Help the Homeless with Author Teri Thackston

Author Teri Thackston has asked me to pass on this infromation. To help celebrate her birthday, she's donating 55 cents for each copy of her newest release Onslaught to the Star of Hope mission.  Star of Hope is a homeless shelter/food kitchen in Houston, TX, who, obviously, help the downtrodden.  


Here's what Teri had to say:


I want to raise more money for the Star of Hope, so I'm extending my double-nickels promo for the entire month of April. Please SHARE with your friends who might be interested in helping this great homeless shelter—and reading a suspense novel that features terrifying storms, kidnapped children and, of course, a bit of romance. For every copy of Onslaught that sells during April 2012, I'll donate fifty-five cents to the Star of Hope Mission.

The Star of Hope Mission is a Christ-centered organization that provides food, shelter and counseling to homeless men, women and children. It is truly one of America's stars so I hope you will help me to support them. Simply order a copy of Onslaught from Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Smashwords during April to help an amazing organization do its work. I would appreciate you sharing this announcement with all your friends. Thanks!

Sorrow’s Point, Texas is under attack. Robberies, drug trafficking, a suspicious fire…for local cop Joshua Dawson, the only thing missing in this assault on his coastal hometown is a hurricane. But it is September—the month for vicious storms—so he’s not betting against one.

Ronnie Clarke never broke a law in her life…until the day she kidnapped two month-old Danny. But it was the only way to save the baby from the nut-case cult that wants to sell him to the head of a Mexican drug cartel. So she hides with him in quiet little Sorrow's Point.

But Sorrow's Point isn't as quiet as she hoped. The bad guys are closing in. Joshua Dawson is asking too many questions about her and Danny…personal questions that she would love to answer. But he’s a cop and she’s a kidnapper. So, to protect Danny from the evil pursuing him, she must withhold the truth from this man who insists on always doing the right thing. Joshua, however, is determined to uncover her secrets. 

And that September storm, like the attraction brewing between them, is building on the horizon.

Here are the direct links:

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/7duylmk 
Barnes & Noble: http://tinyurl.com/756mopp 
Smashwords (for PDF or other formats): http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/140723
Star of Hope Mission (http://www.sohmission.org )
Thanks!

Teri
www.terithackston.com 

Reality and Fiction…Blurring the Lines

It’s tough to make up stories that other people want to read. There’s a lot of thinking and imagining, researching and studying, and writing, writing, writing to do. So, hey—why not just pluck a storyline out of the newspaper or local television news broadcast? After all, news stories include ready-made plots and characters. They’re intriguing. People follow them. Why not borrow the most interesting details and turn them into a ‘made-up’ story?

While using real storylines from the news might seem a simple way to develop a fiction plot, writers must take care when blending real current events with fiction. Too much detail can land a writer in hot water. After all, fiction writers don’t want to expose real people to real harm through their stories. True crime writers might want to take such risks.

But in fiction, it’s better to choose only an element or two from life and then blur the lines between reality and fiction. Changes in location, names, even resolution are the simplest to make. The story should simulate real events, but on a limited basis. Then, with hard work, imagination and a bit of luck, the story can become even more exciting than what first grabbed the writer’s attention. And it will belong to the writer.

For my latest novel, Border Heat, I hope I’ve managed to do all of that in a way that will catch the attention of readers. The story takes place in a wildlife management area located in deep West Texas. WMAs do exist, but the Pinyon Plateau in Border Heat is imaginary. By using an imaginary site, I was able to make up access points, landmark features and other elements to suit the story. The plot involves two major news elements: drug runners that bring their goods across the Texas/Mexico border and an out of control wildfire that devours precious land and threatens lives. Both elements are highly visible in the daily news—particularly now—but I took only the basic threat of each, weaving them into my own imaginary story.

Then I assembled a group of characters about whom I hope readers will care. Game Warden Shannon Walker and Secret Service Agent Tucker Daye share a history that has left each of them emotionally hurt and yet driven to succeed in their separate lives. But they remain linked together by Shannon’s niece, Chloe—who happens to be the daughter of the President of the United States—and a past fire that killed Chloe’s mother while she was under Tucker’s protection.

Toss in the approaching wildfire that cuts them off from safety, trapping them with murderous drug runners who pursue them for nefarious reasons, and I believe I’ve created a compelling action/thriller that is based on real occurrences without ‘being’ real. I hope that Border Heat will pull in readers and keep them turning pages as they, too, make an escape…across the blurred lines between reality and fiction.

Border Heat is available in various ebook formats at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and smashwords.com.
Visit me at www.terithackston.com

Check back on Wednesday for my Wednesdsay Chow recipe - Border Heat Chili.

Saturday's Salacious Suggestions

BORDER HEAT

By Teri Thackston

Murderous drug runners, a wildfire in the Texas desert and the President's runaway daughter…Game Warden Shannon Walker didn't sign up for any of this. Add a sexy Secret Service Agent, unexpected betrayal and an escape into the desert, and the border becomes hotter than Shannon can handle. 

