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!

Fresh Book Friday - A Golden Princess

It's Friday, and I have a new book to show to you:

Title: A Golden Princess
Author: Anna del C. Dye
Genre: Young Adult Medieval Romance
Published: February 3, 2017

Book Description:
Small for her age, Princess Nyala is determined to be noticed and someday rule with fairness and valor in Kaloma. All that changes when she looks upon the stars and they predict her accident. After she awakens to a broken body, her father takes to his goblet and she steps into power in her kingdom at sixteen.

Her father said that no man would choose a half-broken princess. Is that how Prince Nicolao sees her after the accident? Her heart is unsure, and out of fear, she keeps him away to avoid a broken heart.

As soon the other kingdoms in the land determine the predicament of the Royal House of Kaloma, they too will prey on her vulnerability to steal her kingdom. She will have to confront new foes or lose it all.

Purchase Link: Kindle

Excerpt:
“The servants have set dinner in the terrace for us,” the prince stated.

“That will be different,” the princess replied. “But it is a wonderful night.”

“I think it is the company that makes it more beautiful,” Briton said. He didn’t want to be left out, and Nicolao felt for him, just a little bit.

Never before had he noticed how long the hall seemed or the brilliant lights that hung from the rafters. That night the path echoed with their joyous voices and their steps. He pointed to the paintings of his forefathers and she commented on their clothes and strange hairdos.

“I would love to see your kingdom someday,” he mentioned. He wanted to stay close and see where his admi­ration for her would take him in the next few years. He vowed to let his heart decide the matter.

“Oh, this is enchanting, Prince Nicolao,” she sighed and brought him back to the moment.

The servants opened two glass doors and the group stepped onto the terrace.

“Could you please call me just Nicolao?” he asked.

“Did you see the lanterns hanging from the vines?” she asked, ignoring him and he wondered why? ... Did she do it on purpose?

“They seem like stars suspended in the air.” Misty turned slowly to take it all in.

“The fragrance from those flowers is delicate and beauti­ful,” Nyala stated, and sniffed the air some more.

“I am most pleased that you like them,” the prince said. He wanted her attention and it felt odd to compete with the nightlights and plants for it.

“Like them? We love them!”

After supper, Nicolao invited them for a moonlit walk.

Nyala glanced again at the dark velvety sky and said, “I have never seen so many stars in one place before.”

“Me neither, it is an awesome sight,” her lady-in-waiting added.

“We ordered them,” explained Asher, “the velveteen sky, the diamonds, all suspended in the night, just for you.” He finished with a bow towards Misty. The words fitted the mo­ment and the company and Nicolao wished he would have come up with that thought, but alas, he was outwitted.

“Most thoughtful of you,” Misty giggled.

“I would like to know about the different shapes that the stars form,” Nyala stated. “See that one, it seems to be a pot or something like that.”

“I do see what you mean,” Nicolao responded.

“Do you know what they mean?” she pressed.

“No, but there is someone in the castle who knows about them,” he affirmed. “Briton, could you get Drake, the astrol­oger, from his tower to come and talk to us about the stars?”

“What is an astrologer?” Nyala asked as Briton left.

“Astrologers are few, and only royalty have one in their employ,” the prince explained. “They claim to understand the stars, travel by them and such. But take warning, their upkeep is high.”

“I see,” she said.

“My Princess, many astrologers are seen as an amuse­ment by many of the people of the court,” Asher cautioned her.

“It is just for fun, my friend,” she patted his arm. “I am dying to see what he tells us.”

“Princess Nyala visits us from the Kingdom of Kaloma,” Prince Nicolao introduced her to the astrologer.

“It is an honor, My Lady,” Drake said and bowed to them. A half-moon pendant hung from his neck over the long, dark blue gown he wore.

“Drake, please tell us, what do you see in the stars?” Nyala asked, hands turned upward.

“Many things, My Lady,” he answered.

“What about the shapes of the stars, Drake? Do they mean anything?”

“Yes, My Princess. They all have names and they are the rulers of everyone’s future,” he answered. He then told them the name of many star clusters; at least what he and the other astrologers called the different groups of stars. His knowledge kept them fascinated for a long while.

“What else do you see in them?” she asked again.

“I see the seasons, the weather and also the future.”

