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LEAVE A COMMENT BETWEEN NOW AND AUG 31, 2012 TO ENTER A DRAWING TO WIN EITHER A PRINT OR EBOOK COPY OF WINDS OF WYOMING
Today, it is my pleasure to welcome author Becky Lyles to The Over 50 Writer. Becky and I met when I was invited to speak at the 2011 Idahope Writer’s Conference. She and her husband graciously hosted me in their lovely home. Let me tell you, the snow-laden mountains of Idaho appeal to me a lot more than the sweltering heat of the Colorado plains!
Welcome, Becky! Tell us about your new release, Winds of Wyoming.
Winds of Wyoming is my first novel. I’ve received great feedback from readers (some begging for a sequel!), and sales have been good. Here’s a brief overview of the book.
Fresh out of a Pennsylvania penitentiary armed with a marketing degree, Kate Neilson heads to Wyoming anticipating an anonymous new beginning as a guest-ranch employee. A typical twenty-five-year-old woman might be looking to lasso a cowboy, but her only desire is to get on with life on the outside—despite her growing interest in the ranch owner. When she discovers a violent ex-lover followed her west, she fears the past she hoped to hide will trail as close as a shadow and imprison her once again.
You have written short stories, novel-length work, and non-fiction. Which writing form is easier
and why?
To be honest, writing is never easy for me, but for some crazy reason, I enjoy it. My two nonfiction books, “It’s a God Thing! Inspiring Stories of Life-Changing Friendships” and “On a Wing and a Prayer–Stories from Freedom Fellowship, a Prison Ministry,” are based on interviews. I love to hear and record other people’s stories. Fiction is fun because I can let my imagination loose and see what happens within 100,000 words or so.
You also have experience as an editor. Which do you prefer, writing or editing? What are your favorite elements of both?
I love rewriting/editing my own work and get a special joy out of eliminating unnecessary verbiage and finding better ways to say things. As E.B. White said, “the best writing is rewriting.”
Editing for other writers is a bit more challenging. I don’t want to crush their egos, yet I want to help them hone their stories, so I try to be encouraging as well as honest. One of my favorite elements of editing happens when I come across lines like “his eyes rolled up and down her body.” A good laugh in the midst of serious work is always refreshing.
If there were an aspect of writing you could eliminate from the process, what would it be?
That’s easy to answer—marketing. How crazy is it that we have to take time away from writing to promote our writing?
Your book On a Wing and a Prayer is a collection of stories about prison ministry. Your main character in Winds of Wyoming is a former inmate. Do you have special compassion for those who become incarcerated?
I helped lead weekly Bible studies at a women’s prison in another state. One of the first things I learned was that women behind bars are just like women on the outside. Ruined and doomed by our sin nature, we all stumble and fall, in one way or another, and suffer consequences. Some individuals suffer the consequence of incarceration.
In Winds, I wanted to first relay the fact that felons are real people and, second, show the struggles they encounter when they’re released. Men and women who attend Bible studies and prison chapel services love to sing God’s praises with other inmates. They pray together and support each other. Chaplains and volunteers encourage, teach and love them. However, when they’re released, they leave that tangible love and support behind and often return to the families and friends who enabled and encouraged their previous misdeeds.
Freedom can be difficult for ex-offenders. If they don’t quickly find a healthy support system, they can easily slide back into sin. Landing a job is often a struggle as is figuring out where they fit in society, which includes the question of whether or not they’ll be accepted in churches.
To highlight the challenges former inmates face, I created an ex-offender heroine who starts her life anew in a totally different environment, a heroine whose past refuses to release her. Plus, I added a great group of supporting characters to help her walk in the Light day by difficult day.
You became a novelist after age 50. What advice do you have to offer to those who feel their age is a hindrance to success?
Hang in there! I can now see that all the writing contests I entered and writing conferences and classes I attended plus all the writing books and articles I’ve read, along with daily writing and reading, plus life experiences have made me a writer I couldn’t have been even ten years ago. In fact, my sister just finished reading “Winds of Wyoming” and called to say how much she enjoyed it. Then she added, “I can’t believe how much your writing has improved.”
