Sweet Potatoes, Croquet, and Summer Fun for Authors!

Summer is fast approaching and our muses are itching to get out and enjoy the sunshine. It’s a great time to pack that picnic basket with crowd pleasing treats like Sweet Potato Croquettes.

Sweet Potato Croquettes are quick and easy to whip up. Toss these ingredients in your shopping cart:

1 box corn flake cereal

1 40oz can yams (you can use candied if you prefer)

1 bag mini marshmallows

Cinnamon or Allspice

When you get home put that watermelon in the fridge to chill then preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Next you can get rid of all your pent up noveling anxiety by crushing the corn flakes, don’t make them too fine though you want some nice bits.

Now put the yams in a bowl and mix with cinnamon or allspice to taste. Once thoroughly mixed roll yams in ping pong or golf ball size balls with a marshmallow or two in the center.

Next just roll the yam balls in the crushed corn flakes until coated and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Once all rolled pop your croquettes into the oven for 15-20 minutes or until done.

While you’re waiting for your Sweet Potato Croquettes you can grab your mallet and try to get through the wickets or… You can hop online and make sure you’re signed up for Marketing for Romance Writers.org’s  A Taste of Summer Camp.

This three-day summer conference taking place July 12th thru 14th won’t disappoint. There will be great opportunities for learning, sharing and don’t forget the prizes! The best part it’s FREE. That’s right a free, online conference with goodies to boot.

Don’t miss out just because Romance is in the name. MFRW supports all genres and most classes can be applied to all areas of marketing and writing. The group’s motto says it all. Seek, Teach, Share, Learn, Succeed.

Registering for the conference is easy just join MFRW’sYahoo group and you’ll be in the loop for A Taste of Summer Camp.

Now mark your calendar, get those Sweet Potato Croquettes out of the oven, and get started on your summer fun! Be sure to keep a look out for more Taste of Summer blog posts from fellow MFRW members as we spread the news about this awesome event.

The Midwife's Revolt: A fictional time machine to early America

Welcome to the the review tour for The Midwife's Revolt

 by Jodi Daynard.

“A charming, unexpected, and decidedly different view of the Revolutionary War.” —Publishers Weekly

Book Description: The Midwife’s Revolt takes the reader on a journey to the founding days of America. It follows one woman’s path, Lizzie Boylston, from her grieving days of widowhood after Bunker Hill, to her deepening friendship with Abigail Adams and midwifery, and finally to her dangerous work as a spy for the Cause. A novel rich in historical detail, The Midwife’s Revolt opens a window onto the real lives of colonial women. Jodi Daynard’s historical fiction The Midwife’s Revolt has eared a 4.8 out of 5 stars on Amazon and praise from libraries, historical associations and is even featured at The Museum of the American Revolution.

“This humorous, exciting and touching story retells the familiar saga of the Revolutionary War in a stunning new way that feels fresh and alive.” —Kirkus Reviews

Amazon.com ~ Barnes and Noble ~ GoodReads

Review:
The Midwife's Revolt is a fictional time machine. Jodi Daynard takes you on a journey in time to the beginnings of our nation through the eyes of her fictional character Lizzie Boylston. The reader is drawn in to colonial wife and the life of this fascinating woman and her path from widow to midwife to a revolutionary heroine. I thoroughly enjoyed every page and the rich writing made me feel emerged in the early days of the United States of America with a blending of fiction with history. This book would be a fine edition to any collection of historic fiction. Gladiator's Pen gives a thumbs up to this well written and intriguing tale.

About the Author
: Jodi Daynard is a writer of fiction, essays, and criticism. Her work has appeared in numerous periodicals, including The New York Times Book Review, The Village Voice, The Paris Review, Agni, New England Review and in several anthologies. She is the author of The Place Within: Portraits of the American Landscape by 20 Contemporary Writers (W. W. Norton). Ms. Daynard’s essays have been nominated for several prizes and mentioned in Best American Essays. She has taught writing at Harvard University, M.I.T., and in the MFA program at Emerson College, and served for seven years as Fiction Editor at Boston Review. She is a member of the National Book Critics Circle, The National Women’s Book Association, and the Author’s Guild. The Midwife’s Revolt is her first novel. Prizes! And now for the best part, the prizes! Because who doesn't love awesome book themed gifts? Jodi is offering A Kindle Fire to one reader as well as a Artemis Cameo Necklace, an American Flag Folk Art and a $25 Amazon Gift Card. All you have to do is leave a comment and enter the rafflecopter! Of course, there are plenty of other ways to enter to win just by helping spread the word about The Midwife's Revolt. a Rafflecopter giveaway The Tour: Follow along and read more reviews of The Midwife's Revolt. You can see the full list of participating reviews HERE.