“That is impossible; no one is permitted to know such things.” Nicolao stared at the sage.

“Everyone’s future is written in the stars,” the astrologer insisted. His dark eyes returned the prince’s stare.

“Could you tell me about my future?” Nyala asked.

“Yes, My Lady. Please tell me which day you were born.”

She answered all of his questions. He then opened his star charts and did some calculations on them. When Drake seemed done, he glanced back and forth between the prince and her, his lips and tan face appeared tight.

“What did you find out?” she blurted.

“My Lady is going to be a queen before she turns eight­een,” Drake responded.

“Oh, the laws of our kingdom stipulate that I have to be eighteen to become queen.”

“It is written in the stars,” he pointed at the parchment in his hand.

“What else did you see?” Nicolao insisted, not impressed with his first statement.

“My Lady is coming back to visit us in the spring of her fifteenth birthday,” Drake stated quickly.

“That sounds much better. Will I be alone?” Nyala asked.

“No, My Lady, thy father and this young lady will be with you.”

“Anything more?” she insisted.

“Thy father is going to fall ill and die on your seven­teenth birthday, My Princess.”
~~~

Author Bio:
Anna was born in the extreme South along some famous beaches. She grew up with four other siblings, being placed in the middle.

Anna moved to the USA to marry her husband, Rodney, and has resided in Utah since then. Her husband, a native of Idaho, met her in her hometown. They fell in love and she came to Utah on Christmas Eve to be married two weeks later. They are the parents of three princes and a princess.

Early on in her life she showed an affinity for sewing and took classes that rewarded her with the opportunities of doing costuming for the cast of four musicals, and for Utah’s own Fantasy Con, which she enjoyed immensely. She is fluent in both English and Spanish. Anna lives in Taylorsville, Utah, in a house that is 116 years old.

Some of Anna’s writing recognitions:
Anna received the Editor’s Choice Award from the International Library of Poetry and had her article entitled "A New American Mother" published by Desert Saints Magazine. Her short story entitled "Amerine—Fairy Princess" won an award in the Oquirrh chapter contest and was published by Kalkion Magazine. (Now it is published as an e-book.) Other articles about family and relationship have been published frequently in the MOMS CLUB® of Salt Lake Valley-West.

Anna has published seven books in her Elf series. One won a bronze seal, another first page second place and yet another honorable mention. Her love story was published by Deseret book in the anthology entitled Angels Round About, compiled by July C. Olsen. Another of her articles was included in the book Mother’s Message in a Bottle, edited by Tyler Hayden and published by Ninbus Publishing. Her new series, "A Royal Romance," was published in February, 2015, with the first book being Once Upon Two Kingdoms, which won a first page award. A Kingdom by the Sea, the second book in "A Royal Romance," was published in February, 2016.

Connect with Anna:
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Purchase Link: Kindle

Sample Saturday - Ride to Raton

Welcome back to Sample Saturday!

Some writers plan out everything they will ever write. When I finished The Man from Shenandoah, I thought I had written the only full-length novel I would ever write. I thought that was it for these people, and any further long-form fiction.

But evidently I had more to tell. I left James Owen sorely wounded in heart and mind, and he demanded that I give him a chance to work through his pain.

Accordingly, I wrote Ride to Raton (It probably should have been called Ride to Raton Pass, but I liked the sound of the three words, and totally forgot the fact that there is a town in New Mexico named Raton). I thought this novel would finish up my account of the Owen family from Virginia.

Boy, was I wrong! The two books have grown to five, with offshoots and spinoffs going in all directions, and more to come.

It's been quite a while since I've posted any scenes or samples from Ride to Raton. This never-before-posted scene occurs after James is shot in Pueblo, Colorado Territory, by a disgruntled former Union soldier. Randolph Hilbrands, a friend of James's father, has taken him into his home to recuperate.
~~~

“Mister James, Mister James, wake up, please? You must be hungry.”

Surprised to hear his name, James rolled over, grinning at the soothing touch of the water on his naked body, and swam upward from exploring the bottom of the pond behind the flour mill on a creek feeding the Shenandoah River. He tried to shrug off the hand that gently touched his right shoulder, but the movement brought such a flood of pain to his side that he moaned before he could catch himself.

