OF TRUTH AND LEGEND BY EARL STAGGS

Earl Staggs

Please welcome a long time friend, Earl Staggs. He and his lovely wife, Carol, are transplants to North Central Texas from the Baltimore area. Earl and I belong to a small mystery writers group. His stories are always well written and often humorous. Earl is a spare bones writer who hates excessive adjectives and adverbs, so I feel it's my duty as a friend to throw in very and really to taunt him if he's going to read my work. What are friends for, after all?

His official bio reads: Derringer Award winning author Earl Staggs has seen many of his short stories published in magazines and anthologies. He served as Managing Editor of Futures Mystery Magazine and as President of the Short Mystery Fiction Society. His novel MEMORY OF A MURDER earned thirteen Five Star reviews online at Amazon and BN. His column "Write Tight" appears in the online magazine Apollo’s Lyre. He is also a contributing blog member of Murderous Musings and Make Mine Mystery. He hosts workshops for the Muse Online Writers Conference and the Catholic Writers Conference Online and is a frequent speaker at conferences and writers groups. Email: earlstaggs@sbcglobal.net Website: http://earlwstaggs.wordpress.com

Here's Earl:

OF TRUTH AND LEGEND

I love history, particularly about people, how they lived, loved, and died and what they did to earn a place in the archives of life. I learn about people from the past by reading books and watching movies and TV. The facts and truths are there, documented by stories handed down through generations or recorded by historians and writers.

But sometimes facts and truths foster legends and once born, legends develop an enduring life of their own. We may call them alternate truths, other possibilities, or myths. Was there really a King Arthur, or was he only a compilation of various myths and legends? Did George Washington really chop down that cherry tree, or is that only a legend forever linked to the truth?

How do we separate legends from truths? Fortunately, as a writer, I don’t have to. The truth is, I don’t want to. My job as a writer is to write an interesting and entertaining story, and it doesn’t matter if it is based on the truth, a legend, or a combination of both.

Available at Amazon

Not too long ago, I came across a legend that fascinated me, and I used it as the basis for a short story I called “Where Billy Died.” It could be my best story ever. It’s also one I talk about when people ask the question all writers are asked:

“Where do you get your ideas?”

Here’s what I tell them.

My wife and I took a day trip with friends to the small town of Hico, Texas, a couple years ago. There I learned a local legend. They contend and have convincing evidence that one of the most famous outlaws of the old west did not die at the wrong end of a gun as history books claim. History claims Billy the Kid was shot and killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett in Old Fort Sumner, New Mexico, when Billy was only twenty-one years old.

Not true, according to the Hico legend. They claim Billy lived out his final years there and died in 1950, a month after his ninetieth birthday. I visited the museum devoted to him and stood on the exact spot where they say he dropped dead of a heart attack. The museum has pictures of him when he lived there under the name “Brushy Bill” Roberts. There are newspaper articles and write-ups covering his attempts to obtain the pardon from the state of New Mexico which had been promised him many years before. There are also stories there about how he eluded death that night in Old Fort Sumner and wound up in Hico some sixty years later.

 It didn’t matter to me whether Billy died in New Mexico at age twenty-one, or in Texas at age ninety.


I was fascinated by the legend and knew I had to use it in a story someday.

“But,” I reminded myself, “you don’t write westerns.”

That’s true. I don’t. Not that I won’t someday, but for now, I write contemporary mystery stories. That meant I had to come up with a contemporary story incorporating the Hico legend.

It took a while, but I eventually came up with a story about a modern day skip tracer named Jack who travels from Philadephia to Hico to bring back a young bail jumper named Billy Joe Raynor. Piece of cake, thinks Jack, until he discovers he has a tail. The chief bonebreaker for a New Jersey mobster has followed Jack to Hico. Is it because Jack beat up the mobster’s brother, or because of something young Billy Joe did before he skipped town? Jack only knows he’s tangled with the hulking bruiser before and will have to again. Jack doesn’t know he’ll also get tangled up in Hico’s legend about another young outlaw named Billy and that the past and present will merge in a surprising conclusion. Three different legends surrounding Billy’s life and death are mentioned. One of them saves Jack from his predicament in Texas and fixes his marriage problems back in Philadelphia.

