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Wanda Snow Porter

Meet My Character

9/1/2014

6 Comments

 
I've been invited to join the Meet My Character Blog Tour
and introduce a character from one of my novels. Thank
you FM Kahren for the invitation. Frank has written some great novels. Learn more about his books at:
http://www.fmkahren.blogspot.com  

Now, I'd like to introduce my character, Winna Beckman. She
rides tall in the saddle on the pages of my newly released novel,
Riding Babyface.
She is fictional, but the names and personalities of her dog and horse in the story are real, inspired by my childhood pets. With some changes, the story setting is based on the town and house where I grew up.
Enough said.
I'll stop jabbering and let Winna introduce herself.
                                    ****
Hi, everyone. Nice to meet you.
My name is Winna Beckman.
It's the summer of 1957 when my family moves to a small farm near Arroyo Viejo on California's central coast. I'm fourteen, and I'll start 9th grade at a new school this fall. I dread going to high school. Maybe I'm not smart enough. Maybe I'll flunk out.  

Besides worrying about bad grades, I won’t know anyone except my older sister, Veronica. She calls me a pesky tag-along, and says hanging out with her is a definite no-no.

Oh well, making friends is never easy, real ones, not the kind that whisper about you behind your back. Perhaps it is an advantage no one knows anything about me or my family.

More than anything, I want a horse. I'm thrilled down to my
toes, when Daddy buys not just one, but two mares. One is named Snafu, and is due to foal soon. I sooo look forward to that. The other mare, Babyface, is a brat, and not so easy to ride.
If I'm going to be the best horseback rider ever, and train horses for the circus someday, I've got to practice my riding skills.

Despite Babyface's frequent misbehaviors, riding her is my favorite thing to do in the world. Mama says I'm horse crazy. 
Then Ben moves next door and makes my heart flutter. I never expected to act goo-goo over a boy the way my sister does.

Problem is, Ben seems to like my scheming sister, and doesn't seem to mind  the attentions of the other neighbor girls, Trudy and Jenny Lee, either. Dang it all. How can I get him to fall for me? I'm sort of a tomboy and don't know how to flirt, or do all that girly stuff like paint my fingernails. Even worse, my mother's drinking problem may spoil any hope I have of winning Ben's heart.
Picture

             Read more about Winna  
                             in
                 Riding Babyface. 
    
         Available in print and ebook at: 
                    Amazon.com
                             &
               Desert Breese Publishing 
 

Next week, keep following the Meet My Character Blog Tour and join these authors.

B.A. Kelly

A native of Chicago, author Bonnie Kelly has also called Michigan, Arizona, Washington and Hawaii home. Over the last forty years, she has lived throughout California and finally settled on the Central Coast in Northern Santa Barbara County. Bonnie has worked in various arenas such as folding billboard posters, working as a file clerk and waitress, stocking shelves, hairdressing, bartending, as a flight coordinator, being a housewife, and as a certified structural welder in the Boilermaker's Union. She published a small town newspaper for over five years, and earned an A.S. degree in Library Science.

Bonnie writes westerns under the name, B.A.
Kelly, and has had two a western novels published.
Blessings, Bullets and Bad Bad Men (which was nominated for a Peacemaker Award as the best new western of 2011)
and Wild Justice. She's also had a short story, Reflections, published in an anthology, Scattered Hearts.
They are all available as ebooks and in print at Amazon.
Her website is
http://www.bonniekelly.org 

Barbara M. Hodges

Barbara M. Hodges lives in Nipomo, California. She is the author or co/author of nine published works of fiction. The Blue Flame, The Emerald Dagger and The Silver Angel are the first three books in her young adult fantasy series. Return of the Ancients is not part of her series, but takes place in her fantasy land, Daradawn. 

Aftermath
contains three pieces of shorter fantasy fiction written for adults. Barbara has also co-authored two suspense novels, Ice and One Last Sin, with Randolph Tower. A Spiral of Echoes, written with Maggie Pucillo, is a paranormal romance set in Baja, Mexico. Shadow Worlds, co-authored with Darrell Bain is pure science fiction. Barbara also has short stories in three anthologies. 

