It is March at last and spring is only a couple of weeks away. My First Friday Freebie, however, has already arrived! Unlike spring, it only lasts for a day, so read on and spring into action!
Although we’ll be celebrating the Resurrection in April, I wanted to offer this little gift early so that you could have it in time to incorporate it into your seasonal décor. Take a look.
This wooden décor is a Hobby Lobby find that reminds us of the reason for the season. The horizontal grooves give a nod to shiplap and the attached wooden Cross gives a 3D effect. It measures 5” X 5” and is a reverse tray design, so it will sit or hang easily as it declares, “He’s Alive and I’m Forgiven”.
I don’t mind a few bunnies and eggs around in celebration of the new life that springs forth at this time of year, but most importantly, I love to celebrate “new life” in its grandest meaning.
To enter to win the forgiven décor, the first thing you need to do is become an email subscriber if you haven’t already done so. The “SUBSCRIBE” button should be floating along as you scroll this page. Then, “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “Celebrate the Greatest Gift!”
Subscribing is FREE and First Friday Freebies are FREE – don’t you just love it?
Often I fail to invite you to follow Midwest Storyteller on Facebook HERE and on Instagram HERE, so check those out.
SHARE this post through Facebook, Instagram, X, Pinterest or send the link in an email to all your friends so they can enter to win!
Previous freebies can be found on the“Freebies” page. Take a look at the gifts subscribers have been winning.
Once again, a winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight, March 6th by leaving a comment which says, “Celebrate the Greatest Gift!”
You can see the complete First Friday Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.
Don’t delay. You know you’ll forget if you don’t enter now! Subscribe if you haven’t already, confirm and comment to enter before midnight tonight, March 6th!
Saint Patrick’s Day is right around the corner. Regardless as to whether you are Irish, (after all, he wasn’t), it’s a great time to commemorate such a man who had nothing to do with shamrocks, good luck and green beer. I’m looking forward to teaching Lil’ Snookie and Fruity Pebbles the real story of how the gospel was spread through Ireland by someone who had no desire to be there! Curious? I’ll tell you all about it on the big day.
Do you celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day? Leave a comment and tell me how!
There are firsts in life that need to be celebrated. I wanted to take a moment to share this one with you, Dear Readers!
It’s been a long road to this recent series of “firsts” – my first novel release, my first book signing, the arrival of that big box of books at my door with my name on them!
And now – Woo-hoo! A royalty check! It’s a gratifying experience after all these years of cranking out three novels. I asked Smuffy to take my photo in front of my P. G. Wodehouse collection as he is my favorite author. I have often said that when I can write like Wodehouse, I will have arrived. The cow creamer is one of those nods to the master that if you know – you know.
Thanks for sharing the moment with me and remember to get your copy of “Hear My Whisper” – from me, of course, if you are local, or directly from my publisher at Ozark Hollow Press. You can also get the book at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.
PLEASE take a couple of minutes to review. That may sound like an insignificant thing, but in the writing world, reviews are those digital nudges that get my book promoted as it should be.
Post your review of Hear My Whisper to platforms like Goodreads.com, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble (and any other platform for book reviews you prefer). This will help give the book a strong base to have staying power in the long term.
Enough reveling. Now back to editing on the sequel.
If you’ve read “Hear My Whisper” or are in the process, let me know in the comments how you are liking it. No spoilers allowed!
It’s time to meet February’s winner of my First Friday Freebie. It pays to open up that monthly email from Midwest Storyteller and enter every single time by making a single comment. This winner has gotten her groove on.
Congratulations, Liz from Boonville, Missouri!
Liz enters to win nearly every single month and she has won the Freebie multiple times now. Go, Liz!
Liz is an email subscriber here on the blog. Subscribing is free and is required to enter to win. Then, comment as directed in the freebie post on the day it arrives in your inbox. I require this tiny bit of effort each month in order to prevent spam and make sure you’re on your toes and paying attention.
I send freebies anywhere in the continental U. S., so don’t think you’re too far away to enter.
If you’d like to see other past winners and their gifts check it out here on my Freebies! page.
Trying to subscribe? Here are a couple of tips –
NOTE: Subscribe with an email you intend to keep and check the week after the drawings. This is my only means of notifying winners. If it isn’t up to date, you may not get your gift!
We live in a life filled with gadgets and you’ll find that this blog can have a different appearance depending on whether you are on your computer, tablet or smartphone. However, you should see a “SUBSCRIBE” button floating along as you scroll. Click on that and follow directions. Confirm your subscription when the email arrives. If you’ve don’t receive a confirmation email, please email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com – it seems that from time to time, a subscription will get “stuck”.
Subscribers get an email reminder each time there’s something new – like when there’s a FREEBIE, news on my upcoming novels, book signings, speaking events or when I share a new story or recipe.
Please share what you find here with your friends and family. When you share on MeWe, Facebook, Instagram, X, Pinterest, you’ll give them the opportunity to subscribe and win also. Subscribing is free. Freebies are free.
On March 6th, you’ll see the new Freebie. Enter to win that day. Then, check your email in the days following.
Smartphone reminders help.
Take a moment make yourself familiar with the complete Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.
I am so excited at the prospect of spring! Smuffy has always been the one to trade his bird books in for seed catalogs and dream of creating a dazzling plot of summer scrumptousness. I get the urge to wander through plant nurseries and find little pots of color that promise to explode into masses of beauty all around the house. My tulips are poking up out of the ground two or three inches already.
What are you looking forward to most when spring arrives? Do you have a favorite spring flower? Leave a comment and let me know.
And, if you are within driving distance, mark your calendar now and plan to join me on Wednesday, April 29th. If you have a story within you or perhaps one already in progress, you won’t want to miss the Community Lecture Series at State Fair Community College. I’ll be speaking on “Your Manuscript’s Journey: The Messes, The Mishaps & The Miracles. I’ll give details in upcoming posts right here.
February has come to be known as the month of love. Often, if focuses on either romantic attachments (take your sweetie out for dinner and include roses and chocolates) or the fun of children have when we teach them to make and give classmates, friends and parents a handmade expression of “You’re special to me.”
Often, the former overshadows the most important form of love in our lives – our family. I realize that not everyone reading this has pleasant family memories that evoke feelings of love, but we all do have the opportunity to build or repair family relationships that will someday give us new memories – beautiful ones.
My Valentine to you this month focuses on family love. Take a look.
This standing wooden décor by Willow Spring will remind those in your home that family is “WHERE LIFE BEGINS AND LOVE NEVER ENDS”. It measures 6 ¾” at its widest point and the same in height. Its gray background allows you to display it in all seasons. A one inch thickness allows you to stand it on a table or shelf and the reverse tray design lets you hang it on the wall as well.
To enter to win the family love décor, the first thing you need to do is become an email subscriber if you haven’t already done so. Just hit the subscribe button – usually found in the lower right of your screen. You’ll get an email and you’ll need to open that and confirm your subscription. Then, “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “Family love is the best!”
Subscribing is FREE and First Friday Freebies are FREE – don’t you just love it?
Often I fail to invite you to follow Midwest Storyteller on Facebook HERE and on Instagram HERE, so check those out.
SHARE this post through Facebook, Instagram, X, Pinterest or send the link in an email to all your friends so they can enter to win!
Previous freebies can be found on the“Freebies” page. Take a look at the gifts subscribers have been winning.
Once again, a winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight, February 6th by leaving a comment which says, “Family love is the best!”
You can see the complete First Friday Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.
Don’t delay. You know you’ll forget if you don’t enter now! Subscribe if you haven’t already, confirm and comment to enter before midnight tonight, February 6th!
