My Interview on CraziBeautifulWomen

by Marsha Ward

Lori Nawyn did a beautiful interview with me that has been posted on the Girlfriend to Girlfriend section of the CraziBeautifulWomen website. I hope you'll go take a look.

Although I've been down with the flu, I'm pretty much recovered now, and gearing up again into promoting my latest book, Trail of Storms. The novel has been getting very good reviews, often from people who didn't ever think they would enjoy reading a historical novel set in the Old West.

Have you ever read such a book? Are you open to the idea of expanding your reading universe, or do you tend to stick with one or two favorite genres?

A Stellar Review

by Marsha Ward

Trail of Storms got another review that made me jump for joy. In fact, the reviewer, Jennie Hansen, who writes for Meridian Magazine, included her thoughts on the first two books in the Owen family series, as well.

Hansen begins by saying, "Trail of Storms by Marsha Ward is the third book in a western series featuring the Owen family that takes place during those first years following the conclusion of the US Civil War."

In between, she says some very lovely things, then ends thusly: "Historical and Western fans of either gender will enjoy this series from the compelling covers to the last word of this third volume. It's a series I'm glad I had the opportunity to read."

My reaction?

Happy Happy, Joy Joy!

by Marsha Ward

I've had a busy May. Not because I have children finishing up school, since I'm beyond that in my stage of life. It's because of the craziness related to having a new book come out, plus life in general. You can read about some of my adventures last week here or here.

Um, about that last link. Yes, I've taken on another blog. I've been asked to be a perma blogger at The Millennial Star. The Administrator joked about nepotism, since my nephew, Ben Pratt, already blogs there, but I don't think Ben lobbied to get me the post.

On Sunday evening I got word that a review of Trail of Storms had been posted on LDS Fiction Review. To my great delight, "Erin" (all the reviewers on the site are anonymous) gave me 4 1/2 Stars. The awesome thing about that is she doesn't even like historical fiction. Besides that, it's the highest rating she's given since she joined the site! The news made this week a very happy one.

Trail of Storms is now available

by Marsha Ward


Trail of Storms showed up on Amazon.com yesterday. The listing says they don't have any books yet, but that will cease to be an issue once you start ordering. It's eligible for Free Super Saver Shipping (on orders over $25), by the way. If you don't own a set yet, order the other novels (The Man from Shenandoah and Ride to Raton) and get the series shipped to you for free.

The funny news is that someone already found out the book is available and has it for sale for a penny less than Amazon. It's a new copy, too.

It's also at booksamillion.com, although they've increased the online price there. Do they do that on all their offerings so you'll join the club and get a "discount"?

Soon Trail of Storms will be on BarnesandNoble.com (aka bn.com).

Go forth and buy. It's one way to save the economy. =)

Once you're read Trail of Storms, be sure to return to the online booksellers and do a review or put on a comment. Thank you. I appreciate that.

Review: Servant to a King

by Marsha Ward

I signed up for the Summer Book Trek 2008, and read four books. My final read was Sariah S. Wilson's Servant to a King. The back cover gives the thread of the story:

When Isabel's father offers her hand to a Nephite, she's shocked and angry—and when the offer is refused, she's utterly furious. How dare this Ammon refuse to marry the beautiful eldest daughter of King Lamoni! There could only be one explanation for this unforgivable dishonor: Ammon must be a spy.

Isabel closely watches her enemy, expecting to find evidence of treachery, but instead she finds evidence of loyalty, bravery, and kindness. Afraid to admit her growing affection for Ammon, Isabel hides her true feelings behind a headstrong façade. Yet when the vile Lamanite prince Mahlon threatens to take her as a bride and wrest the kingdom from Lamoni, Isabel must choose between her pride and her life. Meanwhile, the risks of love test Ammon's faith and courage as never before.

Will Ammon thwart the marriage of Isabel and Mahlon before it's too late? And could a Lamanite princess and a Nephite prince really live happily ever after?

Sariah Wilson wanted the title of this book to be The Nephite Who Loved Me, but her publisher chose Servant to a King. I think the author's preferred title is in line with the light-hearted and humanizing approach she took to the life of this Book of Mormon icon. That is certainly not to say that she demeaned his character or mission in any way. She simply brought Ammon to life for me in a way that I've never experienced before. For that, I am grateful to her.

Despite the author's preference in titles, there are no James Bond-esque immoral escapades in this book. Quite the contrary is true. This is about true love, hard work, and faith in God conquering fear and cultural differences. There are, however, adventures galore. Maybe I should say aplenty. Sariah kept to the true-life Book of Mormon account, skillfully weaving romance and emotion into the history, and ending in a satisfactory way.

