Haunts of the Heart from aspenmountainpress.com and Listen With Your Heart from desertbreezepublishing.com are two of my books still available. 

You can enter a contest to win the faux soundtrack from one of these books by commenting on this blog or emailing me. Both soundtracks contain contemporary and historic music suitable to the themes of each.

Haunts of the Heart is an award winning Civil War ghost story for

adults, by Barbara Scott. It's available now. An excerpt is below.

The story...

Deanna Butterworth escapes the pain and indignity of dying in a cold,

heartless hospital by fleeing to her beloved but now abandoned

childhood home. But instead of peace and refuge, she finds the place

haunted by two very lively ghosts. Neal, an amiable if confused

spirit, steals her heart. But it is Anthony, desperate to hide his

dark secrets, who threatens her soul. Snatched away to the past,

Deanna must risk all she holds dear to uncover the treachery that has

bound Neal and Anthony to her house since their deaths in 1864.

An excerpt from Jesse's Journal

May 9, 1864

Safety is what we are working for in our own small way. Anthony works so hard caring for the wounded and dying that sometimes I think he will drop from exhaustion. Yet he gets up in the morning, sometimes after only three hours rest, and faces all of it and worse again. The sounds and smells are often more than I can bear, but he expects me to be strong and I try to be. I drench my hair and my clothes in lavender water to mask the smell of death and decay that fills the air, take my basin and dark brown soap and go from bed to bed through the wards.

Some of the men are strong enough to appreciate the soothing warmth of their baths. They call me by their wives' or sweethearts' names and talk of home and peace. But many of the wounded are too sick to speak except for their tortured cries of fever and pain. They cannot move except to thrash about. They seem to shrink from my touch as if it were another bullet ripping their bodies, or the edge of the knife that removed an arm or leg.

Neal is always with me when I reach these men, the dying ones. He seems to know when I will need him without my saying a word. He lifts them for me, talking to them softly in his deep, comforting voice, always with a smile and calm assurances. How many men have heard his voice as their last, have slipped into the next world, gripping his strong hand? Too many already. And too many more.

May 10

For months now, dragging into years, we've moved from place to place, following the battles, or to some other destinations in Anthony's grand plan. We set up our tents and our cots which are soon filled, overflowing to blankets spread upon the ground. A path of flags leads from our tents to the battlefield as if they need that marking to find us. For, too soon, the route is worn by dragging feet and marked by trailing blood. We work as quickly as possible, but it is never quick enough. Some die waiting and many die soon after. Most never reach us at all. Their bodies are buried where they fall if they are lucky enough to be buried at all.

After days of death and dying, we may move on to another field hospital or stay to build up a more permanent site. Like this one. It was an inn and livery at one time. Our rooms are in the loft above the former stable. It has been transformed into a hospital ward below. The inn, across the cobblestone courtyard, houses more patients and staff. We are on the edge of a small town, with a river not far across the fields. I can see it flowing lazily past the trees from my window and dream of the bigger rivers it flows into, ever southward, toward home.

There is a creek nearby also. Once, I'm sure, it was clear and clean. Anthony tells me it is my imagination, but I swear I see it now always tinged red with blood. I know I smell it filled with contagion. The smell woke me this morning, crying.

For once, Anthony was there. The wards have been empty for a while, a temporary respite in the fighting. But I had worked feverishly through the night, in my dreams. I was wrestling with a dying man, who was convulsed with pain, and I called for Neal.

"I am here, Jesse. You're dreaming." Anthony's arms were around me and he rocked me like a child. "It's over now. You can rest."

"The creek," I couldn't shake the nightmare from my mind. "The creek was oozing. The smell was making me sick. I was afraid and Neal was nowhere around."

"It's all right, Jesse. You're with me. We're safe. The creek is far away and it runs clear. It rained last night. The rain flushed away all the bad."

Anthony's strength and confidence began to calm me, and I nestled into him. "Are we right? Tell me we are right."

"Yes, my Love, we are right. If they are going to die, it is better to die quickly. Not like the man you were dreaming of."

