Summer Member News

AWARDS

Nancy Oswald's latest, TROUBLE RETURNS, was a 2017 WWA Spur Award Winner. 

www.nancyoswald.com

www.filterpressbooks.com

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 FINDING DOROTHY SCOTT, LETTERS OF A WASP PILOT, by Sarah Byrn Rickman, was awarded the Sarton Women's Book Award.

http://sarahbyrnrickman.com/ 

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Barbara Marriot's “PAINT 'N SPURS: THE MEN WHO FOUNDED THE COWBOY ARTISTS OF AMERICAS” a biography of the founding members of the Cowboy Artists of America was announced a finalist in the International Book Awards. 
www.bsrbramasrriott.com 

Published by Fireship Press 

Amazon

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 NEW RELEASES

BAD BOY, BIG HEART by Andrea Downing

When New Yorker K.C. Daniels heads to Wyoming for a summer job, she wants nothing more than to fit in with the staff of the Lazy S Ranch. Yearning to be independent of her mom and dad, and have a taste of the west before she starts her Master's degree, getting involved with a cowboy is the last thing on her mind—especially when she’s greeted with warnings about ‘Bad Boy’ Chay Ridgway.

High school dropout Chay Ridgway sees summer as his time to be a rodeo star and win a girl in his life, while facing the responsibilities he has for his father. Although working to bring in cash to help his dad, he's never had a problem finding a woman who's happy to be that summer love—until K.C. Daniels appears on the scene.

As two different worlds collide in a season that will end all too soon, is this going to be another summer romance or a love that will last for years?

Link:  https://www.amazon.com/Bad-Boy-Big-Heart-Book-ebook/dp/B072MKG48B/

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Andrea also has a story, CITY BOY, COUNTRY HEART in the collection COME LOVE A COWBOY

Don’t miss this great collection from USA Today, Amazon Bestselling, and Award-Winning authors!! 

​

Available at https://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Keep-Contemporary-Western-Collection-ebook/dp/B072869SGV/

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THE GIRL WHO WOULDN'T DIE
by Randall Platt
publisher - Skypony

They call her the Arab of Warsaw.
Some say she’s Jewish. A few know she’s a girl.
Most agree she’s high on the Nazis’ hit list.
One person believes she could become a hero.

Poland, 1939. Arab knows that looking out for anyone but herself is as good as painting a target on her own back. So she plans to survive the Nazi occupation the way she always has: disguise herself as a boy, lead her street gang, and refuse to get involved.

But though Arab starts the war with just one goal–staying alive–others have different ideas for her. And when a stranger who claims to work with the resistance tries to recruit Arab for a rescue mission, she has to make a choice. Acting like a hero is a surefire way to get killed. But is she doesn’t do it, who will?

Available at your local independent bookstore, or at Amazon

The trade paperback of Randall's previous book, INCOMMUNICADO, is also now available. Learn more at http://www.plattbooks.com.

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Ordinary Skin: Essays from Willow Springs
by Amy Hale Auker, previous WILLA winner
published by Texas Tech University Press

www.amyhaleauker.com
Book may be purchased from author website or all major booksellers
Amazon

Amy Hale Auker's first book of essays, Rightful Place, was the story of a woman finding beauty in her place, the Llano Estacado. Her new collection of creative non-fiction, Ordinary Skin, explores her mid-life transition with prose poems and essays that illustrate a new terrain as well as new ways of being in the world. Touching on faith and body image and belonging, these essays explore our role in deciding what is favorable or unfavorable, as well as where we someday want to dwell, and who came before us. In that touching, they feel their way with observations about current affairs, drought, mystery, and the hard decisions that face us all as we continue to move toward more questions with fewer answers. This exploration is informed and softened by hummingbirds, Gila monsters, bats, foxes, bears, wildflowers, and hidden seep springs where life goes on whether we are there to see it or not. It is about work in a wild and wilderness environment. In the end, even as life changes drastically around us, we are better off for knowing that the ugly mud bug turns into a jewel-toned dragonfly.

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Susan Matley's story, THE AUDITOR is included in a new anthology, Incarceration (WolfSinger Publications). “The Auditor” is a horror story set in near-future China, inspired by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. It’s more eastern than western. The publisher, however, is in Colorado! The details:

The publisher:
http://www.wolfsingerpubs.com/OurBooks.html

Susan Matley's website, Home page:
https://www.susandmatley.com/

Website, with “buy” link:
https://www.susandmatley.com/anthology/


 

Member News - New Releases, Awards and More!