Barbara shares her life with her husband Jeff, two basset hound scamps, Hamlet and Heidi, as well as with a sassy ginger-striped feline, Wallace. When she isn’t writing she likes to design and create jewelry. She is a member of San Luis Obispo, California Nightwriters, Sisters in Crime and Public Safety Writers Association. Her critique group, The Santa Maria Word Wizards, is celebrating its twentieth reunion this year. She is a founding member.

Barbara also hosts a monthly program, No Limits, on Blog Talk Radio, where she talks with those involved in the field of writing. 
All of her books are in print and electronic format and can be purchased on the Internet and other brick and mortar stores. 
Website:
http://barbaramhodges.com 
Blog: 
http://barbarahodges.wordpress.com/

Beverly Stowe McClure

Most of the time, you’ll find Beverly in front of her computer, writing the stories little voices whisper in her ear. When she’s not writing, she takes long walks and snaps pictures of clouds, wild flowers, birds and deer. She also enjoys visiting with her family and teaching a women’s Sunday school class at her church. To relax she plays the piano. Thank you, Mom, for making/encouraging me to practice. Her cats do not appreciate good music and run when she tickles the ivories. She is affectionately known as the “Bug Lady” because she rescues
butterflies, moths, walking sticks, and praying mantis from her cats.

Beverly has several articles published in leading children’s
magazines. Two of her stories have appeared in CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL anthologies. She also has nine books for children and teens published, with four more under contract. 
http://beverlystowemcclure.wordpress.com
 http://beverlystowemcclure.blogspot.com


6 Comments

The Next Big Thing

10/10/2012

4 Comments

 

Thank you, Beverly Stowe McClure, for tagging me to participate in The Next Big Thing Blog Hop. The hop rules require me to answer 10 predetermined questions, and then at the bottom of my post, I’ve listed authors who will answer the same ten questions on their blogs next Wednesday. 

What is the title of your latest book? 
My young adult novel Remedy was just released in September.
Picture

Where did the idea come from for Remedy?
I  once wrote and illustrated a story for one of my riding students who owned a miniature burro. That story led me to write and illustrate the DANA Burro Picture Book Series. 
Then I went to see the wild burros when the Bureau of Land  Management brought them to a nearby town to be adopted. They were charming and inspired me to write Remedy.

What genre does your book fall under?
Remedy is a YA family/animal story told from two points of view, boy and burro.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Thirteen-year-old Tim and feisty Laney should be played by new, unknown actors. Glenn Close or maybe Cher would be perfect for the role of the whacky, psychic grandma.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of Remedy? 
Tim McGrew thought things couldn’t get worse--until his family moves to his grandparent’s remote ranch on Nowhere Mountain. 

Who published your book?

Both my young adult novels are published by Whimsical
Publications.


How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

At least a year. I write slowly, and my characters evolve as I write. My stories are set aside for a few months, revised many times, and shared with my critique group before I submit them to my publisher. 

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
The dog in Because of Winn-Dixie filled a void in India Opal’s life like the burro did in Tim’s. And the offbeat grandmother in A
Year Down Yonder
made me laugh. Tim’s grandmother is a hoot too.
 

Who or What inspired you to write this book?
Animals play big roles in all my stories. I’m inspired by the horses and all the wonderful pets I’ve known. Over the years, they have brought me joy, and comforted me if I felt lonely or sad. When I was about seven-years-old, I was attacked by a vicious dog, and our family’s loyal dog Puppy saved me from being torn to shreds. So it's easy to understand why animals hold a special place in my heart. 
Picture

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Remedy’s cover is so charming. The wise-eyed burro, cute dog, and sulky-faced boy invite the reader to pick up the book.

Next Wednesday check out these author's blogs to find out about their Next Big Thing.
Diane Craver
                               Marilyn Meredith
                               Regina Puckett 



4 Comments

Beverly Interviewed Me Too

6/19/2012

0 Comments

 
My friend and fellow YA author, Beverly Stowe McClure, kindly
included me in her wonderful blog.
Check it out at: 
http://www.beverlystowemcclure.blogspot.com/2012/06/interview-with-wanda-snow-porter.html
0 Comments

Interview with author Beverly Stowe McClure

5/29/2012

6 Comments

 
Beverly Stowe McClure, thank you for your visit. I was first introduced to your books through an interview you gave on Blog Talk Radio. Since then, I’ve read and enjoyed almost all of your books and learned we have much in common. We both live in the country and are both horse lovers. Do you have a favorite horse, and if you do, why?

