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Sister against Sister in the Civil War: Love Me Forever by Jina Bacarr

April 11, 2015 by in category Archives tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Love Me Forever is on Kindle Scout

The Civil War ended this week 150 years ago…

We hear so much about how the Civil War was a conflict about brother against brother.

What about the women of the North and South?

Sister against sister?

In “LOVE ME FOREVER,” my story on Kindle Scout, two women with very different beliefs learn to accept each other for who they are.

They’re not only separated by what they believe in, but by more than 150 years when my heroine travels back to 1862.

Here is an excerpt when my heroine, Liberty Jordan, a re-enactor from today disguised as a Confederate officer, meets up with Pauletta Sue Buckingham when Liberty escapes from the clutches of a dastardly sergeant in a Union prison camp. Pauletta Sue sees her running across the field and races after her in her buggy and carriage. Believing her to be a young Southern man, she offers her refuge:

“You must be brave, sir. The cause needs you,” the woman whispered with urgency, startling Liberty.

So that’s why she helped her. She was a Confederate sympathizer. Here? In a Union camp?

Would they both be shot?

“Hurry, get in,” she ordered. “The bluecoats are coming.”

Holding onto the side of the carriage, Liberty lifted herself up when suddenly she felt her feet give way from underneath her. Damn, she hadn’t counted on the slippery step glistening with dew. It caught her unaware and threw her off balance. She lost her footing on the soggy, wet earth, staggered, then with a loud plop, landed on the ground, the wind knocked out of her.

Her officer’s wide brim hat flying off her head.

Liberty heard the woman gasp when her long reddish-blond hair tumbled down her back like a cascade of corn silk popping up out of its stalk.

“You’re a woman,” the Southerner cried out, her hand going to her mouth.

“Haven’t you ever seen a girl in pants before?” Liberty said, a weak smile curling over her lips. She was surprised the woman didn’t faint.

“Dear Lord, the soldiers mustn’t find out you’re a female,” she said, taking charge. “No telling what they’d do, seeing they have the manners of a country hog.” Holding up her skirts, she climbed out of the carriage to retrieve Liberty’s brim hat.

“Then you won’t give me away?” Liberty asked, surprised. The Southern belle was no pushover.

“You fool girl. I admire what you’re doing, but the Yankees will never understand what we women will do for the cause. Even if we suffer from a broken heart, we’ll never give up,” she said with an emotion so deep it surprised Liberty. She handed her hat back to her. “Run! I’ll hold them off. You can take shelter in the old mill down the road till morning. There’s a secret hiding place behind the pantry.”

How did she know that?

Liberty had no time to ponder the belle and her cause. Instead, she pulled the soggy hat back onto her head and muttered her thanks. She lifted her chin, the sun hitting her cheeks with its fading rays and revealing her face. Before she could pull down the brim of her hat, the woman grabbed her hand.

“Wait,” the dark-haired beauty muttered with surprise. Or was it shock? “Who are you, Missy?”’

“Nobody, ma’am—” Liberty began, her breath catching in her chest when she saw blue-uniformed soldiers on horseback racing toward them, kicking up dust. She had to get out of here, now.

“I demand to know who you are, where you’re from.” The Confederate woman pulled the veil off her face framed by dark hair. “And why you look like me.”

Yes, that’s Pauletta Sue on the left and Liberty on the right in the graphic at the top of the page. The two women are twins except for their hair color. Not only are they on opposite sides, but they both vie for the same man…course, I can’t tell what happens…but sparks fly and it isn’t just on the battlefield…

LOVE ME FOREVER is on Kindle Scout — you can read the first 5,000 words HERE. You’ll meet both my heroines and both my heroes in the excerpt. If you nominate my story and it’s published by Kindle Scout, then you’ll receive a free copy! It’s a saga of love and romance and war. Believe me, I walked every road, fought every battle with my characters, even walked around in a hoop skirt to “get it right.”

