Wednesday Writers–Koush Hollow by Leigh Goff

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book excerpt from Koush Hollowy, Gothic, Koush Hollow, Leigh Goff, mystery, Wednesday Writers, YA

Today’s Wednesday Writers guest is Leigh Goff. Leigh will be sharing an excerpt from her newest YA release Koush Hollow, a southern Gothic set in New Orleans with a mystery and an environmental twist. Welcome, Leigh!

 

Koush Hollow:
Where bayou magic abounds and all that glitters…is deadly.

After her father’s untimely death, Jenna Ashby moves to Koush Hollow, a bayou town outside of New Orleans, dreading life with her wealthy mother.

As the sixteen-year-old eco-warrior is introduced to the Diamonds & Pearls, her mother’s exclusive social club, she comes to the troubling realization that secrets are a way of life in Koush Hollow.

How do the Diamonds & Pearls look so young, where does their money come from, and why is life along the bayou disappearing?

As Jenna is drawn into their seductive world, her curiosity and concerns beg her to uncover the truth. However, in this town where mysticism abounds and secrets are deadly, the truth is not what Jenna could have ever imagined.

EXCERPT:

This excerpt is from Chapter 1 of Koush Hollow. The sixteen-year-old main character, Jenna, seems to have a waking nightmare where an interesting creature appears, but only to her. Is it real or is it a dream?

Tap, tap.

My eyes flashed wide. A curvy, gray-haired lady tapped on my passenger side window. Jenna, snap out of it, I thought to myself. I breathed and remembered how to roll the window down.

“You okay, hon’?” She stared at my hands. “You’re shaking like you drank ten café lattes.”

“I’m j-just a little on edge. I mean, I thought I hit that…that woman.”

She jolted upright and looked around. “What are you talking about?”

My gaze flitted all around her. “She w-was r-right there—the painted woman,” I stuttered and pointed. “Where did she go?” My knees finally stopped knocking, allowing me to slide out of the car.

“You didn’t hit anyone. Are you on something?”

I stumbled to the front and bent over searching underneath the car. Nothing. No one. I stood up and scanned the sidewalks, but I didn’t see the mysterious woman anywhere.

“Maybe you shouldn’t be driving, hon’.”
Maybe I shouldn’t be.

“Is there someone I can call?” she asked.

I wiped my sopping wet forehead with the back of my hand. It had to be stress affecting me. It had been a tough few months and maybe it was catching up with me. I turned to the kind woman. “I’m only a few minutes from my mother’s house.” I’d get the Diet Cokes and vitamins later. “I’ll be fine. Thank you.”

We both returned to our cars. She waited for me to move. With trembling fingers, I managed to shift into drive. I pumped the brakes to see if they worked. They worked fine. The rattling sound in the engine was gone, too. I could hardly think straight. Was that Voodoo woman real or a figment of my imagination? I shoved aside the bad feeling, inhaled a calming breath, and decided to apply logic, which suggested the whole thing was a brain-glitch from stress. However, no matter how logical I tried to be, the uneasy feeling remained.

BUY LINKS Amazon – The Parliament House

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Leigh Goff writes young adult fiction. She is a graduate from the University of Maryland and a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI).

Born and raised on the East Coast, she now lives in Maryland where she enjoys the area’s great history and culture.

Her third young adult novel, Koush Hollow, a Southern gothic set in New Orleans released on September 1, 2020 from The Parliament House.

Learn more about Leigh Goff on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

Wednesday Writers–Date Night Dinners Sizzling Summer by Sloane Taylor

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cookbook, grilling, new release, recipe, Wednesday Writers

Today’s Wednesday Writers guest is Sloan Taylor. Sloane is introducing her newest cookbook Date night Dinners Sizzling Summer.  It’s not to late to fire up the grill, so read on for a great recipe from Sloane’s cookbook. Welcome, Sloane!

Romance meets Outdoor Dining

Why not share a summer night with someone special?

What better than a sizzling romantic dinner, candles, wine and music?

Create 45 delicious and complete dinners for two that can be cooked on your grill or stove. No exotic or expensive ingredients needed. These 103 recipes use everyday products already in your kitchen cabinets. Increasing the dinners is a snap for those fun nights friends or family join you.

You’ll love Date Night Dinners Sizzling Summer, Book 2 in the Meals to Make Together series, because great food is the doorway to infinite possibilities.

Here’s one of the recipes to whet your appetite.

Add a little romance to a starry evening with a delicious dinner perfect for two. Uncork the wine and enjoy!

Serve with Avocado Salad and Baked Potatoes on the Grill. These recipes are found under Salad and Veggies in the book’s Index.

BEEF KABOBS
1 – 1½ lbs. (500 – 750g) sirloin steak, trimmed of fat
1 lg. onion, quartered
1 med. yellow pepper, seeded and ribs removed
1½ cups (350ml) garlic infused olive oil* (recipe in Extras section)
½ cup (125ml) dry red wine
2 rosemary sprigs or 1½ tsp. (7.5ml) dried
6 parsley sprigs or 1½ tsp. (7.5ml) dried
Freshly ground pepper to taste
10 – 16 cherry tomatoes
10 – 16 baby bella mushrooms, stems removed
Vegetable oil for grill

Cut beef into 1½ in. (3.8cm) pieces and then place into a plastic bag or bowl. Separate onion sections, add to meat. Slice yellow pepper into 1 in. (2.54cm) pieces and add to meat.

Add remaining ingredients, except tomatoes and mushrooms, to the meat mixture. Marinate 6 – 20 hours in fridge. Sirloin requires a long marinate to make it super tender. Filet, porterhouse, and rib eye work well in this recipe. Only marinate them for 3 – 4 hours as they are tender cuts.
Coat grill lightly with olive oil. Set grill to medium.

