Marsha Ward is our featured author today. If you missed yesterday’s installment of our interview, click here.
Journalist, poet, and novelist all wrapped up in one, Marsha has written two novels and has another on the way. Will you tell us about those books?
In “The Man from Shenandoah,” Carl Owen returns from the Civil War to find the family farm destroyed, his favorite brother dead, food scarce, and his father determined to leave the Shenandoah Valley to build a cattle empire in Colorado Territory. Crossing the continent, Carl falls in love with his brother’s fiancée while set to wed another girl, but he might lose everything if a murderous outlaw has his way. Carl battles the outlaws, a prairie fire, blizzards, a trackless waterless desert, and his own brother–all for the hand of feisty Ellen Bates.
In “Ride to Raton,” I tell the story of the brother, James Owen, who leaves home to make a new life for himself. The turbulent world of post-Civil War Colorado Territory is fraught with danger and prejudice that increase his bitter loneliness as personal setbacks threaten to break him. Then James’s journey brings him into contact with another wayfayer, beautiful young Amparo Garces, who has come from Santa Fe to Colorado to marry a stranger. Through a twist of fate, their futures are changed forever when their lives are merged in a marriage of convenience. James and Amparo undertake a hazardous horseback trek over Raton Pass to Santa Fe, battling their personal demons, a challenging language barrier, and winter’s raging storms. Will their journey end in life or death?
And now for your new novel, soon to be released. Will you give us some hints about it?
“Trail of Storms” takes James Owen on another journey, this time from Colorado to Arizona Territory, as he accompanies a family who is traveling there from Virginia. His encounters with new people and new locations bring him not only physical dangers, but heartache, puzzlement, and despair. By the end of his stormy trail he finds faith, hope, and a restoration of joy to his life.
That sounds great! What sparked your interest in Westerns?
My dad grew up in Old Mexico. His stories of that life contributed to my love of Western history. Somehow that has translated to fiction, since I’ve been a storyteller since I was very small.
I’ve always been a reader, and I’ve read in many genres, including science fiction, mystery and fantasy. Somewhere along the line I got ahold of some Western books by Zane Grey, Louis L’Amour, and Elmore Leonard. I loved them!
Do you have any favorite Western authors who are currently publishing?
Yes I do, and many of them are my friends, so it’s hard to choose out just some of them. I’ll give it a go, though.
Although I joined WWA too late to meet Louis L’Amour in the flesh, I’ve always admired his work ethic and the tremendous amount of fiction the man produced. I have an extensive collection of his novels.
Other favorite Western authors are Nelson Nye, Wayne D. and Stephen Overholser, Frank Roderus, Elmer Kelton, Robert J. Randisi, Don Coldsmith, R.C. House, Richard S. Wheeler, Lori Van Pelt, Candy Moulton, Judy Alter, C.K. Crigger, Margaret Bzovy, Pat Nipper Decker, and Sandy Whiting. Whew! I know I’ve left off a ton of others.
What else do you enjoy reading?
I’ve been reading mysteries lately. Some of my favorite mystery authors are Sue Grafton, Lilian Jackson Braun, Robert B. Parker, John D. MacDonald, Mary Daheim, Diane Mott Davidson, Joanne Fluke, and of course, Agatha Christie.
What are your novel writing plans for the future?
I have more stories to tell about the Owen family and their neighbors, but my next novel after “Trail of Storms” will be a lighter Western with mystery undertones. It’s set in the area where I live now, although I started it before I ever thought of moving here.
In addition to everything else you do, you are the founder of ANWA. Would you tell us a little about the organization?
ANWA is American Night Writers Association. It’s a network for LDS women interested in writing that I founded 20 years ago. Our mission is to motivate our members to write for whatever purpose they want, and if they desire to get published, we offer them our encouragement. Starting out in Arizona with just six members, we expanded our chapters into Utah, Texas, Alabama, Nevada and Washington State. We also have members in many more parts of the US who are not affiliated with a chapter. When members find other LDS women in their locality who write or yearn to begin, we set up chapters there. We have several Yahoo groups that include one for critiquing and one for socializing, a monthly newsletter, a yearly writers conference, a retreat each summer, and a website.
Although much of my energy for the past 20 years has gone to nurturing other writers, possibly to the detriment of my own career, I don’t regret helping them. I’ve felt like this was a commission from God, so I couldn’t turn down doing it.
Thank you so much for sharing your time and talents with us, Marsha. It’s been wonderful to talk with you.
You can learn more about Marsha by visiting her website.