Julie Coulter Bellon's Cover Reveal!

Today is Madcap Monday, and I am so excited to show you the cover for a new novella, Falling Slowly, by my friend, Julie Coulter Bellon! This is a companion novella to All Fall Down, and tells what happens to Claire and Rafe when they come home from Afghanistan.

To celebrate cover reveal day, Julie is offering you a giveaway! Since Claire and Rafe are dating and getting to know each other in this novella, she wants to know: what do you consider to be a romantic date? Is it a candlelight dinner? A hike? A bike ride? A movie? Star-gazing? A moonlit stroll? Tell us your ideas! Every one who comments with their idea of a romantic date will be entered to win an ebook copy of BOTH All Fall Down AND Falling Slowly.

Put your comments below, including your email address, so Julie can come by and get the information to enter you into the giveaway.

Okay, are you ready?

*drum roll*

Here it is!

Here is the back copy:

Rafe Kelly never thought he’d fall in love with Claire Michaels, the hostage negotiator sent to get him out of a life or death situation. Though it was easy to see from the beginning that Claire was good at her profession, Rafe quickly realized she was even better for him personally―and that they might have a future together.

When they get back from their mission in Afghanistan, however, Claire goes back to the Hostage Negotiation Team and Rafe is left to deal with the huge hole in his life after leaving the SEALs. Trying to balance an uncertain future with a new relationship is made even more complicated when a family crisis strikes. Will Rafe and Claire be able to turn to each other for strength or are they over before they've really begun?

Don't forget to leave your comment for a chance to win the giveaway of BOTH the novella, Falling Softly, AND the novel, All Fall Down.

DO include your email address, or Julie will have a real tough time getting a hold of you.

Find Julie on her blog: http://ldswritermom.blogspot.com
Follow her on Twitter @juliebellon

Madcap Monday - Whitney Finalist!

I set my alarm this morning at 8 a.m. for 10 a.m., so I could wake up and check the website for the Whitney Awards for their Finalist announcement. I thought I would glance over the list of fortunate authors, give a round of "Congratulations!" on Facebook, and then hit the sack again.

Uh-uh.

Instead, I had to double check that I wasn't hallucinating, because there, in glorious color, was depicted the cover of my latest novel, Gone for a Soldier!

Yes, it's been named a 2014 Whitney Award Finalist for Historical Fiction!

It's now after 1 p.m. and I have yet to get more than two hours of sleep for the nominal Sunday night rest period. But I've been busy hyperventilating, doing the Happy Dance all over Facebook and Twitter, and updating websites.

HUZZAH!

To make it easy for you to judge for yourself what the hullabaloo is all about, here are a few purchase links:

Autographed Copies

Gone for a Soldier: Prequel (Book 0) - in print and ebook formats
Print: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | ebooks: Smashwords all formats | Kindle | nook | Kobo | iTunes Bookstore

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

Madcap Monday - Raising Awareness

Today I'd like to do my part to raise awareness of a Book Award program that is little known, but the honor of being named a Category Finalist or the Winner is highly prized in the LDS (Mormon) writing community.

This literary competition is known as the Whitney Awards. They were founded in 2007 by author Robison Wells with the object of honoring the best fiction written each year by Latter-day Saints (Mormons).

The program has grown from five genre categories to eight and from two overall awards to three. A three-tiered system—with input from readers, judges, and a large academy of publishing professionals—is used to determine the finalists and winners.

The Whitneys are given only to novels written by Latter-day Saint (Mormon) authors, and must be a minimum of 50,000 words, or in the case of novels for youth, 20,000 words long. In addition, the original novels must be released between January 1 and December 31 of the award year.

Nominations are made by any reader twelve years or older who have no financial interest in the book. Nope, authors and publishers can't do it. Only readers may nominate books, and they need not be LDS/Mormons. Once five or more nominations have been received via the Whitney Awards website form, the author is contacted to verify the book's eligibility. Nominated books then go to category judges. When their determinations have been made of the top five novels in the category (the Finalists), the list is released to the public and to the members of the Whitney Academy.

Academy members may vote in any category for which they have read all of the finalists. The same rule applies when voting for the three overall awards:

• To vote for Best Novel, an academy member must have read all twenty-five finalists in the adult genre categories.
• To vote for Best Youth Novel, an academy member must have read all fifteen finalists in the three youth categories.
• To vote for Best Novel by a New Author, an academy member must have read all of the finalists that are debut novels for the year. (The number of finalists eligible for this award varies year to year.)

My post is not without a self-serving factor. I have a novel that is Whitney-Award eligible this year. If you have read Gone for a Soldier and esteem it as a good example of the writing craft, please nominate it at the Whitney Awards site.

Thank you!

Blog Book Tour for Gone for a Soldier begins today!

Wow! Today begins the epic Blog Book Tour for my new novel, Gone for a Soldier!

Becca and Sarah at Loving the Book Launch Party have surpassed themselves with this event. All seven of the days of the tour are tripled booked. Triple booked!

Thanks to all the gracious bloggers who signed up to make this happen by hosting my book on your blogs!

There are going to be awesome posts, including reviews, author interviews, Tens Lists, excerpts, etc.