If you have an opportunity to read “Where Billy Died,” I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Available at Amazon

and at Smashwords

Legends abound, forever intermingled with truth in history, and they’re often more provocative and interesting than what may really have happened. One legend, for example offers that Butch Cassidy may have escaped his storied death in Bolivia and lived to a ripe old age back in the US. Another one proposes that John Wilkes Booth lived in Texas many years after that night at Ford’s Theater.

Are these legends true or merely fanciful variations of the truth born and nurtured over the years? I don’t know and, as a writer, I don’t care. To me, they are more of the tempting nuggets in the gold mine of history begging to be written. I hope I live long enough to write more of them.

Earl Staggs

“Where Billy Died” available for $1.99 at http://untreedreads.com/

Read two stories for free at: http://earlwstaggs.wordpress.com/


“The Day I Almost Became A Great Writer” – Loaded with laughs and a message to writers.


“White Hats and Happy Trails” – About the day I spent with a boyhood idol, Roy Rogers.

ASHLYN MACNAMARA TAKES US TO WHITE'S BETTING CLUB

One standard haunt of the Regency hero is his club. He often dines there. He definitely drinks and hangs out with his cronies there. He may even get into an altercation with the villain at one of these establishments. During the Regency period, a great number of gentleman's clubs existed, from the Sublime Society of Beefsteaks to better known establishments such as Boodle's or Brooks's.

The best known of all was White's. Founded in the late 1600s, it was originally established as a hot chocolate emporium. By the 18th century it had turned into a gambling house. One of its famous features is its bow window, where only the most exclusive members might claim a table.

White's - Regency Men's Club
Bow window for privileged at center 

The other famous feature of this club was its betting book. On its pages, members would wager on anything they could dream up. This might include which members of the aristocracy were most likely to marry, the outcome on the ongoing war with Napoleon, or sports. Here is a sampling:


Mr. Greville bets Lord Clanwilliam ten guineas, that Lord Stewart will be married to Lady F. Vane in six months.—June 18, 1818 [Clanwilliam paid].


Mr. Mills bets Lieutenant General Mackenzie a pony, that Lord Stewart goes to Vienna before he marries Lady Frances Vane. [Mills paid].


Lientenant-General Mackenzie bets Lord Yarmouth sixty guineas to fifty, that the Duke of Cambridge has a child before the Duke of Clarence.


Lord Sefton bets Sir Joseph Copley fifty guineas, that Lisbon and Cadiz will be in Buonaparte’s possession on or before the first of April next.—Jan. 17, 1809 [Copley paid.]


Some of the wagers were ridiculous. Lord Alvanley, of the privileged inner circle who was admitted to the bow window, is said to have once bet a friend £3,000 on a raindrop.

I took inspiration from this frivolous bet in the opening chapter of my Regency A TALE OF TWO SISTERS. My novel opens with the hero about to wager against his best friend on something ridiculous when he learns, through the reading of the betting book, that something even more serious might be about to occur. Here's an excerpt:

William Battencliffe wagers five thousand pounds that Miss Julia St. Claire will become the next Countess of Clivesden.


Benedict Revelstoke reread the lines in White's infamous betting book. What the devil? His fingers constricted about the quill, just shy of crushing it. Right. He'd been about to lay a wager. Some idiocy, no doubt—hardly worth the bother now.


The book's most recent inscription, scrawled in such a casual hand for all the world to see, had quite driven the notion from his mind. In gold ink, no less. How fitting. Gold ink for Battencliffe, the ton's golden boy.


Upperton, his oldest friend, nudged him. "What's the matter? Your feet coming over icy all the sudden?"


Lead blocks would be more accurate, but Benedict was not about to admit to that. He laid the quill aside and jabbed a finger at the heavy vellum page. "Have you seen this?"


The page darkened as Upperton peered over his shoulder. "Clivesden? Thought he was married. And what's Miss Julia got to do with any of this?"


"I've no idea, but I intend to find out." He released a breath between clenched teeth. "Appalling how so-called gentlemen will lay bets on young ladies of good reputation."


Ignoring the jibe, Benedict turned on his heel and strode down the steps to the pavement. A glance at his pocket watch told him it was ten minutes past eleven, still early by the ton's standards. That was something. At least he knew where he'd find Julia at such an hour.


He sighed at the prospect of dodging a passel of marriage-minded misses. He'd be damned before he let some idiot besmirch her reputation.




