Our Guest Author Today is C.R. King

Tombstone 

Tombstone is a very popular place for those of us who enjoy history, especially facts about Wyatt Earp and his brothers Virgil and Morgan; Add Doc Holiday for he was very close to the Earps.

We dwell on the most famous gunfight in the old West, the Gun Fight at the OK Corral. The above names fought part of the Cowboy faction and won. The word ‘Cowboy’ was used as an insult. History is covered up by those who want to hide things for many reasons, and it goes down as factual; that is, whatever was used to hide.  As a Historian, I want and work hard to uncover the truth as all 6 of my books do just that. The gunfight was not at the OK Corral but behind it.  From the Epitaph Newspaper published on April 27, 1881: 

“A reporter obtained some startling facts about the opium dens of Tombstone from a police officer about opium dens of Tombstone and their habitues. One den was on Allen above Sixth Street. The balance was [of dens] were on Third near Allen. All told, there were five or six of them, all kept by Chinamen and well patronized by American men and women. The women patrons are courtesans [ sic courtesans], who no doubt indulge in this dissipation to benumb their faculties and obliterate the memories of innocent, happy days that are past beyond recall. Statistics show an alarming increase in the opium habit throughout the country. The city authorities should look into this matter immediately.”

The Tucson Star of August 4, 1881, said at the end of an article: “There is no dodging the question. These opium dens are being carried on in open defiance to the law.” The article asked for the mayor to see that the city marshal take steps to have them wiped out.”

Butte, Montana had five dens when Morgan Earp was wearing the policeman’s badge. They had 3 dens. When Morgan resigned to join his brother in Tombstone but just before he handed in his badge, he discovered two hidden dens. Wherever there was a Chinese population, there were opium dens, over 50% were white men and female prostitutes.

Of my books, all 6 of them are well researched, and I have at least one item in each book that no one knew of until I published. I have three volumes of A Fraternity of Gunslingers: True Stories of Wild West Gunmen. Volume 3 has 22 stories. I will be ordering 20 paperbacks on this volume. I have more stories in my other books.  

C.R. King

C. R. 'Randy' Has worked in the Broadcast industry most of his adult life. A father of two beautiful daughters, now grown and a avid student of American History. He spent most of his life working, raising a family, involved in community affairs putting his one passion aside until a few years back. King has had in several articles published in historical journals and magazines but has had a desire to share his knowledge with the general public in a format that is a pleasing and easy to read without all of the end notes that his articles normally have but to include as much factual data without the mundane.

Snow Angels

 Winter fun

The drive home was slow, but Bruce didn't mind. The softly falling snow painted the world in a dreamy haze, covering every tiny branch on the trees and muffling the usual sounds of traffic. He rolled down his window, allowing the crisp winter air to fill his car, and breathed in deeply, savoring the quiet beauty around him.

"So beautiful," he murmured under his breath, mesmerized by the tranquility and serenity of the snow-covered landscape. The trees stood tall and proud, adorned in shimmering white with delicate icicles hanging from their branches. The bushes were transformed into round, fluffy shapes, looking like they were wearing cozy winter coats.

As he pulled into his driveway and got out of his car, a chorus of silver bell laughter greeted him. His daughter, Sammy, ran to give him a hug followed by a group of her first-grader friends. They all looked like little snowmen with their hats and mittens and rosy cheeks.

"Looks like your play date is going well," Bruce chuckled as he hugged Sammy tightly and took in the heartwarming sight of the bundled-up children playing in the snow. It was moments like this that made braving through the cold winter worth it.

"Yes, daddy, we're having so much fun!" little Sammy shouted; her voice filled with pure joy. Her mittens were covered in snow as she excitedly showed off the snowman they had built together.

Bruse smiled as he watched his daughter play. The winter sun cast a warm glow on the children's rosy cheeks and their laughter echoed through the snowy backyard.

As he looked up, he saw his wife Sarah walking toward him with a content smile on her face. He pulled her into a hug, feeling grateful for this moment of blissful family time.

But then he noticed Muffin, their beloved St. Bernard, sitting behind the sliding door longingly staring through the glass. "Aww...why didn't you let that poor dog come outside to play? Look at that sad face!" he pointed out to his wife.

