Barbara Townsend's Blog

My third novel, Tarnished Gold, is released.

[image error]Tarnished Gold is a historical romance-mystery: Placer City, Wyoming, 1933 – Em Olson struggles to operate her beloved family hotel in a busted mining town after her father’s abandonment and her mother’s death. A new lodger, a handsome geologist searching for gold, brightens her lonely life. Her troubles resurge when he makes discoveries of murder and swindles embroiling the family hotel and her father’s gold mine. Stressed to the breaking point, she must examine her past to find her father’s killer and decide her future while the man she has grown to love prepares to depart on his next assignment.

[image error]It’s available in paperback ($9.99) and various e-book formats ($5.99) through Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble. If you’d like an epub or a personal and signed paperback from me, please contact me and we can make arrangements to get you a copy.

My others books, Blood Atonement and Clear and Convincing Evidence, are also available at those online agencies.

So much has happened since my second book, Clear and Convincing Evidence, was published, both personally and professionally. The result is my third novel, Tarnished Gold, was delayed—but no longer! I’ve ordered the second proof to ensure the paperback is perfect.

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Tarnished Gold is a historical romance-mystery: Placer City, Wyoming, 1933 – Em Olson struggles to operate her beloved family hotel in a busted mining town after her father’s abandonment and her mother’s death. A new lodger, a handsome geologist searching for gold, brightens her lonely life. Her troubles resurge when he makes discoveries of murder and swindles embroiling the family hotel and her father’s gold mine. Stressed to the breaking point, she must examine her past to find her father’s killer and decide her future while the man she has grown to love prepares to depart on his next assignment.

When published, which may be as early as July 14, will be available in paperback and e-book through Amazon, Smashwords, Draft2Digital. If you’d like a personal and signed paperback or epub from from me, please contact me and we can make arrangements to get you a copy.

My others books, Blood Atonement and Clear and Convincing Evidence, are also available at those online agencies.

I feel like it should 2012. Much has happened in the past year. My novel Clear and Convincing Evidence has a new path: it’s again available through Amazon (Kindle version) and Smashwords (in varying e-book formats). You may recall CACE was previously trade published. It’ll be available soon in paperback from Amazon and a few other e-book distributors. I look forward to seeing you “around campus.” 

If you’re curious about Blood Atonement, it’s being reviewed by an editor of a publishing house. We’ll see what happens!

It’s hard to believe 2014 is almost over. The time’s flying so fast!

The writing year has been very good to me. My first novel��Blood Atonement��is garnering great reviews. Even Mormon readers or those who know Mormon history are impressed with its historical accuracy. My second novel Clear and Convincing Evidence was trade published (Writers AMuse Me Publishing) in February, also to great reviews. Now, I’m deep into the rewrite of my third mystery, another historical novel titled Tarnished Gold. It’s set in 1930s Wyoming.

Here’s a photo that depicts my best wishes for all my readers in the coming year. Yesterday on my way home, the sky was a crisp, deep blue. The air was frigid, about -12 F (-24 C). ��The sun was descending in the west. ��I came upon the top of a hill. With the air being so dry, the wind stirred up snowflakes that were only visible in this rainbow.

I wish the beauty I saw on the top of that lonely, windswept hill be your experience in 2015.

No, it’s not Whack-A-Mole. Key folks from my publisher, Writers AMuse Me Publishing, are taking an eCation virtual tour of the U.S. to get to know their authors and playwrights and their locales.

I’ve been following the travels of Mary Cote-Walkden, DeeJay Arens, Tony Walkden, Steve Saari, Honey Boudreaux, Bambi (AmandaLyn Donogal), and Paula Blois and witnessing their enthusiasm for the sights and sounds of the author’s area.

Despite the mayhem, they are diligent in–*ahem*–paying their bail and hospital bills before piling into their sea-foam green (or pink depending on the light) Caddie before heading to the next locale.

Yes, even national award-winning authors can find themselves in trouble. The buffalo almost caught DeeJay, but he outran the beast so later he could hang on with both hands as he, Mary, and Tony dangled by their asses above the Grand Canyon. That’s asses as in donkeys. Thank goodness for helicopter rescue!

