Ruth Ann Nordin's Blog, page 101

Updates: My Ebooks at Libraries And A Prelude to Her Counterfeit Husband (Maybe)

My ebooks will be showing up in more libraries (via Smashwords)

Today I checked out the site update page on Smashwords (https://www.smashwords.com/about/beta).  I’ve decided to give away all of my ebooks to libraries doing business with Smashwords.  What does this mean?  Basically, I want to make it as easy as possible for libraries to get my ebooks so that people have the opportunity to borrow it on their eReading devices.  As time goes on, more and more ebooks will be getting into library systems.  If the libraries don’t have to pay for my ebooks, they will be more willing to offer my ebooks to anyone who wants to check them out.

As a quick disclaimer, I don’t even have a library card, so I don’t check out books (paperback or ebooks) from a library.  I don’t know how the system works.  What I know is that a lot of people do go through libraries to find books.  In my opinion, this is a great way to help anyone reading this blog get easier access to my ebooks.  However, I have no control over which libraries will pick up my ebooks.  I don’t know which libraries are doing business with Smashwords either.  But I do know this is an expanding venture, which means that more and more libraries are going to be working with Smashwords in the future.

Please don’t ask me if my ebooks are at your library.  I have no idea.  My recommendation is if you would like to see my ebooks at your library, please talk to your librarian.  Since libraries can get my ebooks for free, you should have an easier time convincing your librarian to pick up my ebooks.  However, this might take some time and some kinks might have to be worked out as Smashwords distributes ebooks to libraries, so please be patient if you can’t get my ebooks at your library yet.  :D

A “Book Trailer” Prelude to Her Counterfeit Husband (Maybe)

I’m currently looking into doing a prelude trailer to introduce Her Counterfeit Husband.  There’s a backstory to the heroine’s life that I explained in the book, but I thought I’d try a trailer giving her backstory and ending it with the night she finds the hero beaten and left for dead in the forest.  It’s meant to be a cliffhanger so you’ll want to read the book.  :D  I’ve never done a trailer like this before, so I have no idea if it’ll work or not.  I’m currently sorting through pictures on www.dreamstime.com and seeing if there are any suitable videos.

I don’t want to do the same-old book trailer like I’ve done in the past.  Honestly, I think they’re boring.  But if I added something different and outside of the book, that might be interesting.  I could actually do trailers to add to books instead of just explaining what the book is about.

As I said, though, since I’ve never attempted this, it might turn out to totally suck, and if that’s the case, I won’t post it for the world to see.

Lord Edon and His Mother (Or “How To Drive Your Mother Crazy In One Scene or Less”): An Excerpt from A Most Unsuitable Husband

I thought I’d take a brief time out from editing to share one of my favorite scenes that I’m working on in A Most Unsuitable Husband.  This book will be a comedy, and the scene between Lord Edon (Ethan) and his mother helps to set the stage for it.  While I love writing dramas, I also enjoy a good comedy from time to time.  :D

I hope to do an interview with Ethan and his mother soon.  *fingers crossed they’ll cooperate with me*

As a side note: on the timeline in the Regency Collection, A Most Unsuitable Husband takes place before Her Counterfeit Husband.  You know me.  I have trouble writing books in chronological order.  However, what happens in Her Counterfeit Husband has no bearing on this book.

So currently, this is the order of the Regencies:  The Earl’s Inconvenient Wife, A Most Unsuitable Husband, and Her Counterfeit Husband.  The Reluctant Wife would be after Her Counterfeit Husband, and A Hasty Marriage falls somewhere after that.  (A Hasty Marriage is going to be Lord Clement — aka Perry — from The Earl’s Inconvenient Wife).  I’m sure I’ll come up with more books as I go along.

***

 “When are you going to find a respectable young lady to marry?”

Ethan looked up from his book in time to see his very unhappy mother enter his library.  He slammed the book shut and slid it under his chair before she realized he’d been reading Shakespeare.

She glanced at where he put the book and made the sign of the cross.  “You’ll be the death of me yet.  I don’t even want to know what you’re reading.  If only you’d read one of the books your father invested money in.” She gave a mournful sigh and scanned the many books lining the shelves.

“Mother, please.  You know I find history and the like boring.” He grimaced.  Truly, he did.  History, biography, politics…  They only served one purpose: to put a gentleman to sleep.

She set her plump frame in the chair across from him and wrung her hands.  “You were in the Tittletattle again.”

His ears perked up at the mention of the scandalsheets.  “I was?”

“Don’t act so pleased.”

