Snippet Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors

Welcome to Snippet Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors, your chance to sample the work of a talented group of authors. When you finish here you can find more snippets at

http://www.wewriwa.com
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SnippetSunday/

Last week we saw that after the wrestling match started, Cade hit Rocky with a chair, and Rocky didn't get up. We also saw that in the ambulance he asked if it was safe to sit up, and at that point Aimee slapped him. Rocky speaks first.

Excerpt:

“Oww, what was that for?”

“Because I hate you.”

“We’re clear,” the ambulance driver called.

Rocky sat up and rubbed his cheek. “Chill, Aimee; we’re gonna be fine.”

“I don’t see how,” she retorted. “Lie back down.”

The driver, a federal marshal who’d said his name was Dave, glared at Aimee in the rearview mirror. “There’s no call to hit him, ma’am. None of this is his fault.”

Blurb:
Aimee Sherwood never dreamed that following her fiancé into the witness protection pro-gram would land her in a haunted house in a town that’s downright creepy. She’d have laughed if she had been told the guy who lives down the road might be her soul mate, not the man whose ring she’s wearing. Life in West Virginia is nothing like life in Los Angeles, but between bean ball battles with Marilyn Monroe, remodeling a crumbling farmhouse, and starting a new online business, life in the country is anything but boring.

I'm giving away a free copy of Fortuna. If you're interested in trying to win it, scroll down to Friday's post, and it'll tell you what to do.

Buy link: http://amzn.to/23yoW2d

Beyond the Book Civil War Music

Art and music always reflect the times they are written in. Think of the many songs associated with wars, for example. Almost everyone has heard the Marseillaise, the song of the French Revolution. And at the beginning of the 20th century new schools of painting arose to match the new technological world.

It was no different during the Civil War. Both the North and South had favorite songs, and sometimes they both laid claim to the same music.

If you were a Consfederate, you probably loved the following:
Dixie
Lorena
Bonnie Blue Flag
Goober Peas
The Yellow Rose of Texas

If you lived in the Union you probably liked:
Marching Through Georgia
Battle Hymn of the Republic
Just Before the Battle
All the Pretty Little Horses
When Johnny Comes Marchings Home Again

There was no way to record music back then so people bought sheet music. It generally consisted of a booklet of booklet of two, four, or six pages. The covers were attractively illustrated, and the back usually had advertisements.

My Fortuna heroine Aimee Sherwood had no interest in the Civil War until a guy she really likes, maybe more than she should, moves into a Civil War era home and started talking about it.
Fortuna is available at http://www.amzn.to/23yoW2d .

Beyond the Book: Rest Thy Head

Hi, my name is Jake Douglas. I know Elaine has been doing a cowgirl series for Rest Thy Head, and today I have something to say. Being a cowgirl is more than just wearing the right clothes, it's an attitude, a way of life. When Peyton came to Rest Thy Head she'd never ridden a horse, but she took to riding like a duck to water. Here's a picture of her horse, Reggie. (Reggie's named after a girl I date in high school, but don't tell.)

 Besides riding, Peyton learned how to camp in the wilderness and tell ghost stories around a campfire. We had a bad experience in a cave, but even though she was the one it happened to, she was worried about me, not herself.

Of course, talking about ghosts is pretty common at Rest Thy Head. Everyone knows it's haunted.
Peyton doesn't like to admit it, but I'm pretty sure she's seen it.

So my hat's off to my beautiful Peyton who was willing to see past my scarred exterior and convince me to rejoin the human race. Her can-do, whatever it takes attitude is the essence of what a cowgirl ought to be.

Saturday Sample: Rest Thy Head

Now on sale for only .99 at Amazon and B&N.

Beyond the Book: Cowgirls

Welcome to today's edition of Beyond the Book. In honor of my Rest Thy Head heroine Peyton O'Malley who moved to Wyoming and learned to ride a horse, I'm sharing a few posts about famous cowgirls of the old west. My character today is Poker Alice.

Alice was born in England in 1853. She and her family moved to Colorado where she married Frank Duffield who taught her to play poker. He was miner, and after he died in a mining accident, Alice turned to poker to make a living. Look at that dead pan expression on her face. I bet she could bluff with the best of them.

