I'm speaking on "Becoming the Hero of Your Own Life Story" as inspired by my 4th great grandmother, "Daring Dicey" Langston, a Revolutionary War heroine. In case you happen to be in the Greenville, South Carolina vicinity, please drop by. I'll be signing copies of The Patriot Wore Petticoats from 6-7pm ET at Langston Charter Middle School on Roper Mountain Road, and speaking to the parents/student body after that.
Savannah
Nights
by Marnie L. Pehrson
Latest Release: in Granite Publishing's Love Note Series (#8)
Samantha Reynolds set off for college, leaving her best friend Sean Cooper behind just when their friendship had started to blossom into something more. Sean leaves on a basketball scholarship at a major university while Samantha sets her sails for culinary school in Atlanta.
Over the years they lose touch until ten years later when Samantha is a prominent chef in an Atlanta restaurant. When her mother's untimely death shocks her world, Samantha heads home to Savannah, Georgia where she hopes to lead a calmer life. Instead, she ends up entangled in a mystery her mother was trying to solve.
In order to piece together the puzzle Marjorie Reynolds left behind, Samantha turns to her old friend Sean, now a city alderman in whom her mother confided. Together they must learn what Marjorie discovered before Samantha ends up sharing her mother's fate.
The book is available through the Distractions Ink site. I hope you enjoy it!
I'm a pretty picky reader. I rarely read a book twice or even go out of my way to recommend one, but I am today.
The mother and daughter writing team, Sandra Poole and Jennifer Youngblood, have just released their second novel, Stoney Creek, Alabama
There are very few authors who can capture the South this well, and it's one of those books that I'll gladly read again and again. I read a pre-press copy several months ago, and upon hearing it was in print I got excited and immediately thought, "Oh, I can't wait to read that again." You've heard me talk about this before... books that make you feel something are the ones you want to pick up over and again because you want to feel that way again. Stoney Creek, Alabama
As part of the CreateAWOW Virtual conference, my friend Nancy Spivey interviewed me about two of my topics of expertise. These interviews would be helpful for you if you're interested in marketing your products or services through article promotion or if you're looking at self-publishing a book.
Create a WOW with Article Marketing
In this interview, you'll learn all about article marketing,
syndication, and how to use articles for better search engine positioning.
Insider Secrets to Self-Publishing
If you're one of those people who has a manuscript sitting on your computer or
hidden in your closet, and you aren't quite sure what to do with it -- whether
to send it to a publisher or self-publish it yourself, whether to print it in
paperback or make it available as a downloadable ebook -- then this recorded
interview will give you the basics on what you need to know. I talk about the
BarnesandNoble.
You can listen to these by either going to www.CreateAWOW.com or you can listen to our podcast through:
If you get a chance to listen, leave a comment here with your questions or thoughts.
A friend of mine is an assistant DA with the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit. After she read my latest draft of "An Uncertain Justice" she recommended I take a trip to the Walker County Courthouse where the trial in the book took place. When she said it, it was one of those "duh" moments. Why hadn't I thought to do that? I'd done so much online research into old newspaper clippings and what not, that I forgot one of the first things I usually do... visit the location. Maybe that's because the Durham Depot where the actual murder took place doesn't exist anymore and I started working off the assumption that other locations wouldn't exist either. "My bad," as my 18-year-old would say.
Per my friend's suggestion, I spent most of today at the Walker County Courthouse while court was in session. I walked into that old structure built in 1916 with its antique wooden floors that creak underfoot. They don't make buildings like this anymore with their vaulted ceilings patterned with recessed crown molding. From the balcony overlooking the courtroom to the period clock on the wall to the old wooden benches and tables, one would feel they had stepped back in time... except for the people. The people pulled you back to the present.
I intended to watch a trial where there would be witnesses cross-examined, but the assault case that was scheduled got moved and replaced with a cocaine possession trial. After watching the jury selection and taking a lunch break at a local deli, I came back hoping to see the actual trial, but the defendant decided to put in a plea. Fortunately I'd taken along a book manuscript to proof so the last couple hours weren't a total waste.
After being in the courtroom, I think I can go back and set the stage for the trial in a more authentic manner. As I sat there watching this trial, it occurred to me that the "moonshiners" of "An Uncertain Justice" have been replaced by cocaine dealers. Meth labs have replaced the Baker Boys' still. As the lawyers were selecting the jury, one of the questions the prosecutor asked was "Have you, a friend, or a family member had experience with illegal drugs or alcohol?" From the show of hands, it looked to me that about 50% of them could say "yes" to that question. I wonder if a similar question had been posed in the Baker Boys' trial ("Have you, a friend, or a family member had experience with moonshine?") would the percentage be as high? Probably... from what I hear many people kept a jug of moonshine on their table next to their salt and pepper. I guess as a society we've just swapped one vice for another and kicked it up to an even more lethal level.
Joan Hetzler of "The Writer Show" interviewed me a couple weeks ago and the interview will air Sunday, December 4th. Here are the details she sent out:
BAH HUMBUG!
At least, that's the idea in Marnie Pehrson's new ebook, "Miss Humbug," a new twist on old Scrooge. Marnie visits to talk about her Christmas story of a young woman who hates Christmas but has to find the true Christmas spirit quickly or face dire consequences. Available at www.misshumbug.com, the ebook is free but does offer a chance to buy Miss Humbug's Homemade Fudge (Marnie's husband is a chef) and a print version. Marnie talks about how she markets her work online and develops her writing career through online contacts rather than the traditional publishing route.
