A NEW BEGINNING: GLOME’S VALLEY IS RELEASED

Posted on April 12, 2015 by peggylchambers

new cover      It’s here!  Glome’s Valley has been released by Lee Press, an imprint of Oghma Creative Media, and is available in paperback or electronic version at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and iBooks.

The newly revised book has new characters, new scenes and a new cover.  When Ethan and his archeologist father travel to Heavener, Oklahoma to study the Heavener Runestone, Ethan knew it would be a boring summer.  And then he met Glome, a Viking ghost involved in an ancient war against the trolls.  Glome, his mighty band of fairies, and Bob the dog have been fighting for Hilda’s honor for years.  Now they have new allies with Ethan and Hilda’s grandfather, Ari.  Surely they can save her from her flowery prison before the Festival of the Full Moon. But who will save them?

Ethan’s father is desperate to find his only son who is lost in the forest of southeast Oklahoma with a companion who knows Norse mythology only too well.  Eventually Thor may be the only one who can save them all.

     The smell was the first thing Ethan was aware of, and then the yelling started.  Ethan was shoved roughly deeper into the cave.  Suddenly trolls were everywhere and swords were arcing in the tiny cave.  The backpack was roughly torn from Ethan’s shoulders as Hilda grabbed the sword and began hacking at trolls from every angle leaving him defenseless. 

      Dido yelled at his men and the tiny fairies grabbed bats as they attempted to exit the cave, climbing onto their backs and riding them out. The fairies were deserting them!

      “The cakes!” Glome shouted. “Ethan, use the cakes! Throw them over the side!”  Ethan reached for the backpack and pulled the cake out that looked like him.  He held it over his head and trolls stopped what they were doing, mesmerized.  Ethan stumbled to the entrance of the cave pushing trolls in front of him as he went.  They were backing toward the cliff and Ethan did not stop until he reached the edge.  Then he hurled the cake that resembled him as far as he could throw it.  Trolls flew after it unwittingly and then began to scream on the way down realizing what they had just done.  The screams became fainter as they fell to the bottom of the ravine. And then the screams stopped.

Pick up a copy of Glome’s Valley today.  This pre-teen book is available in paperback or electronic versions.  And as always, if you like the book please leave a review.  Authors always love reviews.  Enjoy the story!

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A NEW BEGINNING: RESURECTION

Posted on April 5, 2015 by peggylchambers

Tomatoes    Happy Easter!  The first week of retirement has been loaded with mixed emotions.  It is not that I don’t have tons to do – I do – it is more that I don’t know where to start.  I worked all week on a presentation I will be giving in Branson for the Ozark Writers’ League in May.  I worked out at the YMCA three times.  I started a new project – straw bale gardening.

It is Easter weekend and the family has no plans like a family dinner or such.  My husband has another procedure in Oklahoma City on Monday and he is not feeling well.  I tried to keep him down some but not sure I have been successful at that.

But in the spirit of resurrection, I started a small garden.  I have five hay bales in the back yard and I planted two of them today with peppers and tomatoes.  The other three will hold lettuce, spinach, etc.  Just a salad garden nothing big. I know I’m a little late on the seeds.  I have a friend who grows purple hull peas up the trellis with her roses.  They are beautiful mingling with pink roses and the purple color of the peas.  I am not quite that artsy.  There is no reason gardening can’t be fun and attractive. But anyone who can make a pea look good and then eat it is alright in my book.Peppers

Speaking of books, the re-release of Glome’s Valley will be mid-month.  Another resurection.  This Peter Pan type children’s fantasy is set in southeast Oklahoma at the Heavener Runestone and is a fun romp with magic swords, a fairy princess, a runestone, and cellphones.  Modern day meets ancient Viking.  I think you will enjoy it.  It is being re-released under a new cover with new scenes and is published by Lee Press, an imprint of Oghma Creative Media.  Check it out!  I’ll be talking more about it in weeks to come, but be sure to look for it for your favorite kid, or the kid in you!        new cover

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A NEW BEGINNING: THE RETIREMENT FINALLY HAPPENED

Posted on April 1, 2015 by peggylchambers

office  I did it!  I retired today.  It was a great run with many opportunities and experiences and even more co-workers and friends.  When I arrived at my office this morning there was food everywhere!  A crock pot of BBQ wieners simmered on my desk.  My fantastic co-workers/friends brought food, a present, a retirement sash to make sure you knew who the party was for, and a card signed by everyone.    sashEven my son showed up unexpectedly after I texted that a surprise party was on.  It was the beginning of a great day. present

But you know how these things go.  You end up eating all day long.  I did my best to do some work.  I accomplished a few things that were on the back burner and needed to be finalized and I cleaned out my office one last time.  Then I went home and my wonderful husband took me to dinner and brought home champagne.   champagne

Tomorrow I may not get out of my PJs.  But I can’t wait to work on those five unfinished manuscripts and do some gardening.

