Sage and Sweetgrass by LoRee Peery

LoRee Peery

Today, I want to tell you about LoRee Peery's latest book. Sage and Sweetgrass is the third book in the Frivolities Series published by White Rose Publishing February 24, 2012. Book 1 in the series is Moselle's Insurance and Book 2 is  Rainn on My Parade. Book 4 is underway and we'll let you know when it is published.

For details about the other books and more information about LoRee, go to her website: http://www.loreepeery.com.

Sage and Sweetgrass

Diagnosed with a chronic, debilitating illness, Lanae Petersen vows to pursue life to its fullest. When she discovers mysterious love letters hidden within an antique desk, she begins a quest to discover who the young lovers were. Little does she realize that in trying to bring closure to their lives, hers will be turned upside-down.

After the death of his wife, cowboy Sage Diamond wants to be left alone on his acreage in peace and anonymity. When Lanae approaches him with letters to a family member, she not only threatens to expose his family secrets, but also stirs something inside him that he neither expects, nor welcomes. Sage fights his attraction, determined not to fall for a woman whose health is so fragile. Can Sage trust God's guiding hand, or will his fear of losing another love crush his chance for a future with Lanae?

Excerpt

The sky was clear and enormous where it met the horizon. The whinny of horses carried up from a pasture on the other side of the barn. The acreage represented everything she loved about being outside the city limits. Expanse, horses, a sprinkling of trees in the distance…God’s country.

When she caught sight of the cowboy, the vision was complete.

She sighed. Home. How crazy. She felt like she’d come home.

The cowboy rounded the corner of the wood-sided barn that she guessed to be sixty feet long. He loped in the loose way of a man comfortable on the back of a horse.

And she enjoyed every step as he approached.

He even tipped the brim of his hat. “Mornin’. You Lanae?”

Wow was the only thing she could think to say. But she kept it to herself.

Her mouth went dry.

His nose was bent, just off to the right of center. He had a full bottom lip, thinner upper, all accented by what she supposed was a year-round tan. Myriad facial lines gave testimony to a life lived outdoors.

She cleared her throat, mustered up some moisture for her vocal chords in order to answer, “That I am.”

“Sage Diamond.”

When he drew close enough, Lanae was dumbfounded at the impact of his eyes. They were an unbelievable piercing blue with a hint of lavender.

“Did you have any trouble finding the place?” Sage spoke in an unhurried manner.

Lanae wondered if he felt rushed about anything. She started to open the door.

“You always leave your car running?” A hint of amusement tugged at his mouth.

Oops. She turned the key. Great first impression.

He held the door.

Still caught in the lavender blue of his eyes, shadowed now from his hat, Lanae swallowed what felt like the chaff of an August hayfield.

No more singles ads for me.

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Sounds interesting! 

Click on the Amazon ad above 

to order the paperback or Kindle edition

and watch for LoRee Peery's next book.

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Making Dreams Come True – Part 7

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If you haven't read the previous parts, you may want to do so first. See:

·         Making Dreams Come True – Part 1

·         Making Dreams Come True – Part 2

·         Making Dreams Come True – Part 3

·         Making Dreams Come True – Part 4

·         Making Dreams Come True – Part 5

·         Making Dreams Come True – Part 6

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White Rose Publishing reply came October 20, 2009

Thank you for submitting to White Rose Publishing. I still enjoy your story, Where Love Once Lived, and it’s always wonderful to see characters get a second chance at love. I sincerely regret that I must pass on it.

Your story is well-written and the characters are realistic, but while there is romance in the story, it’s not the main focus. For a story to be considered a romance, the relationship between the hero and heroine should be the main focus and take up a majority of the pages. The hero and heroine should be together as much as possible and thinking about each other when they’re apart. Where Love Once Lived is a story about Brian’s personal growth rather than the relationship between him and Karen. As I said, it’s a wonderful story, it’s just not right for White Rose Publishing. Should you write a romance in the future, I do hope you’ll keep us in mind.

I decided not to cut more

Although they didn't say so this time, I felt I could get the book published as a romance if I was willing to do more cutting. However, I decided to publish the book myself. During the process, the copyeditor I hired said there seemed to be a scene missing. So I put one of the cut scenes back in. I think she was amazed I could write it so quickly.

While preparing to self-publish and learning how to make e-books, I continued to work on the bookstore idea, looking for a place and buying books and decorations. The business of planning a business kept me busy and I enjoyed it.

