Kim Turner writes western romance for The Wild Rose Press. She was kind enough to allow me to guest blog on her website. Check out the blog! and check out Kim’s books on The Wild Rose Press.
http://kimturnerwrites.blogspot.com/2018/01/author-round-uppeggy-chambers-wild-rose.html
Last night was a blast! I cleared my life of a lot of books, but most importantly I saw some of my best friends. I had a release party for Stones of Sandhill Island and I sold out! To those that didn’t get one, I am ordering more – or they are available on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Yes, contact me and I’ll sign them.
We had so much fun getting together and eating appetizers and talking. Some knew each other, and some didn’t, but they quickly got acquainted. Part of my family was with me upstairs at Callahan’s Pub and Grill as well as former co-workers, writing club and assorted friends. And after the party, a few of us remained to eat dinner together.
I plan to have more book signings for the new title – at the new bookstore in town, the library and maybe some other places. But I guess it had to do with the bar atmosphere. Everyone had a good time. What was to be a two-hour party turned into three and I’m sure the restaurant was glad to get the tables back. But several of us did order dinner afterwards.
The Wild Rose Press has lots of copies of the new book and so do Amazon and Barnes & Noble. If you like, the electronic version is available with just a click of the mouse. The suspense novel Stones of Sandhill Island is the second in the Sandhill Island series set on a tourist island off the coast of Corpus Christi. It has a little romance and lots of surprises. The main characters are new, but it still has some of the original occupants of the island. I plan a third book.
Here is a small sample:
Why did she wait so long to open the box and why the big secret? She and her mother had a beautiful life together so what did it matter? But she wanted to know.
She fingered the matches as her heart once again ached. It felt like a new cut on top of an old wound that still had not fully healed. And the infection bubbled to the surface.
Billie lifted the ballet program from the hat box and carefully opened the brittle paper. She slid a finger down the list of principal dancers stopping on a faded picture of the woman that now inhabited the urn sitting in the living room. And the knife in her chest twisted.
The room swam, and she grabbed the bedspread like a drowning victim, twisting it in her fingers as she sat. The box and its contents slid off the bed and dumped unceremoniously on the floor. Billie could once again see the bonfire in her mind’s eye as she looked at the pile of mementos. She picked up the match book and carefully pulled a match from the cardboard and struck it on the outside – without closing the cover. It bloomed into a red, then yellow flame and quickly burned her finger, but not before catching the others in the book. She stared for a moment before realizing she had dropped the flaming matches into the pile on the floor. The tiny bonfire blazed.
Stones of Sandhill Island is available for purchase at https://tinyurl.com/y9qp6qzp
If you enjoy the book, leave me a review. Thanks to everyone who came to the release party.
My blogs this year are about clearing your life – the good kind. A wonderful author was cleared from our life this week – and no one was ready.
I met Dusty Richards 8 or 10 years ago. I can’t remember what year I first attended an OWFI conference, but I know Dusty was there. He’d sit in the main area of the conference and call out to anyone walking by.
“Hey Peggy, have you read the latest?” He didn’t have any idea who I was, but he read my name tag from across the room and started a conversation with me. He never met a stranger.
I was so nervous just to be there and knew no one except for a few people from the writing club I had just joined. But Dusty was friendly.
Not knowing what to say to this “larger than life cowboy,” I mentioned Johnny Quarles – the only western writer I’d ever known. He’d worked in radio with my husband back in the ‘70s and ‘80s. “Oh, he was a wonderful writer – one of the best!” he said. Then he wanted to know how I knew Johnny. Dusty was personable like that and found a way to make everyone feel at ease. His wife, Pat, would sit quietly at his side and crochet or read while he talked. And of course, I bought the book and had him sign it to my husband.
The next morning, he asked us to have breakfast with them. Somewhere I have a picture of that breakfast.
Dusty was interested in my books about the Heavener Runestone. He was as mesmerized by the area as I was, and we talked about runestones found all over Oklahoma and Arkansas. He sat at a book signing in Arkansas and talked to me about my book instead of tending his table and selling his own work. He made me feel very welcome. He was just that type of person.
Like everyone who knew Dusty and Pat I was devastated hearing about the wreck that eventually took both their lives. I read he had published over 150 books. One of his latest was made into a movie. “The Painted Lady” has won several awards. I think that is one the greatest complements a writer can receive – to have one of their books made into a movie. I’m so glad he received the opportunity to see it come to fruition before his death.
Happy trails, Dusty and Pat. You will be missed.
I’m clearing my life of unwanted clutter and offering up new and inventive ideas this year.
I’ve put out two new books in the last six months. Sometimes months of hard work on individual projects end up coming to fruition at approximately the same time and that is how it worked for me.
