Helen B. Henderson's Blog, page 83

Calling all Night Owls - Dragons Soar on Blog Talk Radio

Ever wonder what the author of that book you’re reading sounds like? Or the hidden secrets behind the story? You’ll have a chance to meet me in the virtual world of blog talk radio tomorrow, Monday, October 17th at 10:00 CST when I visit Linda Mooney on her program, Other Worlds of Romance. The best thing, they haven’t figured out how to transmit tomatoes through the internet yet. Yay.
Come and listen as I talk about and read an excerpt from Hatchling's Vengeance. You can sit on the Other World of Romance menu page  and listen to the live feed (first button in the box advertising the episode), or go to the chat room and listen, and type any questions or comments.
For more interaction, call in (646) 727-2932 and listen, then speak to me directly during a question and answer period.
You have my personal invitation to stop by on Monday 10/17 at 10:00 PM CST http://www.blogtalkradio.com/other_worlds_of_romance/2016/10/18/helen-henderson-returns-as-my-guest-author-on-october-17th. Note that it's CST.

Hope to see you there. Helen

And if you haven't heard them, here's the links for the previous programs on the Dragshi Chronicles.

Hatchling's Mate - Hatchlings Curse -  Dragon Destiny

7 Ways to Help Your Local (Or not-so-local) Author

Recently I read a message where a reader asked how they could help their favorite author.  Educate readers was brought up in the discussion. But other than educate them how to leave a review with a note at the back  of a book, there wasn't too many other ideas on what help an author should request.

Mystery author Heather Weidner summarizes seven ways a reader or fan can help us, their neighbor. Review - Tell - Share - Buy - Nominate - Blog. If you like a book, she gives some quick ways you can help spread the news (and help out your friendly neighborhood writer). Read them here.

My favorite point she made is, "Authors are small business owners..." Many readers (and more than one newly-published writer) don't realize there is a business side to being a writer and author, not just the work of creation.

Her final comment resonated on a more personal level. We may wear many hats, but as a professional author, as a creative person, or just because we're human, I know that my fellow authors and mtself appreciate recommendations, referrals, and social media shout outs.

Whether you do one thing or all seven, to all my readers, thanks for your support. And be sure to read Heather's full article at http://www.heatherweidner.com/blog/2016/8/28/7-ways-to-help-your-friendly-neighborhood-author.

~ till next time, Helen

Secrets Readers Don't Know About Authors by Terri Herman-Ponce

As a prelude to my upcoming post on how readers can help writers, here's some secrets from Terri Herman-Ponce revealing what readers don't know about authors. My favorites are 3 (white wine), 6, 11, and 14.

Written with humor as well as truth, here's the article:

A lot goes on behind the scenes in getting a book published. Stuff that readers don’t know and probably don’t need to know. Because, let’s face it, all a reader cares about is a story that takes them out of the real world and into another that, when well done, leaves them wanting more even after they’ve reached The End.

But, because I like to have fun, I figured I’d share some secrets readers may not know about authors. It’s a way of poking fun at an author’s reality (at least mine!). So let’s peel back Oz’s curtain, shall we? ...

Click here to go to the rest of the article and the list of secrets readers don't know about authors.

~Till next time, Helen

Musings on The Forest Primeval

I love to hike in woods. And I'm not the only one to whom ancient stands of trees call to a special point in their soul.

On of my favorite places to sit and write is pictured. You can sit in the shade of the trees and watch the clouds drift over the lake. Between the hands of man and nature, the trees are not old, but even in a newer growth forest there is still a sense of serenity. However, travel a short distance and the scene steps back in time. You go from woods to a true forest, Climb high enough even go above the tree line to the world of scrubs and blueberry bushes.

If forests call to you or provide an intriguing setting, romance and fantasy author Mary Gillgannon's tale of searching for the forest primeval is worth a look, if only for the pictures. I particularly like the description of the bluebells.

Read the rest of the article at Muse...ings: The Forest Primeval. And be sure to check out her other travels and the books they've been featured in.

~till next time, Helen

Windmaster - An autumn selection

The heat of summer is gone. Autumn teases us with cool temperatures. Time to cuddle up on the porch swing with a good book. How about the book reviewers said will keep you up all night turning the pages - Windmaster. 

Find Windmaster at:


Amazon.com - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IU973HAAmazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01IU973HA

Not decided?  

Click here for an excerpt.

I'm off to rock and read. 
Helen 

Book Hooked On Windmaster, Friends Lost #MFRWHooks

Windmaster
(Book 1 of the Windmaster Novels

Prophecy decreed Ellspeth marry the Archmage. However, despite the attraction to him, Ellspeth’s heart fought the announced destiny. For to be with Lord Dal meant she had to take all that came with him, including magic. Love meant the loss of her ship and crew because to a mage the sea meant death.

Excerpt:
An ancient tree, old before time began, almost filled the small space. Long tendrils hung finger-like from the branches that formed a high canopy. Heart-shaped leaves covered each narrow strand. In each leaf, veins, the brown-red color of dried blood, made the tree look like the grisly aftermath of battle. Dal slowly walked around the tree. Close up he could see a faint symbol—a mage identification—on each leaf. With each step he traced the names of dead friends and the fellow members of the Wizard’s Council.

