A Twist of Tobacco

Book Launch for Heaven's Promise-The Final Twist. January 28, 2017. Readings from all three books in the A Twist of Tobacco Trilogy with Rita Ownby Holcomb, Ellen Gardner author, Brenda Sampson and Cheryl Williams Available on Amazon

I met with a distant cousin yesterday who had some interesting information for me.  (Incidentally I had a couple of surprises for me.)  First but not least in the info was a transcription of The Tennessee Civil War Veterans Questionnaire, Confederate Soldiers compiled by Gustaus W. Dyer and John Trotwood.  They sent the questionnaire to both Confederate and Union soldier and compiled the study around 1920. I found the questions condescending and the answers very enlightening. (misspellings are as originally written) These excerpt were from the form filled out by Samuel Mortimer Ownby, Woodbury, TN. State your full name.   Samuel Mortimore Ownby. State your age.   76 In what state and county were you born.?   Tenn. Marshall Co Were you confederate or federal soldier? Confederate Name of your company: Company I Reg 14 nixon's Cavlary What was the occupation of your father? Farming Give full name of your father.   Ely Cr...

During the 2016 SCV National Reunion held in Richardson, Tx last week, I offered a drawing for a free copy of "Heaven's Promise-A Final Twist" which is scheduled to be released in November. The drawing was held at 1:00 Saturday afternoon. DRUM ROLL PLEASE............... And  The  Winner is Roy D. King  of  Rogersville, Tennessee

Exciting news........ or at least for me it is exciting. As I was getting ready for the Sons of Confederate Reunion last week I wanted a table covering that was indicative of the Civil War era. I dug through my old family quilts to see if there was anything that would work. I saw this red, white and blue that satisfied my needs. It was from my fathers family, on which the " A Twist of Tobacco " series is based. All of the years I have assumed my grandmother made the quilt. She married in 1913 and died in 1959.   It looked really nice and distinguished my display from others. As I sat there for 4 days I became fascinated by the blue print. Now, I have bought and sold vintage and antique fabrics for more than 15 years but I just couldn't place any of these prints. I took these photos while I was sitting there and posted them to one of my vintage and antique chat boards and can you imagine my surprise when they told me this is a 1860-1880 ...

Now you can read a preview of A Twist of Tobacco right from your desktop or any where. No need to download a app. Just click the link and get the first few chapters free. Preview A Twist of Tobacco NOW!

Each writer has a different process to get words on a page. Some type directly into a word processor, some write in long hand and some dictate into a machine. There are even a few who still use a typewriter. I start in longhand, then type and print, then read aloud and make notes and adjustments, then print again.   RINSE and REPEAT. From the soon to be launched A Vow Unbroken, here is an example of a 3rd rewrite and the longhand edits and hopefully (but no promises) the final draft.

My first but definitely not my last Author event.  As a new author I went in blind and came out with so many promotion ideas that this old head is still spinning.  Made many new friends, and renewed some long ago acquaintances. We both decided it was college just 2 years ago. (add 40 years to that and it'll be accurate.)  I'm ready for the next one, Bring it on.

First draft of A Vow Unbroken has gone to the editor. Can I get a Whoopeeeeee?

Not only do reviews help with sales for authors, face it, our ego's thrive on them too.  When I get one like the following, I just want to sit down with a glass of sweet tea and read the book like I didn't write it. Wonderful saga for all ages By islandbb on April 9, 2016 Format: Kindle Edition This story is unforgettable for history buffs and anyone else who would enjoy reading a true account of a real family play out on the written page. I laughed; I cried; and when I read the last page, I realized I had seen a depiction of American life in the 19th century South at it's best. This tale by author, Rita Ownby Holcomb, reminded me of the love and the sorrow and the pure joy experienced by our ancestors. Rita does not disappoint and the good news is that this is the first of a series with her newest book, " A Vow Unbroken " coming out soon. Treat yourself to this uplifting and historically correct book.

Historical fiction at its finest! By S. Breheny on February 10, 2016 Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase This is the kind of writing I absoluting LOVE! The writing flows so smoothly making it easy to "get lost" in the story immediately. The wording and phrases are accurate for the time period and locale. I especially appreciate all the descriptive passages so I can visualize clearly what each character is doing and might be feeling. It is apparent that Rita has done abundant research on many subjects combining all those elements to create a vivid portrait of real life in 1800's Tennessee. Thank you, Rita, for your labor of love! A Twist of Tobacco

That First Post War Christmas 1865 A Twist of Tobacco The snow continued to fall thickly as the buckboard carried them home. Ed and Sam unhitched the horses and took them to the barn. Eli and Watt carried Maggie and Henry into the house. Lizzie went straight to the kitchen to warm the spiced apple cider she had made earlier, and Jack carefully lit the tiny walnut candles on the tree. This was the first Christmas Maggie and Henry could remember a tree being lit with shiny ornaments and their eyes were wide with wonder. Walnut shells have many uses. As tiny beeswax candles or as settings for the Nativity. The lovely Christmas ornament below was purchased in 1972 on our honeymoon. It is the first tree ornament we bought together. Through the years there have been many other decorations. Some stayed and some went the way of old socks.  Silently into the night--(trash can.) But this beauty is wrapped and carefully stored every year. Although the star is tat...