Indie Author Land is hosting “50 Self-published Books Worth Reading in 2013/14.”
My book ELLY HAYS made the short list!!!!
Please vote the old girl into the finals in the literary category…and check out the other books on the list. Some are great books, written by very dear friends, but don’t vote for them. LOL! You can vote 5 times.
Click here to vote and THANK YOU! I owe you a marshmallow peep.
If you’d like to know more about the book, look under “my books” at the top of this page.
Here’s a snippet from my brand new book, Savannah’s Bluebird.
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She strolled down to the beach of Lake Pontchartrain and found a quiet spot on the bank. She stared at the ripples of water lapping the shore, mesmerized by the sound, which was accompanied by seabirds whistling and cawing as they flew overhead. She closed her eyes and let the sounds wash over her, attempting to block out the awful world she now lived in. The noise of someone clearing her throat interrupted Savannah’s reverie. She looked around and saw an old woman emerging from the tree line behind her. The woman was covered in layers of bright and ornate scarves and wraps that curled around her in the breeze. Her dark red hair was in a bun on top of her head, but stringy ringlets dripped around her face and neck, tangling themselves in her large hoop earrings.
“I thought I’d find you here.” The old woman cackled as she approached.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. You must have me confused with someone else. Do I know you?”
“No, I don’t have you confused with anyone else, dear, and no, you don’t know me.” The old woman had a bulge of tobacco in her cheek, and she spit some sweet-smelling brown juice on the dirt.
Savannah started to rise to leave, made uncomfortable by the weird old woman.
“No, chavi, you need to stay and speak with me. I came down here from Biloxi because I have a gift for you here in my bujo.”
“Your bujo?”
The woman held up her large bag.
Savannah reluctantly sat back down, now curious about the woman.
“You’re from Biloxi?”
“No, dear, I’m from New Orleans, but I’ve lived in Biloxi a few years.” The woman plopped down next to her and began digging deep into the bag. She fished around for a long time and eventually pulled out a small object wrapped in a dirty handkerchief. She looked at it strangely for a moment, and then held it toward Savannah, who did not reach for it.
“Here.” She thrust it into Savannah’s chest. “This is for you. Take it.”
“I’m sure I don’t need any gifts, ma’am.”
“Just open it. It’s baxtalo. You would say…lucky.” She placed it in Savannah’s hand.
Savannah stared at the handkerchief and didn’t move.
“Open it,” the crone demanded.
Savannah placed it on her lap and tried to touch the filthy handkerchief as little as possible as she unfolded it to reveal a small blue object made of glass. She held it up between her thumb and forefinger and saw it was a two-inch-tall bluebird. She turned and awaited an explanation from the old woman.
“I knew you’d like it.” The woman smiled through missing teeth. She twisted her chin to the side and spit more tobacco juice onto the ground.
“But why?”
“I know you’ve had a difficult time since coming here, and I thought this would make you feel better.” The woman turned and stared at the water. Her expression grew solemn and she continued speaking without looking at Savannah. “Fate may not be kind to you, young lady, and you will need this item to face your future.”
“Ma’am, I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, you don’t, do you? Tell me about Thomas Blakely.”
“What?”
“Your father.”
“What do you know about my father?”
“I met him about fifteen years ago…right here on this very beach.” She thumbed a direction over her shoulder. “Right over there at a little watering hole I worked at. He was courting your mother at the time.” She smiled. “I was young then, too, and I must admit, he was a handsome man, and I had eyes for him as well. He was working on those railroad tracks my people destroyed. They were angry that the train was going to go through their homes. I don’t mean near their homes, I mean right through the middle of them. My people have always lived off the land, not in those fancy houses like you live in. It was because of us that your father was here working at the time. It was because of us he met your mother, so I guess it was because of us that you were born.” She paused and kept staring at the small wavelets. “He sure was a handsome man. Too bad he wasn’t one of us.”
“You’re a gypsy.”
The woman nodded.
“Do you live on the beach in Biloxi?”
“Sometimes. Sometimes I live here.”
Savannah looked down at the glass object in her hand. “You’re the one who told my father the bluebird story.”
“Yes, child, I am.” She turned toward Savannah. “The bluebird is magical, and it can do some surprising things.”
“Yes, my father told me.”
