I’ve been bad – haven’t posted a new blog for quite a while. Just too much going on, what with a fund-raising fashion show I recently took part in, decorating for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and now lots of shopping to do and presents to wrap and parties to go to, and end-of-year reports to do for our family business and getting ready to visit our condo in Las Vegas and on and on …
Now Comes E-Books!
Well, here I am with a Facebook Personal and Fan page – a Blog – I’m on Twitter – I have a web site – and of course e-mail. My last hold-out … e-books and a Kindle reader.
October 6, 2012
As I sit here at my desk unable to sleep because in a few hours I’ll be hosting a memorial for my mother, many things go through my mind about life in general and all the things each of us goes through from childhood through high school and young love, marriage, our own children, then grandchildren and the inevitable experience of caring for our own parents as they once had to care for us. THE LION KING’S “Circle of Life” song is so fitting, for we are all part of that circle. My favorite picture of my mom and dad is when they were first married. My mom was only seventeen, and she’s looking at my dad as though he walked on water … such adoration in her eyes. Now they are together again … and young again.
Savage Destiny Series on Kindle!!!
Ladies and gentlemen, if you aren’t familiar with true action-packed western historical romance with a hero to die for, read SAVAGE DESTINY! After a total of 57 published novels, I still find them the best books I ever wrote, packed with real history about Colorado and the Cheyenne Indians, filled with endless action, and probably the best love story I ever penned.
SAVAGE DESTINY is a seven-book series covering about 50 years of history, as seen through the eyes of Zeke and Abbie Monroe. They meet on a wagon train west when Abbie is only 15 and the wagon train scout, Zeke, (best known as Cheyenne Zeke) is 25. Abbie hands Zeke a cup of coffee, their fingers touch, and pow! An epic love story is born, a story that epitomizes the ruggedness of the untamed land, the immense challenges to the pioneers, the lawless atmosphere, the wild and rapid way in which America was settled, and the traumatic affect opening the West had on the Native Americans, especially (in my story) the Cheyenne. I am not embarrassed to say that I am in love all over again with Zeke Monroe. I’d nearly forgotten what a provocative, masculine, handsome, rugged hero he is – and Abbie is the perfect strong, devoted, patient woman at his side, a woman who understands Zeke like few others do.
When I proofread the books for the Kindle edition, I learned a lot about Zeke that I never saw when I wrote these books – that in spite of his virile demeanor and his ability to fight and survive and the fact that he has no fear – Zeke Monroe is quite vulnerable when it comes to Abbie. He will do anything for her, and throughout their years together he lives with the constant fear that Abbie will suffer for being married to a half-breed, something that in the 1800’s was considered shameful. Throughout their life together he protects her with a fierceness seldom found in any human. He truly cherishes this woman, and I think that is what draws women readers to Zeke – the fact that this man cherishes his wife. Cherish is a term we seldom hear today, let alone experience emotionally.
Men, too, love these stories, mainly because of the rugged bravery of Zeke Monroe, the real history, and the almost non-stop action. The books follow Zeke and Abbie from that first meeting through tragedy and triumph that includes not only them but also their children and grandchildren, who all follow his and her unique stories in how history and their heritage affect their lives. There are numerous side-character stories in these novels, and all these characters affect Zeke and Abbie - and history itself – in one way or another.
Over the years, readers have told me that these are the best books they ever read and the best love story they have ever experienced; and most want to know if these characters really lived. To me, when readers ask something like that, I’ve done a good job.
I am proud of SAVAGE DESTINY, and am so happy these books will again be available to everyone, especially new, younger readers who have never read them
By the way, I am now "Kindle-graphing" my Amazon.com e-books -- which means I can send you personalized digital inscriptions for any of my books offered in Kindle edition by Amazon.com! Click here for details and available e-books.
Book 1: SWEET PRAIRIE PASSION
. The ninth book that I wrote, SWEET PRAIRIE PASSION was the first to be published. It tells the powerful love story of 15-year-old Abigail Trent, who is traveling west with her family; and a very rugged plainsman, Zeke Monroe, the half-Cheyenne guide who wins Abbie's heart as they journey through an untamed land beset with Indians, outlaws and nature's harsh challenges. Although Zeke and Abbie come from very different worlds, violence and personal loss bring them together in unexpected ways, including a very poignant situation that involves Abbie's little brother. By journey's end, Abbie has changed from an innocent young girl to a strong woman whose courage and determination to survive make her the perfect woman for the sometimes violent Zeke, whose past and upbringing make him a challenge only Abbie's love and personal faith can overcome. SWEET PRAIRIE PASSION is the beginning of many more stories about this unforgettable couple and their life together as they face the perils of settling America's Old West and learn that love can conquer anything.
