Sox is chasing Cassandra….

Sox isn’t happy about sharing his birthday with Cassandra.

Jackie’s bout of March Madness has him feeling neglected and grumpy.

Free E-book & huge savings on print edition.

“Backyard Horse Tales: Sox 2nd Edition” had it’s fourth birthday in March. This family friendly award winning tale is for readers age 8 and up. It is also suitable for parents to read to younger children. The coupon code is YL28F and has been extended until April 30th of 2016.
E-Book: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/569088

“Cassandra: Night Shades” is the adult 18+ read for April. The introductory prices on this new release will also expire on April 30, 2016.
E-Book: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/607837

 

A share from Author Interviews on Smashwords. http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jackieanton

The characters and story of Casey and JD in “Cassandra: Night Shades” had been created for a totally different timeline. They sat locked in my files for nearly a decade before the characters demanded to brought into the light and underwent a contemporary makeover. Folks from Cleveland’s western suburbs will recognize the setting for Casey’s formative years. Cassandra was released March 21, 2016 and will remain at the pre-order through April 30th. The introduction period will also apply to paperbacks ordered directly from the author or publisher.
Janton’s Square Market Place: http://mkt.com/jackie-anton/
Publisher Website with book store: http://www.halfappypress.net/

BYHT 3 is in final revisions and has been contracted for the print edition. April update: Love’s tale will be read and critiqued by a group of writers at the Medina Writer’s Club on the last Saturday in May. While we await the results of my fellow authors “Don’t Call me Love” will travel to the editorial desk of the publisher for a final edit prior to print submission.
I’m working on a new series, but the title of the first book is under wraps for now, however there is a clue in the short story “A Tumble in the Snow” included in “Uncharted Storms: Stories of Hearts at Risk.” https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/419516

Look for more updates soon, including special events and book signings.
Thanks for visiting this blog. I hope you enjoy the new addition of Lola’s blog tours to this site.

Author Links:

Website: http://talesbyjackie.com/

Authors Page at Independent Author’s Network:

http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/jackie-anton.html

Twitter: https://twitter.com/backyardhorse

Google Plus:
https://plus.google.com/106598329845825588688

Facebook BYHT Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Backyard-Horse-Tales/190283981002767

Pinterest http://pinterest.com/jackieanton/
http://www.authorsden.com/jackieanton

Authors Den http://www.authorsden.com/jackieanton
Online Autographs: http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/backyardhorse

March Madness on the marketing front….

Marketing step #1: Design a cover photo for the new Facebook entity Half Appy Press.

Step 2: Develop a post.

Step 3: Invite friends from my profile, as Jackie, to friend HAP’s Page. Not as easy as you may think. I get oodles of requests to friend or like a page daily, and often finding the time to look at all the requests get a bit overwhelming. That said the friends are trickling in.

Step 4: Promote: Half Appy Press FB: https://www.facebook.com/halfappy.press tweet it, and post the link on my Facebook profile. This all happened yesterday while I was working on building a new website for HAP. The announcement of the website provided my second post for Facebook.

 

Half Appy Press was set up as a DBA to make a home for my adult novels written as J.M. Anton.
I was really tired of paying other POD publishers huge bucks to layout and print my books. I have always had a problem relinquishing control over my creative process and was rarely satisfied with the results.

As a member of IBPA I researched until I found Ingram Spark, and the rest is now recent history.
The learning curve was huge. Missteps were more than a few, but I’m getting a handle on it.

Half Appy Press has published three of J.M.’s adult works: two novellas in the “Troubles in Love-Land Series,” and the soon to be released novel Cassandra: Night Shades.

 

Cassandra is to be released as an e-book and paperback March 21st, and is currently on pre-order status at Smashwords and Jackie’s Square Market. To access pre-orders click on the Independent Author Network button at the right of this blog page to go to my IAN page with purchase links. Please note that Cassandra only has an e-book pre-order button, at this time. However, click on the Jackie Anton button at any of the other book offerings to access the Square Market. Or you can click on the HAP website to make your purchase.

Two new offerings published at HAP are helpful journals for writers and those trying to downsize their wardrobe. The journals were created by Jackie Anton. She is also working on a coloring and activity book to be released this summer.

http://www.halfappypress.net

Book Clubs, and Retailers can use the contact page at the Half Appy Press website to receive large order quotes and drop shipments.

