Sweet Success Celebrates Debut Author Aimie K. Runyan

By: Kathie Scrimgeour

In her illuminating debut novel, Promised to the Crown (ISBN 1496701127, trade paperback, 352 pages, young adults and up), Aimie K. Runyan masterfully blends fact and fiction to explore the founding of New France through the experiences of three young women who, in 1667, answer Louis XIV’s call and journey to the Canadian colony. This historical fiction was released April 6, 2016 by Kensington Publishing Corporation and is available on Amazon.com.

They are known as the filles du roi, or “King’s Daughters”—young women who leave prosperous France for an uncertain future across the Atlantic. Their duty is to marry and bring forth a new generation of loyal citizens. Despite their different backgrounds, Rose, Nicole, and Elisabeth all believe that marriage to a stranger is their best, perhaps only, chance of happiness.

No matter how carefully she chooses, each will be tested by hardship and heartbreaking loss—and sustained by the strength found in their uncommon friendship, and the precarious freedom offered by their new home.

Aimie K. Runyan, has been an avid student of French and Francophone Studies for more than fifteen years. While working on her Master's thesis on the brave women who helped found French Canada, she was fortunate enough to win a generous grant from the Quebec government to study onsite for three months which enabled the detailed research necessary for her work. Aimie lives in Colorado with her husband and two children.

E-mail author@aimiekrunyan.com

Sweet Success Celebrates Aaron Michael Ritchey and Dandelion Iron

By: Kathie Scrimgeour

Aaron Michael Ritchey’s young adult sci-fi western novel, Dandelion Iron (The Juniper Books 1) (ISBN: 9781614753490, 257 pages, softcover and ebook, book one of a six book series) was released April 11, 2016 by WordFire Press and is available at all online book outlets.

It is the year 2058. The Sino-American War has decimated several generations of men, and electricity does not function in five western states—Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and Montana are now territories once again. On a desperate post-apocalyptic cattle drive to save their family ranch, Cavatica Weller and her two older sisters stumble across a viable boy. Sharlotte, the oldest sister wants to send him away, Wren, the middle gun-slinging sister, wants to sell him, and Cavatica falls in love with him. Little do they know that an inhuman army is searching for the boy and will stop at nothing to find him.

Aaron Michael Ritchey is the author of The Never Prayer, Long Live the Suicide King, and Elizabeth’s Midnight. He was born on a cold and snowy September day in Denver, Colorado, and while he’s lived and traveled all over the world, he’s a child of the American West. Sagebrush makes him homesick. While he pines for Paris, he still lives in Colorado with his cactus flower of a wife and two stormy daughters. 
 -E-mail: aaronmritchey@gmail.com  -Website: www.aaronmritchey.com

Quote of the week and the week to come

“I do have trouble starting books. I have ideas that I have trouble starting to write. But I'm the kind of person who tends to finish everything she starts out of sheer stubbornness.” ~  Cynthia Voigt

Source: Wikipedia

Cynthia Voigt, born Feb 25, 1942, is an American writer of books for young adults dealing with various topics such as adventure, mystery, racism and child abuse. She has won numerous awards for her writing. http://www.cynthiavoigt.com/

This week on Writing from the Peak:

Monday, Feb 29     Promotion in Perspective by Catherine Dilts 

Wednesday, March 2     The Writing Coach, Deb McLeod

Friday, March 5     Pikes Peak Writers Upcoming Events for March

PPWC 2013 - Barry Goldblatt, Agent

Barry Goldblatt Literary

Barry Goldblatt

Barry Goldblatt, one of the agents who will be appearing at PPWC 2013, headed to New York with a dream of finding an editor position in science fiction and fantasy, ultimately discovering that this dream wasn't going to be easy. A helpful interviewer pointed him in another direction, and he ended up working with children's books for a branch of Penguin. 

Through eleven years, he also worked for Putnam and Orchard, having fallen in love with children's literature. When Orchard was bought out, he decided to open his own literary agency, encouraged by a friend and award-winning author. That was in 2000, and he's still going strong. In fact, he represents his wife, Libba Bray.

Other authors he's worked with include Angela Johnson, Shannon Hale, Cassandra Clare, Tim Wynne-Jones, and many more recognizable names. He represents the gamut of literature for youths, from children's to Young Adult, but he is especially looking for Middle Grade right now. He is hands-on with his clients, and helps them get their work ready for publication, in addition to finding them contracts.

You can find Barry at:

His website

Twitter

About the Author:  Shannon Lawrence is a mom of two, a freelance writer and aspiring novelist.  She lives in Colorado Springs and is inspired by the beauty of Pikes Peak and the Rockies.  After years of letting her writing fall by the wayside, she has recently thrown herself back into it.  Her main focus is fantasy and horror and she has just finished a Young Adult Fantasy novel.  She has a flash fiction piece featured in the anthology Sunday Snaps: The Stories, due out in 2013.  She has also discovered a love of photography and enjoys photographing the breathtaking Colorado scenery and wildlife, as well as her children.  She blogs about reading, writing and photography at www.thewarriormuse.com.