Ashlyn Macnamara



Ashlyn Macnamara's Regency romance, A TALE OF TWO SISTERS, a retelling of Sense and Sensibility—only with more love scenes, was a finalist in the 2011 Golden Heart® contest for unpublished manuscripts. It has since sold to Ballantine-Bantam-Dell and will hit bookshelves in early 2013.

 

Congratulations on your sale and release date, Ashlyn. Perhaps you'll come back nearer the publication's release for another look at A TALE OF TWO SISTERS.

ISABEL ROMAN ON DETAIL - HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?

Co-Authors Isabel Roman

Today Isabel Roman speaks out about details and research. About Isabel Roman: She’s really 2 people but prefers the royal ‘I’ for simplicity’s sake. I write romance. I read romance. I talk, tweet, blog, and email romance. I don't sleep romance because even my brain needs to shut off now and then. If you suffer from this affliction, join in the discussion!I’m specifically talking historicals, but research in a contemporary is just as important. I guess, adding in that to the equation, the real question is: How much detail do you like in a book?

Kathleen

Woodiwiss

Kathleen Woodiwiss is long credited with writing the first historical romance. She used big long paragraphs of description on just about everything: history, landscape, clothing, food, and everything else I may have missed in that list.

1972, First Release

I remember reading her once upon a time, and remember reading the rich descriptions, the elegant detail. Within the last few years, I tried to read her again and found myself skimming huge chunks of chapters just to get to the good stuff, then gave up after a bit.

Today, romance books don’t contain that level of description (some literary fiction does but I find myself skimming that, too). So the question remains. How much detail do you like in a book?

In SHADOW STATE, the historical details were kept to a minimum. Most readers of historical romance know at least the general outline of Hitler and the Nazis, so it wasn’t necessary to include that. Plus the very notion of Nazis makes people think of the ultimate evil. No further description seemed necessary.

However, I did go into details on certain things--where Elsa worked, the street she lived on, an architect’s name thrown in. No one cares, no one can pronounce the street (unless you’ve taken German) and unless you’re into German hospitals Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz means nothing.

But it’s all real, even the speedometer problem on Elsa’s Mercades as she’s driving north. Did researching this take a lot of time? Yes. Am I upset only a small, small portion made it into the story?

No. Why? Because I like these sorts of details in my historicals. I don’t need to know every last detail of every last historical item that the character probably already knows but is now thinking about for my benefit. But I like to read enough to know that not only does the author know what she’s (or he’s) talking about but also to sprinkle in the world the story inhabits. Small pieces of what the hero and heroine see and experience--furniture style, street names, artists and art houses. The way I spell werewolf in the story, the German way: wölfes for wolves, wehrwölfe for werewolf. A small way to add in the details that make romantic fiction so good.

Your turn! What do you like to see in your stories--long details on streets and histories and shipbuilding? Or less specific but just as important points? Or do you fall somewhere in between?

SHADIW STATE, originally in TAMING OF THE WOLF anthology, now available for 99¢ on B&N.com, All Romance eBooks, iBooks, and Smashwords. Coming soon to Amazon, Sony, and Kobo.

Now Available

Excerpt:

From Chapter One:

Agitation consumed Elsa von Skyler, an emotion that reverberated in her every movement as she paced up and down the main salon of their Berlin townhouse. Impatient, she yanked pins from her hair, letting the blonde locks fall to her shoulders. Her stocking feet made no sound on the hardwood floor or the Berber area rug her great-grandmother brought back from Morocco. Her shoes lay sprawled near the arched entrance where she’d flung them the moment they arrived.

The antiques scattered around the room blended oddly with the art deco furniture, many pieces handpicked straight from the Brauhaus School before its closure by the new regime. Silver accents highlighted the straight lines of the unique style.

A representation of a forest, its trees elongated and stylized, hung framed on one wall. She’d never been able to make out the signature, but it drew her the moment she’d seen it. The image portrayed her sense of belonging to her Clan, even while so far from its center, all too well.

Her father, Gerard, sat stiffly on the last remaining brocade chair and watched her pace. “Liebling, it’s a terrible risk to undertake. I don’t want you involved in this!”

“We have no choice!”

“Have you alerted Christoph?” he asked, and Elsa heard the resignation in his voice.

