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

Sample Saturday: Cover Reveal - Mended by Moonlight

I'm really excited to reveal the cover of my newest project, Mended by Moonlight, a Shenandoah Neighbors novella. This romantic work will be released next Thursday, November 30, 2017.

Mended by Moonlight is intended to be read following the Owen Family Saga novel, Gone for a Soldier. Here's the description:

A grief-stricken young Confederate widow, Ella Ruth Owen only wants to hide at home and wait to die. Her parents need her to make a pretty appearance in Yankee social circles so her father can recover his business interests. They pressure her to abandon black mourning clothing and make conciliatory visits with her mother to Yankee woman newly arrived in Charlottesville with their carpet-bagger husbands.

Physician and surgeon Alexander Marshall carries deep guilt that he was away at war tending wounded soldiers when his fiancée died of a fever. Lacking a future, it doesn't matter to him that the army sends him to the hinterlands of Virginia to work at a new hospital.

Ella Ruth's arguments with her parents bring on debilitating headaches. Momma arranges for her to be seen by a physician at the new hospital--dismissing the fact that it's a convalescence facility for Union soldiers.

The appearance in his office of a haunted young woman banishes Alex's lethargy. Her claim of surgical experience shocks and intrigues him. How best can he cure her headaches? Can he figure out a way to use her skills? Will Ella Ruth's resistance to a growing attraction to the doctor ever soften? That cannot happen until she is Mended by Moonlight.

~~~~

Scandalous, an Owen Family Story that adds depth and embellishes a scene in the Saga novel, Spinster's Folly, is available in KindleUnlimited for a few more days. Read it free if you have a subscription, or buy it for only $2.99. Click here for the link.

I welcome your reviews. Thank you. 

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

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...

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.

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!

A Reminder, or In Case You Missed It the First Time...

If you didn't see my post on Valentine's Day, you may not have heard that I'm offering my novella, Faith and the Foreman, free to new Email List Subscribers, as part of a promotion by a total of fifteen authors at My Book Cave:

Yes, there are fourteen other ebooks besides Faith and the Foreman, all Clean Romances in a variety of genres. Mine is set in Old Arizona, while at least one is a time-traveling romance. You'll find a historical novel set in the Middle Ages, a few Fantasy works, and several Contemporary Romances. My friends and I hope you'll enjoy our offerings.

Did I forget to mention the drawing for a $10 Gift Card? Be sure to sign up for that!

Since today is Presidents' Day in the United States and thus a Holiday, it's a perfect time to honor the Founding Fathers by downloading and reading a book or novella. Get your downloads here.

Happy Presidents' Day!

February Romance Fix

What better time than Valentines Day to tell you about a nice deal in FREE Clean Romance eBooks that I'm involved in?

In exchange for your email address (so you can get to know all us authors and other books we have written) you can choose among our FREE eBooks and pick one or several of those offered. You can have them all!

And as you enjoy our FREE eBooks, you can learn a little about us as people, as well as authors.

This promotion comes to you through My Book Cave, a service offering ratings, yes, RATINGS on books, just like you get ratings on television shows and movies. What an idea!

With FREE eBooks and collections from such stellar writers as Julie Wright, Elizabeth D. Michaels, Heather B. Moore, Laurie Lewis, Melanie Jacobson, Rebecca Talley, Joyce DiPastena, Lois D. Brown, Marsha Ward, and others, how can you go wrong?

Go now to My Book Cave, open your free account, and select a bunch of yummy Clean Romances.

Oh, did I tell you there's also a Gift Card Giveaway? Enter the sweepstakes to win a $10 Gift Card from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or iTunes. Tell all your friends! Click here to begin your February Romance Fix now.

Warm Up Your Winter - Free Ebooks and 5 Gift Cards, too!

EDITED: Now 5 $10 Gift Cards are up for grabs in the Sweepstakes!

A group of my Author friends and I joined together to make you this nifty free ebook offer and giveaway at My Book Cave, because, you know, it's cold out there, and what could be better than cuddling up in a cozy chair with a blanket around your shoulders and reading a new book on your Kindle, Nook, phone, or tablet?

From now until Friday, February 10, 2017, we're each giving away one or more of our ebooks. Free. And a chance to win a $10 gift card in a giveaway sweepstakes, too. So what's the catch?

Authors always welcome the opportunity--if you like our books--to let you know about our newest releases. We all have emailed newsletters, like mine, that let us tell you about our books, give you a glimpse into our lives, and allow you to take part in special offers like this one.

We like more readers to subscribe, so we do these kinds of promotions in exchange for your email address.* That's the catch. You get free ebooks and a chance to win a gift card, and we get new readers for our newsletters. Cool, huh?

You will be contacted by the authors whose books you select and to whom you give your emails. They are all nice people and good writers. Here's the link to a page where all the ebooks are featured.

Remember to enter the Sweepstakes Giveaway on the right side of the page, found here on My Book Cave.

*You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time, but you might want to stick around and find out what my friends and I have planned for the year for your reading pleasure.
~~~