Well done, Sariah!

Writing Again

By Marcia Mickelson

So, I took a few weeks off from writing. I watched a few movies. I read Stephenie Meyer's Breaking Dawn. (Go to my blog if you'd like to read my review.)

Now, I'm back to writing mode. It feels good to be off editing mode and back to writing mode. I have 38,352 words written in my work in progress. So far, I don't like my working title. It needs a little work.

It feels good to be back to writing. And, I'm working on a fairly new project. I started it in April during Book In A Month and am so happy to pick it back up. I've been working on old stuff for so long. It feels good to be working on something new.

I'm trying to write at least 1,000 words a day. So far, the month has gone okay. Thanks to Tristi Pinkston for once again sponsoring a BIAM for August. I hope to actually add to the word count this time. Last BIAM, I used for editing and my word count diminished rather than increased.

Once school starts, I think I'll be more successful because the kids' bedtime gets more regular. I would love to have this thing finished by October. Then, it's back to editing mode. Yuck. I don't like editing.

Heaven Scent

by Marsha Ward

Thanks a lot, Rebecca! You made me cry. Not to mention stay up too late!

Last night I read Rebecca Talley's novel, Heaven Scent, from cover to cover. What a gripping, compelling read!

It's a story of a young woman taking upon herself the task of putting back together her unraveling family--just as so many teenagers do, thinking somehow it's their job to do that. I was right there in Liza Compton's head, trying to figure out how to get my dad to pay attention to me like he used to do.

Then when something happened in the plot, I inwardly groaned, Oh no! It's a "Deus ex machina!" But I kept going, and soon I mumbled, "Yeah, but it worked, and it worked well."

This tale of overcoming unspeakable tragedy and getting on the road to emotional and physical recovery and reconciliation is a must read, for young people and adults, as well.

Thanks, Rebecca!

Happy Birthday to Me!

by Marsha Ward

Sorry I don't have anything spectacular to report like Tami did. Wait, wait, except that I did get a great review of my manuscript from a critiquer yesterday. Thanks, Dan! He is awesome!

It's that time of the year again. Time to stress over taxes, that is. Oh, and BTW, celebrate reaching that ripe upper middle age of 62.

I very much appreciate getting to this age. The alternative is not somewhere I want to go just yet. Maybe that's why when my husband died prematurely almost ten years ago, and people would pat my hand and say, "You'll be with him soon," I would recoil in horror! Not me! Not yet!

I intend to live to a very old age. I have so many stories to tell, so much service to give, so many family issues to see resolved (mumble, mumble).

You tell me. By looking at my picture, would you guess that I'm in my sixties? Early sixties, to be sure, but I don't see a tremendous lot of wrinkles or gray hair. Do you? (That's my natural color, BTW.)

No, I didn't think so. My Birthday Wish is to continue celebrating many birthdays down the years.

Marketing Mode

Sorry I didn't post yesterday. I spent the entire day with one goal in mind--get the brochures in the mail by 5:00! You see, I'm in "marketing mode." My middle-grade novel, MAKE ME A HOME (sequel to MAKE ME A MEMORY seen here) comes out in February, four short months away, and as I've learned the not-so-easy way, these pre-publication months can be crucial.

"So what is this brochure about?" I hear you ask.

"Why, thanks for asking," I reply.

These are my "school visit" brochures. I sent out 90 yesterday. Since my children's novels--MAKE ME A MEMORY, and MAKE ME A HOME revolve around the life of a young girl named Allie, whose soldier father is deployed to Iraq, I focused this first round of brochures at "military impacted" schools--schools on or near military bases. I've spoken at several of these schools, and it's a humbling experience to meet these children who are living the life of my character, Allie. I feel such a connection to them and I'm so inspired by their strength. They are the reason I wrote these books.

I'm especially excited about this brochure because I just received the following endorsement:

"MAKE ME A HOME is a great story and truly captures the 'roller coaster' of emotions that a young person might experience during the deployment of a loved one." --Stacye Parry, The Military Child Education Coalition

I was SO EXCITED to receive this endorsement! The MCEC is a wonderful organization dedicated to military children and they are affiliated with every branch of the military. I hope this endorsement will help to open doors for my little story. And this brings me to the next thing on my marketing "to-do" list:

Reviews and endorsements!

I need to coordinate with my publisher to see that ARCs (advance review copies) are sent out to the major reviewers of children's literature--School Library Journal, Booklist, etc. I stand a much better chance of my book landing in a school library and then a child's hands if it is first reviewed in one of these journals.

Next, on to the local media...

"Does it ever end?" I hear you ask.

I hope not!