Oh yes. Did I mention there are PRIZES? Don't miss the Rafflecopter entry opportunities on the posts and shown below.

Here's the schedule for my Book Blog Tour over the next seven days. I'll update links to posts as I can.

October 6: melaniemasonauthor.blogspot.com
October 6: jaletaclegg.blogspot.com/
October 6: rebeccairvine.blogspot.com

October 7: sbkbooksandmore.wix.com/s-and-n-books- (multiple posts on Facebook)
Cover & Excerpt | Author Bio and Links | Character Casting (ooo, shivers!) | Cover & Purchase Links | Giveaway/Rafflecopter       
October 7: julkbearreads.wordpress.com
October 7: wishfulendings.com/

October 8: debraerfert.blogspot.com
October 8: mybookfairy.blogspot.com/
October 8: readingrenee.com

October 9: saslack.com
October 9: facebook.com/ShirleysBookshelf
October 9: bookgeekreviews.com/

October 10: donnakweaver.com
October 10: pennybrojacquie.wordpress.com/
October 10: semishort.blogspot.com/

October 11: facebook.com/PageByPageInsideOutReviewsandPromotion
October 11: thepleasureofreadingtoday.blogspot.com/ (requires your permission to enter adult-themed blog)
October 11: stephaniesaysso.blogspot.com AND/OR stephaniereadthat.blogspot.com

October 12: authorcandyodonnell.blogspot.com/
October 12: moniquebucheger.blogspot.com/
October 12: janmmartin.blogspot.com

I hope you will join me and these awesome bloggers on the Blog Book Tour for Gone for a Soldier.

Rafflecopter for Book Tour:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Madcap Monday - August 4, 2014

I have several items to announce today.

First of all, my short story, "Bloodied Leather," has been published in the anthology Fight Card Presents: Battling Mahoney and Other Stories, available for Kindle at Amazon.com. Followers of the Owen Family Saga will be interested in reading it. The collection is a charity anthology. All the authors donated their stories on behalf of the late great writer Jory Sherman. 100% of the proceeds will go to his family or to other writers in need. I encourage you to buy a copy of the collection, enjoy my story and others, and help with a great cause. It's only $2.99!

Don't forget to check out my novella, Faith and the Foreman, in the Old West Collection (A Timeless Romance Anthology Book 7), available for Kindle at Amazon.com and for Nook at BarnesandNoble.com. This collection has been well received, so be sure to see why it's a best-seller. It's only $4.99 for six novellas!

I've saved the best for last: Gone for a Soldier, my fifth novel in the Owen Family Saga, is going to be released on Thursday, September 18. Beta readers have indicated that it's a page turner.

We're having a Launch Party on Facebook, and a blog tour in October, so stay tuned for more information.

Madcap Monday - June 30, 2014

Hello folks!

The first exciting thing I have to tell you is that I have finished the first draft of my novel, Gone for a Soldier. What that means is, I've finished the storytelling, and now I move on to the re-write to make sure everything is consistent, spelled correctly, and without any egregious (horrible) errors. I know you are all waiting, so I'll go through the process as quickly as I can.

The second exciting thing is that Ride to Raton, the second book in the Owen Family Saga, will be on sale as an ebook for the entire month of July for just $1.00! Go to Smashwords.com tomorrow (that link takes you to the book's page). and use the coupon code SSW75 at checkout. Instructions for getting your chosen ebook format onto your device are on the website. Enjoy!

Have a wonderful July!

Madcap Monday - May 12, 2014

Hello Readers! Welcome to Madcap Monday!

Today's Madcap Matter is a Free Story on Smashwords. I've reduced the price on the ebook version of my short story, Cottonwood Cowboys, all this week, to ZERO. 

That's correct. All week long you can go to Smashwords.com and download Cottonwood Cowboys free of charge.

In this short story, a pair of young men try to fit the unexpected chore of cutting up a fallen cottonwood tree with a two-man saw into their plans to attend a dance on Saturday night.

You can get this story free of charge this week, by going over to Smashwords.com and downloading it before Saturday at midnight Mountain Standard Time. Here's the link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/57562 You only need a free account at Smashwords.com in order to download the story.

Enjoy!

Come back by on Wednesday to read a new occasional blog feature, Writer Wednesday, with Anna del Carmen Dye. And on Fresh Book Friday, I'm spotlighting the new novel Imperfect Love, by Rebecca Talley. See you later!

Madcap Monday - May 5, 2014 - Mother's Day Sale!

It's Madcap Monday!

Happy Cinco de Mayo, for all my American friends who celebrate it. NOT Mexican Independence Day, BTW. That's September 16th.

Announcements, announcements, announcements!

Spinster's Folly, by Marsha Ward

All this week (which begins with Cinco de Mayo - the 5th of May), I'm having a Special E-Book Sale in honor of our Mothers.

The electronic book version of Spinster's Folly is on sale all week long for 99¢. Yes, you read that correctly:

99 cents!