Thread steak and veggies onto skewers, e.g.: sirloin, onion, sirloin, yellow pepper, sirloin, tomato, sirloin, mushroom, and so on. Make sure all the pieces touch but aren’t jammed against one another. Discard remaining marinade.

Grill 10 – 15 minutes. Turn skewers frequently so meat cooks evenly.

No skewers? No problem.

Drain sirloin mixture in a colander. Heat a skillet on the grill or stove. Add beef mixture, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Sauté 10 – 15 minutes, stirring and turning frequently.

*If you use regular olive oil add 3 garlic cloves, pressed or chopped fine.

Amazon Buy Link

May you enjoy all the days of your life filled with good friends, laughter, and seated around a well-laden table!

Sloane

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

Sloane Taylor is an Award-Winning romance author with a passion that consumes her day and night. She is an avid cook and posts new recipes on her blog every Wednesday. The recipes are user friendly, meaning easy.

Learn more about Taylor’s cookbooks, Date Night Dinners and Recipes to Create Holidays Extraordinaire on Amazon.

Connect with Taylor on Facebook and Twitter.

Wednesday Writers–A Haunting Birthday Party by Tina Nykulak Ruiz

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A Haunting Birthday Party, Children's Fiction, Children's Picture Book, Halloween book, Tina Nykulak Ruiz, Wednesday Writers

Today’s Wednesday Writer guest is Tina Ruiz who is celebrating the release of her 30th children’s book! Welcome, Tina.

Thanks, Catherine.

The story is about Peppa Roni and her twin brother, Reece A. Roni, who are having their 9th birthday party in the neighborhood restaurant. What makes this story different from any other children’s book, are the names I’ve given to the characters. Example: Tess Ding, Chris P. Bacon, Mr. Noah Lott, Harry Pitts, Miss Turi, and so on. I don’t want to give them all away, since figuring them out will provide lots of fun for you and your child as you read  them.

A Haunting Birthday Party is another picture book collaboration from myself and illustrator Ishika Sharma. We love to put life and fun into children’s books to encourage young people to read. As with all of my children’s stories, there’s a moral at the end. I hope this Halloween-themed paperback book will become your child’s favorite read.

AMAZON BUY LINK

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tina Ruiz was born in Germany, but her family moved to Canada when she was in grammar school. She began writing children’s stories when her own were little. Through the years Ruiz wrote twenty-seven books. Most of those stories went into readers for the Canada Board of Education. Two did not. Mayor Shadoe Markley is a story about a ten-year-old girl who becomes Mayor for a Day through a contest at school.

Little did Ruiz know that story would “change the world.” The book came out at early January 1988. By the end of that same month, everyone was calling the mayor’s office at City Hall, trying to get the forms to fill out so their children could participate in the contest. Thirty years later that same contest is still runs at full speed. And not only in Calgary, but all across Canada. The Mayor’s Youth Council is now in charge of the celebrated contest and invites Ruiz to attend and meet the lucky winner. It’s usually followed by a hand-written thank you card from the mayor himself. Recently Ruiz was invited to be part of the Grand Opening of Calgary’s New Library where the mayor shook her hand and introduced her to the attendees.

Tina has worked in television and radio as well as being a professional clown at the Children’s Hospital. She lives in Calgary with her husband who encourages her to write her passion be it high-quality children’s books or intriguing romance.

Stay connected with Tina Ruiz on her Facebook group Tina Speaks Out.

Catherine’s Comments–When Valleys Bloom Again/ Book Review by Catherine Castle

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Book Review of When Valleys Bloom Again, Catherine's Comments, Christian fiction, clean romance, Pat Jeanne Davis, Sweet romance

WHEN VALLEYS BLOOM AGAIN

BY PAT JEANNE DAVIS

Forced to leave her parents and home before WWII breaks out in England, Abby Stapleton is ripped away from family and friends she loves and sent to her aunt’s home in America.

Feeling isolated, angry that God allowed her parents to send her away, and worried about her loved ones facing mortal danger in London, Abby wonders if she’s losing her faith along with her family. Just as she begins to adjust to her new normal in America Pearl Harbor is attacked.  The U.S.A. enters the war and Abby’s world is turned upside down…again.

Author Pat Jeanne Davis paints a great historic picture of WWII, in both England and America. The details of events showed the author had done her research. Battle scenes were intense without being over the top or graphic. I loved the touch of the censored letters from the battlefields. It gave a measure of the frustration family at home must have felt when precious words from their loved ones were blacked out in their correspondence.

The antagonist is very sneaky and evil. He had me on the edge of my seat as he tried to sabotage Abby’s relationships and life. I anxiously awaited his demise, wondering how he was going to get caught.

Although listed on Amazon as Christian fiction, the book was not preachy at all. Given the subject matter of war and worrying for your loved one, the faith element was naturally woven into the story.  I think even non-Christians would enjoy this book

The one thing that bothered me was that I wanted to see the plot thread between Abby and her aunt tied up, but maybe the author has another book planned for that. I’ll wait and see.

All in all this was an enjoyable read, clean of language and sex, and suitable for YA and adult readers. The author has a nice writing style, making the book easy to read. I received a complimentary copy and was under no obligation to leave a review. I just liked the story so much I wanted to tell others about it.

Great job. Pat!

ABOUT CATHERINE

Multi-award winning author Catherine Castle loves writing. Before beginning her career as a romance writer she worked part-time as a freelance writer. She has over 600 articles and photographs to her credit, under her real name, in the Christian and secular market. She also lays claim to over 300 internet articles written on a variety of subjects and several hundred poems. In addition to writing she loves reading, traveling, singing, theatre, quilting and gardening. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. She writes sweet and inspirational romances. You can find her award-winning Soul Mate books The Nun and the Narc and A Groom for Mama, on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Follow her on Twitter @AuthorCCastle, FB or her blog.