But God had other plans for me.

During the time I was searching for a building to buy, I met Celeste. At first, she went with me to look at the various locations. Then at some point, the idea of living alone upstairs in a bookstore begin to lose its appeal.

Both of us had thought we would never marry again, but God brought us together. Knowing I'd rather live with her than above a store alone, I abandoned my bookstore idea and asked Celeste to marry me. She said 'no,' because she felt it was too soon after Lois died, but I tried again later and we were married March 19, 2010.

Celeste and I got married and moved into a nice home close to where our previous homes were. I don't miss that bookstore one bit. I rented a storage space we called "the bookstore" and moved my books there until I could find time to dispose of them. I sold most of  the collectibles on eBay and gave the others to libraries.

Where Love Once Lived was published in August 2010.

Making Dreams Come True – Part 6

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If you haven't read the previous parts, you may want to do so first. See:

·         Making Dreams Come True – Part 1

·         Making Dreams Come True – Part 2

·         Making Dreams Come True – Part 3

·         Making Dreams Come True – Part 4

·         Making Dreams Come True – Part 5

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Lois died the day before Thanksgiving, 2008

The eight months we had together, with both of us being Stephen Ministers, helped me through the grieving process. All during that time she was alert and looked forward to joining her heavenly family. I'd never seen her so at peace. We had time to make plans. We talked about her will and her two grown children. Her son, who was in Afghanistan was able to return and be with her for a time before she died. She got to see her daughter through new eyes and loved her even more. She showed me how dying is not as difficult as I had thought it might be.

After the memorial service, I was lost. I went from being a 24-hours a day nurse to not having any obligations. I'd been giving the shots, changing the bandages, feeding her intravenously, checking blood sugar, and keeping it all on schedule. I couldn't face Christmas, so I went to Nova Scotia alone and stayed until after New Year's day. It was a place with no memories.

Planning to open a bookstore.

By the time I got home I had decided to work on another unfulfilled dream.

All my life I'd dreamed of owning a small independent bookstore with space for living above the store. In the store itself, I visualized a place to write plus displays of collectible books, posters and such from famous writers. Of course, I also realized it would never happen.

Then, when Lois died and I needed to sell the house and find another place to live, I thought it might be the time to open a bookstore. I decided to limit it to prize-winning books only and I began to collect books that had won the Pulitzer Prize. I would have a corner for Christy Award winners and children's section with nothing but Newbery Medal winners.

I would sell the house and open a bookstore in town with living space upstairs. The more I worked on the bookstore plan, the better I felt and soon I was working on the changes White Rose Publishing had suggested.

I made the changes the publisher asked for

I also began to get involved with living. I went back to church and rejoined the choir. I attended rehearsals with the San Gabriel Chorale again. I worked on the edits nearly every day now.

I cut and cut and cut, saving all the precious words in a separate file in case I could use them later. I cut the length from 100,000 words to 80,000 words. I cut most subplots, but there were two I couldn't leave out. One was about the bookmobile librarian Liz who started the idea of the book in the first place and the second was the race relations subplot I haven't told you about. I resubmitted the manuscript to the publisher August 17, 2009.

Read the next post to find out what the publisher said.

Making Dreams Come True – Part 5

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If you haven't read the previous parts, you may want to do so first. See:

·         Making Dreams Come True – Part 1

·         Making Dreams Come True – Part 2

·         Making Dreams Come True – Part 3

·         Making Dreams Come True – Part 4

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Endoscopic Surgery

The next step was to check for a problem with the bile duct. We went to the Scott and White Hospital in Temple, Texas, on April 11, 2008, and had one of the only two doctors in the area who could go examine and fix the bile duct if needed using endoscopic surgery.

After the procedure, the doctor came to talk to us. He may be a super specialist and tops in his field, but his bedside manner was lacking. He said she had inoperable pancreatic cancer. Wham! Just like that, without any preparation we went from bile duct to terminal illness. He'd put in a stent and said we should talk to a surgeon to get another opinion.

We cancelled the trip to the Holy Land and found the best pancreatic surgeon in the area.

Lois had the Whipple surgery from one of the best surgeons around, and then another surgery to repair the liver. But she never recovered enough for treatment and the cancer came back quickly. She was in and out of hospitals for eight months and I was with her nearly every day and night. She had a fear of being alone in the hospital, so I slept where I could, sometimes beds and sometimes chairs, to be with her. I got a few breaks along the way when others offered to stay overnight.

