Brenda B. Taylor's Blog, page 26
February 13, 2014
The KFPS Royal Friesian Horse
By Brenda B Taylor
This beautiful video by Cathy Matherly, shows the KFPS Royal Fresian Horse.
The Friesian is a horse breed originating in Friesland, Netherlands. Although the breed resembles a light draft horse, Friesians are graceful and nimble for their size. It is believed that during the Middle Ages, ancestors of Friesian horses were in great demand as war horses throughout continental Europe. Through the Early Middle Ages and High Middle Ages, their size enabled them to carry a knight in armor. In the Late Middle Ages, heavier, draft type animals were needed. Though the breed nearly became extinct on more than one occasion, the modern day Friesian hose is growing in numbers and popularity, used both in harness and under saddle. Most recently, the breed is being introduced to the field of dressage. *
A black destrier, maybe of the Friesian breed, is featured in my WIP, A Highland Pearl. A Scottish Highland laird, Sir Andrew Dubh Munro, has a black horse named, Scara. The horse is of a lighter destrier breed, but large and strong enough to carry a Highland warrior dressed for battle.
Scara is Sir Andrew's friend, companion, and necessary part of his battle gear. Most knights held their mounts in high esteem as being indispensable in battle. A knight without his horse was a dead knight, so the saying goes. The agility of the Friesian horse would make him a coveted mount for a Highland warrior.
Excerpt from A Highland Pearl
The destriers pranced and snorted, eager for the excitement of battle. Their leather saddles, atop blankets in shades and hues of red, green, blue, and yellow, glistened in the torchlight. Each warhorse had reins and harness studded with silver or bronze, and a wooden targe attached to the saddle’s pommel. Scara, Andrew’s black stallion, stamped so heavily the stable boy had difficulty holding him. Andrew calmed the horse by speaking softly in Gaelic, then mounted.
Watch for a cover reveal in the near future.
* taken from Wikipedia
February 8, 2014
Contest Winners
I want to thank all who entered the rafflecopter contest on Collette Cameron’s blog site. The contest is over and we have winners.
Overall winner of the Kindle Paperwhite is: Donna Newman.
Winners of the three sets of digital novels in the Wades of Crawford County series are:Connie Kline FischerJill A. CollinsTammy Michelle Choate
Winner of a digital copy of Through The Storm for leaving a comment on the blog is:Ashley York
Follow the Historical Heartbeats blog to read posts introducing the characters in the Wades of Crawford County saga and chances to win copies of the eBooks. The next post will introduce the heroine of the stories, Leann Frances Clark Wade.
February 4, 2014
Meet Shirley Kiger Connolly
Award Winning Author Shirley Kiger Connolly, the daughter of a 1940s mystery writer, enjoys penning historical fiction romances and books filled with lighthearted devotions and reflections. Shirley majored in English and Journalism, later joining the graduates of ICL. She and her husband reside and minister together on the Southern Coast of Oregon. Readers can visit Shirley anytime at her website, on her blog, at her Author Page on Facebook, or over on Twitter.
Following is a small glimpse of Shirley's writing world.
1. What are you working on right now?
My work in progress is the fourth book in my Decisions series for Desert Breeze Publishing. I began this series with Book One - Say Goodbye to Yesterday, Book Two - That Impossible Dream, Book Three - Second Time Promise. Book Four (my WIP) is Not Quite an Angel.
2. How does it differ from other works in its genre?
As I am continuing to work with various members of the same family - The Virginia Jordans. (I have been pleased by the encouragement I have received from my readers who continuously look forward to finding out what happens to the younger sister, or the twin brother, or a cousin in the Jordan family.) It shows me they are engaged in the family saga.
What's different for this fourth book (also historical-inspirational romance) is, in part, the setting change. (in Not Quite an Angel, we have moved over to the West Coast in 1906 where before we were back in the late 1800s back east in Virginia, New York, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
This story will take my main characters to San Francisco then to England.) It's a traveling crowd. J
I tend to write character-driven stories, but I also like to include a good amount of suspense and unusual conflict situations -- events that happened during the particular time period. For example, The War Between the States, during a train wreck that truly occurred at that time, during a tornado that actually happened, and the one I'm in now is still a surprise. (I suppose knowing it's in 1906 and in San Francisco, might offer a hint to those familiar with this time period.)
3. Why do you write what you do? I love historical romance. I love the culture of the past, the research the writer needs, the dress, the mannerisms, and the sense of innocence even though that innocence was not real. I especially like digging deep to bring out what's so often hidden to the world about what many went through during the Victorian and Elizabethan Eras. They weren’t near as innocent as given to believe.
