Fresh Book Friday - Finding Love in Nowhere

 It's been a while since I posted Fresh Book Friday. Here's a new book:

Title: Finding Love in Nowhere
Series: The Nowhere Prequals and Duet Series
Author: Heather White
Genre: Fantasy Adventure Fiction
Available in: eBook
Published: August 30, 2021
Price: $4.99

Purchase Links: Apple | BN | Kindle | Kobo | Smashwords

Description:
When Darcy Edwards left the big city and moved to a little town in Montana, she wanted a big change. However, she wasn't expecting to find out that not only do werewolves exist but she was the mate of the future alpha.

Dustin was the future alpha of his pack and had been unable to find his mate and future Luna. He wasn't expecting her to be the new human police officer that moved to town. The hard part was figuring out how to tell her she was his mate.

When rogues threaten to destroy their peaceful life, can Darcy and Dustin keep each other, their family, the pack and the town safe?

Excerpt from Chapter 1:

Branches slapped my face as I ran through the forest in the dark. I could hear the dogs and other officers on either side of me as we all advanced. We were chasing an armed escaped convict from the state penitentiary. I could make out his shadow every once in a while, when he ran through a patch of moonlight shining down through the trees. I picked up my pace to try and close the distance between us. As I got closer, I yelled for him to stop. I aimed my pistol at him as I gave the command. He ran into another shadow, and I lost sight of him. I followed the sound of his footsteps crashing through the underbrush.

I could see a clearing ahead lit up by the full moon. As I reached the edge of the clearing, I saw the convict standing in the middle. I aimed my pistol and yelled for him to put his hands on his head. He didn’t move. I yelled at him again, but he wasn’t paying attention to me. I kept my eyes on him, so I couldn’t see what he was staring at. I started making my way towards him. When I had gotten halfway to him, I yelled again.

“Put your hands on your head, or I will shoot.”

“Alright, I’ll do it. Don’t shoot, just save me from it.”

I didn’t know what he was talking about. He must be crazy. He put his hands on his head, and I quickly cuffed him. I searched him and found his pistol. I took it. He continued staring straight ahead. I made sure I had a good hold on his arm, then decided to see what had him so scared. I turned to look, and my eyes widened in surprise. There sat a very large sandy brown colored wolf with blue eyes. It wasn’t growling or anything. It just sat there watching us. It cocked its head to the side as if to study us from a different angle.

“Get me out of here,” the convict pleaded.

I could hear the other officers getting close.

“Hey Edwards, did you get him?”

I glanced over my shoulder and saw Officer Harris. “Yeah, I got him, but be careful; there’s a…” I had turned to look back at the wolf, but it was gone.

Harris came up beside me. “There was a what?”

“There was a wolf sitting right there.”

“A wolf? There aren’t any wolf packs around here.”

“I thought Montana had a lot of wolves?”

“We do, but not around here. They were driven off.”

“It was sitting right there though,” I said pointing at the spot where the wolf had been.

“Sure it was.”

“Hey, he even saw it.” I motioned to the convict.

“It was probably just a stray dog. I’ve lived here a long time and there’s never been a wolf here.”

“If you say so.”

The rest of the officers arrived in the clearing. As we walked towards the rest of them, I looked back once more, but there was no sign of the wolf. We all made our way back to the cars. Most of the officers here tonight were from other towns, as our town only had three officers: Chief Phillips, Officer Harris and myself. I booked the convict in at the jail for the night. The state pen guys would be by in the morning to pick him up.

Author Bio:
I am from a small town in Arizona. I have been working on becoming a writer for quite a few years now and am finally making that dream come true. I am an avid reader as well. I read and write a wide variety of genres including, romance, western, contemporary, fantasy, historical fiction and paranormal, to name a few.
I love animals, especially horses and dogs. I currently have two huskies.

Sample Saturday - September 26, 2020. Surprising Charity

On this special occasion, I'm resurrecting "Sample Saturday," which was a regular feature here on my blog three or four years ago. Why? Because I'm about to launch a new novel!

(EDITED: I've done a bit of housekeeping on this post, so the post of September 26, 2020, is showing up with today's date.)

Surprising Charity: Shenandoah Neighbors
New Mexico Territory, August 1867

A transplanted Civil War Widow. A grief-stricken New Mexican landowner. A persistent ghost with an odd demand.

When Pedro Chaves arrives in Albuquerque begging Charity Bingham to marry him at the behest of her late husband’s ghost, she is stunned. She thought her life would be lived out baking pies and bread for hotel guests and loving on her increasing brood of grandchildren. Now, this man she barely knows wants a marriage of convenience.

EXCERPT

Charity Bingham sat on the wooden veranda of the Albuquerque House in a brand-new rocking chair, taking in the late afternoon sun as it slanted under the porch roof to bathe her in light. The day’s heat increased by the hour, but she welcomed this respite in the outdoor air.