He stopped smiling and gave her a solemn nod.  “You’re right.  I have behaved abhorrently.” After a pause, he added, “What did I get caught doing?”

She let out a cry and pressed her hand to her forehead.

“Oh come now, Mother.  It couldn’t have been that bad.”

“It’s got to be one of the worst things you’ve done yet.  Prostitutes and your own mistresses are one thing, but you were caught with Lord Hedwrett’s mistress…and in broad daylight where everyone could see you!”

“It wasn’t like that.”

“No?”

“No.  It was twilight.”

She let out a cry and pulled out a handkerchief.  “Why can’t you settle down with a good, respectable lady?  Why must you insist on dallying with such…such…women?”

His brown eyes grew wide.  “I’ve never heard you talk this way.”

“I’m sorry, Ethan, but you bring out the worst in me.  When your father died, I promised him that I would make sure you found a good lady to pass on the title to your son.  Only, there is no good lady and no son.” She gave him a hesitant look.  “At least no legitimate son.  Are there illegitimate sons?”

“No.  I don’t think so.  At least no one’s mentioned it.”

“Please, please marry a good lady this Season.”

He ruffled his blond hair and groaned.  “I’ve been trying.”

“Not hard enough.”

“I’ve been going to each Season for four years.”

“And with each passing year, it’s getting harder and harder to convince a proper lady that you’re worth marrying.  As much as ladies desire a titled gentleman, they still have their limits.”

Crossing his slender legs, he leaned back in the chair and watched her as she agonized over his future.  He knew she meant well, but the responsibility of the title never appealed to him.  How he wished he could hand it to his cousin who could then take over the estate so he could live a quiet life—out of the limelight—in his cottage.  What more did a gentleman really need than the solitude of good books and the peacefulness of nature?  No, instead, he was expected to run from one social event to another and frequent White’s.  At least in the winter, he could return to Kestrel.  But no.  It was time to be in London and do the whole running to and fro thing all over again.

Inspired, he straightened.  “I have a wonderful idea!”

Though she seemed hesitant, she asked, “You do?”

“Let’s give my title to Clarence.  You know he’ll do well with it!”

“Not this again.”

“But why not?”

“It’s not as easy as you seem to think it is to hand over your title to him, and if it were, I forbid it.  You make much too light of it.  It’s an honor to have one, and you can do more with it than you can without.”

He sunk back into the chair.  He knew she was going to say that.  She always said that.  No matter what vile thing he pulled, she clung to her obsession with him passing on the title to one of his future sons.  Little did she realize, he’d never had them, whether legitimate or not.

“There’s a ball tomorrow night,” she began, and he groaned.  “Now don’t act that way, Ethan.  I want you to put on your best clothes and be charming to the ladies.” She paused for a moment.  “Not too charming, of course.  I don’t want you to lure an innocent out to the gardens.  Granted, a scandal would secure a marriage, but you’ve lived so recklessly, my heart can’t take that kind of betrothal.  What we need is an honorable engagement to an honorable lady.”

This wasn’t the first time she’d made such a declaration, and he was sure it wouldn’t be the last.  But either way, it wouldn’t happen.  He was very careful to avoid anything that might mean he had to marry a lady.  No one insisted on marriage if the lady in question was a mistress or a lady of ill repute.  They were, by far, the safer bet if he felt inclined to talk to a member of the fairer sex.

“I’ll attend the ball,” he said because he knew it would make her happy.  Never mind the fact that she’d be disappointed tomorrow evening when there was no lady who would be a possible daughter-in-law.  Just the hope alone would have to suffice.

Relaxing, she smiled.  “Thank you.  Maybe this Season will be the one!”

Maybe it would be the Season where she would give up her nonsense of him finding a wife.

Standing up, she motioned to the book under his chair.  “I’ll let you return to,” she sighed, “your reading.”

His eyebrow arched as he watched her leave.  Once she shut the door, he picked up the book of Shakespeare’s plays and resumed reading it.  He could only imagine the talk of the ton if anyone found out he was reading something so noble.  Such a thing wouldn’t be good for his stellar reputation as a rake.

Cover Ideas and What I’m Thinking of Working On

I should give a very quick warning that my editing schedule isn’t going as smoothly as I was hoping.  It’s August now, which means the kids are bouncing off the walls, and I’ve been doing everything I can think of to keep them happy.  For the last two summers, that meant taking them to the park where I’d work on my stories.  However, it’s been up in the high 90s and low 100s most of the time.  That means we’ve been hitting the pool almost every day, and at the pool, all I can do is sit in the shallow area and read a paperback book.  (I choose paperbacks because I don’t care if I get a paperback wet, but I’d care if my Kindle or Nook did.)  While it’s been fun, it hasn’t been a productive use of my time.  When we’re not at the pool, it’s been the zoo (which I do love; the Omaha zoo is an amazing experience), the Strategic Air Command Museum, Fontenelle Forest, or the Wildlife Safari.  So even though I’ve been in the area, I feel like I’ve been on vacation every day.  This isn’t bad.  I’ve been having a lot of fun with the kids, but when I get home, I don’t usually feel like editing.  So I’ve made unbelievably little progress compared to what I’m used to.