When I was fashioning this sale, I wondered which of my novels was most appropriately tied to Mothers, and determined that Spinster's Folly fits the bill. Some of the scenes show Marie and Julia Owen interacting, some show Julia's anxiety over her daughter, and some show Marie's anxiety over her parent's reaction to her choices. Perfect!

Go to Amazon or Smashwords to get your copy (or your gift copy for your mom, yes?) of the Winner of the 2013 USA Best Books Award for Western Fiction, Spinster's Folly, for the rock-bottom price of 99 cents!

Here's a description, and some kind words a top bunch of Western authors said about Spinster's Folly:

Winner of the 2013 USA Best Books Award for Western Fiction.

Marie Owen yearns for a loving husband, but Colorado Territory is long on rough characters and short on fitting suitors, so a future of spinsterhood seems more likely than wedded bliss. Her best friend says cowboy Bill Henry is a likely candidate, but Marie knows her class-conscious father would not allow such a pairing. When she challenges her father to find her a suitable husband before she becomes a spinster, he arranges a match with a neighbor's son. Then Marie discovers Tom Morgan would be an unloving, abusive mate and his mother holds a grudge against the Owen family. Marie's mounting despair at the prospect of being trapped in such a dismal marriage drives her into the arms of a sweet-talking predator, landing her in unimaginable dangers. This fourth book in the Owen Family saga is infused with potent heart and intense grit.

"When Marsha Ward presents the reader with a new book about the Owen family, you can bet it will rivet your interest all the way to the end. You can’t help but become totally immersed in the character’s lives. Spinster’s Folly features oldest daughter Marie, afraid that at eighteen she’s already on the shelf, and only too eager to be wed. Her trouble, and trouble it is, comes in selecting the right man. Charming and earthy, Spinster’s Folly is a grand addition to the Owen’s saga." 
~C.K.Crigger, author of the China Bohannon historical mystery series

"If you want accurate time and place, wonderful lexicon of the time, and a touching, compelling read, don't miss Marsha Ward's Spinster's Folly."
~L. J. Martin, author of Nemesis and other western novels

"The harrowing experiences in early-day Colorado of 18-year-old spinster, Marie Owen, the result of her simple wish for a husband, held me spellbound from start to finish. I couldn't put the book down. An incredible story, Spinster's Folly is one of the best women's novels of the west I've had the pleasure to read. Ever!"
~Irene Bennett Brown, award-winning author of Before the Lark; the Women of Paragon Springs series and Celia Landrey Mysteries.

"Frustrated by her pending arranged marriage to a callous farm boy and confused by feelings for a cowboy in her father’s employ, Marie Owen falls into the arms of a smooth-talking city man whose intentions are anything but honorable. Too late, she realizes her folly and hope fades as the abusive kidnapper she thought she loved drags her far away from home and family. But the cowboy, Bill Henry, follows her cold trail, fighting weariness and weather in a determined effort to save Marie and her reputation. In Spinster’s Folly, author Marsha Ward spins a suspenseful, fast-paced tale of undeclared love, cowardly deception, and gallant heroism."
~Rod Miller, Spur Award-winning author

"With a great sense of time and place, crackerjack dialogue and rich characters, Marsha Ward delivers Spinster's Folly, a romance, Western and historical novel rolled into one—and one fun read."
~Johnny D. Boggs, six-time Spur Award-winning author of Camp Ford and Legacy of a Lawman

Madcap Monday - April 21, 2014

Anything goes on Madcap Monday, and this Monday is Announcement Time.

#1. Winner of the Holy Week (Semana Santa) Contest: Polly! 

Congratulations! Please send me an email to marshaward.az@gmail.com and specify which Owen Family novel you wish, and to whom I should inscribe it. Of course I'll need your mailing address, Polly, unless you choose to receive your book as an electronic version (which I will autograph through your request at https://www.authorgraph.com/authors/MarshaWard).

Edited to state: Polly has chosen to receive a print copy of Trail of Storms, which will be sent to her tomorrow. Enjoy!

#2. I've started a Street Team called The Owen Family Followers to help me publicize the existence of the Owen Family novels. If you read and love them, here's an opportunity for you to help me spread the word, and especially create buzz about the next novel coming out this summer, Gone for a Soldier. Join the Street Team. Participate in Weekly Adventures, and be entered in monthly Drawings for special rewards.

For each week's Adventure, you will be asked to do a special task, such as share a Facebook post, mention something on your blog, write or like a review, speak to a friend about one of my books, request that your library buy the Owen Family novels, or otherwise use your social media accounts to promote my novels about the Owen family and other characters. You’ll let me know of your participation by mentioning it in the comment stream of that week’s Adventure.

In exchange, I will put the names of Weekly Adventure participants into my ten gallon hat for monthly drawings for such special rewards as autographed books, ARCs, free e-books, naming rights to a character in a forthcoming book, and Amazon gift cards.

In addition, you will get the first look at scenes made up of blazing hot pixels from being so new, cover reveals before anyone else gets a look, deleted scenes, and other insider stuff.

How do you join in the fun? Send me an email to marshaward.az@gmail.com requesting to join the secret Facebook Group for the Owen Family Followers, give your email address, and I'll send you an email through the Facebook Group that allows you to join.

I'll see you there!