She eventually traveled all over the west, gambling as she went and winning regularly, sometimes as much as $6000.00 at one time. In Deadwood, Colorado, where she spent most of her time she met and married her long time husband Warren G. Tubbs. Tubes wasn't much of a poker player. He was an artist. I wonder if she ever let him win when they played cards. He eventually died of tuberculosis. They were broke, so she pawned her wedding ring to pay for his funeral.

Alice wasn't through with men yet. She left Deadwood and ended up in Sturgis where she met her third and final husband George Huckert. He died not too long after their marriage, leaving Alice broke and alone. She went back to gambling to support herself. She ran a poker house and made bootleg whiskey, but when she was shut down during Prohibition. Ever resourceful, she started a house of ill repute for soldiers at Fort Meade.

During the last years of her life she became somewhat eccentric. She wore old faded clothes and a beat up hat, but she still continued to deal cards until her death in 1930. She's buried in the St. Aloysius Cemetery in the Black Hills.

Picture:By The black-and-white photo is courtesy of the South Dakota Historical Society (http://www.sangres.com/history/pokeralice.htm) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

Reference: www.thewildwest.org

Saturday Sample: Rest Thy Head

My sample is from Rest Thy Head. In this selection, my heroine Peyton went to town with my hero Jake.

She and Jake had started to load the truck when Peyton heard music. Looking around, she saw an ice cream truck making its way down the street. “I love ice cream. Come on, Jake, let’s get one.”

She grabbed his hand before she thought what she had done, but she had grabbed his scarred side. He jerked away from her as if she’d burned him and fished in his pocket. He handed her ten dollars and turned his back. “Get whatever you want.”

Oh, poor Jake. Peyton’s heart burned for him. She had a sudden urge to put her arms around him and whisper in his ear that he was okay now. Afghanistan was behind him, and he was home where he belonged, home where no one cared if he had scars or not.

Beyond the Book: Okay Let's Brag

Hello, and welcome to Beyond the Book. My name is Peyton O'Malley, and I was the heroine in Elaine's novel Rest Thy Head. Elaine won't brag on herself so I've decided to do it for her. The reviews for Rest Thy Head are awesome so I've decided to post a few snippets for you. Oh, and the lowest rating she has is 4 stars. I tell you, this book's a winner.

Elaine Cantrell's "Rest Thy Head" is another great step forward for this author. Combining elements of romance and the supernatural, this book is a great read with well-developed characters and a satisfying plot. Well done.

The characters are endearing and real; I felt like I could almost reach out and touch them. 

I read the last word in this book and my first thought was, "Oh my gosh!" 

Elaine Cantrell is a masterful story teller that captures your attention from her first page and doesn't let you go until the end!

I loved the mystery and suspense in the story, and not everyone is really who they seem to be. 

Snippet Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors

Welcome to Snippet Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors, your chance to sample the work of a talented group of authors. After you finish here, you can find more snippets at:
http://www.wewriwa.com
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SnippetSunday/

My excerpt today is from Rest Thy Head. In this excerpt my hero and heroine have taken a group on a camping trip. They are sitting around the fire telling ghost stories.

Lucille smiled at Peyton. “The experts haven’t reached any hard and fast conclusions. Some say ghosts are residual energy left behind after a person passes. Others say ghosts are a telepathic image. A sensitive person might pick up on events as they happened years ago. Some even say when you see a ghost you truly are seeing another time.”

Peyton shivered in spite of the fact she didn’t believe in ghosts. It was dark now, and there was no light anywhere except that from the campfire. The darkness made it easier to believe.

Snippet Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors

Welcome to Snippet Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors. This is your chance to sample snippets from the work of some amazing authors. After you finish here, you can find more excerpts at:
http://www.wewriwa.com and https://www.facebook.com/groups/SnippetSunday/

My excerpt today is from my latest release Rest Thy Head. In this excerpt my hero is asking my heroine if she regrets leaving her fiance at the altar. He's finally starting to relax his guard around her.

“If you had it to do over, would you leave him at the altar?”

Peyton laughed and bumped him with her shoulder. “I sure
would. The more I think about him, the clearer things become. I
escaped a fate worse than death when I got away from him.”

Jake’s shoulders shook with laughter. “I’ve never heard
anyone really use that term before.”

“Jake Douglas, are you laughing at me?”

“Yeah.”