Listen With Your Heart was chosen as a launch title from ebook publisher, Desert Breeze Publishing which is celebrating its second birthday this spring

What if the man of your dreams stepped into your arms? Can real life ever be as sweet as the fantasy? Set in 1871, Listen With Your Heart sweeps from the tragedy of the Chicago Fire ro the streets of New York and finally to the wild, dangerous coast of Ireland. "If you love a story with a charming Irish hero, an intrepid heroine, and a wee bit of mystery, don't miss this one!" Carol Carson, author of Family Man.
Excerpt:

The bell sounded loud and intrusive. What if Daniel were sleeping and she woke him? What if he had found the first moment of peace since the fire and she disrupted it? Before the echoes of the bell died away, she had turned and placed her foot on the first step heading back into the street.

“Yes, Miss? May I help you?”

The voice, deep and mellow as moonlight, halted her. It was not Daniel’s. Of course, he would have servants to answer the door. She would give her gift to this man and be gone. How foolish to think she might actually see the great Daniel Connolly himself. She turned again to face the butler, who stood in the open doorway.

“Yes, I’ve brought something for Mr. Connolly. Is he home?”

“Mr. Connolly is not receiving visitors. If you’d care to leave the item with me, I will see that he gets it.”

Morgan wondered if he would. Or was this servant a practiced hand at turning away adoring fans who sought to press some trifling token of their devotion on his master? Suddenly, she saw how foolish she had been to think that a wealthy‹man like Daniel Connolly would need anything from the likes of her. He probably had a whole drawerful of gloves, all finer and softer than these.

“No, that is I--”

“Who is it, York?” came a gravelly voice from inside. She peered past the butler to see the figure standing in the far reaches of the foyer, just out of reach of the light. But it was Daniel, she knew it. She had to take this chance, perhaps the only one she’d ever had.

“Mr. Connolly? I brought you these. I read about your hands and I thought they might help.” She held out the gloves, surprised to see her own hand trembling so.

The servant moved to block her, fearing, she supposed, that she might barge into the house just to get a glimpse of her idol. Though she longed to do just that, she did not move.

“Its all right, York. I doubt the lass will bite.” She thought she detected a hint of amusement in the rasping lilt of his brogue, but it tore at her heart to hear it altered so from the voice she remembered, the voice that haunted her dreams.

The servant stepped aside just in time for her to see Daniel step into the circle of light cast down from the wall sconces that lit the foyer. A flame-gilded lock of his hair tumbled across his forehead, the slightest crinkle of a smile parted his lips.

But his eyes. His eyes were pools of such deep, infinite sorrow that she caught her breath to see them so. He must have heard her and thought the worst— that she was repulsed by the burns that marked his face— for the wisp of a smile faded from his lips, and he stepped back into the darkness.

“Take them from her, York. And get her name so we can thank her,” Daniel said, then walked away.

Morgan released the gloves into York’s outstretched hand. “I’m sorry, I didn’t— ”

“Your name, Miss?” he interrupted.

“Susan Smith,” Morgan mumbled. “It’s not important. He doesn’t know me.” Before the tears that threatened could fall, she turned and fled.

A HISTORY PROJECT TO SHARE

Easter weekend is coming fast. If your family is like mine, it will be a major photo taking day. Smile in your Easter duds, pose with that Easter basket, snap the baby finding an Easter egg. Cameras are everywhere and the pictures, though they may never be hard are quickly admired and easily shared.

It's interesting to look back on the history of photography and not too difficult to repeat it. It could be a fun project to share with your kids or grandkids, once the Peter Cottontail has hopped back down the Bunny Trail, of course.

People have been finding ways to save the images they see for thousands of years.  The Chinese first described a type of pinhole photography in the 7th century b.c.e..  Light was focused through a tiny hole into a dark room.  The light formed pictures on the back wall of the room.  By the tenth century, the camera obscura (dark room) had improved on the Chinese invention.  It used a smaller pinhole and a smaller room. In the 16th century,  the camera now as small as a box was used by artists and astronomers. 

You can make your own pinhole camera with an oatmeal box, an aluminum soft drink can, a manilla folder and some simple tools.