Gone for a Soldier - Book 1: The Owen Family Saga.

Rulon Owen enlists in the cavalry to fight Yankees, but he needs good fortune to survive and make it home to his young wife, Mary, and the toddler son he's never seen.

At home, newlywed Mary faces her own soul-draining battles in her disapproving mother's household, magnified by the trials of life in a war zone.

Separated by war and circumstance, Rulon and Mary discover that not all enemies wear the Union blue.

It's Cyber Monday!

Don't forget that Gone for a Soldier is on sale for only $.99 until midnight. It's listed among nearly 40 other ebook in the huge Multi-Author sale here.

Fill up your e-reading device for winter with lots of good stories. And Gone for a Soldier, Book 1 of The Owen Family Saga!

Behind the Scenes: 2016 Publishing Plans Update

Back in January, I outlined on another blog my 2016 plans for publication. Things didn't go quite as I had thought they would, though. As always, life happened, and shiny things came along and . . .

I stayed on track for the first planned effort. I released a novel, The Zion Trail, on February 19, followed on March 25 with the print edition (yes, there was enough reader demand for a print version). This book features Julia Owen’s first cousin, Elijah “Lije” Marshall, and is the first novel in a trilogy labeled “Promised Valley.”

From there, things got interesting.

Instead of letting me finish and publish Mended by Moonlight and purchase a cover for a story featuring “gloves” so it could appear, other Characters horned in and gummed up my plans by demanding their time in the spotlight. So . . .

Wes and Lonnie Haught got their moment when I released the novella Blood at Haught Springs on May 27. These Characters have no relationship at all to the Owen Family. They live in frontier Texas. This is the first of three works in the “Men of Haught Springs” series. The ebook contains two bonus short stories, Cottonwood Cowboys and No More Strangers.

With Mended by Moonlight still unfinished when the calendar approached July, I chose to publish Faith and the Foreman instead, which is a stand-alone novella that was first seen as part of the Old West Collection, A Timeless Romance Anthology Book 9 from 2014. These Characters are also unrelated to any of the Owen family, as they live in frontier Arizona. A bonus story, The Usual Game, is also set in Arizona, in the early days of Statehood.

Then somebody mentioned in a review their displeasure that the book they’d read from The Owen Family Saga seemed to be out of order. I agreed. I’d had my struggles with putting Gone for a Soldier as Book 5 in the series, since chronologically, it is Book 1. I decided the best way to address the problem was to publish the books of the Saga in chronological order, as one huge ebook. I polled several of my author friends on whether I should do such a project, and they thought it was a great idea. On September 30, I released The Complete Owen Family Saga as an ebook. All the favorite Characters from the series are intact. Sales so far have validated the idea of publishing this box set containing the five Owen Family Saga novels in the best reading order.

