Blog Archives
Ethan and Abby Compelled Me
Ethan’s Abby follows a young woman who loses her family to a massacre, is rescued by an outlaw on the run, and together they find love and try to build a life. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
Ethan and Abby compelled me to write their story.
Abby narrowly escapes slavery and must grow up fast while on the run with Ethan. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
She strove to gain the strength to be independent and capable of taking care of herself in order to find someplace she could belong. Despite discouraging odds, she also hoped to provide a healing home for her baby sister.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The complexity of right vs. wrong, the need of men and women for each other, the obligations an individual owes family, the demands of sustaining the self-respect of an autonomous identity.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I do not know.
Author Links: Facebook | Website
In Orphans Wharf, motivated by jealousy, Rene tries to destroy her sister’s marriage. As Abby struggles to sustain a household with a husband home only often enough to keep her pregnant, Rene flaunts her bordello expertise to inspire Ethan’s defense, thereby jeopardizing his freedom. Liliana, Ethan’s lesbian sister, and Abby are targets for his enemies but hold their own against nefarious lawmen and malevolent witchcraft that threatens Abby’s unborn son. Through a profound deception, Marshal Ledbetter intervenes to become the family’s ally.
In the trilogy’s conclusion, By the Hands of Men, Ethan has been declared legally dead, jeopardizing his income from the family trust. To prove his survival means appearing in court and risking his freedom. Caught in the dilemma, he tries to maintain the well-being of his family while avoiding the encircling noose of the law. When his grandfather arrives to confirm his identity, Ethan is forced to face the truth about the crime he committed at the age of fifteen. Driven to distraction by the growing tension, Abby fights her son’s demonic possession, creating a breach between herself and Ethan when he needs her most. Their reunion is born when Ethan learns to stop hating what he has already killed.
Literary Titan Gold Book Award January 2023
The Literary Titan Book Awards are awarded to books that have astounded and amazed us with unique writing styles, vivid worlds, complex characters, and original ideas. These books deserve extraordinary praise and we are proud to acknowledge the hard work, dedication, and writing talent of these brilliant authors.
Award Recipients
A Body Hair Experiment by Eli Cohen
Sonnets of Love and Joy
Literary Titan Silver Book Award January 2023
The Literary Titan Book Awards are awarded to books that have astounded and amazed us with unique writing styles, vivid worlds, complex characters, and original ideas. These books deserve extraordinary praise and we are proud to acknowledge the hard work, dedication, and writing talent of these brilliant authors.
Award Recipients
Murder at Amapas Beach (An Amanda Pennyworth Mystery) by James Gilbert
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
Ethan’s Abby: A Trilogy
Ambushed by bandits on the road west, Abigail Tate saw her entire world change in an instant. With her entire family murdered and herself kept alive only for others’ pleasure, it was nothing short of a miracle that saw her freed from her captivity by the infamous outlaw Ethan Wood. Despite her ignorance of his notoriety and his apparent lack of necessity for her, the two end up on the road together, embarking on a wild goose chase for Abby’s little sister, who she believes somehow survived the massacre. As the days pass and their bond becomes deeper, Ethan and Abby find themselves in a relationship that defies all odds. Facing an array of obstacles as their lives evolve, they learn to adapt to whatever comes their way, most frequently the constant threat of the law in light of Ethan’s lawless past.
Ethan’s Abby is a trio of books by Elizabeth Fackler, setting the scene for a sweeping western romance epic that provides no shortage of danger, intrigue, and, of course, star-crossed lovers of all kinds. The first third, “Off Across the Plains,” not only has all the hallmarks of a traditional romance but also adds an interesting mystery angle with the other story of Abby’s missing sister. “Orphan’s Wharf” is the second installment and really establishes both Ethan and Abby’s life together, as well as Abby’s reluctant independence. By the third portion, “By the Hands of Men,” Fackler seems to have wavered in her focus, introducing more characters and storylines than necessary but still focusing on the lives of those already established.
“Ethan’s Abby” travels all over the old west of the late 1800s and provides a glimpse of the history of the time. Discussions of states versus territories, law enforcement jurisdictions, and even what was considered within the laws at the time are all crucial parts of the plot development and create a steady foundation of realism for the events of the book. Abby’s development as she grows and learns about the world around her stands out as a highlight, while Ethan remains a mostly one-dimensional, albeit integral, figure. Other characters in the book fill the space well and provide an incredibly well-rounded cast of personalities, covering the good, the bad, and the ugly. Several unique decisions are made to the narrative, including adding an odd supernatural element that gives this story a different flair from your typical western romances.
Ethan’s Abby: a Trilogy is more than just a western romance; it has adventure and mystery as the characters race across the plains in an effort to stay alive. The character development, peril, and always wondering if or how Ethan and Abby were going to get out of their mess this time will keep readers engaged and invested throughout the entire collection.
Pages: 646 | ASIN : B0BLJC1VCG
He Then Spun A Tale Of Hidden Gold
White Sands Gold revolves around treasure, an ancient relic, and a mysterious group of guardians. What was the inspiration for the original and fascinating idea at the center of the book?
Inspiration came from a conversation with a friend of mine, who said, “I’ve got the idea for your next book.” He then spun a tale of hidden gold—thousands and thousands of bars underneath a mountain north of Las Cruces, New Mexico. He’d been exploring the area for years.
Me: “How’d this gold supposedly get there?”
Him: “No one knows for sure, but there are several different theories.”
Me: “When was this supposed to have happened?”