Book 2: RIDE
THE FREE WIND
continues the love story
of Zeke and Abbie Monroe. For the first five years of her marriage Abbie lives
among the Cheyenne, learning their customs and beliefs and giving birth to a
son who is as wild and free as his Native American family, and a daughter who
will one day be forced to choose between her Indian and white blood. Through
real historical events involving the government and Native Americans, Zeke and
Abbie cling to one another through danger and torn loyalties. This story
vividly depicts the "right" and "wrong" of both sides in
the bloody conflicts that arose as the West was settled. Through it all Zeke
strives to reach the point where he can provide his Abbie with a real
"white woman's" home, where she can set a prized family heirloom, a
mantle clock, over a fireplace in a house with real wood floors and a cooking
hearth. Though his heart is as wild as his Cheyenne blood, Zeke will give up
that life for his beloved Abbie.
Book 3: RIVER
OF LOVE
finds Zeke and
Abbie Monroe settled into a cabin along the Arkansas River in southern
Colorado, where they build a horse ranch amid challenges to their love and
their contrasting worlds. As Abbie bears more children carrying their mixed
blood, finding a peaceful family life is something that does not come easily.
Zeke's Cheyenne relatives face broken treaties, and the building of the Union
Pacific cuts a swath of violence and change through the lives of white and
Cheyenne alike, forcing the Monroe children to face deeply torn loyalties. New
and powerful enemies enter this spellbinding story, and Zeke's love for his
Abbie is tested in a totally unexpected way that would devastate the love of
most couples with even the strongest relationship. No two people demonstrate
the power of love more vividly and with more poignancy than Zeke and Abbie
Monroe in RIVER OF LOVE.
Book 4: EMBRACE
THE WILD LAND
. The American
Civil War plunges Zeke and Abbie Monroe into violence and separation, danger
and torn loyalties. Their first-born son, Wolf's Blood, takes part in the Sun
Dance, a tortuous ritual that initiates him into life with the Cheyenne. Then
war forces Zeke to leave his family to join his white brother, Danny, in the
conflict. Abbie is left to face a horrible fate at the hands of Zeke's worst
enemy while he is gone. For the first time in their beloved marriage her
strong, brave, warrior husband is not there to protect her. When Zeke returns
to learn her fate, the worst violence in his savage soul rages forth to seek
sweet revenge. Zeke and Abbie's love transcends loss and tragedy thrown at them
by savage people in a savage land that can be tamed by only the bravest souls
in EMBRACE THE WILD LAND.
Book 5: CLIMB
THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN
. Zeke and Abbie
are forced to defend their children against challenges faced because of their
mixed blood. More settlers come west under the Homestead Act, causing the
gradual and final demise of the Cheyenne way of life. The surge of new settlers
brings with it a wealthy Englishman, Edward Tynes, who builds a cattle ranch
near the Monroe homestead and falls in love with Abbie, admiring her strength
and bravery, and jealous of her undying love for a man who cannot give her the
pampered life Tynes feels she deserves. Zeke leaves to join his warrior son,
Wolf's Blood, in new Indian wars, and for the first time Abbie's loyalty to her
husband is tested. But no man can replace the fiercely brave, strong, handsome
Zeke Monroe in Abbie's life.
Book 6: MEET
THE NEW DAWN
. A relentless
wave of frontier progress forces itself into the lives of Zeke and Abbie
Monroe, threatening their many years of abiding love and forcing a separation
unlike any other they have experienced. Zeke joins the Cheyenne in their last
effort to hold on to the freedom they knew until the white man invaded their
pristine domain and destroyed their game, their hunting grounds, their
beautiful innocence. MEET THE NEW DAWN is a keenly powerful and
poignant story about the last years of Zeke and Abbie Monroe's life together,
and how their love and their passion for each other lingers on into their
twilight years as proof that age and the challenges of life cannot dim the love
these two share, a love that causes a man and woman to see each other only as
the fifteen-year-old girl who once touched a savage older man's hand over a
campfire, a touch that changed both their lives forever. Get out the Kleenex
for this powerful read you will never, ever forget!