White Rose Publishing wrote back on May 13, 2008.

They loved the book, but said there were too many subplots. If I wanted to delete this and that, they'd take another look at it. I said okay, not knowing when I would be able to write again.

Lois encouraged me to make the changes to the book, but I don't think she realized I couldn't think about fiction with all that we were dealing with. Besides, when I had enough time to write, I chose to take a shower or take a nap.

In the next post, I describe what happened next.

Making Dreams Come True – Part 4

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If you haven't read the previous parts, you may want to do so first. See:

·         Making Dreams Come True – Part 1

·         Making Dreams Come True – Part 2

·         Making Dreams Come True – Part 3

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I sent queries to many agents and publishers

After the book was complete, I sent queries to many agents and publishers. I never did find an agent, but in April 2008, White Rose Publishing, a company that publishes only Christian Romance, read the beginning and a synopsis and asked to see the whole book. That was something none of my writing friends had experienced yet at the time. I sent the manuscript to White Rose immediately. As I had learned in class, I started working on a new novel while waiting to hear back from the publishers.

Planning a trip to the Holy Land

My wife Lois and I were leaving soon after sending the manuscript to the publisher on a trip to the Holy Land. However, I knew the publisher would need at least 90 days to decide, so I wasn't concerned about the book. In fact, I was looking at the trip and good way to keep from thinking about what the publisher might say.

Soon, I forgot all about the book.

Just a few weeks before or planned departure we learned that Lois was too ill to go anywhere.

She had been having minor respiratory problems off and on since we got back from China in the summer 0f 2007. The doctors had not been able to find anything wrong. Then, during a routine check just before our departure, her dermatologist said she was jaundiced. Again, we thought it must have something to do with the China trip. We had taken a river cruise on the Yangtze and had visited a number of smaller towns. I had been banned from donating blood for a year because of the possibility of malaria. Lois' doctor checked her for malaria. The test was negative.

In the next post, I'll tell you what happened when Lois had endoscopic surgery.

Is Editing Ever Finished?

When I received the edited manuscript of Where Love Once Lived from CreateSpace, I was pleased with the results. However, several comments from the copy editor alarmed me some. First, she said she had read little Christian fiction and had not read any of Jan Karon's books. She also referred to the point of view as omniscient when I worked hard to write in either Brian's or Karen's point of view.

Wouldn't you think CreateSpace would find an editor more familiar with your genre? Maybe it doesn't matter what the subject is when it comes to good grammar and consistency. So far, the corrections and comments look good. I'll let you know more later as I make the suggested changes. A real plus is that the copy editor also pointed out places in the manuscript where she, as the reader, had problems with the flow of the story. Most of these continuity problems were introduced during previous edits and can easily be fixed. I just hope I don't create more grammatical errors with the changes I make. Yikes! At least one error got into the final.

The copyeditor suggested including a scene I had cut based on a reading by White Rose Publishing. More on that later. Now I wonder if I should put the scene back in.

When I published my next book, I asked for and got the same editor. She hadn't read Christian novels, but she did an excellent job as a copy editor.

How about you? Have you spent months or years editing only to find there is more to do? Or you, dear reader, have you spotted grammatical errors and inconsistencies in published books? I have.

Where Love Once Lived is NOT a Romance

I didn't set out to write a romance, and was surprised when everyone who read Where Love Once Lived thought it was one. Perhaps the title mislead them. Thinking my writing classmates might be right, I moved my story closer and closer to a romance as it developed. I joined the Romance Writers of America (RWA) and submitted the manuscript to romance contests. It won first place in the romance division of the Writers' League of Texas manuscript contest and third place in an RWA chapter contest in Houston. I queried White Rose Publishing and, after they read the first three chapters, I was asked to send the whole manuscript to them for consideration. After a short time, the editor suggested deleting some of the subplots. It sounded as if that was all it would take to get a contract, so I made the changes and resubmitted it. Here is what I received next:

Thank you for submitting to White Rose Publishing. I still enjoy your story, Where Love Once Lived, and it’s always wonderful to see characters get a second chance at love. I sincerely regret that I must pass on it.

Your story is well-written and the characters are realistic, but while there is romance in the story, it’s not the main focus. For a story to be considered a romance, the relationship between the hero and heroine should be the main focus and take up a majority of the pages. The hero and heroine should be together as much as possible and thinking about each other when they’re apart. Where Love Once Lived is a story about Brian’s personal growth rather than the relationship between him and Karen. As I said, it’s a wonderful story, it’s just not right for White Rose Publishing. Should you write a romance in the future, I do hope you’ll keep us in mind.