Some readers have at first wondered at the believability of the stories. Research reveals amazing information. J
4. How does your writing process work? I start early in the morning and write off and on throughout the day with a continuous cup of coffee until about 5:30 or 6:00 at night. My editor will testify that I tend to write slowly. I wander backward on a regular basis to make changes, and to tighten up my prose and tweak the characters as I move from one chapter to the next. I love that about writing. It's your story so you can make changes whenever you feel like it before you get to wherever it is you are going. I am also a seat-of-the-pants writer for the most part. My plots develop gradually, though I know how the story will end before I arrive there.
You may want to include a blurb and excerpt from the book you are promoting.
At present I hope to share with you a little about Book Three (Second Time Promise) which was released in E-Book in October and will release in print next month.
My back page blurb:
Raised by an unstable and controlling guardian, an over-protective brother, and a boat-captain grandfather, Collette Moreau's upbringing has hardly been conventional. Seeking a more refined future, she sets her hopes on marriage to an English Baron's nephew -- a choice any woman would make.
When the wedding gets postponed, Collette decides to visit an ailing uncle and learns he's not only been keeping family secrets, he disapproves of her fiancé. Uncle Henry engages the services of the passionate Christian Jordan -- suspected womanizer. His plan is to induce Collette away from her betrothed toward Mr. Jordan, or, if necessary, toward Christian's pious and meddling brother, the community parson.
Should Collette comply with such a preposterous whim of some distant kin? What sensible woman would agree to be wooed by a possible Romeo or religious zealot when she's about to wed Baron Kirkland Dewey's distinguished nephew?
An excerpt:
"Didn't expect you'd be entertaining a man so early, did you?" he perused her.
Collette flushed. How would he know what I'm thinking? She turned and floated toward the door, trying to appear at ease, but stopped at the arch just before entering the hall. She glanced back. "Well, goodbye…" she started but didn't finish.
He lowered his gaze toward her foot. "Please don't think you must leave, Collette, unless you wish to go and tend your unfortunate injury." He gazed briefly over at the display table. "Though I'm sure anyone would be pleased nothing happened to your vase, for this would have also been unfortunate. Naturally, you did your best to save the poor thing. At the same time, I do feel sorry for your poor table's leg." He chuckled. "If there's anything I can do…"
She rolled her eyes.
"Apparently not."
She started out the door. "I must be going.'
Christian meandered toward her again. "But you were admiring the view, and here I've disturbed you. Don't think you must leave on account of me."
Collette waved her hand. "This is the first day of 1900, sir. I merely wanted to welcome in the New Year. Now that I'm finished…I'll be on my way."
He chuckled again, drawing attention to his white teeth and deep dimpled cheeks. "As I was about to do." He drew in a bit too close for comfort sake.
Edging away, she glanced warily toward the stairs. Oh, to get back to my chamber right now.
"Who knows what this year shall bring us, eh, Collette?"
"Yes, who knows?" She swallowed. She looked directly into his sparkling eyes, trying without success to look away.
Christian twisted his mustache. "Take our departure tomorrow. I can't think of a more interesting way to bring in all kinds of surprises, don't you agree?"
Shirley can be reached at http://apenforyourthoughts.blogspot.com/At http://koinonia-community.blogspot.com/At her Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/ShirleyKigerConnollyAuthor And at Twitter: https://twitter.com/shirleyhere
Her books can be found anyplace on line, to include, Amazon, Christian Book Distributors, Barnes and Noble, through her publisher at Desert Breeze Publishing, and elsewhere.
Shirley would love to offer a giveaway choice of one of her books (in ebook) for a guest chosen at random who leaves her a comment.
Flame from Within Say Goodbye to Yesterday, Decisions Book OneThat Impossible Dream, Decisions Book Two
Second Time Promise, Decisions Book Three
February 1, 2014
True Security
Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5, 6 NLT)
God is the only source of true security. You must trust Him for all your needs, not money, power, wealth, or fame. Things of this world melt like snow on the warm ground. They come and go with no lasting peace or security. Only The Lord can give you peace of mind in all situations. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He will never leave nor forsake you.
You become content when you realize God’s sufficiency. Believers who constantly strive for the material things of this world are saying by their actions God cannot take care of them—or He won’t take care of them in the way they desire. Insecurity can lead to the love of money whether you are rich or poor. The only anecdote is trusting God to meet all your needs.
January 23, 2014
THROUGH THE STORM
Today I am highlighting the third book in the Wades of Crawford County series, Through The Storm.