November 25, 2016

New Short Story by Mara Purl published as an eBook on November 29, 2016

 Where an Angel's On A Rope

Can an intuition save a man’s life? Astronomer and competent mountain climber Cornelius Smith depends upon his intelligence for both his career and his hobby. Never before has he faced a situation where logical steps couldn’t be followed to an inevitable conclusion. Yet even he couldn’t possibly have imagined or predicted his experience in the Angeles Crest National Forest high above Los Angeles. Out for a pleasant hike on a warm Southern California day with a bare minimum of equipment he isn’t prepared physically or mentally for his sudden challenge, nor for the intuition that seems to insist he make an illogical choice — or die clinging to a rock face. Can a man with apparently no way back up, and no way down – find an unexpected means of his own rescue seems to have been placed there for him ahead of time? How can he explain the persistent image of a tiny angel that seems to hover over him on the mountain? And what will he do with the illogical intuition that won’t leave him alone? Though the e-book stands alone, it also extends the Milford-Haven Novels, the critically acclaimed, best-selling series, a multi-generational saga. Based on Purl’s BBC Radio drama Milford-Haven U.S.A.

Check out Mara's Website Here

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Trouble Returns by Nancy Oswald
November Release


Nancy Oswald announces the November release of the third Ruby and Maude Adventure. The title, Trouble Returns, accurately forecasts the predicaments Ruby, her donkey, and her cat encounter in Cripple Creek and Colorado Springs, 1896.  MG historical fiction published by Filter Press, LLC.

Trouble Returns is available online at Filter Press and from Amazon. Contact Nancy at NancyOs@centurylink.net or through her web site.
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Christmas in My Heart ~ now available!
Buy on Amazon
Author Leslee Breene introduces an inspirational Christmas collection.
Christmas in My Heart
Soft cover & ebook
Universal, award-winning short stories of near and long ago.
ISBN: 978-1539610762
www.lesleebreene.com

The Caretaker
Snow Angels of San Marcial
Carpenter’s Crib
The Christmas Gift

July Member News

NEW RELEASES

Arletta Dawdy, Rose of Sharon. Orphaned, lost and in need of family, Rose of Sharon finds hope only to lose it again with the mental illness of her new mother, attempted murder, an inter-racial love affair and abandonment; Rose’s paranormal and writing gifts set her apart.

Roni McFadden, second edition of The Longest Trail with additional text, and full-color photos. “Ride along with young Roni as she discovers the lessons of the ancient spirits of mountains, deserts and horses – a wonderful coming-of-age tale in a magnificent setting.” 

Deanna Dickinson McCall, Rough Patches, a new collection of short fiction centered on women in the historical and contemporary American West. Shaped by challenging circumstances as well as the equally demanding landscapes they inhabit, her characters exhibit a brand of strength instantly recognizable to readers fortunate enough to know true "women of the West." Against long odds, McCall's protagonists courageously stare down adversity - sexism, illness and the unimaginable dangers of both the frontier era and modern-day ranch country. 

Evelyn Searle Hess, Building a Better Nest tracks the building of our first house after sixteen years of modified camping, as it explores ways to live lightly, to honor wildlife habitat, and to connect with and respect the local and world community. I probe the lives of my ancestors, and lessons of history, economics and Buddhist thought for clues of how best to live in a time of economic inequality and environmental crises. Released June 1, Building a Better Nest can be ordered online or by mail from Chicago Distribution Center, 11030 S. Langley Ave., Chicago ILL, 60628 / FAX: 800-621-8476 or in person from your favorite independent book seller.

AWARDS

Several of our members have been nominated as finalists in the Will Rogers Medallion Award, which recognizes excellence in Western literature and media.  The awards ceremony will be held in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 24.

B.J. Scott, The Rail Queen, is a finalist in the 2015 Will Rogers Medallion Awards. Montana, 1884. Seventeen-year old schoolgirl Ryka Sundstrom dreams of doing what no girl ever has—build a railroad. The Rail Queen weaves through the awakening of the American railroad as it knits together the strands of empire from Atlantic to Pacific—even as every mile of new track speeds the vanishing of the American frontier, and of the brief age when anything was possible—even for a young schoolgirl with an extraordinary dream. The Rail Queen is the fifth in the Tales of Strong Women series of historical novels by B J Scott.  

Alethea Williams, Wallsfor the Wind was nominated for the Will Rogers Medallion for (Western) romance. Can an angel survive Hell on Wheels? Kit Calhoun leaves New York City with a train car full of foundlings from the Immigrant Children’s Home. Her assignment is to sever ties, so she has no idea of the tangled threads of connection that await her in Dakota Territory. First is what to do with the leftover children who simply refuse placement. Second is handsome Patrick Kelley, continually managing to distract Kit from her task. Third is the demented gambler who fastens deadly attention on Kit and keeps turning up everywhere from Julesburg to Cheyenne.
Forced to leave behind everything familiar, is it possible for a company of New York City castoffs to learn to fight for their hopes in the raw new American West?