Thanks again for submitting to White Rose Publishing. I wish you all the best in your continued search for the perfect publisher for Where Love Once Lived.

(signed)

So, it's not a romance. But that's okay. I didn't mean for it to be. Here are the words from the end of the book that explain the title and the story:

On the drive back in the bookmobile, with his fiancée beside him, Brian felt a bliss he'd not experienced before. He once thought getting back to the place where he last felt love was all he needed. But now he knew the love he had with Karen was doubly rich and wonderful because God’s love was back in his heart as well. Back where it once lived.

How about you? Do you have the love of God in your heart?

Talking About Writing and Other Life-Changing Events

Friday, I had the opportunity to talk to a Christian women's group at the Berry Creek Country Club in Georgetown, Texas. I've talked to several groups since Where Love Once Lived came out last August and I never know exactly what I'm going to say. Sometimes the hosts suggest a reading. Other times they leave it up to me. This time the announcement said I would talk about the writing process.

I prepared a written speech. I read it out loud, timed it and changed it a number of times in the two weeks leading up to the luncheon. On the day of the speech, however, I intentionally left all my notes at home. I find I do better speaking without looking at a piece of paper.

There were four tables with nine or ten women at each one. We had finished eating and some had turned their chairs around so that they could see the podium. Without notes, I could easily make eye contact. A few heads nodded from time to time. There were some smiles, some laughter and some sighs from time to time. As a teacher, I know that learning happens when students have an emotional experience. Both laughter and sadness help people learn. Afterwards, more than a few women talked to me and said how much they enjoyed the talk.

I set out to give them the basics and began by telling them about the original idea of the story. That is, the bookmobile librarian I worked with back in the 1960's and how she helped people at each stop. Then I told them about that special sermon I heard one Sunday that gave me the belief that I could write a novel, and how I had to take writing classes for several years to do so. That led to talking about the conversion of the basic story to the one I ended up with and how Where Love Once Lived won several contests.

Then the talk took an unexpected turn, one that wasn't in the notes I'd left back at the house. When I got to the point where I said White Rose Publishing reviewed the complete manuscript and said they would look at it again if I would delete some of the subplots, I had to mention how the email from the publisher came at the same time I learned my wife had pancreatic cancer. I could see on their faces, they knew what that meant.

I told them I wasn't able to write for a long time afterwards, and that Lois died eight months later the day before Thanksgiving. Then, how I went to Halifax, Nova Scotia alone for Christmas and New Year's, hoping I might make the changes the publisher wanted. But, that didn't work.

I wasn't able to write until I started living again by going back to church, singing in the church choir and the community choir, and making plans for the future. I told them how I planned to sell the house and open a bookstore downtown where I could live upstairs.

And about that time, I told the women, was when I learned God had plans for me I hadn't foreseen. Celeste entered my life and that changed everything. Happiness let me write once more and eventually make the changes to the manuscript.

But, a year had passed. Publishers needs change. Mostly, though, I couldn't cut enough. White Rose publishes only Christian romance novels, and there were still subplots I couldn't delete. I knew the book was more than a romance and that I would have to self-publish it. So, I began learning about that process and settled on CreateSpace for the print edition, Amazon for the Kindle edition, and Lulu for the other eBook formats including the iPad edition.

Celeste and I married in March and the book was out in August, 2010.

I told the women about the new book, The Vengeance Squad, that should be published by the end of the year and how it was much easier to write than the first book. I also gave them a two-page handout describing the steps required to write a novel, from story idea to publication.

EXCERPT: A Face in the Clouds by Marianne Evans

Here is an introduction to an April 21, 2011 release from White Rose Publishing, A Face in the Clouds by Marianne Evans. Only 31 pages. Add it to your Easter reading.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION:

Reporter Paul Hutchins is all about finding facts and uncovering the truth. Verification, authenticity and quantification are the fuel of his spirit...Until he falls in love with producer Sandy Pierson.

Sandy sees Christ alive in every aspect of her life. No need for quantified facts. Faith is the fuel of her spirit. But her love for Paul puts her at odds with God's call toward faith and all of its mysteries.

Paul considers Christianity to be well-meaning myth--hyperbole. To Sandy, it's everything--and she can accept nothing less from the man she loves.