She wore her workaday outfit of a light-colored muslin bodice and skirt, patterned with sprigs of moss roses, and a gathered white cap of softer fabric that covered both the crown of her head and the knot by which she had captured her blonde hair that morning. Two nights before, she thought she had spied a gray hair as she brushed her locks, but before she could pluck it out, it had disappeared into the still abundant tresses. Although she usually wore her flour-covered apron from morning until night, she had abandoned it before she left the kitchen.

Charity oversaw the meals and baked bread and pastries for the guests of this, the only hotel in the town. She didn’t mind the familiar work, but the air in the stifling kitchen was too heavy and close for her taste.

. . .

A lone horseman appeared out of the mouth of a street leading to the plaza, skirted the side of the square, then turned onto the road that passed in front of the hotel. He sat upright in the saddle, wearing a long tan duster and a felt hat of the same color. As he came closer, Charity felt a slight flutter in her chest. She recognized the gentleman on horseback from the previous winter. He was the gracious host who had given her and her traveling family shelter from a blizzard.

What business brought Don Pedro Chaves so far south?

The don was a married man with a charming wife, so Charity couldn’t explain the fluttering sensation. She had no reason to have any girlish notions about him, and indeed, she never had done so up to this moment. However, to her great chagrin, the flutter continued. In fact, she also felt her cheeks heating up, causing her a fair bit of consternation at her reactions to the man’s sudden appearance in her town. What a bother!

As she watched in increasing discomfort, Don Pedro rode nearer and nearer to the hotel. His hair, visible below the bottom edge of his hat, glistened silver in the sunlight as he approached.

Charity snatched the white cap off her head and patted her hair into order, chiding herself for her foolishness as she did so, and at the same time, wondering why his hair was not as she remembered it: a dark brown that gleamed in the light.

He drew his horse to a stop before a hitch rail pounded securely into the earth. His face appeared thinner than last winter, more drawn than she had seen it before. Lines that had not been in evidence when last she saw him creased his cheeks, and she caught her breath at his worn appearance. Has the man been ill?

Don Pedro dismounted with a fluid grace and paused beside the horse for a moment, slapping his hat against the linen garment that hung below his knees. Dust billowed momentarily in the breeze, then settled on the street. He wrapped his bridle reins around the hitch rail and strode toward the steps. At a closer view, the hair on his head appeared to have changed color from when she had first met him. Mere months ago, as she had just recalled, it had been a rich, dark brown with a slight amount of silver mixed in. Now his head was capped with a preponderance of silver hair, with only a scattering of brown. He must surely have been profoundly ill.

She saw him paste on a smile. It seemed to cost him effort, and she again wondered why he had come. Her hands trembled in her lap. She stuffed the cap under her skirt.

By now his dark eyes were fixed upon hers, and as he reached the top step, his hat twitched in his hand, then he approached where she sat motionless and upright in the rocker.

She didn’t know what to do with her hands. Why hadn’t she brought a piece of hand work with her to the veranda? She curled her fingers into balls, watching him come, then rose to her feet as he stopped before her.

“Señora Bingham.”

He said no more, standing like a statue, upright, holding his hat in two hands before him, like a shield.

“Señ- Don Pedro,” she stammered. “What a surprise to see you.”

He gazed about the porch. “Is there a place where we converse in the private?”

As she mentally chastised herself for harboring a foolishly fluttering heart, his accented and slightly unconventional English fell on her ears as though the words were musical notes.

“Yes. There are seats in the lobby inside. Come with me.”

He took one step back and waited until she had passed in front of him, then followed, his boot heels clicking on the planks as the rowels on his spurs tinkled in accompaniment to his stride.

He leaned around her to open the door and she entered the lobby, unsettled by how closely he followed her. After a few steps, she gestured to a nook before a window that overlooked an alley that ran along the side of the building. A pair of green upholstered chairs stood in the nook, pointed toward the alley view. Small side tables braced the chairs.

She walked in front of one of the chairs and remained standing as he set his hat on the table beside him and took a seat.

“You have come far.” She pointed toward the back of the hotel. “May I bring you a refreshment from the kitchen?”

“Sí. That is to say, ‘yes’. If you have the glass of water?” He made it a question with the rising inflection in his voice, then added, “I do not require more than that.”

“Water we do have. Freshly drawn and cool from the well.” She cast off the uncertain maiden in favor of the gracious hostess and left him for a few moments to retrieve a tumbler of water as well as her equilibrium.

She brought back two tumblers on a tray, along with a half-filled pitcher. She’d brought along the second tumbler in case she decided to join him. Her throat certainly had become parched since his arrival.

She set the tray on the nearest table, poured water into the first tumbler, and handed it to him, relieved that his fingers did not touch hers. She cleared her throat. “You are far from home, señor.”

He drank of the water and swallowed. “I am,” he agreed.

Having decided she needed a drink of water, too, she filled the second tumbler, and then sat.

“Have you come to Albuquerque on business?” She sipped her water.

“In a way,” he said, avoiding her eyes as he again drank. “Not, you will please understand, in the usual way of business.”