Due to the March Madness, I haven’t e-mailed the Book of the Month Club Members, yet.
No worries March’s book of the month will carry through to the 30th of April.

As always, thank you for visiting “Writing for readers in a .com world.”

Best Wishes,

Jackie Anton

http://talesbyjackie.com

http://mkt.com/jackie-anton

http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/backyardhorse

http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/jackie-anton.html

 

 

 

 

Sox’s Backyard Tale is four ….

Author Jackie Anton first released Backyard Horse Tales Sox 2nd Edition March of 2012.

Feedback at book signing events these past four years has been exciting. Youngsters and adults alike seem to love Sox and Emma’s friendship as they travel down life’s bumpy road. Sox tale was written for readers eight and older. However, parents and grandparents have shared that they read this tale to younger preschool children who follow along viewing the illustrations.

Celebrate this anniversary with Jackie, Sox, Emma, and their friends by passing the word that Sox’s e-book is free on Smashwords during the month of March. Use this code YL28F at checkout, and then pick your download.
Direct link for Sox’s e-book: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/569088

Sox and Emma grow up in BYHT Sox 2nd Edition’s award winning tale, and readers can order or gift the March Book of the Month print version at huge savings. Print books can be purchased at the author’s secure Square Marketplace and delivered to postal mail boxes in the U.S. http://mkt.com/jackie-anton/

Jackie has some fun and surprises in store for her Backyard Horse Tales readers and fans. A Backyard Horse Coloring book is nearly complete. The coloring and activity book for all ages is slated to kick off at the Valley Tack Shop’s Annual Midnight Sale on Friday April 1st. Backyard Horse Tales 3: “Don’t Call Me Love” is in the final stages of editing and revision.

Sox and Emma are back! Sox and Emma return in a sequel to their original tale. More about this will be posted on this site soon.

Please take a moment to give Sox a star rating and wish him a Happy Birthday or Happy Anniversary.
March 24th was the real Sox’s date of birth, and he was the inspiration for the book that shares his name.

 

Synopsis:

Sox finds himself in an alien world the night he is born. His mother is there with him and he quickly adapts. His Mom answers all his questions about his new environment. She explains things, and reassures him. Everything is a new experience for Sox.
Little Emma is his best friend.
Emma is living with her grandmother until her mother returns home from deployment Not used to living in a rural area she is very lonely and feels like a duck out of water. Little Sox brightens up her world and a life long bond is formed.

Excerpts of Emma’s diary will helps us to understand a very special relationship as Sox grows from a foal to a colt and eventually a gelding. As time goes by, both horse and child have much to learn and share with the other. Growing up is not always easy…
Despite the odds, both Sox and Emma dare to be different and eventually overcome their challenges.

Author Links:

Website: http://talesbyjackie.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/backyardhorse

Google Plus:
https://plus.google.com/106598329845825588688

Facebook BYHT Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Backyard-Horse-Tales/190283981002767

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/jackieanton/
Authors Den: http://www.authorsden.com/jackieanton
Online Autographs: http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/backyardhorse

 

Marketing 2016 style….

There are times writing and marketing are not at all compatible. Four years in the making “Cassandra: Night Shades went to Smashwords for pre-orders last week with a release date of March 21, 2016. The PDF for Cassandra is ready to go and waiting for my cover designer’s input.

Marketing 2016 style includes a new Author Page at the Independent Authors Network, which took a bit of time to compile all the information on six books. Mission accomplished, and the site looks great. Also needed to update my Smashwords profile including the interview. Author’s Den too needed updated. Not a new word written during these projects.

Okay, time to narrow down to the best social media sites and let the others pass into the void. This writing blog is a companion for my author website, so I added the INA Author Page badge. I also added the same badge to A to Z Reviews, which is the blog where I host other authors’ blog tours and review some of their books. That makes three sites to maintain and keep current. Four counting Author’s Den, and then there is Twitter which is a definite keeper. Twitter followers and my time spent has mushroomed with the tweets from INA and my own tweets and retweets.

