Day 3 blitz!! 💚

My name is Robyn Echols. Zina Abbott is the pen I use for my historical novels. I’m a member of Women Writing the West and Western Writers of America. I currently live with my husband in California’s central valley near the “Gateway to Yosemite.”

I love to read, quilt, work with digital images on my photo editing program, and work on my own family history.

I am a blogger. In addition to my own blog, I blog for several group blogs including the Sweet Americana Sweethearts blog, which I started and administer.

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Will Virginia’s chosen vocation fill the empty spaces in her heart?

It is 1858. With both parents dead, Virginia Atwell lives with her older brother, Jefferson, and his family in Booneville, Missouri. Under the pseudonym, V. A. Wellington, she secretly has been submitting articles to a well-respected investigative journal about controversial topics. To her dismay, she learns her family plans to buy new farmland in the wilds of central Kansas Territory, making it almost impossible for her to continue her clandestine article submissions. More importantly, Virginia is terrified of the prospect of living so close to hostile Indian tribes and dying by their hands because they resent white Americans moving onto their traditional buffalo hunting grounds.

Virginia persuades her brothers to give her a share of their parents’ inheritance so she may attend one of the few colleges in Ohio that accepts female students. There, she finds Avery Wilson, one of her professors and fellow boarder at Bettina Calloway’s boarding house, resentful of female students, conceited and annoying, especially after his criticism and resentment directed towards the author, V. A. Wellington, whose articles are published while his submissions are rejected.

Virginia’s publisher insists V. A. Wellington meet with him in person in St. Louis to discuss a new assignment. When her landlady insists she cannot travel alone, Avery, curious about Virginia’s secretive meeting and unable to resist his growing attraction to the irritating but brilliant student, offers to escort her.

Once the editor discovers his star contributor is a woman, he refuses to send her to write about conditions on the Kaw reservation and the proposed treaty the government intends to impose on the natives. Hoping to favorably impress the editor, Avery offers to pose as Virginia’s fiancé in order to accompany and protect her on her assignment. Her heart goes out to the Kaw, but what can fill the empty spaces of her heart?

Virginia’s Vocation is also part of the author’s Atwell Kin series

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Snippet:

Virginia stood at the rail of the third deck on the steamboat carrying Avery and her up the Missouri River from Kansas City, where they boarded, to St. Joseph, Missouri. This trip, although short, differed from the one she and Avery took down the Mississippi. That journey on the water had offered her and Avery an opportunity to relax, view the banks of the river—when the expanse of water was not too wide—and to learn more about each other. True, at her insistence, they had studious avoided the topic of the purpose of her journey to St. Louis. Still, she had enjoyed immensely the time the two spent together.

     The steamboat voyage up the Missouri River from St. Louis provided a different atmosphere—not because the countryside that spread away from the river banks differed greatly, but because of the excitement of the assignment. 

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Day 2 blitz!! 😄

I am a children’s author, but up until a few years ago, I was a journalist and editor. Something rather unexpected sparked my new career as an author—a family trip to Egypt with my mother and two young nephews. We had a great time and I thought I’d write them a short story as a different kind of souvenir…. Well, one book and a planned book series later, I had changed careers. I have now published Book 3 (The Temple of the Crystal Timekeeper) in my MG adventure series Chronicles of the Stone, with many awards for the first book, The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, and a few for Book 2, The Search for the Stone of Excalibur, and one already for Book 3! I also teach online novel writing for aspiring authors and I find that very satisfying. Relaxation time finds me enjoying something creative or artistic, music, books, theatre or ballet. I love doing research for my book series. I love animals and have written two animal rescue stories. I have two adorable (naughty) little dogs called Chloe and Pumpkin, and a beautiful black cat called Bertie.

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 A 5000-year-old mystery comes to life when a scruffy peddler gives Adam and Justin Sinclair an old Egyptian scarab on their very first day in Egypt. Only when the evil Dr. Faisal Khalid shows a particular interest in the cousins and their scarab, do the boys realise they are in terrible danger. 

Justin and Adam embark upon the adventure of a lifetime, taking them down the Nile and across the harsh desert in their search for the legendary tomb of the Scarab King, an ancient Egyptian ruler. They are plunged into a whirlpool of hazardous and mysterious events when Dr. Khalid kidnaps them.  With just their wits, courage, and each other, the boys manage to survive … only to find that the end of one journey is the beginning of another! 