Book 7 (Not yet available on Kindle - New Cover Coming Soon): EAGLE'S SONG
. After I
finished Book 6, I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I had to get away from
the Monroe family. The first six books were published between 1983 and 1985,
and it took me eleven years to walk back into the lives of all the characters
who had become so dear to me. There was Abbie, waiting for me to finish her
story, and also tell the stories of some of her grandchildren. In EAGLE'S
SONG, the clan gathered for a long-awaited reunion on their sprawling
Colorado ranch, but old hatreds and new passions exploded...in heartbreaking
tragedy for eldest son Wolf's Blood; in a forbidden love affair between Abbie's
wild grandson Zeke and a rancher's headstrong daughter; and in an agonizing
choice Wolf's Blood's young son must make--a choice that could seal his
father's fate.
SAVAGE DESTINY is a seven-book series covering about 50 years of history, as seen through the eyes of Zeke and Abbie Monroe. They meet on a wagon train west when Abbie is only 15 and the wagon train scout, Zeke, (best known as Cheyenne Zeke) is 25. Abbie hands Zeke a cup of coffee, their fingers touch, and pow! An epic love story is born, a story that epitomizes the ruggedness of the untamed land, the immense challenges to the pioneers, the lawless atmosphere, the wild and rapid way in which America was settled, and the traumatic affect opening the West had on the Native Americans, especially (in my story) the Cheyenne. I am not embarrassed to say that I am in love all over again with Zeke Monroe. I’d nearly forgotten what a provocative, masculine, handsome, rugged hero he is – and Abbie is the perfect strong, devoted, patient woman at his side, a woman who understands Zeke like few others do.
When I proofread the books for the Kindle edition, I learned a lot about Zeke that I never saw when I wrote these books – that in spite of his virile demeanor and his ability to fight and survive and the fact that he has no fear – Zeke Monroe is quite vulnerable when it comes to Abbie. He will do anything for her, and throughout their years together he lives with the constant fear that Abbie will suffer for being married to a half-breed, something that in the 1800’s was considered shameful. Throughout their life together he protects her with a fierceness seldom found in any human. He truly cherishes this woman, and I think that is what draws women readers to Zeke – the fact that this man cherishes his wife. Cherish is a term we seldom hear today, let alone experience emotionally.
Men, too, love these stories, mainly because of the rugged bravery of Zeke Monroe, the real history, and the almost non-stop action. The books follow Zeke and Abbie from that first meeting through tragedy and triumph that includes not only them but also their children and grandchildren, who all follow his and her unique stories in how history and their heritage affect their lives. There are numerous side-character stories in these novels, and all these characters affect Zeke and Abbie - and history itself – in one way or another.
Over the years, readers have told me that these are the best books they ever read and the best love story they have ever experienced; and most want to know if these characters really lived. To me, when readers ask something like that, I’ve done a good job.
I am proud of SAVAGE DESTINY, and am so happy these books will again be available to everyone, especially new, younger readers who have never read them
By the way, I am now "Kindle-graphing" my Amazon.com e-books -- which means I can send you personalized digital inscriptions for any of my books offered in Kindle edition by Amazon.com! Click here for details and available e-books.
Book 1: SWEET PRAIRIE PASSION . The ninth book that I wrote, SWEET PRAIRIE PASSION was the first to be published. It tells the powerful love story of 15-year-old Abigail Trent, who is traveling west with her family; and a very rugged plainsman, Zeke Monroe, the half-Cheyenne guide who wins Abbie's heart as they journey through an untamed land beset with Indians, outlaws and nature's harsh challenges. Although Zeke and Abbie come from very different worlds, violence and personal loss bring them together in unexpected ways, including a very poignant situation that involves Abbie's little brother. By journey's end, Abbie has changed from an innocent young girl to a strong woman whose courage and determination to survive make her the perfect woman for the sometimes violent Zeke, whose past and upbringing make him a challenge only Abbie's love and personal faith can overcome. SWEET PRAIRIE PASSION is the beginning of many more stories about this unforgettable couple and their life together as they face the perils of settling America's Old West and learn that love can conquer anything. continues the love story
of Zeke and Abbie Monroe. For the first five years of her marriage Abbie lives
among the Cheyenne, learning their customs and beliefs and giving birth to a
son who is as wild and free as his Native American family, and a daughter who
will one day be forced to choose between her Indian and white blood. Through
real historical events involving the government and Native Americans, Zeke and
Abbie cling to one another through danger and torn loyalties. This story
vividly depicts the "right" and "wrong" of both sides in
the bloody conflicts that arose as the West was settled. Through it all Zeke
strives to reach the point where he can provide his Abbie with a real
"white woman's" home, where she can set a prized family heirloom, a
mantle clock, over a fireplace in a house with real wood floors and a cooking
hearth. Though his heart is as wild as his Cheyenne blood, Zeke will give up
that life for his beloved Abbie. finds Zeke and
Abbie Monroe settled into a cabin along the Arkansas River in southern
Colorado, where they build a horse ranch amid challenges to their love and
their contrasting worlds. As Abbie bears more children carrying their mixed
blood, finding a peaceful family life is something that does not come easily.
