Monday, December 30, 2013

The Old Year Is Dying!

The old year, 2013 is nearly gone, and the Kindle Countdown for "The Peaks at the Edge of the World Trilogy" is slipping by.  The bargain price of $1.99 for all three of the first books is nearly past.  Act before the price goes up again!  Remember the sale ends Jan. 3.

Book Four, "When the World Grows Cold" (The Sequel to the Trilogy) will be free for Kindle downloads only two days, Jan. 1 & 2.

If you don't have a Kindle, all these books are also available in paperback through Create-Space Store or Amazon.com--at reasonable prices for good quality books.

Here's hoping the New Year will be a good one!

Thursday, December 26, 2013

It's Not Just New Year's --It's the 8th Day of Christmas!

Did you know Christmas has really just begun? Today, Dec. 26, is only the second day of The Twelve Days of Christmas, according to the traditional church calendar, established in Medieval times.

So how about celebrating with me? "The Peaks at the Edge of the World" Trilogy is on what's called a Kindle Countdown. Beginning at 8 a.m. Pacific time on Dec. 28, the price is only 99 cents--for the entire trilogy! The price will go up by one dollar increments through January 2, and return to its original price of $7.99 at 8 a.m. on Jan. 3. This deal is for Kindle only.
BUT once you've got the Trilogy, you can get the sequel, Book 4--"When the World Grows Cold" for Kindle FREE on Jan. 1 & 2 to welcome in the New Year.

As the old song goes, "Fast away the old year passes...Hail the new, ye lads and lasses, Fa la la la la...lol
By the way, the 12th day of Christmas is January 5...

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Winter is Officially Here!

December 21 - Arrival of the Winter Solstice

8:35 a.m. local Montana time: the sun is officially up, but hidden in clouds, of course. We greet the Winter Solstice with four inches of fluffy, beautiful snow--it's a winter wonderland-for now...and now the daylight hours last a minute or two longer each day- the Dragon hasn't swallowed the sun (or is it Son?) Check out Revelation chapter12, for the symbolism of this.

I find I'm using a lot of this kind of spiritual symbology in my books. It runs through the myths and tales of nearly all ancient cultures--interesting... sometimes it's some other fearsome creature. And sometimes there's an unlikely hero who rescues the light-like the Raven in some native Alaskan tales.

Time to get ready for the ultimate winter journey in the Peaks Saga - BOOK FOUR:  "WHEN THE WORLD GROWS COLD".  If you haven't read the first three books, you can still get them at LOW Kindle prices of $2.99  And through Sunday, 12/23 Book Three is FREE.

Merry Christmas!

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Counting Down to the Winter Solstice

Some of you may have noticed that I've been counting down to the Winter Solstice on my Facebook Page for the past month.  And it's almost here.  My first step in setting up my very own circle of standing stones!

Meanwhile, you can also get FREE deals on my first "Peaks Saga" books to celebrate Winter:
OKAY, THE FINAL COUNTDOWN IS HERE! Between now and the Winter Solstice, you can get my first three books FREE for Kindle, on the following dates:
Book One: Finding the Light - Dec. 13-14
Book Two: Searching for Maia - Dec. 16-18
Book Three: Mountaintops & Valleys - Dec. 20-22

Then you'll be really ready for Winter--and you can move on to Book 4: When the World Grows Cold ( how's that for a wintery title?)...

Anybody out there know how to say "Merry Christmas" in Latin?   It's 'Io Saturnalia' !

Monday, December 2, 2013

Let's Get Online

We are in the middle of blizzard right now.  I get tired of fighting the crowds and the weather, trying to do Christmas shopping.  Seems I have spent a lot of my life living in remote places, too.  I used to tease my husband that we always lived 60 miles from anywhere!

Before the Internet, I did a lot of catalog shopping, and I still do that occasionally.  But increasingly I find that I do more on-line shopping.  Especially since I got my Kindle.

Speaking of Kindle, watch the Kindle store for Free download offers this month.  I am going to put each book of "The Peaks at the Edge of the World" saga on sale at some point.

Right now it's the newest one, "When the World Grows Cold"  --now that's an appropriate title for what the weather is doing here right now--can't you tell I wrote most of this book in winter?  Well, you'll know if you read it...