 This is a must-read for Middle Graders keen on action, adventure, and Arthurian stories! 

Cousins Adam and Justin Sinclair are hot on the trail of the second Stone of Power, one of seven ancient stones lost centuries ago. This stone might be embedded in the hilt of a newly discovered sword that archeologists believe belonged to King Arthur: Excalibur. 

However, their long-standing enemy, Dr. Khalid, is following them as they travel to Scotland to investigate an old castle. Little do they know there is another deadly force, the Eaters of Poison, who have their own mission to complete. Time is running out as the confluence of the planets draws closer. Can Justin and Adam find the second Stone of Power and survive? 

A plane crash! Lost in the Mexican jungle! Will Adam, Justin, and Kim survive long enough to find the Third Stone of Power?

With only a young boy, Tukum, as their guide, the kids make their way through the dense and dangerous jungle to find the lost city of stone gods, where the Stone of Power might be located. River rafting on a crocodile-infested river and evading predators are just part of this hazardous task.

Of course, their old adversary Dr. Khalid is close behind as the kids press on. But he is not the worst of their problems. This time Adam will clash with a terrible enemy who adopts the persona of an evil Aztec god, Tezcatlipoca, and is keen to revive the ancient tradition of human sacrifice.  Will they emerge alive from the jungle? Will Dr. Khalid find the third Stone of Power before they do?

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~ Book 3 Universal Link ~

   

Snippet From Book 3:

1.     Adam opened his eyes. The screaming sound of tearing metal had stopped. So had the thudding and the rush of breaking branches outside his window. Still strapped in his seat, he hung upside-down at an angle. His seat belt was the only thing preventing him from hurtling through the gaping hole in the roof of the plane and onto the jungle floor. The strap cut into his chest as his whole weight pressed against the fabric. He craned his neck, twisting awkwardly to see the others. His body ached after the awful jarring and jolting when the plane fell. He shoved his hand into his right-side pants pocket to feel for his golden scarab. It was safe. Relieved, he squeezed the scarab for a few seconds to get his courage up. It felt warm and comforting.

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An avid gardener, artist, musician and writer, Emily-Jane Hills Orford has fond memories and lots of stories that evolved from a childhood growing up in a haunted Victorian mansion. Told she had a ‘vivid imagination’, the author used this talent to create stories in her head to pass tedious hours while sick, waiting in a doctor’s office, listening to a teacher drone on about something she already knew, or enduring the long, stuffy family car rides. The author lived her stories in her head, allowing her imagination to lead her into a different world, one of her own making. 

As the author grew up, these stories, imaginings and fantasies took to the written form and, over the years, she developed a reputation for telling a good story. Emily-Jane can now boast that she is an award-winning author of several books, including Mrs. Murray’s Ghost (Telltale Publishing 2018), Queen Mary’s Daughter (Clean Reads 2018), Gerlinda (CFA 2016) which received an Honorable Mention in the 2016 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards, To Be a Duke (CFA 2014) which was named Finalist and Silver Medalist in the 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and received an Honorable Mention in the 2015 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards and several other books. A retired teacher of music and creative writing, she writes about the extra-ordinary in life and the fantasies of dreams combined with memories. 

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There is a hidden treasure in the grand old mansion on Piccadilly Street, in a place called London, but not the real London of English fame. There’s also a lot of mystery and a murder that’s been unsolved for decades. But it’s the treasure that captures Mary’s interest.

Mary lives in this house along with her family, her Brownie friends and a ghost. When the ghost reveals her secret about the hidden treasure, there’s no stopping Mary, her Brownie friends, or her enemies to searching for this treasure. 

Why the intrigue? Apparently there’s a little bit of magic connected with this treasure. And so the adventure begins. 

Who will find the treasure first?

  
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Snippet:

“Ah! So this is where it’s hidden.” It was the unmistakeable voice of Miss Penelope. The girls shuddered as Mrs. Murray faded into the fireplace and disappeared. Brunny and Briddie turned around slowly to face their opponent. Mary hesitated before taking a cautious, timid look over her shoulder. Rosie moved closer to her friend and looked as well. There she was, in all her evil splendor, Elizabeth and Stocky standing on either side of her.

“And you thought I wouldn’t be watching.” She cackled loudly. Not the cackle that Mrs. Murray did when she tried to laugh, but a distinctly evil cackle that sent shivers up and down Mary’s spine.

