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
On the Mississippi near Memphis
The sound of the Sultana’s explosion brought Ellyn Douglass upright in bed. She ran from her room to find her grandfather already in the hall.
“What was that, Grampa?”
“It may have been a steamer . . .”
They rushed out onto the observation area to see the sky glowing a fiery red in the river’s direction.
“I’ve got to get to town,” he told her.
“I’ll come with you,” Ellyn offered.
“No. Stay here. If I need you, I’ll send word.” He hurried inside to get ready to leave.
Ellyn looked out toward the Mississippi. The steamer was farther south, drifting with the current. She decided at first light she would go down to the river.
At dawn, Ellyn hurried up to the observation area and searched the river for some sign of last night’s disaster. It was then she noticed something caught in a tree. Rushing from the house, she sought out Franklin.
“We have to get on the river right away.”
“Why?”
“Did you hear the explosion last night? I was checking this morning and I think there’s someone trapped in a tree.”
They hurried down to the river dock where the skiff was tied up. They pushed off and headed toward the flooded grove of trees.
“It’s a man!” Ellyn was shocked by the sight of the lone figure stranded motionless in the treetop.
Franklin maneuvered them in close and awkwardly managed to get the unconscious man into the boat.
“Is he alive?” Ellyn asked as she knelt next to him.
“Seems to be, but he’s cut up pretty bad.”
Ellyn tore off a strip of her petticoat and started to bandage the man’s bloody head wound. Much of his clothing had been ripped away from the force of the blast and he had been burned in several places.
The man groaned softly, and she reached out to soothe his brow.
“Hang on, mister. . . . Just hang on. . . .”
Guest Post
Writing Tips For New Authors
Hi Everybody!
I’m Bobbi Smith. I sold my first book to Zebra in 1982 and have since published more than 40 books. It’s been a wonderful career. I knew I wanted to write when I was 10 years old, and I’m thrilled that I got to live my dream.
Now, the reason for my blog- I’m going to share some of the wisdom I’ve gained over the years and I hope it helps you sell your book and write many more!
1. For your first book, write what you love. You don’t know if you’ll sell it or not at this stage of your career, so do it strictly for the joy of it. I wrote my very first book long-hand during my son’s nap time. It took about two and a half years to finish, and I can remember crying when I finished it. I was working part-time at a bookstore then, and I told my friend at work how I’d finished the book and how I’d cried. I said to her, “What am I supposed to do now?” She gave me the best advice ever. She replied, laughing, “Sell it and write another one!” And she was so right! I was blessed enough to sell my first book. I learned a lot from that moment. My publisher said they would buy it if I added another 150 pages to it. (It was already more than 400 pages long.) As excited and determined as I was, I did it. It wasn’t easy using white-out to correct and change things, but the result was my first real book on the bookstore shelf! A sidebar here – I also learned that the publisher had control over the titles as well. My title was ‘The Mist And The Dream’. When copies of the cover showed up in the mail, I discovered my publisher had changed the title to ‘Rapture’s Rage’. It’s still my favorite book, because I wrote it from my heart.
2. Be open to new ideas! My first few books were centered here in the heartland and a very wise editor said to me, “If you want a career, stop writing about the Mid-West.” And so was born my thrill to writing westerns. I grew up loving western TV shows, so I had no problem making cowboys my heroes! I became know as the ‘Queen of the Western Romance’ at Romantic Times magazine. What an honor!
3. Regarding editors, they are very smart. They know what will sell, and they are always looking for the next great book. Listen to any advice they may give you and take it for what it’s worth.
4. Make sure you have a friend who will proofread your manuscript for you. I know time and again, I’ve made mistakes that I missed. It’s always good to get someone you trust to look over your work.
5. Join a writers’ group. Authors are a strange bunch of people (who else has all those characters talking in their heads?), but when we all get together we have fun! It’s great to have someone to bounce ideas off of and to plot with.
6. And last but not least, never give up! Enjoy every moment of your creativity! It’s so wonderful to write a story that is all yours!
Good luck to you all!
Best,
Bobbi Smith
About the Author
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 (https://bobbismithbooks.com/product/haven) and Miracles (https://bobbismithbooks.com/product/miracles)- using the pseudonym of Julie Marshall.
Copyright © 2018 Bobbi Smith.
Giveaway
Bobbi will be awarding $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
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