I don’t know if I will publish anything else this year. I am working on three projects at the same time, bouncing back and forth between what I presume is a novel, a novella, and a non-fiction project. If I finish one of them before the year is out, it will be published. Otherwise, 2017 is right around the corner!

In the meantime, to get purchase links to your favorite online vendor for all of the above books, go to the Simple List at the Bookshelf on my website.

Fresh Book Friday - Faith and the Foreman

It's Friday! Today is Book Release Day for my newest project:

Title: Faith and the Foreman
Author: Marsha Ward
Genre: Romantic Western Adventure Novella with a Bonus Short Story
Publisher: WestWard Books
Date of Publication: July 15, 2016
Price: $2.99 (ebook formats)

Book Description:
Faith and the Foreman was introduced in OLD WEST COLLECTION, volume nine of the bestselling and RONE Award-winning Timeless Romance Anthology series, and is now available as a standalone novella.

New Yorker Faith Bannister's circumstances force her to become a school teacher in faraway Arizona Territory. Harsh conditions don't seem so overwhelming when Faith meets lanky Slim McHenry. But menacing Rance Hunter stands in the way of Faith and Slim's happiness. Both must rally all their resources and act to overcome evil before it spreads.

Faith and the Foreman is bundled with a Western short story, The Usual Game, which is set in early-day Jerome, Arizona.

Verl might not make it home to Phoenix this weekend. His landlord is stuck in Happy Sam's usual poker game, and it looks like he's losing his entire savings. High stakes action in early Arizona.

Excerpt:
A bell jangled on the horse-drawn street car outside as Faith Bannister folded the letter she’d been reading and rose to pace the room. After two circuits, she stopped before her cousin. “I am ruined.”

Clarissa Pembroke looked up from the bandage she was knitting and shook her head. “The news can’t be all that bad, dear. We’ve managed to survive the bank crisis fairly well thus far.”

Faith waved the letter. “The interest on my stocks is practically zero.”

“You should have told me, Faith. I must try harder to find employment.” Clarissa breathed heavily. “I can’t believe my usefulness as a nurse is over because of a few gray hairs.” She straightened her back as though in denial of aging. “I’m going to a lecture tonight to keep up with advancing science. Doctor Harley will speak on treating poisons.”

“You shouldn’t have to support me, Clarissa. I’ll sell the house to that fat banker who lusts after it.”

“Faith! Mind your language.”

“He’s wanted it ever since Poppa and Mama got killed.” She bit a fingernail, then removed her finger from her teeth at Clarissa’s continuing reproachful look. “I know. Mama tried so hard to break me of that.” She brushed a blonde curl away from her misting eye and whispered, “Stocks and bonds are no replacement for one’s family. I’m most grateful for your companionship.”

Clarissa wiped her own tearing eyes.

Faith turned away. “Perhaps I can enter the nursing school at Bellevue Hospital. Mr. Spencer offered a price sufficient to pay tuition and allow me to rent an apartment.” She shrugged. “I’ll have to let the servants go. If it appears I don’t have time to train as a nurse before we’re destitute, I’ll become a governess or a shop clerk.”

Clarissa shook herself as though to restore a cheerful outlook. “Let’s not fret about finances now, dear. Come with me tonight and enjoy the lecture.” She held up her knitting. “This bandage will be finished by then, and I’ll have another eleven for the good doctor.”
~~~

Purchase Links:
Smashwords all formats | Kindle |  Kobo

Author Bio:
Amazon best-selling 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.

Find Marsha online:
marshaward.com
facebook.com/authormarshaward
marshaward.blogspot.com
twitter.com/MarshaWard
authormarshaward@gmail.com

Join Marsha's Readers Mailing List to be notified of new releases: Click here

Sample Saturday - Faith and the Foreman

Did you see last week's Cover Reveal? No? Fear not, here it is:

You've met Faith and you've met Slim. They both face challenges in their lives, they live in vastly different universes, and they aren't living in any proximity to each other. How are they to meet?

Here's a clue, before next week's release on Friday, July 15th, to online ebook vendors:
~~~

A day later, Faith gasped, tightening her fingers on the day’s newspaper. She looked toward Clarissa, her anxiety seeping away.

