January 2017 Member News

New Releases, Awards and Special Events for January 2017

Awards

The prestigious Will Rogers Medallion Award presented to “The Longest Trail” by Roni McFadden in the Non-Fiction category for 2016.

At the banquet, hosted Saturday evening, October 29, 2016, in Ft. Worth, TX, thirty-six authors and publishers were presented Will Rogers Medallion Awards Honoring Excellence in Western Media in twelve categories.  “Each year, the quality and level of excellence of the books being awarded goes up,” noted Charles Williams, Executive Director.  “It is a tribute both to the enduring appeal of the West, and to the high quality of publications being produced today.  We are especially proud of our publishers, who have maintained such high standards in a marketplace where they face competition from e-books and other electronic media.”

Two weeks later, Reader’s Favorite proudly announced that "The Longest Trail" by Roni McFadden was a Gold Medal Winner in the Non-Fiction - General category in their 2016 International Book Award Contest.  Those awards were handed out in Miami November 19, 2016.

Buy The Longest Trail 

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Susan Wittig Albert's biographical novel Loving Eleanor (www.LovingEleanor.com) has added three recent awards to its previous IPPY:

• Library Journal named it their Undie EBook (romance) for 2016
• Kirkus Reviews named it to their Best Books of 2016 list; and
• USA Best Books 2016 awarded it a first in their LGBT category.

The book was published under her imprint, Persevero Press, in February, 2016.


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New Releases from WWW Members

New Release on January 27, 2017

Remember How It Rained: River Saga Book Two
Author Name: K. Lyn Wurth
Publisher: True to Story Publishing

Divided in childhood, but children no more, Margaret Rose, Jack and Kuruk answer the echoes of childhood loves, memories and voices. Power is shifting in Darkwater Creek, old crimes cry out for justice and Nebraska’s deadliest floodwaters gather in the west. Book Two of the River Saga, Remember How It Rained continues Seven Kinds of Rain’s voices of innocence, corruption, courage and justice on the Great Plains. It sings of running away and coming home to find love, truth and justice in the places and people who won’t let you go.

Buy at Barnes and Noble

Buy at Amazon.com


K. Lynn Wurth's Author Website
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New Release Available Now

FLASH & FRIENDS
By Natalie Bright
Book #4 Rescue Animal Series

Available on Amazon Now

The series features true stories about a registered Tennessee Walker whose family moves and is unable to take him with them. Featuring vivid, colored photographs, Book #4 shares details about Flash’s adopted family and work in this very personal scrapbook. Find out where he lives, meet his corral mates, and follow him along as he works in an equine outreach program.

http://nataliebright.com
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New Release Available Now

Baby on the Oregon Trail
By Lynna Banning

Heading west to Oregon, pregnant widow Jenna Borland’s life can’t get any more difficult . . . until fate throws Robert E. Lee Carver across her path.  She resents his help, but she needs him to drive her covered wagon over the Great Plains.

Lee can’t fathom why this prickly woman gets under his skin.  But as the journey brings these two outsiders together, he wonders if Jenna and her baby could be just what he needs to begin a new life with a brand-new family.



Available at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.  Buy link at www.lynnabanning.net.

Carolyn Woolston, writing as Lynna Banning, shares this insight about her new book:

My new book, “Baby on the Oregon Trail,” is close to my heart because my great-grandparents came to Oregon in a covered wagon along the Oregon Trail.  Grand-grandfather Edgar Boessen was an immigrant from Germany; Great-grandmother Maia Bruhn came from Denmark.  Their descendants now number in the thousands.

Typical of those intrepid travelers who came west on the Oregon Trail is the following diary entry:  “Friday, October 27.  Arrived at Oregon City at the falls of the Willamette.  Saturday, October 28.  Went to work.”  (James W. Nesmith, 1843) 

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New Release January 6, 2017

THE ACCIDENTAL STRANGER
by Cj Fosdick

Jessica Brewster is being watched…and things go missing from the remote Wyoming home she shares with her toddler. In a freak accident, she shoots the bearded thief stalking her before she recognizes the mesmerizing green eyes that belong to the only man she ever loved.

Has Mitch bridged time to find her? In a race to save his life and change hers forever, she takes him into her home and heart. But his memory loss and puzzling clues curry doubt and expose mystery and danger. Is he truly her son’s father, a murderer from Old Ft. Laramie, or an irresistible stranger in her arms?