Zeke's Cheyenne relatives face broken treaties, and the building of the Union
Pacific cuts a swath of violence and change through the lives of white and
Cheyenne alike, forcing the Monroe children to face deeply torn loyalties. New
and powerful enemies enter this spellbinding story, and Zeke's love for his
Abbie is tested in a totally unexpected way that would devastate the love of
most couples with even the strongest relationship. No two people demonstrate
the power of love more vividly and with more poignancy than Zeke and Abbie
Monroe in RIVER OF LOVE. . The American
Civil War plunges Zeke and Abbie Monroe into violence and separation, danger
and torn loyalties. Their first-born son, Wolf's Blood, takes part in the Sun
Dance, a tortuous ritual that initiates him into life with the Cheyenne. Then
war forces Zeke to leave his family to join his white brother, Danny, in the
conflict. Abbie is left to face a horrible fate at the hands of Zeke's worst
enemy while he is gone. For the first time in their beloved marriage her
strong, brave, warrior husband is not there to protect her. When Zeke returns
to learn her fate, the worst violence in his savage soul rages forth to seek
sweet revenge. Zeke and Abbie's love transcends loss and tragedy thrown at them
by savage people in a savage land that can be tamed by only the bravest souls
in EMBRACE THE WILD LAND.. Zeke and Abbie
are forced to defend their children against challenges faced because of their
mixed blood. More settlers come west under the Homestead Act, causing the
gradual and final demise of the Cheyenne way of life. The surge of new settlers
brings with it a wealthy Englishman, Edward Tynes, who builds a cattle ranch
near the Monroe homestead and falls in love with Abbie, admiring her strength
and bravery, and jealous of her undying love for a man who cannot give her the
pampered life Tynes feels she deserves. Zeke leaves to join his warrior son,
Wolf's Blood, in new Indian wars, and for the first time Abbie's loyalty to her
husband is tested. But no man can replace the fiercely brave, strong, handsome
Zeke Monroe in Abbie's life. . A relentless
wave of frontier progress forces itself into the lives of Zeke and Abbie
Monroe, threatening their many years of abiding love and forcing a separation
unlike any other they have experienced. Zeke joins the Cheyenne in their last
effort to hold on to the freedom they knew until the white man invaded their
pristine domain and destroyed their game, their hunting grounds, their
beautiful innocence. MEET THE NEW DAWN is a keenly powerful and
poignant story about the last years of Zeke and Abbie Monroe's life together,
and how their love and their passion for each other lingers on into their
twilight years as proof that age and the challenges of life cannot dim the love
these two share, a love that causes a man and woman to see each other only as
the fifteen-year-old girl who once touched a savage older man's hand over a
campfire, a touch that changed both their lives forever. Get out the Kleenex
for this powerful read you will never, ever forget! Book 7 (Not yet available on Kindle - New Cover Coming Soon): EAGLE'S SONG
. After I
finished Book 6, I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I had to get away from
the Monroe family. The first six books were published between 1983 and 1985,
and it took me eleven years to walk back into the lives of all the characters
who had become so dear to me. There was Abbie, waiting for me to finish her
story, and also tell the stories of some of her grandchildren. In EAGLE'S
SONG, the clan gathered for a long-awaited reunion on their sprawling
Colorado ranch, but old hatreds and new passions exploded...in heartbreaking
tragedy for eldest son Wolf's Blood; in a forbidden love affair between Abbie's
wild grandson Zeke and a rancher's headstrong daughter; and in an agonizing
choice Wolf's Blood's young son must make--a choice that could seal his
father's fate.
