The ELLY HAYS book tour has taken a detour to the beautiful Isle of Green. Today, we stop by Ireland at “History with a Twist” to visit with author David Lawlor. Stop over there and check it out. You can comment and win an eBook, but you’ll have to scroll down to the bottom of the page, passing amazing authors and their GREAT books. Don’t get lost. 🙂 Click HERE to visit!
While you’re checking out great books today, go to Amazon HERE and check out David’s books, “The Golden Grave” and “Tan.”
Today’s stop on the ELLY HAYS book tour is at author Sandi Layne’s blog. Sandi asked me why I wrote ELLY HAYS, and that’s what the blog is about. Elly isn’t just another story — it is the story of my 5th great grandmother. I am honored and proud to share her life with you, TWO HUNDRED YEARS later. You can read the article right HERE!  Also, don’t forget to comment over there to win a free eBook.
While you’re at it, check out Sandi’s award-winning books on Amazon right HERE. She is a fabulous and prolific writer! I hope to have that many books out someday. 🙂
Hi everyone! Thanks for stopping by the book tour today. We’re in the middle of the ELLY HAYS book tour which will wrap up on Saturday with a Twitter chat. Please check http://www.LoriCraneAuthor.com for a list of events, also, check the bottom of this page for a giveaway!
Today, we have with us the heroine of ELLY HAYS…the one and only… Elly Hays!
Lori: So, Elly, since you’re my 5th great grandmother, I know quite a bit about you, but please tell our readers a little about yourself.
Elly: Sure. I was born in 1774, just before the Revolutionary War, in North Carolina, right on the border of Tennessee. We actually lived in Tennessee. The varying records from both states make my descendants crazy when they try to look up the family.
Lori: Tell me about it. (I need a sarcasm font.)
Elly: My dad’s name was Samuel Hays and my mom was Elizabeth Priscilla Brawford.
Lori: Where were your parents from?
Elly: Dad was from Tennessee, mom was from Virginia.
Lori: Is Tennessee where you met your husband?
Elly: Yes, James Rodgers was born in Tennessee. We married there when I was only 16 years old–just a child.
Lori: Yes, by today’s standards, you were just a child. Did you make your home in Tennessee?
Elly: We lived there for a long time. After having 11 children, we finally moved in 1812.
Lori: What happened in 1812?
Elly: Well, the first thing that happened was a massive earthquake in December 1811 the shook the Ohio River Valley to its core. That was followed by two more earthquakes in January and February of 1812. Crevasses opened up in the earth, homes were destroyed. I even heard the Mississippi River was flowing backwards in spots. Our home was ruined.
Lori: So, what did you do?
Elly: At the same time, the War of 1812 was just beginning in the north, so James wanted to move further south to keep the children out of harm’s way. He convinced me to move.
Lori: To the Mississippi Territory?
Elly: Yes. Well, I believe you modern people now call it Alabama.
Lori: Yes, Alabama is a state now.
Elly: It was back then too, but not until 1819. We had already left that god-forsaken hell-hole by then.
Lori: Why? What happened?
Elly: What didn’t happen? We didn’t know when we moved there, the Creek Indians who occupied the land were in the middle of a civil war.
Lori: A civil war? That must have been terrifying.
Elly: That wasn’t the worst part. They also didn’t want us settlers living there, so they tortured my family for years. Every day was something else. One day, they slaughtered all my farm animals. The next day, they destroyed my crops.
Lori: Oh my! What did you do?
Elly: I fought back the best way I could. My number one priority was to keep my children safe, but in the end, I couldn’t even do that.
Lori: So, what happened?
Elly: Well, the final straw was when they burned down our house and everything in it.
Lori: What did you do then?
Elly: Well, you’ll have to read the book and find out, won’t you?
Lori: Well, you heard her. Get your copy of ELLY HAYS! You can pick it up HERE.
Grandma Elly, thank you for coming by the blog today. We loved meeting you.
Elly: It was my pleasure. I hope everyone enjoys the story.
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GIVEAWAYS
1. EBOOK! Every comment on this post during the book tour (Nov 4-16) will be entered to win an ebook of the 1st or 2nd book in the Okatibbee Creek series, OKATIBBEE CREEK or AN ORPHAN’S HEART. Your choice of Kindle or Nook. One winner will be chosen. Prize will be delivered by email. Winner will be posted here in the comments on November 17, 2013. Visit each stop of the tour to increase your chances. An ebook will be given away at each stop. Tour schedule is posted below.
2. $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD! If you sign up for Lori’s newsletter by November 16th, you will be entered into the drawing for a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card. One winner will be chosen. Prize will be delivered by email. Winner will be announced in the newsletter on November 18, 2013. Sign up at www.LoriCraneAuthor.com.
