Friday, May 29, 2020

LouIsa: Iron Dove of the Frontier by Will Edwinson Genre: Western Historical Fiction


  • What inspired you to write this book?

Actually it was a neighbor. We were talking about one of my other books and she said, “You ought to write a book about my great grand-aunt. And I said, who might that be? She said, “LouIsa Houston-Earp. She was Sam Houston’s granddaughter, and she was also a Harvey girl”. And not knowing what a Harvey girl was, I asked her, “what was a Harvey girl.”

She explained to me that Fred Harvey owned and operated high end restaurants in several railroad depots during the 19th century, and these girls were waitresses in those restaurants. Then she went on to tell me that LouIsa had also been married to Morgan Earp, Wyatt Earp’s younger brother.  This piqued my interest. We talked a bit more and my creative juices began to flow.  Since not much had been written about the real-life LouIsa, I had to create my own character.  She was a real person, but not exactly the same person as the one in my story.

  • How did you come up with the concept of the characters for the book?


Actually, I didn’t.  They just came into the story as I was writing it. I don’t write from outlines.  I agree with Stephen King. He says outlines kill the creative spirit. He says, “just write the damn story” so that’s what I did. The characters came into the story as needed.

  • What did you enjoy most about writing the book?


Anticipating where the characters were going to take me.  They actually wrote the book. I just went along for the ride, but I have to say it was a fun and exciting ride. Full of exciting experiences and surprises.

  • Who designed your book cover?

The publisher.

  • Do you feel the characters high jacked your story?


I wouldn’t go so far as to say they high-jacked the story, but they did play a great role. I’d have an idea for a scene in my mind and would start to write the scene. The characters said to me: “Sorry, Will, but we don’t agree with what you have in mind. Just sit back and write what we tell you. It will be much better.”

  • Convince us why your book is a must read.

Because I believe it’s full of interesting situations.

  • When did you first consider yourself as a writer.

For most of my life I felt I didn’t have the talent to be a writer.  Then at age 55, I said to myself, “Will, if you’re ever going to do it, you’d better get started, or it will be too late. So at age 55 I wrote my first book (which, as of this time, I have not submitted for publication).”
  • Have you written any other books that are not published?

As of this date, the one mentioned in the previous question is the only one.

  • Who is your favorite author?

I really don’t have a favorite. I have read multiple books by  many authors ranging from Robert B. Parker, Jack Higgins, Agatha Christie, Richard Paul Evans, Rosemund Pilcher, Adel Abbot, David Baldacci, Jonathan Cahn, Raymond Chandler, Don Coldsmith, Sydney Sheldon, George Orwell, Janet Evanovich, John Grisham, Winston Groom, F. Scott Fitzgerald Sue Grafton, and many others too numerous to include here.

  • How would you describe your writing style?

Light—and I hope—interesting.

Do your characters come to you all at the same time?
No, they just appear as the story progresses. They all seem to know when it’s the right time to enter the story.






THE IRON DOVE OF THE FRONTIER...

At twenty-one, LouIsa was already a sagacious woman. She had been privileged to attend finishing schools in the East where she learned the ways of "Ladyship" and studied piano under the tutorship of masters, becoming proficient with the classical works of Mozart, Bach, Chopin, Beethoven, Liszt, and many others.

LouIsa: Iron Dove of the Frontier is a story about a tough, but well-educated genteel woman of quiet strength who, when it became necessary, could get down and dirty and fight as adeptly as the best gutter rats. But also, when necessary, she could don a party dress and be perfectly comfortable with Vassar graduates. 




Buddy... His Trials and Treasures 
by Will Edwinson 
Genre: Contemporary Historical Fiction 


Do you need a little stress relief in your life?
Travel back to the world of Buddy Crawford, a simpler, slower- paced world where Cokes were a nickel, movie tickets were a dime, and ten cents bought you a double dip ice cream cone. These engaging, award-winning stories about a young boy growing up in rural America during the 1940s provide a relaxing respite from today's fast-paced world. They may even revive old memories of your own childhood.

Follow Buddy and Cousin Mont as they gather beer and pop bottles from the roadway barrowpits. Join him and his friends at the river swimming hole for a swim, or go fishing for carp in the irrigation canal. Experience the fun as he tours the countryside in an old Model T Ford with his friends. What better way to spend a relaxing two hours than immersing yourself in these stories.

Buddy is somewhat reminiscent of Tom Sawyer in that he quite often finds himself in hot water. Unlike Tom, Buddy's misdeeds are without forethought. They happen because Buddy is...well...he's just Buddy. 






