Jeffree Wyn Itrich's Blog, page 7

The Final Days of Summer

Dear Readers,

Are you as stunned as I that fall is so close you almost smell it when you take a breath? What happened to the year? Seems like only yesterday we were wishing each other a joyful new year and thinking and hoping that 2013 would be a good one. Autumn is my favorite season. I get excited thinking about the cooler temperatures, the crisp apples I will find in the stores, the many pies I will make with pumpkins and pecans and pears and those crisp apples. And soup. There are a few things I make really really well and soup is one of them. In fact I have an acorn squash in the kitchen right now that I'm anxious to make into the squash soup I feature on my website (the soup Rebecca made in Call of the Whisperwind). But it's still too warm to be making hot soup and cold soups aren't exactly what I am craving. But in due course the days will shorten, evening will come early and the temperatures will lend themselves to making soup, even here in weather-perfect San Diego. Although many people think we have balmy weather year-round, we do have seasons here, they simply are not as pronounced as other parts of the country. While it doesn't snow here we do get some rain and we keep our windows closed to ward off the chilly 60s temperatures.  The nights usually fall into the 50s and sometimes even the 40s. That's when I take out my warm clothing that I used to wear when we lived in New Mexico, where indeed they experience typical winters.

Though most people think of spring as a time of renewal I have always looked upon autumn as my time of renewal. Truth be told my birthday is in October, which lends to my personal sense of renewal. Some view a birthday as being another year older; I think of it as surviving and living one more year. I don't need New Year's or spring to feel that gratitude either for myself, my family or my friends. When the leaves change colors and drop off the limbs I feel a great sense of satisfaction that all is as it should be. When the days begin to wane, and the temperatures drop this fall, take a few moments to think about the year, what you have accomplished or enjoyed this past year. Then get out a big pot and make some soup. If you're not comfortable winging it by putting whatever you find into a big soup pot, check out the recipes on the website. The characters from Destiny and Whisperwind will give you plenty of ideas and multitude of recipes to keep your soup pot full.

Happy Reading,

Jeffree Wyn

A recipe from Call of the Whisperwind

The San Diego Union-Tribune food section featured the roasted squash soup recipe from Call of the Whisperwind. So cool! It's very easy to make, even for novice cooks. For more recipes from the books visit my website, jeffreewyn.com. For the UT article and soup recipe please visit:

 http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/aug/13/squash-soup-romance-novel/

 

Happy cooking and reading.

Jeffree

Call of the Whisperwind Kindle Version Now Available

Dear Readers,

 

Just in time for those last balmy days of summer, Call of the Whisperwind is now available on Kindle. If you would like to read it on your Kindle go onto Amazon, type in Call of the Whisperwind, and when the page comes up you will see two options, paperback and Kindle.

 

I dearly hope you love it as much as I loved writing this novel. Let me know how you liked the book. You can email me at jeffree@jeffreewyn.com. And if you can I would very much appreciate it if you would leave a review on Amazon and/or GoodReads.

 

You may be wondering what is next. Rachel and Matt are already feeding me ideas for Book #3 and I've sketched out Book #4. Needless to say there are a lot more stories to come about the Bradshaw clan. And I thought I was going to write just one book!

 

Happy Reading!

 

Jeffree Wyn

Call of the Whisperwind is here!

Hello everyone,

It's a Happy News Day! My new novel, Call of the Whisperwind, has been published. This book is the sequel to Destiny at Oak Valley. There was a lot of story to tell and as a result it came out approximately double the length of the first book. So for all of you who wanted to see a longer book, I heard you. Right now the book is available only in soft cover. Later in the summer it will come out in e-book format. I'll let you know when that happens. Meanwhile, you can purchase the paperback version on my website or on Amazon. See links below.

http://jeffreewyn.com/traditional_books/call_of_the_whisperwind/

http://www.amazon.com/Call-Whisperwind-Bradshaw-Family-Volume/dp/0989699102/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374427063&sr=8-1&keywords=Jeffree+Wyn+Itrich

Hope you love reading the book as much as I loved writing it. And for those who are curious, I am now pondering the plot line for book #3 in the series.