Series: Book #2 in the Accidental Series set in Wyoming can stand alone
Genre: Mainstream mix of contemporary/historical/romance/time travel/mystery
Released:  Friday, Jan. 6. in eBook & print (latter only from Amazon, publisher and author)
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Cj's Website: www.cjfosdick.com

Buy Links: https://www.amazon.com/Cj-Fosdick/e/B00V14E74E   Amazon
                http://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/1256_cj-fosdick   Publisher
                http://bit.ly/1QcHLOq      B&N
                http://www.bookstrand.com/the-accidental-stranger    Bookstrand

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New Release

Sarah's Secret
By Beverly Scott

Available now at Amazon
Author Website: www.bevscott.com

The two key protagonists, Sarah and Sam, historically on their separate journeys of trust, secrets and betrayal on the frontier of the old West, remain intimately connected.  In the 1880’s, Sam, who is irresponsible, lonely and untrustworthy has abandoned those he loves until he seeks redemption and marries Sarah.  After Sam’s death in 1911, Sarah draws on her pioneer spirit to find the inner strength to overcome loneliness, poverty and illness to support her children.  She learns staggering news which complicates her efforts. Will Sarah find forgiveness in her heart and the resolve to accept her new life alone?

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Events and Appearances

photo credit to Steve Atkinson

Amy Hale Auker has been invited to participate in the 33rd National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, January 30-February 4, 2017, in Elko, Nevada. Amy is appearing for the 5th time at the Elko Gathering. The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering is an international festival that honors the arts, culture and traditions of the rural West, with poetry, music, storytelling, dancing, workshops, exhibitions, discussions, food and fellowship. The 33rd Gathering will celebrate the art and tradition of storytelling in the rural West, presenting first-hand narratives wrought from personal experience and told in verse, song, film, visual art, new media and prose.

Amy Hale Auker cowboys for Spider Ranch in Yavapai County, Arizona, with her husband, Gail Steiger. Work on the ranch provides ample material for her writing: prose, poetry, fiction and non-fiction. She is the author of Rightful Place, a collection of essays, and two novels, Winter of Beauty and The Story Is the Thing. A new collection of creative non-fiction will be released in 2017. Amy’s presentations on the stage and on the page are deeply rooted in the natural world where the bats fly, lizards do pushups on the rocks, bears leave barefoot prints in the dirt. Where hummingbirds do rain dances in August, spiders weave for their food, and poetry is in the chrysalis and the cocoon. She tells stories about the real world where things grow up out of the ground, where the miracle of life happens over and over again, where people can and do survive without malls or Arby's. Amy believes that what you put out there is what you get back, and that growing food is an honorable profession.

Amy will join nearly 50 other poets, musicians and musical groups from the U.S., Canada and Australia who will perform on seven stages at four different venues in Elko. For artist bios and audio samples, visit www.nationalcowboypoetrygathering.org. The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering also features hands-on workshops in traditional Western arts including rawhide braiding and horsehair hitching, foodways, dancing, songwriting, and how to play the bones. A special exhibition will present an artful view of the horse in the American West and will display contemporary gear from the Western Folklife Center’s collection. Tickets to the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering can be purchased at www.nationalcowboypoetrygathering.org, or by calling 888-880-5885.

GIRLS CAN AND DO

By Natalie Bright

My women friends astound me. They are so focused and BUSY with careers, families, volunteer work, and other interests. And yet, they’re ready and willing to take on something new should an opportunity present itself.

Just like the amazing friends in my life, WWW members intrigue me as well. As I look through the 2015 Catalog of Authors’ Books published by Women Writing the West, I’m struck by the diversity of themes and main characters. As I explore their author websites and read their blogs, I find that the creators of these books are just as diverse and remarkable as the characters. That’s why being part of a writer’s group like WWW is so inspiring.

Where Do Story Ideas Come From?

The people we know, the places we visit, and our unique life experiences are the backbone our stories. Where ideas come from, is without a doubt, the number one question most frequently asked of every author. 

The things that interest us and feed our soul usually appears in our writing at some point. Which brings me to an interesting encounter with a rescue horse and his trainer.