Wednesday Writers–You’re Brilliant by Julie Arduini

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book excerpt from You're Brilliant, bullying, Julie Arduini, Wednesday Writers, Writing tip about characterization, You're Brilliant

 

 

Today’s Wednesday Writers’ guest is author Julie Arduini with a post about the characters behind the character in her book YA book You’re Brilliant from her Surrendering Stinkin’ Thinkin’ series and an excerpt from the book.  Welcome, Julie!

 

Character Inspiration Behind You’re Brilliant

Julie Arduini

 

You’re Brilliant is the final book in the Surrendering Stinkin’ Thinkin’ series for young teens and women of all ages. Although it can be read as a stand-alone, You’re Brilliant moves forward with the girls and their mentors from the Linked mentoring ministry in Youngstown, Ohio.  Each book focused on one girl and her mentor, and this time it’s Bethany Tuttle and her mentor, pastor’s wife Cheri Wayson.

What I loved about this series was writing it with my teen daughter, Hannah. It was her brainchild as she processed the challenges of middle school and wanted to help other girls avoid the lies she believed at that time. When Hannah jotted out the story what she ended up with was a three-book series. She supervised the vision for each book, approving my chapters. She created character names and oversaw the cover design. It really was a team effort.

The characters were fun because Hannah loosely based them off her friends. She’s had a solid group of girls from church who have encouraged her, so she had to narrow it down. Hannah took a couple qualities from two girls who have been in her life the longest. In You’re Beautiful, Hayley is based off Hannah herself, but as we wrote, I found my own teen years coming to mind. Some of those experiences are things we went through.

You’re Amazing was a challenge to write because we aren’t dancers and we weren’t sure what specific conflicts to give the girls. As we chatted, we realized that girls and women both struggle with what one person might say and change everything. How much power we give with opinion. Jazmin is a gifted dancer but has some changes to get used to, including a new teacher. The teacher makes a negative comment, and Jazmin’s thrown. It really affects her. Although the real Jazmin hasn’t had that challenge that we’re aware of, we took her dancing gift and made that the core of the story.

You’re Brilliant is Bethany’s story. Our Bethany is a natural at comedy, but the sass that gets her in trouble is something more from our imagination and a little bit of my own experience. KJ came from a reader who requested we write a thread that includes a confident teen blinded by a bully boyfriend. That was something Hannah agreed girls her age deal with—being so beautiful and talented and a boy says something toxic and the girl emotionally crumbles. It was hard to write that, but we felt it was important.

As for the adults, Sabrina is based off a family that loves unconditionally and is active in ministry. She’s a dear friend to me.  Lena is a mix of every mother of young children I know because for years I was active with MOPS, Mothers of Preschoolers. I remember the insecurity I had as a wife and mom back then, and how I wanted to please everyone to my own exhaustion. Cheri is a pastor’s wife that Hannah and I both know. Although the real Cheri took a job at school, it wasn’t to pay for a wedding, nor did she make mistakes trying to find her place. For us, our characters take the best of people we know to honor them. Any villains are mixes of people we’ve encountered or seen in media.

I’m sad to see the series end, Hannah is as well. I thank God He gave us the series to not only encourage readers, but grow my relationship with Hannah and let her creativity blossom.

You’re Brilliant Blurb: YA/Women’s Fiction

by Julie Arduini

Amazing things happen when a group of high school students and women discover they are more than competent.

Bethany’s not excited to start high school in a new community where she doesn’t know anyone. She quickly befriends KJ, a popular sophomore, and it looks like the transition will go well until Bethany discovers KJ’s boyfriend is a bully. With a strong sense of justice, Bethany challenges Brent Sullivan, and he’s determined to make her suffer.

Cheri takes on an additional job in a school to help pay for Sabrina’s wedding. It’s a different atmosphere than at the church where she feels more comfortable as the pastor’s wife and mentor with the Linked ministry. After several mishaps, Cheri feels like she’s found an assignment where she can make a difference until a teacher belittles her work.

Can Bethany and Cheri resist the lies about their competency and hold on to the fact they’re brilliant?

The final book in the Surrendering Stinkin’ Thinkin’ series for tweens, teens, and women of all ages by mother and daughter authors Julie Arduini and Hannah Arduini.

 

Excerpt:

CHAPTER ONE

Bethany Tuttle

One glimpse at the sprawling Boardman Valley High School campus and my throat starts to close. It’s my first time here and what a fortress. It’s twice the size of my old school. So many windows. Multiple parking lots. Three athletic fields. There’s even an attached brick circular amphitheater to house the enormous drama and musical talent the Youngstown suburb is known for. What am I doing here? Oh, right. My parents moved and this is the closest school district. Where I know no one.

Students fresh off the bus travel to the main entrance. I’m trapped in the middle of the swarm, moving with the wave of peers, my anxiety escalating with each step. Even if I wanted to yell for help, I wouldn’t be heard over the buzz of first day chit chat filling the lobby.

A boy with a head full of curls and wearing a Saturday Night Live shirt bumps into my side. “Hey, tourist. If you don’t know where you’re going, step to the side.”

“Sorry. Did my fanny pack give me away?” I smile at my attempt at humor, but no one chuckles or even looks in my direction. There’s so much movement. “Say, are we students or cattle?” My voice rises above the fray, but I sound like a squeaky kid.

“Keep mooo—ving funny girl.” The tall blonde surrounded by three girls mimicking her every move, throws her head back and laughs. Her minions follow her lead and they’re giggling with her.

I’m not as agile as my friend Jazmin, but I’ve got stealth working for me. With a few ducks and weaves, I exit the throng of people and slam against the wall next to the office.

A slim, tall girl with shiny, straight brown hair is about to approach the receptionist when she looks my way and tilts her head. “Are you Bethany Tuttle?”