The country is a great place to live. Ducks float on our pond. Armadillos dig for bugs. The birds sing and the deer stop by for a snack. The snakes I’m not so crazy about, but if they’ll leave me alone, I’ll stay away from them.
My favorite horse is  Heavenly Sunrise, a quarter horse we owned years ago. My husband bought her at an auction. We were into race horses at the time, and she had a great pedigree, a half sister that had won some big races. She was a yearling and a beautiful sorrel. Unfortunately, she was injured just a short time after we brought her home. It was a miracle she survived. She raced a few times after that and won a small race, but she never recovered completely from her accident. I loved that horse. She was so brave. She had one beautiful foal. I wish we still had them, but we eventually got out of the horse business. I have some great pictures for my memories though.

I read that when you were young you hated reading and writing. What changed your mind and influenced you to become a writer?

When my sons were born, I decided I wanted them to enjoy reading, so I read to them. And guess what? I fell in love with Dr. Seuss. His stories were so much fun. We read his books so many times my boys could say them by heart. Also, I became a teacher. Yeah, who would have thought it? In my classroom library I had Newbery winners and honor books. My fifth-grade students had to make reports on the ones they read. Watching them dress up like the character, or act out the parts, or just tell the class about the book, and seeing their enthusiasm (most of them) also helped me realize what I’d been missing. So I became a reader. This doesn’t count all the books I read for my classes at the university. This was reading books I wanted to, and I was hooked. I haven’t stopped reading since. I also discovered writing was fun.

Was your road to publication difficult?

Yes, but probably not any more than for many other authors. When I started out, I knew very little about publishing. This was in the late 1990s. I don’t think authors had the support back then, like blogs where other writers freely talk about writing and give advice. If it did exist, I knew nothing about it. So I was pretty much on my own. I signed up for a writing course which helped a lot. Then I wrote my first YA novel and sent it to all the big publishing houses. The manuscript came back, over and over. Well, I’m kind of stubborn, so I was determined not to give up.
In the meantime, several of my articles for children were published in leading children’s magazines like Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill, Focus on the Family Clubhouse Jr., Ladybug, and others, which made me feel a little better. I also discovered small, Indie publishers. My first published book was actually an eBook, before eBooks were popular. That publisher soon went out of business. But I was on my way.

Do you write every day?

Yes, every day except Sunday, unless something unexpected prevents me from writing.

How did you come up with the adoption idea for your latest book,
Life on Hold?

I read an article in the local newspaper about a teen boy and girl who were sweethearts in high school. They had a baby boy, but her parents made her give the baby up for adoption. The boy and girl eventually went their separate ways, married others, and had other children. Those marriages did not last, however. Eighteen years later, they found each other again, and a chance conversation with someone (I forget who now) mentioned a boy of eighteen who had recently discovered he was adopted. They had decided to find their child, if possible, and he turned out to be their son. I just love happy endings.
Picture
Life on Hold
Author: Beverly Stowe McClure
Cover Artist: Aidana WillowRaven
Publisher: 4 RV Publishing LLC
Paperback/Pages: 200
Published: Feb.21, 2012
ISBN: 978-0983801825 
A paper found. A secret revealed. A girl’s life changed forever. Myra Gibson’s life is a lie. For sixteen years her parents have kept their secret, but the adoption paper she discovers while cleaning the guest house tells the truth. As the past and present collide, Myra finally stands up for herself and begins a journey she may regret.

Amazon:
http://amzn.to/zb81Cd
Barnes & Noble: http://tinyurl.com/8xp9xp7
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/beverlysmcclure
Twitter: http://twitter.com/beverlymcclure
GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/11462.Beverly_Stowe_McClure
Blog: http://beverlystowemcclure.blogspot.com
Website: http://www.beverlystowemcclure.wordpress.com      



6 Comments

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