The Facebook dilemma is constant. It takes way too much time for minimal feedback, but it is the only contact with some old friends. I guess you could say my profile page has replaced the letters my mom’s generation used to send to friends. Backyard Horse Tales Facebook Fan Page was started in 2010, and I try to keep it entertaining. Content and language on the page are family friendly. J.M. Anton FB Page is the Adult Fan Page set up for readers 18+ where my adult novels appear as well as posts of adult reads from A to Z Reviews and other sites. Pretty much anything goes on that site. Okay, if I keep these three the count is up to eight sites to update and maintain.

December of 2015 was spent updating my blogs and their mailing lists for the 2016 addition to my newsletter which will include the Book of the Month Club. I announced Book of the Month Club on this blog, after the new year was nearly a week old. That blog was a bit behind.

I was stalling on updating my website and finally decided to change it completely. My IAN Author Page covers much of the old content on my website, so I decided to rebuild it. Inspiration!
Make it fun. Tales by Jackie 2016 style went up at http://talesbyjackie.com on January 18th.

Time to take a deep breath, and pull up my Scrivener files on Backyard Horse Tales 3. The application was damaged and refused to open. Language that I can’t repeat here, and more time spent, not to mention money, to replace it. None of the old files would open in the new version of the program. However, each file could be updated individually to the new version of Scrivener.
More writing time lost.

Changing hats tomorrow and finishing BYHT 3 “Don’t Call Me Love.”

Take a moment to look at my INA Author Page and my new website. Comment about either or both on any blog on this site.
Links to all my sites are listed on the right of this page.
Thanks for visiting.

Cassandra: Night Shades

Source: Cassandra: Night Shades

Wow! New Indie Author Page is kickin’…

http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/jackie-anton.html

January’s Book of the Month, Uncharted Storms isn’t up on the new page, yet. Make sure you check out the previous, to take advantage of the savings.

Fateful Waters: Troubles in Love-Land Book One.

Is on my new Author Page, but Panhandle Mayhem

book two in the Trouble in Love-Land Series is

keeping company with Uncharted Storms and waiting

its turn. The page is a work in progress. New books

will be added as they are released.

 

I hope you like my new page as much as I do.

New release and more fun stuff in a few days.

Likes and comments on this blog are much appreciated.

Best wishes to all of you for the remainder of this new year and many more to come.

Jackie Anton

Book of the Month revealed…….

2016 is under way, and I am a nearly a week behind on my January e-mail posting for the Book of the Month Club. I just finished a new interview for my Smashword profile and set up the code for “Uncharted Storms.”

Here is the link. http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jackieanton to my page. Take a look at the interview while you are there, and then scroll down to “Uncharted Storms.” click on the title, and then enter code RY22U at check out. Save big on the e-book for only $.99.

If you prefer an autographed paperback mailed to you complete with a bookmark go to this link to place your order on a secure site. http://mkt.com/jackie-anton/
Please note: books are mailed only to readers in the U. S. Paperback is reduced through January 31, 2016 for 50% of the retail price. Purchase for only $3.50 plus a small mailing fee.

These offers expire 1/31/16.

If you would like to sign up for my Bookworm Newsletter and take advantage of Book of the Month Club for the rest of the year, e-mail your request to talesbyjackie@yahoo.com.

 

 

Title:Uncharted Storms:
Sub title:Short Stories of Hearts at Risk

Genre: YA thru Adult

Science fiction, Adventure, Romance

 

Blurb:
Weather is our constant companion, and when it behaves like a benevolent parent we pay little attention to it. Angry or out of control it becomes terrifying and can change the landscape as well as lives. So I asked my characters to take a ride on the wild side of weather. “Uncharted Storms” takes readers on a journey from a gentle summer rain to raging storms in the cosmos.

What if? Erica’s world didn’t come to an end in 2012 while she was in middle school? She manages to make it through college before an apocalyptic event changes her life forever. The science fiction story Terra Beyond 2012 shares Erica’s voyage.

What if? You and your best friend were traveling down the highway on the way home from an extended trip when you are caught in a blinding thunderstorm, and then are hit by lightning? To make matters worse you are injured, and wake in a strange world. Find out what happens to Chris in the tale Riding Lightning.