Buy Link:  http://amzn.to/1tawNSO

Saturday Sample, Snippet Sunday, and Weekend Writing Warriors

Today's sample comes from Rest Thy Head which at present has 8 five star reviews and 2 four star reviews. You can get it at Amazon and most other online retail outlets. In this excerpt my hero and heroine have gone to a farmer's market, and she hears an ice cream truck and wants an ice cream.
”

She grabbed his hand before she thought what she had done, but she had grabbed his scarred side. He jerked away from her as if she’d burned him and fished in his pocket. He handed her ten dollars and turned his back. “Get whatever you want.”

Oh, poor Jake. Peyton’s heart burned for him. She had a sudden urge to put her arms around him and whisper in his ear that he was okay now. Afghanistan was behind him, and he was home where he belonged, home where no one cared if he had scars or not.

Saturday Sample: Rest Thy Head

Welcome to Saturday Sample. My excerpt today comes from Rest Thy Head. In this excerpt, my heroine learns more about Rest ThyHead. Peyton my heroine is talking to Jake my hero.

She stared out the window as the miles rolled by. “How long
have you owned Rest Thy Head?”

“Our parents bought it ten years ago.”

“It looks old.”

Jake put on his signal and turned off the main road. “It is
old. It was built in 1870.”

“Hey! Did any famous people ever stay here?”

Jake laughed, a deep, rich sound that pleased Peyton
because it made her feel good all over. “No, I don’t think so.”

“No Buffalo Bill? No Annie Oakley? Maybe she’s your ghost.
Maybe she’s mad that nobody invited her to Rest Thy Head. The
ghost is female, right?” Peyton teased.

Jake shot her a look. He seemed concerned about her. “Did
you see anything last night?”

“Nope. No ghosts.” She paused. “You don’t really believe
that nonsense do you?”

“Well…”

Peyton rolled her eyes. “Honestly.”

“Is the room okay?”

“Yes, it is.” She chuckled. “In fact I’m almost afraid to tell
you how much I like it because you might try to rent it, and then
where would I be?”

“No, it’s yours for as long as you like. Nobody else will stay
in it.”

“Thanks, buddy,” she answered, making her tone as tart as
possible. “It’s nice to know that’s the only reason I get it.”

Jake backtracked so fast it tickled Peyton. “I didn’t mean …”

“Oh, hush. I’m only teasing you.”

Saturday Sample: Rest Thy Head

Welcome to Saturday Sample. My excerpt today is from my new release Rest Thy Head. In this excerpt my hero Jake thinks about his past.

Jake took his breakfast and went into the office to eat. Peyton
O’Malley was exactly the kind of woman he didn’t need at Rest
Thy Head. She made him think about things that could never
happen again. Running a hand across his face, he reflected that
he’d give a year of his life to look the way he did before he got
burned. Before he went to Afghanistan, both he and Patrick had
had their share of female admirers, and Patrick still did, but no
woman wanted a man with a face like his.

Since no one was around to see and feel sorry for him, he
removed a photograph from the bottom desk drawer. Patrick had
taken the picture of him in his uniform right before he left for Iraq.
He remembered how cocky he had felt. Oh, sure he’d known he
might run into danger, but he had been sure he could handle
anything the insurgents could throw at him.

He hadn’t planned on them throwing gasoline on him and
lighting him up, though. If his buddy Martin Fletcher hadn’t
tackled him and helped him put out the fire he might have died
that day.

A scowl marred his face as he looked at the picture again.
The guy in the picture looked awfully naïve. That guy still had to
learn that life wasn’t good and that cruel, evil men did exist. He
also hadn’t learned that disfigured people did not get a happy
ending like they sometimes did in the movies. His fists clenched
when he thought of the look on Peyton’s face when she saw his
scars. The scars had repulsed her, just as they did everyone he met.

With a sigh, he put the photo back in the drawer. It didn’t do
any good to whine and complain. He should feel grateful to even
be alive. Rest Thy Head and the beauty all around it was still his to
enjoy, and he could still help Patrick make a success out of the inn.

If only his body would forget about things that could never
happen again! No woman wanted a freak, which was exactly what
he had become. Why did Peyton O’Malley, who had the face of an
angel, have to show up at Rest Thy Head and disturb his hard won
serenity? With a snort of disgust, he shoved his plate aside. He had
lost his appetite.