This is a book of the heart…any questions? Please ask!!

Thank you for stopping by…………..

If anyone feels like sharing a vote…I’ll be forever grateful! LOVE ME FOREVER

~Jina

PS — As I post tonight LOVE ME FOREVER is Hot & Trending!

PPS — COMING next month: a full account of my experience with Kindle Scout.

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What OCC Has Offered Me I Have Gladly Taken

April 4, 2015 by in category Archives tagged as , , ,

Hello OCC!

I’ve been a member of OCC for over eight years now and I’m still surprised at the amount of information that I get out of OCC meetings and the speakers.

Whether our speaker is an author, an editor, a publisher, an agent, scriptwriter, and the list goes on, I have found that I leave with a spark of new knowledge from each one. While I don’t write inspirational, historical, mystery, or women’s fiction, I still come away with at least a small token, or a writing tip, from every speaker regardless of the genre. This is something a multi published author also said to me recently and I realized how true it was.

How is that possible? Everyone has different experiences and systems for what they do. I’ve tried many of the writing systems from our various speakers and found what works for me. Like everything else in the writing process, it’s a trial and error career. Finding a routine and a writing system that works specifically for you is a challenge but not impossible.

After learning the craft of writing, which not only includes the manuscript format, the structure of your manuscript, and how to plot and brainstorm, I’ve also learned about submitting, marketing, queries, synopsis, e-book publishing vs traditional publishing and so much more. Now I write with more confidence but I’m still learning.

How does this happen? It’s all due to the OCC Programs volunteer members who are entrusted with the duty of finding a variety of speakers on a wide range of topics that will be an asset for our membership.

Every year new members join OCC and our membership is always looking for new speakers to entice both our new and veteran members. A duty we do not take lightly.

This year I am thrilled to be the VP of Programs. It’s up to me to get speakers for the next couple of years and I’m excited to see what lies ahead. I’d love to hear from our membership if there is a topic you would like to hear or someone you would like us to consider as a possible speaker. Please contact me at programs@occrwa.org with your ideas.

As writers, our work is solitary but our network stretches far and wide. We learn from editors, publishers, screenwriters, romance writers of many genres, media moguls, and even our own very talented OCC members. Everyone I meet leaves a grain of knowledge I did not possess before.

Join me in making the next two years memorable, amazing, and spectacular! Let me hear from you with any ideas you may have.

I thank OCC for the honor of serving as VP of Programs and I look forward to an amazing year.

Again as a volunteer, I get to give back to OCC for all the support, encouragement, friendship, and a push from time to time. In addition, for all the years of learning that OCC has gifted me with I thank the chapter.

Elizabeth Scott

w/a Elise Scott 
“One Weekend” a short story in Romancing the Pages OCC Anthology, on Amazon, Barnes & Noble eBook retailers.

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April’s OCCRWA Online Class is “Behind Bars: A Look Inside a Federal Penitentiary”, with Nancy Farrier and Gerry Legg, Jr.

March 26, 2015 by in category Archives

OCCRWA’s own Nancy Farrier is here today to talk about her upcoming online class:

Looking Behind the Bars into a Federal Penitentiary. 

As authors we always strive for authenticity in our work. This means doing a lot of research, even for the small details. For instance, if possible, we will visit a location where our story will be set to experience the feel of the setting. Sometimes this isn’t feasible so we have to rely on others who have been there and are willing to share their experiences with us.

This is what we hope to share with you in our class about Federal Penitentiaries. An authentic look at what happens inside. We’ll give you a chance to see how the prison system works on many levels. To research with accuracy isn’t easy, but taking a class from someone who knows what goes on behind the bars can help.

You might think this is only for writers of suspense, mystery or thriller, but that isn’t the case. Our books could contain characters in prison, or we may have a character who needs to visit someone in prison, or to speak with authority about something that might happen in a penitentiary. Maybe you’re plotting a fantasy and need to include incarceration and this class will give you some great ideas to make your world become real.