“Yes.”

A warm sensation flooded her at his name despite the imperativeness of the situation. She ruthlessly squashed it under the urgency of the moment. In her letter to Christoph, sent this afternoon by Pack messenger, she’d also clearly stated they were back in Germany. Still, now was not the time for fanciful thoughts of her Clan’s Alpha.

“I dispatched one the moment we heard.”

“I’ve warned you. Twice you’ve skirted my warnings and assisted those children. Now our worst fears are realized.” Gerard von Skyler stared straight at his daughter.

“Under these new policies they would’ve been euthanized!” she exclaimed.

“The policies are not our concern. We can no longer trouble ourselves with the humans. Understand that, Elsa.” Gerard stood, his normally clear face florid with anger.

Her father had a formidable temper, one she’d inherited. Today she’d seen it directed fully at her.

“One of our Clan has been captured, something that has not happened in modern times. We’ve seen what horrors they do to twins.” He waved in the general direction of Charitéplatz 1 where their research hospital stood. “And to those with the most common anomalies. With the leaps in science these past decades, I dare not think what they would do to us.”

He pounded his chest and she could see the fear in his eyes, the blue she’d inherited from him flashed darker. His wölfe pushed close to the surface.

“The one concern we have is the survival and safety of our Clan.”

“I’m aware,” she bit out through clenched teeth, her own fear making her temper sharper, her wölfe clawed to be released, “that because of these policies we’re all in danger. The course they take with their eugenics studies at Kaiser Wilhelm is absurd. What they do to humans’ affects us. You’ve seen it at Charité!”

“Your actions,” he continued with more calm but no less fear, “brought the suspicion of the Department of Scientific Inquiries down on us. Now we’re faced with one of our own in the clutches of that maniac Strasser. They’ll watch us closer than ever.”

“Erik is in mourning,” she shot back.

“True. To see his mate torn apart by a looting mob is something I wish on no man, human or wölfe.” Gerard agreed with a pain she knew stemmed from his own wife’s death in the bloody aftermath of the war. She remembered her mother’s scent but little else. On rare occasions, she could hear her voice, a distant melody of love.

“It doesn’t change the facts—he’s endangered us all.”

“Even though he’s no longer a member of our Pack,” Elsa stated though her father knew this, “but of Ursula’s. The responsibility fell to the van Dietrich Pack when they mated. With his capture, it’s all our duty to protect him.”

“They know what he is,” her father insisted. “There were witnesses we’ll never be able to find. The Nazi’s know what Erik is and where his family is from. This will destroy everything we’ve worked for.”

He didn’t look happy even as he said the words she dreaded all afternoon. “We have two choices. We can help him escape, move him to Lower Saxony or elsewhere.” He paused and took a deep breath. “Or we can kill him.”

“Father,” she began, but couldn’t go on. She turned to stare at the forest painting.

The very thought of killing Erik made her ill. For years, her father worked to find a cure for their dwindling population, she alongside him once her schooling was completed. To kill a member of their Clan…She couldn’t bear it, not when her instinct told her to protect the Clan at all costs.

More, she wasn’t sure they could do it. The logistics of getting past the guards to Erik were hard enough, but with so few scientists working on his case, suspicion would instantly fall to them. And the Nazi’s were not a forgiving group.

Gerard’s unspoken words hung heavily between them. If they helped Erik escape, or worse were forced to do the unthinkable, there was a strong chance they’d have to leave Berlin, too.

Part of Berlin’s elite for centuries, the von Skylers had status, power, and connections. If they moved, all they’d worked so hard to achieve in the interest of their people would be destroyed.

In the end it didn’t matter. They had to protect the secret. Whether they evacuated Berlin or not, they’d planned for that long before Germany was a unified country. They’d do what they had to in order to survive.

“The choice is unclear. Escape is what we all want but we may be forced,” Elsa swallowed hard. “We may be forced to end Erik’s suffering.”



 
Isabel, thank you so much for that tense excerpt and your comments on detail, with which I very much agree. Oooh, you cover is frightening enough that I'll have to order it in the daylight.

SUMMER RECIPES TO KEEP YOU COOL

Here in North Central Texas we are suffering from the heat and a drought with record high temperatures during both daytime and at night. The weather has us in summer doldrums, unwilling to heat up the kitchen to cook. In case you also have the summer doldrums or unseasonably hot weather, here are cool recipes that are better than a sandwich, but don’t require heating up the kitchen.

