Writer’s Showcase: Mary Ramsey

Genre: LGBTQ Romance & Fantasy

Background: I served in the United States Air Force and earned a BA in cinema. While I was born in California, my work in the USAF took me all over the world – including the Midwest. I have a fondness for unique and underrepresented superheroes and characters. I love an inspiring story that makes me cry; my favorite movie will always be 13th Warrior.

How Did you get into Writing: I have always been drawn to overly dramatic stories featuring people on the fringe of society. As a teen, I wrote about drug addicts and the mentally ill; people who were so lost they needed to find a light. I then moved into fanfiction, playing around with characters from comics and videogames. Finally came my first novel, Dakota Son, where I took a step back and learned to combine my sense of drama, and a bit of helplessness, with a sense of reality. I then went on to create a series based on LGBTQ characters from that novel.

Writing Highlight: I find video games are able to tell a compelling story without holding the reader’s hand and explaining too much: that inspired me. Each of my stories takes place over a long period of time but is told in a way that introduces the reader in an organic manner.

Next Project: I’m in the process of re-publishing Dakota Son. I’m also working on something new, with a protagonist named Leonardo Riveria. This will be an LGBTQ-paranormal-romance about an immortal demon hunter, which I’m planning to make a series.

A note about Mary who is blessed with a generous heart; she not only is an artist but on the website for her art offers to do artwork for others. She has a vibrant style, available under the label Deviant Art, that you can check out here: https://www.deviantart.com/dourdan

More information about Mary’s books can be found here: https://dourdan.wordpress.com/

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Writer’s Showcase: Cheryl Oslund

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Genre: Romance

Background: I started as a reporter and weekly columnist in Canada, but I’ve always been interested in writing.

How did you get into Writing: I wrote poetry and short stories as a kid. The older I got, the longer my stories got.

Writing Highlight: I’ve always loved the ability of a story to take you out of your own life to travel the world, the universe, space and time, and meet people and beings we might never have seen or heard of before. My romances give people a chance for hope, a chance to enjoy something positive that focuses on love. And a love story is always a nice escape, a chance for a brighter day.

Next Project: I’m working on a romance/mystery set in the 1800’s!

A note about Cheryl: she knows the  meaning of perseverance. A computer glitch deleted the updated version of all her three of these featured books and she had a year of writing to get back to where she had been.

Amazon page

Showcase for You & Your Work!

There are a lot of great writers out there, many independent, who are trying to spread the word about the work they have toiled on. I have decided to start using this space as a place where I can showcase writers and their work.

If you would like to be featured in this space, reach out to me @ChristyOslund on twitter: @ChristyOslund  or drop me an email >cmoslund@gmail.com< with the subject line: Writer Feature.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

This is What I’ll need

Author Name [if you use a pen name, I’ll need it]

Genre [I know this can be complicated, but I’m cool with complex tagging]

Cover-Picture of  book [I’m happy to feature up to four if the files aren’t too big – however – all the unique titles should be in the same genre]

Answers to the following, in no more than one paragraph each (I will edit if I feel they are getting long; readers don’t appreciate big blocks of text.)

Brief Bio: tell us something that is interesting or memorable about you; it doesn’t have to be crazy inventive, just a truth about your background.

What Got you Into Writing: have you always written; how old when you wrote your first story; did you have an inspiration [again, short and memorable is preferable].

A Highlight of your Work: what is something unique, something you’re proud of, something that makes your writing stand-out?

What’s Next: Your ongoing or planned project that excites you.

Photo by Marta Dzedyshko on Pexels.com

This is what you Gain

A Pitch: As writers sometimes we need more practice pitching our material: to potential editors, agents, publishers, readers, cover artists etc. As writers, we can be tempted to launch into way more detail than the hearer is interested in. Having the equivalent of an ‘elevator pitch’ [no more than 60 seconds] about our work is important.

