Showing posts with label christmas stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label christmas stories. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Covid-19 And Christmas 2020 – During The Holidays Find Inspiration, Healing And Promise For The Future With A New Christmas Book By Award Winning Author Donna Fletcher Crow


Crow writes meticulously researched, entertaining novels of romance, history, adventure and mystery in an engaging you-are-there style that allows readers to live the history. Reviewers have compared her work with PD James, Dan Brown and Barbara Pym.

Award winning author Donna Fletcher Crow, has announced the release of a new Christmas book just in time for the 2020 Holiday Season. 'A Lighted Lamp,' Scenes of Christmas Through Time, allows readers to experience Christmases ranging from Scotland a thousand years ago to modern England, with visits to the American west in between, as people through the ages find strength and promise for the future in the season. Celebrate in locations as diverse as a Scottish court, a Regency country house, a pioneer shack, and a contemporary English monastery. Customs have changed, struggles have varied, but one constant has remained—Christmas has never failed to bring hope and joy.

Crow explained her motivation for writing this book: “All around me I am hearing people express their worries about Christmas this year. How can we celebrate in the midst of a pandemic, especially where many areas are reaching new spikes? How can it be a season of joy when I am cut off from my family by travel restrictions? What will Christmas be like when experts say even singing carols presents a danger?

“I wanted to do something to shed light in the darkness, to bring a ray of hope amidst fear. In looking back over my 50-some published books, I realized how all my characters had faced situations, often as dire as our own. Each one of them struggled with the problems and challenges of their day. Yet, in all times and places, Christmas has never failed to bring its special gift of joy and healing to their unique conflicts.

"Using events from my novels, I have shaped a collection of short stories to share these experiences with my readers, desiring that they will find inspiration for their own situations this year as we face our own dilemmas of how to observe the up-coming festive season in the midst of a worldwide pandemic, economic loss, and for many, even personal grief.

"It is my hope that readers will delight as: Queen Margaret reforms manners at the Scottish court with a deft touch of gift-giving; young Bors faces family hostilities when he is sent home after the great fire that destroyed Glastonbury Abbey; Georgiana Somerset grapples with conflicting emotions amidst a whirl of Regency merrymaking at Badminton House; Kathryn discovers renewed strength to carry on in a homestead shack in the Idaho desert; her daughter Elizabeth manages to find reasons to celebrate in the depths of the Great Depression; as does her daughter in the midst of the turbulence of the 1970s; and finally, an American woman finds the light of hope in a contemporary monastery in England as she works with troubled teens.

"It’s no accident that, at least in the western hemisphere, Christmas comes at the darkest, coldest time of the year. From earliest days people have yearned for peace, for beauty, for warmth, and this longing has expressed itself through the ages in our annual high festival of light."

Donna Fletcher Crow is the author of 50 books, mostly novels of British history. She has taken a number of high-level industry awards for her work. 'Glastonbury' is her best-known book, which received the prestigious First Place, Historical Novel, award from the National Federation of Press Women. Readers and reviewers have raved about 'Glastonbury', calling it "The best of its kind," "richly fascinating," "beautifully researched," "gloriously evocative," and "panoramic." One Amazon reader said, "WHAT a work! Every reader can be enveloped in the sheer scope and quality, every historian be constantly nodding at the precise detail and accuracy, and every Christian can rejoice in the fullness of scripture. For me it is simply beyond descriptive praise. I would urge all who value truth to treat themselves to a feast."

The Monastery Murders Series features atmospheric contemporary crimes with their roots buried deep in the middle ages. Books in the series include 'A Very Private Grave', 'A Darkly Hidden Truth', 'An Unholy Communion', 'A Newly Crimsoned Reliquary', 'An All-Consuming Fire' and the newly-released 'Against All Fierce Hostility.'

The Daughters of Courage, 'Kathryn', 'Elizabeth' and 'Stephanie' is a pioneer family saga based on the stories of Crow's own family and other Idaho pioneers in the Kuna, Nampa and Boise area. A short story on her blog entitled “A Nostalgic Fourth of July” is based on a scene from ‘Kathryn: Days of Loss and Hope'.

Where There is Love is a 6-book series of the enduring legacy of love and faith all based on historic people and events. The titles are: ‘Where Love Begins’, ‘Where Love Illumines’, ‘Where Love Triumphs’, ‘Where Love Restores’, ‘Where Love Shines’, and ‘Where Love Calls’.

The Elizabeth & Richard Mysteries is a literary suspense series using literary figures as background: Rudyard Kipling in 'The Flame Ignites', Dorothy L Sayers in 'The Shadow of Reality', Shakespeare in 'A Midsummer Eve's Nightmare', and Jane Austen in both 'A Jane Austen Encounter' and 'A Most Singular Venture'. Watch for 'A Prodigious Sum of Corpses: Seeking Sanditon at Jane Austen’s Seashore', which will take readers to all of Austen’s favorite seashore resorts. Accounts of Crow’s visits to these sites are available on her blog under the heading “Jane Austen Seashore Tour.”