Whenever I serve Corn Salad, I always receive requests for the recipe. Usually, diners help themselves to more than one serving of this scorn alad. After you taste it, you’ll see why.

We like the Copper Pennies because they keep well and are not the same old thing. Actually, I love carrots anyway.

The Pea Salad is one my mom served frequently, especially in summer months. She only bought LeSeur peas for guests or to take to a church luncheon. Otherwise, it was the store brand of small peas. Okay, you do have to boil a couple of eggs, so technically that is cooking. Do it early in the day so the kitchen won’t be hot.

Corn Salad

2 cans whole kernel corn, drained

1 cup chopped purple onion

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups Hellman’s mayonnaise
1 pkg chili cheese Fritos

Mix all ingredients except Fritos and chill. Just before serving, coarsely crumble Fritos and mix together. (I poke a small hole in the Fritos package to let the air out, and then pound the package to crumble the chips. Then I just open the bag and pour the crumbles onto the salad. No mess that way. Refrigerated salad keeps well for the next day or two.

Copper Pennies

5 Cups canned sliced carrots
1 medium onion sliced
1 medium bell pepper

Dressing:

1 can tomato soup
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup vinegar
1 tsp mustard
1/4 tsp pepper

Mix dressing well and pour over vegetables. Refrigerate overnight.

Pea Salad

2 cans sweet young peas (she preferred LeSeur)
2 hard-boiled eggs, diced
1 cup sweet pickle relish (Vlasic)
3 or 4 spring onions diced or 1/2 minced white onion

1/2 cup Miracle Whip or mayonnaise

Mix together and refrigerate for an hour.

If you need heartier fare, throw some meat on the outdoor grill and keep the kitchen cool.


As they say Bon Apetít

By the way, not to press, but here's the buy link for my latest release, HOME SWEET TEXAS HOME, at The Wild Rose Press 

www.thewildrosepress.com/caroline-clemmons-m-638.html

STAYCATION - VICARIOUS VACATION IN ENGLAND

Ready for a trip? How is the weather where you live? We're experiencing killer heat here in North Central Texas, and I long to go where it's cool. Power usage in the heat has our microwave server the victim of rolling brown outs--which means our uploading/downloading speed is dial up slow. The electric company has just issued a rolling 45-minute brown out alert for all users. Let's run away, shall we? How about a quick trip to England?

Obviously, I can’t give you a full English tour. There are simply too many memorable places to include in one post. I’ll hit a few high spots and feature others another time. For now, I'll include only two places in the London metropolitan area.

Harrod's Unique Store

The first is Harrod’s. We’ve heard about this department store because of the owner’s relationship, through his son, to Lady Diana at the time of her death. The store is legendary for many, many reasons. Harrod’s is huge and has everything you can imagine--and many you never dreamed existed. But if they don’t have it, they can get it for you. I love just walking through the store, watching people and absorbing the charm. Harrod’s tea room is a lovely place to enjoy lunch. No, I didn't do any major shopping there.

Cutty Sark Building
Does it make you
thirsty?

A fun building not far away is the corporate office of Cutty Sark (for you non-drinkers, that's the whiskey firm). The building is shaped like a ship. Sorry the photo isn’t better, but I snapped it through the bus window. Seeing this ship-shaped building always makes me smile. But let’s visit some rural areas, shall we?

 

For years Hero didn’t think he’d like travel with a tour group. Once he tried it on a short trip with friends, he learned he loved relaxing and letting someone else deal with reservations, luggage, and driving. In other words, he also gets a vacation. The one drawback is that if there’s somewhere off the tour route you want to see, you're out of luck. Driving through Northumberland and Yorkshire, where many of my ancestors lived, pleased me. No chance to stop and investigate, because we were with a tour group, but driving through gave me a connection to the past.

Tombstone in front is Wordsworth's. I hope
daffodils bloog here in spring.

One of the prettiest places we stopped was Grassmere, a small village in the Lake District around Windermere. In Dove Cottage at Grassmere,  William Wordsworth lived and wrote. Did you learn his poem, “The Daffodils” in school? Growing up in West Texas, I couldn’t image a land where "clouds of daffodils" grew wild. In fact, it's still hard for me to wrap my mind around the concept. Too bad we were at the wrong time of year for daffodils. There were still plenty of other varieties of lovely, colorful  flowers blooming.