Potential Readers: Writers are also readers! Or at least, they sure should be. I’ve been thinking it would be handy to have a centralized place where I could go to see what other writers are writing that I could read.

To quote Kinsella: If you build it, t(he)y will come.

Let’s hope that idea – building and attracting users – works as well for writers as it did for that baseball field in the corn.

[Have you read Shoeless Joe? It is worth the time.]

W.P. Kinsella’s classic        On Amazon

Difficult Topic

Suicide is not something our society is comfortable talking about. Many of us, however, live with some version of a depressive disorder. We have periods in our lives when suicide seems like a legitimate alternative to the pain we are in.

This pamphlet is intentionally short. The 34 pages are divided into 9 quick chapters:

1. We Who Feel Alone
2. The Fight to Stay
3. The Journey
4. Day to Day
5. In Service
6. Strength and Courage
7. Treatment when Needed
8. When Talk is Not Enough
9. When to Discard a Pattern

Designed to be life-affirming, readers are encouraged to continue battling for their lives and/or their mental well being. Readers are cheered on in as they are often literally fighting for their lives. Intentionally designed to be a quick and encouraging because experience has taught us that someone who is emotionally and mentally burdened does not want to work through a dense read.

This bound pamphlet is for those going through depression; those who have, or fear having, suicidal thinking; it can be given to a friend or loved one who needs encouragement; it can be kept on hand for yourself when you need a personal cheerleader.

Dare to Not Die

Before Deadman’s, there was Gracie’s Story: 4 year anniversary!

Usually when you hear about Collie Dog Press, you’re going to be hearing about our Deadman’s series, our unique westerns that actually feature some of the diversity that was present on the frontier and that don’t shy away from showing that the women of the west were as tough and hardworking as the men.

Before Deadman’s though, the very first book Collie Dog Press published was a modern, non-fiction book focusing on a different kind of unique and quirky character: the English Bull Terrier known as Gracie. Along with telling Gracie’s story and sharing her exploits, the chapters alternate with information on how to train, care for, and transport dogs, along with some information on the history of the bull terrier breeds. And as a bonus – Gracie is still alive at the end of the book, so you don’t have to worry about falling in love with a goofball who dies!

It is now the 4 year anniversary of publishing this little gem of a book and it is high time Gracie’s story shared a place alongside its western cousins on our website.

If you enjoy dogs; if you know someone who would like to get a dog but would benefit from information on how to choose a breed; if you like a laugh; or if you just like to be reminded that you’re not the only person who has lived with a dog that makes you look silly – this book is worth a read!

Gracie’s book

Book Four: Deadman’s Christmas

Book Four: Deadman’s Christmas

For years, siblings Annie and Luke Hunter have enjoyed their frontier Christmas with only Annie’s fiance, Joseph Peopeo. This year their family has grown and they’ve decided to share Christmas traditions with their ranch foreman Henry Little Light, friend Doc Johnson, and Doc’s daughter Caroline. As they make preparations for their celebration some of the women from the saloon have set their sights on Henry. What the siblings hadn’t counted on? The price they’ve put on Henry’s head: one wanting him to wed, the other wanting him just dead. There might not be enough ribbon and strung popcorn in all of Deadman’s to brighten this holiday.

With the tensions from town and the holidays rising, will the whole crew be alive when Christmas morning dawns on the ranch?

Book Three: Deadman’s Preacher

 

Siblings Annie and Luke Hunter along with their friends Henry Little Light and Joseph Peopeo are in attendance at the annual fall barn dance – along with the entire community of the town of Deadman’s – when the traveling preacher who offers church services every month collapses. Doc Johnson finds the man has been poisoned. But who would want to poison a traveling preacher?

Meanwhile, the community of cattle ranchers is disturbed to find out that the preacher had been encouraging a sheep-farmer and his wife to move into their area, bringing sheep to the open grazing land where they keep cattle. Is this young couple connected to the preacher’s poisoning? If not, why do they lie about their connection to events? They’re hiding something but is it related to the reverend?