What if? You were on your way to meet a friend for dinner and caught in a flash flood? That is exactly what happens to Alexandra in the story Flashflood Texas Style.

What if? A boy you haven’t seen in two decades winds up sitting on your front porch? Find out what Casey comes up with on A Rainy Night.

What if? You were caught in on icy, drifted, walks and streets when a skidding car comes directly at you? Find out what happened to eighteen-year-old Annie when she is hit from behind in the short story A Tumble in the Snow.
And if you opted for the paperback version, enjoy the bonus story Wicked Winds.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Last year began a new marketing effort for Ms. Anton. The marketing hat isn’t as comfortable as her role as a writer, but with three award winning books the sales online lag far behind sales at events and book signings. With the expansion of Smashwords global reach she will try to expand her online marketing in 2016. Keep your eye on this blog for updates. Author Anton also added speaking engagements to her schedule last year, along with visits to book clubs, and scheduled events. She is now scheduling for the first half of 2016 and will travel. Contact at her email for available dates.
Here is some Youtube Fun and a Radio Spot For next months Book of The Month Club.
You Tube This:
Cassandra t: http://youtu.be/_kF_zqq0Uus
Sox Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/ZDGRfxDzOvs
Uncharted Storms http://youtu.be/CTdtZIsYDUM
Bella Training #1 http://youtu.be/cnxmvZOun4w

 

Wind River Refuge Radio Commercial:

 

Book Links:
Janton’s Square Market Place: http://mkt.com/jackie-anton/
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jackieanton
Authors Den: http://www.authorsden.com/jackieanton
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/jackieanton
Barnes and Nobles: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/uncharted-storms-jackie-anton/1118931568?ean=2940045770101

The hazards of time travel..

 Have you ever run into an epic storm, been injured, and awakened in a strange place? A lot of folks experience confusion when reality finds them in a hospital, but Chris’s medical aid is not what you would expect.Riding Lightning

Chapter One

A lightning flash followed by the earsplitting sound of an exploding electrical transformer jolted Chris from her slumber. Now, bolt upright in the passenger bucket seat of the one-ton Ram crew cab, she turned toward the driver. “Where are we?”

“Damned if I know,” her gray-haired boss growled in frustration. “I can’t see a worth spit in this deluge. We may have missed our turn off. The GPS is worthless, and all I can get is static on the CB.”

Chris gave her iPhone a try. “No cell reception either! Can’t we stop until the storm eases up?”

“Don’t you think I would if I could find a spot to pull this rig off the road?” He had to shout to be heard over the thunderstorm and the CB static. “See if you can raise someone on that thing. Could be there is a place close by that we can put up for awhile.”

Chris unbuckled her seat belt to reach the unit, which was positioned closer to the driver’s side, and was occupied checking the bands most used by truckers when she heard Mr. Russell curse. She glanced up, but could barely discern the red hood of the pickup, let alone the road in front of it. Then a flash of lightning revealed a semi coming toward them. It was straddling the centerline, or where she estimated it should be. The driver of the oncoming eighteen-wheeler corrected his path at the last moment to avoid a head on collision.

The monstrous vehicle missed the cab, but ripped the side of horse trailer open. Above the sounds of the storm, crashing metal, and shattering glass she heard the screams of the three horses they were hauling. Then she was tumbling through the air. Chris felt an excruciating pain knife through her head as she impacted with a hard rocky surface.

It was difficult to determine the passage of time as she dialed back into reality. Pain was playing around the edges of her slowly functioning mind. How long had she lain in the rain? The fog was lifting from her mental process, but the downpour obstructed her vision. Still groggy, she attempted a sitting position only to fall onto her back. She made a valiant effort to call out to her companions, but nearly choked on the persistent rain. She slowly rolled onto her side and called out again, but her vocal cords refused to co-operate.

Chris couldn’t hear a thing other than the raging storm. Thunder echoed in her throbbing head. She felt warm breath on her face and in her ear. Someone was checking her out, but she couldn’t hear a voice.