Ebook Available At: Amazon  Amazon.UK

We're all hooked on books. Click on a link to hop to the next blog. (Powered by Linky Tools)

If you have difficulty or the list doesn't display, go to mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com to join the party.

History Comes Alive in Matawan At Rose Hill Cemetery-- 30...

History Comes Alive in Matawan At
Rose Hill Cemetery

-- 30 plus stories of families and events from Matawan's past

-- several new stories of paranormal activity at a site called by some the most haunted cemetery in New Jersey.

Saturday, October 15 at 2:00 PM
Sunday, October 16 at 2:00 PM

Where: Rose Hill Cemetery, Ravine Drive, near the intersection of Ravine and Middlesex Road. 

Parking in cemetery; in the school lot across street

Tickets: $10 per adult; $5 for children over 12. Available at event; All proceeds from the tours will go to the preservation of the Rose Hill Cemetery.

It's a fun, interesting time with a knowledgeable guide. Among the tales told on other tours 
Ghost Sightings The GREAT Matawan fire of 1901 1896 gruesome murder Tragic 1916 shark attack victims Strange death at the Matawan House Hote Funeral attended by two US presidents 1918 Morgan explosion Civil War casualties, WWI heroes Zombie burial?





Event Sponsored by the Matawan Historical Society and Rose Hill Cemetery

For additional information contact: savolaine@hotmail.com

Tuesday's TItle - Seducing the Baker by Janet Lane Walters

What happens when business and a wedding collide?

Title:  Seducing the Baker
(Book 6, At First Sight series)
 
Author:  Janet Lane Walters

Date of Release:  June 2016
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Books We Love
Buy Links: Amazon


Blurb:

She was the only girl to turn him down. What will happen when business and a wedding bring them together again.

Jules Grayson was a player as a teen and that hasn’t changed. Business and a friend’s wedding join to bring him to the place where his life had imploded and where his trust issues began. A Ponzi scheme and a suicide forced him into a group home he hated. For ten years he has avoided returning.

Grace Sutton is faced with a dilemma added to by the appearance of Jules in her Sweet and Spicy Cupcake bakery. Years ago she turned Jules down but she had a crush. His appearance erodes the vow she made years ago. Men had used her mother and led the woman into drugs and alcohol. Grace vowed to forego relationships with men until she could support herself. Though the bakery is making money, she doesn’t feel secure. When Jules arrives with a contract for a magazine feature, she is conflicted and attracted. 

Behind the Scenes:

As to the inspiration the hero was a silent participant is several of the other stories and he wanted a story. He was a player and I thought "what about the only girl to turn him down." She had appeared in the fifth story with a bit of her backstory.

Author Bio:

Janet Lane Walters is experience her 48th year of being a published author. She doesn't mention the ten years she returned to work as a nurse to help children through college. She began with short stories and poetry then advanced to novels when an editor remarked her short story sounded like the synopsis for a novel. She was published by NY publishers but in 1998 discovered electronic publishing and has continued there. She calls herself an "eclectic writer" since she writes a number of genres or sub-genres. Cozy mysteries, suspense, contemporary romance, historical, fantasy for YA and adults, paranormal romances featuring alternate worlds or reincarnation. She also has several non-fiction books to her credit. She is an award winning author and shares an EPIC award with Jane Toombs for a non-fiction book on writing.

Find her on the web at: Twitter     Author Web Page     Facebook     At Books We Love

Two Sides of the Coin - Reader and Creator

As I was reviewing previous blog posts for possible deletion, Having a Voice caught my attention as I've been (pick an emotion: enjoying / suffering / celebrating) two releases this summer. I've been listening to hear what the readers have to say. Although a book is the writer's voice, the readers have a voice in what they want, what they enjoy reading... and most importantly what they will pay for.

While the cash register is one way a reader may speak to us, stars and a few words of a review are also important. But they can be impersonal. We are humann beings and can need a closer tie. A brief personal exchange can turn the sky blue and encourage an author to continue on.

Alon Shalev in his blog Elfwriter recounts one of his in-person events and the good, the bad, and the reality of being an author. He references Terry Brooks work Sometimes The Magic Works and says, "book signings are not about selling books or advancing your career."

Oh, I forgot the title of Shalev's post that started this reminesce. All He Had To Say Was Thank You. It is too easy to get lost in the depression of low attendance or lack-luster (or worse, non-existent) sales. Shalev and Brooks reminded that a simple smile and quiet "Thank You" can brighten not just your mood but justify to the reader that their time was not wasted. No matter how justified your move, a snarl at someone approaching you can't kill a career.

Their post reminded me of one of my very first in-person events. Rain forced the large author's fair indoors into the stacks of the library. Attendees seeing the rain didn't come out because they thought the event had been cancelled. After all no sane author is going to sit out on the lawn in the rain with their books. Those who were at the library to drop off books wandered the tables and sometimes visited with the authors. You might ask what does that have to do with a "thank you" and a personal interaction. One of those who stopped by my table was a teenage girl who had been at the library to return books used for a school project.