You said your readers are begging for a sequel. Are you planning to write one?
Glad you asked. I just finished penning the second book in the Kate Neilson series, Winds of Freedom. As soon as I input beta reader changes, I’ll send the manuscript to the editor, who will, I’m sure, suggest more changes.
Winds of Freedom is a bit more intense than the first book, has an even more sinister villain (or two), is set in the cooler months rather than summer, and involves the heroine’s struggle to not only deal with her own difficult issues, but to take care of her elderly aunt, who has MS and Alzheimer’s, and help her best friend, who’s in a desperate situation, plus encourage her husband with his ongoing ranching challenges.
Where can we learn more about you?
http://beckylyles.com
http://www.widgetwords.wordpress.com
Facebook: Rebecca
Carey Lyles
Twitter: @BeckyLyles
Where can we order your books?
http://www.amazon.com/Winds-Wyoming-Neilson-Novel-ebook/dp/B006SPP7G8/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1332786400&sr=1-1
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/winds-of-wyoming-rebecca-lyles/1109593354?ean=2940014800297&itm=1&USRI=winds+of+wyoming&
Though debut novelist Rebecca
Carey Lyles grew up in Wyoming, she and her husband, Steve, currently live in
the neighboring state of Idaho. She enjoys the creativity and beauty that
abound throughout her adopted state as well as opportunities to hike, camp,
snowshoe and cross-country ski in the midst of God’s grandeur. Favorite outdoor
experience: While hiking in the Wyoming mountains one summer, she came
nose-to-nose with (well, ten-feet from) a beautiful white wolf. Currently,
she’s putting the finishing touches on a Winds
of Wyoming sequel titled Winds of
Freedom.
LEAVE A COMMENT BETWEEN NOW AND AUG 31, 2012 TO ENTER A DRAWING TO WIN EITHER A PRINT OR EBOOK COPY OF WINDS OF WYOMING
Please welcome back author Peg Phifer with the continuing story of her journey to publication. Peg will tell her story in a series of posts the third Thursday of every month on this blog. (Apologies for the error in my last post indicating the next installment in Peg's story would be posted on July 5th!) Leave a comment after any post in the series to be placed in a drawing to win a copy of Peg's debut novel, To See The Sun.
In my last post on The Over 50 Writer, I ended with:
But another story took its place, this time with a female character named Tori, short for Victoria, and I titled it Totally Tori. “Tori” was the initial beginning of Erin in To See the Sun.
Back to those days on my old 386 IBM clone I started a writers workshop on AOL's Writer's Club, along with two other writers. We'd meet online once a week in a dedicated chat room and talk about writing for an hour. Two of my very early members were authors Jack Cavanaugh and Alton Gansky. Honest. I was struggling with disappointment over having to give up on my rodeo-girl-with-leukemia story and trying to transition into a new story, new character, new plot, new setting, new everything.
One evening I mentioned my struggle and Jack asked for some details and we threw ideas back and forth for a few minutes. I was so thrilled! I still have part of that transcript. And Jack's willingness to take the time to encourage a fledgling writer was just the impetus I needed to send me down the road to eventual publication instead of giving up.
An aside note: During those years Jack was writing his American Family Portrait series and he was trying to find the right title for the final book which was set during the Viet Nam era. I immediately thought of all the PEACE signs, the Flower Children, sit-in protests, so I impulsively threw out "The Peacemakers." Jack liked it, the publisher liked it, and so it became. And Jack gave me credit for the title and I have an autographed copy of the book. How cool is that?
So, Totally Tori became my next WIP and I poured everything into it. As a seat-of-the-pants writer, I had no outline, no plot but I pressed on. Tori was a graduate of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music in Milwaukee, and taught music in a local high school. For the junior/senior annual play, Tori decided she wanted them to do Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado. And here I got bogged down.