Friday, November 15, 2013

The Long Road to the Sequel

When I started "The Peaks at the Edge of the World" my goal was to write a Trilogy, and I did.  But then some more really unusual ideas occurred to me, and I just had to press on.  I'd barely published the Trilogy when I started on Book Four, which I called "When the World Grows Cold"

As it turned out I put a lot more labor and time into this book than I expected.  Now it's almost two years later, and finally, I have it where I want it.

It is set about 25 years farther along in time than the Trilogy, so it's about the next generation, Jon and Martina's descendants.  Thought some of the main character from the original Trilogy are still around.  There is a really strange time-travel twist that I think readers will find intriguing.

And just in case anyone is wondering, I have started Book Five, too!

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Big Brother Is Still With Us

Well, almost 30 years have passed since the year 1984--the time setting of George Orwell's iconic book--he wrote it in 1948, by the way, and just transposed the numbers--so a legend was born.  And few in the world don't know the significance of the year and the term Big Brother (not to be confused with the 'reality show').

Now as we approach 2014, I feel there is no doubt that some form of Big Brother is watching. Subconsciously, I think we all know it, unless we live under a rock or in a secret cave somewhere.  (For my take on this, check out my next book, "When the World Grows Cold"!)  Most of the time, though, we try to keep the thought out of our minds.

Here's a little illustration:  About 2 months ago, my husband bought a kayak at a local sporting goods store, using a nationally-known credit card.  A few weeks later, he went to a local branch of a national hardware chain and bought some cord and a small block and tackle set, so he could rig up a way to store the kayak suspended from our garage ceiling, for the winter.  He thinks he used the same credit card to pay.

That's the only connection between the two purchases, and I was not with him either time--the credit card is in his name.  This morning I got a 'special offer' in my email from Amazon--for a kayak storage hoist!  My husband's name is not on this Amazon account--he doesn't even have one.  How did they put all this together?  Creepy, huh?

We might as well accept the fact that there is no personal privacy now that nearly everyone is carrying some kind of access to the "Worldwide Web" in their pocket.  Hmm--'web' makes me think of spiders--and they give me the creeps, too!   We're probably all walking around with little cursor squares on our heads, persons of interest to someone.

So what happens next?  I don't know.  But I've done some fictional speculation in my book series, "The Peaks at the Edge of the World".  Book 4, When the World Grows Cold, will be released by the end of this month.  And guess where you can check out the entire series?  Amazon.com, of course!  The computers rule...

Friday, October 4, 2013

Book Four is nearly in print!

Had a great evening at the Whitefish Library Montana Authors open house. Sold two books of "The Peaks Trilogy". Met lots of interesting people, and saw a few old friends. Have decided to get more involved in the local writers group.

THE next book in the PEAKS Series is coming soon-  Book Four:  "When the World Grows Cold"
Hit like or post a comment if you would like to be the first to know! Also to be notified of freebies and specials.  Check Amazon. com  -- it will be on Kindle Select, and there will also be specials on the first three books, too...

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Wearing Lots of Hats!

As many of you know, I am not just as author.  I'm also a musician, singing in a Sweet Adelines Chorus, the Five Valley Chorus, based in Missoula Montana.  I also play in the Flathead Valley Community Band, and teach piano and guitar lessons in my studio, Erler's Musical Expressions.  As if this we're enough I also teach music and movement classes one a week to 2 Kindergarten classes, and 1 First Grade class at Trinity Lutheran School in Kalispell.

Currently our Five Valley Chorus is preparing a Musical Variety Show, which will be held at Flathead High School Auditorium, Saturday, November 2, at 3:30 p.m.  Tickets are only $10 regular, $8 for Seniors and Students.  12 and under are free!  You can contact me or any member of the chorus for tickets.  They will also be available at the door!

I am hoping I can get a copy of the poster to come us to put on this blog...Nope, it won't take PDF...

Friday, August 16, 2013

Next Installment of The Peaks Saga?

I have been working hard on the next PEAKS book this summer. There's been a lot of rewriting to firm up Book Four. For any of you who were pre-readers for the book, you'll find it is not the same as before. Three or four chapters have been moved to Book Five!
I replaced them with more about Ginna...and her daughter...
I don't want to be a spoiler, so that's all I am going to say.
Publication is set for this Fall. So watch for it: "When the World Grows Cold", Book Four of the PEAKS Saga. It will be available on Kindle and Create-space first.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Why Books Need Happy Endings--or at Least Closure...