Frustrated with her lack of response, he nudged her back. She groaned, so he stepped back, and waited for her to acknowledge him. She rolled onto her back, once more. Still, Chris had failed to speak to him, so he nudged her shoulder a bit harder. She screamed in pain; her eyes flew open. She had startled him. Backing away, he kept a watchful eye on her,

Chris was challenged to focus on the immediate area; it was very dark. She wondered if night was falling or it was the total lack of sunlight. Someone was out there, but she was unable to see. She figured since she was able to shriek like a banshee, she could try calling out once more. “Who’s There?” No reply. “Mr. Russell? Karen?”

Hesitant footsteps crunched over the rock-strewn ground; a twig snapped under his weight. Chris’s nerves were raw. She could feel his presence, but he kept silent. Suddenly, lightning lit up the darkness to reveal his huge form standing over her; another flash allowed her to see his big brown eyes as he kept his vigil. Her left arm was closest to him, but it hurt like hell and was essentially useless. She spoke to him in a calm voice. “Was that bump to my left shoulder really necessary?” She reached out with her right hand, slowly, so she wouldn’t startle him again.

He responded to her outstretched hand. When Chris made the connection he pulled her to her feet. The pain as he hauled her to a standing position threatened to return her to the void she had so recently escaped. She wrapped her good arm around his neck and leaned against his muscular chest; the move kept her from falling flat on her face. She feared losing consciousness, figuring that if she did she would never wake up. He stood, patiently, waiting to see what she would require of him.

“Well, handsome, let’s see if you and I can locate the others.” Each step was torture, but the fear of the others being in worse shape drove her on. She picked her way toward where she thought the road should be located. Flashlights and headlights lit the mangled remains of their rig.

When they’d started the short, but painful walk back toward the scene of the wreck he’d walked with her, and allowed her to use his body to support herself. Chris felt him hesitate. The odor of burnt tires, spilled diesel, and blood caused them both to momentarily lose sight of their purpose. They resumed the small climb back up to the highway when a huge sphere of lightning struck sending a charge through them both.

The storm had eased to a light rain as dawn broke. Boomer scanned the immediate area. He was hungry and thirsty, but he didn’t want to leave Chris. She was sprawled at his feet quiet and unmoving, but he sensed that she was alive. He was still standing guard when she, finally, opened her eyes. They heard voices. He waited to see if she would call out, but when she didn’t he remained silent. He was more focused on the dog-like creatures skulking in the trees below them.

Chris listened to the unfamiliar dialect as the voices drew nearer. She couldn’t find the strength to call for help, and prayed Boomer would do something to attract their attention.

“Don ́ think those folks are from these parts, Billy Jo.” The voice sounded young, to Chris—perhaps a teenage boy.

“Na, Travis. ‘Taint seen ́em ́afore.” The second person sounded much younger, and Chris was having trouble following his speech pattern. Then, it became eerily quiet.

Travis winced as he passed by the broken remains of the man and woman in the road; the horses were ripped open, and it appeared wolves had been at all of them. Their belongings were strewn over the road and the side of the mountain below it.

“Ana ́ thin ́ good?” Billy Jo inquired as he spotted some interesting debris further off the road.

“Not much. Some blankets, pots, an ́ a stick or two of furniture that ain’t busted. The rest is kindlin ́—Billy Jo, hold up, don’t go off on your own.”

Furniture? What furniture? Chris couldn’t figure out that comment, unless the truck that hit them had been a moving van, but her memory was vague about the rain-shrouded truck. The last clear memory she had, before dozing off, was the detour on I-40. Traffic had been rerouted, and she never got the chance to ask Mr. Russell if they had made it to I-75 before the accident. She listened to the boys argue, as they drew closer.

Billy Jo ignored his brother’s warning. “Trav! Somfins ́ stirin ́down yonder.” Chris could here the mud and rocks moving as the boy hurried toward them. She feared they would all be buried beneath a rockslide. Boomer snorted at the careless boy. Travis was in hot pursuit of his reckless little brother. He skidded to a stop, raised his rifle, then lowered it, and stood as transfixed as his brother.
Before them stood a beautiful blood bay stallion. Large blotches of mud covered his hide, but where the rain had washed it away his coat glistened in the morning sunlight. He stood his ground while he assessed the threat level of the new arrivals. Travis was doing much the same. He had seen plenty of horses; they were prevalent on the farms and plantations before the war, but he’d never encountered one like this. The horse was unusually marked: no leg markings, a star dead center of his forehead, and his eyes were ringed with white. The white around his eyes would have been enough to unnerve most grown men. It was common knowledge when you could see the white of a horse’s eyes you had trouble. They were either terrified or mean as hell, but this one only stood watching them. Travis heard a soft groan. The horse responded by lowering his head to inspect the limp form in front of his mud-covered hooves. A hand reached out to stroke his muzzle; he nickered softly, and then looked at the boys again.