BUY IT NOW:

Barnes & Noble http://tinyurl.com/3m3th36
Amazon http://tinyurl.com/3qc6o2a
Smashwords http://tinyurl.com/3bphubz



Western Romance

by Teri Thackston

I’ve written in several different genres over the years but western romances have a special place in my heart. A native Texan, I spent a good part of my childhood on my grandparents’ farm. Even after we moved to the ‘big city’, I found a way to feed the need to see rolling countryside, hear the wild wind, and smell the prairie grasses by immersing myself in Zane Grey or Louis L’Amour novels.


Then, of course, there were the Saturday afternoon matinees that featured trail rides, gun fights and wild rides on horseback. What a great way to spend a lazy summer afternoon. But it was the books and television programs that really fed my needs for western living.


Television…strange topic for a blog by a novelist maybe. But mine was the television generation and I often had to decide between reading and watching my favorite western stories. At one time there were more than thirty westerns on television, which made this popular electronic device a true temptation. Maverick, Bonanza, The Big Valley…my family watched them all.


Of course one of the finest examples of this genre of television entertainment was Gunsmoke. Filled with western drama and humor, emotional tales of good versus evil, and a dose of romance (we all remember the lovely Miss Kitty), this show ran for twenty years. In the lead role of Marshal Matt Dillon was James Arness. Which brings me to the point of this blog.


Mr. Arness, a fine actor, passed away just last week, still receiving fan mail almost every day long after the show went off the air. That says a lot for the high esteem in which we hold certain types of stories and certain types of heroes. In his time, the western heroes of fiction embodied the highest of morals. They took their time with important decisions that needed time, but they were quick to act when the situation warranted it—sometimes with words but often with their fists or their guns. That’s not to say they didn’t exhibit worry or regret when their actions resulted in violence, but they did the right thing when it needed doing.


The hero of my western romance The Abduction of Miss Jenny Chandler is like that. John Walker Grayling, Texas Ranger in mid-nineteenth century Texas, feels genuinely, considers deeply and loves with all his being. I tried to create his character—and others in the novel—as true to the genre as I could…including, of course, that dose of romance. The heroine, Jenny Chandler, is on the verge of womanhood with all the angst of modern young adults…but with that spunk that makes her endearing.


So here’s to Mr. Arness, westerns, and the heroes and heroines with whom we love to fall in love.

Excerpt from The Abduction of Miss Jenny Chandler:


Something slammed into her from behind. She flew into the air. Diaz’ rope jerked tight, cut into her waist. Her right arm, gripped at the wrist in a strong brown hand, slashed downward. A knife blade flashed in the sunlight and the deadly rope fell limp.


Suddenly her face was buried in Gray’s chest and he wheeled the horse away. Fright and exhilaration gripped her as all the heroic images she had cultivated in her mind throughout their ordeal rushed upon her and she lifted her head to look into his handsome face. His eyes met hers and something raw and unfamiliar bolted between them. Then a shout from behind snatched his attention and Gray twisted to look over his shoulder. Jenny looked, too and saw Diaz raising his pistol.


“Hold on!” Gray commanded.


Jenny threw both arms around him as he swung the mare to the left. A shot rang out. Instinctively, Jenny lowered her head further. Something moved against her face and she heard Mischief snuffling inside Gray’s shirtfront. Then Gray jerked the reins to the right. The mare responded instantly, out-maneuvering another bullet. Another pull to the left brought them behind a low ridge tumbled over with outcroppings of rock large enough to hide them.


“Take the reins,” Gray ordered, pressing the warm leather into Jenny’s hands. “Ride due east.”


Sensing the change of grip, the mare tossed her head, forcing Jenny to battle the animal for control. Reaching around her, Gray plopped Mischief into Jenny’s lap. Then, gripping her waist, he pushed himself backward onto the mare’s rump.


Jenny clutched the nervous rabbit with one hand, still fighting to control the horse with the other. Gray’s agility stunned her. Was he ill or not?


“What are you going to do?” she asked.


“Get a gun and another horse. Don’t stop, Jenny. Not for anything.”


His gray-blue eyes locked with hers and Jenny experienced again that strange sensation coil deep inside her. Emotion begged for words to release it. She’d known Gray such a short time but knew that she would be leaving part of herself with him.

“I’ll catch up in a few minutes,” he promised.


Before she could reply, he swung both legs to the mare’s right side and leapt onto a nearby boulder.


“Go!” he shouted and Jenny kicked the mare into a run.


The Abduction of Miss Jenny Chandler available in print or ebook at www.jasminejade.com,  www.amazon.com, and other fine booksellers.

Visit Teri at her website.

SALVATION BRIDE is Featured in News Article

Author Teri Thackston discusses the popularity of e-books in her daily column. She features several e-book authors, including myself. Check it out and leave a message on her board about what you think of e-books.

http://www.examiner.com/x-3098-Houston-Romance-Novels-Examiner~y2009m3d8-Read-an-Ebook-Week-starts-today

Anna Kathryn Lanier
http://www.aklanier.com/