Autumn
Been busy proofreading my SAVAGE DESTINY books for their reissue by Amazon as e-books – mostly likely by October 1st! Be sure to watch my web and blog sites for news about an up-coming “Indian Summer” contest to celebrate the return of these books, which were first published almost 30 years ago and are still selling! Hero Cheyenne Zeke will live in my heart forever, as will his “Abbie-girl.” From what I hear from readers, they feel the same way. If you’ve never read these books, join my contest to win a free Kindle reader and you can download them to that and read up a storm! This is an unforgettable series that follows the settling of Colorado and its effects on the Cheyenne Indians as well as on the family of Zeke Monroe, a half-breed who lives torn between two worlds. The stories follow Zeke and Abbie, as well as some of their children and grandchildren, through about 50 years of a very powerful loved story set against real American history. I would say these stories compare strongly to James Michener’s book/movie CENTENNIAL.
I am also working on edits for my brand new book, PARADISE VALLEY, coming next July. The cover is just about ready but needs a couple more tweaks, so watch for it, along with a short description of the story. Can’t wait for everybody to read it! I will be pushing the book next May at the Romantic Times Conference in Kansas City, where many of the big-name romance authors from the 80’s and 90’s will be honored as “Divas of Romance!” It’s going to be so much fun and a big reunion of some of us lovers of bodice-rippers and the best of historical romance! I can’t wait! Meantime, keep an eye out for my contest – and watch Amazon for those SAVAGE DESTINY books. There aren’t many Native America stories around that are any better than these.
Good Ole’ True, Sure & Solid Historical Romance At Its Best …
Right now I am proofreading the conversions of my Savage Destiny books for Amazon. They will soon be available as e-books, and those of you who would like a “forever” copy of these books will be able to download them and save them to your Kindles or PC e-readers. I am so happy these books, the first of which is almost 30 years old, will again be available to everyone, especially new, younger readers who have never read them. Ladies and gentlemen, if you aren’t familiar with true action-packed western historical romance with a hero to die for, read SAVAGE DESTINY! In spite of how long ago they were written and published, they have never stopped selling. And after a total of 57 published novels, I still find them the best books I ever wrote, packed with real history about Colorado and the Cheyenne Indians, filled with endless action, and probably the best love story I ever penned, other than, perhaps, OUTLAW HEARTS, my other favorite story. But that is a single book, whereas SAVAGE DESTINY is 7 books total and covers about 50 years of history, staying with the basic couple, Zeke and Abbie Monroe, throughout the series. They meet on a wagon train west when Abbie is only 15 and the wagon train scout, Zeke, (best known as Cheyenne Zeke) is 25. Abbie hands Zeke a cup of coffee, their fingers touch, and pow! An epic love story is born, a story that epitomizes the ruggedness of the untamed land, the immense challenges to the pioneers, the lawless atmosphere, the wild and rapid way in which America was settled, and the traumatic affect opening the West had on the Native Americans, especially (in my story) the Cheyenne.
I honestly do not intend to brag here. I am just stating a fact that as I proofread my own stories – and I can’t put them down! I am reading the books back to back and have hardly taken a break. I am not embarrassed to say that I am in love all over again with Zeke Monroe. I’d nearly forgotten what a provocative, masculine, handsome, rugged hero he is – and Abbie is the perfect strong, devoted, patient woman at his side, a woman who understands Zeke like few others do. I am learning a lot about Zeke that I never saw when I wrote these books – that in spite of his virile demeanor and his ability to fight and survive and the fact that he has no fear – Zeke Monroe is quite vulnerable when it comes to Abbie. He will do anything for her, and throughout their years together he lives with the constant fear that Abbie will suffer for being married to a half-breed, something that in the 1800’s was considered by many whites to be more deplorable than a white woman marrying a black man or a full-blood Indian. A tragedy Zeke experienced before meeting Abbie made him vow never to be close to or to marry another white woman, but there is something about Abbie that keeps drawing Zeke back into her arms and finally convinces him he can’t live without her. Throughout their life together he protects here with a fierceness seldom found in any human. He truly cherishes this woman, and I think that is what comes out in these books that draws women to Zeke – the fact that this man cherishes his wife. Cherish is a term we seldom hear today, let alone experience emotionally.