Boomer backed away as the boys approached Chris, but watched them closely for any sign of trickery. The older boy bent down and leaned over Chris.

The person on the ground was small—not much larger than Billy Jo—and covered in mud. It was obvious to Travis, based on the trousers, short hair, and strange-looking puffy vest, the injured person was a young male of indeterminate age. “Can you move?”

“No,” came the hoarse reply. “The others?”

“All dead,” he replied to the frantic question, as if it was an everyday occurrence to run across dead bodies scattered on the road.

“I think lightning hit me last night, and I can’t seem to move. My arm hurts, and my head feels like it is going to explode.”

Travis sent Billy Jo home on the old mule, they’d ridden to the scene of the wreck, to fetch their mother. “Go get Maw and the wagon. Looks like he’s hurt pretty bad.”

“Boomer?”

Travis was trying to figure out the strange question. Then the horse stepped forward a few steps. Maybe that was the horse’s name. Travis was afraid to move the injured person, and didn’t know how to render aid. So he sat next to the prone figure and talked. “Is Boomer the stallion’s name?”

“Is he injured?” Boomer was supporting her when she felt the charge flow through her.

“A few scrapes, bout all. The horse belong to you?” No answer. Travis examined the stranger’s face. The eyes were closed, and he was barely breathing. He wondered, for the first time, whether he should have sent his brother to fetch their mother; the stranger would probably be dead before they could come with the wagon. He scrutinized the strange markings on the horse that stood watching his every move. For the first time he noticed the white frosting on his hips. “You’re a strange lookin ́ nag! Put together nice, ́cept for those danged scary white-rimmed eyes. Could still be able to get a good price for you, if your friend goes on to meet the maker.”

Chris awoke in a strange bed, totally disoriented, and only vaguely able to recall the accident. Everything else was a jumble of nightmares and hallucinations. She scanned the dimly lit, sparsely decorated, room. Considering her battered condition, splitting headache, and the pain shooting through her left arm, a hospital was the most likely scenario.

On her next waking, Chris deleted any thought of having made it to a hospital or clinic. Well, I’m not dead she thought. She didn’t figure dead people felt the immense pain that wracked her entire body. She’d heard there were places in the Smokeys where time seemed to have stood still, but this room was extremely backwoods, and didn’t bode well for her level of care. To top everything off, she didn’t recall where her identification and medical cards were. Probably in her handbag, which had been in the cab of the pickup last she could recall seeing it.

“Good morning!” a cheerful voice greeted Chris, its owner tied back the thick drapes.

Chris squinted at the sudden intrusion of sunlight. “Good morning.” Her voice sounded as painful and raspy as it felt.

The woman halted midway across the room and looked at her askance, before hustling to close the door. Her bright warm smile had turned into a worried frown as she approached the bed; she seated her large frame on the side of the bed, and patted Chris’s hand. Then she proceeded to place her other hand on Chris’s forehead. “Fever is gone.”

Her nurse was comforting, and Chris hoped she would answer some of her most urgent questions. “Where am I?”

“You don’t know?”
“No. I can’t remember much after the accident.”
Her mocha complexion deepened as a frown increased the worried expression in her dark eyes. “Folks here bouts call me Hester. You remember your name?”

“Chris.” Her name came out weak, barely above a whisper.

“Child, tell me you ain’t a Yankee!”

“Does it matter?”

The folks in this here house don’t take kindly to Yankees. They’d like as not throw you back down the mountain.”

Chris filed away Hester’s reference to a house, not a hospital or clinic. “Terrific! Just what I need at the moment—people who don’t know that stupid war ended a long time ago.” Chris sighed deeply and closed her eyes against the pain behind them.

“Tell me, Little Miss Yankee, who won our stupid war?”