The show airs this Sunday, December 2, at 1 pm EST through live internet streaming at www.wawl.org and in the Chattanooga, Tennessee area on 91.5FM.
Also, a special Christmas edition of The Writers Show with local and regional writers and storytellers will air on Christmas Day at 11 am and 7 pm. Look for a future announcement.
For more information about The Writers Show, visit www.geocities.com/thewritersshow/thewritersshow.html or contact Joan Hetzler at thewritersshow@yahoo.com
It's been beautiful here for the last few days - in the 70's, clear and perfect for walking. Yesterday I set out for a walk to the Chickamauga creek and decided to take my camcorder along with me. I thought it would be fun to film the walk and send it to a few of my friends. When I got back and added Jody Norris' Ghost of Shiloh (a Civil War ballad) to the background of the video, it made me think of a scene from Rebecca's Reveries.
The book is set on our property in the 1880's - after the Civil War but before the Battlefield was turned into a national park. In the book, Rebecca Marchant (who has led a sheltered life) is inexplicably drawn to the home of her father's youth (our property which used to be the Battlefield Stables). Surrounded by the historical landscape of the Chickamauga battlefield in Georgia, Rebecca finds herself plagued by haunting dreams and vivid visions of Civil War events. As Rebecca walks a mile in another girl’s moccasins through her visions and dreams she learns about compassion, forgiveness, temptation, the trauma of war, and the power of true love.
So the final video I came up with includes my reading of a scene from Rebecca's Reveries where Rebecca first meets her love-interest, Mitch Garrison, at the creek. It may be a bit cheesy, but I thought Rebecca's Reveries fans might enjoy seeing the inspiration behind the story.
Link: Media Life Magazine - 'Enough of the gizmos. I'd rather read.'.
Here's some interesting results from the recent Harris Poll, "As it turns out, for all these different toys, these wonderful new technologies, reading tops the list of things Americans would most rather do, given the choice, and by a large margin.
Not only that, reading is higher on that list than ever. Watching TV is No. 2, but a more distant No. 2. Reading is slightly more popular today than it was back in 1995."
Wow! It's almost Thanksgiving! Where in the world did 2007 go? For small businesses like ours, the end of the year means bookkeeping and inventory and all that yucky stuff. To make our lives easier, we're closing out our inventory of books. So if you're looking for a Christmas gift for a friend or just something to read yourself, this is a great time to for you.
Here's how it works ... order any of our overstock inventory items (some of which are at reduced prices) and you'll pay NO SHIPPING within the U.S. while supplies last! We have both fiction and nonfiction titles available as well as a 3-CD set from my recent "Faith Precedes the Miracle" workshop. To see what's currently available, visit http://www.marniepehrson.com/closeout.php
Oh, and to sweeten the deal, order any 5 items or more at once and you'll receive a Free 1 pound box of "Miss Humbug's Fudge" (the smoothest, creamiest, dreamiest fudge on the planet) to enjoy while you read!
Every great historical romance needs a strong hero –- usually "lethally handsome" -- as my author-friend Marcia Lynn McClure would say. I tend to write heroes who are strong yet sensitive like Elijah in Angel and the Enemy who swoops in to save young Angelina from a fate worse than death. Or there’s mischievous Bronson Reilly from In Love We Trust who manages to convince heroine Mandy Gates that his amorous attentions are part of his protection of her. Then there’s Gerard McNally from Second Sight, a strong homicide detective who is sensitive enough to appreciate Sable’s intuitive abilities, protect her from danger, and also help her work through her dark past.
People ask me where I come up with my heroes. “Where can I find one of these guys?” women ask. “In my imagination,” is the answer. Basically, I take all my husband’s best qualities for the foundation and then fix all his flaws! LOL In other words, my heroes don’t exist in reality, only in my imagination! So reader beware … odds are you’re never going to find an Elijah, a Bronson or a Gerard.
What about heroines? Heroines are always a little more difficult for me, but they’re probably more realistic because I draw from my own flaws and foibles. Of all the heroines I’ve written the one everyone loves best is Dicey Langston – because she’s a real person. Young "Daring Dicey" saves an entire village, faces Bloody Scouts intent upon her destruction, and flings herself in front of her father to save his life. The great thing about Dicey is that she really did those things, and I think that’s why everyone loves her so much.
But Diceys don’t come along every day. Are heroines as difficult
to come by in reality as heroes? While visiting a friend today, I realized that
she’s probably one of the bravest women I know. No, she hasn’t saved a village from certain
destruction. She hasn’t faced pistols aimed to destroy her or her family. But
she’s squaring off against an enemy every bit as threatening. What's more, she’s doing it with the
faith of an angel and the optimism of a saint.
As I watch one of my dearest friends deal with breast
cancer, I sit back in awe at her ability to recognize God’s hand in her life.
Sure, she’s scared, but she’s at peace. “I know I can do this,” she told me.
“The Lord is helping me through this.” She’s got a long hard road ahead of her,
but she’s taking it one day at a time, keeping her sense of humor, and trusting
God to get her through. If that’s not heroic, then I don’t know what is.
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