The Wade family saga continues in this work of historical fiction set in post-Civil War Missouri. Love reigns in the home of Leann and Ralph Wade, although tested many times during the course of their marriage. Sonny Wade, Ralph’s brother, harbors a secret passion for Leann, and Joan Smith, a family friend, desires Ralph. Leann and Ralph struggle to overcome the storms of life through faith, courage, and commitment to each other.
Ralph is proud of his ability to provide for his family on their large productive farm. He takes great pride in his crops and the abundance of their produce. Ralph is content with his lovely wife and three children, but he adores Leann, and she wants more children, so he wants more children. His heart’s desires are to please his wife, raise his three children to be fine responsible adults, and work his land. Ralph’s pride is wounded and his emotions in a turmoil when he contacts a disease from his school-age children that may render him unable to father more offspring. His very manhood is at risk.
Their marriage is threatened by the attraction Sonny, Ralph’s older brother, feels toward Leann, and Joan Smith, a Cuba business woman, displays toward Ralph. Sonny secretly loves Leann. No other woman can take her place in his heart. He tries to keep his feelings at bay, but her memory is welded into the very fabric of his being. Sonny loved Leann before she and Ralph married, but he enlisted in the Confederate Army during the Civil War and lost his opportunity to court her. He never expresses his love openly; however, Leann and Ralph suspect his feelings.
Ralph befriended Joan Smith during an earlier encounter when she was under great distress. He finds her appealing, but his love for Leann prevails over the physical attraction he feels for Joan.
Excerpt
“Pa and Junior caught some nice fish in the Meramec last week,” Ralph said about halfway into the trip home. “I’m gonna take you and the kids fishing soon. Johnny and me will be through with harvesting the tobacco, and we all need a break from sickness and working hard. Nothing like a good fishing trip to make a person feel better.”
“How nice! The kids will love to go fishing. I’ll pack a lunch. We’ll have a great time.” Leann slipped an arm through his.
He looked at her sitting close on the wagon seat, and felt the warmth of her body pressing against his arm. Not being able to resist the temptation to kiss her lovely mouth, he pulled up under a large oak displaying an array of orange and red colors. He had missed her sweet love while lying sick in the bed for what seemed an eternity.
The reins slacked when Leann returned his embrace. Jed came to a complete stop while they kissed in the warm sunlight of a beautiful autumn afternoon. Ralph’s hat fell onto the floorboard. A red leaf floated softly into her hair as the sun’s rays crowned her head with a golden halo. He nibbled a pink earlobe, then kissed the white nap of her neck where strands of sweet-smelling hair lay in small curls. A folded quilt in the wagon bed came to mind. He may spread it out on the grass for them to lie on. Leann suddenly removed her arms from his neck. “We’d better go. The kids will be home soon.”
Hating to, but knowing the necessity, Ralph released her, found his hat, and took up the reins. They rode the rest of the way in silence, basking in each other’s company. The wagon pulled into the front yard at the same time Jim galloped up on Starbright
January 16, 2014
Through The Storm
By Brenda B Taylor
Today I am highlighting the third book in the Wades of Crawford County series, Through The Storm, and taking part in a blog hop featuring several authors and books. Click on the image above to enter the Collette Cameron Rafflecopter give-away for a chance to win a Kindle Paperwhite, a basket of chocolates, a copy of the three books in the Wades of Crawford County series plus other prizes.
The Wade family saga continues in this work of historical fiction set in post-Civil War Missouri. Love reigns in the home of Leann and Ralph Wade, although tested many times during the course of their marriage. Sonny Wade, Ralph’s brother, harbors a secret passion for Leann, and Joan Smith, a family friend, desires Ralph. Leann and Ralph struggle to overcome the storms of life through faith, courage, and commitment to each other.
Leann’s faith is tested when her desire to have a large, fun-loving, congenial family like the one in which she grew up is threatened. After eleven years of marriage with one natural-born son, an adopted son, and a foster daughter, Leann does not give up her desire to have more children.
Ralph is proud of his ability to provide for his family on their large productive farm. He takes great pride in his crops and the abundance of their produce. Ralph is content with his lovely wife and three children, but he adores Leann, and she wants more children, so he wants more children. His heart’s desires are to please his wife, raise his three children to be fine responsible adults, and work his land. Ralph’s pride is wounded and his emotions in a turmoil when he contacts a disease from his school-age children that may render him unable to father more offspring. His very manhood is at risk.