“You have my entire attention.”

Don Pedro drained his glass, took in a large quantity of air afterward, then seemed to hesitate.

“Yes?” she prompted.

He pursed his lips and exhaled most of the air.

She waited, getting a sense that he struggled with dire distress. “Sir, have you trouble?”

“Oh, my dear señora, you cannot know of the trouble I have.” He paused, and his dark eyes became luminous, as though they had a film of tears. “I have come to pedir, to ask you a very great favor.” He rose from the chair, took a step, then fell to his knees before her. “Dear señora, you will do me the honor to become my wife?”

~~~

"Oh my! Do you think, no, that is impossible. She would not--

Or would she?

After you buy and read Surprising Charity, please consider posting a review to make my day.

E-Books are $3.99: Kindle | NOOK | Kobo | Apple | Smashwords (all formats)
You may also use this Universal Book Link to buy at your favorite digital store.
Print Books are $11.99: Amazon

Fresh Book Friday - Horace & Bunwinkle

Today I'm spotlighting a newly-released book for children. Take a look!

Title: Horace & Bunwinkle
Author: PJ Gardner
Genre: Young Middle Grade animal series
Available in: Hardcover, Paperback, and Audiobook
Published: September 15, 2020
Purchase Links: Harper Collins | Amazon | BN

Description: The first in a young middle grade animal series in which an anxious Boston Terrier and an exuberant potbellied pig team up to solve crimes in their barnyard—from debut author PJ Gardner, with illustrations by David Mottram.

(Perfect for fans of the Mercy Watson series, The Trouble with Chickens, and A Boy Called Bat.)

Horace Homer Higgins III despises dirt. And the outdoors. And ducks. But when his person, Eleanor, moves to a farm called the Homestead, the anxious Boston Terrier is forced to adapt. As if that isn’t enough to strain his nerves, Ellie adopts a perpetually cheerful potbellied pig named Bunwinkle to be his baby sister.

Bunwinkle is delighted to be on the farm despite the stuffy demeanor of her new canine brother. She’s sure she’ll crack his shell eventually—no one can resist her cuteness for long—especially once they bond over watching a TV pet-tective show.

When the duo discovers that neighborhood animals have been disappearing, they decide to use their new detective skills to team up to solve this barnyard mystery. Is it a mountain lion? Or their suspiciously shot-loving veterinarians?

Only one thing seems certain: if they don’t figure it out soon, one of them might be next!

Excerpt from Chapter 2:
Bunwinkle looked over at Boy Dog. “We’re not twins.”
He slumped down on the seat. “I know.”
“'Cause you’re a dog and I’m a pig.”
“Correct,” he said. Then he muttered under his breath, “What was Eleanor thinking? Adopting a pig.”
“Hey, what’s wrong with adopting a pig?” Bunwinkle asked.
“Well, you see, pigs are not pets. They’re barn animals, plain and simple. Which means I am going to have another animal to watch over and no one to help me protect my human.”
“I can be a protector.”
“I don’t think so. You’re far too little.”
Bunwinkle hopped up on her feet and glared at Boy Dog. “I am not!”
He looked down his muzzle at her. “Really? You really think you can follow the Guardian Creed? ‘Ask not what your human can do for you—ask what you can do for your human.’”
“You made that up.”
“I’ll have you know John F. Kennedy said that.”
“Who’s that?” She glared at him. “Some dog you hang out with?”
Horace huffed. “He was not a dog. He was president of the United States. He came from New England, just like I do. However, if he had been a dog, he definitely would have been a Boston Terrier.”
She tilted her head to the side and pretended to be asleep.

Author Bio:  PJ Gardner lives in Gilbert, Arizona, with her husband and sons as well as Rosie the Boston Terrier. For research purposes for her book, Horace & Bunwinkle, PJ spent hours playing with the potbellied pigs that live down the road from her. Visit her at https://www.pjgardnerswitzer.com.

Congratulations, PJ!

Fresh Book Friday - Lies & Secrets: Three Historical Short Stories

I released a collection of three previously-published stories this week. The ebook will be exclusive to Amazon Kindle for the next three months.

Title: Lies & Secrets: Three Historical Short Stories
Author: Marsha Ward
Genre: Historical Fiction with elements of romance
Published: March 29, 2018
Price: Read Free on KindleUnlimited, or Buy the ebook for $0.99 (limited time)

Purchase Link: Exclusively on Kindle

Description: Three Historical Short Stories that expand the Owen Family Universe!

Scandalous: An Owen Family Story

Young Julianna Owen didn't think flirting with Parley Morgan at the barn raising would lead him to put his hands where they ought not to be. But even worse, her sister discovers them, and Parley abandons her, running off into the woods.

Julianna's strict father has found where she is hiding, and her world on the Colorado frontier is crashing down around her ears. She thought love and romance was only about going on picnics and holding hands, not rough kisses and hurtful pawing.

Now the consequences of her actions might be beyond what she can bear.

In the 1866 Owen Family universe, Scandalous shines a light on teen hormones run amok during a trying time in the family's story, as it ties up a loose thread from the novel, Spinster's Folly.

Review: "Be careful what you wish for; you might just get it. I love the Owen Family stories. The love of family and the adventures are made so real in Mrs. Ward's writings. Details are so vivid a reader can feel themselves there."

Broken: A Shenandoah Neighbors Story

Rida Owen didn’t know married life on the Colorado frontier could be so difficult. Nothing in her Catholic upbringing prepared her for long, lonely nights when her husband, Bert, goes drinking. And womanizing. And then comes home to beat her.

Her mother-in-law thinks she’s stuck up when she doesn’t participate in homestead washday. Rida only wants to hide her bruises and preserve her marriage.

Then a neighbor from her past stops to say hello and reveals a secret of his own.

Broken is a Shenandoah Neighbors story that illuminates a dark corner of the Owen Family universe in 1875.

Review: "Marsha Ward writes a compelling story of strength and endurance, beautifully worded and detailed to the post Civil War era."

Bloodied Leather: A Shenandoah Neighbors Story

Isabelle Gilbert chafes against the restrictions that Victorian life puts on a young lady.

Forced to accept a betrothal to Percival Egmont, an English ex-patriot like her father, she is disturbed by his passion for prize-fighting—and other pursuits. And what if Mama spots the bruise on her cheek?

Then shared secrets perplex Isabelle even more.

A Shenandoah Neighbor story, Bloodied Leather extends the Owen Family universe into 1886.

Review: "An interesting short story with good characterization and dialogue that says more than the words alone. So worth the read."
~~~