The woman didn’t acknowledge her comment. “Sadly, I didn’t plan on him seeing the bluebird while he was with your mother. I was hoping he would see it while he was with…oh, never mind about that. Things happen and life goes on. We all have our own private destiny to live out, even if it affects others.”
Savannah stared at the woman’s face, realizing the woman wasn’t as old as she initially looked. She carried herself like an old woman, but there wasn’t a crease on her face, not a wrinkle around her eyes or lips. She was actually quite pretty in an exotic way.
“So, you were friends with my father?”
“You could say that.”
Savannah didn’t like the cryptic answer. Did this woman love her father? Was the bluebird story a spell to make her father fall in love?
“Tell me about August.”
A shiver went up Savannah’s spine. “How do you know about August?”
“I know everything, child. I know the past, the present”—she looked Savannah in the eyes—“and the future.”
“Are you a fortune teller?”
The woman shrugged. “No, I am no drabarni—fortune teller, as you say.” She spit again and shrugged. “Some people call me a witch, but I’m no witch, either. I just know things. Some people around here call it voodoo, but it’s not voodoo. My people come from a faraway land and some of us have special gifts.”
The woman slowly climbed to her feet with a few grunts and groans. She leaned forward a bit, half hunched as if her back was aching. Her scarves blew wildly around her head as the wind picked up, giving her a mysterious aura. She looked like a witch.
“I will tell you one thing before I go. My son, Bernard, and your August will meet someday, and you will need that little bluebird when the time comes. Keep it close to you. Remember the magic your father told you of the bluebird, and know that this one holds even more power than the story. It is a mulevi. It will make your deepest wish come true if only you will ask. But be careful how you use it, and don’t use it frivolously. You will know beyond a shadow of a doubt when the time comes, and it will be the most powerful thing you will ever witness.”
“What’s a mulevi?”
“An item to reach the dead.”
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HASHTAGS ROCK MY WORLD!Here’s a huge list for you authors on Twitter. It was compiled by a bunch of people, and I compiled it further. Print it out and enjoy!
It’s been a while since I posted a snippet. The following is from my book Okatibbee Creek. The heroine of the story is my 3rd great grandmother. She barely survived the Civil War and typhoid running rampant through her family. In this scene, the war is over and disease has passed, she is older and having a discussion with the slave who raised her.
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I look up and see Bertie slowly walking up the road toward daddy’s house. She’s wearing a dark blue dress and a floppy straw hat covering her eyes.
“Hi, Miss Bertie,” I yell to her as I wipe away my tears and put a smile on my face.
“Hi, baby girl.” She waves back.
“What brings you out on this lovely morning?” I ask when she finally reaches the porch and plops down on the step. She takes off her hat and reveals her gray hair tied in a bun. She sets her hat next to her and wipes beads of sweat off her forehead with her handkerchief.
“I was just on my way to your house to see the babies and to see how you are doing,” she says as she tucks her handkerchief back into her sleeve.
I can tell by her demeanor that there is something more on her mind, but I figure she will tell me when she is ready.
“Well, it’s nice to see you. We are all doing fine at home,” I reply.
“That’s good to hear, baby girl.”
“Bertie, I’m forty-one years old. How long are you going to call me baby girl?” I tease her.
She laughs. “You have been my baby girl since I came to your daddy’s house when you were six years old. You will always be my baby girl.”
“Aw, you know I love you, Miss Bertie.” I reach over and pat her bony hand.
“And I love you, too, baby girl. You know, you have always been the smartest and most beautiful of your momma’s children. And with everything you have been through, you have become the strongest and most courageous woman I have ever known.”
She pauses and looks out across the yard as her mind wanders to another time and place. After a moment she adds, “Your momma and daddy would be very proud of you, but it was a blessing they were not around to witness all the pain and loss we went through.” She pauses again and looks out across the yard. “You’re also a wonderful mother.”
I can tell she’s leading up to something.
“I don’t know what I would have done without you, Bertie. You helped me through so much.”
“I know what you went through, baby girl. I witnessed it all. I have seen you stand strong in the face of disaster and death and sickness and hunger. You have faced every adversity with courage and every defeat with dignity and grace. I’m very proud of you, more than you’ll ever know.”
My eyes well up with tears as I feel a mixture of being touched by her kind words, and trepidation that she is going somewhere awful with this talk.