Valentine’s Day is a week away and I know I need to gather my supplies and get ready for the fun. I’ll be up to my eyebrows in paper, glue and creativity this coming week and Lil’ Snookie, Fruity Pebbles and I make as many Valentines as we can.
What is your favorite simple way to make someone feel special on Valentine’s Day? Leave me a comment – I need your ideas!
It’s time to meet some of Midwest Storyteller’s recent winners of the monthly First Friday Freebie.
You’re getting several in one lump. My schedule since the end of summer has been consumed with the release of “Hear My Whisper” (Book 1 in the Morgan’s Landing series) and the subsequent book signings and events that have occurred since its release on November 18th. My apologies for having to let this fall by the wayside.
Take a look at who’s been winning –
Congratulations, Everyone!
Note that the fourth month featured in the photo has a wrecker and not a winner. No congratulations offered there! Smuffy and I were smitten with the flu between Christmas and New Year’s and, though we usually dismiss the media’s predictions as their attempt to scare the pants off everyone, we found out they weren’t kidding around this year. January’s first Friday came and went without my knowing what day it was – for several days in a row. The following week, when the fever finally broke, I realized that I had missed offering a freebie at all for the month. So, instead of a gift as a token of my appreciation for you, I can offer you this piece of advice – avoid this nasty round of Influenza A!
All of my winners are email subscribers. Subscribing is free and is required to enter to win. Then, they each commented as directed in the freebie post on the day it arrived in their inbox. I require this tiny bit of effort each month in order to prevent spam and make sure you’re on your toes and paying attention.
I send freebies anywhere in the continental U. S., so don’t think you’re too far away to enter.
If you’d like to see other past winners and their gifts check it out here on my Freebies! page.
Trying to subscribe? Here are a couple of tips –
NOTE: Subscribe with an email you intend to keep and check the week after the drawings. This is my only means of notifying winners. If it isn’t up to date, you may not get your gift!
We live in a life filled with gadgets and you’ll find that this blog can have a different appearance depending on whether you are on your computer, tablet or smartphone. However, you should see a “SUBSCRIBE” button floating along as you scroll. Click on that and follow directions. Confirm your subscription when the email arrives. If you’ve don’t receive a confirmation email, please email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com – it seems that from time to time, a subscription will get “stuck”.
Subscribers get an email reminder each time there’s something new – like when there’s a FREEBIE, news on my upcoming novels, book signings, speaking events or when I share a new story or recipe.
Please share what you find here with your friends and family. When you share on MeWe, Facebook, Instagram, X, Pinterest, you’ll give them the opportunity to subscribe and win also. Subscribing is free. Freebies are free.
On February 6th, you’ll see the new Freebie. Enter to win that day. Then, check your email in the days following.
Smartphone reminders help.
Take a moment make yourself familiar with the complete Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.
I am not so patiently waiting for winter to be over, although I do love seeing how much Lil’ Snookie enjoys playing in the snow and how thrilled Fruity Pebbles is to be alongside Phoebe June watching the birds flock to the feeders. I also remind myself that since I am closeted with editing the sequel to “Hear My Whisper”, I should be glad that pleasant weather isn’t tempting me to be outdoors.
Leave a comment – what are you doing to pass the time on these winter days? I suppose those of you who don’t live in this climate could torture me with all the ways you’re frolicking about in grassy meadows or lounging on beaches. I’d love to hear from you either way!
And, don’t forget to join me at my next in-person event. Get the details HERE.
If you are within driving distance, join me this Saturday. It’s all happening at Boonslick Regional Library’s Boonville branch. We’ll do a reading, have discussion and then we’ll read some more!
Curious about the book? Here’s a preview –
“And you can be certain of one thing, Abigail. I’m no angel.”
Julia Lansing stumbles into an embarrassing scandal when she’s discovered in a compromising position with a U. S. senator!
Though she’s innocent and it was all a misunderstanding, the shame burns. Matters are made worse later at dinner, when she seeks to hold her mother’s hand for moral support and finds herself holding a strange man’s hand by mistake! With mishaps abounding, how on earth is she meant to survive her trip to Savannah? Returning to her predictable life back home would be ideal—if it weren’t for the handsome Adam Cole. What is she meant to do about him?
Meanwhile, Beatrice Lansing, Julia’s mother, is expanding her business ventures in dress-making. With only a short amount of time to stay in Savannah, she’s striving to showcase her designs and build the network of employees and customers she came to create. Can she make her dreams come true, or will she return to Missouri empty-handed? And why is she receiving telegrams from her husband about explosions and replacing curtains?
Set against the backdrop of Savannah, Georgia and the small town of Morgan’s Landing, Missouri in 1904, Hear My Whisper, book one in the Morgan’s Landing series, invites you to follow Julia Lansing as she navigates the mores of a different city, state, social class, and the newfound interests of a young man (or two or three). Can she make the choice that’s best for her own happiness? Can her family succeed in the pursuit of their dreams? Or will it all come crashing down?
Though I’ve never cared for aviator shades and my car is not equipped with AI, it does communicate with me, mostly in a silent, passive-aggressive manner to let me know of its refusal to cooperate with my simplest demands. No, I don’t think my little buggy and I would attract many viewers with a weekly show. I do, however, write at night.
By nature, I am already a night owl and that helps, but I’ve had to face the issue of blue light. Eye strain is a real thing and so is the problem of not being able to shut down the little gray cells after hours staring at a huge computer monitor and living in a completely different world.
I can hear your suggestion that I should write during the day. This is not an option. My days are filled with nothing but fun and games provided by Fruity Pebbles and Lil’ Snookie.
Having done my research, I ordered a quality pair of glasses that has blue light blocking imbedded throughout the lenses – not merely a coating that renders them useless with the slightest scratch. I was given a delivery window of three to six business days.
This, folks, is where things went south. To be exact, they went not only south, but every direction imaginable multiple times! This small package, which I could have slipped into any decent sized handbag, began to travel more than I have in the last decade.
The image above (though not a map by any means and shouldn’t be used as such) gives an idea of how the United States Postal Service works to meet its efficiency and budgetary goals.
Using the tracking link provided by the Postal Service, I saw that the little box left San Diego and came straightaway to Olathe, Kansas and then went on to Kansas City. This made logical sense and I began to look forward to its arrival.
I suppose, however, that the poor thing couldn’t stand the cold, because it took off for Avondale, Arizona. After this, it couldn’t resist a jaunt over to Phoenix. Finding Phoenix a bit congested, my glasses returned to Avondale. Mysteriously, they returned to Phoenix again and I began to wonder if they’d become victims of a car-jacking. When they made a bee-line back to Avondale again, I imagined them being confused by roundabouts.
After finally having their fill of the dry desert air, they must have put in a request for transfer, giving the Postal Service some inkling that a mishap had occurred. They stepped in and, like the heroes that they are, properly and rightly brought my package all the way back to Olathe, Kansas. Now, I thought to myself, we are getting somewhere.
My spectacles were, indeed, getting somewhere. They took off for Abilene, probably because it was the prettiest town they’d ever seen. Those in supervisory positions with the Postal Service must have gotten wind of it at this point, declaring, “This must cease!”, because my package was then sent straight to Columbia, Missouri.
This is where I got excited. Now they could be on a delivery truck and at my house within hours. They certainly would have been if they hadn’t zoomed right past on the interstate and gone back to Kansas City! Thankfully, they made a U-turn there, but instead of taking the appropriate exit ramp, they merely waved as they passed again.
Once back in Columbia, some dear soul blessed with snappy, happy little neurons spotted them, and spying a truck destined for my hometown, shoved them in it.