Chris’s eyes popped open to the sight of a tall, lean, blonde woman standing in the doorway. She was austere. Her hair was tied back in a tight bun, and her high necked long cotton dress was covered by an off-white bib apron. The forty something newcomer appeared to have stepped out of another century. Chris wondered if the person who was standing at the foot of the bed, peering at her with the intense blue eyes, also wore bloomers.

“I take it you aren’t willing to share the outcome with us?”

Oh boy, she thought, how do I answer that? “I’m sorry,” She choked out, “what did you ask?”

“Who won?” Her voice turned more hostile.

“No one.” Chris felt that imparting the outcome to this woman was not in her best interest.

The newcomer stood glaring down at Chris. Then the frightening woman crossed her arms and struck a more menacing pose. “You telling me the war comes down to a draw?”

“No, I only meant no one ever wins in something so destructive.”
“Hester, fix our guest some broth.”
Chris noticed the subservient way Hester curtseyed to the other woman. “Yes ́um.”

“And Hester, not a word about our guest being a Yankee.”
Hester nodded, and gave Chris an encouraging smile before retreating and closing the door behind her. Chris felt like Dorothy in the presence of the Wicked Witch of the West.
“Do you feel up to some conversation?”
More like some interrogation Chris thought, but maybe her interrogator could also supply some information. “I suppose so. How long have I been here?”

“You’ve been flat on your back since Travis, Billy Jo, and I carted you home four days ago,”

“The others?”

“We buried what the wolves left.” Tears rolling down Chris’s face onto the pillow that cradled her head prompted the next inquiry. “Were those folks your kin?”

Chris struggled to control her voice. “No. I worked for them. They were good friends,”

The older woman eyed the frail girl skeptically. Perhaps she was an indentured servant. “Where were y’all going?”

Chris struggled to rid her mind of her grief, and control the increasing pain within her body. Thinking and talking were fast eluding her, but she attempted to answer. “Home.”

“Where were you coming from?”

Chris made one last attempt to comply with her inquisitor “Raleigh, North Caro….” Her voice faded as she lost consciousness.

Hester tended Chris. She fed her, bathed her, saw to the changing of her bedclothes, and even helped her relieve herself. Chris found the whole process extremely embarrassing, but Hester seemed to enjoy her assigned tasks and brief conversations with her patient.

Hester’s hefty, big-bosomed, form and sunny disposition were an immense comfort to Chris. Her nurse was the one constant as she drifted between murky oblivion and moments of clarity.

She had more lengthy visits with Hester, and vaguely recalled return visits from the scary blonde woman. Her surroundings continued to confuse her, but her nurse dismissed her disorientation as due to the effects of the laudanum that the sawbones who’d set her arm had prescribed. Hester’s reference to the doctor as a sawbones didn’t do a lot to relieve her patient’s mind.

Somewhere between worlds Chris began to have horrendous nightmares. Whenever she was alone during her wakeful periods, she would try to piece together what had happened.

Chapter Two will be posted next Thursday.

In the meantime here is the book trailer for “Uncharted Storms” which includes Riding Lightning. http://youtu.be/CTdtZIsYDUM

E-books: Smashwords:  http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jackieanton

Autographed paperbacks:

Janton’s Square Market Place: http://mkt.com/jackie-anton/

Interview of Characters from the Troubles in Love-Land Series

Melinda Potter

 “Give our readers a feel for who you are Miss Potter.”

                        “You know very well who I am and so do your readers, or you wouldn’t be interviewing me. I  really get tired of these Society Page blurbs. Do you have any idea what it’s like whenever one of these articles gets published?”

 

“No. Why don’t you tell me?”

             “Suddenly, I am inundated with new, want to be, friends. An unbelievable number of investment solicitations, and marriage proposals from complete strangers flood my email.”

 

“As a member of the 2011 graduating class, what do you plan to do?”

             “Well, I am not going to Disney World, if that’s what you mean.”

 

“Melinda, you have invested nearly five years of your life earning a degree. What are you planning to do with it?”

             “For now I don’t plan to do much with it. I plan to take a long vacation and forget about it, and my interfering, over protective family.”

 

“Do you have destination in mind?”