Read the stories free on KindleUnlimited, or get your copy today before the price goes up. Link to Amazon

Fresh Book Friday - Ned's Choice: A Shenandoah Neighbors Story

Eek! I neglected to make a Fresh Book Friday post about this new story.

Title: Ned's Choice: A Shenandoah Neighbors Story
Author: Marsha Ward
Genre: Historical Romance
Published: February 14, 2018
Price: $0.99 for a limited time

Purchase Links: Kindle | NOOK | Kobo | Apple iTunes Bookstore | Smashwords (all formats available)

Description:
Ned Heizer has just released his betrothed from her promise to marry him. He knows she’s in good hands that are not his own.

But if he carries out his intention to backtrack their trail, to ride toward Raton Pass where he last saw the Mormon wagon party, he’ll be leaving behind his brother and his friends to go in search of an unknown future.

Is he mistaken in his belief that Maggie Julander is the girl for him? If the feeling like lightning that passed between them is any indication, he’s on the right road, unless she didn’t have the same experience.

A Shenandoah Neighbors Story that puts Ned in a situation where he must make an informed choice and take risks for his hope of happiness.

*Mormon religious beliefs play a large part in this story.*

(Ned’s Choice is best enjoyed if read following the Owen Family Saga novel Trail of Storms.)

~~~

If you’re new to the Owen Family Saga and its related series, Shenandoah Neighbors, here’s the perfect starting place: the origin story, That Tender Light.

How did the Owen Family Saga begin?

With a love story, of course, the most romantic love story of all: when Rod and Julia met.

God must have conspired with the angels to put Roderick Owen of Shenandoah County, Virginia, and Julia Helm, of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, in the same place on one magical day in Spring, 1840. All nature paused, as though holding its breath, waiting to see what would happen.

In this short novella, Marsha Ward tells the story of the Owen Family origins, describing in her delicate language the tender feelings of two people who need to find each other in a very small window of time.

Purchase Links: Kindle | NOOK | Kobo | Apple iTunes Bookstore | Smashwords (all formats available)

Fresh Book Friday - Broken

It's Fresh Book Friday again, and I have a new story to present to you.

Title: Broken: A Shenandoah Neighbors Story

Author: Marsha Ward
Genre: Historical Romance
Published: January 19, 2018
Price: $2.99

Purchase Links: Kindle | NOOK | Kobo | Apple iTunes Bookstore | Smashwords (all formats available)

Description:
Rida Owen didn’t know married life on the Colorado frontier could be so difficult. Nothing in her Catholic upbringing prepared her for long, lonely nights when her husband, Bert, goes drinking. And womanizing. And then comes home to beat her.

Her mother-in-law thinks she’s stuck up when she doesn’t participate in the homestead wash day. Rida only wants to hide her bruises and preserve her marriage.

Then a neighbor from her past stops to say hello and reveals a secret of his own.

A Shenandoah Neighbors story that illuminates a dark corner of the Owen Family universe.

Optimum reading enjoyment will be derived from reading this story after reading The Man from Shenandoah, and possibly Spinster's Folly, so you get to know the characters involved.

Author Bio:

Author Marsha Ward writes authentic historical fiction set in 19th Century America, and contemporary romance. She was born in the sleepy little town of Phoenix, Arizona, in a simpler time. With plenty of room to roam among the chickens and citrus trees, Marsha enjoyed playing with neighborhood chums, but always had her imaginary friend, cowboy Johnny Rigger Prescott, at her side. Now she makes her home in a forest in the mountains of Arizona. She loves to hear from her readers.

Connect with Marsha: 
Website: http://marshaward.com
Blog: http://marshaward.blogspot.com
Email: marshaw@marshaward.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormarshaward
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarshaWard

Join Marsha’s mailing list for a free book, special offers, and new releases: http://eepurl.com/vBKEj 
~~~

If you're new to the Owen Family Saga and its related series, Shenandoah Neighbors, here's the perfect starting place: the origin story, That Tender Light. 