The Lord Danvers Victorian true-crime series is an Amazon bestseller in the British Detectives category. Books in the series include 'A Lethal Spectre', 'A Most Inconvenient Death', 'Grave Matters', 'To Dust You Shall Return' and 'A Tincture of Murder'. Donna provides a no-charge download of 'A Tincture of Murder' for those who sign up for her newsletter. More information is available at her website.

Donna Fletcher Crow's awards include:

Where Love Begins, Best Historical Romance, Pinnacle Awards 2019
A Lethal Spectre, Best Mystery, Pinnacle Awards, 2019
Glastonbury, First Place, Historical Fiction, National Federation of Press Women Award of Merit
The Banks of the Boyne, Silver Angel; First Place Historical Fiction, National Federation Press Women
The Fields of Bannockburn, First Place Historical Fiction, National Federation Press Women
Professional Achievement Award, Northwest Nazarene College
Juvenile Books Award of Merit, Idaho Press Women
Top Idaho Author
Pacesetter Award, Mt. Hermon Writers Conference
Outstanding Historical Fiction, Idaho Press Women, National Federation of Press Women,
Idaho Writer of the Year
Best Inspirational Novel, Finalist Romance Writers of America
Writer of the Year, Mt. Hermon Writers Conference

Donna is available for media interviews and can be reached by email at donna@donnafletchercrow.com. All of her books are available at online book retailers. More information, including a no-charge download of 'A Tincture of Murder', is available at her website at https://www.donnafletchercrow.com.

About Donna Fletcher Crow:

Donna and her husband live in Boise, Idaho. They have 4 adult children and 15 grandchildren living on 3 continents. Donna is a former English literature teacher and lifelong Anglophile. Idahoans with long memories will remember her as a former Queen of the Snake River Stampede, Miss Rodeo Idaho and runner-up for Miss Rodeo America. She is an enthusiastic gardener.

Contact:

Donna Fletcher Crow

donna@donnafletchercrow.com

https://www.donnafletchercrow.com

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Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Barbara Briggs Ward, Author Of The Reindeer Keeper And The Snarly Sally Series, To Appear At BookExpo America


BookExpo America is the main event for the publishing industry. Attendees include publishers, literary agents, authors, librarians, e-publishers, bookstores and bloggers

Barbara Briggs Ward, author of 'The Reindeer Keeper' and the 'Snarly Sally' series of children's books will attend BookExpo America. BookExpo America will be held May 24th-May 26th at the Javits Center in New York City. Ward's BookExpo location will be in Writer's Row, Booth #4783.

"While at BookExpo," stated Ms. Ward, "I will be introducing my heartwarming Christmas story entitled, 'The Reindeer Keeper' which has received 5-Star reviews on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. This is the place to make connections. I'm excited to be a part of this event; to share my story and ideas and experiences from those who have fallen in love with 'The Reindeer Keeper.'

This year, BookExpo America will feature three full days of exhibits and four days of conference and special events. Details, including locations, event hours and a full itinerary are available at the groups website at www.bookexpoamerica.com. Ms. Ward sees the event as an opportunity to present her work to a much larger audience.

"Although I am a published writer/illustrator of children's picture books," she continued "and have been published in McCall's, Ladies' Home Journal, Highlights for Children and Chicken Soup for the Soul, when it came to my seeking a publisher for my heartwarming Christmas story geared towards baby boomers entitled, 'The Reindeer Keeper', I chose self-publishing, thinking it would be hard to find a mainstream publisher interested in a title that was seasonal and written by a relatively unknown author. "My plan was to self-publish; then get the book out into the marketplace the best I could. Based on the reaction I would then take the next step-seek a mainstream publisher or literary agent. Well the reaction continues to be overwhelming from both women and men-from this country and around the world. Readers fell in love with the story and are asking for a sequel. Most tell me 'The Reindeer Keeper' is destined to be a Made-for-Television Christmas movie classic. I discovered the perfect match-heartwarming Christmas stories and Baby Boomers. They keep asking me to write more of the same. By attending BookExpo, I hope to make that happen."

Barbara Briggs Ward is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at maggieosheacompany@yahoo.com. All Ms. Ward's books are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Wheatmark Publishing, at the St. Lawrence University Brewer Bookstore and at her website. 'The Reindeer Keeper' is available on Kindle. More information is available at her website.

Profile:

Barbara Briggs Ward is the author/illustrator of the children's book series featuring Snarly Sally - "The little girl who doesn't like to have her hair brushed." Titles include, 'The Really, Really Hairy Flight of Snarly Sally', 'Snarly Sally's Garden of ABCs' and 'The Really Hairy Scary Butterfly Rescue.' Barbara's projects also include illustrating, 'And Then There Was Hope' and 'The Brain Reigns' for the New York State Office of Mental Health.

She has been a featured author/illustrator on Mountain Lake PBS in Plattsburgh, New York and on stage at Target's Book Festival in Boston and New York City. She has been published in Highlights for Children, McCall's, and The Crafts Report. Her essay led to a feature in Ladies' Home Journal. Several of her articles have been published in regional newspapers. She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

Contact:

Barbara Briggs Ward
4348 St. Hwy. 37, P.O. Box 627
Ogdensburg, NY 13669
maggieosheacompany@yahoo.com
www.thereindeerkeeper.com
www.snarlysally.com
315-528-2770

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