Their marriage is threatened by the attraction Sonny, Ralph’s older brother, feels toward Leann, and Joan Smith, a Cuba business woman, displays toward Ralph. Sonny secretly loves Leann. No other woman can take her place in his heart. He tries to keep his feelings at bay, but her memory is welded into the very fabric of his being. Sonny loved Leann before she and Ralph married, but he enlisted in the Confederate Army during the Civil War and lost his opportunity to court her. He never expresses his love openly; however, Leann and Ralph suspect his feelings.
Ralph befriended Joan Smith during an earlier encounter when she was under great distress. He finds her appealing, but his love for Leann prevails over the physical attraction he feels for Joan.
Excerpt
“Pa and Junior caught some nice fish in the Meramec last week,” Ralph said about halfway into the trip home. “I’m gonna take you and the kids fishing soon. Johnny and me will be through with harvesting the tobacco, and we all need a break from sickness and working hard. Nothing like a good fishing trip to make a person feel better.”
“How nice! The kids will love to go fishing. I’ll pack a lunch. We’ll have a great time.” Leann slipped an arm through his.
He looked at her sitting close on the wagon seat, and felt the warmth of her body pressing against his arm. Not being able to resist the temptation to kiss her lovely mouth, he pulled up under a large oak displaying an array of orange and red colors. He had missed her sweet love while lying sick in the bed for what seemed an eternity.
The reins slacked when Leann returned his embrace. Jed came to a complete stop while they kissed in the warm sunlight of a beautiful autumn afternoon. Ralph’s hat fell onto the floorboard. A red leaf floated softly into her hair as the sun’s rays crowned her head with a golden halo. He nibbled a pink earlobe, then kissed the white nap of her neck where strands of sweet-smelling hair lay in small curls. A folded quilt in the wagon bed came to mind. He may spread it out on the grass for them to lie on. Leann suddenly removed her arms from his neck. “We’d better go. The kids will be home soon.”
Hating to, but knowing the necessity, Ralph released her, found his hat, and took up the reins. They rode the rest of the way in silence, basking in each other’s company. The wagon pulled into the front yard at the same time Jim galloped up on Starbright
About The Author
The desire to write historical fiction has long been a passion with Brenda B. Taylor. Since elementary school, she has written stories in her spare time. Brenda earned three degrees: a BSE from Henderson State University, Arkadelphia, Arkansas; a MEd from Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas; and an EdD from Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas; then worked as a teacher and administrator in the Texas Public School system. Only after retirement could she fulfill the dream of publication.
Brenda and her husband make their home in beautiful East Texas where they enjoy spending time with family and friends, traveling, and working in Bethabara Faith Ministry, Inc. She crafts stories about the extraordinary lives of ordinary people in her favorite place overlooking bird feeders, bird houses, and a variety of blooming trees and flowers. She sincerely thanks all who purchase and read her books. Her desire is that the message in each book will touch the heart of the reader as it did hers in the writing.
Book Information
Contact Me
Amazon Author Page
Goodreads
January 3, 2014
His Unfailing Presence
December 23, 2013
A Child Is Born.
Christmas
December 15, 2013
Blog Hop
Featuring Brenda B Taylor
Thanks to award-winning author Diane Cravens for inviting me on this blog hop. My week is December 16 – 22.
You can find Diane at: http://www.dianecraver.com/blog.html
Following is a small glimpse of my writing world.
1.What are you working on right now?
I am working on a historical romance set in the Scottish Highlands during the 16th century. The novel is nearing the completion stage. Also a third book in the Wades of Crawford County saga will be published in January.
2. How does it differ from other works in its genre?
The Scottish romance differs from the Wades of Crawford County series in place and time. Both are historical romances, but the one set in Scotland demanded a great deal more research.
3. Why do you write what you do?
I write historical novels because I enjoy the research. Crafting a story in a different time and place is a challenge, and I love a good challenge.
4. How does your writing process work?
I sit down with a good strong cup of coffee and write the first thing every morning . My mind is fresher then, and unclouded with the demands of daily activities.
Today I am highlighting my historical fiction novel Follow Your Heart., the second book in the Wades of Crawford County Series.
Follow Your Heart is a poignant tale of a young couple’s struggles to overcome difficulties during the early years of marriage in post Civil War Missouri. The novel tells about a love strong enough to survive the hard times with the cords of family values.
Excerpt from Follow Your Heart:
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9
Cuba, Missouri
September 1869
A chilly gust of wind pushed through the open window and past the lace curtains, jerking the wrinkled, faded paper from Leann’s hand, sending it to the floor. She shivered then rose to close the window.
