Reviews of Savannah’s Bluebird and Okatibbee Creek by author P.C. Zick. Stop by and show her some love for being so incredibly sweet to me and kind in her reviews.
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5-star review for ELLY HAYS!
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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Reviewers Who “Got” It
If you’re a writer, you’ve had to endure reviews. Sometimes you’re pleasantly surprised by a five-star only to be confused by a comment like “It’s okay if you don’t have anything else to read.” Sometimes you’re saddened by a one-star that strangely says something like “It’s okay if you don’t have anything else to read.” Huh? Usually reviews are flat comments like “I liked it,” or “I didn’t like it,” and nothing more. But, there are the occasional reviews that show the reader understood what the writer was trying to say. No matter the rating; the reviewer “got” it!
I wrote a story based in Mississippi during the Civil War called Okatibbee Creek. It was about Mary Ann (my third great grandmother) and how she grew up with fourteen siblings. Most of those siblings had eight/ten/twelve children of their own, so it was a HUGE family. By the middle of the book, the Civil War and typhoid fever decimated them, killing a majority of her family members in just one year. The family went from nearly 100 members to a scant handful. Mary Ann ended up without her parents or husband, taking in her orphaned nieces and nephews with no means of supporting them, trying to survive alone during the hell of war. She had never been alone before, seriously ALONE. I wanted the reader to have a sense of where she came from and what the war and disease had done to her, so they could feel her isolation, her panic, her sadness. Most of the poor reviews complain that there are too many family members, too many names. They don’t get it.
Here’s a review from someone who “got” it…
“This book is fascinating. For those of you that haven’t, it’s a glimpse into the mystery and fascination of finding your roots and imagining the life of your ancestors. I couldn’t help but wonder how a long dead relative felt when 3 of her 7 children died on the trail west. Or the first grandchild perishing as a baby along the Columbia River in Oregon. What kept these pioneers feeling that the trek was worth the pain? Yes, there are a lot of names. Start a family tree and enjoy the story. It’s just what I would have wanted to write about my family.”
ELLY HAYS book tour – Last Stops: Reviews and Twitter Chat!
The last stops of the ELLY HAYS book tour are for reviews.
One is on the other side of the pond at author Christoph Fischer’s and the other is right here in the U.S. at author PC Zick’s. They are both amazing and talented authors, and I’m thrilled they both liked Elly. I respect their opinions greatly and feel a huge sense of humility and thankfulness for their kind reviews. Pop over and tell them both Hi. Check out their books while you’re there.
The very last stop of the tour will be tomorrow (Saturday, Nov 16, 4-5pm Eastern) for a LIVE Twitter chat. If you’ve ever thought about putting your own stories out into the world, come chat with us and we’ll be happy to point you in the direction. I’ll be joined by authors PC Zick, Anna Belfrage, Pat Fitzhugh, Beem Weeks, and book cover designer/formatting genius/video trailer producer/swag guru Rob Hess from Elite Book Design. Come asks us questions and hang out.
Join us through www.Tweetchat.com and use hashtag #ellyhays. If you’re not familiar with Tweetchat, it is a live, single-conversation Twitter feed, so you don’t have to surf through other Tweets. Also, you only have to put in the hashtag to join the conversation and don’t have to add it with every Tweet – Tweetchat will automatically do it for you. Gotta love technology!
See you tomorrow!!! ♥
Lori Crane 