Yes, I had been part of a community choir as an adult, and we did selections from The Mikado, but I wasn't a choir director, drama coach, or anything of the sort. Plus, I'd been away from Milwaukee far too long to remember much about it. Besides, much I was familiar with had drastically changed.
So, I moved Tori up north into an area I was more recently acquainted with.
To be continued . . .
Be sure to come back for more of Peg's story on Thursday August 23rd.
It is my pleasure to welcome author Peggy Blann Phifer to The Over 50 Writer. Over the past several years, Peg and I have developed a friendship that has its roots in our writing interest, but has blossomed as we supported and encouraged each other through not only our writing endeavors, but personal issues as well. Peg is one of the most persistent and dedicated writers I know. She experienced many stumbling blocks in pursuit of her goal. I am honored that she is willing to guest on my blog and share her journey with you and me.
IN THE BEGINNING . . .
No, not that beginning, though sometimes if feels that long. You see, even though To See the Sun made its debut this past January—and is technically an infant—the book is approximately twenty years old. And, like everything else, it has gone through all the pains and mistakes of growing and maturing to the point where it was ready to be “born.” I like to joke about this as a twenty year pregnancy.
My road to publication has been a rocky one. I turned 50 in 1989 and began to wonder what kind of legacy I would leave behind. I’d always written. Sometimes in my head, sometimes on paper (none of which survived) and sometimes I’d rewrite books I’d read. Like Gone With the Wind? Bonnie didn’t die, Rhett came back and they all lived happily ever after. Yeah, well . . .
I had a grand idea for a story back in the early 1990’s, about a girl in her late teens who was a barrel racer in the rodeo and already a champion. Then she discovers she has leukemia. Great ingredients for a story, right? Only I knew nothing about barrel racing, horses, the rodeo, or leukemia. But that didn’t stop me.
I’d just gotten my first computer through the company I worked for. It was described as “an IBM clone.” Specifications: 386sx 25mhz, w/1Mb RAM; 89Mb IDE Hard drive, with both a 3.5” 1.44Mb and 5.25” 1.2Mb floppy drives, 14” VGA Monitor. Base price: $1,099.00. Then I had to add Windows 3.1 and a mouse, internal modem and a 3Mb RAM upgrade (in order to install Windows.) Final price: $1,343. Can you believe it? Took me two years to pay that puppy off. Oh, and then I had to buy a printer . . . dot matrix, of course. Incidentally, Windows 3.1 came on 25 3-1/2” discs and took close to 3 hours to load.
Anyway, back to my story and research. I found a forum on the Internet about the rodeo and hooked up with a few of them and ended up being invited to be “behind the scenes” for the NFR (National Finals Rodeo) held in December. Never saw the rodeo, I was in the tents with the horses. Talk about being completely intimidated and way out of my league. Never met any of the cowboys, either, darn it all. But it was an exciting day, nevertheless.
My story died a quick death. I found several pages in longhand on yellow legal paper the other day. Let me just say, uh, RIP, Marcy’s Dream.
But another story took its place, this time with a female character named Tori, short for Victoria, and I titled it Totally Tori. “Tori” was the initial beginning of Erin in To See the Sun.
More about that next time.
(be sure to come back for the next installment in Peggy's story on Thursday, July 5th)
.
TO SEE THE SUN
 Pregnant and widowed hadn’t been part of her “happily ever after” dream. And now, someone was trying to kill her . . .
Erin Macintyre never expected to be a widow and a new mother in the same year, anymore than she expected mysterious notes, threatening phone calls, and a strange homeless man who seems to know all about her. The thought of raising a child without a father is daunting enough—worse when you have no idea who might want to harm you. Put an old flame into the mix, and her life begins a tailspin into a world she never knew existed.
When P.I. Clay Buchanan, stumbles upon Erin at her husband's gravesite, he’s totally unprepared for her advanced pregnancy. Her venomous reaction at seeing him, however, was predictable. But Clay can’t let her distrust, or his guilt, get in the way—not when he has evidence that proves Erin’s life is in danger.