How did the Owen Family Saga begin?

With a love story, of course, the most romantic love story of all: when Rod and Julia met.

God must have conspired with the angels to put Roderick Owen of Shenandoah County, Virginia, and Julia Helm, of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, in the same place on one magical day in Spring, 1840. All nature paused, as though holding its breath, waiting to see what would happen.

In this short novella, acclaimed author Marsha Ward tells the story of the Owen Family origins, describing in her delicate language the tender feelings of two people who need to find each other in a very small window of time.

Purchase Links: Kindle | NOOK | Kobo | Apple iTunes Bookstore | Smashwords (all formats available) 

Fresh Book Friday: The Apple Pie Prize

It's Fresh Book Friday again, and I have a little something for you, a short story!

Title: The Apple Pie Prize: An Owen Family Story
Author: Marsha Ward
Genre: Historical Romance
Published: December 28, 2017
Price: $0.99

Purchase Links: Kindle | Kobo | Apple iTunes Bookstore | Smashwords

Description:
No one in Shenandoah County would say Rod Owen lacked vigor.

The evidence is clear, with six young’uns running around the farm and his wife Julia about to call in the midwife again.

A pie crust and a small boy with a sack of dead squirrels can be vexing impediments when such a man wants a little kissin' in the kitchen.

The Apple Pie Prize is a short story packed with insights into early times at the Owen Family farm.

Author Bio:
Author Marsha Ward writes authentic historical fiction set in 19th Century America, and contemporary romance. She was born in the sleepy little town of Phoenix, Arizona, in a simpler time. With plenty of room to roam among the chickens and citrus trees, Marsha enjoyed playing with neighborhood chums, but always had her imaginary friend, cowboy Johnny Rigger Prescott, at her side. Now she makes her home in a forest in the mountains of Arizona. She loves to hear from her readers.

Connect with Marsha:
Website: http://marshaward.com
Blog: http://marshaward.blogspot.com
Email: marshaw@marshaward.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormarshaward
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarshaWard

Join Marsha’s mailing list for a free book, special offers, and new releases: http://eepurl.com/vBKEj

Have you picked up your copy of Mended by Moonlight yet? This Shenandoah Neighbors Novella is the perfect book to read after Gone for a Soldier, as it gives a character from that novel a happy conclusion to her story.

Purchase Mended by Moonlight: A Shenandoah Neighbors Novella
E-Book: Smashwords (all formats) | Kindle | NOOK | Kobo | Apple iTunes Bookstore

Fresh Book Friday: When the Clouds Lift

Welcome to Fresh Book Friday! Here's a new romance novel from Laura L. Walker:

Title: When the Clouds Lift - A "When Love Happens" Novel
Author: Laura L. Walker
Genre: LDS Romance
Published: December 12, 2017
Price: $2.99

Purchase Link: Kindle

Book Description:
Having been the class clown through most of her teenage years, eighteen-year-old Ashley Sweeney is ready to leave her family, friends, and reputation behind and start a new life in sunny California. But Ashley’s determination to show her dad and stepmom that she can handle herself in the big wide world falls apart when she becomes the victim of a mean-spirited prank. To make matters worse, the one guy she never wanted to see again has come to her rescue.

Collin Nichols wanted to serve an honorable LDS mission from the time he was old enough to know what one was. But when the former high school football star’s missionary service comes to a crashing halt, he’s suddenly the most unpopular guy in Forest Meadow, Idaho. Now, to avoid his parents’ disapproval and awkward stares from people who used to be his friends, he gladly accepts Ashley’s dad’s plea to help him bring her home safely. If only he can get Ashley to see his way . . . and if only he can forget the electric kiss they shared back in high school.

But getting home is only half the battle. Ashley soon is caught up in the craziness of college life and Collin is forced to stand on the sidelines and watch as she receives attention from a returned missionary who seems like the perfect match for her. But when an unwanted visitor from her past shows up on her doorstep, will she need to be rescued once again? And when the storm clouds finally lift, will a new love have formed in the mist?

Excerpt:
Ashley’s dad turned to the police officer. “What about it, officer? May I have my daughter back now?”

“We’ll need to fill out some forms, then your daughter will be free to go.”

“Great.” Her dad abruptly stood and followed the officer to the door, waving at someone from down the hallway. “She’s in here. Come and wait with her while I go sign papers.”

