Mother's Day

As Mother's Day draws near and people are searching for the right gift, I have two books from the Cup of Comfort series and one titled Blessings for Mothers that may be just what you're looking for.  They are all anthologies, with a collection of stories from various writers including myself.

A Cup of Comfort for Mothers & Sons is just that...a collection of stories written for mothers and sons.  My story Some Distance Now Required shares a story about my son David at a time he changed from this 'sweet, affectionate little boy' to a 'standoffish young man' at the start of seventh grade.  Needless to say, it caught me complete off-guard! 

In A Cup of Comfort for Single Moms each submission shares a heartfelt story for single mothers.  My story A Home Built for Three shares a time in my life when I purchased my first home.  As a fairly new single parent this was our chance to establish a new 'home' after moving from Tennessee back to Minnesota when my daughters were only five and eight years old.

In Blessings for Mothers I wrote a story from the perspective of a step-mom when I married a man with three kids and we became a blended family of 'yours, mine, and ours.'  Imagine taking six kids on a 27-hour drive from Minneapolis to Florida in an RV that "claimed" to sleep eight. I worried what those circumstances would unleash--especially with four teenage girls on board.  Rather than arguments or complaints, our two week vacation went by smooth as silk, and today ten years later, all six kids enjoy reminiscing about that trip. 

To say we've been blessed as a family is an understatement...

If you're interested in any of these books, send an email or give a call!

Blessings,

Barbara

The Cup of Comfort books are edited by Colleen Sell and published by Adams Media.  Blessings for Mothers is from Regal Publishing.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/barbara.marshak

Time of Transition

Today I finished my novel Seeds of Salton. I mean really, finished.  The edits are complete; the manuscript is complete--Chapter One through Chapter 30.  It's an odd feeling.  After all, this is the story I've been involved with on an intimate basis nearly every day for the past three years.  I know the very heart of my protaganist, Grady Kramer; I've felt his pain.  My writing journey has included two trips to Eastern Montana and of course countless hours at my computer.  That's why it's a little hard to let the book simply sit on the corner of my desk. I'm tempted to carry the manuscript with me everywhere I go, just to show people...look what I've accomplished; look what I've spent the last three years of my life doing. 

And I do this because I love to write. 
Seeds of Salton is in fact a beautifully moving story of courage, love, and the transforming power of forgiveness. 

The book runs 370 pages in length, 97,000 words, (general fiction), and has been through a content edit and a minor copy edit with Susanne Lakin, an editor/author from San Jose, California.  What I love about Susanne is that she "gets" my protaganist, Grady Kramer and the difficult relationship Grady has with his father, Frank Kramer.

But now comes a time of waiting...

...waiting for the right agent to act on behalf of Grady Kramer.

...waiting for a contract with a publisher. 

In the mean time I need to keep writing.  And fortunately I have another incredible story to write.  It's a non-fiction project titled, Michigan and Rookie...Guardians of the Night, A remarkable story of a cop and his K-9 partner Rookie, dedicated to serving their community as the eyes and ears of the night. 

More to come on that later...

Barbara

Synchronicity

One of the workshop sessions I attended at the Northern Colorado Writers Conference in March was "Intimate Emotions, Universal Themes & Synchronicity" presented by author and writing coach Page Lambert.  (By the way, Page's memoir "In Search of Kinship" was a Rocky Mountain bestseller and her novel "Shifting Stars" was a finalist for the Mountains and Plains Bookseller's Award.)  In this workshop Page talked about some of the synchronicities that happened while writing "Shifting Stars", a book born from stories/memories surrounding her own grandmother.  Page shared that she allowed herself to "become" her grandmother as she wrote, thinking, feeling as her grandmother might have, and in turn it brought deep, honest emotion to her character.

Page read from "Shifting Stars" using a distinct voice for each character.  Her personal journey had many synchronicities--from choosing the title, to literal shifting stars, which referred to Haley's Comet crossing the sky above the plains in 1832, to a letter from her grandmother written in 1910 where she talked about seeing the comet, unbeknownst to Page beforehand, to the Native American phrase "shifting stars" which also references the comet.  Truly an amazing example of generational synchronicities!