“I like that bright light in your eye,” Clarissa said.

“I have a better plan than nursing school.” Faith rose and took the Times to Clarissa.

Her cousin looked up from her needles. Three new white bandages lay rolled beside her on the sofa.

“Look.” Faith showed her the newspaper page. “Here’s an advertisement seeking a school teacher in the West for ten months. The school board will pay transportation costs, provide a living space, groceries, firewood, and they’ll pay a salary besides. I can teach mathematics and reading and writing and... even stitchery! Once I sell the house, the proceeds and a teaching post will provide income sufficient for us both.”

“Hmm. Teaching will suit you better than nursing.” Clarissa resumed her knitting. “How do you win the position?”

Faith crimped the newspaper between her hands. “I must send a telegram immediately to the president of the school board in this town of—” She looked at the advertisement again. “Bitter Springs, Arizona Territory. This will solve our difficulties.”

“You must hurry so your answer to the advertisement arrives ahead of any others.”

“Yes.” Faith hurried to compose a brief message with a list of her academic accomplishments and prepared to go to the telegraph office. “That should serve. Let’s pray I’m the most worthy applicant.”
~~~

While you're waiting for next Friday's release of Faith and the Foreman, be sure to pick up and read a copy of my latest novel, The Zion Trail:

The Zion Trail

$3.99 for ebooks; $12.99 for print books
Ebooks: Smashwords | Kindle | Nook | Kobo | Apple iBooks Store  

Print books: CreateSpace | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

If you haven't read it yet, here are purchase links for my last novella, Blood at Haught Springs. I encourage you to read it. Take note that it's the first in a new series, Men of Haught Springs.

Available as an Ebook only
$2.99 at the following online retail outlets:
Smashwords all formats | Kindle | Nook | Kobo | Apple iTunes Bookstore

~~~

Please remember that in this new world of publishing, YOUR reviews are vital to authors. Go post a review on any of my books, novellas, or short stories you have read. They don't have to be long. You only need to express what you thought about the work, and perhaps why. Did you like the characters? Did the history of the period excite you? Was the story enjoyable? Would you recommend the work to your friends? Writing a review is your chance to do just that.

Thank you!

Sample Saturday - Faith and the Foreman

Today, not only do you get a scene from this touching novella that's going to be released on July 15, but a cover reveal, as well! I give you Faith and the Foreman...
~~~

“Slim! Slim McHenry!”

When Amos Ramsey bellowed his name, Slim changed direction from going toward the bunkhouse to heading for the boss. What did he do to make Mr. Ramsey so angry? He couldn’t recall any slip-up today. “Yes, sir?” he said, hoping he still had a job.

“Dan Crowley is leaving. After ten years!” Amos glowered at Slim. “His wife claims he’s too busted up to cowboy anymore. She’s taking him off to Tucson.”

“That’s bad news, boss. He’s a good foreman.”

“You’re takin’ his place. Ask Dan what to do.”

Mr. Ramsey walked off, leaving Slim with his jaw hanging open. Foreman! He wants me to be foreman? He whistled in surprise, struck by the man’s abrupt manner. Usually Ol’ Amos enjoyed conversing with his cowhands, but not tonight. Could be he’s upset about Dan quitting, but he could’ve been more forthcoming with the details of the job. He hoped Hoosier Dan was of a mind to enlighten him.

Slim started toward the foreman’s little bungalow in back of the main house. If Dan wasn’t at supper, Mrs. Crowley would know where he was.

Dan was sitting down to eat, but he took time to shake Slim’s hand and give him a rundown on his new responsibilities.

Half an hour later, Slim left, his head swimming and his hand sore from Dan’s enthusiastic congratulations. Each night I check with Ol’ Amos about the next day’s work, then parcel out the tasks in the morning. I fancy I’m up to the job. Maybe. Before trepidation took over, he went to eat his own supper, wondering how the cowhands would receive the news.

He supposed he could count on Curly Price to offer congratulations. He and Curly had ridden together for several years and were good friends. Baldy Babbitt would most likely put on a pout, but he wouldn’t want the job either. Too much responsibility.

Slim decided none of the other hands would give him more than occasional grief and sass, except Rance Hunter. He snorted. Hunter was a difficult case, prickly as could be. He was the boss’s stepson, but there was no love lost between them.

Slim paused to slap the horseshoe hung over the bunkhouse door before he entered to eat. He would need all the luck he could get.
~~~