“Sure. No problem,” a deep voice said. Wondering who her dad was talking to, Ashley stood. A ghost from her past walked through the door, and her mouth fell open. Standing before her in all his white-toothed, well-muscled, and tawny-eyed splendor was none other than football quarterback Collin Nichols, his thick dark brown hair hidden under a baseball cap. Missionary Collin Nichols.

It couldn’t be. Wasn’t he was serving his mission in New York? “Collin? What are you doing here?”

This was the last thing she remembered before everything went black.

Author Bio:
Laura L. Walker grew up in a large family in the beautiful Gila Valley of southern Arizona. From the time Laura was young, she spent hours drawing characters on paper and fantasizing about their adventures. Life became more serious, however, when Laura met her own hero at Northern Arizona University and they later became the parents of six children. In between spurts of grocery shopping, sewing costumes or quilts, transporting kids to practices, and making dinner, Laura still enjoys putting her imagination to good use. Laura is the author of three novels and three novellas. When the Clouds Lift is her third LDS romance.



Connect with Laura:
Website: http://www.lauralwalker.com/

Now Launching: Mended by Moonlight

You've waited three long years to find out what happened to a major character from the Owen Family Saga novel Gone for a Soldier, Ella Ruth. In truth, she wasn't yet ready to talk about her post-war life. However, now she has opened up to author Marsha Ward, and here is her story.

A grief-stricken Confederate widow. A Union surgeon plagued by guilt. What possible set of circumstances would bring them to a meeting of the minds? Can there be a happily-ever-after for Ella Ruth and Alex during Reconstruction?

Purchase Mended by Moonlight: A Shenandoah Neighbors Novella
E-Book: Smashwords (all formats) | Kindle

Fresh Book Friday - Scandalous: An Owen Family Story

It's Fresh Book Friday again, and I have another story to share with you!

Title: Scandalous: An Owen Family Story
Author: Marsha Ward
Genre: Historical Fiction, Coming of Age story
Publisher: WestWard Books
Date Published: September 8, 2017
Price: $2.99, Free for kindleunlimited subscribers

Purchase Link: Kindle 

Book Description:
Young Julianna Owen didn't think flirting with Parley Morgan at the barn raising would lead him to put his hands where they ought not to be. But worse yet, her sister discovers them and Parley abandons her, running off into the woods.

Julianna's strict father has found where she is hiding, and her world on the Colorado frontier is crashing down around her ears. She thought love and romance was only about going on picnics and holding hands, not rough kisses and hurtful pawing.

Now the consequences of her actions might be beyond what she can bear.

In the 1860s Owen Family universe, Scandalous shines a light on teen hormones run amok during a trying time in the family's story, as it ties up a loose thread from the novel, Spinster's Folly.

This edition contains bonus material at the end, an excerpt from the Shenandoah Neighbors story, Bloodied Leather.

Author Bio:
Author Marsha Ward writes authentic historical fiction set in 19th Century America, and contemporary romance. She was born in the sleepy little town of Phoenix, Arizona, in a simpler time. With plenty of room to roam among the chickens and citrus trees, Marsha enjoyed playing with neighborhood chums, but always had her imaginary friend, cowboy Johnny Rigger Prescott, at her side. Now she makes her home in a forest in the mountains of Arizona. She loves to hear from her readers.

Connect with Marsha:
Website: http://marshaward.com
Blog: http://marshaward.blogspot.com
Email: marshaw@marshaward.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormarshaward
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarshaWard

Join Marsha’s mailing list for a free book, special offers, and new releases: http://eepurl.com/vBKEj

Fresh Book Friday: Bloodied Leather, A Shenandoah Neighbors Story

It's Fresh Book Friday! Today is the Release Day for my latest short story.

Title: Bloodied Leather, A Shenandoah Neighbors Story
Author: Marsha Ward
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: WestWard Books
Date Published: August 18, 2017
Price: $0.99 for ebook edition

Purchase Links:
Kindle | NOOK | Kobo | iTunes |Smashwords

Book Description:
Isabelle Gilbert chafes against the restrictions that Victorian life puts on a young lady.

Forced to accept a betrothal to Percival Egmont, an English ex-patriot like her father, she is disturbed by his passion for prize-fighting—and other pursuits. And what if Mama spots the bruise on her cheek?

Then shared secrets perplex Isabelle even more.

A “Shenandoah Neighbors” story that extends the Owen Family universe, Bloodied Leather opens a new era for this popular family saga.

Author Bio:
Author Marsha Ward writes authentic historical fiction set in 19th Century America, and contemporary romance. She was born in the sleepy little town of Phoenix, Arizona, in a simpler time. With plenty of room to roam among the chickens and citrus trees, Marsha enjoyed playing with neighborhood chums, but always had her imaginary friend, cowboy Johnny Rigger Prescott, at her side. Now she makes her home in a forest in the mountains of Arizona. She loves to hear from her readers.