This theme struck a chord with me since I had recently written a short story about my Swedish great-grandparents who settled in Minnesota's wilderness in the 1860s, a heart-breaking story of tragedy and loss.  Today I received notification that my short story "Prairie Promises" won First Place in the Talking Stick contest sponsored by the Jackpine Writers Bloc in Park Rapids, Minnesota, and will be published in Talking Stick-Volume 19, set for release in September.  The reward for me comes as an affirmation for what we choose to write about. 

Synchronicity...yes, I think I am familiar with it as well. 

In seven weeks I'll be on my way to the Vee Bar Guest Ranch near Laramie, Wyoming to participate in the Literature & Landscape of the Horse, a retreat hosted by Page Lambert.  I learned after signing up for this retreat that Page Lambert is a lifelong member of the the Bearlodge Writers group in Sundance, Wyoming.  It just so happens that the Bearlodge Writers co-sponsor a residency together with the nearby Devils Tower National Park.  In 2008 I won the residency, based on the opening pages of my manuscript "Seeds of Salton".  When I spent my full week at the Devils Tower I had the distinct sense that my being in that very place to write that book was no accident.  "Seeds of Salton" you see, is based on real people and real lives, and is set in the tiny town of Wibaux, Montana.  Wibaux sits on the border of Montana and North Dakota, where long ago two of the famous cattlemen who settled that part of the open range were a couple of rough riders named Teddy Roosevelt and Pierre Wibaux.  Teddy Roosevelt later became President of the United States and in that capacity established the first national monument in the country--the Devils Tower. 

Hmmm.  It's no wonder I look forward with great anticipation to Page Lambert's retreat in Wyoming.  Who knows what other interesting synchronicities might come our way.

Barbara

Northern Colorado Writers Conference

My good friend and writing buddy, Julie Saffrin, and I attended the Northern Colorado Writers Conference (NCWC) this past weekend in Fort Collins.  We met lots of friendly writers--mostly all from Colorado--and connected with quite a few, collecting the usual array of author business cards and postcards.  The workshops were helpful and enjoyable, like "Selling your book to film and television" with Ken Sherman, or "Intimate emotions, universal themes & synchronicity" with Page Lambert.  It was fun to meet Page before I attend the "Landscape and Literature" retreat that she is hosting in Wyoming this May.

Kerrie Flanagan, Director of the NCWC, did an amazing job overseeing the many aspects of a large conference, and took care of everyone's needs with a smile on her face.  The keynotes were great, starting with author/screenwriter Stephen Cannell on Friday, and Colorado author Todd Mitchell on Saturday.

I had a pitch session with agent Rachelle Gardner, which was my main reason for attending this particular conference.  I think both my novel "Seeds of Salton" and my new nonfiction book "Michigan & Rookie" will appeal to a crossover audience.  From what I've read about Rachelle I think she might have the ideal background for these types of stories.  Time will tell...  :)

Of course I love traveling west for any reason--and combining Colorado and writing makes it even better.  Old Town Fort Collins had lots of cool shops and restaurants and we had a gorgeous view of the Rockies--that alone was worth the trip!  The conference was held at the Hilton and I must say "Hilton" is the way to go--no more Motel 6's for me! :) I loved having four feather pillows on my bed!

Meanwhile, now it's time to get back to the new episodes for "Hidden Heritage" on RFD-TV and start on my book proposal for "Michigan and Rookie...Guardians of the Night."  It seems I never run out of things to write, which is a good thing!

Barbara

2010 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest - Quarterfinals!!

I, along with a thousand other writers, waited not-so-patiently yesterday for the posting of the quarterfinal entries.  This is the stage in the contest where hopeful authors go down from 1,000 to 250.  I won't say how many times I logged on to  check the Amazon/abna website, but finally around ten o'clock central time zone, the list was posted. 

My husband happened to be in my office when I scrolled the list (going alphabetical by last name), down through A, B, C...K, L, M...Ma  and we both spotted it simultaneously:

Marshak, Barbara - Seeds of Salton  (And both cheered simultaneously:  Wha-hooh!)

It may or may not meaning anything to my career--time will tell--nonetheless it brings a good dose of encouragement as I prepare to head off to Colorado tomorrow for the Northern Colorado Writers Conference in Fort Collins. 

Until the next round!
Barbara

Road Trip to Branson!