That’s when I went to my local post office and told them that under no circumstances should they let them out of their sight. They merely sneered and told me I should’ve paid express mail fees.
Yes, Dear Readers, these are your tax dollars at work!
All’s well that ends well. Once the glasses arrived over a week late, I began putting them to good use and am busy every night getting the sequel to “Hear My Whisper” ready for you. This second book in the “Morgan’s Landing Series” is projected to release in the summer of 2026.
I’d love your feedback on “Hear My Whisper”, so please leave a comment. More importantly, leave a review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads and at my publisher’s website, Ozark Hollow Press.
No, Dear Readers, this is not a duplicate post and you are not having leftover holiday hustle-and-bustle confusion. Nasty weather during the first week of December forced us to reschedule this event.
I am looking forward to seeing many of you this Saturday if you are within driving distance of Tipton, Missouri. Price James Library is sponsoring this book signing and has asked me to speak as well.
I love helping others recognize that they might have a story within them that is just begging to be told. Others know they have a story, but need tips and guidance concerning the different approaches to publishing. How do you transition from being all alone with your keyboard and your imagination to the world of editing, writers’ conferences, pitching, agents, editors and publishers? Do you take the plunge or go it alone?
However, the story of how my “Morgan’s Landing” novel series came about holds much more than nuts and bolts – it has had its share of miracles along the way and I’ll be sharing those as well.
If your church, community group or club would be interested in having me speak at an event, please leave a comment or email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com
Here are some upcoming dates to keep in mind:
Saturday, February 7 – 1:00 PM Join me for a reading and discussion of “Hear My Whisper” at Boonslick Regional Library in Boonville, Missouri.
Wednesday, April 29th – 1:30 PM Community Lecture Series State Fair Community College Boonville, Missouri Campus – Cost to Public: $5
Saturday, May 2 – Book Signing at Barnes & Noble, Columbia, Missouri.
This Fall: I’ll be joining other authors at the Local Author Showcase sponsored by Daniel Boone Regional Library, Columbia, Missouri
So…the big question is: How’s it going, Dear Readers? I’ve heard from those of you who had to set their copy aside to read after the holiday rush and from those who finished “Hear My Whisper” already and are waiting for the sequel. Without giving away any spoilers, of course, leave a comment and give me your thoughts on the book!
I glanced at the post for last month’s First Friday Freebie and saw that I had encouraged you to get outdoors and enjoy the beautiful weather while it lasted. Well, of course, it didn’t – and now it’s time to bundle up and stay out of the cold. Lil’ Snookie and I played Monopoly this afternoon. I’ve never seen a five-year-old so good at it! Fruity Pebbles played the role of the catastrophic tornado that threatened to wipe out houses, hotels and pretty much the entire economy. We survived, but barely. And then we bundled them up and sent them home.
I bundled up a Christmas Freebie for the month of December. Let’s take a look –
The “All Is Calm – All Is Bright” wall hanging measures 13.5″ X 9.5″. It features a wood tone finish, shimmery lettering, snowflakes and hangs by a twine roping. The “Noel” piece of word art is wood with a metal overlay and features a wire hanger with a cute red plaid bow. In addition, I’ve included a Christmas Planner for you. Of course, if you’ve got yourself all organized for 2025, you can save it for next year as it is undated. I got multiples for myself as I thought these were handy-dandy! It measures 8.5″ X 5.5″ when closed so it slips nicely into your purse for shopping days or to keep handy when a good idea strikes or an event pops up. Spiral binding makes it lay flat and who doesn’t love that? I liked the features inside because they seemed so practical! It has two full calendar pages for November and December with a “To Do” column at the left of each. There are separate pages for gift lists for teachers, friends, significant others, plus one for gifts for the whole family and a wish list for yourself. Then, for each family member (up to eight) there’s a page for their wish list and below a grid to record gifts bought, the store, the price and boxes to check as to whether you’ve gotten them purchased and wrapped! This great for me, because every year I have the habit of losing at least one present and then finding it somewhere between Valentine’s Day and the first day of spring.
There are even plan sheets for your Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping, plus a gift budget sheet and spending tracker. After all that, when you’re exhausted, you flip the page to the lists for Christmas books to read and movies to watch. You can track Christmas cards, thank you notes, guests lists for your events, food prep, grocery lists, menus and more.
I personally love to fly by the seat of my pants as I go through life, but I find that if I go by my natural inclinations, I end up in tears. Organizing myself is the only way I ever arrive at Christmas morning with my sanity and a smile – and I consider our holiday efforts small in comparison to many households!
The first thing you need to do in order to win the Christmas Bundle is to become an email subscriber HERE if you haven’t already done so. Once you’re a subscriber, “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “Merry Christmas, Midwest Storyteller!”
Subscribing is FREE and First Friday Freebies are FREE – don’t you just love it?
Often I fail to invite you to follow Midwest Storyteller on Facebook HERE and on Instagram HERE, so check those out.
SHARE this post through Facebook, Instagram, X, Pinterest or send the link in an email to all your friends so they can enter to win!
Previous freebies can be found on the “Freebies” page. Take a look at the gifts subscribers have been winning.
Once again, a winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight, December 5th by leaving a comment on this post, saying, “Merry Christmas, Midwest Storyteller!”
You can see the complete First Friday Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.
Don’t delay. You know you’ll forget if you don’t enter now! Subscribe if you haven’t already, confirm and comment to enter before midnight tonight, December 5th!
And remember, my new novel, “Hear My Whisper” is available now at Ozark Hollow Press as well as Barnes & Noble and Amazon . If you’re local, you can get a signed copy directly from me. Now wouldn’t that be a great Christmas present for yourself or someone on your list?
You are invited! If you are anywhere in the vicinity, please join me at Boonslick Regional Library in Boonville, Missouri. I’d love to visit with you and, of course, I’ll have copies of “Hear My Whisper” (Book 1 in the Morgan’s Landing Series). I’m looking forward to seeing you there and please bring a friend. You never know when you or someone you know might be inspired to become an author!
If your church, community group or club would be interested in having me speak at an event, please leave a comment or email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com
I love helping others recognize that they might have a story within them that is just begging to be told. Others know they have a story, but need tips and guidance concerning the different approaches to publishing. How do you transition from being all alone with your keyboard and your imagination to the world of editing, writers’ conferences, pitching, agents, editors and publishers? Do you take the plunge or go it alone?
If you or anyone you know is within driving distance, please join me at this event. We’ll be able to chat about my book (and yours if you have one), the story behind it and the road to getting it published. Spoiler Alert: There are lots of ins and outs, do’s and don’ts and surprises involved!
Coming SOON: Details on events in the near future –
December 6th – Boonslick Regional Library in Boonville, Missouri
December 7th – Missouri River Regional Library in Jefferson City, Missouri
Here are a couple of photos from the book signing event at Bloom & Bindings in Boonville, Missouri on Saturday November 18th. If you missed it, please join me at one of the upcoming events listed below.
Coming Up: I’ll be busy meeting all of you in the coming week, so keep checking Midwest Storyteller for the details on these events –
December 3rd – Price James Library in Tipton, Missouri
December 6th – Boonslick Regional Library in Boonville, Missouri
December 7th – Missouri River Regional Library in Jefferson City, Missouri
Just a quick note to remind you that if you are within driving distance of Boonville, Missouri, please meet me tomorrow, November 22nd, at Bloom & Bindings in the historic downtown.
Please bring a friend. I’d love to chat with you and introduce you to Julia and her life in Morgan’s Landing.
The event is also posted on Bloom & Bindings Facebook page, so check it out!
Subscribe to keep posted on updates on Book 2 in the series and upcoming book signing events.