“Bertie, your love has been one of the reasons I have been able to be strong and steadfast. Together, we have laughed and cried through so much,” I say as I stare straight ahead at the field.
Memories come flooding back, along with the sadness and the happiness. Rice, Daddy, Momma, Monroe Franklin. I shake the memories off and look back at Bertie.
“I have the feeling you weren’t headed all the way to my house just to tell me you’re proud of me.” I stop and wait for her to speak.
“Well, baby girl, like I said, you have always been the smartest of your momma’s children.” She takes a deep breath and exhales. I wait patiently as I watch her build up her courage. “Well, I have not been feeling very well lately and I saw the doctor. He said he can’t do much for me and I may not be around much longer. You know I have raised Tony as my own since his parents died of the fever. He’s only thirteen and not quite ready to face the world on his own just yet.” She looks away. I can tell she is trying to get through this speech without crying. Finally, she turns to me and looks me straight in the eye. “I want to ask you to take care of Tony when my time comes. I can rest easy if I know you will do that for me.”
“What? Bertie, of course I will take care of Tony. But I don’t want to hear anything about you being gone. We’ve been through too much together and everything finally seems to be turning around for the better.” I pause, wondering if that is really true. Is everything going to be all right?
I continue, “We’ve walked straight through the midst of hell and we are just now starting to find our way back.”
“I hope you’re right, baby girl, but we can’t control what the good Lord wants to do. We just have to handle it the best we can when it comes.”
I nod and quietly say, “Bertie, I will do whatever you need me to do.”
“I know you will, baby girl. I just thought it would be nice to ask.” She winks at me.
Using both arms to lift herself, Bertie slowly rises from the step. I stand up, too, and she gives me a long hug. She puts her hat on and carefully steps away from the porch, heading toward the dirt road. I yell “goodbye” to her and she waves her hand behind her head without turning around. She walks very, very slowly, favoring one leg more than the other, and I watch her until she shuffles out of sight.
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Lori Crane Books at Amazon
Readers’ Favorite is one of my favorite sites. Click HERE to visit them. If you look down the left side of their page, you will find the genre of books you like and can spend hours and hours looking at great reviews of books. The site is a gem! One of their reviewers, Brenda Casto, gave my book ELLY HAYS a 5-star review! I’m tickled!! Here’s the LINK if you’d like to read it on their site or it is copied and pasted below. ELLY HAYS is the third book in the Okatibbee Creek series, but the books do not need to be experienced in order. Writing about Elly was very dear to me as she is my 5th great grandmother. She was one amazing woman! ♥
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Reviewed by Brenda Casto for Readers’ Favorite
Elly Hays is a story that takes place in the early 1800s. The book opens with a speech from Tecumseh urging the Creek Village that lives in the Mississippi Territory where Tafv and his son live to join forces and go to war against the white man. But many of the Creek have started adopting the white man’s ways, even marrying their women, so Tafv is torn about how to handle the problem. Meanwhile in Tennessee, James Rodgers has heard about cheap government land in Creek territory and convinces his wife Elly to move their eleven children there. When they arrive, they are faced with aggravation from the Creek, because Tafv’s plan is to run them off instead of killing them, hoping that they will go away and tell other whites how difficult it is to live on Creek land. The Rodgers are a tenacious bunch, though, and don’t go easily. But when Tafv’s only son is killed, he vows to seek revenge against the Rodgers.
Elly Hays by Lori Crane is a rare gem because it’s a fictionalized story based on a real family that lived during the 1800s. What makes it so unique is the way Ms. Crane portrayed the Indians in this story. Instead of portraying them as savages, she allows us to glimpse them as real people with real feelings, who grieve over losses just as the white man did. Tafv was a brave warrior, but more than that he was a caring individual that felt hurt and grieved deeply for those he lost. She provides insight into the plight that the Native Americans must have felt during this time period as they desperately tried to figure out a way to hold onto their way of life. Unfortunately, the Rodgers family found themselves in the middle of this struggle. Smoothly written, the chapters easily transition between Elly and her family and the issues with Tafv and his clan. Ms. Crane really did her research because she provides rich detail that truly allows the reader to feel as if they are part of the time she is describing. A historically rich tale where there are really no bad guys. Instead the author allowed me to see both sides. The epilogue and author notes added to this story in my opinion because it allowed me to learn what happened after the story. Historical fiction where there is plenty of truth woven in made Elly Hays a page-turning read for me.