With few options left, Erin begrudgingly accepts Clay’s help . . . and it just might be her undoing.
Read the first chapter at: http://peggyblannphifer.com/my_books.htm
Buy Links:
· Amazon:
· Kindle:
· B&N Nook:
Patti's review:
How well do we know our spouses? Erin MacIntyre didn't learn about the secrets hers had been keeping from her until he was dead. Now she is left with a grieving heart, a baby on the way, and a mystery to solve. Not only is she thrown into the midst of the perplexing puzzle. Her life is being threatened as she seeks answers.
Erin's grief is laced with anger as she is faced with the return of former love interest Clay Buchanan, who betrayed her and her husband's friendship years before. Yet, Clay holds keys to the solution Erin is seeking. As Clay helps her paste pieces of the puzzle together, he struggles to regain Erin's trust and win her love.
This story piqued my curiosity on page one and led me down a path of adventure that spurred me on to the end with a sense of urgency to learn the outcome. The author combined a balance of mystery and tension, tempered with tenderness and sprinkled with humor to produce an enjoyable read.
I especially liked the interactions between the characters. The relationships were well defined, and each new player in the story had their own distinct place in the mystery, whether advocate or enemy as she traveled through a maze of uncertainty.
The portrayal of Las Vegas in To See the sun [[ASIN:1468121081 To See the Sun: Desert Faith Series Book One]]transcends the typical stereotype of "sin city" and gives readers a glimpse of the lives of real people in the person of her characters.
This debut novel establishes author Peggy Blann Phifer as a suspense writer with a bright and successful publishing future. The best thing about this book is that the story continues. Book two will follow!
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Peggy Blann Phifer is an author and columnist, book reviewer and author interviewer, whose work has appeared on various Web sites and writer periodicals both in print and online. She is also an avid reader who loves to escape by diving between the covers of a good book. Peg enjoys handcrafts of all kinds and her home shows off some of her work, though most end up as gifts for friends and family. A retired executive assistant, Peg now makes her home in southern Nevada with husband of 25 years, Jim.
TO SEE THE SUN is her debut novel, released January 2012
Contact Peggy at her website
Visit her blog “Whispers in Purple"
Friend her on Facebook
Follow her on Twitter
I started this blog page a couple of months ago. Unfortunately, when my granddaughter and I were making some font and color changes, we managed to wipe out the entire web site!
I'ts taken a couple of months to get things back on track.
I want this site to be a place of encouragement for writers in their later years who may wonder if there is a place for them in the publishing world. I hope to bring you the stories of writers who have found success in the sixth decade of their lives and beyond. This site will also host authors 50 and over and their work.
If you're over 50, you are most welcome here. If you're not, you're still welcome here....because someday you will be!
I want to introduce this new page to my web site with a story. After all, I am a writer, so that should not surprise you!
When I was a child, I enjoyed many visits to my great aunt and uncle on their Connecticut farm. It was an idyllic place for a kid complete with cows, a couple of dogs, a garden full of sweet corn and other wholesome veggies, a strawberry patch, and lots of open fields for running.
Over the years, time took its toll on my aunt and uncle and they could no longer handle the farm, so they sold it, retaining a few acres of property where they built a brand new home. They had been in their modern home a mere five days when my uncle was struck with a cerebral hemorrhage that left him totally deaf and partially paralyzed.
It was at that time in his life, when he had reached at least his seventies, that my other great uncle introduced him to power tools. My uncle had never so much as held a power tool in his hand prior to then. Yet, he acquired enough skill to craft furniture of such fine quality that customers traveled from all over New England to buy it.
He was old. He was handicapped. He lacked knowledge Yet, with a desire to learn and determination to persevere, he became a master at a brand new craft.
So, if you're over 50 and you think you would like to write - don't let your last birthday stop you!
Here you will find success stories, struggles, and triumphs of writers who have reached the big 5-0 and are just getting started!
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