In the fall I released a fantasy YA book, Return to Glome’s Valley, which takes place in the valleys of southeast Oklahoma near the Heavener Runestone. It is the sequel to Glome’s Valley and takes place 14 years later when Ethan has become a man. He returns to the place he played as a child and finds escapades and secrets that only an adult could handle. Some mysteries should remain simply that. There are new adventures for some of the old characters and you might meet a dragon. It is available on Amazon at http://tinyurl.com/ybdsqr6w and Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/750678 in paperback or electronic download.
Stones of Sandhill Island is part of the suspense series that takes place on a tourist island off the coast of Corpus Christi. Billie Stone – a legend in the Corpus Christi jazz scene – has come home to heal emotionally after her family is killed in a car accident. She struggles with PTSD and survivor guilt. She meditates and practices yoga to help with the symptoms and then her anchor – her mother, a former principal ballerina with the Corpus Christi Ballet – becomes ill with Parkinsons. Then Billie finds her mother held secrets.
Others also suffer from that effects of that fateful night. Joe Franks was a little drunk and never meant to hurt anyone when he hit the mini van that killed two people, but he spent a year in jail for manslaughter and lost his home, car, job, and self-respect. Now he delivers pizza for a living and blames Billie for his troubles.
On January 24, 2018 I will release the second in the Sandhill Island series. It can be pre-ordered on The Wild Rose Press site at https://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/search?controller=search&orderby=position&orderway=desc&search_query=peggy+chambers&submit_search= or Amazon where the Kindle version is currently available for preorder https://www.amazon.com/Stones-Sandhill-Island-Book-ebook/dp/B078JYFSHN/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1515334460&sr=8-2&keywords=peggy+chambers. If you loved the first, I hope you continue the story with the second. I plan a third as well and it is still a nugget in my mind.
A new year just begs for new reads. Check out Return to Glome’s Valley and Stones of Sandhill Island and leave a review. Authors love reviews!
I’m beginning a clean sweep with 2018! Out with the old and in with the new.
I was working diligently clearing out some dishes I no longer need in the kitchen, when the doorbell rang. I live on the outskirts of Enid and we have rural mail delivery. On my bench near the front door sat a box along with some mail. AND MY FIRST BOX OF STONES OF SANDHILL ISLAND HAD ARRIVED! Like most writers I was so excited to hold in my hand the results of a year-long (or longer) project. It was beautiful – better than I’d imagined. And in my excited state I gave the first copy to my husband, aka final proofreader. He is my biggest fan and supports me in my efforts, so, he always gets the first copy. And he sees mistakes others don’t.
I made a place in the spare bedroom for the new arrivals and went back to planning the release party. The book will be officially released on January 24, 2018, but can be pre-ordered on The Wild Rose Press site at https://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/search?controller=search&orderby=position&orderway=desc&search_query=peggy+chambers&submit_search= or Amazon where the Kindle version is currently available for preorder https://www.amazon.com/Stones-Sandhill-Island-Book-ebook/dp/B078JYFSHN/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1515334460&sr=8-2&keywords=peggy+chambers. You’re all invited to the release party sometime after January 24!
But despite the excitement, I’m still clearing my life both physically and mentally. I got rid of the giant Christmas tree yesterday when a friend who still has kids at home, and a big house, took it. I also cleared out a spare crock pot, some Christmas mugs that no longer had a place in the kitchen, and some children’s books. I will take them to a local thrift shop where someone who needs them will have access to them. That is the theme; I don’t need them anymore and maybe some one else does. 
Here’s to new beginnings, clearing out the old and replacing it with the new. I’m also going to the gym today to try to revitalize the old body. Twice a week isn’t enough. I’m going to make it more often. After all, I’m retired and writing books. I can make more time for the gym.
What did you accomplish this week to make room for the new? Clearing my life!
I’m a day early but decided to go ahead and begin the 2018 blogs. Clearing your life will be the theme this year, because I need it! I’ve recently been looking at things in the cabinets, closets and even in the living room that I can do without. Maybe someone else can use them, but I know I don’t need them anymore. And along with the cleaning out, I plan to repaint my white woodwork after cleaning it, and clear each and every drawer, cabinet, and closet. It will be a trip down memory lane and a chance to clear out my life – and my mind.
Along with the closet clearing, I hope to do some mind and soul clearing also. Like my house, I am sure my mind will work better without the clutter. We’ll discuss how to get rid of the clutter in your life as well as in your mind. (Remember Goldie Hawn in the movie Overboard cutting through the cobwebs with a pair of scissors? It will be like that.) Negative thoughts need to go along with the cobwebs in the corners – they prevent us from moving on.
In the process of clearing my house, maybe someone will need the things I don’t. It is a simple process, I don’t need it, but maybe you do. So, let me know. Let’s discuss methods you use to declutter your life.