Men, too, love these stories, mainly because of the rugged bravery of Zeke Monroe, the real history, and the almost non-stop action. The books follow Zeke and Abbie from that first meeting through nearly 50 years of the settling of Colorado, through tragedy and triumph that includes not only them but also their children and grandchildren, who all follow his and her unique story in how history and their heritage affect their lives. There are numerous side-character stories in these novels, and all these characters affect Zeke and Abbie - and history itself – in one way or another.
I noticed as I read each story that the writing itself gets a little better with each one, as though I was learning as I went along, which is exactly what was happening. The writing in Book #1 could have been better, I’ll admit; but the story is so damn good that apparently most readers of this series hardly noticed. All I’ve ever heard from them is that these are the best books they ever read and the best love story they have ever experienced; and most want to know if these characters really lived. To me, when readers ask something like that, I’ve done a good job.
I now remember why I wrote these books with such passion – I was in love with Zeke Monroe and the whole family, and I didn’t want to leave them! I had absolutely no outline for these stories. They just poured out of me. And I think the reason they turned out so good and continue to sell is because of the passion that went into each story. My favorite way to write is to simply create the characters, put them into a particular time period time period/historical events, and then just turn them loose and see what happens. The story unfolds all by itself.
I am proud of SAVAGE DESTINY, and I hope those of you who have never read it will download each book to your e-readers and just ENJOY!
Rosanne
Thunder on the Plains Giveaway!
Available at:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Visit My 4th of July Party Site for details on how you can enter!
To celebrate the release of Thunder on the Plains by Sourcebooks, beginning Tuesday, July 3rd, I'll be giving away one autographed copy per week for the month of July. And on July 31st, one lucky Follower will win a Grand Prize!
Visit my 4th of July Party Site for more details on how to enter or stop by one of my Tour Stops and say Hello!
The Power of Passion - Part III
Now I’m going through the trial of an aging mother who was recently admitted to a nursing home. It is these life experiences that help us write with emotion, with reality and with – yes – passion. The more you have “lived” life, the better you will write.
Have you ever noticed that sometimes on American Idol the criticism often given to the youngest singers who sing about broken hearts and broken trust and aching love is that they didn’t show enough emotion in the song? …That the judges could tell they didn’t really understand the depth of the feelings that should have come out of the song? That’s because they haven’t lived those emotions. Some are so young they have never even truly been in love. It takes a lot of living and experiencing the many aspects of life itself to bring even more reality to your books.
I am a firm believer that you can’t “learn” to write a good story. That good story is inside of you. You can larn spelling and vocabulary and structure - but you are either born to write, or you’re born to do something else. No one who writes good books decided to be a writer because it sounded cool or because they figured it would be easy and they would get rich. We write because we can’t “not” write, and we do it because it is as natural to us as breathing.
You are drawn to that little inner voice that won’t leave you alone – those characters who still yearn to come to life in your stories – they all keep after you. That passion I had in the beginning has waned somewhat – but it is still there, deep in my heart – and my love for my subject has never changed. No matter what genre was popular at different times in these 30 years, I stuck to American History, Native Americans and the American West because that is the source of my passion for writing. And because I stayed within my genre, I built a name known for Western Romance – and now my new publisher, Sourcebooks, bought me because I had a name in a genre they want to start building back into popularity. They needed a name associated with the genre, so sticking to what I love to write paid off.
You are all here because of your own passion for writing a story and getting it published … your own passion for your subject matter … your own passion for your characters. Let that passion be your driving force. Don’t write just because you want to see a book on the shelf with your name on it. Don’t write a certain genre just because it’s popular.
Write from the heart. Don’t write for the money because for the most part you’ll be disappointed. Write for the satisfaction of telling a story you’ve always wanted to tell and for the satisfaction of actually finishing a book. In my case, I wanted to teach my readers real American History in an entertaining way – and I wanted to teach the truth about what happened between Whites / the government / and Native Americans as the Indians suffered true culture shock when the West was settled so quickly and they learned that practically every word spoken to them by soldiers and the government were lies.
I have apparently succeeded in my quest, because over the years I have received many, many letters from readers who were shocked by some of the things they learned – historical facts they were never taught in school. And today it’s worse than ever. Far too little history is taught any more in our schools. I have also heard from many Native Americans who appreciate my getting the truth out about what really happened to them and why they reacted in the ways that they did.