Enjoy this video trailer for “Hear My Whisper”, Book 1 in my Morgan’s Landing series. It makes me want to read the book and I already know what happens!
Here’s more about “Hear My Whisper”:
“And you can be certain of one thing, Abigail. I’m no angel.”
Julia Lansing stumbles into an embarrassing scandal when she’s discovered in a compromising position with a U. S. senator!
Though she’s innocent and it was all a misunderstanding, the shame burns. Matters are made worse later at dinner, when she seeks to hold her mother’s hand for moral support and finds herself holding a strange man’s hand by mistake! With mishaps abounding, how on earth is she meant to survive her trip to Savannah? Returning to her predictable life back home would be ideal—if it weren’t for the handsome Adam Cole. What is she meant to do about him?
Meanwhile, Beatrice Lansing, Julia’s mother, is expanding her business ventures in dress-making. With only a short amount of time to stay in Savannah, she’s striving to showcase her designs and build the network of employees and customers she came to create. Can she make her dreams come true, or will she return to Missouri empty-handed? And why is she receiving telegrams from her husband about explosions and replacing curtains?
Set against the backdrop of Savannah, Georgia and the small town of Morgan’s Landing, Missouri in 1904, Hear My Whisper, book one in the Morgan’s Landing series, invites you to follow Julia Lansing as she navigates the mores of a different city, state, social class, and the newfound interests of a young man (or two or three). Can she make the choice that’s best for her own happiness? Can her family succeed in the pursuit of their dreams? Or will it all come crashing down?
When Smuffy came into the kitchen and told me that I had something on the front porch and I had better bring my camera, I gave him a quizzical look, wondering why he thought we should start taking pictures of those bubble-wrap bags with the smiley arrow on them. When I stepped outside, my first thought was how silly it was of me to have forgotten what I’d been anticipating for the last few weeks! So, yes, I squinted into the sunlight and let Smuffy take my picture.
My first shipment of “Hear My Whisper”, Book 1 of the Morgan’s Landing Series, arrived and I was very pleased with how everything turned out.
Those of you in my local area can grab a copy from me personally if you see me out and about or, better yet, attend my first book signing this coming Saturday, November 22nd from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Bloom & Bindings, located ta 315 Main Street in Boonville, Missouri. You can click HERE for the Facebook event and let us know if you’ll be attending and save the event so you’ll get reminders.
If you’re not within driving distance, you can click HERE for all the ways to get the book.NOTE: Amazon will offer you the ebook not, but not the physical book until the actual release date, which is Tuesday, November 18th. Ozark Hollow Press and Barnes & Noble now offer ebook, hardcover and paperback versions.
They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but we do. Finalizing the cover for “Hear My Whisper” was a real challenge. Leave a comment and let me know how you like it.
You are invited! If you are anywhere in the vicinity, please join me at Bloom & Bindings Book Store in Boonville, Missouri. I’d love to visit with you and, of course, I’ll have copies of “Hear My Whisper” (Book 1 in the Morgan’s Landing Series). Click HERE to see the event on Facebook and let us know you’re coming!
If you know of any place that would enjoy having me come for a book signing event, please LEAVE A COMMENT and let me know.
I don’t know what you did yesterday, but I hope you got to be outdoors. We had a beautiful day here and I grabbed the rake and took Lil’ Snookie and Fruity Pebbles outside. In no time at all we had a mountain of leaves to jump in and laughter and squeals rang through the neighborhood. Money can’t buy that kind of joy – it is, simultaneously, free and priceless. These are the times that make me truly thankful for the blessings God has poured into our lives.
My monthly First Friday Freebie, while it may not be priceless, is absolutely free! Let’s take a look –
November brings a shift in weather, a change in color and exerts a special tug at the heart toward focusing on what’s most important. As we approach Thanksgiving, we tend to think about the real stuff of life rather than the stuff we can buy in stores.
This sturdy board mat is 15 inches in diameter. It’s actually intended to be a placemat, but in our house it would be a bit large if we put one at every place. It comes with its own wipe-off marker so that you can list something you are thankful for each day or at each meal. As soon as I saw it, I thought of a couple of ways to use it.
Propped on an easel, each family member can take a turn at the board, writing something they are thankful for in the blank. Or, how about just using one of these as the surprise placemat by having it show up at a different family member’s place at each meal? After they write what they’re thankful for, it can be propped back up for display until the next family member finds the surprise under their plate.
The first thing you need to do in order to win the board is to become an email subscriber HERE if you haven’t already done so. Once you’re a subscriber, “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “I’m thankful for ______________!” (and fill in the blank – I’d love to hear what you treasure most.)
Subscribing is FREE and First Friday Freebies are FREE – don’t you just love it?
Often I fail to invite you to follow Midwest Storyteller on Facebook HERE and on Instagram HERE, so check those out.
SHARE this post through Facebook, Instagram, X, Pinterest or send the link in an email to all your friends so they can enter to win!
Previous freebies can be found on the “Freebies” page. Take a look at the gifts subscribers have been winning.
Once again, a winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight, November 7th by leaving a comment which says, “I’m thankful for ______________!”
You can see the complete First Friday Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.
Don’t delay. You know you’ll forget if you don’t enter now! Subscribe if you haven’t already, confirm and comment to enter before midnight tonight, November 7th!
And remember, my new novel, “Hear My Whisper” is available now at Ozark Hollow Press as well as Barnes & Noble and Amazon (although Amazon at this moment is only showing ebooks for some reason). And for those of you in my neck of the woods – if you see me out and about, you can get one directly from me.
I pondered for a moment as to what my subscribers might enjoy having the opportunity to win for the month of October and then, in a flash of brilliance, I realized that I have a brand new novel out and you might just like one for the First Friday Freebie! I’m quick like that.
Let me tempt you with this from the back of the book.
“And you can be certain of one thing, Abigail. I’m no angel.”
Julia Lansing stumbles into an embarrassing scandal when she’s discovered in a compromising position with a U. S. senator!
Though she’s innocent and it was all a misunderstanding, the shame burns. Matters are made worse later at dinner, when she seeks to hold her mother’s hand for moral support and finds herself holding a strange man’s hand by mistake! With mishaps abounding, how on earth is she meant to survive her trip to Savannah? Returning to her predictable life back home would be ideal—if it weren’t for the handsome Adam Cole. What is she meant to do about him?
Meanwhile, Beatrice Lansing, Julia’s mother, is expanding her business ventures in dress-making. With only a short amount of time to stay in Savannah, she’s striving to showcase her designs and build the network of employees and customers she came to create. Can she make her dreams come true, or will she return to Missouri empty-handed? And why is she receiving telegrams from her husband about explosions and replacing curtains?
Set against the backdrop of Savannah, Georgia and the small town of Morgan’s Landing, Missouri in 1904, Hear My Whisper, book one in the Morgan’s Landing series, invites you to follow Julia Lansing as she navigates the mores of a different city, state, social class, and the newfound interests of a young man (or two or three). Can she make the choice that’s best for her own happiness? Can her family succeed in the pursuit of their dreams? Or will it all come crashing down?
To enter to win a free paperback copy of “Hear My Whisper”, the first book in my “Morgan’s Landing” novel series, the first thing you need to do is become an email subscriber HERE if you haven’t already done so. Then, “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “Can’t wait to curl up with a good book!”
Subscribing is FREE and First Friday Freebies are FREE – don’t you just love it?
Often I fail to invite you to follow Midwest Storyteller on Facebook HERE and on Instagram HERE, so check those out.
SHARE this post through Facebook, Instagram, X, Pinterest or send the link in an email to all your friends so they can enter to win!