Wipe the oatmeal box to remove all dust.  Carefully spray paint the inside and both sides of the lid with the flat black paint.  Allow to dry.  Make a small hole in the box 2 and 3/4 inches from the bottom.  Enlarge the hole until it is 3/8 inches in diameter.  Clean out any extra paper.  Then wipe the inside clean again to remove dust.  Dust can cause white specks on your pictures.

Make your pinhole lens out of the aluminum can.  Cut a 2” by 3” piece out of the side of the can.  Use a needle to make a tiny hole in the center of this piece.  The tinier the hole the sharper the pictures will be. Sand to remove any rough edges. Clean the hole by running water through it.  Dry with a clean paper towel.

Apply a ring of epoxy glue around the pinhole.  Glue the aluminum piece to the inside ot the oatmeal box. The pinhole should be on the middle of the box opening you cut.  Be careful not to touch the pinhole or get glue in it.  Make sure you have a tight seal to prevent any leaks of light. You can make a shutter for the “camera” with a strip for the manilla folder attached to the front of the box over your hole.  Tape the lid on the oatmeal box to seal out all light.  Leaks of light will cause fuzzy pictures.

Now you are ready to make pictures with your pinhole camera just like the Chinese and the Italians did.

Complete directions with pictures for making and using a pinhole camera can be found at  http://users.rcn.com/stewoody/makecam.

Happy Birthday, Desert Breeze Publishing

Desert Breeze Publishing has reached the Terrific Twos and to celebrate the authors are staging a blog tour from April 15 to the 30th. I hope you made it here from the previous stops. If not you have missed some interesting and dramatic posts. I will list the previous stops at the end of my blog today along with the next blog to visit. Leaving a comment anywhere along the trail can win you a prize. The more comments the better your chance of winning.

My experience with Desert Breeze Publishing began at the beginning-- actually before the beginning.  DBP Editor-in-Chief Gail Delaney were both writers at another publisher. She had a number of books published by that publisher and also worked as an editor for them. In that capacity, she edited my first book with them, Cast a Pale Shadow.  I enjoyed working with Gail. She got my work and together we carved out a book that would later win an EPIC Award in Romantic Suspense.

Unfortunately, powers were at work which eventually crashed that publishing house, to the surprise of many of its writers. My book was published 2 weeks before the fatal crash, so I had to keep explaining the end was not my fault. To help us through the ensuing legal wrangling to get our book rights back and the feelings of abandonment and betrayal many of us felt, some of the writers began calling us survivors. A loop was started so we could keep in touch over the legal issues and encourage each other to move on.

One by one, the writers announced their successes with other work and other publishers. Eventually, Gail announced her plans to start Desert Breeze Publishing. By that time, I had recontracted Cast A Pale Shadow.  I queried her with an historical, Listen With Your Heart.  A short time later, Gail gave me the happy news that she would like to include Listen in her initial launch.

Now, two years later I'm happily back with another historical, West of Heaven which is now on sale. Here's a brief excerpt in which our hero, Jean Luc (Lucky) first sees the heroine, Marcella.

With his attention occupied, the station master could not tend to the next passenger to alight. Jean Luc watched as the sweetest turn of ankle followed by a flutter of periwinkle blue hem and a froth of white petticoat appeared beneath the coach door. His smile wavered. He looked down at his frayed cuffs and wished he had worn his Sunday shirt today. Then he remembered that this was his Sunday shirt, his only shirt, since he’d let the other one float away down Onion Creek when he’d tried to do his laundry too drunk to see straight.

The old man’s coughing spasm shifted into a staccato wheezing and snorting that reminded Jean Luc of Fraulein Netta’s attempts to play the pipe organ at Sunday services. The second passenger was now in full view, and Jean Luc settled back to watch the pleasant sway of her bustle as she rushed to fetch a dipper of water for the afflicted gent. She wore a silly frou-frou of a bonnet, just the kind Jean Luc liked, adorned with fluffy feathers and chiffon veils that gave tantalizing peeks at her saucy chin and pert little nose. 

Well, his imagination could sketch in the sauciness and pertness. From this angle and at this distance, all he could really determine was that the chin and nose existed. In fact, the lady seemed lavishly endowed with all the necessary parts a man could appreciate, in spite of their demure concealment under bustles and swags and buttoned-up collars

He let his imagination take full rein as the lady soothed the old man. She patted his back with her lacy-gloved hand and the man, no fool, tilted forward and rested his shaggy head against the sweet comfort of her soft bosom. Immediately his coughing quieted as the lady gently stroked and patted him. 