Sue picked the paper up and examined it. “Are you still reading this letter from Sonny Wade, when you’re marrying his brother in two days? I thought you threw it away ages ago.”
“Hand that to me.” Leann had not heard her sister enter the room. She snatched the letter from Sue’s hand, tearing the fragile paper. “Really, Sue, my letter is none of your business. I should have thrown it away, but I felt sorry for Sonny, being in the war and a Union prison camp. And besides, I forgot about it.”
“You were hiding that letter.” Sue’s eyes narrowed when she looked directly into Leann’s.
“I didn’t hide it. You and the family read it.”
“Several years ago. You’ve been hiding it ever since and probably secretly reading it.”
“Don’t be silly.”
“Have you seen Sonny since he got out of the army? Or do you just read his letter and dream about the handsome man?”
“No, to both questions. He works on a Mississippi River steamboat and has only been home a couple of times. Pa told me he saw Sonny in town last year. They talked for awhile, then Sonny headed for the saloon when Pa walked away.”
“Well, you should have thrown it away. What if Ralph finds out you secretly kept his brother’s love letter?” Sue’s locks bobbed with her shaking head.
Leann tore the already ripped paper into tiny pieces and threw them into a small trash basket sitting beside the bedroom door. She could not explain to herself or to her sister why the letter had remained in the drawer for years. “Are you happy now? It wasn’t a love letter. You read it. He only wrote about the war and being homesick. I didn’t answer, so he never wrote again.”
Leann grabbed her younger sister by the arm, looking directly into the girl’s green eyes. Sue stared back with the same intensity. “And don’t you tell anyone about me keeping the letter. I forgot about it until I started packing. Do you want to cause trouble with Ralph or the family?”
“I won’t tell, if you will let me keep your pretty green parasol when you leave.” Sue pushed Leann’s arm off her own.
“That’s my only good one. It matches my green voile dress. I won’t have anything to take to the socials.”
“Make your husband buy you a new one.” Sue was unrelenting.
“Okay. I will leave my green parasol with you. Just don’t tell I kept the letter. Sonny Wade means nothing to me.”
“Well, he must mean something, or you would have thrown his letter away. He may not have put in writing that he loved you, but he came around here pretty often before he joined the army and gave Ralph room to move in.”
“I was only thirteen when he left.”
“I’m thirteen, and I love Johnny Townsend. I plan to be married when I’m eighteen, just like you. What if Sonny hadn’t gone to war? Would he have won your heart instead of Ralph?”
Would he have won her heart? Maybe. She had felt an attraction for him. He always seemed so adventurous and daring. She was shy and timid, so daring excited her. “No. I’ve always loved Ralph and always will.”
“Well, let’s hope so. After all, you’re marrying him, not Sonny. Ma wants you to come help with breakfast. She said we have a lot to do today, with finishing your wedding dress so you can wed your beloved.” Sue gave a small giggle, opened the door, and headed downstairs to the kitchen. Leann followed.
How could she have been so careless as to let Sue see Sonny’s letter? It should have been thrown away years ago. She forgot it lay hidden in the back corner of her undergarment drawer, until she began packing her things to take to her new home. She loved Ralph, and the excitement of becoming his wife filled her heart and soul. Hopefully, Sonny would stay away forever and she would never have to face him again.
***
Ralph Wade stared at the ceiling. Sleep would not come. The farm’s coffers were poorer than they were after the war when he first started farming. Gosh, he was getting married in two days. His ma said he worried too much and should turn his troubles over to the Lord, but saying and doing are two different things. After their marriage, Leann would be his responsibility. Could he take care of her properly?
Her family, well-to-do before the conflict, now suffered financially, along with everyone else in the south, but was still doing better than most. Her father had managed to sell some cattle to pay for the wedding. Ralph had nothing to contribute but the farm, his strong back, and a willingness to work his hands to the bone to make a good living for her. If only his crops would produce sufficiently and he could find a buyer for them.
Leann may not want to marry him if she knew he was broke. Just thinking such a thing did a grave injustice to their love. She loved him for himself, he felt sure, and would share his struggles. Leann told him she wanted a large family, and her desire became his desire. He had loved her for as long as he could remember, but children cost money.
Dear Lord, those were hard years of waiting. In two days she will be his wife. He hadn’t prayed much in his life, not that he didn’t believe in the Lord, he just didn’t have the time. Now he needed to earnestly seek the Lord’s blessings on this new life he would share with Leann. He could use the Lord’s help with his finances too.
***
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