“Please, Mister James. Ma said I wasn’t to come back to the kitchen without feeding you. If you don’t wake up soon, your food’ll be stone cold.”

He thrust his head and shoulders above the water, opened one eye, then immediately shut it against the sunlight that streamed through an open window between muslin drapes and hit his face. His body felt bloated, invaded by aches and twitches. And although he was still naked, he seemed to be lying half covered by a sheet and quilt on a bed inside a room, instead of treading water in the millpond.

Someone besides himself was in the room. “Six little beans!” he grunted, trying to shade his eyes with his left hand, remembering that a girl’s voice had addressed him. “It’s brighter than noon day in here. Can you shut them curtains?”

A young girl put the tray of food on the washstand and ran to the window to pull the drapes together. She returned to stand beside the bed, and James blinked his eyes as she drew near.

The girl was about fifteen, he judged, slender and blonde. She wore a white bib apron with a full skirt over a light weight gingham gown patterned with sprigs of lilacs on a white background. Her wavy hair hung below her shoulders, tied back with a white ribbon. The girl smiled, tentatively, and one dimple appeared in her cheek.

“Who’re you?” he asked, wondering how he came to be between the sheets. The last thing he remembered, he had been lying atop the coverlet, enduring the sting of a thousand hornets as Amanda Hilbrands’ needle pierced the flesh of his side. Now he looked around. The tub was gone from the room, and the towel had disappeared from around his hips. James blinked twice, and reached down to draw the sheet over his chest, grateful that the quilt masked his nakedness from the girl.

“I’m Sylvia. My pa runs the hotel. Don’t you recall he brought you here?”

James shut his eyes for a moment, less to remember his arrival than to recall where he had heard the girl’s voice before. He gave his head a shake, then opened his eyes.

“Yeah,” he sighed, a long drawn out sound, and fingered the bandage around his chest. “Your ma put this thread into me a couple of hours ago.”

“That was two days back!” the girl exclaimed. “You’ve been asleep since then.”

“Six little beans! Did I take a fever?” James got himself onto his elbows, and the girl bent forward to put a pillow behind his back so he could sit partway up. As the sheet slipped and gathered in creases about his waist, the girl’s hair brushed his shoulder.

The blonde hair—he could see it on another head, arranged in tumbling ringlets behind a face twisted with fury. A voice—with the same timbre as this girl’s voice—batted at his ears: “You never came around, Carl Owen. Cecil was here. I have a right to marry a man I can trust!”

James shuddered.

“No.” A frown furrowed Sylvia’s forehead. “I reckon you’re just wore out. You been through a lot of woe since you came to Pueblo City.” She turned away to bring the food tray, then sat gingerly on the edge of the bed with the tray on her lap. “This is a good room, though. Pa let Ida use it for her wedding night.”

A wrenching pain invaded James’s gut. Ida Hilbrands had breathed this air, her body had lain on this bed. The body that should have quieted Carl’s lusts was given to an English dandy—on this bed, beneath this quilt. James swallowed. His throat closed on cotton.

The girl touched his wrist. James’s arm twitched under the cool fingers.

“Are you all right, Mister James?”

He cleared his throat. “You sound like your…older sister.”

“You mean Mary?” The girl’s face brightened. “How is her little baby doing? We all want to see her.” Sylvia picked up a spoon and a bowl and stirred the contents.

James again eased the sheet up to cover his chest. “The little gal’s growing, but no, I wasn’t speaking of Mary.” The sheet bunched in his lap again, and James jerked it upward and pinned it underneath his arm.

“Oh. You mean—”

“Ida! I mean Ida.” His voice rasped in his throat as he said the name.

The girl looked puzzled. “Are you angry with Ida?”

James felt his face settling into ridges as he scowled. Angry? The word was wrong. Wrong and far too weak. I hate her. I despise her wide blue eyes and her lying, cheating heart. He cleared his throat again. “I have reason.” His breath left his lungs in a lengthy shudder.

Sylvia looked at him for a moment, puzzlement crinkling the skin around her eyes. Then she picked up a spoon.

“Here, have a taste of porridge. Ma made it fresh for you today.” Sylvia held the spoon to James’s lips, and he accepted the morsel. “What did Ida do to you? I thought it was Carl she threw over.”