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Hi everyone!
Last month, I released my book Okatibbee Creek on audiobook at Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. It was narrated by the talented and fabulous Margaret Lepera. Audible has granted me a few FREE copies and I would like to give them away to you!
Please read the blurb below and and check out the sample at Audible – click HERE. If you find the story fits your taste, shoot me an email at LoriCraneAuthor@gmail.com and I’ll send you a FREE download code. I have ten to give away, so hurry up and be the one of the first ten to send me an email. I only ask that you rate it on Audible when you’re done listening. I only have one rating over there so far, and it looks pretty lonely. 😦
Blurb:
In the bloodiest years of our nation’s history, a young mother was left alone to endure the ravages of the Civil War and a typhoid epidemic that threatened the lives of everyone left behind.
Okatibbee Creek is based on the true story of Mary Ann Rodgers, who survived the collapse of the Confederate dollar, food shortages, and the deaths of countless family members to war and disease. As she searched for a way to feed her children and her orphaned nieces and nephews, Sherman’s Union army marched through Mississippi on their way to destroy Meridian, and Mary Ann found the distant war literally on her doorstep.
Help arrived just in the nick of time in the form of an unexpected champion, and Mary Ann emerged on the other side a heroic woman with an amazing story.
Okatibbee Creek is a tale of historical fiction that brings the Deep South vividly to life and will have you cheering and crying through a real-life story of loss, love, and survival.
UPDATE FEBRUARY 11: I still have one more copy if you’re interested. LoriCraneAuthor@gmail.com
Sometimes people ask me when and why I started writing.
I usually tell them about the road trip my trophy husband and I took to Mississippi and the hour we sat at the foot of the grave of my 3rd great grandmother. I told him all about her life and her struggles during the Civil War, and he said, and I quote, “You should write a book.” Yes, her life was amazing, and yes, I did write the book. It became Okatibbee Creek and was followed by two sequels, An Orphan’s Heart and Elly Hays. Then I began working on a crazy Southern legend I grew up with. It became The Legend of Stuckey’s Bridge, and I am currently finishing the second in the trilogy, Stuckey’s Legacy.
But the journey started long before that. I just got a little sidetracked.
About six months before the Mississippi trip, I had a dream. There was a man and woman who were trying to get to their wedding ceremony and everything under the blue sky fell in their path to stop them…including death! But, they loved each other so much, even death couldn’t keep them apart. The dream was both frustrating and deeply emotional, and the end froze me in my tracks. I woke at 4:00 a.m. in a cold sweat with my heart pounding. I ran downstairs and wrote down the story and was still writing when the sun rose.
Often, a dream will cease to make sense in the light of day, but when I related the story to my trophy husband, he said, “That’s a good story; you should write a book.” The next day, I told the story to my daughter who said, “I just got goosebumps; you should write a book.” Later that evening at dinner, I told the story to my son who said, “Wow! You should write a book.” On the way home from dinner, we passed a billboard on the side of the freeway. It read, “PUBLISH YOUR BOOK.”
Okay, okay, I get it!!! Stop yelling at me!!!
I’ve spent the last two years navigating the self-publishing industry, and I’ve won awards for Okatibbee, Orphan, and Elly. I was best selling with Elly sitting at the #1 spot in Native American stories on Amazon for short minute. I’ve even reached #23 of the Top-100 Historical Fiction authors on Amazon, so I guess I’m doing the right thing, and I’m glad the universe yelled at me.
Long story short, the rough draft of the dream that started it all has been collecting dust in my computer for two years, and last fall I felt the need to finish it. Since I write Southern Historical Fiction, I placed my star-crossed lovers in the 1930’s in Biloxi and New Orleans. It’s the most current era I’ve ever worked in, and it was a pleasure for my cast to have telephones and automobiles for a change.
Savannah’s Bluebird will be released February 28, 2014 on Amazon Kindle. Paperback, iBook, and Nook will follow shortly after. I hope readers like Savannah and enjoy the twist the story takes. I want them to say, “Hey, wait a minute!” and feel the need to flip the pages back and re-read from a different perspective.
TWO of my books are up for public opinion – the scariest thing in the whole world, no?