I state all of this because I might end up pushing back the publishing dates of Her Counterfeit Husband and Bound by Honor, Bound by Love.  I still want to make my books they can be, and if it takes longer for me to do it because my kids need stuff to do, then that’s how it ends up.  I’ll keep everyone updated as the month progresses.  Once August 20th comes, it’ll be back to school for everyone, and I can get into a routine again.

Possible Cover for a Future Regency Book

I have been working on potential covers for my next Regency.  The Reluctant Wife is a tentative title.  Anyway, I’d like your opinion on which position works best for the heroine (fan facing to the left or right) and which background (red or blue) fits better.  I’m not going to write this one yet because the plot isn’t firmly established.  Like Lord Clement’s book, I need time to think about it before I start it.

Here are the covers:

Cover 1

Cover 2

Cover 3

Cover 4

I’ve tried her outside, but none of the outdoor pictures worked.  I finally found two that were indoor images that fit the time period I’m writing in.

Also For Dave and Mary’s Third Book

In addition to working on the cover for The Reluctant Wife (tentative title), I also want to see what I can do about the cover of Dave and Mary’s third book.  This is what I have now:

While it’s not bad, I’m wondering if I can get something more like the kind of stuff I’ve been doing (Mitch’s Win and Wagon Trail Bride since I really like those covers).  So I’ll be browsing around www.dreamstime.com, www.shutterstock.com, www.photos.com, and istock.com when I’m unable to focus on edits to see what I can come up with.  :D

What I’m Thinking of Writing Next

I’ve gotten a couple of questions from people who want to know what I’m thinking of writing in addition A Most Unsuitable Husband.  At the moment, Wagon Trail Bride and Forever Yours are looking like the two I’ll work on next.  No promises though. 

The First Draft of Bound by Honor, Bound by Love is Done!

I just finished it!  I was so excited I had to share the good news.  I’ve been at the computer all day writing, and between interruptions from the kids (who are bored) and cooking food, I finally did it.  There were times when I doubted I could get it done this year.  The characters would give me nothing to write for weeks on end, but as soon as I lowered the word count goal, the writing became easy.  Who knew the problem was placing a word count goal on the book?  LOL

Anyway, I am at chapter 13 (out of 25 chapters) with Her Counterfeit Husband.  I would have finished by now if I hadn’t been working on Bound by Honor, Bound by Love.  But it’s no big deal.  Now I can work on going through the initial of both books.  :D

What is Love?

I might write romances.  I love it.  I get to “fall in love” on a regular basis.  The thrill of that first moment when you realize you are with the person meant for you is one of things that makes writing romances so much fun.  I really enjoy that “falling in love” process.

But as I’m sitting here at my laptop, finishing up Bound by Honor, Bound by Love, I look around my living room and see children who are occasionally fighting but being good for the most part.  My husband is upstairs reading a book.  It’s not exactly the picture we’re given of love in romance novels.  In romance novels, the couple strives to be together and there are all those exciting emotions.

Real life can’t sustain a romance novel type of love.  Real life had you up in the clouds during the days when you first find that person and are falling in love.  But then the day-to-day tasks of life set in, and you find that love isn’t all about fireworks and endless hours together.  In fact, if I were to spend all day with my husband, I’d go nuts.  (Same is true for him.)

The truth is while your spouse completes you, you still need to have your own identity.  And this isn’t a bad thing.  It makes you a more rounded person.  I am not just a wife.  I am a mother, a writer, a friend, an Omaha-zoo and Mahoney State Park enthusiast, among other things.  My point is that there are times when we need things separate from our spouse.

But that doesn’t lessen the importance of love, and it doesn’t mean I love my husband any less.  It’s all about moderation in anything.  You can’t spend all your time on only one thing or else you aren’t a well-balanced person.  Make sense?

So what is love?  Honestly, I am convinced love is a choice.  It’s a decision.  Feelings are so fleeting and unreliable.  I mean, one minute, I want to kiss my husband because he did the laundry without me asking, and the next, I want to knock him upside the head for not cleaning up the juice he spilled on the counter (which, for anyone who’s had to deal with ants, knows this is important if you don’t want more of those pests).