The Allure of Cowboys and Lawmen

Welcome to the Cowboys and Lawmen Blog Hop! The hop starts May 2^nd and runs through May 6^th. During these four days 49 authors will be telling you about why they enjoy reading and writing about those sexy fellas in the white hats.

Not only are there going to be some great blogs on the hop but for every post you comment on with your email address, you will be entered for some amazing prizes.

***PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO QUALIFY***

Grand Prize: A $100 Gift Card for Amazon or Barnes and Noble, your choice. The winner will be chosen at random from comments containing email addresses, and will be announced on May 7. This is open to both US and international readers.

Okay now for the whole reason we’re here… those cowboys and lawmen. Exactly what is their allure?

Most of these characters are very grounded and down to earth. They don’t expect something outrageous or want things they believe out of their reach. They can be very layered and complicated characters, yet still have a connection and respect for the simple things in life.

Something all these white hat heroes seem to have in common is a code. The code maybe different for each man but they have a code of honor they live by. That code is almost unbreakable in their minds. Every part of their lives is to the fullest and sometimes hardest weather it’s catching the bad guy or winning the heart of their gal.

Most decisions are clear-cut black and white, no doubts. When doubt begins to cloud that into a gray area is when our heroes can get conflicted. Sometimes it’s necessary to step over that line, and they may do so but still try to uphold as much of their personal code as they can.

Even when their society throws every obstacle, it can in their way. Some of my favorite lawmen with a strict

personal code are Seth Bullock from Deadwood, Raylan Givens from Elmore Leonard’s books and the television show Justified, Walt Longmire from the Craig Johnson books as well as the series of the same name, Augustus McCrae and Woodrow McCall of Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove series, and John Russell from Elmore Leonard’s Hombre.

Those men and the strength of their character to sacrifice if need be to uphold their honor and life code are heroes to look up to and swoon a bit after too. 

To visit other blogs on the Cowboy and Lawmen blog hop just click the hop badge above for the list and more chances to win!

Just leave a comment and your email address to enter.  

Zograscope: Charlotte's Window

Charlotte slipped quietly from the bed; she paused when the sheets rustled as he shifted in his sleep. When he was settled, soft even breathes making his thick handsome chest rise and fall she started down stairs.

The fourth step down creaked, the sharp sound echoed through the quiet house. Charlotte gasped softly startled herself. She quickly tiptoed down the rest of the staircase before putting on her robe.

For a moment, she listened to the stillness of the house. It was a lovely night with a full harvest moon.   She remembered nights like this as a girl. When her grandfather would sneak them from the house into the field out back to watch the zeppelins fly over with all their lights blinking in the purple sky.

Charlotte could close her eyes and conjure the scent of the cool night air, and feel the dewy blades of grass brushing her legs and fingers. Now more homesick she made her way to the foyer closet.

She opened the door and carefully shifted boxes until she could reach one hidden in the very back. A soft smile touched her lips, there’s always a bit of excitement mixed with the longing for her homeland when she opens this box.

With the same care she would carry her baby boy, now slumbering upstairs, Charlotte carried the box into the library. She set it on the desk and turned on the lamp. Her smile widened as she opened the box.

It was one of the few things she had from home. This world and its modern ways were wonderful and sometimes thrilling. Yet on some nights like this one, she came to miss her own very much.

Charlotte carefully unpacked the zograscope, setting it on the desk and opening the lens and mirror. With a bit of whimsy in her heart she lifted the stack of perspective prints from the box and untied the bow. She savored the sensation of the velvet ribbon as it slid through her fingers.

They had velvet here but… it just didn’t seem the same to her. She took a soft breath and placed the first print on the table under the mirror. Once she adjusted the magnifier, her smile broadened. Home.

The view was of a cityscape, people dressed in what they called Victorian garb here milled about the streets. Zeppelins and steam-powered balloons filled the sky as they traversed from city to city.

Charlotte could hear the soft rustle of skirts as the ladies rushed to catch the trolley. The ring of the trolley bell urging them to move faster.  The soft hum and hiss of the steam engines, the scent of her favorite bakery with a fresh tray of apple turnovers. Her flat had overlooked this view. She could sit on the balcony and watch the hustle and bustle below for hours on end.

She changed the print to another of her family’s home. The large house was always filled with family and friends. Large parties like the one in the print. Her father holding up his latest invention, her uncle more interested in refilling his brandy than science.