Previous freebies can be found on the “Freebies” page. Take a look at the gifts subscribers have been winning.
Once again, a winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight, October 3rd by leaving a comment which says, “Can’t wait to curl up with a good book!”
And now, here are the complete First Friday Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.
Don’t delay. You know you’ll forget if you don’t enter now! Subscribe if you haven’t already, confirm and comment to enter before midnight tonight, October 3rd! “Hear My Whisper” is available for pre-order right now, so get all the details on that right here.
Note: I have noticed that if you order extras for family and friends, the publisher will give you FREE SHIPPING. Any combination such as two hardcovers, a hardcover and a paperback, or three paperbacks (or, of course, more) will qualify for free shipping.
Upon release, physical books will also be available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
NOTE: If you do plan to order an ebook, I would strongly encourage you to do so on Amazon. This helps build numbers for my book that might give me one of those “bestselling” banners upon release. That, my dear readers, would be nice!
My publisher has set the “official” publication date as November 18th. However, that is to allow for any unexpected “stuff that happens”. I am expecting to have physical books available in early to mid-October.
The act of kindness that would mean the most to me is for you to post your review of Hear My Whisper to platforms like Goodreads.com, Amazon.com (or whatever platform for book reviews you prefer). This will help give the book a strong base to have staying power in the long term.
Here’s a bit from the back of the book:
“And you can be certain of one thing, Abigail. I’m no angel.”
Julia Lansing stumbles into an embarrassing scandal when she’s discovered in a compromising position with a U. S. senator!
Though she’s innocent and it was all a misunderstanding, the shame burns. Matters are made worse later at dinner, when she seeks to hold her mother’s hand for moral support and finds herself holding a strange man’s hand by mistake! With mishaps abounding, how on earth is she meant to survive her trip to Savannah? Returning to her predictable life back home would be ideal—if it weren’t for the handsome Adam Cole. What is she meant to do about him?
Meanwhile, Beatrice Lansing, Julia’s mother, is expanding her business ventures in dress-making. With only a short amount of time to stay in Savannah, she’s striving to showcase her designs and build the network of employees and customers she came to create. Can she make her dreams come true, or will she return to Missouri empty-handed? And why is she receiving telegrams from her husband about explosions and replacing curtains?
Set against the backdrop of Savannah, Georgia and the small town of Morgan’s Landing, Missouri in 1904, Hear My Whisper, book one in the Morgan’s Landing series, invites you to follow Julia Lansing as she navigates the mores of a different city, state, social class, and the newfound interests of a young man (or two or three). Can she make the choice that’s best for her own happiness? Can her family succeed in the pursuit of their dreams? Or will it all come crashing down?
There’s one way to find out! Pre-order now.
Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts. Are you considering writing a novel, a true story? Smuffy says he’s going to enjoy the book in his happy place – in the bathtub for a long soak. Where’s your favorite spot to curl up with a good book?
I’m a little behind in letting you meet the winners of my First Friday Freebie.
Check out the First Friday Freebie rules below. You’ll find out how simple it is to enter to win. This is a special monthly gift for my email subscribers only.
Meet August’s winner –
Liz from Boonville, Missouri.
Congratulations, Liz!
Liz is shown here with the “Welcome Home” decor she won. As an email subscriber, Liz commented as directed in the freebie post on the day it arrived in her inbox. I require this tiny bit of effort each month in order to prevent spam and make sure you’re on your toes and paying attention.
I send freebies anywhere in the continental U. S., so don’t think you’re too far away to enter.
If you’d like to see other past winners and their gifts check it out hereon my Freebies! page.
You can see the original First Friday Freebie offer for the one Liz won here.
Trying to subscribe? Here are a couple of tips –
NOTE: Subscribe with an email you intend to keep and check the week after the drawings. This is my only means of notifying winners. If it isn’t up to date, you may not get your gift!
We live in a life filled with gadgets and you’ll find that this blog can have a different appearance depending on whether you are on your computer, tablet or smartphone. You can easily navigate to “SUBSCRIBE” at the top of the page or in the drop-down menu. Then, fill in your email and hit the “SUBSCRIBE” button. Confirm your subscription when the email arrives. If you’ve don’t receive a confirmation email, please email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com – it seems that from time to time, a subscription will get “stuck”.
Subscribers get an email reminder each time there’s something new – like when there’s a FREEBIE, news on my “Morgan’s Landing” novel series, a new story or recipe.
Please share what you find here with your friends and family. When you share on MeWe, Facebook, Instagram, X, Pinterest, you’ll give them the opportunity to subscribe and win also. Subscribing is free. Freebies are free.
On October 3rd, you’ll see the new Freebie. Enter to win that day. Then, check your email in the days following.
Smartphone reminders help.
Take a moment make yourself familiar with the complete Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.
Though we’ve turned the page to October, the leaves are still green and the temperatures are very warm out. I’m hoping that autumn arrives and stays a good, long while.
Leave a comment – have you any ideas for fun activities that fit between naps so that Lil’ Snookie and Fruity Pebbles can get as much fall fun in as possible before cold weather comes?
I am so excited! I hope you are excited along with me. The first book in my Morgan’s Landing series, Hear My Whisper, is available for pre-order. Take a look at the cover.
Hear My Whisper will be available in paperback and hardcover editions and also as an ebook. I don’t know how the relationship is between you and the books you read, but I make friends with mine. Though I’ve read a few books on Kindle (mainly because I couldn’t find them anywhere else), I’m a true book lover and I like to hold the physical book in my own two hands. In our household, we are all book sniffers, burying our noses in the pages to see if they smell as a good book should. I neglected to discuss this fine point with the publisher, so I am hoping that when my own copies of Hear My Whisper arrive, they pass the sniff test.
If you’d like to pre-order physical books (paperbacks and hardcovers) and get a savings of 20%, click here: Hear My Whisper | Ozark Hollow Press From September 24 to September 29, 2025, you can use the promo code WHISPER20 to get 20% off your pre-orders. After this date, the retail prices will be:
– Paperback – $17.99
– Hardcover – $25.99
Now for ebooks. They’re great to have with you when you’re on the go, but a trifle difficult to get autographed.
If you’d like to pre-order the ebook, click here for Barnes & Noble:
Until September 29, the pre-order price for the ebook will be $2.99. After September 29, the ebook price will increase to the retail price of $5.99.
I would strongly encourage, if you can possibly do so, to pre-order on Amazon. This helps build numbers for my book that might give me one of those “bestselling” banners upon release. That, my dear readers, would be nice!
My publisher has set the “official” publication date as November 18th. However, that is to allow for any unexpected “stuff that happens” and I am expecting to have books available in early to mid-October. That’s right around the corner!
The act of kindness that would mean the most to me is for you to post your review of Hear My Whisper to platforms like Goodreads.com, Amazon.com (or whatever platform for book reviews you prefer). This will help give the book a strong base to have staying power in the long term.
Here’s a bit from the back of the book:
“And you can be certain of one thing, Abigail. I’m no angel.”
Julia Lansing stumbles into an embarrassing scandal when she’s discovered in a compromising position with a U. S. senator!
Though she’s innocent and it was all a misunderstanding, the shame burns. Matters are made worse later at dinner, when she seeks to hold her mother’s hand for moral support and finds herself holding a strange man’s hand by mistake! With mishaps abounding, how on earth is she meant to survive her trip to Savannah? Returning to her predictable life back home would be ideal—if it weren’t for the handsome Adam Cole. What is she meant to do about him?