The more I think about it, making decisions based on emotions is horrible.  It’s too easy to get swept up in the moment.  Later on, you think, “Good grief.  What was I thinking?” This can be anything from an inexpensive toy for the kid or an expensive item for your husband (because they were just so darn cute at the time and so happy, which made you happy, so you couldn’t say no).  That’s just one example which isn’t that serious.  A more serious example would be “I don’t feel appreciated.  But there’s this guy who makes me feel like a queen, so I think I’ll leave my husband and kids to be with him.” I’ve heard more scenarios play out like this than I care to admit.  Why did it happen?  Probably because the person who left had this notion that love should be all fluff (ex. candy and roses) every day of the year.

Love isn’t all rose and candy.  It can be hard.  Love is treating others the way you’d want them to treat you, even when they don’t return the favor.  It’s not all that exciting.  In fact, it can see ho-hum most of the time because you’re going from day-to-day not really thinking about it.  But when you end up in severe pain because of a kidney stone that’s passing and your husband takes you to the emergency room and then takes care of the kids so you can rest, that’s where love truly matters.  It’s not the candy and roses and other thrills.

It’s in growing old together, when looks fade and you’re no longer the beauty you once were (believe me, it’s not fun to compare myself to how I was when I first got married because I’m not the Hollywood version of beauty anymore).  Love is about being who you truly are with the other person and knowing that they’ve accepted you, good traits and bad.  No one is perfect.  Romance novels often require us to be perfect or for the other person to be perfect, but that’s because in the “falling in love” stage, you and the other person are “perfect”.  I admit that I have made up some pretty perfect characters, but I also realize that romance novels are fiction.  They are not a mirror of reality.  Who wants to read a book where the hero and heroine are sitting around the house and trying to decide if they take the kids out for a walk, shop for clothes since school is quickly approaching, or just hang out in the house today?  Because this is my life on a regular basis.  It’d make for a horrible romance novel.

I still love romance novels and all the thrills in them.  Sure, it’s not the same as real life, but I write and read fiction to be entertained.  I like the escape.  I placing myself in the character’s shoes and living out their adventure.  It’s fun.  But for the critics who complain about romance novels because it’s not realistic, all I can say is, “So what?”  It doesn’t have to be.  My life would make a very boring novel.  But one of characters would have an exciting tale to tell, so I tell theirs instead.  :D

Updates

Her Counterfeit Husband

I now have an estimated publishing date around August 15 to 25.  :D

I’m still in the editing process.  Actually, I’m still getting it ready for the editor and my proofreaders.  Fortunately, they have blocked out priority time for me so when I’m done, they’ll get right on it.  I have an awesome group of people to work with.  :D

I’m getting about one chapter a day done, which is slower than what I usually do, but the reason it’s been slow going is because I’ve been finishing up Bound by Honor, Bound by Love.  And speaking of that…

Bound by Honor, Bound by Love

At the moment, I am about five scenes away from being done.  With any luck, this weekend, I’ll get to announce that I’m done with the first draft!  Then I can move it through the process of getting it ready for the editor and proofreaders.

I think it’s safe to estimate the publishing date for this book around the end of August to early September.

A Most Unsuitable Husband

As soon as I finish with Bound by Honor, Bound by Love (which is taking all of my writing time at the moment), I plan to make 1000 words a day my goal for this book.  At the moment, Lord Edon’s mother is in front of everyone at the ball claiming that her son and Lady Catherine have a secret engagement.  This is not true, of course, but the poor mother’s desperate to see her son married to a respectable lady and is willing to stoop to anything to secure it.  I should post the scene in the book where she’s hassling Lord Edon about getting married.  I’ll look into doing that this week.  With any luck, the two will be willing to come in for an interview.

As much as I tried to get an interview with the characters from Her Counterfeit Husband, no one was willing to do it.  That’s why I never did one with them.  While the characters were very cooperative when I wrote the book, they weren’t cooperative when it came to interviews.  *sigh*

(I know these are characters, but when I write them out, they come alive and have personalities of their own and I can’t force them to do anything they don’t want to do.  This is true in the book and on my blog.  So yes, these characters do become “real” people.  :D)

I’m Putting Mitch’s Win On Hold

You know how it is when you get excited about a project, start it, have to stop because you need to do something else, and when you come back to it, you lose interest?  That’s where I’m at with this book.  This book has potential.  Amazing potential, but if I force it, it’ll suck.  This book can be one of my best ones if I set it aside and wait for the interest to come back.