Jean Luc dug his heels into the porch and set the swing rocking. He tested the scratchiness of his own throat to see if he could get a coughing jag going, but, as usual, no luck. His gullet was too well lubricated by the malt liquor Adolph supplied him.

Available at Amazon for Kindle, Barnes & Noble for the Nook, Sony, Kobo and Apple's iBookstore".

DBP buy links:

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-150/Barbara-Scott-West-of/Detail.bok
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-19/romance-ebooks-e-dsh-books-e/Detail.bok

You can win a free download of either West of Heaven or Listen With Your Heart by commenting  on this blog some time before April 30.  

Now, as promised, here is the next stop on the Birthday Blog Tour for April 21:

 DANIELLE THORNE  Blog: http://thebalancedwriter.blogspot.com/

The previous stops:

>15 APR

> DIANE CRAVER

> Blog: http://www.dianecraver.com/blog/

>

> 16 APR

> AR NORRIS

> Blog: http://sci-fiadventures.blogspot.com/

>

> 17 APR

> NIKE CHILEMI

> Blog: http://crimefictionandfaith.blogspot.com/

>

> 18 APR

> THERESA STILLWAGON

> Blog: http://tstillwagon.wordpress.com/

>

> 19 APR

> TONI NOEL

> Blog: http://www.toninoelauthor.com/blog.html

One of the drawbacks of writing fiction is that you can't make it all up. Research is required to lend authenticity to your story. This is true whether you write contemporary or historical. Research can become an end in itself sometimes though. I have a file drawer full of tidbits that are interesting but which I may never use. Here's one of those tidbits. 

In 1513, Spain claimed the land now known as Florida.  At that time, more than 200,000 natives lived on the peninsula.  By the time of the American Revolution in 1776, disease and warfare had reduced the native population to less than 40,000.  More thousands had been made into slaves by English settlers starting in 1704.

By 1813, the United States had plans to clear lands for new settlement.  The natives were in the way.  The Creek War in Alabama forced the Creeks to give up millions of acres.  Many Creek Indians fled to Spanish Florida where they joined with native tribes living there. The combined tribes became known as the Seminoles.  This name means “wild people” or “runaways.”  Many slaves who ran away from Southern plantations also found a home with the native people in Spanish Florida.  

Their hope for safety did not last long.  By 1817, the U. S. military entered Florida to protect new American settlers on Indian land.  They also searched for the runaway slaves. These battles fought under General Andrew Jackson became known as the Seminole Wars.  For the next forty-one years, conflicts between American troops and the natives of Florida continued.  

During that time, Florida became a United States territory. In 1843, it became the 27th state.  More than 5000 of the Seminole people had been forced west of the Mississippi after being hunted down with bloodhounds They were herded like cattle onto ships to New Orleans and up the Mississippi River. 

About 200 to 300 of them were able to flee into the swampy wilderness of the Everglades.  There they managed to survive alligators, mosquitos, snakes, suffocating heat and malaria to stay hidden until the 1890s.  Today more than 2000 Seminoles live on six reservations in Florida.

I'm sharing an excerpt from West of Heaven today. This scen is at the ned of the will reading where Marcella first meets the housemates of Miss Sophie's Gentlemen's Parlors.

Crane’s bellow of disbelief was drowned out by a piercing shriek and a wall-shaking clatter that seemed to come from heaven. Or so Marcella imagined. 

Jean Luc scowled at the ceiling where the scuffling continued, mingled with muffled whispers and stifled giggling. “Excuse me, Miss McGovern. We’ve been troubled with squirrels in the attic.”

Sheriff White almost choked on his own laughter. “Squirrels? Ain’t never heard them called that before.”

Jean Luc clapped on his hat and stalked out. Marcella heard the ring of his boots and spurs as he took the stairs two at a time. And then the authoritative clang of them as he arrived on the floor above. The low rumble of his voice silenced all else from that quarter. 