I hope you will join me and comment with ideas and tips as well as experiences you’ve had with clearing clutter. Did it help your outlook on life, or just make your house look better?
Get ready for a clean sweep!
I’ve been at this Christmas thing for a while now. I grew up in a family with two sisters and two parents and I remember one pair of cowboy boots handed down to whoever fit them that year. They were polished on Christmas Eve, and morning would find them full of nuts and fruit. No one thought about the stinky feet that had been there before the fruit, or the fact that Santa Claus brought fruit and nuts for three kids with one pair of boots. My dad would crack the nuts for us and we’d eat them and oranges for breakfast while the turkey roasted. Of course, we got dolls, what girl didn’t back then, and Mom made Christmas dresses for all of us.
Then I had a family and I saw Christmas through the eyes of a parent. First a girl to dress up like the dolls I’d practiced on as a child in bows and ruffles, until she had a mind of her own about clothes (and that wasn’t long). Then I had a boy – and no idea what to do with him. There was only one male in my previous family and he worked long hours and was seldom home. I had no brothers. Luckily my husband knew all about boys, and bikes, and ball games. All the things my family never participated in. So, Christmas was saved, and the boy had gifts he would enjoy just like the girl. I still put nuts and fruit in their Christmas stockings – there were no cowboy boots.
One Christmas a few years later we added a dog – a really big dog. A huge Golden Retriever who weighted 85 lbs. in his prime and eventually sired 20 kids of his own in two different litters with his best friend. We didn’t keep the puppies. But the dog lived as the third kid in our household for 14 years – he was family. He was the Christmas gift that kept on giving. 
The kids grew up and left home, the dog died. But the kids came back and brought others with them. There were new kids to spoil for Christmas and we got another dog. Christmas Eve with my husband is the same, snacks in front of the fireplace, but it’s just us and the new dog. She gets a few nibbles, too. It’s a little bit quieter than it used to be, and we can sleep in on Christmas morning, but we will see our adult children and their kids before the day is over to feast and exchange gifts. However, I think the fruit and nut tradition has gone by the way side.
Like I said, I’ve been at this Christmas thing for a while. And I think I may be getting the hang of it. Merry Christmas! 
Thanks for the interview, Caroline!
Today we welcome Peggy Chambers.
Book ‘Em: Tell us about you and your life outside of writing.
Peggy Chambers: I am a retired office worker and now and have lots of time to write. I live with my husband and dog in my home town of Enid, OK in middle America (not Middle Earth).
Book ‘Em: Which bookshave you written? What are they about and why did you choose to write them? Do your books have a message? Are they fiction or nonfiction?
Peggy Chambers: All my books are fiction and I chose to write them because an idea came to me and would not go away. My first book was pulp fiction – The Apocalypse Sucks, published by Airship 27. It is a dark comedy about two women who are left to try to live their lives after a virus takes out most of the world. And they…
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Today I am hosting Caroline Giammanco, non-fiction author, and teacher, on my blog. Caroline hails from Missouri where she is a classroom English teacher at the local high school.
Tell us about the titles you are promoting and their descriptions:
Bank Notes: The True Story of the Boonie Hat Bandit – A bank robbing spree in St. Louis garners national attention in 2007-2009. This nonfiction inside look into our criminal justice system tells how an independent stock options trader, a single father of twins, became known as “St. Louis’s most notorious bank robber.” He’s also my husband. 
Guilty Hearts: The World of Prison Romances – Why would any woman love an inmate? Delve into the lives of eleven different inmate families and couples to find out what keeps them together—and why your life may depend upon the health of those relationships.
Caroline’s books are published by: W & B Publishers
Her current work in progress: I am finishing my third manuscript entitled Inside the Death Fences: Memoirs of a Whistleblower. This autobiographical work follows me from my life as the daughter of a deputy sheriff to becoming a whistleblower in the Missouri Department of Corrections.
I asked her favorite quote and her answer was: “The good news is we will all have high schools named after us.” This quote comes from the movie Deep Impact when the shuttle crew realizes they will have to sacrifice themselves to save earth. As a school teacher, this one always strikes a chord.
Who is the author who inspires you the most and why: There are so many to choose from, so this is a tricky question. My two favorite books are The Great Gatsby and To Kill a Mockingbird, so I would say Fitzgerald and Lee are tied. They make the readers face distressful situations, none of which are completely satisfied in the end.
If stranded on an island, what book would you want with you? I would want to have Gone with the Wind with me. It is long and has a great deal of subtext within it, so it would occupy my time and my mind.
What book is on your bedside table right now? Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari. It tracks the history of the War on Drugs.
Tell us three fascinating things about you:
1) I am a country girl at heart and would live in the middle of the woods in a cabin if I had a choice.