So I’ll be taking if off the “Works In Progress” list on the right side of this blog.

Not Sure What I’ll Work On Next

I’m going to give myself a couple of weeks while I work on Her Counterfeit Husband and Bound by Honor, Bound by Love to think about what other book or two books I’d like to work on while I write A Most Unsuitable Husband.  I’m going to give my mind a break and see what comes to me.  So at the moment, A Most Unsuitable Husband will be the only one I’ll have up, in addition to finishing Bound by Honor, Bound by Love.

I just rehashed all of this on my newsletter blog, so if you read this post, there’s no need to go over there.  :D

Giveaway from Janet Syas Nitsick: A Chance to Win Paperbacks from Her and Me!

My friend Janet Syas Nitsick is doing a giveaway where you can win a paperback copy of her newest release, Lockets and Lanterns, and a copy of either Eye of the Beholder or Shotgun Groom.  Here’s her post that I copied from her blog:

Love is in the Air

 

On Aug. 1 decades ago, a mother cradles an infant in her arms, the father smiles down at his newly-born daughter. Her foot is wrapped in bandages since it got twisted during labor.

Time marches on and with that the child grows up and stands beside her betrothed. They exchange their marriage vows on Aug. 2, 1980.

In honor of these two loving events - my birth and wedding anniversary - I am giving away two copies of my recently-released, inspiring-historical romance, Lockets and Lanterns. . . .

As Edith marches down the aisle to marry the man of her  dreams, she doesn’t know he is hiding a secret. Eighteen years later her husband, Red, must confront his past and reveal a deep family secret before it’s too late.

Edith needs answers about her husband’s past, but will he put his children and career in danger to keep his secret? As tragedy occurs and the couple drifts apart, they must find their love for one another again before they lose each other. Lockets and Lanterns, a gripping tale of love, loss, and forgiveness, takes readers back to the 1900s when life was simpler, but sustaining love was just as difficult.

*This book is rated PG.  It is a clean Christian romance.

And a winner could receive an autographed copy of Ruth Ann Nordin’s books, Eye of the Beholder OR Shotgun Groom. 

 

Mary Peters despairs that she will never get married.  At nineteen, she has no prospects of finding a husband, so she takes matters into her own hands and becomes a mail-order bride.  When she arrives in Omaha, Nebraska to meet the man she’s due to marry, he takes one look at her homely appearance and rejects her.

But fate has other plans for Mary.  Dave Larson happens to be nearby and thinks she will make a good wife.  Though she is stunned that someone as handsome and as kind as Dave would ask her to marry him, she accepts.  She knows that this marriage will not bear the fruits of love.  Love, after all, is for beautiful women.  Isn’t it?

Warning: This is rated R due to sexual situations after marriage.

April Edwards, a young widow, is content to manage a farm with her fourteen-year-old brother and a one-year-old daughter. Nothing, after all, could be worse than being married to her deceased husband. Nothing, that is, until her unscrupulous brother-in-law decides to marry her. With no other recourse, April and her brother concoct a plan–one that involves the unsuspecting doctor’s assistant, Joel Larson.

Joel Larson doesn’t want to be married. In fact, he’s perfectly happy with things the way they are, but when he’s sent to check on April’s sick child, things take an unexpected turn for the worse. In one instant, he finds a gun and a mandate to marry April staring him in the face. Can a marriage that begins with a shotgun be just the thing Joel needs or has April just confined herself to another miserable marriage?

Warning: This book is rated R due to sexual situations after marriage between the hero and heroine.  Prior to marriage, there is an attempted rape by the villain.  (The rape is prevented.)  There is also reference to past violent situations to the heroine’s brother by the heroine’s deceased husband.

How to enter:

It is easy. You NEED TO FOLLOW ME on either my WORDPRESS: http://janetsyasnitsick.wordpress.com/ OR BLOGSPOT: http://janetsinnerramblings.blogspot.com/ blogs. In the comment section, state your first and last name and that you are following one of my blogs.

There will be TWO WINNERS:

One winner will receive a signed copy of Lockets and Lanterns by Janet Syas Nitsick and a signed copy of Eye of the Beholder by Ruth Ann Nordin.

Another winner will receive a signed copy of Lockets and Lanterns by Janet Syas Nitsick and a signed copy of Shotgun Groom by Ruth Ann Nordin.

When the two winners will be announced:

I will announce the TWO WINNERS on my AUG. 7 blog post at http://janetsyasnitsick.wordpress.com/ and http://janetsinnerramblings.blogspot.com/.  Ruth Ann Nordin will also announce the winners on her blog on August 7 at http://ruthannnordinauthorblog.wordpr....