“Ain’t nothin’ like a will-readin’ to get folks riled up,” Sheriff White said. “How are you holding up, Miss McGovern? You must be shook clear to the roots with all this. It ain’t everyday a little gal like you gets handed an unlikely set o’parents, a herd of Texas longhorns, and a hog farm all at once.”

“A hog farm, Sheriff?” Mr. Peeper said. ”I hardly think that’s the appropriate phrase to use. Despite her parentage, Miss McGovern has been raised in a genteel—”

“Please, Mr. Peeper, could I leave you gentlemen to your discussion for a moment? I need—”

“Of course, Marcella, dear, after all this you must need a breath of fresh air. Allow me to accompany you to the shade of the porch.”

“No, thank you, I can take myself where I need to go.” In truth, she’d never felt stronger. For all her years, she’d dreamed of a mother who would wrap her in her arms and kiss away her hurts. Of a father who would shower her with gifts and beg her forgiveness for leaving her so alone while he was off fighting wars and righting wrongs. But she had never dreamed this dream. The daughter of a Texas cattle baron and his light o’life. She could almost feel their blood coursing through her veins. And it was driving her to a decision she would never dare on her own. 

“You did say, Mr. Peeper, that this was my house?” 

“Most certainly.”

“Then I should be the one to see to the squirrels in my attic.” She smiled at the way Mr. Peeper’s mouth popped open and no words came out. She was glad she’d shocked him. Sheriff White had plenty to say, most of it “no, you’d best not” and other such that she had no intention of listening to. They followed her to the stairs but she ignored them. 

She did not knock at the closed door at the top of the stair. It was her house. No door should be closed to her. She grasped the latch and pushed the door open. “Mr. Desloge, I must insist you—”

Four women in various stages of shock, befuddlement, and undress stared at her. Jean Luc Desloge, his back to the door, slowly turned, a look of pure chagrin on his face. He took a deep breath and shrugged. Caught again, the devil in his eyes seemed to say. And no hope for it.

“Miss McGovern, may I present Miss Sophie’s ladies.” He stepped aside so she could see them all. “From left to right, Mary Lynn McQueen, June Bug, Glory B, and Polly. Ladies, Miss Marcella McGovern, the new owner of Miss Sophie’s Baths and Gentlemen’s Parlors.”

West of Heaven is on sale now at the www.desertbreezepublishing.com, Amazon.com for Kindle, and BN.com for Nook. Here's a review by Debbie Hull, author of the Men Of Her Dreams, which first appeared in MORWA's Rumpled Sheets newsletter.

West of Heaven

From: Desert Breeze Publishing

By: Barbara Scott

Reviewed by: Debbie Hull, author of The Men of Her Dreams

Genre: Western Historical Romance

Ms. Scott has penned another winner about a down on his luck hero, a headstrong young lady, and the “fancy ladies” that come as part of her inheritance.

Jean Luc Desloge, Lucky, seems to be anything but. He is linked to both his former boss’s murders, and spends his days loitering in town, trying his best to drown himself in rot-gut whiskey.

Marcella McGovern was raised in the best boarding schools and taught to be the proper young woman, never knowing her generous benefactor. When advised of her benefactress’ death, she travels with her attorney to Onion Creek, Texas to learn the details of her inheritance. She quickly learns she was the daughter of Sophie Castleman, owner of Miss Sophie’s Bath and Gentlemen’s Parlors, and wealthy cattleman, Clint Harte, who were mysteriously murdered. She inherits her father’s cattle, and her mother’s brothel, along with the four “fancy ladies” who reside there.

The Widow Harte, furious her husband left his cattle to his “love child,” offers to buy them back, at a greatly reduced price, or Marcella must move them off the land in five days. She also threatens any cowboy who signs up for the cattle drive, would never work again.

Desperate to hire men to move her cattle, Marcella overhears her “ladies” discuss their ability to “ride,” and decides they will be her cowboys to herd the cattle to Kansas. She convinces Lucky to help “train” them to rope, ride and wrangle, and the fun begins.

Come along for the ride with this rag tag bunch of cowpokes, as they try to herd over two thousand cattle across the plains. You’ll spend the next few hours enjoying the trip.