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Nov 4-16, 2013 – ELLY HAYS Book Tour. Meet the Author. Win Prizes. Get the Book.
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The ELLY HAYS book tour stopped by Readful Things this morning and left a short excerpt. Pop over there and check it out. There’s also a GIVEAWAY!
And while you’re there, check out her other blogs. If you’re looking for a great read, she had lots and lots of suggestions. Click HERE!Â
The entire book tour schedule is posted on my website HERE.
My ELLY HAYS book tour is stopping by Anna Belfrage’s blog today!
Pop over there and check it out. Click here! You can learn a little about the War of 1812, and who wouldn’t want that?!
While you’re at it, check out Anna’s books at Amazon here. I’m currently finishing the first book and excitedly anticipating the next.
Her new book is A NEWFOUND LAND. I’m in love with her covers. You can see all her amazing covers on a blog I wrote here.
My ELLY HAYS tour stop for Nov 6th is at author Pat Fitzhugh’s. Pat penned the foreword for my book “The Legend of Stuckey’s Bridge” and is the foremost authority on the Bell Witch! NOBODY can tell a ghost story like this man. Check out his work on Amazon and visit my guest blog on his page. If you comment over there, you can win one of my books!
For the complete ELLY HAYS tour schedule, please visit my website!
Worldwide debut of the ELLY HAYS video trailer!!
As the War of 1812 approached, the Creek Indian Nation was in the middle of a civil war. They fought brutally between themselves, as well as with the white settlers who were encroaching upon tribal land.
It was during this time Elly’s family moved to the eastern Mississippi Territory for the promise of low-cost land and fertile soil. She had no idea they were moving into Creek territory – into the middle of a hornet’s nest.
Tafv’s band of warriors taunted them, stealing their property, killing their animals, and destroying their livelihood. Just when the family thought things couldn’t get any worse, during one of the Indian raids as Elly’s husband chased the Indians away from the farm, Tafv’s young son was killed in the pursuit. Tafv vowed revenge against Elly’s family, and a final showdown was imminent.
Elly Hays is based on the real-life story of Elizabeth Hays Rodgers and is the epic clash between a fearless warrior with nothing to lose and a young mother on the verge of losing everything.
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     GET YOUR COPY OF “ELLY HAYS” HERE
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GIVEAWAYSÂ
1. EBOOK! Every comment on this post during the book tour (Nov 4-16) will be entered to win an ebook of the 1st or 2nd book in the Okatibbee Creek series, OKATIBBEE CREEK or AN ORPHAN’S HEART. Your choice of Kindle or Nook. One winner will be chosen. Prize will be delivered by email. Winner will be posted here in the comments on November 17, 2013. Visit each stop of the tour to increase your chances. An ebook will be given away at each stop. Tour schedule is posted on my website at www.LoriCraneAuthor.com.
2. $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD! If you sign up for Lori’s newsletter by November 16th, you will be entered into the drawing for a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card. One winner will be chosen. Prize will be delivered by email. Winner will be announced in the newsletter on November 18, 2013. Sign up at www.LoriCraneAuthor.com.
I’m sooooo very excited about my new book, ELLY HAYS. Elly was one of my ancestors, my 5th great grandmother, and I loved writing her story.
The tale takes place during the War of 1812 in the Mississippi Territory, a place we now call Alabama. She was a strong and amazingly courageous woman. I’m not going to give the story away here, as you’ll hear more about it over the next two weeks. I’m just here to announce the Elly Hays book tour will begin tomorrow!
The ELLY HAYS book tour will kick off Monday night, November 4th, with an ONLINE RELEASE PARTY ON FACEBOOK. Everyone is welcome to attend. I have lots and lots of prizes to give away, including a $25 Amazon Gift Card. Stop by! 7-9 pm eastern.
We will continue with daily online stops, including the world debut of the video trailer Tuesday Nov 5, more info on Elly, the history of the War of 1812, excerpts, blurbs, reviews, and an interview with Elly herself. We’ll close out the tour with a LIVE TWITTER CHAT called “From Concept to Published” with some of my favorite indie authors and a book designer. That will be on Saturday, Nov 16, 4-5pm eastern, use hashtag #ellyhays. If you are an aspiring author, you definitely want to attend. If you are an established author, please stop by and chat with us. We can all learn from each other’s wisdom!
Prizes will be awarded at EVERY stop of the tour. Links to all stops are on my website at LoriCraneAuthor.com.
An additional prize of a $25 Amazon Gift Card will be awarded to one lucky winner who signs up for my newsletter during the tour. Prize will be awarded in the November 18th newsletter! Good luck! You can sign up on the website or HERE!
