Ruth C. Mitchell's Blog, page 3

Whatever the Future Holds

Whatever the Future Holds by Heidi E. V. McCann

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Whatever the Future Holds
By Heidi E.V. McCann

Most 20 somethings are busy exploiting their bodies and their brains with risky behavior, but not Heidi E.V. McCann. Her memoir, Whatever the Future Holds, is a unique story of love and devotion to a young man who was decimated by the gruesome disease of ALS or “Lou Gehrig’s” disease. Her unconditional love for Curtis Vance surpasses love as most know it.

Heidi shares her story with stark honesty as she explains how the love of her life, Curtis Vance, a dashing, charismatic love interest finally becomes loyal to her after years of seesawing commitment. They are not even married when his disease hits him like a biological cluster bomb, but Heidi never wavers in her diligence to love and conquer the genetic disease that takes Curtis out in one year’s time, as his life leaches rapidly from his body.

ALS is one of the most horrific diseases known and there is not much to be done about curing it or even slowing its progress as it rips through the dignity of those inflicted. In Curtis’ case his family had a long history of the disease.

While it is not an easy read, Heidi takes you through her agonizing journey vacillating between hope and reality. She never falters. It is especially heartbreaking as she explains how she must physically ready Curtis on their wedding day, just 22 days before he passes.

Perhaps the most remarkable segment of the story is the connection Heidi has with Curtis after he passes. She has meticulously documented events that most anyone would accept as plausible as she continues to stay connected to Curtis long after his death.

Today Heidi is married to another man and has a family with him, but her experiences with Curtis and the disease of ALS will live on deep inside of her until, she believes, she will someday be reunited.

Heidi’s book has been awarded a PenCraft Literary Award for excellence in literature.









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Cloud Cuckoo Land was every bit as good as I hoped

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Having enjoyed Anthoy Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See, All the Light We Cannot See, I was really looking forward to reading the Pulitzer Prize winner's, Cloud Cuckoo Land. It was a book that pushed my knowledge parameters. I found myself looking things up and my vocabulary was stretched as well, helping me to improve my own writing skills.

Plus, this complicated historical novel with multiple storylines, each with its own protagonists, stretched across the entire canvas of the novel. In the end all was tied up in one lovely knot. In Doerr's own words, "I wrote this as a paean to books." And it certainly is. Save this one for a time when you can dedicate focused attention on your reading.



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Whoopdedoo Pencraft Award

So very honored to announce I have received a Pencraft Book Award in the category of science fiction for my book Beyond: A Tale of Discovery on the other Side of Life.

This insignia will be appearing on the cover soon. Award-winning author has a nice ring to it.

Audio Available

Many readers prefer to listen rather than read. I get it. Just wanted to let you know, Two Moons of Merth is now available. Narrator Jocelyn Duford has done an amazing job. Learn more about her here

Also I'd like to ask you to follow me on Amazon

Thanks so much Goodreads readers. I wish you many happy moments during this holiday season, and oh yes, Two Moons is available here:

So Honored to be a Contributor to this Award-Winning book

Wow, so excited this wonderful book won this award and that my poem, Now, was a part of the anthology.

The first eMerge anthology, the Dairy Hollow Echo, was awarded a 2022 International Book Award hosted by American Book Fest. The Dairy Hollow Echo won in the Poetry: Anthologies category and was also a finalist in the Fiction: Anthologies category. Over 400 winners and finalists were announced in over 90 categories at the American Book Fest. Awards were presented for titles published in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

All proceeds from the book go toward the Writer's Colony of Dairy Hollow House. You can purchase the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Dairy-Hollow-E...

Author Interview

Just wanted to share this interview with you. Early sales of Two Moons of Merth: A Mythic Tale of the Royal Karda Family are going well.

https://book-jumbo.com/ruth-mitchell/

NOW AVAILABLE - TWO MOONS OF MERTH

This is launch day for the kindle version of Two moons of Merth and it is really fun to see the orders come on. There's nothing more enjoyable than completing a novel and then watch readers begin to take notice. I have been blessed with some really amazing reviews already.