Well, they’re heading my way. I’m off to bake a cake, straighten up the place, and clean the guns.

So what are your favorite commercials on TV? Humorous ones? Lighthearted ones? My favorites are the serious companies that produce such ads. Fun messages are memorable, and I can watch the commercials again and again.

My publisher, Writers AMuse Me Publishing, is serious about outstanding writing, yet the members explore humor and lightheartedness. Their current promotion is the coolest I’ve ever seen! The hierarchy of WAMM, including my editor Mary Cote (playing violin) is taking a virtual vacation to the locale of each author and playwright to acquaint the intelligent reading population about its authors and playwrights.

Along their trip, they find themselves is the most awkward or funny circumstances.

Well, all was fun and games until DeeJay Arens was thrown in the slammer…for speeding. Yes, Virginia, MPH is vastly different than KPH. Although I must say DeeJay does look adorable in stripes.

After being bailed out, DeeJay and Steve Saari later gyrated their hunka hunka burnin’ love moves at Elvis’ Graceland.

Follow along with WAMM’s escapades on their Great WAMMerican eScape blog and on Twitter!

I find myself reading their blog and their facebook page to find out what’s their latest crazy incident or interesting locale. I fight the urge to bake a cake or scrub my place to prepare for their arrival to my region. Their creativity on this promotion matches their creativity for their national award-winning books!

On Twitter, check out #ecation, #WAMM, and #eScape. On facebook, see what they’re up to now at WAMM’s facebook page.

My award-winning publisher, Writers AMuse Me Publishing, has concluded a contest to collect and unscramble the letters for its new slogan and to unveil its logo. (I had the letter “l” in my blogroll.)

Without further ado, the new slogan and logo are:

Imagine Life Unlimited!

Classy and elegant. The new slogan captures the essence of a writer’s imagination. From that place great stories emerge.

Thank you to all who entered the contest!  Check out the site and take a look at the national award-winning books!

My publisher, Writers AMuse Me Publishing, is growing!

Its burgeoning list of published books included those that have won national awards. It now offers plays in its stable of literary fare. It’s opening a U.S. location.

To celebrate their success, it’s holding a contest to win a free e-book. The contest begins tomorrow (June 25, ’14). To win, visit the website or blog of WAMM’s authors and collect a letter posted there. (Hint: links to all authors are in the blogroll to your right). After you’ve collected all the letters, descramble them to discover WAMM’s new slogan.

If you’re one of the first one hundred to submit your answer no later than June 30, ’14, you’re eligible to win a free book! All correct entries will then be placed in a draw, and the winner will win three books in any format.

For the contest particulars, visit WAMM’s site and see for yourself what’s happening!

Good luck!

My publisher, Writers AMuse Me Publishing, is growing!

Its burgeoning list of published books included those that have won national awards. It now offers plays in its stable of literary fare. It’s opening a U.S. location.

To celebrate their success, it’s holding a contest to win a free e-book. The contest begins tomorrow (June 25, ’14). To win, visit the website or blog of WAMM’s authors and collect a letter posted there. (Hint: links to all authors are in the blogroll to your right). After you’ve collected all the letters, descramble them to discover WAMM’s new slogan.

If you’re one of the first one hundred to submit your answer no later than June 30, ’14, you’re eligible to win a free book! All correct entries will then be placed in a draw, and the winner will win three books in any format.

For the contest particulars, visit WAMM’s site and see for yourself what’s happening!

Good luck!

I just got back from a restaurant after an amazing talk. There, a woman came up to me. She said she can’t stop thinking about my historical mystery, Blood Atonement. Later her husband told me that his wife rarely talks to him about a novel she’s reading. He said with Blood Atonement, she was constantly talking about it.

At the restaurant, she told everyone they just had to read it! The Miners Grubstake Restaurant (who sells my books) promptly sold out.

I’m touched and honored that a reader connected with my novel to such a deep level!  I was in tears as she described her feelings and some personal information. I’m so grateful to her and her husband for such an uplifting discussion.