Sunday, July 31, 2011

Tristi's New Book!

Author Tristi Pinkston is excited to announce the release of the third novel in her Secret Sisters Mysteries series.

Titled Hang ‘em High, this novel takes place on a dude ranch in Montana. When Ida Mae’s son invites her to come for a visit, of course she brings Arlette and Tansy along with her. They are expecting to spend the week looking at horses, avoiding the cows, and making amends in Ida Mae’s relationship with her son. What they don’t expect is to be stuck on the ranch in the middle of a blizzard and to be thrust headlong into the middle of a mystery.
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Help Tristi celebrate her new novel in two ways. First, come participate in the two-week-long blog contest, where you can win a book nearly every single day! All the details are up on Tristi’s blog.




Second, come to the book launch!

You are invited to an

August Authorama!

Saturday, August 13th

Pioneer Book, 858 S. State, Orem

12 – 4 pm

Games, prizes, balloons, face painting,

and Dutch oven cobbler

prepared by world champion cook

Keith Fisher.

Authors Tristi Pinkston, J. Lloyd Morgan, Cindy Hogan,

Nichole Giles, and Heather Justesen

will all be there to sign books.

This is one book launch event

you will not want to miss!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

My review: A Countess Below Stairs


A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson

From the cover: After the Russian Revolution turns her world topsy-turvy, Anna, a young Russian countess, has no choice but to flee to England. Penniless, Anna hides her aristocratic background and takes a job as servant in the household of the esteemed Westerholme family, armed only with an outdated housekeeping manual and sheer determination. Desperate to keep her past a secret, Anna is nearly overwhelmed by her new duties, not to mention her instant attraction to Rupert, the handsome earl of Westerholme. To make matters worse, Rupert appears to be falling for her as well. As their attraction grows stronger, Anna finds it more and more difficult to keep her most dearly held secrets from unraveling. And then there's the small matter of Rupert's beautiful and nasty fiancée. . .

My opinion: I've been trained as a novelist not to "head hop" or, if you're unfamiliar with the term, not to show too many different character POV's in one book, or even one scene. That aside, this book is one of the best I've read in a while. The author had a way of making the protagonists characters you absolutely invested in, while making the antagonists utterly despised for their ideals and actions. Seriously, give it a shot. I read it in an evening because I couldn't put it down. Check out this LINK to find the paperback and the Kindle version.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Poem

He Smiles No More

We have pictures on the wall of him,
his mouth always a smile.
Time passes, and when we look at him,
we see it has faded.
The pictures never tell the truth.
The smile, warm and loving, is never seen.
Now we see a child, a mere babe in years,
carrying the torture, pain, and tears
of someone older than us all.
The child, so loving and dear,
cries himself to sleep now.
When I look at the pictures on the wall
of him so young and innocent,
I think to myself,
"He smiles no more."
The pain he carries weighs him down.
How can we expect an angel to fly
when he carries all our burdens
on his wings?
Some say he'll outgrow it all,
and be a normal person.
They say sensitivity is weak.
In this world, today, I know it is,
but it's purer and better than anything.
We love him, yes,
but he smiles no more.
Help the child, Daddy!
He needs you!
Mommy please!
He cries out for you both,
as I plead.
Put aside your differences, and
help your commonality:
your son.

April 17, 1992

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

You thought I Forgot

Didn't you? Don't deny it. Yes, I can post about things other than e-books. :)

She Isn't Here

Knock, knock--was that someone at the door?
No, her little friends don't play here anymore.
So quiet, so still. No silence so lonely
as the silence of toys not playing
with their little girl.
I turn them on so I can hear
what it was like when she was with me.
I chide myself for all the times
I asked her to be quiet.
Her drawings, her books, her dolls...
I find them all around me.
The tape I have of her reading her first book--
the sounds that all surround me.
I want my baby back! My little girl,
when can you be with me?
Without you, it's like I'm sitting
all alone, in an empty field.



August 1, 1996

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

A Story on Layering

Last week, Rebecca had to have port surgery. If you've been keeping up with her BLOG, you'll know that she's been having trouble with the chemo and they had to do something other than the IV method. This is one BRAVE lady, people. She hates all the medical stuff, hates needles, hates hospitals, etc--and has really come through it all amazingly well. Also, Monday (July 4) her youngest had his 4th birthday. He made sure we understood that all the fireworks and parties were for him. :) What a cutie!

Now I have just the teensiest request for me. Here's where the layers come in.


The Wild Queen, my e-book, is the story of a great, epic romance--but it is not a romance novel. Unfortunately, in categorizing the story for sale, someone *cough* me *cough* listed romance as one of the search words. This has led to at least one misunderstanding. A kind reader picked it up on amazon.com expecting a romance, and was sorely disappointed.

Please understand I appreciate feedback, even the not-so-nice kind, because it gives me a chance to analyze my writing, learn and grow. I also understand a review is simply someone's opinion, and I don't intend to try to please everyone. This reader took the story at face value and didn't like what they saw. Because of that, they jumped to a couple of erroneous conclusions, and really socked it to my non-romance romance novel. I've purposely layered this story, making it more complex than it would otherwise appear. I'm also confident I didn't over-complicate the plot because I've had several readers tell me what they think was really going on--and they are right.

So what's my problem? Simply this: the ONLY review the book has on amazon.com is a 1 star review, which I feel does the book--and my efforts to raise money for my friend's medical expenses--a disservice. My request? If you've read the book, please go to the product page on AMAZON and leave your review. I don't want anyone to diss this person's review or sink to name calling, because that's not what this is about. All I ask is that there be other opinions on there, too.

Thanks!