Cynthia Leal Massey, author of Death of a Texas Ranger, A True Story of Murder and Vengeance on the Texas Frontier, is a finalist for the Will Rogers Medallion Award for Western Nonfiction. A story of the murder of Texas Ranger John Green by Cesario Menchaca, one of three Rangers of Mexican descent under Green’s command. Immediately word spread that the killing may have been the botched outcome of a contract taken out on Menchaca’s life by the notorious Gabriel Marnoch, a local naturalist who had run up against the law himself. But was it?

Nancy Oswald, Trouble on the Tracks (Filter Press), a partner book to Rescue at Poverty Gulch, a Ruby and Maude Adventure set in Cripple Creek in 1896.  In this book, Ruby and Maude come face to face with the notorious, Jake Hawker. Miss Sternum is arrested and Trouble, a cat with an attitude, endears itself to Ruby and Maude. Ruby learns more than she ever wants to know about Pinkertons, outlaws, disguises, and train rides, and her life is held in a balance as Pa reconsiders his courtship of Miss Sternum in order to give Ruby a “proper” upbringing. Also available on Amazon.   

EDITOR'S NOTE: Any WWW member with a new book release or an award is welcome to feature your book here in our monthly Member News blog (usually published on a Wednesday mid-month). email heidi@heidimthomas.com with a short (2-3 sentence) blurb, a jpeg of the cover by attachment, and your buy-link. Thanks and congratulations to our fabulous authors this month!

Notes from Marketing Swap and Shop, WWW Conference

by Nancy Oswald

Following is a summary of the exchange of ideas from the Marketing Swap and Shop session at the 2014 WWW conference. Thanks so much for sharing and participating. 

   How do you manage your marketing time and balance it with your writing goals?

• Set aside a day of the week a for marketing, for example every Thursday
• Set a specific writing time and stick to it.  Set aside marketing time. Some felt the end of the day works best.
• Join a peer supported marketing group.
• Alternate large sections of time for writing with large sections of time for marketing.  (Keeping the focus on one thing at a time instead of trying to do everything every day.)
• Create a marketing plan and stick to it.  (This contributor’s publisher required her to have one!)

      What things do you do to launch a new book?

• BUILD IT UP AHEAD OF TIME:  lots of pre-publication hype
• Social Media Blasts
• Make it a WHOLE EXPERIENCE: themes, costumes, music, food…use imagination and creativity!
• Send personal invites to signings and other events.
• Media releases, not just press releases, but other related articles and tie-ins
• Do book signings and readings interview-style.  (Make these events more interactive for attendees.)

 

    What online marketing strategies do you use?  Are you satisfied with the results?

• Blog tours
• Themed online book launch  (See Kristen Lamb’s Blog post) www.warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2014/10/03/10-tips-to-organizing-a-kick-ass-online-book-event/   
• Try these websites:      
• The Fussy Librarian http://www.thefussylibrarian.com/                                  
•  The Choosy Bookworm  http://choosybookworm.com/about/   http://askdavid.com/book-promotion

• Try the FB Target Audience Feature

Other things to think about: (Information from Brooke Warner, Huffington Post article: “Your Author Platform is Not Your Social Media Following”

• social media: 10 percent
  previous media:10  percent
  previous books: 10 percent
  personality: 10 percent
  existing readership: 10 percent
  contacts: 10 percent
  expertise: 25 percent
  ability to execute: 15 percent

Other Websites that may help with various aspects of marketing:

www.authormarketingclub.com    $105 a year. (30 day money back trial period.)

www.blogtoplist.com  (to find blogs on a certain topic or visit other blogs of same interest…another way to get your name out there.)

www.weddles.com   (association directory for matching your book to an organization)

http://writershelpingwriters.net/workshops-webinars/   (all writing topics, but marketing is one of them)

PLUS:  Take 5 minutes to watch this short video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ln-CDXx1ZE

Do you have other tips to add?

June Member News

Our members continue to publish wonderful works and win awards!

Janet Fisher A Place of Her Own: The Legacy of Oregon Pioneer Martha Poindexter Maupin (TwoDot/Globe Pequot Press)  Martha defies her parents to marry the dashing Garrett Maupin and in 1850 follows him west across the Oregon Trail, but their struggles in a raw new land soon shatter her dreams of an idyllic life with him. When he dies, leaving her alone on the frontier with their many children, she makes a daring decision to buy a farm in that wilderness. The author, her great-great-granddaughter, now owns and operates that farm. Also on Amazon and other online sites.

