January Member News

We have an impressive list of new releases and recognition this month! 

New Releases

Irene Bennett Brown Chaff ’n’ Chatter This collection is her “sort of memoir” of the times. "Take a snippet of history, a tad of nostalgia, priceless photos, several small town delights (like mint princesses and the benefits of a back yard where kids imaginations turn old wagons into stage coaches). Put them together with quotes from Byron and Emerson and a few other poets in just the right measure and you'll savor insight and wisdom across the years and generations. You'll also be holding in your hands another Irene Bennett Brown classic. Chaff 'n' Chatter is a writer's research tool, inspiration and just plain good reading. I confess to a bit of the green-eyed envy that this award-winning writer has been writing this well since the 1960s. She must have come out of the womb with well-spoken words. How fortunate we all are that she's saved them and chosen to share them now in this wonderful collection of essays I'll treasure." Jane Kirkpatrick, New York Times Bestselling author of Homestead, A Memoir.

Sherry Monahan, Mrs. Earp When most people hear the name Earp, they think of Wyatt, Virgil, Morgan, and sometimes the lesser known James and Warren. While it’s true these men made history on their own, they all had a Mrs. Earp behind them—some more than one. Mrs. Earp collectively traces the lives of the women who shared the title of Mrs. Earp either by name or relationship.

Susan Wittig Albert has announced the re-release, under her own imprint Persevero Press, of two books previously published by Jeremy Tarcher: Work of Her Own: A Woman’s Guide to Creating Her Own Livelihood and Writing From Life: For Women With Stories to Tell. Both are available in eBook and print formats, online. 

Tammy Hinton, Retribution. The war changed everything Emilee loved. The young woman couldn’t foresee the terror that peace would bring. Moving to Texas seemed the answer, but Death rode the same trail west. Emilee vowed she’d deliver the villain to the hanging tree or put a bullet in him herself.

 Hearts and Spurs Two WWW members have stories in this anthology (first and last in the volume, respectively):
 "The Widow's Heart" by Linda Broday Desperate and alone, Skye O'Rourke finds courage and a love she thought she'd lost when a man from her past emerges from the shimmering desert heat.
 "The Second-Best Ranger in Texas" by Kathleen Rice Adams A washed-up Texas Ranger. A failed nun with a violent past. A love that will redeem them both.( How do you capture a cowboy's heart?
Nine of western romance's best authors come together in one volume to help Old West heroes and heroines find their happily-ever-afters. From mild to sensuous, from outlaws to lawmen, from sassy nuns to saucy mail-order brides and tough-as-nails widows, Hearts and Spurs leaves no doubt that when Cupid plays with cowboys, he plays for keeps.  The book is available in paperback at Amazon and in most e-formats at your favorite online bookstore (Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and others).

Althea Williams Clay's Quest, under the pseudonym, Christi Williams. She’ll do anything to get her way. Tall, elegant and beautiful, Emma Thorpe has wanted a baby for years. The yearning for a child occupies all her thoughts, her time, her effort, and any money she and her husband can scrape up for medical intervention. After trying and failing to conceive, the solution that finally comes to her is to leave her husband and hope to find a man—any man—capable of fulfilling her deepest desire. Also available on Kindle and Smashwords.

Gail Jenner, Across the Sweetgrass Hills, a previous WILLA Award winner, has been re-released by Prairie Rose Publications. Liza Ralston has had more adventure in her life than she ever wanted. Leaving her settled existence with friends and family in St. Louis to travel to the Big Sky country of wild Montana with her father, she soon wishes she could turn the clock back. When their scout is murdered and her father is severely wounded by thieves, the Pikuni tribe led by Crying Wind takes them in. But Liza wants nothing more than to return to St. Louis, despite her growing attraction for Red Eagle, the handsome son of a white trapper and Blackfeet mother.

Awards

Barbara Marriott The Fleet Angels of Lakehurst won the silver medal in the national military book contest sponsored by Stars and Flags. This book is the history of one of the United States Navy's first helicopter squadron. With oral histories and official documentation, the story of their missions, from the mundane to the heroic saving of lives, is told. Woven throughout is some of the quirky humor that got them through many difficult and dangerous times.

Sandra Ramos O'Briant The Sandoval Sisters' Secret of Old Blood won First Place Historical Fiction and Best First Book at the fifteenth annual ILBA (Junot Diaz, a Pulitzer winner headed the list) held in NYC , and was included in another top 10 list of Latino Stories in 2013. (This one headed by Sonia Sotomayor). The book was also named to a top 10 list by TheLatinoAuthor.com in 2012, the year it was published. It was reviewed by La Bloga  and by Dawn Wink on Storycircle.