elainemcooper
Lisa Lickel
I’m delighted to welcome Author Carmen Peone, who shares about her new books about Americana, the west in the great time of sorrows and change. I’m sure you’ll find these stories great for Holiday Gift Giving.
About the Books:
Change of Heart – Book One:
After fighting with her sister, thirteen-year-old Spupaleena bolted from their Arrow Lakes pit home into the dead of winter. Spupaleena didn’t know where she was going but knew she could no longer live at home. Haunted by the deaths of her mother and baby brother, Spupaleena ran until she’d run too far.
Upon discovering Spupaleena’s body, Phillip Gardner, a trapper, brings her home to his cabin. This wife, Elizabeth, does her best to help heal Spupaleena, although with a broken heart and a mangled body, she is not likely to survive. But when Phillip doesn’t return from a trip into town, a pregnant Elizabeth and a weak Spupaleena are forced to find strength not only in each other but in God as well. In this story of hardship, grief, and eventual hope, Spupaleena learns all she needed was a Change of Heart.
ISBN: 978-1-61739-335-8
$11.99
Heart of Courage – Book Two:
Spupaleena was not about to back down. Knowing she encompassed the skills to race against 
young men, Spupaleena would begin her intense training. However, Rainbow, her trusted middle-aged mare, would only carry her so far. She would need to find a new horse, but where? She was tired of her fellow racer’s cruel insults, one boy’s in particular. She was determined to not only race him, but to win. She drew her strength from God and exhibited a Heart of Courage. But at times, wondered if that was enough. Spupaleena’s father was against her. Would she have the spirit to compete and win? If so, would her father ever learn to accept her dreams of training and racing horses?
ISBN: 978-1-61777-910-7
$13.99
Books can be ordered off my web site at: carmenpeone.tateauthor.com
Amazon.com, barnsandnoble.com, and through any local book store.
Carmen says:
I love the historical accuracy of my books and the Sinyekst language that has been included. The setting is where I live now: up and down the Columbia River north of Coulee Dam to Kettle Falls, WA. The characters are of my husband and son’s people called the Sinyekst or Arrow Lakes band of the Colville Confederated Tribes who originated in British Columbia and became a part of the Colville Confederated Tribes when the reservation was put into place in 1872. My books all have a lesson in them and point to hope in God.
I have learned that in a series, characterization still has to be thorough in each book. If a reader picks up the second book in the series, they will need to know everything that has already been stated about the characters in the beginning, each book has to stand on its own.
My best marketing strategy has been to show up in person at different events. Start with niche and include fairs and festivals. We authors need to be seen and heard. Word of mouth: social networks, web sites, blogging (this I still need to do) Writer’s conferences, these are all necessary and valuable to a writer.
A third of this series will be released in the Spring of 2013.
About the Author:
Carmen Peone has lived in Northeast Washington, on the Colville Indian Reservation for twenty-three years. She had worked with a Tribal Elder, Marguerite Ensminger, for three years learning the Arrow Lakes Language and various cultural traditions. She has owned and trained her horses for thirteen years and competed in local Extreme Challenge Competitions for three years. She lives with her husband Joe. They have four grown sons and five grandchildren. With a degree in psychology, the thought of writing never entered her mind, until she married her husband and they moved to the reservation after college. She came to love the people and their heritage and wanted to create a legacy for her sons.
