Book #3- Torn Asunder is Here!

The third book in the Taylor Family saga is here! I had planned to make Torn Asunder available in early spring, but life and making a living and a fragmented focus kept me from staying on top of things-- especially the printing process. I love this story, but it was difficult to write. You'll learn about it in the author's note at the end of the book. (And wait to read it at the end-- not before).

A traumatic event resurrects haunting memories and long-buried secrets from Julia Taylor's time as an Apache captive 27 years before. She finally admits the shocking truth to her son Jimmy, and it's not what she had previously led everyone to believe. I think readers will be surprised at some of the twists and turns in this book.

I needed a five-year-old boy for an important scene in the book, so I added six years to when the 2nd book Mercy's Face left off, and that set the third story in late 1883. I learned that a number of fascinating events occurred in 1883 which I was able to use in the story:

• Krakatoa, the purported largest volcanic eruption in history occurred on on the other side of the world in August of 1883. The ash in the atmosphere caused the moon to appear blue for a year afterwards, which set a somber tone in several scenes in the book.


• 1883 was the year that the University of Texas in Austin opened its doors, which almost closed rival Texas A.M.C.'s doors when two-thirds of the student body transferred to U.T.


• 1883 was during the height of the fence-cutters' war in Texas, and Brown County, where much of the story takes place, was right in the middle of it. It's estimated that over one million dollars in damage occurred in Brown County alone.


• 1883 was on record as one of the worst droughts of the century, which exacerbated the fence cutters' war when water became scarce for landless cattlemen's herds when fences cut off their access to water.

The research for this story was so interesting. Did you know that before the barbed wire fence came on the scene, many of the cattlemen who raised thousands of cattle didn't even own their own land? The coming of the barbed wire definitely put a major kink in their operations. I don't blame people for wanting to fence and protect their property, but the fencers weren't entirely blameless. Some fenced off land that wasn't even theirs, and others fenced across public roads which denied use of thoroughfares. The war became very heated, and a number of shootings were reported before a compromise was reached. The Handbook of Texas Online was a wonderful source of actual historical events that I used as background for the fictional story.

Occasionally I hear an author or songwriter refer to their "muse" for writing inspiration, but I know who inspires me and prompts me to write. I do realize my writing skills can always improve, but everything that is right and good about my stories I have to give credit to God. I can't tell you the times during the writing process that the story has surprised even me and especially when storylines and events dove-tail together so beautifully. That's not me. That's Him.

I hope you get a chance to read and enjoy Torn Asunder.

East Texas Christian Writers Conference

On June 6th, the day summer was to officially start for teachers in my school district, I loaded my fried brain and writing pad into the car and headed to Marshall, Texas, for the East Texas Christian Writers Conference. I didn't even know a Christian writers conference existed until Pat Saunders of the Writers League of Austin announced that she would be one of the conference speakers.

I put out a call to the members of our small writers group scattered across Central, East, and Southeast Texas about the conference, and three of us decided to go. Christy found a beautiful bed and breakfast, The Wisteria Gardens B&B owned by John & Mary Lynn Vassar, and we really enjoyed our stay with them. Wonderful environment, great food, fascinating history of the family that built the house in 1884 and lived there through the years. We especially enjoyed hearing about Miss Ruby, who continued to drive the wrong way down a one-way street to her workplace simply because she didn't vote for it.

At the conference, I was so pleased to meet in person Marv Knox, editor of the Baptist Standard. I had only known him via cyberspace during my three years of writing for the Baptist Standard as one of his cyber-columnists five years ago. Marv presented the Ten Commandments of Powerful Writing in his sessions, which made me want to go back and re-write my books! Didn't we go through primary and secondary school-- even college with our English teachers insisting we use lots of descriptive adjectives and adverbs throughout our creative writing efforts? Then we get out in the real world of writing and learn that editors want plain ol' noun/verb writing, strictly limiting the use of adjectives and adverbs.

The conference also sponsored a writing contest in two categories: Personal Essay and Short Story. I submitted a personal essay entitled Southwest Side Story, which was based on experiences in my high school years. I had read the story to about sixty high school students in Round Rock the week before the conference, and they seemed to really like it. The story will be the foundation for a future novel in the Taylor family series. For the short story category, I submitted an excerpt from my latest book, Torn Asunder, which hadn't been published at the time of the contest entry. I was so honored and pleased to learn at the conference that both of my submissions were awarded first place in their respective categories.

The keynote speaker for the conference was Dr. Robert Darden, Associate Professor of Journalism at Baylor University and senior editor of The Wittenburg Door, a religious humor and satire magazine. He spoke about juxtaposition and creativity and interaction and used an eclectic variety of quotes from Carl Sagan to The Velveteen Rabbit. I would like to have the opportunity to hear it all again and take notes this time-- so many interesting thoughts from years of learning, teaching, researching, and ruminating. A veritable feast of ideas.

I'm so glad we made the effort to go to the conference. It was well worth it.