First Draft to Published

  ABOUT R.H. RAMSEY Rhonda Ramsey is a prolific new author who enjoys breathing passion and life into each and every character she creates. She is an avid writer with eleven completed novels, four novels near completion, and five short stories. She is also a military wife, mother of two, and student. Over the course of seven years, Rhonda has diligently researched topics ranging from but not limited to; relationships, addiction, abuse, and mental illness. With a passion for people, helping, and learning, Rhonda’s zeal for inspiring others through her writing has also expanded to freelance writing and blogging; as she has her own blog, and enjoys contributing to other websites as well. She hopes to continue in her quest of inspiring others as well as learning from everyone she meets. Her latest book is Just Beneath the Surface I. Visit her blog at w ww.arirjames.wordpress.com . ABOUT JUST BENEATH THE SURFACE When Kendall Berkely takes a look in the m...

A day in my life might be described by some as erratic since I dislike schedules. Going to work every day at a set time, whether it’s sitting down in front of a computer at home, or commuting to a job, is really difficult for me. I read one time that there are some people who function best with a set routine and others who prefer variation. I’m definitely one of the latter as I like the freedom to take my days as they come. As such, my daily routine changes frequently. It’s somewhat dependent on the seasons, but it’s more about enjoying the choices I have working for myself. I don’t even own an alarm clock. As I realized long ago, if I have difficulty waking up, it’s because there’s something in my life I dislike and, until I fix it, I’ll be dragging myself out of bed every morning.  I do have priorities however. We live on a ranch, so our animals have to be taken care of. This doesn’t usually take a lot of time and it gives me a chance to get outside. For instance, rig...

1) Martin Banzer, one of the main characters, travels to Bolivia to get in touch with his Bolivian roots. Then, rather than branching out and meeting family members, he spends his days in a coffee shop eating cheesecake and reading The New York Times. 2) Cheryl Lewis, a young woman who has just graduated from UVA, is probably the bravest character in Plant Teacher. She finds a job in Bolivia and then moves abroad without knowing anyone in that country or having any support network. 3) Gus Adams is a missionary with a graduate degree in development economics. He is a walking encyclopedia of socioeconomic statistics. 4) The idea for Plant Teacher was born when a retired U.S. Army colonel told me about his experiences with a hallucinogenic drug, caapi . He felt that he’d experienced a form of spiritual enlightenment, and I kept thinking, Can you really buy wisdom? If you do, isn’t there a price to pay? 5) I made Martin Banzer try caapi at the beginning of Plant Tea...

  About The Unhappy Little Dragon Lessons Learned This is the tale of a little Dragon who has a big problem; he cannot control his fire! After a major mishap, he runs away into the forest and has a wonderful adventure where he meets new friends, learns that every creature has a unique gift. He also finds out the special way in which he can use his own remarkable gift of fire. His forest friends help him understand that he really is a very special dragon indeed!   You can visit her website at When the Moon Speaks Purchase The Unhappy Little Dragon Lessons Learned

By Cynthia Haggard Fun Thing #1 Visiting Cecylee's girlhood home at Castle Raby, Co. Durham in July 2007, and being taken on my very own private "Cecylee" tour, which included clambering up a very steep and twisted spiral staircase to visit her room in the Keep, where her father locked her up. Fun Thing #2 After about three years of writing the novel, I submitted it to my editor Catherine Adams in the summer of 2007 for some structural advice. At that point, the novel had only three books: THE BRIDE PRICE, ONE SEED SOWN and TWO MURDERS REAPED. "But you can't have a novel set at the time of the Wars of the Roses and barely mention it," Catherine said. "But Cecylee wasn't taking part in a direct way," I replied. "She was busy having thirteen children in seventeen years." "You have to have something," responded Catherine, giving me a series of suggestions. That is how I came to write THE GILDED CAGE, which is now Boo...

Dinner is a word I fear! Between being a busy mom and wife, which includes being a taxi driver for my youngest and attending the university to finish my degree, I cringe at the thought of thinking, planning and preparing meals everyday for my family. When I do manage to get a dinner on the table, I’m actually quite surprised by it, but then I’m wondering how to repeat it again the next day. My kitchen is reminiscent of the 1800’s when all the cooks had to accomplish things were some cast iron skillets and a few knives.

  By William Bertram MacFarland I’ve been asked to describe how I felt and what was going on in the White House the day of President Kennedy’s assassination. It’s extremely painful for me to re-live that day. The world lost a great leader, our nation lost its last chance of avoiding involvement in a grotesque war in Vietnam and all Americans lost a true visionary who inspired the country and united everyone around him. I lost my best friend. His death was the end of Camelot. November 22, 1963 I was sitting in my office in the West Wing working on the troop withdrawal plan for South Vietnam when around 1:45 p.m. I heard somebody running down the corridor yelling, “Everybody drop what you’re doing and get to the Staff Dining Room!” There was an unmistakable note of panic in the voice and although I didn’t want to interrupt my train of thought on the mathematics of the model construction, I was concerned and figured, “What the hell. My train of thought has already...

Everyone loves something for free and when its kindle e-books what could be any better. Catch up on some reading with these free kindle books. Not sure how long the free will last, so get your free kindle books today. Get your FREE Copy Almost A Bride at Amazon . Get your FREE copy of The One You Love (suspense/mystery) at Amazon Get your FREE copy of Spying in High Heels, (humorous mystery) at Amazon For all those academia people who love a good classic. Get your FREE copy of The Scarlett Letter at Amazon.  Happy Reading!

Cynthia Haggard, author of the historical biography, Thwarted Queen is on virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book this month of May, to talk about her book, the writing life and her future projects. Today, May 3, 2012 she will be visiting Pump Up Your Book . About Thwarted Queen THWARTED QUEEN is a portrait of a woman trapped by power, a marriage undone by betrayal, and a King brought down by fear. Cecylee is the apple of her mother’s eye. The seventh daughter, she is the only one left unmarried by 1424, the year she turns nine. In her father’s eyes, however, she is merely a valuable pawn in the game of marriage. But does Cecylee wish to marry the boy her father has picked out for her? Does she wish to marry at all?  Purchase the kindle or book format at Amazon If you would like information about a book tour, please visit my blog, Writing Daze or email Rebecca at Rebecca.camarena@yahoo.com Join us for a birthday celebration for the main character, Cecyl...