2) As I alluded to earlier, I am a middle-class, professional educator whose husband happens to be in prison for a high-profile crime spree. Life is full of unexpected twists.
3) I have no fear of public speaking. I could speak in front of a stadium full of people and not even wince. Do not ask me to sing, though.
What would be your ideal workspace? My ideal work space would be an upstairs den in a cabin or cottage in the woods. I’d have a comfy chair and face out a window looking at the peaceful countryside. In reality, I do most of my writing propped up in bed in my single-story house in town. A girl can dream, though.
What is your advice for other authors: Don’t be afraid to speak the truth and be relatable to your readers. If you can get them to care about your topic and to consider you credible in their hearts and minds, you will gain loyal fans.
Tell us where to find you and your books: Readers can find me at the following:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009880805237
https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=caroline%20giammanco%20author%20fans
@ GiammancoBook on Twitter
Trailers for my books:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljro0F8oxg0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfv8H7-22OU
Caroline’s books are available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Check her out! Remember books make great Christmas presents, and as always, if you love it, leave a review. Authors love reviews.
Thank you, Caroline, for guesting on my blog today. Good luck with your books and keep in touch.
My guest blogger today is the uber-talented author, Peggy Jaeger. We’ve agreed there aren’t enough Peggy’s in literature and it was a good way for us to begin talking. Both of us writing for The Wild Rose Press, we sometimes get in each other’s way on the Tuesday night chat room when called on. Which Peggy?
So, please welcome – Peggy Jaeger, she helps people find their HEA (Happily Ever After).
Her latest book: A KISS UNDER THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS 
Summary of A Kiss Under the Christmas Lights: Christmas is a few weeks away and Gia San Valentino meets the perfect guy, but a misunderstanding has her thinking he’s something he’s not. Perfect guy? Or Forbidden Fruit?
We know each other through The Wild Rose Press who publishes some of our work. Do you publish with other publishers and who? Yes, Kensington/Lyrical Shine
What are you working on now? A brand new small town contemporary humorous romance series about three sisters who collectively run a “one stop shopping” Bridal business in their small New Hampshire town.
Favorite quote (from any source): If you can be anything, be kind.
Who is the author/artist that inspires you the most, and why? Nora Roberts/J.D.Robb. She writes characters who are real people in the way they talk, think, and act. I can see myself being friends with them.
If stranded on an island, what one book would you keep with you? New York to Dallas by J.D.Robb. I cry like a baby every time I read it.
What are you reading right now? (besides these questions…) Dreaming of Manderlay by Leah Marie Brown (a modern retelling of REBECCA)
Tell us 3 fascinating things about you:
(I don’t know if they are fascinating but here goes):
My left eye is significantly smaller than my right
I love scary movies – the scarier the better (and remember, scary doesn’t have to mean gory)
I’m a great mimic.
Describe your ideal work space…and then tell us about your actual one: My actual one is my ideal one. I write in an office in my attic that my husband designed for me. It overlooks our forest/woodland property and I can watch the seasons change outside my window while I type. It’s quiet, beautiful, and perfect for me.
What advice do you have for other writers/artists? Never give up on a dream. I wanted to write and publish my entire life. Life got in the way and I couldn’t devote myself to it the way I wanted, but I always dreamed I would someday be a published romance author. My first book was published when I was 55, so dreams don’t die – people let them. Never give up on a dream and don’t let anyone else convince you to.
Where can readers find you online? Good Lord, where can’t they is the better question!! I’m obnoxiously social on line;
Website/Blog: http://peggyjaeger.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/peggy_jaeger
Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00T8E5LN0
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Peggy-Jaeger-Author/825914814095072?ref=bookmarks
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/peggyjaeger/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13478796.Peggy_Jaeger
Instagram: https://instagram.com/mmj122687/
Tribber: https://triberr.com/PeggyJaeger
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/peggy-jaeger
It was great having you here, Peggy, and I know we all wish you continued success. Pick up a copy of Peggy’s books and as always, leave a review if you love it. Check her out!
Here are her buy links for those wonderful books (after all, it is Christmas and books make great presents):
Amazon : https://www.amazon.com/Kiss-Under-Christmas-Lights-ebook/dp/B01LZ28ZTQ/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Wild Rose Press : https://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/4700-a-kiss-under-the-christmas-lights.html?search_query=peggy+jaeger&results=12
Barnes and Nobel: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-kiss-under-the-christmas-lights-peggy-jaeger/1124783656?ean=2940157103873
KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?Query=a+kiss+under+the+christmas+lights+by+peggy+jaeger
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Peggy_Jaeger_A_Kiss_Under_the_Christmas_Lights?id=OAqLDQAAQBAJ
Published by The Wild Rose Press available in paperback and Kindle
Second in the Glome's Valley series
Published by Airship 27 in Paperback and Kindle and now audible audio edition!
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