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JACK NANUQ currently makes his living as a Private Investigator; hence the nom de guere (and no profile photo). Prior this occupation he lived the nine lives of a cat. He has been a teacher, police officer, park ranger, equipment operator, freight handler and even a ranch hand.

He has lived and worked in Egypt, Alaska, Oregon and New York (the State, not the City). He has snorkeled in the Red Sea. Slept on the Nile River and under the Northern Lights (but not at the same time). Walked among grizzlies, ridden his bike under the midnight sun, climbed Mt St Helens, and even  jumped out of a perfectly good airplane.

He and his wife currently live on a small farm near Albany, NY. They share this property with three dogs, three cats, a handful of chickens and two peacocks. He enjoys, outdoor activities, writing, Tae Kwon Do and teaching self-defense.  

  
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How does a POW become a spy? And why? And what the hell is a GALCO? These are only a few of the questions Carson Nowak needs answers to.

Carson Nowak is a CIA contractor like none you’ve ever met before.  Shortly after George W Bush is elected president Carson is tasked with retrieving a trunk load of documents.  The order comes not from the Agency or even the President; but a higher authority, his Nana.  In addition to the documents the trunk contains a war relic that is tied to a mysterious death just before D-Day.  Tracing the provenance behind this relic triggers a chain of events that not only unlocks Carson’s family history but garners the interest of a South American hit squad. Carson must navigate the challenges of protecting his family, maintaining his business, ensuring the safety of a refugee developing a revolutionary weapons system, and deal with an infuriating curmudgeon.  Along the way he falls in love.  To navigate these challenges he must enlist the help of a pencil-thin code breaker, a claustrophobic corpsman and a Haitian nurse.    

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Top Ten List:

1.      Like spending time in the woods, with a chainsaw

2.      Like spending time in the woods, without a chainsaw

3.      Love picking up random bits of trivia

4.      Like teaching self-defense, especially to women

5.      Have learned a lot about myself, through Tae Kwon Do.  I hold the rank of First Dan (First degree black belt)

6.      Enjoy sampling whiskeys.  I keep coming back to Jameson

7.     Cheesecake is my favorite vegetable 

8.     Love trying new foods, especially when made with Wild Game

9.      Will never forget the first time I put my feet OUTSIDE an airplane 

10. I will NEVER FORGET the rush I felt when my wife walked down the aisle.

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Didi Lawson exchanged her town car for a pick-up truck and learned to operate a tractor when she and her husband moved from Arizona to a farm in  Missouri where she now weaves her tales. Her love for writing started early in  life when  she entertained her friends with her stories, won prizes for he essays in high school and wrote road shows and poems for the youth group in her church. She enjoys the outdoors, her children and ten grandchildren, and keeps an active social calendar.

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It was supposed to be simple traveling to Germany to find her roots. But nothing turns out the way Tracy had planned. 

She meets a man who professes to be her half-brother and is less than happy with her visit. The villagers treat her with contempt for her father's presumed infamous past. 

Trying to solve the mystery, she uncovers secrets that had been hidden for over two decades. Wanting to clear her father's name, she realizes that by doing so she will ruin her chances of a happy life with the man who had captured her heart.

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Q&A With the Author:

1.     Tell us about things you enjoy — what you do for fun or personal satisfaction besides writing?

a.     I like people, associate with them. I also love nature and traveling.

2.     When did you first realize you were an author?

a.     In my 40’s

3.     Have you done anything writing-related, but besides actually writing your books, that seemed to get a lot of positive response? Something that encouraged you?

a.     I won prizes for my essays in High School, wrote road shows and limericks for the youth group in my Church, and worked as assistant editor for a trade magazine

4.     What is the thing you struggle with the most while writing? And how do you defeat it?

a.     There are actually 2 things: writer’s block (write anyway even if you have to erase it the next day), and remembering to show rather than tell the story. This one is a hard one for me. I just have to be cognizant of that flaw and correct it when editing

5.     What is the “message” of your writing?

a.     I’m trying to promote old-fashioned values, see the good in people, write for the heart and give the reader an escape from everyday life. My stories try to make the reader feel good.

6.     Are your characters/stories/scenes, etc. based on anything in real life?  

a.     Sometimes

7.     What are your future projects?

a.     I’m working on a Christmas story, a fairytale and sequels to some of my existing books.

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