Beyond the Book: Cowgirls

Peyton O'Malley had never ridden a horse before she came to Rest Thy Head, but here are some cowgirls to inspire her.

Dale Evans

"Cowgirl" is an attitude really. A pioneer spirit, a special American brand of courage. The cowgirl faces life head-on, lives by her own lights, and makes no excuses. Cowgirls take stands; they speak up. They defend things they hold dear."

Guys, have you read Rest Thy Head? Peyton has a lot in common with Dale Evans.

Annie Oakley

Aim at a high mark, and you will hit it.

I don't know if Annie was talking just about guns or not, but it's great advice. My heroine Peyton was taught to aim high from the time she was a child, but until she ran away to Rest Thy Head, she couldn't find the high mark she wanted to achieve.

Fannie Sperry Steele

“To the yesterdays that are gone, to the cowboys I used to know, to the bronc busters that rode beside me, to the horses beneath me, I take off my hat.  I wouldn’t have missed one minute of it.”

Fannie Steele started riding at age two. Before her career ended she had raced Thoroughbreds, became the Lady Bucking Horse Champion of the West twice, performed with Buffalo Bill Cody, and was a charter member of the Cowboy Hall of Fame. She was also the first woman in Montana to get an outfitter's license.

Like Fannie Steele, my Peyton knows exactly what she wants and isn't willing to live life on other people's terms. 

Rest Thy Head is set in Wyoming, so come back next week, and we'll talk cowboys and cowgirls again.

Rest Thy Head is on sale for a limited time at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.


Picture credits:

Roy Rogers and Dale Evans
photo by Alan Light [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Annie Oakley
By Stacy Co., Brooklyn, N.Y. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Fannie Sperry Steele
By Edward F. Marcell [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The Soul Retrieval

THE SOUL RETRIEVAL

by Ann W. Jarvie

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Inspired by a true story, The Soul Retrieval is a suspenseful tale of love, loss and healing which follows traumatized southern beauty Henrietta Clayborn as she moves between her home in a small South Carolina town and the New Mexico Native American reservation whose spontaneous healings keep drawing her physician husband back. Tortured by her awful secrets, Henrietta struggles to thrive in either locale, but it is her unlikely friendship with Joe Loco––an eccentric Native American mystic with an Elvis fetish and a gift for healing––that shows her the way to be whole again.

Set in the late 1950s, The Soul Retrieval is richly woven with spiritual insights but also deadly secrets, forbidden healings, a murder mystery, stunning scenery and an unforgettable cast of characters.

A story of transcendent and inspiring power that is both entertaining and enlightening, readers will be cheering for the uptight woman from South Carolina to push through her fears of the forbidden as she searches for truth and healing, faces great obstacles on the frontier of self and ultimately becomes more than she ever thought possible.

EXCERPT:

“It’s just as Bear foretold,” the Apache said. He closed his eyes and moved his hands in small circles with palms out. “The fire’s burning, but no one’s home in your teepee.”

“Excuse me?”

“You don’t feel like yourself, you’re feeling vacant and disconnected, like something’s missing.” Joe spoke as he opened his eyes.

She gaped at him in stunned silence before whispering: “How … why would you say something like that?” Henrietta’s heart thumped in her chest as she nervously glanced toward the living room. Her husband was still talking on the phone.

“Your soul speaks volumes through your eyes.”

“You see something in my eyes?” And she rubbed them again with her handkerchief.

“I see what was there, what should be there, but is not now.”

“Don’t be silly. I’m fine. My eyes were just watering, that’s all.” She winced, knowing that it wasn’t true, hating that she’d become such a liar.

“It’s okay, I’m here to help,” Joe said. He placed his folded hands on the table after sitting down.

His smile and disarming empathy surprised Henrietta, but she wasn’t going to be moved by what seemed like a sweet and insightful gesture. Joe Loco was absolutely the last person in the world she’d choose to confide in.

…

“Don’t worry. It’s obvious your soul has fragmented and is in need of repair,” Joe said with a calm certainty, as if it was an everyday matter to be dealt with.

“What?” Henrietta put her hands down and stared into space, bewildered by his words. In the quietude, the sizzle of the frying eggs and bacon filled the room like a choir of rattlers. My soul has what? When she looked again at Joe, planning to demand exactly what he meant, his eyes were closed, and he was whispering and holding his palms up as though in prayer.

So she placed the cooked food on a plate, poured a glass of milk and put both down in front of him. He opened his eyes and smiled up at her.

“That’s one of the strangest things I’ve ever heard—a soul fragmenting,” she said. “How would something like that even be possible?”

“It can happen when we believe or experience something bad we don’t want to face.” He took a bite of eggs and grits, closing his eyes again to savor the combination. “Oh, this is yum-yum,” he said.

When he looked up, it was Henrietta who was staring.

“The good news is that lost soul fragments can be recovered and healed. It’s not hard, if you know how, if you know the secret,” Joe said.

“Are you saying you know how to do that? That you know the secret?”

“The Great Spirit works hitherto and I work.”

She crossed her arms. “So what are you, some kind of soul repairman?”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Ann W. Jarvie has a B.A. in journalism and more than twenty-five years’ experience as an award-winning writer in advertising and public relations agencies, both in South Carolina and Chicago. She now lives near Phoenix, Arizona, where she spends part of her time as a freelance copywriter and the rest writing fiction.