After dining on--what else?--English fish and chips, we took a brief boat ride on Lake Windermere. Hero and I used to live in Windermere, Florida, which allegedly was named after this one in England. I see why the Lake District is a favorite vacation spot for the English.



Beatrix Potter's former home

While on the boat ride, I snapped this photo of Beatrix Potter’s home, but my hasty photo does not convey the beauty of the actual scene. The lawn slopes down to the water's edge, and tall trees along the shore offer privacy. Her home is operated by a trust and open for visitors, but we weren't able to work a tour into our schedule. I loved glimpsing her home even at a distance, and imagined Peter Rabbit munching away in her garden. 



Hero and I at Stonehenge.



Stonehenge is an impressive sight. Seeing it pop into view on the plain is quite a surprise. Regardless of your opinions of how and why it was built, don’t you agree it’s an astonishing accomplishment?  We were fortunate to have also visited Stonehenge years ago when visitors were allowed to walk among the stones. Now, one must remain outside the chain fence circling the stones.

 

Roman Bath at Bath, England

Another pretty place was the city of Bath. I love Regency and Victorian set novels, and someone’s always going off to Bath in those books. Once I saw the city, I certainly understood why. The Roman baths are an amazing feat and I enjoyed touring them. Imagine buildings that age that are still safe enough to walk through. But the beauty is in the city itself.  Looking down from the hills when sunlight catches the golden hues of Bath’s honey-colored stone is awe-inspiring.

Hope you’ve enjoyed this mini-tour and that it enhanced your staycation. Thanks for reading.

POPCORN BOOKS: EASY GUIDES TO THE TECHNICAL STUFF WRITERS NEED

Stephanie Suesan Smith, PhD

Please welcome my eldest daughter. Althought I refer to her as Darling Daughter One, her name is Stephanie Suesan Smith. Her degree is in clinical psychology, but she is also a Master Gardener, non-fiction writer, photographer, and wood worker. In addition, she has helped me with our family research and located legal documents no one else in the family could find. Stephanie lives in East Texas with her two dogs, Star and Sandy. Along with Hero, Stephanie is my tech support. Nice to have a 24/7 helpline since I'm definitely cyber-challenged. Here's Stephanie:

POPCORN BOOKS: BITE-SIZED

GUIDES TO THE UNIVERSE^TM

Just read the manual. For many people, that phrase ranks right up there with “You need a root canal.” At least a dentist gives you anesthesia.

Technical people like to play with the more arcane parts of a program as much as, or more than, the straight forward parts. We forget that writers and other people have actual lives and just want to set up their social media stuff so they can get back to writing. Fortunately, some of us have non-technical people in our lives that remind us of that fact.

To that end, I am starting a series of guides I call POPCORN BOOKS: BITE-SIZED GUIDES TO THE UNIVERSE^TM. They contain just enough information to get you going without all the technical gobbledygook. Better yet, they are only 99 cents each at Amazon Kindle.

The first guide is called HOW TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO MAKE YOUR BLOG WORK HARDER. Getting your blog on Kindle, an Amazon author page, a Goodreads author page, Facebook, and Twitter are covered. In one swoop, you have five bases covered. I include screen shots showing exactly what to do, so you can set things up with as little difficulty as possible.

No Twitter account? No problem. The next pamphlet is HOW TO SET UP A TWITTER ACCOUNT. This guide covers establishing an account and making a nice looking profile page. You not only want a Twitter account, you want to appear as if you know what you are doing and drive traffic to your webpage and mailing list. Screenshots help you with this task, as well.

Other planned guides are:

• Setting up a Facebook personal page
• Setting up a Facebook fan page
• Setting up your Google profile
• Getting started on Google +
• Setting up a self-hosted Wordpress blog

Are there other topics you would like to see? If so, please let me know. My email is stephaniesuesansmith@gmail.com. My website is http://stephaniesuesansmith.com, if you want to see examples of my work.

Stephanie's dogs, Sandy left and Star in the

corner, on a recent visit to Caroline and Hero.