Meanwhile, Beatrice Lansing, Julia’s mother, is expanding her business ventures in dress-making. With only a short amount of time to stay in Savannah, she’s striving to showcase her designs and build the network of employees and customers she came to create. Can she make her dreams come true, or will she return to Missouri empty-handed? And why is she receiving telegrams from her husband about explosions and replacing curtains?
Set against the backdrop of Savannah, Georgia and the small town of Morgan’s Landing, Missouri in 1904, Hear My Whisper, book one in the Morgan’s Landing series, invites you to follow Julia Lansing as she navigates the mores of a different city, state, social class, and the newfound interests of a young man (or two or three). Can she make the choice that’s best for her own happiness? Can her family succeed in the pursuit of their dreams? Or will it all come crashing down?
There’s only one way to find out! Pre-order now.
Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts. Are you considering writing a novel, a true story? Smuffy says he’s going to enjoy the book in his happy place – in the bathtub for a long soak. Where’s your favorite spot to curl up with a good book?
It may still be sweltering where you live, but in my neighborhood, it is glorious. The tilt of the earth may not indicate that autumn is quite here, but the temperatures have cooled and the humidity has left. This has me in the mood for a fall-ish First Friday Freebie, so let’s take a look at September’s free gift.
These pretty dish scrubbers and trivets will make your kitchen welcoming for your guests this fall. The 2-pack of scrubbers are 100% polyester, measure 12” X 12”, and have the mesh “scrubby material” on the reverse side. The 2-pack of trivets are also 100% polyester and measure 8” in diameter. They are nice an thick like a heavy placemat would be. Both are from Perfect Harvest.
To enter to win the autumn kitchen set, “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “Autumn leaves and cool days, please!”
SHARE this post through Facebook, Instagram, X, Pinterest or send the link in an email to all your friends so they can enter to win!
Previous freebies can be found on the “Freebies” page. Take a look at the gifts subscribers have been winning.
Once again, a winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight, September 5th by leaving a comment which says, “Autumn leaves and cool days, please!”
And now, here are the complete First Friday Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.
Don’t delay. You know you’ll forget if you don’t enter now! Subscribe if you haven’t already, confirm and comment to enter before midnight tonight, September 5th!
Stay tuned – I just received the final proof of the book cover for Book 1 in the “Morgan’s Landing” series and I’ll be giving you a sneak peek at it as soon as my publisher gives me the word.
It’s officially August, that month when, here in the Midwest, we all sigh as we plod through it toward tolerable days that we hope to enjoy around the second week of September. Mysteriously, a cool front moved in last night and we are reveling in perfect temperatures, enjoying long sits on the porch and strolls around the neighborhood. Strange, but nobody’s complaining. Sometime next week, August will decide to show us what it’s really made of.
Celebrate our cool-down with this month’s First Friday Freebie.
Welcome everybody home with this box-framed piece of home décor from Old East Main Company. Measuring approximately 8 inches wide and 6 ½ inches tall, it has enough depth to sit upright on your mantle, shelf or tray. Inside the white wood frame the word art is painted on an attached rust-colored panel. This color has come into vogue lately for any season, but as you may soon be changing up your seasonal décor, it will look especially nice for fall. As with many of my other freebies, I wanted one, too. However, since it was the only one in the store – you win!
To enter to win the “Welcome Home” décor, “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “There’s no place like home.”
SHARE this post through Facebook, Instagram, X, Pinterest or send the link in an email to all your friends so they can enter to win!
Previous freebies can be found on the “Freebies” page. Take a look at the gifts subscribers have been winning.
Once again, a winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight by leaving a comment which says, “There’s no place like home.”
You can find the complete First Friday Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.
Don’t delay. You know you’ll forget if you don’t enter now! Subscribe if you haven’t already, confirm and comment to enter before midnight tonight, August 1st!
And, if you’ve been a First Friday Freebie winner in the past, leave a comment. Tell me how you liked your gift and whether you kept it or perhaps used it to bless someone else.
Yes, it is my present situation that brings to mind one of my favorite quotes from P. G. Wodehouse’s writings:
I am, indeed, far from gruntled as I bring you the first half of this update on my novel series, “Morgan’s Landing”. The artists who have been given the task of cover design must have also been given something designed to induce a coma. Everything is ready and nothing is stopping us from going to print – except the cover. I thought the cover would be the least of my worries. All I asked for was something eye-catching and beautiful that carried the general feeling of what lay within its pages.
Having not read what lay within its pages, the artists must have assumed that I am one of those Russian novelists Wodehouse wrote about when he or his characters made observations like these –
“In the spring, a livelier iris gleams upon the burnished dove—but not in Russia, where they shoot poets for writing that sort of thing.”
In “The Clicking of Cuthbert” we find: “No novelist anywhere any good except me. PG Wodehouse and Tolstoy not bad. Not good, but not bad. All the rest worse. I spit me of them.”
“A Russian novel is where everyone is called Ivan and either dies of consumption or spends 400 pages deciding whether to.”
This Vladimir Brusiloff to whom I have referred was the famous Russian novelist. . . . Vladimir specialized in gray studies of hopeless misery, where nothing happened till page three hundred and eighty, when the moujik decided to commit suicide. . . .
One character, a Mr. Mulliner, said of himself, “I have a tender heart and I dislike to dwell on the spectacle of a human being groaning under the iron heel of Fate. Such morbid gloating, I consider, is better left to the Russians.
Another, while suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, prompted the narrator to remark, “If he had been a character in a Russian novel, he would have gone and hanged himself in the barn.”
One reference attempted to look on the bright side: “Cuthbert was an optimist at heart, and it seemed to him that, at the rate at which the inhabitants of that interesting country were murdering one another, the supply of Russian novelists must eventually give out.”
And my personal favorite: “No wonder Freddie experienced the sort of abysmal soul-sadness which afflicts one of Tolstoi’s Russian peasants when, after putting in a heavy day’s work strangling his father, beating his wife, and dropping the baby into the city reservoir, he turns to the cupboard, only to find the vodka-bottle empty.”
You dear Russian folks out there have all my respect and admiration. However, I’m thinking P. G. Wodehouse had a point back in the day when he took a poke at some of your novelists.
I, however, am not a Russian novelist and you can expect something a bit brighter from the “Morgan’s Landing” series. This is likely what has put some sand in the gears with the book cover.
The first cover they sent me was absolutely beautiful in that it had the depth and tone of an Old Masters painting. However, the woman featured there, though her hair and clothing fit the description of the main character, sat in a windowless, darkened room and looked as though she were consumed with thoughts of ending it all.
After that, things took a turn, but it seemed to be on a path that was not reflective of the book’s setting.
Next, I received a cover design that looked representative of the character and setting, but the addition of a sky filled with black storm clouds convinced me once again that the artists thought they were designing something for one of those Russian novels.
Not that the characters in “Morgan’s Landing” don’t have their troubles – they do! However, the sun does shine in Morgan’s Landing and there is a lot of fun within those pages. Tweaks have been suggested and now we wait. Hopefully, we won’t wait too long because I want these books in your hands and mine.
If you’ll remember, there is a “Morgan’s Landing” screenplay circulating out there amongst several productions. One of them in particular has taken the positive step of attempting to bring in A-list talent for one of the main roles and if that comes to fruition, things could start to get even more exciting! It’s hard to be disgruntled with all that going on. In fact, I’m about as gruntled as I can get!
My part in this is to wait. It’s as if my “baby” has been put up for adoption and there is nothing I can do other than wait for a producer to give the screenwriter a “Let’s go!” I so appreciate award-winning screenwriter, Alan Roth, who has done a wonderful job of writing the screenplay and in getting it into all the hands of the people who need to see it. If any of you are inclined to add a request for blessing a favor in this matter to your prayer list – go to it!