To quote Alicia Keys: “This Girl is on Fire!”

 

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A NEW BEGINNING: RETIREMENT

Posted on March 22, 2015 by peggylchambers

Bulbs   Spring has sprung and with it come many changes in my life.  The first of which is that I gave my office notice last week that I am retiring the end of the month.  I was hesitant about that.  They didn’t scream “No, don’t go!” or “The door is that way!” instead they were gracious, shook my hand, smiled, and wished me luck.  They said they were jealous and after all that is what everyone is working toward.

I don’t think when I began working I was thinking about retirement.  But my husband and I have worked for many years while we raised kids, paid the mortgage, collapsed on the couch many nights (bringing work home with us), all for the sake of the almighty dollar.  Okay, not everything I have done for the last 45 years was chasing money.  If so, I lost that race. But the job was first and foremost in our minds.  Now that it is happening, I have mixed feelings.

I plan to write more and garden in good weather.  I want to travel a little; at least as far as the retirement money will let me, and not set an alarm clock.  I plan to go to the gym more and cook good food instead of running in the door, skidding to a stop, and throwing something on the table so I can rush back out the door to some activity or other.

My husband’s birthday is today.  For his birthday I gave him money and a pamphlet for a pottery course.  If you know my husband, you are thinking, “pottery?”  Funny but he has always had an interest but never the time, so now he will have the time.  His first response was these are daytime classes.  Yes, dear, you will have your daytime free now.  It is a hard concept to swallow.

Wish us luck.  We have worked – like so many people – for a long time and now we have to try to learn how to relax.  Retirement – what an unusual concept. It is a new beginning.

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A NEW BEGINNING: TV INTERVIEW ABOUT SANDHILL ISLAND

Posted on March 15, 2015 by peggylchambers

Good Morning Enid    I received a phone call last week from Steve Kime, Director of Public Relations, for the City of Enid. He asked to interview me during the Good Morning Enid TV program about my newest book Secrets of Sandhill Island.  It would be live at 7:30 on Thursday morning.  Be there at 7:15. Yawn!  He promised there would be coffee.

Well, that was unexpected, but sounded exciting so of course I said yes.  Laura Sheldon, producer of the show, is originally from Corpus Christi and the book caught her attention because of the setting.  Krista Beasley graciously conducted the interview and made me feel at ease.  She kindly sent me a list of questions the day before so there would be no surprises early the next morning.  http://www.enid.org/Home/Components/News/News/1747/25?backlist=%2f.  This was my first TV interview and they’re right, the camera does put ten pounds on you (or more).

I tried not to show that I was nervous. Don’t fiddle with your hair or scratch your nose and sit up straight!  I just tried to pretend I was talking to someone at a book signing and telling them about Sandhill Island.   It turned out it wasn’t as hard as I thought.  In fact it was a lot of fun.  I was followed by a dog from the SPCA and had to give up my chair to her handler.  The dog was named Dolly and she seemed nervous too.

I hope the interview went as well as I thought and someone will see it and enjoy the book.  Maybe I’ll be called back for another book someday.

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A NEW BEGINNING: OWFI WRITERS’ CONFERENCE

Posted on March 9, 2015 by peggylchambers

OWFI board meeting    I spent most of the day driving to Oklahoma City for the quarterly Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, Inc. board meeting.  It is the last one before the annual conference.  The drive down is always an easy one if the weather is good.  It was.  I also had two friends with me and with three women in a car; there was never a moment’s silence.

The people in this committee spend an entire year getting ready for the conference next year and they are worth their weight in gold.  They find judges for the contest, speakers for the workshops, caterers for the banquets, and book stores for the book sales.  The logistics can be a nightmare.  There are attendees from all over the United States.

The OWFI writers’ conference is an annual event that I adore. Three days of writers being writers.  Contests, banquets, seminars and big names in the writing world; there are opportunities to rub elbows with people you wish could emulate.  People who make a living doing what most of us do as a hobby.

I’ve learned more at these seminars than all of the English classes I took in school.  Okay, maybe that was might fault.  I mean, maybe I didn’t try too hard back then, but suddenly it all made sense after I learned from the guy who made a living out of it.

I’ve met so many people in the few years that I’ve been involved in this association.  I even met an old classmate from those days I wasn’t listening in English class.  I hadn’t seen her in many years and we both turned up at the same conference for the same reason.  We’re both writers and looking to improve our craft.