Okay, there’s too much going on today to keep quiet!
My dear friend Anna Belfrage has release a new book A NEWFOUND LAND. It’s the fourth in the Graham Saga. Geez, that cover is beautiful!
I admit, I just started this series a couple weeks ago, but I’m totally hooked on these characters. It’s a timeslip, it’s stuff that couldn’t possibly happen, it’s a complicated and intriguing story. I can’t wait to read A NEWFOUND LAND, but I want to finish the others first. From what I understand, you don’t have to read them in order, but I’d like to.
Check out the first three at Amazon. A RIP IN THE VEIL, LIKE CHAFF IN THE WIND, and THE PRODIGAL SON.
And check out her blog and the Graham Saga facebook page. Gawd, these covers are gorgeous!
Welcome to the Hallowe’en Blog Hop Trick or Treat! Thank you so much for stopping by and thank you to author Francine Howarth for organizing the spooky event.
The following is an excerpt from my book The Legend of Stuckey’s Bridge. Please leave a comment at the bottom of the page and include the words “Trick or Treat” to be entered into my witches’ hat for a Kindle copy of the book. Only one copy will be given away, and a winner will be chosen at the witching hour Oct 31. That’s midnight Pacific Time for you mortals. Check back Nov 1 to see if you’re the winner and to claim your prize. Have a safe and ghoulish Hallowe’en, my little toadlets!
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The Legend of Stuckey’s Bridge excerpt
The fog was dense, and the freckled boy couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of him, but he ran as fast as he could, tree branches whipping at his face. He tripped on a log, lunged forward, and nearly hit a tree head-on, but he caught his balance with his hands on the large tree trunk. He swung around behind it, leaning his back into it. He put his hand to his mouth to quiet his panting and felt the stickiness of sap from the trunk. He tried to wipe it off his face with his other hand, but that one was full of sap, too. He breathed slowly through his nose as he listened for his pursuer. He didn’t hear anything.
He was shaking uncontrollably and couldn’t stop himself. He clenched his jaw so his teeth wouldn’t chatter. Maybe he lost the murderer. Maybe he was dreaming. Maybe this was all a nightmare. Maybe he didn’t just witness an ax splitting his friend’s head wide open. He looked up into the black arms of the branches but couldn’t see anything but shadows. He glanced around in every direction, not being able to see more than a few feet in front of him. Where should he go? He didn’t know where he was or how long he would have to run to find safety. The nearest person could be miles and miles away. He didn’t see a place to hide. He would have to keep running. Surely the man wouldn’t follow him all night.
He held his breath and listened. Nothing. Which way? His breathing had begun to return to normal when a twig snapped loudly behind him. He gasped.
“You can’t hide forever, Freckles,” came a singsong voice. “Come out and let’s talk about this.”
He bolted in the direction opposite the voice, straight into the thick fog, running as fast as his feet would carry him. Vines and barbs grabbed at his legs, and branches scratched his arms like the claws of an unknown creature trying to rip off bits of his skin. He ignored them.
He stopped dead in his tracks as he felt an immense pain on his forehead, but he knew it couldn’t possibly be his pursuer’s ax. The murderer was way behind him.
He reached up to his face and felt something metal—something with a wooden handle. What is this!? The thick fog had limited his visibility. The sticky, warm wetness dripping into his eyes blinded him completely. His face was covered in warmth. Is this blood? He moved his hands over the object stuck in his forehead. A rake? Where did a rake come from? And how did it hit him squarely in the forehead? Confused, frightened, and in pain, he dropped to his knees, and an agonizing scream involuntarily escaped his lips as the long, wooden handle of the rake reached the ground before his knees did. The tines jerked upward, ripping off the front half of his scalp. The last thing he felt was the ax on the back of his head.
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Don’t forget to say “Trick or Treat” in your comment to be entered into the ghastly drawing and check back Nov 1 to see if you’re the winner!
Please visit the other Hallowe’en blog hop participants.
| 1. | Francine | 9. | Denise Covey | 17. | Susan Hanniford Crowley | |
| 2. | Marie Laval | 10. | Grace Elliot | 18. | Stephen Tremp | |
| 3. | NancyJ | 11. | Gilli Allan | 19. | Hywela Lyn | |
| 4. | N. R. Williams | 12. | Alison Stuart | 20. | Iyana Jenna | |
| 5. | Alison Morton | 13. | Mary Pax | 21. | Vala Kaye | |
| 6. | Karen Aminadra | 14. | Natalie-Nicole Bates | 22. | Yolanda Renee | |
| 7. | Lori Crane | 15. | Douglas Boren | |||
| 8. | Derek Birks | 16. | Anna Belfrage |
Lori Crane 