As some of you may know already, Paul LaRoche and the Brule' gang are booked full-time in Branson, Missouri at the beautiful RFD-TV Theatre starting March 2010.  Their extended concert run in Branson means they had to move from their home-base in Sioux Falls, South Dakota to Branson.  And while it might seem a bit strange for them to leave South Dakota, Paul and crew are thankful for a full-season performance schedule in one of America's most popular tourist stops. 

Moving the entire Brule' entourage to Branson--which includes 18 people by the way--also means upcoming episodes for Hidden Heritage-The TV Series will be produced from their new home-base.  When Paul asked me to come to Branson last week to assist with the interview for Episode #15, I said sure.  Then I realized it was "off-season" and airfare to Branson was INSANE!   So I called up my sister Norma and dared her to come on a roadtrip to Branson with me while she was still 69!  (Her 70th birthday is March 22nd!)  Being the good sport that she is, she signed up to go...and off we went.  We didn't see much of Iowa either way since it was covered in thick, soupy fog that made driving quite stressful.  Even worse, we drove 640 miles straight south to southern Missouri only to endure cold, misty, windy weather--so not fair!  

Upon arriving in Branson, Norma and I were happy to discover a Panera next door to our hotel.  Needless to say, we started every morning there!  Branson was quite an interesting town, think Vegas/Orlando/Nashville.  There were tons of theatres everywhere and I must say the RFD-TV Theatre was a beautiful facility, inside and out.  The photo of the Brule' gang on the big marquee outside looked impressive--and should draw in a number of tourists with that alone. 

Norma and I didn't have time to do much sight-seeing, after all I was there to work.  The theme of Episode #15 is one where we feature a Native American hero story.  This episode features Officer Joaquin Guerrero from Saginaw, Michigan, a Mexican Indian man just happens to have another incredible life story.  Officer Guerrero created Precinct 131, a program designed for young children to say "no to guns, gangs, drugs, and violence."  He has worked the night shift in Saginaw for 21 years and feels it's his calling to work the dangerous night streets.  After meeting Joaquin, it is easy to see that he is a man with a very giving heart.  A man whose life story--God willing--will be my next book.  In fact, my working title is "Michigan and Rookie...Guardians of the Night", a remarkable story of a cop and his K-9 partner Rookie, dedicated to serving their community as the eyes and ears of the night. 

It was fun to meet both Joaquin and Rookie and assist Paul and Shane with the interview process.  I do know that you won't want to miss this episode of Hidden Heritage, scheduled for June 7, 2010 on RFD-TV. 

I want to give a special "thank you" to my sister Norma for going with me on the roadtrip to Branson while she was still a young 69 years of age!
Barbara

What's Your Heritage?

I thought about my heritage a few weeks ago when I wrote a short story for a contest sponsored by the Jackpine Writers group in Park Rapids, in northern Minnesota. The story needed to have a Minnesota connection, and since my hometown of Wadena is in that area I started to brainstorm, trying to think of something to write about.


Late one night when it was well below zero and a full moon lit up our snow covered back yard, I thought about the pioneers and the difficulties they must have experienced, coming to make a home in this “new land.” My great-grandparents, Charls and Carolina Veden, on my Dad’s side, emigrated from Sweden in 1858 and bought land in Chisago County near Lindstrom, where many Swedish immigrants settled.

Notes from our family history tell us that around 1870 Charls and Carolina bought 80 acres by Horse Head Lake in Ottertail County. Carolina was a midwife so many people turned to her for help. One winter night a family who had a house across the lake lost their home to a fire. They walked across the frozen lake in their bare feet and some of them were burned so badly they left a trail of flesh across the lake. Most of the family died from gangrene…except the youngest child who’d been carried. My great-grandfather built their coffins.

Around 1877 Charls and Carolina relocated again, this time near Wadena, in Compton Township of Ottertail County. Their son, Herbert, took over the family farm from them, followed by Herbert’s son, Percy, who was my dad. The Veden family farm is now operated by my nephew, the fifth generation of Vedens.

My short story, Prairie Promises, is a fictionalized version of that horrific event on Horse Head Lake back in 1870. Writing about that time period made me curious as to why people were compelled to leave their homeland. On my last trip to the library I picked up The Emigrant series by Vilhelm Moberg, a four-book account of the Swedish emigration to Minnesota, based on the fictional Karl Oskar Nilsson and his family. It’s a real-life look at a remarkable period in history, written with stunning detail and great humor.

So far I’m on Book #2 – Unto a Good Land and enjoying every page!
Barbara