Recently I read "The Hunger Games".  I felt let down at the end, but I haven't read the sequels yet.  I also felt sad because the story uncomfortably depicted where our society seems to be heading--the vicarious experiences of 'reality shows', which aren't really real, and how far things can go and people will accept it--like a 'survivor show' where the goal is true survival and not death.

I guess I'm just enough of an optimist (tho I often consider myself a pessimist) to want books to have a hopeful ending.  And as a Christian, I do have a hope of being in a better place after this life.  (Sometimes, tho, even I wonder if this isn't just 'pie in the sky.')  It's a fine line at times, between faith and realism.  That is the challenge for a writer, too.

It's amazing and coincidental that two medical practitioners in the past 2 months have expressed the same kinds of thoughts--both in reference to 'A Game of Thrones' (which I've read all of them, by the way)--another story that pushes deep into the realism side, and never seems to get to an ending, let alone a happy one.

I am so glad that the 'Harry Potter' books ended well, for the sake of the millions of young people who read them.  The 'Twilight' series, too.  In fact, there were actually some good moral truths in these--like saving sex for marriage, laying down your life for your friends--and in Harry's case, even learning to love your enemy.  These books left the reader feeling hopeful--not hopeless.

But that generation of readers is growing up now, and I wonder what the next generation will get.  Hopefully more that just 'Game of Thrones'--even tho it is well written.  But it seems to have no hope.

If we lose hope, we're in big trouble, I think.  So that's why I give my books the endings that I do.  I believe good literature should provide a catharsis (the release of emotions and empathy--a 'cleansing' is the Greek root of the word), and a good book should inspire--not depress.

I liked Carol Buchanan's book, "God's Thunderbolt" for that reason.  And that's why I loved "Lord of the Rings" & "The Hobbit"  Some of Tolkien's other books, especially "The Silmarilion", aren't so hopeful.  (It seems like a long defeat, in fact, but then he did get the idea in the trenches of WWI--and if you've seen the movie 'War Horse' it gives a vivid depicttion of how bad they were.)  I'm glad Middle Earth finally got to the Fourth Age, and he ended his books with hope.

My belief is that in the end, Good will eventually triumph over evil---and that's why the author I admire most is C.S. Lewis, who was a dear friend of Tolkien's by the way. Most people know him for Narnia.  But my favorite of his writings are his Space Trilogy.

Monday, June 10, 2013

Grace is Truly Amazing

Thought for today: in the Mass, right before communion, the congregation says, "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but say the word and I shall be healed." To me this speaks so well of God's grace to us--a gift to undeserving sinners. It's a paraphrase of the story of Jesus going to heal the Centurion's servant. But today I also found a passage in 2 Chronicles 30:18-20. During King Hezekiah's revival in Jerusalem, many people from Judah and Israel had come to celebrate the Passover and rededicate themselves to God. But not all had ceremonially purified themselves. "But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying 'May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone who sets his heart on seeking God...even is he is unclean according to the rules of the sanctuary.' And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people."

What a great concept! There IS grace in the Old Testament, too!  God is good.

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Starting the Day

Sunshine again, but also a migraine. BUT I AM BLESSED, because I know God has a good reason for this thorn in the flesh-- even if I don't know what it is.

WORD for today from my quiet time: Jeremiah 3:22-23-- "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

Or to quote a phrase I first heard in 1970, right after I'd graduated from high school: 
"Today is the first day of the rest of your life." 
Even though it is somewhat over used sometimes -- it's still true for me.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day - that's what old timers called Memorial Day.  As I was a girl growing up, it was one of the days we went to my little sister's grave.  Two years after I was born, Roberta Lee Feser was born prematurely, and died shortly after her birth.  I had no inkling of any of these events until I was at least ten years old.  That's how it was back in the 1950's.  Some things just weren't discussed, especially with children.

But I don't mean this in a negative way.  I feel very fortunate to have grown up in the mid-20th Century. The century my own children face seems much more frightening and complex than the one I did.

I remember spending Memorial Day--and it was always May 30 back then--going on picnics with my Girl Scout troop.  Later, I would become aware of the flags and parades, speeches and cemetery ceremonies.  And I thought they were all good.