The next was a slide of her father’s laboratory. The small cranks and coils in the corner that generated power for their life’s work. The work that brought her here in fact.

The image came to life before her eyes as her memory opened. Her father had a theory; there were other planes of existence that ran parallel to theirs. For six long years, they worked to perfect a dimensional window. The window would let them see into their neighboring dimension. Only it did a bit more.

She can see her father connecting the conductive wires to the frame of the dark pane of glass. It was the color of dark smoke with veins and swirls like marble. Once the connections were made, she flipped the lever, and the stored energy within the power coils began to crackle and snap.

The air in the room thickened and her skin prickled as though lightening were about to strike. Charlotte bit her fingernail as her eyes studied the glass for any kind of change. Father and daughter watched hours until the swirls in the smoked glass began to move.

Her father gripped her arm. “Did you see?”

The smoke began to swirl and fade and she nodded back. “Yes, yes I see. Father, it’s working.”

Their excitement built as a small circle of clear glass appeared. They peered through it to see a wondrous world. Strange cars, men and women dressed so differently. One of the ladies on the city sidewalk made Charlotte blush with her short skirt and low open neckline. “They are very… free there.”

Her father cleared his throat and nodded as he tore his attention away from the woman. “Indeed.”

For the next few days, they took notes and sketched their observances. Excitedly debating about different technologies they had seen. Suddenly on that last day large storm had gathered. Lightening struck the rods to refuel the coils but it was too much with what they had already stored.

The extra power flowed through the coils and into the window. The glass opened further to become a shimmering membrane. Charlotte knew it was no longer just a window, they had created a door.

The temptation was too much for her curious mind. She was always far too curious for a woman, as her uncle oft said. Before she could have a second thought Charlotte stepped through the shimmer.

She gasped with the sting and tingle of electricity as she passed through. Everything was black and quiet one moment, the next she stood on the sidewalk they had been watching for the last week.

She gave an excited giggle and spun to call to her father. But the shimmering door was gone. She could see her father through the darkening window calling to her frantically trying to restart the coils and open the gate once again.

Charlotte blinked and wiped her eyes as she put the perspective print back into the stack. Her father had managed to open the window a small bit now and then to send her things from home. Like these prints and her zograscope.

Perhaps someday soon with her knowledge of this world’s science she’ll be able to reopen the door and show her new husband and their son where she came from. 

Part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge for the letter Z 

YouTube Marketing

Everyone knows what YouTube is. Home of the hottest music videos and silliest cat videos, however it is also a great marketing tool for authors.

Many of us know about the use of YouTube for posting our book trailers. I have one there myself. I have also created vids for some of my Examiner articles. However there are more ways to boost your brand with YouTube than just book trailers.

How about asking readers for a video review? Read a chapter of your book or a short story aloud. If you’re not comfortable with being on screen yourself, you can choose appropriate visual images to enhance your tale. Just be sure that you have the right to use any images you chose.

Have someone do a video interview with you, or simply crank up the webcam and talk about your book, writing process or other subject that might take your readers interests.

You have everything you need right at your fingertips to create sensational videos.  If you look in the start menu of your computer, you will find a program called Windows Live Movie Maker. It’s a standard part of most windows platforms starting with Windows 2000. It’s very easy to use and has some fantastic tools to make your project stand out.

You can also create a slideshow easily with Microsoft Power Point. If you don’t have Power Point on your computer you can sign up for Microsoft Sky Drive for free. They have a free power point tool for users.

You don’t have to have any specialized equipment to shoot live video. Most smart phones take both still pictures and video. Use your webcam right from your computer or your digital camera to take video and upload it to your YouTube account.

Another plus to YouTube marketing, is the cost, free. They do offer a paid account that has a few extras, but it isn’t really needed and completely optional. YouTube is a versatile tool, with endless ways to utilize videos to market your brand and books. So what are you waiting for go get your director’s chair and get started!

Below are a couple of videos of mine. One the book trailer for Don't Touch and the second a slide show of  Eustis, Florida. Enjoy!

Have you created any vids or slide show? Leave a link in the comments, we'd love to see! 

Part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge for the letter Y

X is for Xylophone

X is for Xylophone. Why? Xylophones are cool! They're not just kids toys, they're a serious instrument  found many orchestras' percussion sections. It's a percussion instrument because it uses force and vibration to create sound, like a drum. Only instead of striking a flexible surface such as a stretch canvas of a drum, the musician strikes one made of metal, wood, or ceramic tiles.