At that time, the two winners will be instructed to visit www.JanetSyasNitsick.com to leave their email and snail-mail addresses. God bless and good luck.

Please note:

*If a winner does not contact me within seven days of my Aug. 7 post, I will select another winner on Aug. 15 and post their name in that day’s blog post.

 

Bound by Honor, Bound by Love (Finally Nearing the End of the First Draft)

Anticipated publishing date of this book

After what’s seemed like forever, I am finally nearing the end of this book!  Now I can say with confidence that this book will be available around the end of August or early September.  I’ll be sure to keep updates on it as I get closer to publishing it.

I just finished up the part where Onawa and Citlali worked through everything, so now it’s a matter of tying up the remaining loose ends and to do that, Citlali has to assume the role as the primary chief of the tribe.  I need to resolve a matter with Cole and Penelope and a resolution that Citlali has to face in knowing the Mandan tribe won’t be able to continue as it had in the past.

Quick history of the Mandans

The 19th and 20th centuries marked significant changes for the Mandans.  You see, the Smallpox epidemic in 1837-38 hit them so hard that it’s estimated that only 125 full-blooded Mandans remained.  In the meantime, Christian missionaries were coming to evangelize and the Mandans (who were a peaceful group of people) had a lot of dealings with the white man.  At the turn of the 20th century, some moved into cabins, leaving the tribe, and more and more Mandans had left behind their old belief systems in favor of the white man’s.

A lot of changes were going on, and though I can’t effectively portray it all in the series, I’ve picked out parts that I believe has enhanced the stories as they affected the four couples featured (Woape and Gary, Chogan and Julia, Citlali and Onawa, and — to a small degree — Cole and Penelope who adopted two orphaned Mandan children off an orphan train).    With any story, the focus must always stay with the characters and their points of view.  The Native American Romance Series is not meant to take the place of historical research into the era where the Mandans thrived and eventually dwindled in numbers.

The resources I used in research include (but are not limited to) the following:

The North American Indian (volume 5) written and published by Edward S. Curtis (1909).  (book)

Mandan Social and Ceremonial Organization  (book)

Alfred W. Bowers

foreword by Gerard Baker

2004 University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Nebraska

original 1950 by The University of Chicago

A trip to Bismarck, North Dakota in 2011 to see Mandan artifacts and read on their traditions and myths at the Heritage Center and a visit to the On-A-Slant Indian Village (south of Mandan, North Dakota) where the earthen lodges, drying platforms, and historical items kept in one of their lodges is available for touring.   For anyone interested, I did take pictures and videos while there that I put into two videos via Animoto.

It’s not the best video in the world, but my area of expertise isn’t making videos.  :D

I also did some Internet research, but when in doubt, I referred to the books since I’m old school enough (thanks to my college degree) to believe that the most authentic resources are the oldest ones and those published with a reputable publisher.  I take Internet research with a grain of salt.

Anyway, it is from this that the of the dying number of full-blooded Mandans and the white man’s intrusion into their world that Bound by Honor, Bound by Love is established.  However, this is primarily the romance between Citlali and Onawa, so 90% of the stuff I learned never made it into the book.  LOL

But I will admit that every time I look at the video I made and think of how history has played out (the last full-blooded Mandan died in 1971), I tear up.  The bulk of the series has been the struggle for the Mandans to preserve their way of life.  But inevitably the tides of change was too powerful for them to fight, and that’s the ultimate conclusion that is reached at the end of the book.  So I consider the ending of Bound by Honor, Bound by Love to be a bittersweet one.  For Citlali and Onawa, it’s a happy ending, but for the tribe, it means accepting that they would never recapture their past glory.

Story excerpt from Bound by Honor, Bound by Love

One thing I wanted to put in this book was a Mandan wedding.  Below is the scene I wrote for it.  Please note that this has not been proofread or edited yet.  It is the first draft…

Onawa’s father entered the lodge with the white buffalo robe, and Onawa’s heartbeat picked up.  It was time for the ceremony.  Taking a deep breath, she tucked away the pouch full of herbs with her belongings and approached her father.

“Are you ready?” her father asked her.

“Yes, I’m ready.”

“Good.  I’ll tell Citlali it’s time,” he replied with a kind smile before he left.

Gulping, she returned his smile.  She took a deep breath and placed her hands over her stomach in an effort to settle her stomach.  She couldn’t eat anything that morning.  Her aunts whispered their congratulations to her and Woape wished her luck in a tone that indicated her uncertainty, but Onawa didn’t give it much thought.  Outside the lodge, she heard her father talking to Citlali.  She wiped her clammy hands on her dress and waited by the fire pit as the other women departed from the lodge.

