Category: ebooks

Diane Tatum – Authorview

On By Betty OwensIn ACFW, Christian Fiction, Diane Tatum - Authorview, ebooks, Gold Earrings, historical, Romance, Writing


Diane Tatum

Diane Tatum began writing in 5th grade. Diane and her husband Ken have been married 36 years. They have two sons , two daughters-in-law and two, grandsons. She’s a member of the John 3:16 Marketing Network (#John316authors) and American Christian Fiction Writers (#ACFW).
Nickname or “wannabe” name: Marion Uekermann of ACFW Scribes in South Africa has dubbed me the “Comma Queen.” (English teacher, what can I say?)
I am: Diane E. Tatum
My best trait: Flexibility – I taught Middle School Language Arts, ‘nough said! Now I teach college Composition and Literature. Not much difference.
My bad habit: Naivety, which is really wanting to believe the best about people!
Qualities I admire: Openness and truthfulness. Don’t tell me ‘you’re fine’ when you’re not. Let me encourage you if I can.
What I like to read: Historical fiction, bonus points for romance.
What I write: Historical romance, Bible study for youth, lesson plans for college English
What I watch: crime/spy drama, movies (no horror or blatant sex), Dr. Who, Downton Abbey
My family: husband Ken, sons Dan & Brad, daughters-in-law Becca & Julie, respectively, grandsons Kellan & Ethan, also respectively
My favorite food, snack, or beverage: pizza, almonds with chocolate chips & raisins, Café Mocha Frappe or frozen Coke
What I love to do: knit, read, counted cross-stitch
What I admire: coolness under stress, careful words to fragile persons
What makes me happy: my grandsons, my Jack Russell terrier Tyler, and a sunny day at about 70 degrees, no humidity, and a light breeze.
What makes me sad: bullying, violence
I believe: Jeremiah 29:11 God has a plan for my life which is for good and not evil to give me a future and a hope.
That I am His child and He has saved me for heaven with Him.
That He has called me to teach.
Gold Earrings by Diane E. Tatum
 
Daughter of a bordello madame and an Italian captain of the seas, Angelina Mercy longs for a new life, free from the condemnation associated with her mother’s home in Boston. A former navy man, Jonathan Thomson has accepted God’s call and become a minister of a small congregation. Adrift from his Yankee heritage in the Missouri plains, Jonathan longs for a family of his own. Pursuing Alice, the daughter of the town’s wealthy patron, Jonathan believes he can tame her wild ways and accomplish more as a preacher once so established. When Angelina’s guardian and Jonathan’s seminary professor learns of Jonathan’s misguided intentions, he seeks out a solution to aid both individuals, providing a new home for Angelina in St. Joseph, and Angelina and Jonathan are brought together with a strong initial attraction. Can Jonathan ignore Angelina’s Gold Earrings, a constant reminder of the implications of her less than pristine parentage? And will Alice succeed in keeping Jonathan from Angelina? The resilient heroine of Diane E. Tatum’s novel will inspire you in this touching tale of love against the odds.
Buy Link
Diane E. Tatum Website

Bringing Dreams to Life

On By Betty OwensIn A Gathering of Eagles, dreams, ebooks, Happiness, Jael, Lady of the Haven, Walt Disney2 Comments


If you can dream it, you can do it. ––Walt Disney

Wikipedia Commons
Artist: John Bauer

I think Walt Disney was probably the best at bringing dreams to life. He was my hero at one point in my childhood. Lying on the floor in front of the TV, chin propped on my palm, I watched Tinkerbell flit across the screen, depositing fairy dust on everything. The fairy dust brought dreams to life. It was magic.

Inspiration took root in my young heart. I was a dreamer. Over the years I spent a lot of time on my own as we moved from one place to the next. I was shy, so it was difficult for me to make friends. On the inside, in my “happy place,” I had lots of friends. My own creations, or characters I’d first met on the black-and-white TV screen. Lively characters who made me laugh and loved me, even though I was a bit odd. They traveled with me, back and forth across the United States.

I grew up, married, and raised three sons, and still the dreams inhabited my down time. In 2005, Jael drifted into my mind. I tell a little of her story here.

In preparation for the re-release of The Lady of the Haven and A Gathering of Eagles, I thought it might be nice to interview her, as many of my author friends have done with their main characters. But Jael is a bit like Tinkerbell. She’s illusive. And she doesn’t like to talk about herself. And she will not discuss her rather unusual gifts. So I decided to interview William instead.

Here’s a short excerpt of that interview:

Me: Welcome to my blog, Your Majesty.

King William of Coldthwaite’s dark hair is pulled back, tied at the nape of his neck. He’s dressed in an indigo tunic cinched at the waist with an intricately carved leather belt. Highly polished black leather boots end just below the knees of his suede leather britches. He wears no crown, but a rather large sapphire glints from its setting in a gold band on his right pinky. He exudes strength, eyes sparkle with life, and the smile … be still my heart …  

King: I am honored to be here, Lady Owens.

