Badger took the lead, stalking out onto the porch. Wes smiled covertly at Miss Nina behind her father's back. She returned the smile with a little arching of her eyebrow, which Wes took to be a good sign.

Showing the building to Mr. Badger seemed to take no time at all, even though Lonnie clearly had ignored the weekly maintenance. As Wes took him through, the man nodded at the features: the railing that divided the customer area from the working space, the teller cages, the banker's office, the back room, and the rear entrance. Mr. Badger agreed to the lease conditions and price without hesitation, and they shook hands on the matter.

“I'll draw up the paperwork and bring it to you at the hotel,” Wes said, exiting the building. “While I put the horses into harness, you and your daughter can sit in the shade of the awning in front of the store. I won't be long.”

Miss Nina lagged slightly behind her father, glancing back over her shoulder and wiggling her fingers in temporary farewell. Wes felt as though she had planted a kiss on his cheek.

After she turned away, he punched the air in elation. Let Lonnie gnash his teeth with rage. If Wes got ahead, it was Lonnie's own fault for being a lazy lout. Dad couldn't quibble over Wes’s management of the business if he pulled off making two leases in one day. He hurried around the block to get the buggy hitched.

~~~

I hope you have purchased your copy of The Zion Trail by now. If you haven't, here are the purchase links:



See you next week! 
 
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