Hopefully, my next update will be a release date for Book 1 in the Morgan’s Landing series. It’s entitled “Hear My Whisper” and will be with you as soon as the cover design is finalized. Following the release, there will be book signing events and I hope to see you there.
Many of you have a story to tell. DON’T WAIT to get started! The road ahead is full of bumps and detours.
Leave a comment and tell me what is stirring in your heart and mind to write. It may be fiction or it may be a true story that you can’t bear the thought of being lost to the ages. I know I have one of those and I hope to have the time to start on it soon.
After a few delays and a little confusion, here’s another winner of my First Friday Freebie.
Check out the First Friday Freebie rules below. You’ll find out how simple it is to enter to win. This is a special monthly gift for my email subscribers only.
Meet May’s winner –
Elise from Sterling, Illinois.
Congratulations, Elise! Let me know how you liked the stories (especially mine).
Elise is shown here with the book she won. As an email subscriber, Carol commented as directed in the freebie post on the day it arrived in her inbox. I require this tiny bit of effort each month in order to prevent spam and make sure you’re on your toes and paying attention.
I send freebies anywhere in the continental U. S., so don’t think you’re too far away to enter.
If you’d like to see other past winners and their gifts check it out hereon my Freebies! page.
You can see the original First Friday Freebie offer for the one Elise won here.
Trying to subscribe? Here are a couple of tips –
NOTE: Subscribe with an email you intend to keep and check the week after the drawings. This is my only means of notifying winners. If it isn’t up to date, you may not get your gift!
We live in a life filled with gadgets and you’ll find that this blog can have a different appearance depending on whether you are on your computer, tablet or smartphone. You can easily navigate in the menu under “CONTACT”, fill in your email and hit “SUBSCRIBE”. Confirm your subscription when the email arrives. If you’ve don’t receive a confirmation email, please email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com – it seems that from time to time, a subscription will get “stuck”.
Subscribers get an email reminder each time there’s something new – like when there’s a FREEBIE, news on my upcoming novels, a new story or recipe.
Please share what you find here with your friends and family. When you share on MeWe, Facebook, Instagram, X, Pinterest, you’ll give them the opportunity to subscribe and win also. Subscribing is free. Freebies are free.
On August 1st, you’ll see the new Freebie. Enter to win that day. Then, check your email in the days following.
Smartphone reminders help.
Take a moment make yourself familiar with the complete Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.
It’s hot – it’s super hot out. If you live in the Midwest, it’s oppressively sticky. I try to take Lil’ Snookie and Fruity Pebbles to the park in the mornings before it gets unbearable out. Afternoons are filled with books, play and arts ‘n crafts (and keeping Fruity Pebbles from eating everything associated with all those activities).
Leave a comment – what are you doing (besides perhaps enjoying a snooze) on these days when you’re staying in the air conditioning and asking God to bless the person who invented it?
I’d like, first of all, to shout out two big Happy Birthdays! Today is Smuffy’s birthday and he has always been proud to share it with the good ‘ole USA. This year is extra special because it kicks off a full year of celebration of our country’s 250th year as a nation.
It’s so easy to fall into the habit of asking, “What are you doing on ‘the 4th?'” Every month has one of those, after all. I hope you truly celebrate the independence of our nation with the kiddies, the grand-kiddos, the cousins, in-laws and others that you love and I hope that you remember to refer to it as Independence Day.
Yes, Smuffy is my Yankee Doodle sweetheart and my Yankee Doodle joy. (That’s something you’ll only get if you like old musicals.) I think Smuffy must have been nearly twelve years old by the time he realized the whole nation wasn’t having one big wing-ding all on his account.
When I married Smuffy, I had to get used to the fact that we would be up close and personal with fireworks. As I’ve said before, his guardian angels (and there must be a squadron) have to take care of things while I look the other way and hum the national anthem. I thought this fascination with things that go boom might temper through the years, but it seems that his son-in-law and now grandson are just as apt to blow things up as Smuffy is.
Each year, I give thanks that we come through it with all our fingers and toes and have survived celebrating the fact that we live in the finest nation on earth. Let’s celebrate with July’s First Friday Freebie!
Several times, I’ve offered this Freebie for the month of July and I found myself pondering lately if I wasn’t overdoing it. Then, it hit me – of all years, this is the most appropriate gift –
The U. S. Constitution
Nobody’s perfect. Nothing this side of Heaven is perfect. But the U.S. Constitution is as near to a perfect document as has ever been crafted by humans (and, I believe, with Divine Guidance). It is, in fact, who we are. You can’t love America without loving the constitution! It literally tells you who you are as a citizen and how the government is designed to protect you and yet leave you to express your own opinions, pursue your own goals and worship as you please.
Most of us studied it in school, but, let’s face it – we did it to pass the dreaded Constitution Test, not because we were overly fascinated by it.
I’d love to send you these three copies of the U.S. Constitution –
Give this little booklet another read! Look around the world at all those other countries – don’t you wish they had our freedoms? If nothing else makes it onto your summer reading list, make it this little forty page book. There is something special about being an American citizen and I think Ronald Reagan said it so well in a 1988 speech: If I may quote Ronald Reagan from a 1988 speech –
“”America represents something universal in the human spirit. I received a letter not long ago from a man who said, ‘You can go to Japan to live, but you cannot become Japanese. You can go to France to live and not become a Frenchman. You can go to live in Germany or Turkey, and you won’t become a German or a Turk.’ But then he added, ‘Anybody from any corner of the world can come to America to live and become an American.'”
There’s a copy for you, one for the kiddies (whether they be children or adults) and another for the grandkiddos. If we do not teach the generations to value this precious document, we will lose it!
To enter to win all three copies, “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “I love the USA!”
SHARE this post through Facebook, Instagram, X, Pinterest or send the link in an email to all your friends so they can enter to win!
Previous freebies can be found on the “Freebies” page. Take a look at the gifts subscribers have been winning.
Once again, a winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight by leaving a comment which says, “I love the USA!”
For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, click here.:
What are you waiting for? Go! Go! Go! Subscribe if you haven’t already, confirm and comment to enter before midnight tonight, July 4th!
Here’s another winner for you to meet. Yes, the First Friday Freebie strikes again.
Tomorrow is not only Independence Day for those of us in the USA, but it’s First Friday Freebie day as well. Check out the First Friday Freebie rules below. You’ll find out how simple it is to enter to win. This is a special monthly gift for my email subscribers only.
Let’s meet April’s winner –
Carol from Boonville, Missouri.
Congratulations, Carol!
Carol is shown here with the jewelry set she won and I really hope she enjoys wearing it as an expression of her faith. As an email subscriber, Carol commented as directed in the freebie post on the day it arrived in her inbox. I require this tiny bit of effort each month in order to prevent spam and make sure you’re on your toes and paying attention.
I send freebies anywhere in the continental U. S., so don’t think you’re too far away to enter.
If you’d like to see other past winners and their gifts check it out hereon my Freebies! page.
You can see the original First Friday Freebie offer for the one Carol won here.
If you’re reading this and haven’t become an email subscriber yet, please do that today. Hopefully, my freebies, not to mention the stories, recipes and other great content, have enticed you to do that.
NOTE: Subscribe with an email you intend to keep and check the week after the drawings. This is my only means of notifying winners. If it isn’t up to date, you may not get your gift!
We live in a life filled with gadgets and you’ll find that this blog can have a different appearance depending on whether you are on your computer, tablet or smartphone. You can easily navigate in the menu under “CONTACT”, fill in your email and hit “SUBSCRIBE”. Confirm your subscription when the email arrives. If you’ve don’t receive a confirmation email, please email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com – it seems that from time to time, a subscription will get “stuck”.