The first full weekend in May is always reserved for the OWFI writer’s conference.  There’s still time for you to sign up and attend.  Check out the website http://www.owfi.org/ .  We’d love to see you there!

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A NEW BEGINNING: COME ON SPRING!

Posted on March 1, 2015 by peggylchambers

frozen back yard    Last Monday my husband and I drove to Oklahoma City – 90 miles south of our home – for his medical procedure knowing there was a possibility of snow.  We ran in to flurries on the way down.  He had cancelled it the week before because of weather.  When I left the clinic with a groggy husband there was already three inches of snow on the ground.  I hit the home button on my GPS and Thelma (the GPS is named Thelma as in “Thelma and Louise”) gave me directions down I-44 with tons of other travelers at 30 miles an hour.  White knuckle driving all the way home took almost three hours which should have taken one and a half.  But we made it.

Back to work during the week and then Friday brought more snow.  Most of my co-workers left early – they are parents with small children and school closing and the Receptionist took the day off.  That meant those of us still there had to step up and fill the vacant slots.  I watched the dwindling cars in the parking lot cover with snow.  “Mine’s the white one,” I said.  You could still see the mud on the side from the earlier trip in the slush as it remained unwashed.    frozen parking lot

I spent all day long in the house yesterday with 4-6 inches of the white stuff outside.  I worked on some writing, baked pumpkin bread, and practiced Yoga.

frozen front yard    Okay, that’s enough.  I’ve lost the wonder and beauty of a white landscape.  I live in the plains not the northeast.  I can’t take this!  I’m used to being able to go when and where I want.  I don’t do whiteouts very well.  Today is the first of March.  Spring is mere 20 days away.  Where is it!  I want to see green grass and hear the birds singing!  I want sunshine and picnics.  No, I NEED sunshine and picnics.  There, I’ve said it.  I have cabin fever.  Now let’s get on with this.  Winter is over; spring is on the way, right?

Is that a ray of sunshine?  Come on spring!

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A NEW BEGINNING – BOOK SIGNING AT HASTINGS

Posted on February 22, 2015 by peggylchambers
Secrets of Sandhill Island

Secrets of Sandhill Island

I had another great book signing at Hastings (many thanks to David and the crew) in Enid, again last night. My newest novel, Secrets of Sandhill Island, is making a splash (no pun intended).  I saw so many people – some I knew and some I met for the first time.  I love having a book signing in my own hometown.  Friends come out because they know I write – or maybe it had something to do with the wonderful article in the Enid News and Eagle http://www.enidnews.com/news/author-holding-book-signing-saturday/article_2685f020-b89a-11e4-9e67-fb3d965c2579.html.

My first sale was my previous book The Apocalypse Sucks purchased by a twelve-year-old boy.  I told his mother it was not a kid’s book but he was so attracted to the cover that I think that sealed the deal.  She said he was an avid reader and read on a much higher level than most his age.  It is heartwarming to see parents out with their kids on Saturday night buying them books and renting movies together.  You know these young people are headed in the right direction with a good home base like that.   cover

Some of my friends were aware of the book signing and came out to support me, like The Enid Writers Club, but others I just bumped into out for the evening.  Some had been waiting patiently for the book, others just happened onto the scene.  But I enjoyed it more than I can say.

I talked to an oilfield worker just off the rig that was about to lose his job this week due to the slowdown in the industry.  Everyone had their story.  But literature is a common denominator for all people everywhere.  The escape provided by a good story is needed by most everyone at one time or another.

I wish to thank all the people who bought Secrets of Sandhill Island and The Apocalypse Sucks.  I left with only one book in my bag, but I have more on order.  My hope is that everyone who took a book home enjoys reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.  Read on!

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A Lovely Name

Posted on February 21, 2015 by peggylchambers

Lori Ericson's avatarLori Ericson

Choosing names for fictional characters and places can be a challenge. A writer has to be careful to make sure names of various characters aren’t too similar, fit the characters, and are something the reader can remember.

Book cover by Casey Cowan, Oghma Creative Media Book cover by Casey Cowan, Oghma Creative Media

While writing A Lovely County, I started out with the real names of the locations I envisioned in Northwest Arkansas. But later in the process I decided it was best to come up with fictional names so as not to disparage actual places. I decided on the name Lovely County because of its historical significance. The title has taken hold in my writer’s mind. I plan to name the next book in the series A Lovely Murder, which is likely to be followed by A Lovely Grave.

Although fictional, the name is based on the historical Lovely County, which was named for…

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You’re Not the Boss of Me

Posted on February 13, 2015 by peggylchambers

You’re Not the Boss of Me.

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