Have you purchased your copy of Blood at Haught Springs yet?

Did you review it on Amazon?

Here are the purchase links.
$2.99 at the following online retail outlets:
Smashwords all formats | Kindle | Nook | Kobo | Apple iTunes Bookstore

Thanks! See you next week.

Sample Saturday - Faith and the Foreman

A long time ago, I started a novel that I called Slim and the Schoolmarm. Somewhere along the way, I was persuaded to write a synopsis of the book for a contest. That was fatal to the novel: my brain told me I had written the story, and I couldn't get it started again.

Fast forward many years. I received an invitation to contribute a novella to a collection. I brushed off Slim and the Schoolmarm, changed the name to Faith and the Foreman, started the story all over again, and turned it into the novella that I had contracted to write.

Faith and the Foreman was published two years ago in the Old West Collection, volume nine of the series from Mirror Press entitled A Timeless Romance Anthology. Now it's time to publish it as a stand alone short. Look for it later this summer.
~~~

A bell jangled on the horse-drawn street car outside as Faith Bannister folded the letter she’d been reading and rose to pace the room. After two circuits, she stopped before her cousin. “I am ruined.”

Clarissa Pembroke looked up from the bandage she was knitting and shook her head. “The news can’t be all that bad, dear. We’ve managed to survive the bank crisis fairly well thus far.”

Faith waved the letter. “The interest on my stocks is practically zero.”

“You should have told me, Faith. I must try harder to find employment.” Clarissa breathed heavily. “I can’t believe my usefulness as a nurse is over because of a few gray hairs.” She straightened her back as though in denial of aging. “I’m going to a lecture tonight to keep up with advancing science. Doctor Harley will speak on treating poisons.”

“You shouldn’t have to support me, Clarissa. I’ll sell the house to that fat banker who lusts after it.”

“Faith! Mind your language.”

“He’s wanted it ever since Poppa and Mama got killed.” She bit a fingernail, then removed her finger from her teeth at Clarissa’s continuing reproachful look. “I know. Mama tried so hard to break me of that.” She brushed a blonde curl away from her misting eye and whispered, “Stocks and bonds are no replacement for one’s family. I’m most grateful for your companionship.”

Clarissa wiped her own tearing eyes.

Faith turned away. “Perhaps I can enter the nursing school at Bellevue Hospital. Mr. Spencer offered a price sufficient to pay tuition and allow me to rent an apartment.” She shrugged. “I’ll have to let the servants go. If it appears I don’t have time to train as a nurse before we’re destitute, I’ll become a governess or a shop clerk.”

Clarissa shook herself as though to restore a cheerful outlook. “Let’s not fret about finances now, dear. Come with me tonight and enjoy the lecture.” She held up her knitting. “This bandage will be finished by then, and I’ll have another eleven for the good doctor.”
~~~

Have you purchased your copy of Blood at Haught Springs yet?

Here are the purchase links.
$2.99 at the following online retail outlets:
Smashwords all formats | Kindle | Nook | Kobo | Apple iTunes Bookstore

Behind the Scenes - Blood at Haught Springs

Today, instead of Sample Saturday, I'm going to go Behind the Scenes of my latest work, Blood at Haught Springs.