In this class you will learn some of the major mistakes many authors make – even some big name authors – errors that are glaring to anyone who knows about prisons. You will learn about the training for the Federal Correction Officers; what they can and can’t do at work. You will see what happens on Visitor day – what’s allowed and what isn’t. What jobs might those incarcerated be allowed to do? How soon can they have visitors and who is allowed to visit?

What kinds of things to inmates do that they aren’t supposed to and what happens when they get caught? Do murders occur in a Federal prison? Yes, of course. So, what happens then? How is the scene processed? Who handles the investigation?

When I first did this class with Gerry, I learned some facts that surprised and even shocked me. Facts that gave me some story ideas. I’m sure you will too as you sit in on Behind Bars: A Look Inside a Federal Penitentiary. Come prepared to learn and to ask questions.

For more information and to register go to http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclassApril15.html
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How to make the most out of your conference weekend

March 25, 2015 by in category Archives tagged as , ,

I can’t believe it’s finally here! I’m talking about this weekend’s California Dreamin Writers Conference. This will be my second conference so I thought I’d share some tips to help you get the most out of this experience.

1) Keep your business cards on you at all times

You never know who will be in the elevator with you or sitting next to you at lunch. It could be a potential reader, it could be your dream agent. Or it could just be someone you liked talking to for a few minutes and want to follow them on Twitter and vice versa. So have a business card handy to pass on just in case!

2) Go to at least one workshop outside your usual genre or track

Sometimes you can’t always judge a workshop or a speaker by a title or few sentence description alone. Who knows? You could learn something or meet someone important that will have an impact on your writing.

3) Have fun…but not too much fun

You wouldn’t want to miss out on some morning workshops because you stayed out all night partying, would you? There are so many great speakers at this event that it would be a shame to miss out on learning something from them because you overslept.

4) Mingle!

Even if you don’t know him or her, talk to the person sitting next to you during a workshop or at dinner. A conference is the best way to build your network of author friends.

5) Ask questions — even if you think you already know the answer
This is the only way we learn. Not only that, but asking questions can open doors that you thought were locked. So don’t be afraid!

Feel free to add your own conference tips in the comments below.

See you this weekend, I hope!

Sabrina Sol
www.sabrinasol.com
@theromancechica

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Power Corrupts…

March 24, 2015 by in category Archives
“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”   Lord Acton
Well, no, actually.

Power allows existing personality traits to manifest themselves–it may enhance, but it doesn’t create the traits.

Naturally military dictators willing to kill and crush all opposition to achieve power aren’t likely to be the nicest of people.  They are already “corrupt.” Though they may have initially put on a mask of niceness to get support, the moment they achieve their goals, the mask falls and their basic dictatorial personality is manifest. Absolute power does not corrupt them–it is simply an enabler to allow a preexisting condition to express itself.

Unfortunately, since they themselves are quite unpleasant people–willing to do anything to achieve power–they often assume everyone else is the same, and can be quite paranoid. And to paraphrase the joke, just because they are paranoid doesn’t mean they are not hated and that everyone is indeed out to get them. Again, the traits were all there to start off with, power is not the cause, though it does enable the effects.

But examine people that have not acquired power through force. Look at people who were born into power–kings and queens–to see how the opportunities that absolute power offers is always transformed by the personality in power throughout history.  Even though England’s present royalty doesn’t have much actual power, you just know that Prince Charles would not go around beheading people (except for a few architects perhaps) if he had absolute power. There’s even variety in dictators,  Stalin, Tito, Castro all present quite different profiles in power.
Even the “power” of modern day celebrities demonstrate a great deal of variety. Some achieve power through talent and/or luck, not trampling on others (actors Vs reality tv stars).  Some actors are clearly total egocentric jerks (and worse), using and abusing their spotlight.  Others clearly are fairly normal human beings.

So don’t blame power. It’s just a door opener to the jerk within…

Isabel Swift
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