Sarah sighed and explained, "I wanted to, but one of Sammy's little friends started crying as soon as she saw Muffin. She got scared by her size, so I had to leave her inside. Don't worry, we'll play with her after the parents pick up the kids. They should be here in about half an hour."

Bruce nodded understandingly but couldn't help feeling a twinge of sadness for their gentle giant who just wanted to join in on the fun with her family.

With a glance at the forlorn dog, Bruce joined the children in their winter wonderland. Giggles and shouts filled the crisp air as they rolled snow into balls, stacking them on top of each other to create a makeshift snowman with a carrot nose and flowerpot hat.

As the sun began to set, Sarah noticed how red-cheeked and tired the children had become. She dropped down onto the soft, powdery snow and spread her arms, creating a perfect snow angel. The children eagerly followed suit, flattening out the snow until there were a dozen snow angels scattered across the backyard.

Just as they were finishing up, cars started pulling into the driveway, signaling the end of their snowy playtime. Amidst excited shouts of thanks and goodbyes, the yard fell silent.

Sammy ran up to the door and let Muffin out, who wasted no time bounding over to Bruce and Sarah. The dog showered them with slobbery kisses before joining Sammy in rolling around in the remaining patches of untouched snow. They played chase and tug-of-war with Muffin's beloved blue toy bear until all three of them were panting and out of breath from laughter.

The cold air nipped at their faces as Sarah shouted for Sammy to come inside and have some hot cocoa. The trio made their way toward the warm, welcoming door, but when Sarah turned around to see if Muffin was following, the dog hesitated and headed off in a different direction.

"Let her stay a little longer. Maybe she needs to do her business," Bruce suggested, a slight smile on his lips. "She'll let us know when she's ready to come in."

After they changed into dry clothes and huddled by the fireplace, Bruce ventured to the sliding door with a steaming cup of cocoa in hand. As he peered outside, his eyes widened in amazement. "Sarah, Sammy!" he called out, trying not to startle them. "Come quickly!"

Panicked, Sarah rushed to the door and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Look!" Bruce whispered, pointing at Muffin who Buster from down the street with a nose rub. "Her friend came to play."

They watched as the best friends chased each other in the snow, and then Muffin plopped down onto her side and began moving her legs up and down, creating a snow angel. Buster sat beside her, watching intently before bursting into his own flurry of snow-kicking fun.

"Aww...they look so happy," Sarah gushed, her heart warming at the sight. 

Sammy smiled in delight. "Muffin is teaching Buster how to make snow angels!" 

Erika M Szabo

https://authorerikamszabo.com

Erika loves to dance to her own tunes and follow her dreams, introducing her story-writing skills and her books that are based on creative imagination with themes such as magical realism, alternate history, urban fantasy, cozy mystery, sweet romance, and supernatural stories. Her children’s stories are informative and educational and deliver moral values in a non-preachy way.

Aquila et Noctua a historical novel - New Release

By P. J. Mann

There is a new release on Mann's house, and that doesn't just mean that I have written a new novel, but I have also experimented something new, a historical fiction.

Aquila et Noctua (The Eagle and the Owl) comes from a story I wrote many years ago and brings me back to one of my loves in life: History, and particularly the history of Ancient Rome. 

The story tells about a young slave, Saul, coming from Jerusalem, and the complicated relationship he will develop with his masters and with the other slaves, who will become a sort of surrogate family; the one he lost once he was enslaved.

Once again, like in my debut novel "A Tale of a Rough Diamond," we have the themes of envy, jealousy, conflictual relationships within the family, and wisdom.

Wisdom is depicted in this case like the Noctua (Owl), and like in nature happens, the owl is going to bring wisdom, with sudden chaos.

The Aquila, (Eagle) represents the Roman Empire and the family who will purchase Saul. 

There is going to be a Release party on my Facebook page: 

https://www.facebook.com/events/2225782511045126/

It is scheduled for Sunday 1.9  at 10:00 AM EDT and there will be other authors to help me celebrate the release. If you have more questions about this new release this is the right time to have them answered.