Will Edwinson is an award-winning story teller for his fiction, and an award winning columnist. His second book, Buddy ... His Trials and Treasures, won a first place in state competition, and a second place at national. His "A Bit Of Nostalgia" column that he wrote under another name, won second and first place, awards in two separate competitions from the Utah-Idaho-Spokane Associated Press Association.
Edwinson grew up in rural Southeast Idaho during the 1940s. After his college stint, he made his living on the family farm in Southeast Idaho as a dry land farmer raising barley and wheat, always holding onto the dream he had harbored for most of his life-that of being a writer-but still not confident that he had the necessary abilities and skills for such a career. After reaching mid-life, he determined that if he were ever going to be a writer, it was time to begin. His first book was launched when he was in his mid-fifties.
Edwinson is basically a self-taught author. His passion lay toward storytelling, so he began reading fiction of every genre to get a grasp of different writing styles and writing techniques. He also took advantage of the many books and manuals on writing that were available. These are mentioned on his Links & Lists page at his website, www.willedwinson.com. He is also a graduate of Writer's Digest Short Story Writing course.
In his younger years, Edwinson was also a semi-professional singer, performing on stages from Sun Valley, Idaho, to Lake Havasu City, Arizona. He also demonstrates a flair as an inventor. Out of necessity,to teach his two youngest daughters some rudimentary money management skills, he invented and Trademarked a children's allowance management system, "The Child's Checkmaster." which enabled parents and children to keep better track of the children's allowance draws and which also taught the children some rudimentary money management skills.
Will Edwinson currently lives in Tucson, Arizona. 





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Monday, May 25, 2020

Grace's Ghosts by Stephenie Wilson Peterson Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

  • Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Grace’s Ghosts?


The protagonist is a twelve year old girl named Grace. She doesn’t have a lot of living friends, but she’s the most popular girl in town among the dead. She’s the only person who’s been able to see the many ghosts of the town of Tansy for more than 300 years, so the ghosts have flocked to her since she was a baby. Grace, like a lot of tweens, is a bit unsure of herself when the story starts, but she grows a lot and gains confidence as the story unfolds.

Her best friend is her cat, Midnight. Like nearly all of her friends, Midnight is a ghost. The ghostly kitty stays by her side at all times. He goes to school with her every day. He makes sure she’s never lonely. Midnight is probably my favorite character in the book. 

Grace’s family plays a big part in the story, especially her mom and grandma. They’re strong women who Grace can really look up to, but they are not without their faults.


The many ghosts of Tansy make up most of the cast of characters. They all have unique personalities. Most of them are friendly toward Grace. A few aren’t. But they all are ready to move on into the Light, and they need Grace’s help.

Grace’s only living friend is a boy named Bain. He’s a bit quirky, but he’s funny, supportive, and Grace thinks he’s cute. He helps Grace throughout the story.


  • Have you written any other books that are not published?

I have! Quite a few, actually. Right now, my agent is working to find a publisher for my other books. I’ve written two other middle grade novels, two chapter books, and five picture books. I’m working on another middle grade novel as well as a picture book.  



  • Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?


I like some background noise. If it’s too quiet, I get distracted. I don’t like playing music with lyrics, however. I find myself typing the words to the songs on accident. It’s not as bad if I’m in a coffee shop where there’s other background noise, but at home, I only play instrumental music. A coffee shop is the ideal place for me to write because there’s noise, but none of it is my problem. At home, my kids or my dogs make noise and I know I’m responsible for whatever mess happens while I’m working, so each sound distracts me.




  • What is your writing process? For instance do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first?



I go into a story with a main character, a setting, and a rough idea of where I want to take the story. Then I write a few chapters to get to know my characters a bit. After I’ve spent some time getting to know them and how they react, I write a rough outline. I base it off the book Save the Cat. I never hold myself to my outlines, but I like to have a general idea of where I’m going.
Grace's Ghosts 
by Stephenie Wilson Peterson 
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy 


Twelve-year-old Grace and her feline best friend, Midnight, have a secret: Midnight is a ghost. But then again, so are the rest of Graces' friends. 

Since she's the only person in hundreds of years with the ability to see them, the many ghosts of Tansy have flocked to Grace since birth. She doesn't mind. She prefers the company of the dead to that of the cliquey kids at school. 

Grace is happy with her strange life, until one day, the ghosts tell her about the secret her town has hidden for centuries. There's a reason there are more ghosts than living people in Tansy. Three-hundred years ago, a lonely witch cast a spell that mistakenly trapped the soul of every person to ever set foot in the tiny town. So when the spirits beg her to find a way to break the curse, Grace is eager to help.
As she searches for answers, Grace makes discoveries about the secret her family hid for generations and a world of magic hidden in her own backyard. 

Grace soon realizes that if she succeeds in breaking the curse, she'll lose Midnight and all of her ghost friends, but if she fails, everyone living in Tansy will face the same fate. Can Grace break the curse before it's too late? 




Book Trailer






Semi-nomadic, Stephenie and her family currently live near Raleigh, North Carolina. Her kids are Texans at heart and Stephenie and her husband grew up just outside of Seattle. Stephenie writes, creates art, and homeschools her three amazing kids. Stephenie loves to hike with her family and drink lots and lots of coffee. 





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Saturday, May 2, 2020