Him: “No one knows that, either, but legend says the gold’s been there a long time.”
Me: “How come no one’s found it?”
Him: “Folklore says someone did, and that fella brought some of the bars up in the 1930s. But he met an…untimely…death. No one’s seen anything since.”
Me: “Who shot him and why?”
Him: “Good question.”
So I went home and did an online search. When page after page about the fabled treasure popped up, I added a few twists, like a mysterious religious relic that’s also been there for centuries, conjured up a shadowy group of guardians, crafted some of my favorite characters, and had my next western mystery, White Sands Gold, set in New Mexico Territory, 1890. The novel has won three awards to date.
Why choose this place and time for the setting of the story?
The legend of gold bars revolves around Victorio Peak, north of Las Cruces. And I always set my western mysteries in late 19th Century America, a time in our history that fascinates me.
What kind of research did you do for this novel to ensure you captured the essence of the story’s theme?
That was some of the most fun. There are so many references to this legend online, and I enjoyed picking my way through them. I also visited the area to get an idea of what the land looked like. The land would not support ranching today, but 150 years ago it was fertile enough that it supported herds of cattle.
Looks like the legend may never be solved, either, as the Army has expanded White Sands Missile Range to include Victorio, so today’s would-be treasure hunters will have to try to dodge the Government.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
My editor at The Wild Rose Press has my next story now. Fireflies at Dusk, my first non-western, is a coming-of-age tale about a young man’s struggles, set just prior to and during the Civil War. A budding romance and a pacifist thread add compelling twists.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
In a hidden cavern, a treasure trove of gold sits alongside an ancient relic.
To find her treasure-hunting brother, Lottie Durham enlists the help of an easygoing lawman. When a mysterious woman known only as Ma asks her to join the relic’s guardians, Lottie’s world spins. Should she take on this solemn obligation?
Twill, leader of the mysterious guardians, has sworn a vow to protect the centuries-old religious relic. Regrets bedevil him and his dedication to his oath is repeatedly tested. If he breaks his promise, he’ll fail Ma, the one person he’s never wanted to let down.
Will a looming raid by a band of determined killers be the end of the guardians, the gold, and the relic?
Literary Titan Gold Book Award December 2022
The Literary Titan Book Awards are awarded to books that have astounded and amazed us with unique writing styles, vivid worlds, complex characters, and original ideas. These books deserve extraordinary praise and we are proud to acknowledge the hard work, dedication, and writing talent of these brilliant authors.
Gold Award Recipients
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
Literary Titan Silver Book Award December 2022
The Literary Titan Book Awards are awarded to books that have astounded and amazed us with unique writing styles, vivid worlds, complex characters, and original ideas. These books deserve extraordinary praise and we are proud to acknowledge the hard work, dedication, and writing talent of these brilliant authors.
Silver Award Recipients
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
The Few Cowgirls Around
A Cowgirl’s Stories is a companion book to the trilogy featuring Jaime Cruz, but here we get to focus on Sallie’s character. Why did you feel like Sallie needed a book of her own to tell her story?
Sallie was introduced very slowly in the trilogy and while as the story progressed, we learned how influential she was to her family, we never had the chance to really hear her story and the stories of her parents. My editor friends all agreed that when the spirit moved Sallie to tell her story, this author needed to take her promptings seriously. I first told them I didn’t think Sallie was in any rush. Then one morning at breakfast, my spouse asked what I was thinking about. (I guess I looked like I was off in some distant place—which I was.) I replied, “I’m not sure you want to know. Sallie is writing the first chapter of her story.” As with all my novels, once I start to write I write everyday as though some tap has been turned on and won’t turn off until the story is told.
What sources of inspiration did you pull from to create Sallie’s character?
Visualizing Sallie was easy. Living in West Texas as I did for many years, there were the few cowgirls around that made my descriptions of her authentic—if a bit of an amalgamation.
As to her essence, I’ve known some strong women in my life including my own mother. I’ll tip my hat to them for all they have taught me by their example. None ever smoked Swisher Sweets or had Sallie’s course tongue. Still, it wasn’t hard for me to imagine that growing up as the eldest daughter on a remote ranch would imbue Sallie with the love of nature, humor, grit and tough old cowgirl demeanor that defines her character.
What scene in the book was the most emotional for you to write?
I have to mention a couple scenes: the day’s events when Bill shares with his in-laws and Sallie, Billy’s leaving home; and when Billy mourns in solitude on the Sierra Diablo, the passing of his beloved grandparents. They share in common the hardship of grief and mourning in the midst of estrangement—making any sadness all the harder to bear.
Did you feel like you were able to complete Sallie’s story with this novel?
Yes. While she would, no doubt, continue her influential role in the family, she clearly states in the final pages, it is for others to pass along her gifts of love, understanding and wisdom to those who follow along with their own stories. Any future telling would fall to Noah or Billy, though I’m not sure the author will get the job done. It would only make sense to me if such an addition followed several years from now when Billy or Noah can really weave a new generational tale.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
When her great-nephew, Noah, says to her, “Grandpa writes the poems; you need to write the stories,” Sallie reflects upon the lives of those before her, those in her life now and the extraordinary healing that comes to all when hearts are open.
Sallie’s own life has been molded by her father’s reverence for “nature’s symbiosis” and her mother’s contemplative spirit. She blends her characteristic wit and gravitas with her unending love for the people, land and creatures that surround her. She takes us along on the journey as only she can.
LITERARY TITAN 