I've been asked a couple of questions about this new novella quite a bit, so I thought I'd answer them. The first question is, "Is there a real town called Haught Springs in Texas?"

The answer is, "There could be, but to my knowledge, there isn't."

The second question is, "How did you find the name Haught for your characters?"

The answer to this second question is longer than the first, and there's an uncanny story Behind the Scenes.

When I began writing what became Blood at Haught Springs, I needed names for my characters. I decided to make use of one old writer's secret and go through my phone book for intriguing names. I wrote several down, and when I'd finished the novella, the main characters carried the surname Haught.

Now, Haught is a well-known and respected name in these parts. In fact, I know several people who have that name. However, I did not use any of their traits or characteristics for my characters. I never do that, to the best of my ability.

I liked the ring of the name Haught. I also liked the fact that it sounds like "hot." Who doesn't like "hot" cowboys, ranchers, millers, or storekeepers? I know a lot of readers who do.

Thus it was that I created Haught Springs, Texas, located somewhere on the Texas Panhandle. Maybe west of Amarillo. Maybe a bit east. I'm not telling.

But there's more to the story.

After I released Blood at Haught Springs, Number 1 of the new series, Men of Haught Springs, I learned that the Haught family of Gila County, Arizona, came from Texas. Who could have guessed that? [cue music to Twilight Zone]

Come back next Saturday to see what I spring on you then.
~~~

Two bonus short stories are included with Blood at Haught Springs: Cottonwood Cowboys and No More Strangers. The novella kicks off a new series set in Haught Springs, Texas, a rowdy frontier town bursting at the seams with action, adventure, and intrigue. Join me in a new world of hard-working, rough and tumble men who sometimes aren't exactly who or what they seem to be.

Blood at Haught Springs is now available for $2.99
in ebook formats at all the major online retail outlets:
Smashwords all formats | Kindle | Kobo | Nook | Apple iTunes Bookstore

Sample Saturday - Blood at Haught Springs

Hello! Before I get into today's Sample, I'll let you gaze at the 2015 Whitney Lifetime Achievement Award that now sits on my mantelpiece.

It's heavy! My friend, who accepted the award in my place, had troubles getting it through the TSA because, you know, it's a pointy object. LOL!

Okay, now on to today's Sample from Blood at Haught Springs, which I released yesterday in ebook formats. Lonnie Haught is feeling pretty good. He just got a promising job with a newcomer to Haught Springs.
~~~

Lonnie strolled into the store using the front door, a smile on his lips and satisfaction warming his soul. Even though the bell still jangled behind him, Wes was too preoccupied in tending to a customer to glance up and notice who had come in.

Lonnie’s smile broadened. Wes may have got a jump on him with the leases, but Lonnie would have the last laugh. I’ve got a paying job now. No more depending on Wes for pocket change.

He coughed slightly to make sure Wes looked up and saw him before he sauntered into the back room. He could feel Wes’s glare boring a hole between his shoulder blades, but it didn’t matter anymore. I’ve got a job, a good job. Mr. Badger said it would be worth my while.

He grinned as he lifted his gun belt and holstered pistol down from the nail where he had left them hanging yesterday, and strapped on the rig. Knees slightly bent, he pulled the pistol quickly from the holster. He had to remember not to lock his knees in excitement. He might need to move after a bit of gunplay. He grinned again. Mr. Badger had said he’d probably have a task for him on Monday morning. Maybe he’s got an enemy to put down. Such a nice thought. Gunfighters make top money.

Lonnie tried his quick draw again, then checked the cartridges in the chambers and replaced the pistol in the holster. Straightening up from the task, he took in a deep breath. I’m a bodyguard. Probably a gunfighter, too. Wes can’t say that. He’s only a storekeeper.