Sandy and Stare are waiting for Stephanie to catch up

from their walk and open the door for them to come inside
from our curent oppressive heat in North Central Texas.

Thanks, Stephanie, for letting us know about your guides and those you've planned in the future. The pamphlets definitely fill a need! And thanks for all the help you've given my friends in the past.

If you love either historical or contemporary western romance, please check http://texasdruids.blogspot.com/ for Lyn Horner's series on western romance. She's invited a number of western romance authors to guest post and share different aspects of the genre. The series appears twice a week through September 1st.

KINDNESS IS CONTAGIOUS

Remember when we were all encouraged to go out and commit Random Acts of Kindness? There were even bumber stickers urging us to join. What happened to that movement? There’s a TV commercial that shows one person’s tiny kindness spreading to many others. Today I’m sharing quotes on kindness and hope. Yes, I collect sayings like these. I can’t help myself. Like babies, puppies, and kittens, these sayings make me smile. I hope they make you smile . . . and act kindly toward those you meet today.

"Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind." Henry James

"How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong....because someday in your life you will have been all of these." 
George Washington Carver.

"The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof. What I want is so simple I almost can't say it: elementary kindness. Enough to eat, enough to go around. The possibility that kids might one day grow up to be neither the destroyers nor the destroyed. That's about it..." Barbara Kingsolver

"Life is short and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are travelling the dark journey with us. Oh be swift to love, make haste to be kind." Henri Frederic Amiel

“The most important word in the English language is hope." Eleanor Roosevelt

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all." Dale Carnegie

"No one can go back and make a brand new start. Anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending." Jeanne Bice

Kindness is contagious. Let's start an epidemic!

BOOK REVIEW - 7 FOLDS OF WINTER, BY CAROLYN McCRAY

Available Now

7 FOLDS OF WINTER is a young adult tale that will also appeal to adults who love fantasy. To me it appears a blend of ancient lore, fantasy, and a lesson in earth stewardship. In the opening, the main character, Traven, reminisces about his childhood and instruction from his Granny Barely. Obviously he listened to her, because he grew up to become Hero of the Realm. Here is some of her advice that I found especially true:

Wolves don’t wear no sheep’s clothes. They don’t have no needs because they wears the skin of man.

A deceitful tongue is like armor made of oiled paper. It shimmers and looks pretty in the light, but once the flames of truth brush against it, there’s nothing left but smoke.

This book is a fast-paced adventure sure to hold a young person’s interest. The imagery is vivid and the cast of characters varied and intriguing. Chrystalia, the heroine, is a delight. She is courageous and finds her inner strength. One of the characters I loved was Ornery, but each of the secondary characters is as well defined as the main characters. With an army of unlikely compatriots, Traven battles the mighty Winter King. Can Traven’s few helpers hope to overcome such a mighty foe? Can Traver win the hand of the Snow Maiden? No spoilers here. This book ends with a perfect lead into a second book, which I hope Ms McCray is writing. 

7 FOLDS OF WINTER is available for $3.99 from Smashwords

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/74475 and at Amazon.



Carolyn McCray and Princess,

one of her chihuahuas



Carolyn McCray is a writing instructor who has written indie-published bestselling mysteries, a religious mystery, romance, and now Young Adult. You can find her at http://www.carolynmcray.com/ She's taken the summer off from her blog, but you can follow her on Twitter at @craftycmc and @writingnodrama.

This book was furnished free to me for an impartial review.


Thanks for stopping by!

CHANCE FOR FREE PDF COPY OF HEART OF A HERO

Today I welcome my good friend Celia Yeary. No, we've never met in person, but we are online BFF's because we've learned we have an incredible number of things in common. Honestly, with so many experiences, we share we must be related--so we tell people we're cousins. Do you think anyone believes us?

I'm so pleased Cousin Celia is here today to share her new release, HEART OF A HERO. She's offering one lucky person who comments a PDF of the book. Now, here's Celia:

Author Celia Yeary

Thank you, Caroline, for allowing me to introduce a new release no one knows much about. I'm happy to have this opportunity to introduce a Contemporary Romance, a little spicy, full of hurting, revenge, and love. The title is HEART OF A HERO.