Happy Reading!

Jeffree

http://www.jeffreewyn.com

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http://www.facebook.com/JeffreeWyn

http://www.amazon.com/author/jeffreewynitrich

http://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomJeffreeWyn

2nd Sneak Peek: Call of the Whisperwind

1883 Santa Fe, New Mexico

 The day dawned with its usual indigo brilliance, shards of blue puncturing the sky. The quiet of the early morning ebbed as the light cast its glow.  Watercolor rays radiated down on the crimson earth, where the vast desert wilderness meets the sky. Warm dry breezes carried the scents of chaparral and sage floating down the town’s streets and through windows open in the early autumn air, the last vestige of summer.

Rachel Bradshaw tosses and turns in the shadowed morning light;  a cold, clammy sweat covers her, making her nightgown stick to her pale skin, plastering her dark brown hair to her scalp; she bites her lip fiercely and lets out a muffled scream. She sees her husband, Matt, lying in a dank pool of his own blood. Nausea roils in the pit of her stomach. Bile creeps up and burns her throat as her heart races frantically. Suddenly she can’t breathe and gasps for air.

Matt reached over and shook her shoulder. “Wake up, Rachel, wake up.”

She opened her eyes to see Matt leaning over her, his eyes pinched with worry, his brow furrowed.

“Same dream?” he asked, running his hand over her damp hair, pulling it off of her face.  

She nodded, blinking herself awake. “It was so real.” She swallowed hard. “You were dying.” Tears of terror filled her emerald green eyes, turning them the dark shade of a forest at dusk.

He took her in his arms and stroked her head to calm her down.

“It’s all right. I’m fine. It was only a bad dream.”

1st Sneak Peek: Call of the Whisperwind

They pulled out of town and a slight breeze picked up, whistling past them, singing the high pitch of a gust looking for its mate. Rachel pulled the shawl tightly around her shoulders, buffering herself from the dropping temperature. Suddenly she heard a low resonate voice and looked around, then at Noah.

“Did you say something?” she asked.

He shook his head. She could have sworn she heard someone talking to her. A few minutes later she heard the soft voice again. This time it was diffused, as though the person was speaking through a wall. She couldn’t quite understand the words and looked over at Noah. He was silent, still looking forward. She shook her head, and then heard it a third time. Again she looked at the driver.

“You hearing voices?” he asked, without turning toward her.

“Yes,” she answered, a little alarmed.

“Do not be frightened. It is only the whisperwind. If you listen carefully you will hear clearly. They talk only to people who can hear them and only when they have something important to say.”

“Who?”

“The spirits.”

“What kind of spirits?” she asked, looking all around, a shiver running up her spine.

“Good spirits. They mean no harm and only speak when someone needs comfort. You have been through a scare; they are probably telling you that they are looking after you. That is what the whisperwind does.”

Rachel listened for the rest of the trip, but heard no more, only the creaking of the wooden wheels on the grooved, hard dirt road and the clopping of the horse’s hooves.

 

Another sneak peek coming soon--watch for it!

Jeffree

Great News

Great news, everyone. The cover to Call of the Whisperwind is finished. And I just love love love it! For a sneak peak visit my Facebook page, www.facebook.com/JeffreeWyn. It has a completely different feel from Destiny at Oak Valley. So far everyone who has seen it likes the new look. Hope you do too. Don't have a date yet on when Whisperwind will be out but it should be sometime this summer. Then I will start thinking about the next book. I've already been mulling around  a couple of story lines but haven't decided yet on which one to pursue. So many ideas, so little time to turn them all into stories!

Hope you're enjoying the summer and getting in plenty of time to read.