Lonnie dusted off a speck of lint that had fallen onto his trousers, and looked out the door. Evidently, Wes had filled the customer’s order and taken it out to her wagon, because now he was hunkered down over paperwork. I’ll never have to do paperwork again. As far as I’m concerned, the old man can give Wes the entire lousy business, lock, stock, and barrel. I’m working for a big man, now.
~~~

Two bonus short stories are included with Blood at Haught Springs: Cottonwood Cowboys and No More Strangers. The novella kicks off a new series set in Haught Springs, Texas, a rowdy frontier town bursting at the seams with action, adventure, and intrigue. Join me in a new world of hard-working, rough and tumble men who sometimes aren't exactly who or what they seem to be.

Blood at Haught Springs is available for $2.99
in ebook formats at the following online retail outlets:
Smashwords all formats | Kindle | Kobo
It will soon be available at the Nook and Apple iTunes bookstores, as well.

Fresh Book Friday - Blood at Haught Springs

It's Friday, and it's Release Day for my newest publication!

Title: Blood at Haught Springs
Author: Marsha Ward
Genre: Western Adventure Novella with two Bonus Short Stories
Publisher: WestWard Books
Date of Publication: May 27, 2016
Price: $2.99 (ebook formats)

Book Description:
Wes Haught wants his brother to grow up and take on his share of the chores at the family's general store. Lonnie Haught dreams of the day he can leave home and use his gun. Both brothers resent the added work their father's recent accident has laid on them.

When a new family arrives in Haught Springs, Wes falls for the fair-haired daughter, while Lonnie seizes upon the father's offer of a job as his chance for escape.

But lies unravel and lives hang in the balance as brother fights against brother.

Fiery emotions and vengeful acts erupt in a smoldering new Western adventure novella from the author of the acclaimed Owen Family Saga.

Excerpt:
Wesley Haught opened a barrel of beans, set the wooden top aside, and prepared to sack up ten pounds for his waiting customer, Mrs. Slonaker. The bell over the door of the store jangled, and he looked up. A tall, bearded man came through the door. Wes was sure he hadn't visited Haught's General Store and Commercial Emporium before. Perhaps he was just passing through town. Wes appraised the dark suit the man wore, made of expensive fabric and nicely cut. He must have money. Maybe he’ll spend some of it today. He smiled at the thought.

“Morning,” Wes said. “I'll be with you shortly.”

“Take your time,” the stranger replied, but with a terseness to his voice that indicated he was not in the habit of waiting his turn. He stroked a nicely trimmed yellow beard that had two streaks of gray. His hair— that is, what Wes could see below the man’s bowler hat— was a lighter color of yellow, as though it had faded over the years.

Wes bagged and weighed the beans, then tied the sack closed with a bit of twine. He'd just turned to add the beans to Mrs. Slonaker's order piled on the counter, when the door's bell jangled again as it opened. A rustle of skirts told him he had another female customer.

“Lonnie,” he called over his shoulder into the back room. Lazy lay-about, he thought, his mood turning sour. At nineteen, Lonnie was three years younger than Wes, and he was the worst brother in town. In his mind's eye, he saw Lonnie sitting at the work table, feet propped on the top. Playing with a pistol. As usual. The fact that Dad didn’t seem to see Lonnie’s shiftlessness was like a knife in Wes’s guts.

“Lonnie! Get out here. Folks are lining up.” He hated using a brusque tone of voice in front of customers, but Lonnie wouldn't move unless he thought Wes meant it.

“In a minute,” Lonnie hollered.

From the sounds coming out of the back room— the clicks of rotation and soft swishes of metal seating into metal— Wes knew his brother was fitting cartridges into the cylinder of his pistol. “Huh,” he snorted, then turned back in time to see the new arrival close the door, sashay toward the man in the suit, and take his arm. He inhaled sharply and blinked at the sight of her.
~~~

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

Author Bio:
Amazon best-selling 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.

Find Marsha online:
marshaward.com
facebook.com/authormarshaward
marshaward.blogspot.com
twitter.com/MarshaWard
authormarshaward@gmail.com

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