Connect with Marsha:
Website: http://marshaward.com
Blog: http://marshaward.blogspot.com
Email: marshaw@marshaward.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormarshaward
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarshaWard

Join Marsha’s mailing list for a free book, special offers, and new releases: http://eepurl.com/vBKEj

Fresh Book Friday - That Tender Light: An Owen Family Novella

At last! The origin story of the Owen Family.

Title: That Tender Light: An Owen Family Novella
Author: Marsha Ward
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: WestWard Books
Date Published: July 14, 2017
Price: $0.99 at Amazon, FREE at Smashwords

Purchase Links: Kindle | Smashwords

Book Description:
How did the Owen Family Saga begin?

With a love story, of course, the most romantic love story of all: when Rod and Julia met.

God must have conspired with the angels to put Roderick Owen of Shenandoah County, Virginia, and Julia Helm, of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, in the same place on one magical day in Spring, 1840. All nature paused, as though holding its breath, waiting to see what would happen.

In this short novella, acclaimed author Marsha Ward tells the story of the Owen Family origins, describing in her delicate language the tender feelings of two people who need to find each other in a very small window of time.

Author Bio:

Author Marsha Ward writes authentic historical fiction set in 19th Century America, and contemporary romance. She was born in the sleepy little town of Phoenix, Arizona, in a simpler time. With plenty of room to roam among the chickens and citrus trees, Marsha enjoyed playing with neighborhood chums, but always had her imaginary friend, cowboy Johnny Rigger Prescott, at her side. Now she makes her home in a forest in the mountains of Arizona. She loves to hear from her readers.

Connect with Marsha:
Website: http://marshaward.com
Blog: http://marshaward.blogspot.com
Email: marshaw@marshaward.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormarshaward
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarshaWard

Join Marsha’s mailing list for a free book, special offers, and new releases: http://eepurl.com/vBKEj

From Julia's Kitchen is in Print!

That's right. I just pushed the "Approve" button to enable my POD printer to have the files ready when you order the print edition of From Julia's Kitchen: Owen Family Cookery.

In a few days, the print version will appear on Amazon.com and then on Barnes and Noble.com, but if you just can't wait, here's a link to CreateSpace. The paperback is priced at $6.99 plus shipping.

Here are comments from a couple of peer reviewers about From Julia's Kitchen: Owen Family Cookery.

"Marsha Ward delivers authenticity and charm with recipes used by her fictional character, Julia. It created a delight of memories of cooking with my grandmother--everything from fruit jelly to lye soap. Well done!"
~Jan Martin, author of Heir of Deceit

"Take a delightful trip back in time with From Julia's Kitchen, using recipes from character Julia Owen. Delicious, basic, and unique!"
~Debra Erfert, author of A Strange Twist of Fate

Go buy your print copy of From Julia's Kitchen right now!

Fresh Book Friday: Sweet Water

My sweet, amazing author friend, Laurie Lewis, has a new book out, and here it is:

Title: Sweet Water: Destination Billionaire Romance
Author: Laurie Lewis
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Gelato Publishing
Date Published: March 4, 2017
Price: $2.99 (Kindle EBook)

Purchase Link: Kindle

Book Description:
Olivia joined friends Hudson Bauer and Jeff McAllister in developing a business. While she and Hudson dreamed of using their success to improve the world, Jeff set his sights and fortunes on Olivia. On the most important night of Hudson’s life, Olivia and Jeff eloped. Betrayed, Hudson ended the partnership, throwing Jeff and Olivia aside as he made his own fortune.

After a tragic accident leaves Olivia’s body and heart battered, and her dreams of a family destroyed, she is forced to accept Hudson’s offer to recuperate at his parents’ empty house on Oregon’s Cannon Beach. Her return to the place where the three friends once summered casts new light on her hasty marriage, and on the enemy she once called friend.

Through a new position doing humanitarian work, Olivia reawakens, giving rise to long denied feelings for Hudson. But guilt over Jeff’s death leaves her stuck between grief and the hope of new love. All her life, other people have made decisions for Olivia, but now the future is up to her, if she can make peace with the past and embrace a future with a man she once hated.

Author Interview:

Hello, my friend! Let's tell the folks about you. Where did you grow up?

Far away from where you live, Marsha. In Carroll County, Maryland, between Baltimore and Washington.

Where do you live now?

We raised our family and still reside in the same house, fifteen miles from where I grew up.

That's pretty amazing, Laurie, sticking so close to home! What would you like readers to know about you?

I’m a craft-challenged wife, mother, and grandmother with some life experience under my belt. Some joyful. Some painful. All valuable. I’m also LDS, a woman of faith, and I hope that all those characteristics combine to make me the author of rich, meaningful stories. I’d like readers to pick up one of my books knowing they are getting a smart, clean read that will inspire and lift them.

You're an admirable woman, my friend. How many books have you written, and which is your favorite?