Subscribers get an email reminder each time there’s something new – like when there’s a FREEBIE on the First Friday of every month or when I post news on upcoming novels, a new story or recipe. You’ll always be able to check out the latest bit of encouragement, healthy recipes, short stories, lots of laughs and updates on the books I write.
Freebies can help me reach more people, but only if you share them with your friends and family. When you share on MeWe, Facebook, Instagram, X, Pinterest, you’ll give them the opportunity to subscribe and win also. Subscribing is free. Freebies are free.
On July 4th, you’ll see the new Freebie. Enter to win that day. A winner is chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight CST. Then, check your email in the days following.
Smartphone reminders help.
Take a moment make yourself familiar with the complete Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.
Summer is in full swing and I hope you are enjoying it to the fullest. Make the best of every day. Be a bit spontaneous. A few days ago, I took Lil’ Snookie and Fruity Pebbles to the park to play with friends and cousins. As we rolled up, a rumble of thunder told us that we were about to get wet. Five seconds later, we got wet. Though the adults headed for the shelter house, we let the little ones run and play in the rain. Oh, how it rained and oh, how they ran and laughed. We took them all home – soggy and happy.
Leave a comment – what’s something spontaneous you’ve done for summer fun that’s made a memory for you?
May always brings warmth, flowers, and a perfect excuse to lay the indoor chores aside and head outside and make the world a more beautiful place by adding that one extra pot of blooms or trimming up a scraggly bush. This month’s Freebie will give one of you an excuse to relax on the porch for a while. I’m giving you a free book!
Here it is –
If you saw my last post, you know that the first book in my “Morgan’s Landing” novel series is coming out soon – hopefully next month. I’m excited about that, but there is much to be done in preparation for the upcoming books in the series.
When asked what comes next for me after the “Morgan’s Landing” series, my answer comes without a second thought. I plan to write, in novel style, the true story of my Aunt Martha’s life. I interviewed her extensively before she passed away and what a story! She and her husband were married for over 80 years (that is not a typo) and had a rare and special love story that needs to be told.
I told a small portion of it in a short story entitled, “The Brown Wedding Dress” which was published a few years ago in “Well-Versed”, the annual anthology of the Columbia Chapter of the Missouri Writers Guild. This month, I am giving away a free copy of this book in order to give you a little taste of what you can look forward to after you finish the “Morgan’s Landing” series. If you don’t happen to be this month’s winner of the First Friday Freebie, you can also obtain this book on Amazon.
The 229 page book is a collection of poetry and prose written by various authors. My story begins on page 139. Various genres are included in the book, so I can’t promise you that each and every one will be your cup of tea, but I think you’ll enjoy “The Brown Wedding Dress”.
To enter to win the “Well Versed” anthology, all you need to do is “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “I do love a good book!” You’ll need to leave your comment before midnight TONIGHT, May 2nd, 2025.
NOTE: An occasional problem occurs with subscribers not receiving confirmation emails. Should this happen, email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com so that I can report it and have the issue resolved.
You need to be an email subscriber to Midwest Storyteller before entering to win. If you haven’t already subscribed, head to the right sidebar or use the menu to navigate to the “Contact” page where you can fill in your email address and then watch for your confirmation email. You’re not officially subscribed until you confirm by email.
Smuffy and I have our own brand of romance on my “Life with Smuffy” page and you might enjoy my “Laugh!” page.
Remember to be sure to share the content you enjoy here on your social media such as Facebook, Instagram and “X”. If you save things on Pinterest like I do, hover over the photo and “pin it”. Help me get the word out!
On the “Freebies”page, you can see what readers have been winning every month.
A winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight, May 2nd, by leaving a comment which says, “I do love a good book!”
For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, click here.
“The Brown Wedding Dress” is definitely a romance, but a bit more sober than most of the stories you find here. I’m curious to know what genres you enjoy reading. Please leave a comment and let me know.
Though I know you can’t possibly have been waiting as impatiently as I have, I thought perhaps you’d like a quick update on my “Morgan’s Landing” novel series. (I’m thinking that by now some of you have come to think I’m fibbing about the whole thing.)
The first book in the series will be entitled, “Hear My Whisper”. I am painstakingly reviewing the final proof as we speak and have another set of eyes on it as well. After you’ve spent this much time writing and editing a manuscript, you learn not to trust yourself.
I am awaiting the arrival of what I hope is the final cover design. This has been a struggle, as the artists doing the work haven’t actually read the book and you can just imagine what it might be like to give them ideas as to the feel of the thing when they don’t know the characters or the setting from a hole in the ground.
Once the proof of the internal manuscript and the cover design get the thumbs-up, “Hear My Whisper” (Book 1 of the Morgan’s Landing series) will go to print!
The release date is projected for June (or perhaps July). I am praying fervently that it will be in your hands in June. It’s a fun read and I think you’re going to enjoy it.
It’s been a long road and while the journey isn’t over, I’m starting to see the finish line. I remind myself, however, that there are at least two more books in this series that must undergo all these processes, so I just hum that little tune about the mulberry bush and press on.
The screenplay for “Morgan’s Landing” is a whole different matter than the actual books. It’s in the hands of several well-known studios and updates are encouraging.
If you’re surprised at all this, you might need to play catch-up and check out the earlier updates here and here. You’ll see that the cogs of the publishing world turn slowly and realize that if you’re going to write your book and get it published, you’d better start now!
If you have any questions, I’m happy to answer, so leave a comment!
April is always so welcome. It brings freshness and color back into our lives and gives us hope and a promise of pleasant days ahead. Here we are at the first Friday, and that means there’s a Freebie for all my subscribers.
Here it is –
We’ll be celebrating the Resurrection a bit later this year than we sometimes do – on April 20th. I thought this gift would be just right for those who wanted to express their faith (and that I’d be able to get it to the winner in plenty of time). This lovely Cross jewelry set allows you to wear it in various ways. It includes stud earrings and two necklaces. The shorter one features rhinestone cross alone and the longer one also has an attached chain which, like the chain holding the cross, has a rhinestone in each and every link. The lengths of the three chains vary from 16” to 18” and can be extended an additional 3 inches. The Crosses themselves are about 1” in length. I had a great deal of difficulty getting a photograph that shows it to best advantage because the whole thing is so sparkly that light bounced in every direction even with the flash turned off!
To enter to win the Cross jewelry set, all you need to do is “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “He is risen!” You’ll need to leave your comment before midnight TONIGHT, April 4th, 2025.
NOTE: An occasional problem occurs with subscribers not receiving confirmation emails. Should this happen, email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com so that I can report it and have the issue resolved.
If you are new to Midwest Storyteller and haven’t subscribed, you’ll need to do that before entering to win. Head to the right sidebar or use the menu to navigate to the “Contact” page where you can fill in your email address and then watch for your confirmation email. You’re not officially subscribed until you confirm by email.
Smuffy and I have our own brand of romance on my “Life with Smuffy” page and you might love my “Laugh!” page. If cute felines make your heart go pitty-patter, head to my “Phoebe June” page and you’ll find a dose of catitude. .
Remember to be sure to share the content you enjoy here on your social media such as Facebook, Instagram and “X”. If you save things on Pinterest like I do, hover over the photo and “pin it”. Help me get the word out!
On the “Freebies”page, you can see what readers have been winning every month.
A winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight, April 4th, by leaving a comment which says, “He is risen!”
For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, click here.
Enjoy the spring days ahead and have a wonderful celebration of the world’s greatest event with your family and friends!