The Soul Retrieval was inspired by Jarvie’s maternal grandmother’s fascinating life on Indian reservations, where she lived with her physician husband until his mysterious and untimely death.

www.annwjarvie.com

https://twitter.com/annjarvie1

https://plus.google.com/104972649617453739149/posts

https://www.facebook.com/ann.jarvie1

The author is giving away a $75 Amazon/B&N gift card to one lucky winner. Use the rafflecopter link below to enter. You can find her tour schedule at  :  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2015/03/sbb-soul-retrieval-by-ann-w-jarvie.html

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Dragon Wife

Dragon Wife

by Diana Green

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

The clan is waking. After centuries of spellbound sleep, dragon-shifters are returning to the mountains. They are few in number, and the outside world has become overrun with humans.

Huroth, the dragon chieftain, recognizes a need for his kind to adapt, by forming alliances and mate-bonds with humans, but his clan is divided. From the first time she meets him, Lady Orwenna is drawn to the magnificent chieftain. The mind link he forms with her is both fascinating and frightening, as is the powerful attraction she feels for him. If only she knew what was in his heart.

Does he want her for the woman she is, or for her magical abilities? When war breaks out between kingdoms and ancient enemies of the dragons resurface, the clan will be tested. In the midst of uncertainty, can Huroth and Orwenna find their way together?

EXCERPT:

The gathering grew quiet as sounds of boot heels on stone echoed from the entryway. A man strode in alone, though to call him a man seemed less than sufficient. There was such raw power about him, such majesty in his bearing. No one could mistake his identity. This was the black dragon, shifted to man-like form, just as legend described. Orwenna felt the hairs stand up on the back of her neck.

           

“I am Huroth, son of Huren,” he announced, his voice rich and deep. He faced the king, down the long silent hall. “I am chieftain of the dragons who dwell in the Drake’s Teeth Mountains. We offer an alliance to the kingdom of Rhelaun. How do you answer?”

           

“You are most welcome, honored guest.” The King bowed as he spoke then beckoned the chieftain. “Please, come and talk with me, so we can decide how this alliance should be arranged.”

           

As Huroth advanced towards the throne, he made an impressive picture. He was tall and broad shouldered, wearing dark leather armor and a heavy fur-lined cloak. His hair tumbled in a thick black mane, his eyes the pale blue of glacier ice. They swept over the courtiers, coolly assessing.

           

When those eyes came to rest on Orwenna, she felt time slow. Everyone else, all her surroundings, faded to nothing.

           

And who might you be?

           

She heard the words in her head, as surely as if he’d spoken aloud. Without consciously choosing, she responded in kind.

           

Orwenna.

           

His eyes widened in surprise, and he paused mid-step. Apparently, he had not expected her to hear his musing nor be able to answer.

           

There is an aura of magic about you. He sent the thought, his gaze on her as sharp as a hawk’s.

           

That’s from my mother. She didn’t know how she spoke directly into his mind. It made her a little dizzy, like too much wine.

           

Who is your mother?

           

Sister to the king and the mage, Vardis.

           

I see.

He considered a moment, before nodding respectfully to her and continuing down the hall. Those nearby gave Orwenna odd looks, and she realized how strange her encounter with Huroth must have seemed. To everyone else, they would have appeared to be simply standing, watching one another without speaking.

How long had it been…one minute…five? She couldn’t guess. All she knew was that it changed her. Reality had shifted and would never be quite the same again. Dragons lived, breathed, and walked upon the land like lords of men. She had spoken mind to mind with one, his fierce eyes locked on hers. It was not an experience she would soon forget.

MY REVEW:

If you enjoy a good fantasy with compelling characters and a touch of magic you'll like this one. Huroth is a dragon shifter who forms an alliance with humans in order to repopulate his clan. Orwena is the niece of a king, but her father has arranged a marriage for her with a man she doesn't care for. When she has the chance to run away and meet the dragons again, she takes it and begins the adventure that will change her life forever.

I liked both of the main characters, and I thought the supporting cast added depth to the story. The author has tremendous powers of description. I felt as if I too had gone on the adventure with Orwena. The plot is good and hangs nicely together. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to you . 5 out of 5 stars. 

 AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Since her childhood, growing up in New Zealand, Diana has been an avid storyteller. For years she enjoyed teaching art and special education, while continuing to write as a hobby. After she developed chronic fatigue syndrome, a career change was necessary, but happily this led her to become a professional author.

Diana’s books are mostly paranormal romance, in the fantasy and science fiction sub-genres. She has been a finalist for the CRW Award of Excellence and the Aspen Gold Published Novel Contest. At present, she lives in beautiful Washington State, where she writes for the Wild Rose Press.

Visit her website at

DIANAGREENBOOKS.COM:   http://www.dianagreenbooks.com/

Buy Dragon Wife at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Wife-Diana-Green/dp/1628303867/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1420066960&sr=1-1&keywords=dragon+wife

The Wild Rose Press:

http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=1151

Diana will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Use the link below to enter. You can find her tour schedule at http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2015/01/review-tour-dragon-wife-by-diana-green.html

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