The 2013 AuthorsdB Book Cover Contest has placed the voting in your hands. I have TWO, yes, TWO books up for awards in THREE categories.
1) An Orphan’s Heart is a semi-finalist in the history category – VOTE HERE
2) and is a semi-finalist for COVER OF THE YEAR – VOTE HERE!
3) The Legend of Stuckey’s Bridge is a semi-finalist in the mystery/thriller category – VOTE HERE!
I can’t thank you enough for supporting indie authors and all the crazy work we do. Today, I’m wearing my publicist hat! It looks good, huh?
I’d like to send out a HUGE thank you to my book designer ELITE BOOK DESIGN who created BOTH covers. I’ve been contributing a bunch of blogs over there as a thank you, so pop over and show them some love. If you need any indie publishing work done, from video trailers to website banners to book covers, ELITE is the company to use!
LEGENDS OF WINDEMERE: ALLURE OF THE GYPIES
by Charles Yallowitz
The epic adventures of Luke Callindor and Nyx continue after their journey down the L’Dandrin River in Legends of Windemere: Prodigy of Rainbow Tower.Reeling from his failures in their previous adventure, Luke leads his surviving friends to his hometown. With his mind frayed and his confidence fractured, Luke must face the family and fiancée he left behind. It is a brief homecoming when the vampire Kalam attacks the village, forcing Luke and Nyx to break into his lair for the key to resurrecting a fallen warrior. It is a quest that will force both young heroes to reach new heights of strength and power that they never knew they had.Can Luke and Nyx escape the lair of Kalam? And, what role will the orphaned gypsy Sari play in their looming destiny?
Coming December 1, 2013
PREVIOUS BOOKS BY CHARLES YALLOWITZ
Legends of Windemere: Beginning of a Hero (Volume 1) http://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Hero-Legends-Windemere-ebook/dp/B00BL9GBU2/
Legends of Windemere: Prodigy of Rainbow Tower (Volume 2) http://www.amazon.com/Prodigy-Rainbow-Legends-Windemere-ebook/dp/B00E8WUD5S/
Charles Yallowitz was born and raised on Long Island, NY, but he has spent most of his life wandering his own imagination in a blissful haze. Occasionally, he would return from this world for the necessities such as food, showers, and Saturday morning cartoons. One day he returned from his imagination and decided he would share his stories with the world. After his wife decided that she was tired of hearing the same stories repeatedly, she convinced him that it would make more sense to follow his dream of being a fantasy author. So, locked within the house under orders to shut up and get to work, Charles brings you Legends of Windemere. He looks forward to sharing all of his stories with you and his wife is happy he finally has someone else to play with.
I’d like to blog a gigantic thank you for a successful ELLY HAYS book tour. I have to admit it was majorly stressful putting it all together, but in the end, the stress and preparedness paid off. Everything went off without a hitch. I’d like to thank my hosts: Pat Fitzhugh, Anna Belfrage, Ionia Martin at Readful Things, Sandi Layne, Patricia Zick at Writing Whims, David Lawlor, and Christoph Fischer. These folks are the nicest bunch of bloggers, authors, and friends a girl could ask for.
Now, without further ado, here are the winners of the eBooks offered at various stops. If you’re name is here, please email me at LoriCraneAuthor@gmail.com and claim your prize. The prize is a copy of your choice of OKATIBBEE CREEK or AN ORPHAN’S HEART and it can be claimed as a Kindle or Nook.
Nov 5 this blog Elly Hays video debut – NikiMarie
Nov 7 Anna Belfrage’s blog – Sharron McAvoy
Nov 8 Readful Things – Julian Froment
Nov 13 Writing Whims – Francis Guenette
The $25 Amazon gift card prize for signing up for my newsletter will be announced Nov 18 in the newsletter. Still time to get in on the drawing!! Hurry up! Sign up at http://www.LoriCraneAuthor.com.
If you’d like to see what we chatted about at the Nov 4 online release party – click HERE. If you’d like to see our live Nov 16th Twitter chat, go to Twitter and search hashtag #ellyhays. Hillarity ensued as I tried to get author PC Zick to sell author Anna Belfrage’s book during PC’s book tour. Leave it to the blonde to mess things up. Yeah, that’s me. ♥ you all!
Thank you!
Lori Crane 