Stick to your guns no matter what outside factors try to stop you. Some people say anybody can write a book and get it published because people can self-publish. Maybe so – but not just anybody can write a truly good story – one that becomes a best seller – one that is well researched and full of memorable characters. Internet or not, the truly good writers and truly good books will still shine through and rise above all the garbage that gets thrown out there. Readers still appreciate a well told, well researched story written from the heart, so don’t let the fact that thousands of wanna-be’s are out there trying to compete with you and kill your dreams.
Just rememer that there is no competion, because nobody writes like you write – so if people are buying your books and if you are doing well because you have a style, or a voice that people love, you will build faithful readers who will never leave you no matter what other newer writer come into the market, and no matter how many established writers are selling like hotcakes. If you worry about competition, then you are dealing with self defeat. Just be you. Write your way, and don’t let anything – or anyone – get in the way of your passion for writing, your passion for your subject and your passion for your characters. Put everything else aside and sit down and write. Get rid of all negative thoughts and let the story pour out of you, and ultimately you will get published and you will get noticed and you will feel the satisfaction of knowing you realized your dream. When life gets tough, let writing be your catharsis. You will feel fulfilled, and even if you don’t sell that first book, you will know you at least tried.
You know the story – don’t be afraid to submit your work. What’s the difference if you submit it and get rejected, or if you don’t submit it at all? The difference is huge! You’ll never know if you might have sold that book. You’ll never know if you could have realized your dream. You’ll never know if there are others out there who might really enjoy your story and learn from it – and you’ll never become a published author if you never submit your work. Failure is not a result of sending in your work and getting it rejected. Failure is never submitting your work at all. You have failed a lot of prospective readers, and you have failed yourself.
Good luck to all of you. I’ve been there – done that – and I know what it takes! It takes the four “p’s” – Practice, Perseverence, Persistence … and “Passion.” Now – sit down and start writing!
The Power of Passion - Part II
I am willing to bet that many of you were passionate blithering idiots when you first started writing. Some of you are right now. By that I mean that writing was all that mattered. Attention to husband and kids sometimes took a back seat.
Housework? Forget it! The hungry dog? Open a bag of dog food and just set it on the floor and let the family pet have at it. Hungry kids? Have them throw some TV dinners in the oven or open a package of lunch meat and a loaf of bread. It’s Christmas? Oh, yeah, guess I’ll throw some tinsel on a fake tree when I take a break between chapters.
I like to joke that I’ve written 57 books and have thus had 57 affairs! I have fallen passionately in love with every hero I’ve ever written about – and about four of them have stayed with me, in my thoughts, in my heart, even in my bed for years! But thank god I have an understanding husband who knows it’s just the stories inside of me. He understands how attached I get to my characters. He’s always been a big supporter of my writing, and caring about each other’s dreams is the basic reason we’ve been together for nearly 47 years.
When I write my stories, I become the heroine, and most of the things she does and the decisions she makes are based on what I would do in that particular situation. So as a side thought, apart from my theme of passion here, remember that a primary ingredient of writing believable characters is to be those characters. Write from the inside-out – not from the outside looking in.
You have all heard that one primary rule for writing a good story is - show, don’t tell. Writing from the inside will help you do that. I could teach an entire workshop on that subject, but I’ll save that for next time. Let’s get back to passion and how it can help your writing.
In my early days of writing – wow. I was a complete maniac. I was 34 years old and I’d read a book called The Proud Breed by Celeste De Blasis, a fabulous love story set in early California. I had always read historicals, most of them about pioneers and Indians, and for some reason that particular book finally put a burr in my butt and made me sit down and write a similar story. The actual desire to write a book about pioneers probably really started at the age of around 14, when I read A Lantern In Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich. What an impressive, touching, memorable story that was. But I was young and didn’t believe I could really write a book, and I had a lot of living to do – got married at 20 – worked full time and had two babies by 25, two boys just one year apart. “life” took over, but I still read … and dreamed.