I raise my eyebrows. How does she know my name?

She gestures me forward. “C’mon. I’m KJ Curry. I’m the student council rep the vice-principal lassoed into keeping you corralled.” Her expression is sober for about a second before she breaks into a chuckle.

KJ heard my cattle joke. And thank God, she thinks I’m funny.

 

Want to read more? You can find You’re Brilliant at Amazon

 

About the Author

Julie Arduini loves to encourage readers to find freedom in Christ by surrendering the good, the bad, and —maybe one day—the chocolate. She’s the author of the contemporary romance series SURRENDERING TIME, (Entrusted, Entangled, Engaged,) as well as the stand-alone novellas, MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN and RESTORING CHRISTMAS. She also shares her story in the infertility devotional, A WALK IN THE VALLEY. Her other latest release, YOU’RE BRILLIANT, is for girls ages 10-100, written with her teenaged daughter, Hannah, and is book 3 in their SURRENDERING STINKIN’ THINKIN’ series. She blogs every other Wednesday for Christians Read, as well as monthly with Inspy Romance. She resides in Ohio with her husband and two children. Learn more by visiting her at http://juliearduini.com, where she invites readers to opt in to her content full of resources and giveaway opportunities.

 

Social Media:  Facebook  Twitter  Instagram

 

 

 

 

Wednesday Writers–A Cord of Three Strands by Christy Distler

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A Cord of Three Strands, Book excerpt from A Cord of Three Strands, Christian romance, Christy Distler, clean romance, historical romance, Wednesday Writers

Today’s Wednesday Writer’s guest is author Christy Distler. Christy is sharing some of her family history and how it led to her historical romance A Cord of Three Strands. She also has an excerpt at the bottom of the post, so keep reading to the end.

Welcome Christy!

When I was a child, my mom introduced me to genealogy. This was thirty years ago, so she was doing it the old-fashioned way: visiting libraries, historical societies, vital records offices, and cemeteries. I loved going through all the information she gathered. And going through it again. And again.

Years later, my family signed up for internet service, and that was a game changer. Researching our ancestors was suddenly as easy as typing names and birthdates into a search engine. Of course, not all names returned information. Many didn’t. But my Lucken/Lukens ancestors did, and because some were instrumental in the settlement and building of Philadelphia and the surrounding area, both physically and intellectually, information abounded. Now I was really hooked.

Our Lukens family line was one I was able to trace back to the late Middle Ages. Originally from the Netherlands, they were Mennonites-turned-Quaker who, in 1683, following years of skirting martyrdom during the Reformation, finally took refuge in William Penn’s “religious experiment,” Pennsylvania. After settling Germantown (now a part of Philadelphia), they spread east and north, with my ninth-great-grandfather, Peter Lukens, settling in Horsham Township, at that time a wilderness. This piqued my interest even more, since I’d lived some of my childhood in Horsham and resided less than two miles from Horsham Friends Meeting, which Peter Lukens’s family attended.

My love for genealogy continued, and one evening I came across an ancestor who got my mind turning: Seneca Lukens. His intriguing first name made me wonder about the family’s connection to Indian tribes (at the time, the Seneca lived in northern Pennsylvania and southern New York). From the possible Native American connection, Isaac Lukens—a half-Lenape, half-white young man who had been reared by Horsham Friends—made his way into a dream I had that night.

As a fiction writer, I did what I had to: brought Isaac to life as a main character, along with co-MC Elisabeth Alden, in a story that takes place in Horsham in 1756.

My research for this novel brought to light men and women who followed Christ’s instruction and example no matter the cost. Mennonites and Friends were the first colonists to denounce slavery and the gross mistreatment of Indian tribes, and Friends were instrumental in forging peace between Pennsylvania and the province’s tribes, namely the Lenape, during the French and Indian War. Both of these social issues play major parts in the book, and it is my hope that Isaac and Elisabeth’s story embodies Friends’ devotion to truth, equality, and love for others, as well as the plight of the Lenape people during a turbulent time in American history.

This all said, in an interesting turn of events, I have recently learned through a local historian that Seneca Lukens was more likely named for the Roman philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca than for the Seneca tribe. A bit disappointing, but all is not lost. The imagination, whether piqued by truth or speculation, is a wonderful thing.

 

A Cord of Three Strands

by Christy Distler

As 1756 dawns, Isaac Lukens leaves the Pennsylvania wilderness after two years with the Lenape people. He’s failed to find the families of his birth parents, a French trader and a Lenape woman. Worse, the tribe he’s lived with, having rejected his peacemaking efforts, now ravages frontier settlements in retaliation. When he arrives in the Quaker community where he was reared, questions taunt him: Who is he—white man or Lenape? And where does he belong?

Elisabeth Alden, Isaac’s dearest childhood friend, is left to tend her young siblings alone upon her father’s death. Despite Isaac’s promise to care for her and the children, she battles resentment toward him for having left, while an unspeakable tragedy and her discordant courtship with a prominent Philadelphian weigh on her as well.

Elisabeth must marry or lose guardianship of her siblings, and her options threaten the life with her and the children that Isaac has come to love. Faced with Elisabeth’s hesitancy to marry, the prospect of finding his family at last, and the opportunity to assist in the peace process between Pennsylvania and its Indian tribes, Isaac must determine where—and to whom—the Almighty has called him.

 

EXCERPT:

In my bedchamber, I stripped off all but my breeches and lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. My eyes ached with exhaustion, but that hardly compared to the weariness that plagued my soul. This evening’s visit, though it provided more information than expected, left me overwhelmed by conflicting feelings—joy in the gained knowledge that I’d so long yearned for, yet heartache in the loss of those I’d once loved most.

Then there was Elisabeth.