EXCERPT:

​The sun shone brightly in the sky on that late summer day. The successful campaign in the territories of Palestine brought new glory to the Empire and filled every corner of the city with celebrations.
The massive military action, planned by Emperor Hadrian, had brought about the final defeat of the rebellious Jews in the third Jewish revolt.
Jerusalem was renamed Aelia Capitolina in honor of the victorious emperor and as an ultimate humiliation to the rebels. The prisoners were sent all over the Empire to be sold as slaves while the Roman generals and commanders were decorated in the public square of the Forum.
It was a joyful period throughout all of Rome, and it should have been no exception for Marcus Tiberius Numida. However, something weighed heavily on his mind and alienated his soul from the revelry.
He wandered through the streets of Rome, not paying attention to where he was going until he found himself in the slave market in the Forum.
Several specimens of males and females, crammed into cages, peered from between the bars, waiting to be yanked out and pushed to line up behind the merchant. Their eyes revealed fear and confusion
Each merchant touted the good properties of each slave they were selling, wildly gesticulating to underline their words to attract customers, as crowds of curious people and potential buyers gathered around.
The sobs of the waiting slaves and the clang of their chains against the bars, combined with the din of the curious onlookers and the raucous voices of the merchants. The stench of bodily fluids melded with the scent of food that was sold in the square.

To pre-order the novel, please follow this link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VXB2QFR

Author link: https://pjmann2016.wixsite.com/pjmann

Other books: https://pjmann2016.wixsite.com/pjmann/books

I hope I have attracted your attention and see you soon at the release party!

Stay tuned!

Catch 22

It used to be so easy!

Publishing and selling books was a breeze back then, when I published my first book.
I didn't have to worry about marketing because the books sold themselves.

I published a book on the two selling sites that were available and the sales started popping up on my dashboard.
I posted the new release on social sites and on my website, and readers clicked to buy the book and if they liked it, shared the link with their friends.

Now the market is saturated and it's a no-win battle for authors to show their books to readers and sell a few copies.

What happened?

• First of all, a lot of competitors happened. Everyone and their aunt started writing and publishing. Some of the books were great, but the majority... well, isn't. It's because the selling sites didn't check quality, only proper formatting and grammar. 
• A lot of new selling sites formed and it was great at the beginning because it gave the authors and readers more choices.
• But in a short time, so many books were published that aggressive marketing became a necessity. 
• Then, the pirate sites started popping up. Ruthless people stole eBooks, stripped off the protection and converted the books to PDF to offer it free on their website. Some of them thought books should be free, others used the free downloads as baits to increase their website traffic.
• Then the "book stuffers" came into light. They published "books" that were only a few chapters and filled hundreds of pages with repetitive garbage. They added a link at the beginning with a bait or promise that led the reader to the end of the book. The selling site algorithm then picked it up as hundreds of pages read and paid the cheaters for the pages read. Some of these so called "authors" had the nerve to boast about making thousands of dollars a month by cheating.
• On social sites my book posts used to be shared by a lot of people and had hundreds of comments, but people burned out by the book advertisements and are tired of seeing book promo posts. When they see posts shared by their friends, they block the author pages.
• Reader groups used to be great as well. Readers were happy to interact with authors and clicked on book links to buy the books. Now, mostly authors are tooting their own horns in groups and the posts rarely viewed and commented by readers.
• Today there are thousands of book promo and marketing sites offering services for various prices. Some work, most doesn't because readers got used to getting books for free. Either from pirate sites or from authors competing with each other and giving their books away for free.
• Marketing? It's harder than ever. A few years back when I did 99 cents promo days quarterly for my books, I had hundreds of sales. Now I have to pay and because authors who can afford high priced marketing keep raising the bids to be seen, those of us with limited budget stay behind. 

I touched only a few obstacles in the lives of authors today. It's not easy to bring the books to the attention of readers. Small publishers are struggling along with self-published authors because you know, the big fish eats the small ones.
~Erika M Szabo

https://www.authorerikamszabo.com

Click on the link to visit my website and read about my books.

I write speculative alternate history fiction, romantic urban fantasy, historical suspense novels as well as fun, educational, and bilingual books for children ages 2-14 about acceptance, friendship, family, and moral values such as accepting people with disabilities, dealing with bullies, and not judging others before getting to know them. I also like to encourage children to use their imagination and daydream about fantasy worlds.