 

Mary Beth Baptiste Altitude Adjustment: A Quest for Love, Home, and Meaning in the Tetons (TwoDot/Globe Pequot Press) This thoughtful, humorous memoir follows a wildlife biologist’s quest for purpose, redemption, and love through wilderness adventure, solitude, and offbeat human connections in Jackson Hole’s Grand Teton National Park. Also available at Barnes and Noble.

  

Gin Getz, TheColor of the Wild (NorLights Press) is an original, inspiring work of literary non-fiction; an unconventional memoir of woman and land. Lyrical and lilting, powerful and passionate, this is the beautifully told story of one woman’s life, love, determination and connection with the natural world. 

Gin Getz, The Last of the Living Blue (NorLights Press) is an intimate, intense personal account of the effects of our changing climate in my big back yard, Colorado’s majestic mountains and the Weminuche Wilderness.  It’s not a preachy lecture on climate issues, nor a “everything’s peachy” scenario. It’s real and raw. It reads close and comfortable, though the times it takes you through are often anything but.  It’s told in a quiet yet powerful voice taking the reader with me through one year of drought, fires, floods and the healing of mountain and mind. 

 Judith Grout, Chasing the Strawberry Moon Hitchhiking (for Girls) is an account of the adventures of a young woman as she makes her way west, running from conniving parents, the mob, and corrupt local law enforcement. Patsy Schwartz knows she has bigger problems to deal with than the Great Depression, the raging Dust Bowl, or another looming world war. Forced to disappear from Baywater, Minnesota to avoid an arranged marriage to the local sheriff’s son, Patsy hits the open road with her best friend, Virginia Burg.

Cynthia Leal Massey Death of a Texas Ranger, A True Story of Murder and Vengeance on the Texas Frontier (TwoDot, an imprint of Globe-Pequot Press) This is story of the murder of Texas Ranger John Green in 1873. Immediately word spread that the killing may have been the botched outcome of a contract taken out on Menchaca’s life by the notorious Gabriel Marnoch, a local naturalist who had run up against the law himself. But was it?

Donis Casey, Hell With the Lid Blown Off 

An Alafair Tucker Mystery. In the summer of 1916, a big twister brings destruction to the land around Boynton OK. Alafair Tucker’s family and neighbors are not spared the ruin and grief spread by the storm. But no one is going to mourn for Jubal Beldon, who made it his business to know the ugly secrets of everyone in town. It doesn’t matter if Jubal’s insinuations are true or not. In a small town like Boynton, rumor is as damaging as fact. 

Susan Wittig Albert has signed with Penguin/Berkley Prime Crime for three more China Bayles mysteries, to be published in 2016, 2017, and 2018. Bittersweet, Book #23 in this long-running series, will be published in April, 2015.

Nancy Oswald, Edward Wynkoop: Soldier and Indian Agent (Filter Press). Drawn to the West, Edward Wynkoop left Philadelphia at a young age.  He helped to found Denver and began his military career during the Civil War, distinguishing himself at the Battle of Glorieta Pass. His life took a severe turn, when he befriended Black Kettle and vouched for the friendly Cheyenne in the wake of the Sand Creek Massacre.  This biography for young readers tells the story of this handsome and outspoken Indian advocate.

Shanna Hatfield, Farm Girl 

What happens when a farmer who’s been wishing for a boy ends up with a girlie-girl? Come along on the humorous and sometimes agonizing adventures from a childhood spent on a farm in the Eastern Oregon desert where one family raised hay, wheat, cattle, and a farm girl.

AWARDS

Congratulations to all the winners and finalists!

 

Roni McFadden, Josephine~ATale of Hope and Happy Endings is a Finalist in the National Indie Excellence Awards for 2014 in the Children's Inspirational book category. Josephine is the true story of a great granddaughter of the legendary Seabiscuit who searches for a new mother after losing her own at the age of 4 days. All proceeds from the sale of Josephine go to the T.R.A.I.L. program (Teaching Riding as an Access to Independence and Learning) at the Ridgewood Ranch in Willits, CA, home of Seabiscuit.

Bonnie Hobbs’ Beyond The Night is a finalist in the Unpublished Manuscript contest at PNWA in the Romance category. This western historical love story takes place following the Civil War.

Dawn Wink, Meadowlark is a finalist in the HighPlains Book Awards.
Based on a true story, the author provides a captivating and crystal clear window into the lives of some of the early settlers on the plains of South Dakota.

 

Tammy Hinton, Retribution, finalist for “Best Independently Published Western Novel” by WesternFictioneers.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.

Pamela Nowak's Changes received the 2014 Colorado Book Award for genre fiction as well as a 2014 HOLT Award of Merit for historical novel.  In 1879, Omaha librarian Lise Dupree struggles to keep her part-Sioux heritage hidden as she reluctantly agrees to help research legal questions for a band of Ponca Indians led by Standing Bear. What begins as a quest for justice becomes a search for identity