Would I ever understand my actions when it came to her? I’d been so pleased to find her waiting for me, to know she sensed my frame of mind and cared that I was troubled. Yet I had pushed her away. As soon as she had shown concern, hoping I would confide in her, I used the simplest excuse not to.

’Twas no wonder she couldn’t trust me. Why would she share the difficulties she faced when I so often failed to share mine with her? I longed for the closeness we once had, when we shared our every feeling without a second thought, so why was it so difficult to confess my struggles?

I sighed heavily. Distancing myself from Elisabeth wasn’t my intention. She had always known me best, and no doubt she still did. Only with her had I shared the horrors of what I’d experienced while away, and ’twas her reassurances—and her arms around me—that had comforted me since I’d returned. Even tonight, embracing her had eased the emptiness that gnawed within.

But that posed a problem as well. Elisabeth’s beauty enchanted me, and her sweet affection stirred my heart in ways I dared not act upon. Her courtship with Hiram was now quite evident, whether or not I approved, so we could share nothing more than friendship.

In light of that, my earlier aloofness was a necessity. Her best interest required that we take care in our actions, and I’d never forgive myself if her reputation were to be called into question because of me. While that had not been the reason I’d held back from her downstairs, part of me was now glad that I had.

Still, I cared so much for her. There was no denying that her relationship with Hiram could have grave consequences, but I struggled to discern the extent of my responsibility. Should I respect Elisabeth’s maturity and capability to make her own decisions? Or should I honor my word to Jonathan and do everything I could to protect her and the children? Both choices could result in more sorrow.

“Father, give me wisdom,” I whispered. “Show me what to do.”

Be still and know that I am God. The familiar words of the psalmist came to me in the darkness.

Indeed. In my apprehension, I’d somehow lost sight of the Almighty. He loved Elisabeth, the children, and me, and I knew he had great plans for all of our lives. Throughout my years he had proven that his goodness could be trusted even in the bleakest of circumstances.

I needed to allow and esteem his sovereignty in this situation as well.

Want to read more?

You can find A Cord of Three Strands at  Amazon

 

About the Author:

For as long as she can remember, Christy Distler has dreamed her most vivid dreams with her eyes wide open. Names became people—people who didn’t exist in this time and place but couldn’t have been more real in her heart and mind. So she did the only rational thing: gave them a voice by writing fiction.

Christy’s novels, whether historical or contemporary, delve into betrayal and reconciliation, faith and grace, and always involve the intertwining of cultures. When not writing, she works as an editor for publishing houses and independent authors.

Obsession with words (and history) aside, she lives with her husband, children, and dogs in Pennsylvania, less than two miles from where her Lukens ancestors settled more than three hundred years ago.

SOCIAL MEDIA SITES:  WEBSITE    FACEBOOK    INSTAGRAM

 

Wednesday Writers–The Exile of Elindel, the Elwardian Chronicles Book 1 by Carole Brown

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book excerpt from The Exile of Elindel, Carol Browne, eleves, Fantasy, Wednesaday Writers

 

Today’s Wednesday Writers’ guest, Carole Brown, hails from the UK. Carol will be sharing an excerpt from her epic fantasy novel, The Exile of Elindel, The Elwardian Chronicles Book 1. Carol promises this action adventure book will keep you glued to your E-reader. Welcome, Carol!

 

Exile of Elindel, The Elwardian Chronicles Book 1,

by Carol Browne.

Elgiva, a young elf banished from Elvendom, must seek shelter among the Saxons as her only hope of surviving the coming winter.

Godwin, a Briton enslaved by the Saxons, is a man ignorant of his own inheritance and the secret of power he possesses.

A mysterious enemy, who will stop at nothing to wield absolute power over Elvendom, is about to make his move.

When destiny throws Elgiva and Godwin together, they embark upon the quest for the legendary Lorestone, the only thing that can save Elvendom from the evil that threatens to destroy it.

There is help to be found along the way from a petulant pony and a timid elf boy but, as the strength of their adversary grows, can Elgiva’s friends help her to find the Lorestone before it falls into the wrong hands?

EXCERPT
The night was waning when Elgiva woke, wondering where she was. The dark ceiling of Joskin’s cave hung above her, and everything had a reddish glow, cast by the embers of the fire. She slid from under the fur coverlet, her skin tightening at the loss of its warmth, and searched for her leather sandals.

Something had woken her, something that waited outside the cave. A runnel of dread ran down her spine.

She had an inexplicable sense of impending danger, but it was too insistent to ignore. An unnamed instinct stopped her from alerting her companions. She must face this menace alone.

She left the cave as quietly as she could. Her heart pounded in her throat as she peered between the rowan trees and searched the night. Whatever had awakened her, it beckoned. She held her breath and listened, but her ears detected nothing, save for a silence as dark and empty as an abandoned crypt.

It would soon be daybreak, but the sun had yet to rise, and the dark beyond the cave swarmed with potential horrors. She stepped out from among the rowans, relying on her acute senses to make out her surroundings. An unnatural calm gripped the night and as her sandals whispered against the cold grass, they sounded abnormally loud. She feared they would betray her presence.

After a while, she came to a stop and searched the trees. Thin strands of mist curled along the ground, cold and clammy, like an exhalation of sickness.

She hugged her shoulders, knotted her fingers in the cascade of her hair, and shivered in her ragged robe. All around her, the silence seemed to be drawing into focus.

“Who is it?” Her throat was too dry for her purpose. She swallowed and licked her lips. “Who’s there? I know you’re there. I can . . . I can feel you!”

Feel you.

A flash of silver sliced through the dark, and Elgiva gasped in fear. Her arms came up to shield her face as the beam struck a rock several yards ahead. It exploded with a whoosh and sent up thousands of splinters of light, which fell to the ground and sizzled in the mist.