How many of you remember what you were doing on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001?  I was driving to the Houston airport, having gotten my mother through a bout with pneumonia that nearly took her life, and took a part of her mind. (Fortunately, I didn't get to the airport, where I would have been stuck for who knows how long.  I was hearing strange things on the radio, and turned my rental car around, going back to my parents' home, and staying there for another week.  In a sense that  first bout Mom had with pneumonia was the beginning of the end for the life I had know with my parents before.  Now she is in a Memory Care Facility, having continued down the long slow decline of  Alzheimers.

Of course, I probably don't even need to even mention how we all know that 9/11/01 changed the world as we knew it, forever.  Probably the only other ones who can understand what that day did to our national psyche are those who experienced Dec. 7, 1941.

Not all the changes have been good.  Many of us have learned not to take our lives and our freedoms for granted--that is good.  But it has also caused an aura of paranoia that keeps seeping deeper into our souls.  Sometimes it takes the form of people using our country's flag, as a drape to hide their prejudices.  Even worse is when I see and hear those who use Christianity this way.

I saw a bumper sticker recently that said what I feel is something important.  It said: "Don't Assume that I Share Your Prejudices."

I grew up in Arkansas in the 50 and early 60's--I was still a child when Dr. King's marches took place in Alabama.  But I was old enough to understand that my parents were not talking like the parents of most of my friends.  Instead, they encouraged us to keep open minds, not to judge people by the color of their skin.
I feel truly blessed to have had such parents.

So here we are at another Remembrance Day.  Yes, we should remember and be thankful to those who gave their lives for our freedom.  But we should be careful not to use that freedom as an excuse for prejudice.  We are called "One Nation Under God."  I pray that our nation may reach this goal one day.  But the only way for it to happen is for each of us to surrender our will, our thoughts, our habits, and--yes--our prejudices--to His Will.  The one who came to die for ALL sinners.  Really stop and look at that verse in John 3:16 (that gets tossed around too casually sometimes):  "For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

One more suggestion.  Casting Crowns has a truly powerful song on their latest album, "Come to the Well."  It's called "Jesus Friend of Sinners."  One of my favorite lines in it says, "Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers."  And another "Help us put down our signs, cross over the lines, and love like you did..."

So I wish you a happy Remembrance Day.  There is a lot to remember...

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Thoughts On A Misunderstood Rock


With all the things going on in the world around us, I can feel the future I envisioned in my "Peaks at the Edge of the World Trilogy" sneaking up on me.  Here are some thoughts I recently had about the sequel I'm currently revising:  "When the World Grows Cold."

Many people have walked by the hunk of rock called Christianity, lying half-buried in the sands of time.  Most glance at the exposed part of this boulder and assume they know what the whole thing looks like—for good or ill.
          But the author’s task in fiction, especially fantasy, is to ask, “What if…” and then create a possible scenario—a fiction that may or may not come to pass in some distant future.  (Some things predicted in science fiction have come to pass, though many have not—yet--and some never will.)
          Being the “rock hound” that my father was, I stop at that boulder and chip away at it with my geologist’s hammer, exposing the new and unweathered shapes and colors inside—that few realized were there.  (By the way, even so-called ‘ordinary’ rocks look amazing when they’re put in water.)
          If I’m strong enough, I turn the whole boulder over to examine the underside of it, and see what dwells beneath it.  And what do I find?  More “What ifs…!”
          This book is not meant to be an exposition of Biblical prophecy—or a defense of any particular doctrine or philosophy.  Instead, it is merely a journey of my imagination, a possible scenario of what the future might hold.  And perhaps, as readers take this journey with me, they will discover a few answers to their questions--and probably some “What ifs” of their own.

Saturday, April 20, 2013

The Book is Now Available to All

Okay,  It's official now!  My first book, "The Peaks at the Edge of the World Trilogy"  (actually it's 3 books in one)  is now available for all media.  This includes Paperback--which can be ordered from Amazon.com or Create-Space.  It can also be downloaded for Kindle, Nook, I-Pad, etc.

It is a spiritual odyssey set in the future.  What is the world like 1000 years from now?  What is religion like? Is Christianity obsolete?  Books and written language have become obsolete--ironically I write about a time when writing is obsolete.