Lacey, Christie, and Natalie

WESTERN WOMEN

Last summer, my son noticed his former teacher during the finale scene of the musical drama, “Texas”. Performed in an outdoor amphitheater with the walls of Palo Duro Canyon State Park as the back drop, it tells the story of the Texas Panhandle of 1800’s.

That lady, Christie Shippy, had been my son’s elementary music teacher.  I contacted her soon after because I just had to know how she came to be sitting at center stage on a horse and holding a gigantic American flag. It wasn’t until February that we finally caught a break in our crazy lives and met at the local coffee shop. So typical of women today, Christie teaches music at the elementary school, plus she plays piano, sings, and just last season, has taken on the position as Head Wrangler for the musical drama. Christie is the perfect personification of western women today, with BUSY being the operative word.

What began as curiosity about my son’s music teacher has turned into ideas for several writing projects based on her work as a horse trainer. Christie introduced me to a local photographer, Lacy Johnston, who has agreed to help me with several projects focusing on our ranch.

Flash, the Rescue Horse

Flash, the Rescue Horse

One of Christie’s horses, Flash, led me to Dove Creek Ranch and Equine Rescue, a peaceful place for healing and new beginnings ran by the energetic Laurie Higgins. Recovering from a significant loss, Laurie felt a need to introduce the healing power of horses to others who might be suffering. Thanks to Jodi Thomas and Linda Broday for taking a break from their own writing to share in my adventure at the horse sanctuary.

Linda Broday at Dove Creek Ranch

It’s been a great start to the year. These unbelievable women have inspired me beyond measure. I’ve come to realize that the world is a better place because of girls who can and do: women who follow their passion and reach for the stars. 

These are the kinds of people that provide the heart for great stories, whether they’re writing it or living it. Thanks WWW members for creating all of those wonderful books!

Incidentally, I’m excited to say that my ‘To Be Read’ pile has grown into a monster.

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Natalie Bright is an author, blogger and speaker. Her articles have appeared in numerous publications, including Chicken Soup and West Texas Christmas Stories. She holds a BBA from WTSU, and enjoys talking to groups about writing. Find her on Facebook, Twitter @natNKB, Amazon Author Pages, Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn. She blogs every Monday about story craft at wordsmithsix.com.

Save Your Words

by Natalie Bright

 

A wise, multi-published author once told me, “NEVER delete anything.” I’ve made it a habit to save every idea and story. Cut and paste deleted scenes, dialogue, and chapters, and move them into a separate file. Give it a clever name on your computer, like “My Junk” or “Brilliant Ideas”. Keep an idea file folder for those story sparks that you’ve written on restaurant napkins, scraps of paper, or sticky notes. Never let an idea pass through your brain that you don’t write down. Keep an idea journal and jot down everything when it comes to you, whether it’s a setting, a character, or a bit of dialogue. Those sparks will never come again, and believe me, you might think you’ll recall it when you get to a pen and paper, but I’ve never been able to remember. Not even once. Thank goodness there have been a few times I made the effort to save a story.

Natalie Bright Photos

 

Many, many years ago during college, I spent time at a friend’s ranch. Their ranch foreman was an old cowboy that had a story or two to tell. Wise and weather worn from spending a life-time punching cows, I remember he had the most brilliant blue eyes and he was one of the most laid-back, happiest people I’d ever met. He loved his life. Even though his wife had died many years ago and he never had children, he wouldn’t have lived anywhere else and done anything different. He was content with his world of cows, horses, and days spent in the saddle. A spark of an idea turned into a story about that man many more years later for a writing class assignment. I never thought about it again, but thank goodness I kept it in my class notes.

Fast forward another ten years, a callout popped up into my inbox asking for stories for a Christmas collection with a West Texas theme. That cowboy and his life immediately came to mind. I reworked it that very day, and within 30 minutes of my submission, I got confirmation back that it was accepted.

Have faith in the words you create. You never know where and when they find a home.

You can read my story “A Cowboy’s Christmas Blessing” in this anthology West Texas Christmas Stories of more than 30 heart-warming and humorous Christmas stories—all set in West Texas or by West Texas writers.

Natalie Bright  is a Chicken Soup author, freelance writer, and her book, Gone, Never Forgotten, is about the loss of an infant son. She blogs at WordsmithSix.com and Prairie Purview. Her literary Agent is currently shopping a picture book and two kid lit novels set in the old west.