This was it.

Her father entered the lodge, still holding the white robe, but her gaze fell to Citlali who followed close behind.  Would she ever get over the initial thrill of seeing him?  He removed his brown buffalo robe and set it to the side of the fire pit.  She took in his silky black hair that fell down his back and his slender frame which was covered with a deerskin tunic shirt and leggings.  He wasn’t a hunter, so he lacked the muscles of some tribal members—a thing some women preferred.  But she liked him just the way he was.

Her father set aside the white buffalo robe so he could lay out a brown robe on the ground.  After he welcomed Citlali and Onawa to sit, he took the white robe and draped it over their shoulders, giving Onawa’s shoulder a squeeze to let her know he was proud of her.  She would have enjoyed her father’s praise had she not been preoccupied with Citlali.  They sat so close to each other that their legs touched, and her body flushed with pleasure at the physical contact.

They’d be touching each other for the rest of their lives.  For a moment, she recalled what Woape had told her of the wedding night.  Woape said she wanted Onawa to know what to expect so she wouldn’t be nervous, but in some ways, knowing how and where Citlali would be touching her that evening created a greater surge of anxiety.  She hadn’t even kissed him.

Her brother entered the lodge with four horses, and Onawa noted the strength in the stallion and three mares.  They were good horses, some of the best she’d ever seen, and they were a gift from Citlali to her family’s lodge.  The others watching the ceremony murmured their approval at the fine gift before they sat around her and Citlali to share a meal with them.

Around her, their families enjoyed the food.  She managed to eat some of it, but her thoughts kept going back to Citlali who seemed intent on listening to the chief who sat on his other side.  She didn’t pay much attention to what the chief was saying until he said her name.  Startled, she looked up from the corn she was eating and looked over at him.

The chief smiled.  “It is a good day when two of our people who understand our ways and appreciate our tradition join their lives.  May you and Citlali have good health and many children.”

“It is a good day,” Citlali told her, his lips turning up, ever so slightly.

It was the most emotion she’d ever seen from him, and knowing his smile was for her made her heart beat with excitement.  She returned the sentiment and turned her attention back to the corn.  He must care for her to some degree.  Even if they didn’t really know each other, they were forming a foundation for a solid marriage.  She was sure of it.

When the meal ended, Citlali took the white buffalo robe, careful as he carried it to the top of her lodge.  Onawa’s aunts excitedly surrounded her while Citlali addressed her father’s sacred bundle, announcing that the white robe was her father’s gift to the gods.  As expected, one of Citlali’s aunts went to the greet Citlali who gave her the white robe.

Citlali returned to Onawa so they could collect robes and other items.  Her brother, the members of their age-grade societies, and the younger people of the Waxik Ena clan joined them for this task.  Once they were finished with this task, they went to the Okipa lodge where they hung all the items they collected so everyone else could see them.  The white robe hung in the center of the items, proudly on display for all to admire, and this was where Onawa and Citlali stood while the members of the tribe who held the singing rites sang the first sacred song.

During the music, she dared a glance at Citlali.  When he turned his gaze to her, she noted the gentleness in his eyes and offered a nervous smile.  His fingers brushed her hand before he wrapped his hand around hers.  Her heart sped up as a thrill shot straight through her.  Everything would be alright.  This marriage would be a good one.  Reassured, she relaxed and turned her attention back to the singers as they finished the first song.

Citlali let go of her hand so he could retrieve one of the items hanging up.  He picked one of the glass-beaded necklaces and gave it as a gift to his mother.  His mother accepted it, squeezed Onawa’s hand, and whispered, “Thank you for agreeing to live in our lodge so Citlali can continue to provide for us.”

“I’m happy to leave my lodge to go to yours,” Onawa softly replied.

His mother nodded her thanks and went to the white buffalo robe to pray for the success in all of Citlali and Onawa’s endeavors.

The singers sang the next song, and afterwards, they gave more gifts to the wedding guests.  The process continued in an orderly fashion.  The singers would present one of the sacred songs and more people would receive gifts.  In return for giving their gifts, people would offer them an item from their sacred bundles.

Afterwards, the guests who had rights to the corn ceremonies took turns painting the white robe, some choosing simple pictures and others employing more elaborate decorations.  For each thing they added to the robe, they received a gift for their contribution.

When the robe was finished, Citlali turned to Onawa and said, “I’d like to dedicate this ceremony to the Lone Man.”