I wrote this story a few years ago and learned that most romance publishers wouldn't take it in its present form. You see, I do have a hero and a heroine, but the hero is entangled with a fiancé with whom he tries to keep secret from a young woman he meets and instantly falls in love. She, too, holds a secret, and so they spend a summer together—a long, hot, dangerous summer—in which they cling to each other, knowing they will have to part.


As a result, I held on to it, studying publishers who seemed to be more lenient with guidelines. I took a chance with Whimsical Publications, owned by Janet Durbin, and although we did some serious editing, the basic plot and characters remained intact. Thank you, Janet.

The story came to me in bits and pieces as I watched our men and women go off to war halfway around the world to Iraq, Afghanistan, and other dangerous places. Then I watched with a breaking heart, some of those who survived come home, often to more problems than they had on the battlefield. I always thought—now they must fight for their own freedom to have the life they want and deserve. As the reader will learn, Matt Carrington's family holds him hostage as much as the terrorists did.

 Blurb:


Matt Carrington escapes a terrorists’ prison while in the Army, but he has difficulty escaping the trappings of a demanding fiancé and his own parents. To get away to think, he meets pretty, girl-next-door Lauren Delaney, the kind of woman he desires. But his fiancé and his parents have other plans, and they determine to have their way—no matter what Matt wants.


Lauren Delaney is an independent young woman who quickly befriends the soldier hero who comes to town. Knowing he has another life in Dallas, she holds a secret, too. But she pretends neither have a problem in order to have the summer with him.


During the long hot months, a hurricane almost destroys the town. Matt and Lauren work with a team to save as many residents as they can, and in the process fall deeply in love. When the danger is past, the two lovers suffer from their own lies and misunderstandings. Can they find peace and happiness without hurting others?

Excerpt:

Lauren knew he was shutting her out.


Matt was angry, so angry that he couldn’t talk anymore.


She could figure out what had probably happened with his family and his girl. He had not been given time to sort out his feelings, or grieve for lost comrades, or contemplate his own life—which he almost lost. Lauren’s heart went out to him.


Walking to him, she placed her palm on his back, on the wound beneath his shirt. The ugly, sickening scar, with a matching one in front. At the river, she had plenty of opportunity to see it and plenty of time to feel the pain he had suffered. Silently, she had wept for him and prayed for him. Now, she knew for certain that the biggest, ugliest scar marred his heart and soul. His family had become the enemy.


Instead of talking to him, she took his glass from his fingers without his knowing. As quietly as she could, she began to collect ingredients for their dinner. Food would help him. Then, she had a plan that would soothe his hurting. At the same time, she would soothe her own.


He appeared in the doorway. “Are you okay?”


“Me, Matt?” she asked. “Well, yes, I am, but I’m very hungry. Aren’t you?”


“Are you angry with me?” With a frown, he ran his fingers through his short, dark hair and then let his arm drop.


She placed the skillet on the stove, turned fully to him, and spoke ever so softly. “Why would I be mad at you? How could I ever be angry with you, Matt? All I see in you is good and honest and generous. Do you think because you chose not to talk anymore, that I would turn on you? That’s unfair, isn’t it? You’re a free man, Matt; free to do as you choose, free to make your own choices. Isn’t that one reason you went to fight a war halfway around the world? To defend freedom? It’s precious, Matt. Don’t let anyone take that away from you. Whatever you do, don’t let them take it away.”

BUY LINKS: in eBook and print


HEART OF A HERO, a contemporary romance set in Texas, is now available at:


Amazon Kindle--- http://www.amazon.com/Heart-of-a-Hero%20e-book/dp/B0059WEBUO/ref=sr_2_10?books&ie=UTF8&qid=13110820975&sr=1-10

and eBook on Smashwords by Whimsical Publishing: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/71142


PRINT AND EBOOK FOR THE NOOK:


B&N- http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heart-of-a-hero-celia-yeary/1104173045?ean=9781936167456&itm=3&usri=celia%2byear y

I would love to give away a pdf copy of HEART OF A HERO. Please leave a comment for a chance to win. Thank you…


Celia Yeary-Romance...and a little bit 'o Texas


http://www.celiayeary.blogspot.com/


http://www.celiayeary.com/


http://sweetheartsofthewest.blogspot.com/

Thanks, Celia. Readers, thanks for stopping by. Don't forget to comment to qualify for Celia's drawing!

Available Now!
For those of you not from Texas, that's the
Dallas skyline in the cover's background