Ruth Mitchell stunned her readers with her previous paranormal adventure, Beyond. Ruth’s latest adventure, Two Moons of Merth, will keep you glued to an exciting quest story of a young peasant woman, Aadya, as she seeks and earns the respect and dignity of the men of Merth. And when Aadya is faced with her greatest challenge, will she succeed or meet with calamitous ruin? – Charles Templeton, author of Boot: A Sorta Novel of Vietnam

Ruth Mitchell delivers another intriguing and quick-paced read, this time in the fantasy genre. In Two Moons of Merth, readers meet the royal Karda family, Aadya and Poma, and their valiant children, Ali, Galen, and Roark, and are captivated by the discoveries of kinetic sight, and the prophecies of an omniscient and magical orb. We follow these beloved characters through their many travails and celebrations in this multi-generational tale about destiny, family loyalty, tribal conflicts, and female empowerment— Deirdre Fagan, author of Find a Place for Me

Two Moons of Merth is a compelling story. There are elements of Margaret Atwood in the storyline but I was also reminded of a bit of Haruki Murakami’s work— Daniel Krotz author of Not Dead Yet

Mitchell’s Two Moons takes us to a parallel galaxy where abundant action and a dramatic love story are peppered with names of animals and objects as imaginative and humorous as those of Lewis Carroll. It is a very entertaining adventure for fantasy readers. — Dan Morris author of Beef and Peaches

Under the Two Moons of Merth, the Karda family saga of joy, tragedy, and feminine power unfolds for our enchantment. Firmly rooted in familiar myths and tales, this book with its vivid characters, unbelievable animals, and novel language is a story of progress led by strong characters using the mysterious prophecies of Matong as their guide. An enthralling book, the Two Moons of Merth is a must read for lovers of adventure and fantasy. Wendy Taylor Carlisle—author of THE MERCY OF TRAFFIC, 2020 & winner of the Phillip McMath Prize for poetry.Under the Two Moons of Merth, the Karda family saga of joy, tragedy, and feminine power unfolds for our enchantment. Firmly rooted in familiar myths and tales, this book with its vivid characters, unbelievable animals, and novel language is a story of progress led by strong characters using the mysterious prophecies of Matong as their guide. An enthralling book, the Two Moons of Merth is a must read for lovers of adventure and fantasy.
Wendy Taylor Carlisle—author of THE MERCY OF TRAFFIC, 2020 & winner of the Phillip McMath Prize for poetry.

August 17, 2022

SO EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE PRESELL DATE FOR TWO MOONS OF MERTH.MORE TO COME!

Foreword Two Moons of Merth

Getting closer to publishing launch

I though I'd share the foreword with you.

Foreword

When I first set out to write Two Moons of Merth, I wanted to portray women on a completely different canvas than what we call reality. This made a fantasy novel located on another planet just the right venue.

Two Moons of Merth is an enchanted, mythic tale of the royal Karda family with feminism undertones. It has the high adventure of the Tales of Robin Hood with the underlying themes one might find in a Margaret Atwood novel. The characters are intended to draw you into their story and perhaps leave you asking yourself questions.

I can’t write this foreword without discussing women’s rights as they exist today in our country. The very first op-ed I wrote as a freelance writer appeared in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette over forty years ago, and concerned a woman’s abilities to choose whether she was ready, able and willing to become a mother. Inspired by women like Gloria Steinem in my lifetime and Susan B. Anthony much earlier, I was anxious to advocate for women’s independence and show the world our abilities.

Did you know women weren’t allowed to open their own credit card account until 1974? The Fair Credit Opportunity Act made this possible. The constitution of the United States declares all men are created equal, but there is no mention of women in the statement, and the general consensus has always been the male pronoun covers all of us. Or does it? Since women weren’t allowed to vote at the time, I don’t think the men who penned this sacred document even considered women in their thoughts and many of them owned slaves at the time.

Fifty years after Roe vs Wade women are watching their rights being eroded by a minority of conservative, wealthy, right-wing, politically motivated zealots who want to deny women their rights to manage their own personal choices when it comes to their bodies. This right to govern their own bodies is in question even if a pregnancy is caused by rape or incest, even if the mother’s life is in danger if she gives birth. I don’t know anyone who is actually not pro-life, but common sense dictates this term should have a broader interpretation and should include the life of the mother before the life of an embryo where a sperm has successful fertilized an egg.

Literature has always had the capacity for us to explore topics in a non-threatening way, and that is the intent of Two Moons of Merth. I hope you enjoy meeting Aadya, Poma, their children Galen, Ali and Roark. Even their enchanted horses have a part to play in this story of women and men struggling to advance their people toward a better way of life.

You won't believe this

Well I thought I was close to finishing Two Moons, maybe a few more chapters to conclude. What happened next really speaks to my premise I feel that my characters write the story, because I was going in another direction with the ending when the story ended itself: perfectly.

All I'm going to say is that I feel joyous about the project and although I have said I would NEVER write a sequel, I'm considering it now.

I have learned a few things this time around. I will publish the book this summer, sometime. Not sure when.

The hard work begins now, editing which I enjoy, just not as much as the creative side. If you would consider being an ARC reader, I would love to hear from you.