She expected as much since he was second to the chief, so she nodded her agreement, not that he needed it but she was pleased he thought to get her opinion on the matter.

Citlali carried the robe out of the lodge, and the others followed him so they could watch as he draped it over the sacred cedar which stood in the center of the tribe.  “The white robe now belongs to the WaxiEna Clan,” he told the group.

And with that announcement, the ceremony was complete, and Citlali was now her husband.  Onawa couldn’t stop the smile that lit up her face.  She turned back to her aunts and friends who congratulated her.  When her sister hugged her, she whispered, “I hope he’s good to you.”

Onawa studied her sister’s worried face and asked, “Why wouldn’t he be?”

Woape shrugged.  “I don’t know, Onawa.  When it comes to Citlali, I never knew what he was thinking or feeling.  I hope it won’t be the same for you.”

As Julia came over to hug Onawa, Onawa refused to let Woape’s apprehension affect her.  Citlali was a good man.  He’d be good to her.  She was certain of it.

***

And of course, there will be some obstacles the two newlyweds will face in the book or else there would be no plot.  :D

Like I said, I should have this book published at the end of August or early September.  I’ll announce when it’s ready on this blog.

Revised List of Winners from my Last Giveaway

I just found out one of the winners of the giveaway I just ran had entered twice under different identities.  I won’t disclose how I found out, but I did.  This person will not be getting a copy of Her Counterfeit Husband when it’s released, and I have apologized to the other authors for not being more careful when I was picking winners.  Apparently, I can’t use random.org to select winners.  An honest person who entered my contest was denied a couple of good books because of this.  By entering a giveaway more than once under different identities, this person has been denied someone else an honest chance to win the book(s).  Unfortunately, I can’t ungift the book(s) already sent to this person, but what I can do is make sure to cross check every person who enters one of my giveaways in the future.

So here is the revised list of people who will get Her Counterfeit Husband:

Anusha S

Jeani Widish

Kesia Saenz

Toyette Hazzard

Ann Ferrell

Anya Kelleye

Gail Palmere

Nayda Torres

Karen (the one who didn’t leave a last name)

Diane Letourneau

Lori Weatherwax

Karen Mandina

Shayna Engel

So that is the new list.  I’m sorry, but I can’t reward people who are dishonest.  I’d like to keep things clean and honest around here.

I apologize to the other authors who were in the giveaway with me and to the honest people who only entered once.  In the future, I’ll be more careful when choosing who wins my giveaways.

The next giveaway is coming up soon.  Janet Syas Nitsick will be hosting the next one with a copy of her newest paperback release (Lockets and Lanterns) and a copy of one of my signed books (Shotgun Groom or Eye of the Beholder).  More details are coming soon.

Also, I have good news about Bound by Honor, Bound by Love that I will share in a post this week.  :D

Updates

I sent out the ebooks to the winners yesterday (except for Her Counterfeit Husband because it isn’t out yet).  If anyone on the winners’ list didn’t get their copy, let me know.  :D

Now for updates on what I’m doing…

1.  Her Counterfeit Husband

I’m at chapter 8 in the preliminary edits (which is what I call a run through before I send it off to the editor).  I’m going slower than the pace I usually do, but summer is a hard time to do much when it’s too hot to get outside so the kids can play at the park.  The last couple of years, I got spoiled because the highs were only in the 80s and low 90s around here.  Now it’s 100-degree weather, and when it’s that hot, there’s no way I can go outside with a computer.

So the book is coming along, just at a slower pace than what I normally do.

2.  Bound by Honor, Bound by Love

I’m almost at 40,000 words, which is getting close to the end.  I now realize my block on that book is that I’ve been trying to make it longer than it’s supposed to be.  As soon as I adjusted the word count goal to 50,000 (which is still a full-length novel), a lot of pressure was lifted off my shoulders.  I can’t force a word count.  Some books are longer than others, and Citlali and Onawa’s story isn’t that complicated where 65,000-70,000 words (my usual novel length) is necessary.

As a reader, I hate sagging middles.  I believe the story should compel me to keep reading.  If I force this book to be longer that it’s supposed to be, it’ll drag.  I don’t want to write books that people skim over when they read it.  I’ve read enough books that I skimmed through to find out where the action picks up again.  Since I make it a habit of reading my books (I got into writing so I’d have books I wanted to read), I make my books the way I want to read them.  So while the story is going to be shorter than normal, it’s going to keep me (as a reader) interested.  That’s how I judge the pacing and action in a book.  If I lose interest, I toss it out.  :)

***

Right now that’s all I’m working on.   I’m off to see if I can get some writing and editing done today.  Wish me luck.