A shape now stood upon the rock, its form concealed in a black, hooded cloak.

Elgiva clutched the amulet to her breast. Her hands were white with terror. “In the name of Faine, who are you? What sort of trick is this?”

A soft, sly voice spoke back to her. “Why should you fear magic?”

“What do you want?” she pleaded, her voice a croak of fear.

“To see for myself.”

“To see what?”

The dark shape sniggered, but made no answer. Instead, it swept its cloak aside, and a cloud of sparks flew out and covered the ground with beads of light.

Elgiva stepped back unsteadily, resolved to flee.

“Stay!” commanded the creature.

It raised a skeletal hand, and the forefinger swung towards Elgiva and pinned her against the darkness, holding her like a rivet of bone. No elf, no wilthkin, ever owned such a hand. Her legs threatened to buckle beneath her. This had to be a nightmare; she was still asleep in the cave. But no, it was all too real.

“Who are you? What do you want?” she cried. “I have . . . I have an amulet!”

The creature laughed derisively. “I am Death, and I have come for you.”

It began to radiate a sickly green light, enveloping itself in a caul of brilliance that pulsated with force. The light grew in size until the trees behind it were bathed in its angry glare. It reached for Elgiva, like a foul stench creeping along a breeze, and she was helpless. The creature’s power throbbed in the darkness.

Within the taut coils of her fear, her instincts screamed at her to run, but her limbs had turned to stone.

Siriol, Siriol, help me . . . help . . .

With a shriek of glee, the creature increased the throb of its power. Elgiva’s mind was suddenly invaded by an inexplicable force. She became divorced from herself and watched from a great distance, waiting for the horror to unfold.

Want to read more? You can find Carol’s book at:

Amazon Buy Links

USA – UK

About the Author:

Born in Stafford in the UK, Carol Browne was raised in Crewe, Cheshire, which she thinks of as her home town. Interested in reading and writing at an early age, Carol pursued her passions at Nottingham University and was awarded an honours degree in English Language and Literature. Now living and working in the Cambridgeshire countryside, Carol usually writes fiction but has also taken a plunge into non-fiction with Being Krystyna. This story of a Holocaust survivor has been well received.

Stay connected with Carol on her website and blog, Facebook, and Twitter.

Musings from a Writer’s Brain–Writing is Like Laundry by Karin Beery

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Essay about Writing, Karin Beery, Musings from a Writer's Brain, Practically Married, writing tips

Writing is Like Laundry … by Karin Beery

image courtesy of pixabay

Do you remember the TV show Castle? Author Rick Castle followed detective Kate Beckett around to find inspiration for a new novel. Once he was inspired, he wrote the book, submitted it, and presto! He’s done.

Sort of.

Most people think that’s how authors write and live their lives: write a book and get it published. That’s a massive over simplification. I’ve found that writing a book is more like doing laundry—there are certain steps you need to follow, you’re often working with more than one load at a time, and you repeat the process endlessly. Here’s what I mean:

1. Sort the laundry: plan your story. Writing your manuscript isn’t even the first step! First you need to organize everything, like sorting your whites and colors. You have to figure out your characters, the plot, the setting. Lots of loads.
2. Start washing: now you can write your story. Take all of your information and put it into a captivating manuscript.
3. Dry: edit. (They forgot to show that step on Castle.) Self-edit. Peer edit. Hire an editor. There are many ways to clean up your manuscript.
4. Put away clothes: submit your story.
5. Repeat #2 and #3: has anyone ever done just one load of laundry? Has any writer ever only worked on one story at a time? Not likely. You may have put some clothes away (i.e. submitted one story), but there’s more laundry to go (i.e. more stories to write).

This process continues until the laundry basket (your creativity) is empty. Then, six hours later, it’s full again, and you start the process all over again.

Steps #1-5 are, of course, the perfect scenario. There are always unexpected issues that pop up though:

• Stains (scenes or characters that leave a bad impression)
• Holes (plot holes; characterization holes)
• Frayed hems (conclusions that just don’t work)

You never know when one of these issues will pop up, but you always have to decide—fix it or throw it away? Never easy to do with your favorite yoga pants or your favorite secondary character.

Like any chore, writing can become monotonous if you let it, so I don’t let it! I make sure to break up my writing projects by working with other people, reading, or walking away completely to let my brain reset (while I do a load of actual laundry).

I suppose someday I could run out of ideas, but I hope the creative side of my brain will keep filling up like my laundry basket.

 

While you’re waiting for your laundry to dry—the real stuff, not the book laundry—check out Karin’s book Practically Married

Practically Married

By Karin Beery

Ashley moves to a new town to marry her fiancé. Instead, she buries him.

Ashley Johnson moves to northern Michigan to finally meet her fiancé face-to-face, but she arrives in time to go to his funeral. With no home back in Ohio, she decides to stay in what would have been their house, except his cousin Russ lives there too, and Russ has never heard of Ashley. To complicate matters, her fiancé accidentally willed her the family farmhouse. Eager to please everyone and desperate to disappoint no one, she proposes a marriage of convenience that could solve her and Russ’s problems, if they can get past her aunt, his sisters, and an ex-girlfriend.

 

Excerpt

Ashley turned back to the open refrigerator while she listened to Rob’s footsteps fade away. Cheese, meat, bread, more cheese. She handed everything to Russ. Unlike his paperwork, there was no way he could lose the food between her hands and the kitchen counter.

But what if Russ couldn’t find the deed? What if they weren’t good roommates? Could she get enough work in the next year to save up a down payment on a house? Panic squeezed her lungs. Ignoring the leftover veggie tray and fruit salad, she grabbed the gelatin and set it on the island.

