Showing posts with label Fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fiction. Show all posts

Friday, September 17, 2021

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.

Friday, September 25, 2020

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!

Friday, March 30, 2018

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

Friday, March 16, 2018

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)

Monday, March 05, 2018

Read an Ebook Week

It's that special time again.

Only on Smashwords.com, the promotion catalog went live on Sunday. You may browse the catalog and search by coupon code levels and categories. After 11:59pm Pacific time on March 10, the catalog disappears and the sale is over.

My books in this promotion are That Tender Light - FREE with coupon code RE100; and Gone for a Soldier and The Man from Shenandoah - 50% off with coupon code RAE50.


Here's my Profile page address, where you can find my discounted ebooks - all week long - along with all my other ebooks at great prices.

Saturday, February 03, 2018

New Cover on The Man from Shenandoah

It's hard to believe that The Man from Shenandoah was first published 15 years ago. Yes, that's FIFTEEN years.

It's time for a bit of a sprucing-up, so I've put a new cover on the novel:



Here's what the novel is about.

Carl Owen doesn’t intend to lose anything—not his land, not his cattle, and certainly not his girl—ever again!

The young cavalryman returns from the Civil War to find the family farm destroyed, his favorite brother dead, food scarce, and his father determined to leave the Shenandoah Valley to build a cattle empire in Colorado Territory. Crossing the continent, Carl falls in love with his brother’s fiancée while set to wed another girl, but he might lose everything if the murderous thug Berto Acosta has his way. Carl 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.
~~~~~

The new cover is on the e-book right now at the major online retailers, and will appear on the print book soon. Here's where you can buy it, if you don't have it in your digital library yet.

E-Books: Smashwords (all formats) | Kindle | NOOK | Kobo | Apple iTunes Bookstore

Friday, January 19, 2018

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) 

Friday, December 29, 2017

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

Friday, December 15, 2017

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/




Friday, September 08, 2017

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


Saturday, August 12, 2017

Sample Saturday: Cover Reveal - Bloodied Leather

How exciting it is to reveal the cover of my short story, Bloodied Leather! This story, the first of the "Shenandoah Neighbors" line of works to see the light of day, will be published as an ebook next Friday, August 18.



Bloodied Leather vaults over a lot of years and other Owen-verse stories (coming later). It's set in San Francisco in 1886. Here's the 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.


Bloodied Leather will be published in a collection in 2018, which will be available in print as well as in ebook formats.
 
~~~~~
Have you read my latest novella, That Tender Light, yet? It's the wonderfully romantic origin story of how Rod Owen and Julia Helm met. Free at online retailers like Barnes and Noble, Kobo, iBooks/iTunes, and Smashwords. Only $0.99 at Amazon.

I always welcome your reviews. Thank you!

Friday, July 14, 2017

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

Monday, July 10, 2017

Cover Reveal

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.

Coming July 14...

Saturday, July 01, 2017

July 2017 Events

Yup! July is here, signaling that half the year has gone. However, there's plenty of excitement going on this month.

Smashwords' Summer/Winter Sale

July 1 through July 31
Only at the Smashwords site

Each July, Smashwords, the online ebook distributor and retailer, holds a world-wide ebook sale celebrating both Summer and Winter (in the Southern Hemisphere).
 
From July 1 through July 31, ebooks from many thousands of participating authors are discounted from 25 to 75 percent on the Smashwords site only. Some ebooks are offered free.

This year, I'm offering Gone for a Soldier, Book 1 in the Owen Family Saga, at 50% off. You pay only $2.50 at checkout, using the coupon code mentioned on the book detail page. Also marked down to $2.50 with the coupon code is From Julia's Kitchen: Owen Family Cookery, the mash-up of fiction and reality, with actual historical recipes and fictional introductions to each one.

No More Strangers is a collection of my prose and poetry of the West. It's free during July, using the coupon code at checkout.

Each book detail page has a button for buying the book at its sale discount. I also have some items that are free all year long. Check out my profile page for those ebooks.

Check out other discounted ebooks at the sitewide sale page.

~~~~~

COMING SOON!

That Tender Light, a novella set in the U.S. in 1840, is scheduled for release on July 14. For readers of The Owen Family Saga, the wait will soon be over. Get to see Rod and Julia Owen in a new, delightful light while learning the romantic story of how they met.

Watch for the cover reveal next week!

~~~~~

For those of you who live in Arizona and want a delightful day trip for the family in the cool pines, come to the Payson Book Festival.
This family-friendly event features speakers, presenters, panels, and children's activities, all at the Mazatzal Hotel & Casino Ballroom at the south end of Payson.

* Free to the public, this event promotes literacy and showcases local and Arizona authors representing many genres of fiction and non-fiction.
* Meet 80 authors; enjoy book signings and presentations
* Kids can meet “Story Monster” and enjoy story time
* Free entertainment and door prizes

* Raffle and Silent Auction

Look for me at Table 20. A limited quantity of my novels and stories will be for sale in the bookstore, and I'll be happy to personalize and sign them for you.

See you there on Saturday, July 22 from 9 am to 3:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 06, 2017

Sample Saturday - New Project

I have so many ideas running around in my head that sometimes I am compelled to write parts of the bones of one idea or another down. Yesterday, May 3, 2017, marked the beginning of the writing for a piece of fiction (short story, novella, novel?) featuring a younger son of the Owen Family, Clayton, or Clay for short.

In truth, it's not the first I've thought of what to do with the idea of having one of the Owens go to California to start a horse ranch. Two or three years ago, I wrote a short story in which just such a place is mentioned. That piece was publishing in--of all places--an anthology of boxing stories. I plan to publish it as a stand-alone story later this year.

As I mulled over how to place some Owen family members on the ranch, at first I thought it would be a continuation of James's story. We all know how much he loves working with horses. Then, since Rulon's son, Roddy, popped up in the final moments of the aforementioned short story, with the ranch on his lips, I thought it would be Rulon who moved to California.

But no.

It is someone else's turn.

I have figured out the timeline and know a few things that must happen to establish that ranch. And how Roddy gets there. Now the story must stand in line for its turn to be written. I have two or three other pieces of fiction that must be completed first.

But I will share some of what I wrote yesterday. Behold! An Adventure with Clay Owen (and that most certainly is not the title!).


--Copyright Marsha Ward--

Clayton Owen paced the floor of the rustic cabin. One yellow pine board squeaked under his feet each time he trod upon it. Pa needed to get another nail in that one. He drew up, facing the small window with the prairie view and leaned heavily on the sill. The sun had slipped behind the mountain to his back, but the light persisted still.

He turned. Pa sat rigidly in his chair, white knuckles gripping the wooden arms. Ma knitted in her chair, the click of her needles as she fashioned the blue wool into a garment now the only sound above Clay's harsh breathing. Her eyes were on her work. She would not intervene.

"I want to learn the skill. It's only two years."

"You're able enough at the forge. You don't need to apprentice to the blacksmith."

"Horseshoes! I can make horseshoes. I need to know more, Pa."

"How can I spare you for two years? Rulon and Carl are all I've got to help me."

Clay approached his father and knelt before the chair. He laid his hands on the backs of his father's. "You have Bertie. You have Henry and the rest of the hands. You can get by without me for two years."

--Copyright Marsha Ward--

I hope you enjoyed this little Sample. Stay tuned for further bits and pieces as I get back to writing fiction.

Monday, March 27, 2017

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!

Friday, March 17, 2017

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.



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

Thanks so much for the interview, Marsha!
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