Sweet Water is my ninth published work. As you know, and depending on the day, each book is most writers’ most, and least, favorite, especially while we’re working on it!!! LOL! I generally am exhausted by a book at the end of the editing process, and then I LOVE it again when I see it in print! How’s that for bi-polar authorship??? Seriously, they all are like my children. You put your heart into each of them, so you love them all, but my “Free Men and Dreamers” series and The Dragons of Alsace Farm are probably the two I am most connected to, because those projects changed me.

I know they've impacted many lives beyond yours. Let's talk about writers' ambiance. Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

I love writing to music, especially for certain scenes. When I wrote my “Free Men and Dreamers” series, I cranked up “The Last of the Mohicans” soundtrack. Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban got me through The Dragons of Alsace Farm. While writing Sweet Water for Gelato Books’ “Destination Billionaire Romance” series, I listened to a lot of Alex and Sierra, and Adele. *smiles*

Sweet Water: Destination Billionaire Romance is a different type of work for you, isn’t it? What’s the story behind it?

It is, and it isn’t. I’m known as L.C. Lewis for my historical fiction, and I’ve written three women’s fiction novels under my own name, so while it’s true that I’ve never written a “romance” before, with its specific plotting and elements, I am consistent in trying to make all my books character-driven stories that uplift and cause readers to think about something in a new way.

When Christine Dymock and I met at a writers’ conference two years ago, I had no idea she was the owner of Gelato Books, or that I’d be invited to leave my four-hundred-page comfort zone to take a stab at a romance novella for her Destination Billionaire series. I had plotted out a women’s fiction novel during a family visit to the Oregon coast, and decided to use that outline for this novella, but the word count restrictions and pacing demands proved more challenging than I expected. I’d have to say that learning curve is what made this project an absolute blast.

Isn't it wonderful to stretch and grow? What is the major theme of Sweet Water?

Redemption and forgiveness are big themes in my books. We all need a little of both at one time or another. The romance storyline is about hijacked love—when two people miss “their moment,” when their timing gets thrown off by someone or something, and how they react to it when they realize what’s happened. I hope readers see Olivia and Hudson grow, and feel their renewed peace.

That will be good! What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

I hope they’ll find Sweet Water to be an escape book, a few hours’ diversion. With that said, I like to add some depth to each read, so with all the tumult over immigration and refugees, I wanted to introduce my readers to a few amazing women doing great things in the world.

Hudson refers to the AMAR foundation on page eight of the book. A dear friend introduced me to the chairwoman of AMAR, Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, while assisting at a reception in her honor near Washington D.C. AMAR provides health care and education to families living in war zones or in areas of civil disorder and disruption. Ninety percent of all donations go directly to helping the people AMAR serves. When so many of us feel helpless to make a difference, here is a safe, trustworthy way we can all help. Click http://bit.ly/1z8Cx2q and enter AMAR to make a donation.

The nuns and orphans being attacked by rebels in Sweet Water are based on an actual convent in The Ivory Coast of Africa. Another friend, Dr. Melei Lath, introduced me to her sister, Mother Eugenie, the Mother Superior of the Fraternité Monastique Des Soeurs de Jesus-Euchariste. These brave nuns support themselves and use their earnings to protect and educate orphans left alone as a result of disease and war. Their great hope is that they will someday be in a position to build a proper orphanage where they can protect the children from the rebels plaguing them. You can see photos of Mother Eugenie, her nuns, and some of the children here on the GoFundMe page I helped them set up. Please consider donating to her work.

Those sound like two very important and worthy humanitarian works we should get behind! But I'm curious. What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be published?

Thanks for asking! I’ve got two projects in progress. Leverage has been in the works for over a year. It’s a complex political suspense novel about two last-chance people who arrive in a dying West Virginia mining town. A tip from a ruthless informant sends fallen journalism phenom, Jackson James, to Cutler’s Ridge to chase down a story lead involving three high-level passengers headed for the town in a private plane that didn’t file a flight plan.

A young scientist, Tallie Brown, was forced by her emotionally distant mother to live a life of seclusion. When Tallie's mother dies in an accident, she leaves behind a newspaper article and a cryptic message that leads her daughter to Cutler’s Ridge, but the townspeople make it clear they don’t like any strangers. Worse yet, they seem to fear the shy, reclusive Tallie Brown.

Even the other stranger in town, reporter James, puts Tallie on his radar when she predicts the fall of the private plane he came to track right before it falls from the sky, killing everyone on board. James uncovers some strange truths about the town and Miss Brown. She has no recorded birth certificate, and the town is riddled with twenty years of secrets that involve the halls of congress and a local military base.

If all goes well, Leverage should hit the market this summer.

Ooo! It sounds delicious! Would you like to hear what readers of this blog think?

I love to hear from readers. I hope they will consider joining my mailing list to receive updates and behind-the-scenes glimpses into upcoming books, or write to me at any of these sites.

Website | Blog | Amazon Author Page | GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Newsletter Sign-up

Fabulous, Laurie! Thanks for visiting my blog today to celebrate your new book.

Thanks so much for the interview, Marsha!