Russ handed her some meat that he’d smashed between bread. “Looks like we can add the farm to our list of things to figure out.” He threw together another sandwich then stood beside her, both of them leaning against the counter, munching away. Russ tore through his food, staring at the floor. Ashley bit into her sandwich, but it gummed up in her mouth. She tossed it on the counter and grabbed the bowl of green, jiggly comfort instead.

Russ opened a drawer in the island. “Spoon?”

“Thank you.” She took the largest spoon and scooped out a mound of lime gelatin and whipped cream. “You know, as crazy as it’s been since I got here, none of this should surprise me. Tom used to do this to me all the time. He’d start talking about something that he forgot to tell me about, then get mad that I couldn’t follow the conversation. It shouldn’t surprise me that he forgot to tell you about me.”

“You should have been his business partner.” Russ crunched into a pickle. “We always had stuff showing up at the farm without explanation. You’re the first bride, though.”

 

About the Author:

Karin Beery grew up in a rural Michigan town, where she wrote her first novel in high school. Today, she writes contemporary stories with a healthy dose of romance. When she’s not writing fiction, she’s reading, editing, or teaching it. In her free time, she enjoys watching University of Michigan football and action-adventure movies with her husband and fur babies.

Links: https://www.facebook.com/authorkarinbeery/
https://twitter.com/karinbeery
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/karin-beery

Wednesday Writers–Blackflies and Blueberries by Sharon Ledwith

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Blackflies and Blueberries, Catherine Castle's Wednesday Writers, Sharon Ledwith, YA Mystery, YA Paranormal

Sharon Ledwith is my Wednesday Writers guest today. She’s sharing her newest YA paranormal teen psychic mystery Blackflies and Blueberries–book 2 in the Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls series.

Welcome, Sharon

 

The only witness left to testify against an unsolved crime in Fairy Falls isn’t a person…

City born and bred, Hart Stewart possesses the gift of psychometry—the psychic ability to discover facts about an event or person by touching inanimate objects associated with them. Since his mother’s death, seventeen-year-old Hart has endured homelessness, and has learned ways to keep his illiteracy under wraps. He eventually learns of a great-aunt living in Fairy Falls, and decides to leave the only life he’s ever known for an uncertain future.

Diana MacGregor lives in Fairy Falls. Her mother was a victim of a senseless murder. Only Diana’s unanswered questions and her grief keeps her going, until Hart finds her mother’s lost ring and becomes a witness to her murder.

Through Hart’s psychic power, Diana gains hope for justice. Their investigation leads them into the corrupt world threatening Fairy Falls. To secure the town’s future, Hart and Diana must join forces to uncover the shocking truth, or they risk losing the true essence of Fairy Falls forever.

AMAZON BUY LINK

 

Sharon Ledwith is the author of the middle-grade/YA time travel series, THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS, and the teen psychic mystery series, MYSTERIOUS TALES FROM FAIRY FALLS. When not writing, researching, or revising, she enjoys reading, exercising, anything arcane, and an occasional dram of scotch. Sharon lives a serene, yet busy life in a southern tourist region of Ontario, Canada, with her hubby, one spoiled yellow Labrador and a moody calico cat.

Learn more about Sharon Ledwith on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter,Goodreads, and Smashwords. Look up her Amazon Author page for a list of current books. Be sure to check out THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS TIME TRAVEL SERIES Facebook page.

Wednesday Writers–Lord Ethan’s Courage by Caroline Warfield

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book excerpt from Lord Ethan's Courage, Caroline Warfield, Fire and Frost collection, historical regency romance, Lord Ethan's Courage, Wednesday Writers

Today’s Wednesday Writer’s guest is Caroline Warfield, author of Historical Romance/Regency. She’ll be sharing an excerpt from her book Lord Ethan’s Courage, one of several novellas in the Fire and Frost collection. She’s also going to talk about what goes into making such a collection. Welcome, Caroline!

 

 

 

 

MANAGING A GROUP PROJECT

by Caroline Warfield

 

When a group of friends gets together and decides to produce a collection of novellas, it is significantly more complex than simply, “Hey folks, let’s make a book!” My friends The Bluestocking Belles have done six and they are never easy.

The first task is to agree on a theme, or an organizing principle, to tie the stories together. I’ve read entirely too many for which the only unifying theme is “Christmas.” We try to connect them a bit more than that, and we’ve gone in a variety of directions. What has consistently worked best is to agree on an event that each of the stories will include. Once it was a country house party at Christmas; once it was a ball on Valentine’s day beneath the crystal chandeliers of the Assembly Rooms in Bath. This year we focused on the 1814 frost fair on the frozen Thames, and decided that our characters would conduct a charity auction on behalf of veterans of the Napoleonic wars and their families. It turned out to be both fun and enlightening.

Frost Fair on the Frozen Thames

By choosing a unifying event, we can write separately. We post the potential shared scenes to a private space on Facebook so we can make sure our details line up, our characters behave, and we describe the event the same. If we have five couples all at the same ball or charity auction, we need to tell the same story from 5-10 points of view. It is much less difficult and more fun than you might think. We can rely on each other for shared characters as in, “Does someone have an uppity aunt who might insult my heroine?” or “Do you have a gentleman who can ask my heroine to dance?”

This year we put the actual auction in shared space. Jude Knight contributed some beloved elders to actually conduct the auction. Several of us posted our scenes of the bidding. Snatches of dialog, bidders, winners, and losers were shared back and forth so that when our individual stories were complete, that scene meshed in all five. To a lesser degree a skating scene and a theatre scene appear in some but not all of the stories. After all, all our characters are in London at the same time. Some of us have characters that have appeared in previous collections as well.