Has truth gone the way of relativism?   "When the Son of Man returns, will he find faith on the Earth?"

This book is one person's ideas on this topic, one possible scenario.

And now I'm working on the sequel, "When the World Grows Cold"

Friday, April 19, 2013

Why is the world such a mess?

I've been in a great Bible study by Priscilla Shirer on Jonah, A Life Interrupted. It hits so many areas of my life, and I think the Lord is using it to help me take stock and realize what he has done in my life so far--in spite of my mistakes and lack of faith at times! One line she had yesterday really summed a lot up for me: "Sometimes your message is in your mess!" In other words, the Lord uses good and bad (even if sometimes the bad is our own fault) to get our attention--and help spread His Good News anyway. (I think of St. Paul in prison...)

He has certainly gotten my attention lately, How about any of you?

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Thoughts on Sci-fy

Sorry it's been so long since my last blog.  Too much going on at our house.  Looking forward to the Peaks Trilogy being out on Nook and Smashwords in May, though.

Recently I read a book called "The Science in Science Fiction" by Peter Nichols.  Very interesting, as it was written in 1983, so some things that were 'fiction' then are 'fact' now.  And some things that none of us had even imagined are now science fact!  Still, I liked the following quote:

"Science fiction and fantasy help us to form and populate our imaginary worlds, and it is not really so surprising that their content occasionally diffuses into our more fanciful interpretations of reality."

For me lately, the fantasy has provided a helpful escape from reality!

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Free Promo of KindleEdition

This is the last chance (for awhile) to get a free copy of Part 3 of "The Peaks Trilogy"  next Saturday, 2/23.  Then I'll be working on getting onto other media--like Nook!

Monday, February 4, 2013

Looking Toward the Sequel

Well, the Trilogy that was always my dream is finally out in "real print' as well as e-books.  It is available from Amazon.com or Create Space.  Title is "The Peaks at the Edge of the World"

I've had lots of constructive and helpful comments on the book already, and want to thank all who have contributed to them.

Now I am in the proof-draft of the sequel that I had never envisioned--it just came off the pen, so to speak.  I had always toyed with the idea of incorporating the Millennium (see Revelation) into the story, but wasn't sure exactly how it would work.   The idea has 'evolved' over the past 30 years.

Pre- post- or a-millennialist--whatever you are--I think you'll find I've put a unique twist on it.  Of course, it's fiction, but it's so much fun to play with ideas...

You know, there is a lot of overlap for a writer, as imagination flows over into past experiences, and back again.  I had forgotten what a joy--and a challenge--fiction writing can be.  For the 20 years we were away from Montana (in Michigan) I was totally engaged in non-fiction.  It's nice to be back to the 'realms of wonder what-if...'

Sunday, January 6, 2013

One More Chance!

Well, since the world is still here, you can have one more chance to get Part 3 of "The Peaks Trilogy" for free, for Kindle.

Join Martina and Jon, along with their families as they struggle through a spiritual odyssey set in the distant future.  

Look at religion from a completely different point of view.

Don't have a Kindle?  You can get the complete trilogy in one paperback on Amazon.com!


Tuesday, January 1, 2013

We Made It!

Well, here it is 2013--sometimes I wondered if we would make it this far.  Between all the talk about the Mayan calendar and the Fiscal Cliff, it makes one wonder.

Still, as I look out at the mountains around me here in northwest Montana's Flathead Valley, they seem to just stand there with some secret knowledge of their own.

I wrote most of my first two books in their shadows--way back in the early 80's.  Then I didn't touch them for 19 years, while we lived on the shores of Lake Huron in Michigan.

Michigan had its own special qualities--and now memories--but no call of the mountains.

It took coming back here to resume working on "The Peaks at the Edge of the World."

I felt a sense of urgency to get it out before the end of 2012--and it is--on Kindle--and as a paperback on Create Space.  Both are currently only available from Amazon.com--or thru me.

Now that 2013 is here, I wonder, what next?  I have drafts of a sequel, and for some reason (probably having to do with the long winters here), it is called "When the World Grows Cold."

But there is more to it than that.  I sense the world growing cold toward the Lord--and his people.  Where is this world headed?

Well, only time will tell.!  So here's to the New Year...