For a moment, he could only chew, then swallow. He sensed no taste, no savor. Before he had a chance to speak, Sylvia put another spoonful of mush into his mouth. He swallowed that down, then, as Sylvia brought up another bite, James shook his head.

They’ll know sooner or later. Pa will come in for supplies, or Ma will send a note to Mrs. H. by a passing stranger. He turned his head to look at the doorway. Will I be gone, first? Or will Danny O’Brien shoot me in the back? He looked at the girl and squeezed his hands into fists. The pain forced his mouth open.

“You didn’t hear, I reckon. Carl got over being mad at Ida. He wed Ellen Bates about a week past.”

“Oh, Mister James! She was pledged to you!” Sylvia dropped the spoon into the bowl, and it clanked against the side.

Instantly, he repented of his burst of words. “Forget I said that. Just forget it!”

“I’m sorry.” Sylvia held her hands tightly together in front of her mouth.

James snorted. “It’s done and over.”

“How could that happen?” The girl moved the tray from her lap to the bed and leaned forward.

Bitterness rose in James’s throat, and he turned his head to swallow it down.

Sylvia bounced once on the bed. “Ida caused it. She sure is mean.”

James shuddered anew, slumping against the pillow. “Go away,” he said.

“What?”

“Take your gruel and leave me be. I’m weary.”

“But you didn’t finish.”

“Tell your Ma I fell asleep again. It won’t be a lie. Look. I’m nodding off now.” James shut his eyes.

He heard her get to her feet and pick up the tray. “I reckon I tired you out, talking so much.”

“It’s not you. I’m wore out, like you said.” James twitched the quilt higher on his chest. Suddenly he bolted upright, winced, then lay down again. “You’d better get your papa, girl. I got to put myself deeper in his debt.”
~~~

If you haven't yet read Ride to Raton, here are links for print and ebook copies:
Print books $15.95: Amazon | Barnes and Noble
ebooks $3.99: Smashwords all formats | Kindle | nook | Kobo | 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!

Stand Against Plagiarism

by Marsha Ward @Marsha Ward

Almost two years ago, a fellow author, Rachel Ann Nunes, learned that someone had gotten a hold of one of her sweet novels, altered the text to make it an erotic book, slapped her "name" on it, and published it to Amazon.

This is called plagiarism, if you're unfamiliar with this sort of intellectual property (IP) theft. Rachel decided to take a stand. With the help of several friends and a good attorney, she found the identity of the "alleged thief" and has taken her to court.

You cannot begin to imagine how costly this process is. It is not supported by any governmental entity as a criminal matter. It's all on Rachel. She had to sue the "alleged perpetrator" in Federal Court on her own. The case still has not been seen in open court. Rachel is embroiled in all the stuff that goes on before a matter comes to trial: discovery, depositions, and a host of other things.

The cost to Rachel has been much more than the monetary expenses of bringing the "alleged thief" to justice. She has endured harassment, loss of writing time and with that, loss of writing income, nightmares, anxiety, loss of time with family members, heartache, and did I mention that she is the sole breadwinner in her family? Her husband quit his job just before all this hit the fan, to work on a project he and Rachel held dear to their hearts.

Many people in the writing community have rallied to assist Rachel. One of the chief ways they have helped is to donate items or services of value that can be purchased on her Go Fund Me fundraising site.

I previously donated Naming Rights to characters in my novel, The Zion Trail. Now I've made a new offer for the right to name characters in my romantic post-Civil War work-in-progress (WIP), Mended by Moonlight.

I'm happy to report that four out of the five character's names have been snapped up by purchasers. But there's one more available!

For only $12 (or more, if you see fit), you can purchase the right to name a married 30-year-old wounded Northern soldier (who dies) in my WIP. Don't lose out on this opportunity! It's the final name I'll put up for this work.

This is the last chance for you to see your name, or immortalize an ancestor, in this book. Don't worry. I don't use your characteristics or physical attributes in any way (if I even know you), except by some bizarre coincidence.

To help my friend Rachel in her fight against intellectual property theft, go here, scroll down almost to the bottom to where the "Select a Reward Level" offerings appear, and in the next-to-last row, click on the "Name Character" icon with the $12 price.

Thank you!

UPDATE: All the character names have been purchased. Thank you for helping!