Forbidden Fires NBtM

Blurb:

When Ellen Douglass saves the Union officer from the cold river, she doesn't think this one action will so alter her future. But as Price holds her is his arms, they try to forget that they fight on opposing sides and will be kept forever apart.

Excerpt:

April, 1865

Vicksburg, Mississippi

The newly freed Union soldiers trudged up the gangplank of the steamboat Sultana in seemingly endless numbers. Although the memories of their ordeal at Andersonville Prison Camp were painful, their mood was jubilant. The war was over.  They were going home!  

Onboard, a tall Yankee officer stood at the rail grimly watching the loading.  Captain Price Richardson was frustrated and angry. He’d witnessed many acts of incompetence during his time in the army, but what was happening today was beyond belief. Price was enough of a river man to know it was foolhardy to challenge the Mississippi this way. Going upriver against the flood was hard on a steamboat, but on one seriously overloaded, it could be suicide.

Furious, Price turned to his friend, Lieutenant Jericho Cooper. “Don’t they have any idea of what they’re doing?”

“Do you think they’re overloading it?” Coop remarked sarcastically.

“They could load men on the other two steamers.”

Coop smiled wryly, as they watched column after column of men file aboard. “You have to remember the Department of the Army is in charge of this.”

Realizing they weren’t going anywhere soon, the two men sat down on the deck to await their departure.

As evening came, the Sultana, which should only have been carrying about 400 passengers, finally began her trip north against the swollen river with over 2,300 passengers and crew onboard.

Publishing A to Z

I’ve taught many workshops over the years, and my favorite was “Publishing A to Z.” Here are the basics. Hope you enjoy them! J

A – Author! You’re an author whether you’ve sold your book or not! Just keep going and follow your dream!

B – Book! It’s yours and yours alone. Finish it and get it published. There is no greater joy for a writer than to see your book out there for sale! Wow!

C – Characters and Conflict! I believe these are the two most important parts of your story.  You want your readers to fall in love with your characters, and you want your characters to overcome whatever conflict they face in your story.

D –Discipline! Discipline in your writing life is essential. You must be strong enough to sit down and write, even when you’d rather be outside having fun or shopping or napping or whatever. No one can write your book but you! So go for it!

E – Electronic! That’s where things are these days. Ebooks are a large part of the market now.

F – Finish! Get it done! You can’t sell it if you don’t finish it!

G – Go For It! Don’t let anything or anyone discourage you. 

H – Hero/Heroine! They are the center of our stories. Make them wonderful!

I – Income! There are authors who take off on their first book and make millions. Good for them. Then there are authors who earn a decent income and have a faithful following of readers. It’s not an easy way to make a living, but if you are called to write, do it!

J – Jealousy! Don’t compare yourself to other writers. Do your own thing!

K – Kiss! Oh, yeah. We need romance in our stories.

L – Love! Your love of books and your love of writing will keep you going!

M – Market! Know the market for your story.

N – New Ideas! Always be open to new ideas and be ready to adjust to market changes

O – Online! Yeah! That’s where a lot of publishing is now.

P – Passion/Pseudonym/Promo! Have a passion for your work! And put passion in your story! I used a pseudonym when I wrote my faith-based books so my readers would know they were not my usual Western romances. Promote your books as much as you can. Get the word out. 

Q – Quit! Don’t!

R – Research! Make sure your research is accurate. It’s important to the readers.

S – Story! Your story is what publishing is all about. Make it the best story you can! Hook your readers on page one and don’t give them any excuse to stop reading your book!

T – Timely! If you are writing for a publisher, make sure you meet your deadline. 

U – Unlimited Possibilities! As an author you can create your own worlds and make sure everyone lives happily ever after! 

V – Value! Make sure your stories are good ones. People are spending money to buy your book. 

W – Writer! That’s what you are whether you’re published or not!

X – Sign Your Contract! When you get your contract from your publisher, sign on that line!

Y – Yes! You can do this! Write that book!

Z – Zip! That’s what you’ll get if you never finish your book and get it out there. 

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Don’t forget to visit the other stops on the tour.

Author Bio and Links:

After working as a department manager for Famous-Barr, and briefly as a clerk at a bookstore, Bobbi Smith gave up on career security and began writing. She sold her first book to Zebra in 1982.

Since then, Bobbi has written over 40 books and 6 novellas. To date, there are more than five million of her novels in print. She has been awarded the prestigious Romantic Times Storyteller of the Year Award and two Career Achievement Awards. Her books have appeared on numerous bestseller lists.

When she's not working on her novels, she is frequently a guest speaker for writer's groups. Bobbi is mother of two sons and resides in St. Charles, Missouri with her husband and three dogs.

You can follow Bobbi on Facebook in the group Bobbi Smith Books.

Bobbi has been awarded the prestigious “Storyteller of the Year” Award from Romantic Times Magazine (New York) and has attained positions on the New York Times Best Seller List, the USA Today Best Seller List, the Walden’s Best Seller List, B. Dalton’s List, and the Wal-Mart and K-Mart Best Seller Lists.

The foreign rights to Ms. Smith’s books have been sold to China, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Russia and Sweden. Smith’s current publisher is Amazon. Bobbi has written two faith-based contemporary novels - Haven and Miracles - using the pseudonym of Julie Marshall.

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