Me: You don’t really have to call me … Nevermind. (I kind of like being addressed as “Lady” and wow, he’s so handsome!)

(End of Excerpt) OK. Stop back in next week to see what this king has to say about his lady.

I’ll also be previewing some of the really nice gifts I’m offering at the re-release of the books. Here’s my grand prize: Audible version of The Message Bible. You’ll love this easy-to-understand version, and now you can take it with you everywhere. Listen in your car or on your I-Pod or other devices.

Watch for more information coming in the next few days. “Like” my Facebook page to stay up with all of the latest announcements about these books and other books I’ve written. I do have a book due out later this year from Write Integrity Press: Amelia’s Legacy, Book One in the Legacy Series, a historical novel set in the 1920’s. I’ll tell you more about that one in a few weeks.

Thanks for stopping by!

Top portrait is a Wikipedia photo of an illustration by John Bauer. “At that moment she was changed by magic to a wonderful little elf.”

Inspired by a Dream

On By Betty OwensIn A Gathering of Eagles, adventure, Betty Thomason Owens, ebooks, Facebook, fantasy, fiction, Jael of Rogan, Lady of the Haven2 Comments

Jael of Rogan inspired me to believe in the impossible dream.

Some inner part of me became an inner part of my character.  

Do I crave adventure?

Do I love to explore new roads, see where their twists and turns take me?

Yes, on both counts. But the likeness doesn’t end there. Though I tried to write Jael’s character as different from my own as possible–she’s petite with platinum hair and blue eyes–only her outer structure differed in the end.

Oh, but she is quite a bit braver than I. That part was big-time fiction. But my hopes and dreams spilled over into her and surfaced on occasion. Maybe that’s why I love her character and can’t seem to forget her…

  • So here’s the scoop: In just a few days, I will release the updated version of The Lady of the Haven, followed closely by the updated version of A Gathering of Eagles. They will both be available as ebooks, on all the usual networks, in their brand new clothes with reformatted interiors. They are beautiful! 
  • What do you think? I am in discussions right now about the print version. I am leaning toward combining the two books into one volume. I would like to hear your opinion of that. You can comment here or drop me a note on Facebook. 

And along with the launch, I will have some really nice gifts you can win by entering a contest here on my website. So, exciting things are in the works! I hope you’ll stop back by in a few days. “Like” my Facebook page to stay up-to-date. I won’t overwhelm you with advertising.

Thanks for stopping by!

Exciting News for The Lady of the Haven

On By Betty OwensIn A Gathering of Eagles, Cover Art, Debi Warford, design, ebooks, Jael of Rogan, Olivia Kimbrell Press, The Lady of the Haven8 Comments

I love when I have good news to share!

Not long ago, I made the decision to pull the ebook for A Gathering of Eagles because it was not selling at the high price set by the publishing company I used, and they would not lower the price. So they are history.

One thing led to another.

I’ll tell the full story at some point, but I don’t want to take away from this beautiful new book cover design for The Lady of the Haven‘s second edition, to be released SOON.

Cover Design by Debi Warford
Book to be released by Olivia Kimbrell Press

Watch for the release, along with A Gathering of Eagles and who knows? This may inspire me to finish another chapter in the life of Jael of Rogan.

So what do you think of this beautifully designed cover?

I hear you fine, I just can’t understand…

On By Betty OwensIn ebooks, hearing, Kindle, letter, phone, Writing2 Comments

It’s possible no one will ever read this. I am happy to say, it doesn’t matter. I am going to write even if no one reads what I write. 

If you’re a writer and you want to guarantee someone reads what you write, then write letters to loved ones. I still have a few family members who don’t have computers. They love getting letters, especially handwritten ones. They read mine, then they send me an answer. Instead of seconds or minutes, the whole process takes a week or two at a combined cost of nearly a dollar. 
I could just pick up the phone and call them, but I have trouble hearing on the phone and some of them have the same problem. Our conversations tend toward hilarity. “I hear you fine, I just can’t understand what you’re saying…” 

And in the end, I find I must write a letter to be sure they understood what I told them on the phone. So it saves time, if not money, to write a letter.
One dear friend who calls me a youngster was wondering when I’d publish another book. I told her I have an ebook in progress. “You should get a Kindle reader, I think you’d like it,” I said.
“I’ve seen those for sale,” she said. “I don’t reckon I could figure out how to use it.”
“Oh it’s easy to use,” I told her. “You could get your son to set it up and after that, it’s a breeze.”
“Yeah, well, it’d just be another thing I’d have to remember where I set it. Then I’d spend half the day looking for it, and another half of the day trying to remember what I was looking for.”
I couldn’t argue with that. 

Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve written. I’ll try to do better here on out. Hope you’re having a wonderful day. 
Thanks for stopping by!