It wasn't her first visit to my table, nor the second, that made the day memorable. When I was leaving after having repeatedly fought off a funk and still facing an hour-long drive home, the girl stopped me on the way out. "I'm sorry, I couldn't by your book, Dragon Destiny," she said. "I really wanted to, but I didn't know their would be a sale and had no money with me."

I gave her the remainder of the candy that I had planned as my dinner and a bead and bauble bookmark that was in my pocket. I dont' know if she ever bought a book, and she'll never know what that brief interaction meant. But sometimes a "thank you" is enough.

~till next time.  keep a smile for your readers. And readers - the few words of a review are a great way to reward your favorite author. Helen

Tuesday's Ttitle - Sunday's Child by Rosmary Morris

Despite loss and past love, self-sacrifice, brutality and honour, will it be possible for Tarrant and Georgianne to find happiness?

Title:  Sunday’s Child 
(Heroines Born on Different Days of the Week Book 1)

Author:  Rosemary Morris

Date of Release:  September 4th, 2016
Genre:  Regency Romance

Publisher:  Books We Love
Buy Links: 
amazon.com  amazon.co.uk

Blurb:

Georgianne Whitley’s beloved father and brothers died in the war against Napoleon Bonaparte. While she grieves for them, she must deal with her unpredictable mother’s sorrow, and her younger sisters’ situation.

Georgianne’s problems increase when the arrogant, wealthy but elderly Earl of Pennington, proposes marriage to her for the sole purpose of being provided with an heir. At first she is tempted by his offer, but something is not quite right about him. She rejects him, not suspecting it will lead to unwelcome repercussions.

Once, Georgianne had wanted to marry an army officer. Now, she decides never to marry ‘a military man’ for fear he will be killed on the battlefield. However, Georgianne still dreams of a happy marriage before unexpected violence forces her to relinquish the chance to participate in a London Season sponsored by her aunt.

Shocked and in pain, Georgianne goes to the inn where her cousin Sarah’s step-brother, Rupert, Major Tarrant, is staying, while waiting for the blacksmith to return to the village and shoe his horse. Recently, she has been reacquainted with Tarrant—whom she knew when in the nursery—at the vicarage where Sarah lives with her husband Reverend Stanton.

The war in the Iberian Peninsula is nearly at an end so, after his older brother’s death, Tarrant, who was wounded, returns to England where his father asks him to marry and produce an heir.

To please his father, Tarrant agrees to marry, but due to a personal tragedy has decided never to father a child.

When Georgianne arrives at the inn, quixotic Tarrant sympathises with her unhappy situation. Moreover, he is shocked by the unforgivable brutal treatment she has suffered. Full of admiration for her beauty and courage he decides to help Georgianne.

Behind the Scenes: In order not to merely skim the surface of the Regency era in Sunday’s Child, I immersed myself in historical facts.

After I read a non-fiction book about the Napoleonic Wars, I wondered how men, who served under the Duke of Wellington, coped with post-traumatic stress, a condition not recognised at that time. After much thought, I filled in a detailed character profile for Rupert, Major Tarrant, an officer and a gentleman haunted by tragedy.

Aware of the position of unmarried, upper-class girls totally dependent on their families, my imagination gave birth the heroine, altruistic eighteen-year old Georgianne Whitley, who makes a sacrifice for her younger sisters.

By the way, my characters are shy so they keep their bedroom doors closed so there is no explicit sex in Sunday’s Child.

Special Offer: Books We Love will send a free copy of the novel to anyone who will agree to review it on Amazon and, if possible, on GoodReads. Contact Rosemary at her website (rosemarymorris.co.uk) for more information.


Author Bio:

As I write historical fiction, I am fortunate to be only a 20-minute train journey from London, which offers endless possibilities for research about times past. Many things spark my imagination. One of them was an open bus tour around London. Amongst the sky scrapers and modern buildings Old London can be discovered, including the street that J.K.Rowling used as a model for Diagon Alley in her Harry Potter series.

For as long as I can remember, I enjoyed studying history, reading historical non-fiction, historical fiction and its sub-genres. Today, I enjoy novels in which the characters’ behaviour is appropriate for the era in which they live.

The more I read the more fascinated I become, and the more aware of the gulf between historical periods and my own. Our ancestors shared the same emotions as we do, but their attitudes and way of life were different. One of the most striking examples is the position of women and children in society in bygone ages.

The characters in my novels are of their time, not ones dressed in costume, who behave like 21st century women. Of course, it is almost impossible to completely understand our ancestors, who did things differently in the past, but through extensive research I ensure my protagonists observe the social etiquette of their lives and times.

Although my published novels are set in the early 18th century and the ever popular Regency era, I plan to write fiction set in other periods of history.
Apart from writing, I enjoy time with my family and friends, classical Indian literature, reading, vegetarian cooking, growing organic fruit, herbs and vegetables and creative crafts.

Find Rosemary on the web at:  rosemarymorris.co.uk  and on Facebook at facebook.com/writerinagarret1/.