Once the stories are written, we do two rounds of beta reading in which we all read all of them. That has the usual benefit if sorting out plot holes and typos, but also smoothing out the share details. Once that is finished, production starts and that is a bit less fun. We agree on specs and all produce a formatted final document. One person assembles the master manuscript. Other jobs are divided up: proof reading, editing and formatting. Agreeing on a title is hard; hopefully we’ve managed that early in the writing process. We hire a cover artist unless one of us is particularly inspired (as occurred this year). Someone makes promotional memes and we all use the same template.

Someone sorts out an event for the launch. This year we had a blog hop called (not surprisingly) the 1814 Frost Faire on the Thames. We each created a story about one fair booth, a bit of flash fiction involving our characters, and added a bit of historical trivia. There were, of course, prizes. Folks seemed to enjoy it quite a bit.

What happens after launch? We start planning the next one. We’re already doing that; see you next year.

 

 

About Fire & Frost

In a winter so cold the Thames freezes over, five couples venture onto the ice in pursuit of love to warm their hearts.

Love unexpected, rekindled, or brand new—even one that’s a whack on the side of the head—heats up the frigid winter. After weeks of fog and cold, all five stories converge on the ice at the 1814 Frost Fair when the ladies’ campaign to help the wounded and unemployed veterans of the Napoleonic wars culminates in a charity auction that shocks the high sticklers of the ton.

In their 2020 collection, join the Bluestocking Belles and their heroes and heroines as The Ladies’ Society For The Care of the Widows and Orphans of Fallen Heroes and the Children of Wounded Veterans pursues justice, charity, and soul-searing romance.

 

EXCERPT

from Lord Ethan’s Courage

Caroline Warfield’s novella

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ethan shivered behind the mews to the rear of Chadbourn House, able neither to return to his hiding place nor to approach the earl. He held the stump of his damaged arm against his chest with the other, trying to keep the chill at bay. It had snowed the night before.

Many months had passed since anything as inconvenient as duty had bothered Ethan, and now that it had, he didn’t care for the feeling at all. Belief someone should tell the earl his sister put herself in jeopardy with her misguided efforts to help injured soldiers drew him there; old fears held him back. He might have hovered next to the mews until he froze to death and they hauled his unloved carcass to a pauper’s grave—or sold it to the body snatchers—if he hadn’t been spotted.

“You there, looking for a meal? Speak up; I almost missed you in the fog.”

Ethan gaped at the groom who came toward him wiping his hands. He didn’t know if the man meant to accuse him of stealing or offer him bread.

“Y’ve come to the right place; follow me.” The man didn’t wait; he started toward the house. “What regiment?”

Ethan, thoroughly confused, followed him. “Regiment?”

“Aye, where’d you serve, man?”

How can he tell I’m a soldier?

“Veteran, aren’t ye? Why else would you hang outside the earl’s kitchen?” The groom held a door open for him.

Ethan stepped up, and mumbled under his breath, “Light Division,” as he passed.

“Craufurd’s? God love y’!”

Warmth wrapped itself around Ethan as they entered the kitchen. “’Nother ’un Mrs. Potter,” the groom called. “Served in th’ Light Division. Not many o’ them left,” he added mournfully, on his way back out the door.

A plump woman gave Ethan a swift no-nonsense examination before he could speak, and scowled at his appearance before waving a dripping spoon toward a table in the corner. The savory stew she set on the table so overwhelmed him that he almost forgot who he was, much less why he came.

Ethan attacked the stew, shoveling it in as rapidly as he could swallow. “Easy now,” the woman chided. “No point in making yourself sick.” She set a plate of warm bread down next to him. “Craufurd’s was it? My man died at Cuidad Rodrigo.”

Ethan kept eating, more slowly now, his stomach clenching. He hadn’t come to share war stories. Cuidad Rodrigo. The words almost drove him back out the door. “I’ve come to see the earl,” he said between bites of bread.

“He isn’t here,” she said. “If it’s work you want—”

“It’s not,” he muttered. He knew the ways of the upper ten thousand. No earl was ‘in’ until he knew who asked and what they wanted. “I won’t keep him long. I’ll just say my piece and be gone.” He considered in bitter humor that he ought to have brought his calling card.

The one-eared footman he saw in the alley came in carrying buckets of water. “Another hungry veteran, Mrs. Potter?” he asked. “What’s his regiment?”

“As you see,” the cook responded. “Served with—”

Ethan had enough bad memories. He rose to his feet. “Tell the earl I have a message, and I’ll—”

“He isn’t here,” Mrs. Potter repeated.

“You can see his man of business if you want work, though,” the footman added.

Ethan did not want work, and he most certainly did not want to revisit bad memories with the oddest collection of servants he’d ever encountered.

“What I have to say is for his ears only. I know the earl isn’t ‘in’. I’ll only take a moment to give him my message and be on my way.”

Both servants stared at him as if he were simpleminded.

“It isn’t how it’s done,” the footman muttered.

Years past caring how things ought to be done, Ethan lost all patience. He stalked out the door to the family quarters, with the footman scurrying behind.

“You can’t go there!” the boy shouted. A stern looking butler started down from the front of the house, and Ethan turned down a hallway, surprised at his spurt of energy. A study was bound to be off the back corridors, and if he made enough of a scene the earl would show himself. He yanked open a door and stopped dead in his tracks.

“You!” the speaker and sole occupant of the room stared at him in astonishment. He had wandered into the library, and stumbled onto Lady Flora.

Want to read more? You can find Caroline’s book at this Buy Link

 

About the Author:

Traveler, would-be adventurer, librarian, technology manager, Caroline Warfield has many things, but she is above all a romantic. Someone who begins life as an army brat develops a wide view of life. She reckons she is on at least her third act. When she isn’t off seeking adventures with her Beloved or her grandson down the block, she works happily in an office surrounded by windows where she lets her characters lead her to even more adventures in England and the far-flung corners of the British Empire. She nudges them to explore the riskiest territory of all, the human heart.

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