“Sure, but I am not going to tell you. I might as well blab it to the world! The whole point is to get away, far away, where people don’t know me. Where people don’t know that I am the daughter of Benson Potter.”

 

“How soon are you planning to leave Ohio?”

                        Not soon enough! My parents have a big graduation party scheduled at their country club. Oh! Here comes Lexie, if you want an interesting story, you should interview her. She will be traveling with me when I make my escape.

 

Meet Lexie by clicking on the Romance selection at the top of this blog, and selecting “Fateful Waters” Book One of the Troubles in Love-Land Series Published by Half Appy Press.

 

Interview with Maria Rodriguez

 

“Share some of your impressions of Alexandra Parker with us, Maria.”

             “Cutter hauled her home on the back of his horse one stormy night. He dumped the half dead mud covered waif on me.”

 

“You don’t sound happy about the chore thrust upon you to aid Lexie.”

             “I didn’t have an issue with the girl at that time. I even sent for the doctor. It wasn’t until she returned from a hospital stay that problems arose.”

 

“You didn’t approve of Lexie’s handling of the books for the ranch?”

             “She turned out to be a big thorn in my butt! It was down right disrespectful the way she talked to Cutter. Also, she was always sticking her nose in where it didn’t belong. I nipped that in the bud and sent her packing,”

 

“What did Cutter Ross have to say about her departure?”

             “Cutter isn’t the talkative sort, but he hasn’t spoken to me in weeks. He took a plane to Ohio the other day. Business, he told my husband Jim. I have a sick feeling that he went to retrieve his blonde witch of a bookkeeper. He can’t seem to see past her pretty face and big blue eyes. Mark my words: if Cutter brings her back here, it will be the ruination of our peaceful existence.”

 

Will Lexie return to Texas? Don’t miss “Panhandle Mayhem” Book Two of the “Trouble in Love-Land” series.

Paperback release by Half Appy Press by September 15, 2015.

E-book will be available at Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo, and Amazon.

 

Author Links:

 Website: http://talesbyjackie.com

Adult FB Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/authorjmanton?ref=hl

Online Autographs: http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/backyardhorse

Autographed print books Square Market Place: http://mkt.com/jackie-anton/

 

Emma’s unique path to conquering dyslexia

Step one: At her grandmothers direction, Emma begins to keep a diary. A tough task when words scramble on a page.

Step two: Read allowed. Find an ear not as intimidating as Grandma or her tutors.

Step three: Thinking outside the box.

Dyslexia is a tough learning disability to overcome. Things have come a long way since this author was a child. The early detection and intervention of specialized educators have lessened the stigma once attached to this disorder. Unfortunately, those who enjoy the, not so subtle, act of bullying have not. Now they can spew their meanness in cyberspace. Is it any wonder that children who are a bit different become recluse and antisocial?

Emma finds a special friend who turns the page for her. Excerpts from her diary will help  young readers to understand a very special relationship.

Sox grows from a foal to a colt and eventually a gelding. As time goes by, both horse and child have much to learn and share with the other. Growing up is not always easy…
Despite the odds, both Sox and Emma dare to be different and eventually overcome their challenges!

Sox finds himself in an alien world the night he is born. His mother is there with him and he quickly adapts. His Mom answers all his questions about his new environment. She explains things, and reassures him when he wonders why his one leg isn’t the same as the other.  Sox decides early on little Emma is his best friend. She is living with her grandmother until her mother returns home from deployment. Emma isn’t used to living in a rural area, she is very lonely.  Little Sox brightens up her world and a life long bond is formed.

Sox and Emma’s tale made a Smashword depute last week. The 2015 E-book version of Backyard Horse Tales: Sox 2nd Edition is available for all e-readers and in PDF for your computer or tablets.

Do you know a child who could use an uplifting story? Take a look at Sox and Emma’s adventures. Here is Sox’s direct link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/569088

2015 Version

$2.99

Author Links:

Website: http://talesbyjackie.com

Purchase Autographed Books from author at http://mkt.com/jackie-anton

Autographed covers for online and e-book readers:  http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/backyardhorse

Facebook: BYHT Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Backyard-Horse-Tales/190283981002767

E-Mail: talesbyjackie@yahoo.com