Xylophones and their many variations have been around since man's earliest history. However the modern version we're familiar with has been in use since the 1860s. It was first used in an orchestra in 1874 in the performance of Camille Saint-Saëns' "Danse Macabre". 

Well enough talking about how cool they are. Just kick back and have a listen :)

Part of Blogging from A to Z for the letter X

Work in Progress: Worth

For the letter W on the A to Z blogging Challenge I'm sharing an excerpt from my work in progress, Worth. Enjoy a little taste of this exciting thriller and please leave a comment and let me know what you think. :) 

Blurb: 

Dean Cross waited impatiently for his estranged wife to step off her flight. He has hope that after three years of separation they can put their marriage back together again. The last passenger disembarked, no Lucinda. Had she missed the flight, changed her mind?

Kidnapping isn’t just a crime, it’s a multi-million dollar business. Most believe only rich kids or missionaries in a foreign country are held for ransom. The Cross’ find out anyone can be taken, it only matters what your worth.  

Excerpt: 

Worth

Chapter One

The airport intercom hissed then called out, “United Flight 109 to Los Angeles  will be boarding in 20 minutes, at gate six.”

Lucinda sat in the airport there was a thirty-minute delay boarding, of course. When did she ever get on a flight that left on time..... Never. She'd drank a soda during the first delay and now it was time to take a break.

She pulled her bag over to the desk. "Excuse me, I'm on this flight but I need to visit the ladies. Can I leave my bag with you for just a minute?"

The clerk pulled the bag around the desk and nodded. "Sure, they should be ready soon so don't be long."

Luce smiled. "Thanks I'll be quick." She hurried into the restroom and into a stall with a sigh of relief.

When she came out of the stall another woman a bit taller, with an athletic build came out of the stall next to her. Luce thought the lovely woman would make a fantastic sports model.

The woman toyed with her skirt and watched Lucinda walk up to the sink. "Best to go before you get on the plane. I hate those bathrooms."

Luce glanced up in the mirror and grinned softly. "Ditto. I have luggage bigger than that.”

Lucinda took a breath as she stood in front of the ladies room mirror. She washed her hands and wondered if going home was the right decision. It had been a long time, maybe too long to make things right again.

The stranger stepped over to the sink next to Lucinda. She glanced over with a friendly grin. “Anxious about flying?”

Lucinda gave her back a slight grin in an attempt to be polite. “No, anxious about the destination.” She pulled a couple of towels from the machine, the rough paper echoed as it crinkled as she rubbed her hands dry.

Lucinda turned from the woman to drop the towels in the trash, when a cloth covered her nose and mouth. She tried to move away, but was trapped by the woman's body and the sinks. Luce struggled to pull the hand from her face, but that only made the chloroform work faster.

She tried to scream but the deep breath she took to belt one out made the room spin. The next second the room turned hazy and her body went limp in the stranger’s arms.

***

Lucinda felt groggy as she woke. She swallowed and her mouth felt like dry cotton. The room was dark and the bed uncomfortable and lumpy. “This is not the five star hotel I booked online.” She must have been tired she can‘t remember the flight or getting to LA.

She sat up and a lightheaded sensation made her head spin a bit. Luce rubbed her eyes and remembered Dino was supposed to have met her at the airport. She tugged at her blouse and paused, she hadn’t changed into bedclothes?

Luce looked down and her clothing was askew. As though she had been searched. She took a deep breath in an attempt to push back the grogginess. “What is going on?” She reached to switch on a lamp... there was no night table.

She squinted and looked around as her eyes adjusted to the moonlit room. It was not a hotel, she was sure of that. Quickly she swung her legs off the bed and started to the door. Something cinched her ankle and she fell hard to the filthy wood floor.

Lucinda looked down her leg, a small chain that reminded her of something to tie a dog out with was fastened tight around her ankle. The other end to the bed, she pulled but the bed had been fastened to the floor as well.

Panic began to set in. Luce looked out the window, there wasn’t much to see. She was on the second floor of a house maybe... Where was she? Why was she here?

Memory of the woman in the airport came back to her. “Oh God… I’ve been kidnapped?”

That couldn’t be right, that kind of thing didn’t happen to people like her she wasn’t rich or famous.

Her attention snapped back when the doorknob jiggled. Her breath began to pant as the door creaked open. It wasn’t a movie where Liam Neeson was going to sweep in and save her from the man who stepped in. It was real. 

****

So what do you think? Do you know what you would be worth? 

Part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge for the letter W