Henry, wanting to avoid an inquest where he’d have to give testimony that implicates Joseph in the poisoning, decides to visit his mother. On the way he discovers a recent widow, a wagon load of tobacco leaves, and a clue in the preacher’s poisoning. At the same time, the Captain in charge of the investigation begins to suspect that not only might Joseph be involved in the poisoning, he may be a romantic rival for Annie Hunter’s affection.

Danger grows around the friends as the possibility of Joseph being charged with a crime grows. If they can’t find the real reason – and person – responsible for the preacher’s death, then justice may go badly awry, taking Joseph with it.

 

Amazon Review

5 out of 5 stars

“It’s nice to read a book that includes diverse characters, strong women, good dialogue, and a compelling pace and plot line. Too often it seems that reading stories within a genre (historical, western, mystery, some romance) one has to give up on good writing. And if you’re lucky and find a fairly well written book, then it lacks authentic detail or just gets things wrong. This book is the full package. Plus, it’s a fun read with characters who are increasingly becoming like my friends. I not only enjoy knowing them but look forward to spending more time with them, so hopefully there will be many more books to come in this series.”

Order on Amazon

Book Two: Deadman’s Daughters

 

Doc Johnson, friend of siblings Annie and Luke Hunter, is happily, if nervously, awaiting the arrival of his daughter, Caroline. Doc hasn’t seen Caroline since he moved to Fort Laramie four years earlier. When Doc is attacked, Annie and Luke are worried but believe it must be a case of mistaken identity. While caring for Doc, the siblings are shocked when the attacker returns to try and finish him off.

 

As if keeping Doc alive isn’t challenge enough, Luke and Annie’s foster brother, Joseph Peopeo, has unexpected news that threatens to turn their lives upside-down. While the siblings juggle the tribulations they face, their hired hand, Henry Little Light, has his own struggle – trying to keep the ranch running among all the chaos. Henry feels forced to accept help from a neighbor the Hunters do not want to be indebted to. In addition, add a new would-be suitor for Annie and the family has their hands more than full.

 

Once again, the Hunters are involved in a face-off that could have deadly consequences.

 

Deadman’s Daughters: order

 

 

Book One: Deadman’s Stagecoach

 

 

Collie Dog Press is proud to release our first book in the Historical, Western-Mystery, Deadman’s Series!

Book One

 Siblings Annie and Luke Hunter run a cattle ranch they’ve inherited from their parents, in what is known as The Territories and will soon become the Wyoming Territories. Their father was a fur trapper who settled the land before it was officially opened to settlement. When they were young children, their father traded cattle for Nez Perce horses and along with the horses came their foster-brother, Joseph Peopeo. Joseph now raises highly prized, well trained horses on the ranch – horses which often feature the colors that will become synonymous with the  Appaloosa breed.

The ranch has grown to be too much for the three of them to manage alone, so a childhood friend who has been out to the gold fields at Sutter’s Landing is ready to return home and help them. Everyone expects that along with helping to run the ranch, he’ll be asking for Annie’s hand in marriage. When the stage he’s returning on is attacked, the question becomes – did the bandits plan to rob the stage or hurt their friend? What item(s) of value did they believe to be available? Did their friend make enemies he hasn’t told them about?

The stage brings another unexpected guest who stays on to help out at the ranch.

Henry Little Light has spent his life divided among people. His mother was a slave, taken from her white owners during a Kiowa raid. She was then traded to Henry’s father, a Crow warrior. Once his father died, Henry’s mother took him to a Fort and finished raising him among the white folk there. Since the Crow are matrilineal she thought his best chance for a future was learning to read and write, then picking up a trade. She even married a freeman cabinetmaker who started training Henry. Henry seems like a nice fella, he volunteers to help, but does he have a hidden agenda? Or is he just another lost soul looking to reinvent himself in the ever changing West?

 

Available to order now as a paperback or e-text.

Amazon page