Jeffree Wyn

Hints, Hints, Hints About the Sequel

As those of you who follow me on Facebook know, the sequel to Destiny finally has a name, drumroll please......Call of the Whisperwind. I'm sure you're wondering where on earth I came up with a title like that. The title reflects the name of a sort-of character in the book. As you know I love all things magical and spiritual so it should come as no surprise that Whisperwind is a character from the spirit world. Whisperwind however is not the only new character. I've got quite a few people. I won't give away any surprises here but a few of the new characters are a couple of children, several healers (both conventional and traditional), a murderer, some pompous politicians, and some Santa Feans with attitude. I have also expanded characters introduced in Destiny. A few of the characters you will meet again will be Rachel and Matt (of course), the "other" Bradshaw family, niece Emily returns, the magical jeweler, the ne'er do well criminal who tried to kill Matt, the Santa Fe doctor who proved useless at trying to save Matt's life, Mrs. Trujillo from Oak Valley, and Madame Bishu. She's such a colorful character, how could I not bring her back? She plays a much larger role in Whisperwind that I think will make you smile.

Well, enough hints for now. I'm working with a book cover designer to come up with an exciting look for the book. Stay tuned, more hints to come in the future.

Happy Reading,
Jeffree Wyn

What other writers say

I am often intrigued by the writing process as experienced by other authors. It gives me a sense of comfort that I am not the only one driven by characters telling me what they should and should not do, how they should live, what direction a story should take. It is heartening to read how other writers feel that same drive to create, to let the magic take hold, and to recognize that the simple act of writing is embedded in one's soul, that it is not negotiable, but something one must do the same way one must breathe.  So I thought I would share with you insights said by authors you probably know or have read.


“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed. - Ernest Hemingway

"If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it."  - Elmore Leonard

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” - Maya Angelou

"Wanting to be a writer is a huge percentage of what makes you be one. You have to want to do it really badly. You have to feel that's what you're supposed to be doing." - Susan Orlean

 “Part of becoming a writer is the desire to have everything mean something.”—Louise Erdrich

“The only thing that makes me crazier than writing is not writing.” --Sara Gruen

“Writing is a dog’s life, but the only life worth living” -- Gustave Flaubert

“The best thing about writing fiction is that moment where the story catches fire and comes to life on the page, and suddenly it all makes sense and you know what it’s about and why you’re doing it and what these people are saying and doing, and you get to feel like both the creator and the audience. Everything is suddenly both obvious and surprising… and it’s magic and wonderful and strange." -- Neil Gaiman

“Writing is the only thing that, when I do it, I don’t feel I should be doing something else.” -- Gloria Steinem

"To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it’s about, but the inner music that words make.” -- Truman Capote

"Writing is the most fun you can have by yourself.” -- Terry Pratchett

Jeffree

A fun time was had by all!

I’m a bit late thanking everyone who attended last week’s book reading and signing at Societe Brewing here in San Diego. Despite the acoustics, it was a phenomenal place to hold an event like this. Although it was scheduled to end at 8:00, there were still people sipping their beers and engaging in conversation when we left around 9:15. Who says you can’t do a successful book event in a brewery? Pshah! Books go well with brews. In fact I would say that my three most favorite beverages when reading an engrossing book are tea, wine, and beer. And how do I choose what to drink? The book’s subject matter determines the beverage choice and I'll just leave it at that.

 

But I digress. Many thanks to Societe for providing the venue and some astounding beers. The fancy dancy sausages provided by Left Coast Links were pretty darn good too. If you ever get to try their dogs I highly recommend both the elk and boar sausages. Wow! Next time I’m going to try their bison.

 

Many people at the event asked me how the sequel is coming along. (I guess the word is out that indeed there is a sequel on the way.) I was happy to report that the first draft is done and I am now going over edits provided by my editorial committee. I’m hoping to have the editing and rewriting finished within a month. Then it will be onto a designer to come up with a cover that perfectly illustrates the gist of the story and will compel potential readers (meaning you) to want to read it. Consequently, I’m still in the “grind” stage, but can see the end of the road. My goal is still for the book to come out this coming summer so that all of you can take a copy with you for your proverbial beach reading.

 

After that? Well, either I’m going to plunge ahead with book #3 in the series or take a break to write another story that has been mulling around in my head for a while. Do stories ever “call” to you? Well, they call to me and this other story has been almost screaming at me lately. I need to write it; it’s a story that begs to be told. It can be ignored only so long.

 

Happy reading till next time.

 

Jeffree Wyn