By the time I was 34 the boys were old enough to not need constant watching, and as I said – something about The Proud Breed finally stirred that passion in me to write, and off I went! We had purchased 29 acres of wooded property that needed a tremendous amount of work, and I was working full time on top of that, drove close to a half hour each way to work and back (I was an administrative secretary to the manager of a nuclear power plant) – had a son who needed to go to the doctor every week for an allergy shot and with whom I spent many nights sleeping sitting up in a chair holding him because if he laid down he couldn’t breathe – and well, here’s how my day usually went:
Up at 5:00 a.m. – pack lunches (back then my husband carried a lunch to work and my sons ate sack lunches at school) – got my husband up and off to work – got myself ready for work – got the boys up and ready for school – made them breakfast - drove them to school – drove to work – put in an 8 hour day – drove home – did grocery shopping – one afternoon a week took the son for his allergy shot – made supper – did dishes – did whatever cleaning needed done – did laundry one or two days a week – helped my husband stack logs and pull brush on the property we were clearing – painted and helped maintain two rental cottages on the property – did a lot of the mowing and helped with a 40-acre asparagus farm – yet I almost always did some writing in the evening in a very small living room where the boys would be playing and wrestling and the husband would be watching TV five feet away. I would often write whole chapters in one sitting late into the night, sometimes until 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning, and then fall asleep with my head on the typewriter while everybody else slept – then up at 5:00 am to do it all over again. Even at work I often read or wrote on my lunch hour. I sure didn’t sleep much back then!
I don’t know how I did it – I just did it. I was incredibly passionate about my stories, my subject and my characters. Amid all of this I managed to read probably hundreds of research books about the American West. I have a huge personal library of research books, and I’ve read them all.
Today we have the internet, but not back then. I took notes – volumes and volumes of notes. I still have a four-drawer file full of hand-written notes and magazine articles I saved to use for story ideas. In those files are hundreds of manilla folders labeled “cities” “rivers” “buffalo” “civil war” “ranching” “western women” “Denver’s history” “stagecoaches” “the pony express” “forts” “Custer” “Cheyenne” “Sioux” “Comanche” “mountain men” - on and on and on. You name the subject from the 1800’s old west, and I have a folder full of notes on it as well as several research books. When I first started writing, the internet was a distant dream. I had to hunt down my information through books.
Most of my research books came from the University of Oklahoma and the University of Nebraska – great libraries filled with books you can order that cover everything you would ever want to know about the American West, Native Americans, the Civil War – whatever you want to know about America’s history and Native Americans, and you can order books from them on-line. And to this day one of my most-used resources are the 26 volume Time-Life books about the Old West that were published about 30 years ago. Time Life also has a set of books about the Civil War and also about pirate ships and the history of shipping in general.
And the best source for Eastern history about the Eastern Indians, the revolution, the French and Indian War, the War of 1812 and all the amazing history of how this country was born and grew can be found in books by Alan Eckert, stories like That Dark and Bloody River. No one tells it better – real history written like a novel, with real characters and dialogue. When you are finished with an Alan Eckert book, you are left in awe of the courage and stamina our pioneers showed in the early growth of this country.
Through all the things I mentioned I also did my own advertising, I attended numerous conferences, conducted workshops and gave speeches at clubs and other organizations, anything to publicize my writing. At first I mailed out manuscripts like a mad man, doing multiple submissions with the hope that if book “x” didn’t sell there, maybe the next publishing house would pick it up, and maybe that first publisher would buy book “y.” I made sure publishers knew I was here to stay and that I was capable of writing more than one or two books. I went through nearly 100 rejections and wrote nine books before I finally sold that ninth book in 1982 to Kensington Publishing – Sweet Prairie Passion – the first book of what turned out to be a 7-book series called Savage Destiny.
To this day Savage Destiny remains popular. To this day I still get letters and e-mails about those books. And soon Amazon will reissue all the Savage Destiny books as e-books for Kindle … after almost 30 years. What does that tell you about those stories – and me? I was passionate.
Those books and many of my other stories – many of which won awards and which are to this day being reissued – remain popular because of the passion that went into writing them – the passion that made me sit down to a manual typewriter and type my first books using carbon paper and using white-out to correct mistakes. The passion that through all the “business” of life made me write, write, write – three to five books a year – and not short stories these were 400 to 600 page books. Back then big fat books were acceptable. I wish they still were today because the fatter the book, the more tempted I am to read it because I know that most likely the writer was able to truly flesh out his or her characters and delve into a truly multi-dimensional story with multi-dimensional characters.
Watch this blog for Part III of my workshop, The Power of Passion.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