Can a miracle happen? Can the touch of God Himself keep their relationship from shattering?

EXCERPT:

“I know how deeply you feel things, Paul. You have a wonderful heart. That’s part of why I love you so much. I’m torn in two about my feelings for you.” Sandy’s declaration would have filled him were it not chipped and cracked by the impact of her doubts. “Your reporter’s instinct toward authenticity and

revealing the truth is a big part of what I admire about you. There’s nothing wrong with facing the world honestly, but you need to make room for a few other truths.”

“Like God.”

“Yes, and the fact that life holds as much mystery, and as many intangibles, as it does realistic things you can hold tight with both hands.” She wanted him to change. Right down to the soul. Paul continued to study her. She was hurt enough that she had almost stepped away from attending tonight’s event—out of a frustrated sense of love. Yet here they were—together—out of a frustrated sense of love.

And if he wasn’t mindful of her beliefs, she’d step away from him. Paul navigated the rapidly-filling parking lot of Woodland Church. Once they stopped, he killed the car engine and used a restraining hand to keep Sandy in place. He closed the space between them and gave her a kiss that lingered and thoroughly tasted. He felt the gesture ease a bit of the tightness in her shoulders and back. “I’ll keep an open mind, OK?” She touched his face, and there was yearning in her eyes. “Keep an open heart. That’s much more important.”

For More Information: http://www.marianneevans.com/

My Next Book is on My Mind Today

Yesterday, Celeste asked about my new novel after I told her I worked on it between classes. Then, today, when I talked to my sister, Barbara, she asked about the new book. So, I've been thinking about it a lot lately.

I told them both about the new publishing company looking for manuscripts ready to go for 2011. The neat thing about Harbourlight Books is that they are affiliated with White Rose Publishing, the company that almost published Where Love Once Lived, until they discovered it wasn't really a romance and all they publish are Christian romance.

Harbourlight Books, on the other hand, will publish only Christian fiction books that are NOT romance. So, my thinking is that both my novel will be a perfect match for Harbourlight.

All I need to do to finish Vengeance In Mine is write two more scenes, scenes I've already outlined, and then edit the whole book for the upteenth time and the manuscript will be ready. All the publisher wants initially is a synopsis and the first chapter, but they want to know that the book is complete. If they like the synopsis and first chapter and ask for the whole thing, I want to be prepared.

It's not that I'm unhappy with the approach I'm using for Where Love Once Lived, that is, using CreateSpace and the print on demand method, but it would certainly simplify everything to have a publisher take care of the details.

Besides, I love what White Rose is producing and I think Harbourlight will be under the same management. White Rose produces great covers and ebooks. They have an appealing website, dedicated writers, and supportive editors. It would be fun to be part of the group.

My thought is that if Harbourlight contracts my new book, and if the sales of the current book are satisfactory, they may want to publish it as well.

What do you think?

BOOK REVIEW: Finders Keepers by JoAnn Carter

I read an intriguing inspirational romance recently called Finders Keepers by JoAnn Carter. It was advertised as a book, but it was about 3,000 words long so I guess it would be considered a short story. However, it was formatted like a book and separated into chapters. I found the eBook free from White Rose Publishing. I don't remember how it came to my attention initially, but the word "free" did catch my eye.

The length, or shortness, of the book surprised me, so I looked up the publisher's website and found the following in the Submission Guidelines section:

We publish romance in a variety of lengths:

Short stories range between 10,000 and 20,000 words (ebook)
Novelettes are between 20,001 and 35,000 words (ebook)
Novellas are between 35,001 and 60,000 words (ebook)
Novels are between 60,001 and 80,000 words (ebook & print)

White Rose publishes romance only and the story must be either Christian or such that it is not anti-Christian. As you can see, only novels are published in print form. The rest are digital only. I checked Amazon and found many of their eBooks available in Kindle format.

The availability of eReaders and the popularity of eBooks has made it possible for authors to publish odd-sized stories. I believe that is a good thing. The story I read, Finders Keepers, was excellent and as long as it needed to be. In the past, a story of this size would only be found in magazines or compilations of short stories.

If you have a story idea that isn't long enough for the print market, check White Rose Publishing. Or, if you're interested in some excellent reading, some of it free, some a dollar or two, check there also.

I saw a warning somewhere on the website that the free books had not been edited, but I still couldn't resist sending JoAnn Carter a few corrections. She was very gracious about it. She has a number of other excellent books available. Check them out.