Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Dear Readers,

If you would like to help get the word out about 'Beyond the Valley', here's a few things you can do that I would really appreciate. Let me know if you can do any of these things in the list.
  • Share the book cover with a link to my website on Facebook, Twitter, or your blog.
  • Post a ready-to-go interview with me on your blog. I'll send it to you via email along with jpgs of the cover.
  • Tweet of post on your Facebook page the release along with a link to Amazon
  • If you have a popular blog or website, and you would like to review the book, send me an email and I'll forward it to my publisher.
  • Suggest to your local library that the acquire the series.
  • Visit your local bookstore and purchase a copy.
  • Buy either the ebook or paperback from an online bookstore.
  • Share your book with a friend, especially someone who cannot afford to purchase books in this stressed economy.


Don't forget the Online Tea Party will be on Friday from 1 to 8
Please stop in for a chat.

JUST RELEASED! Feburary 1

I cannot believe how quickly the time has gone by since I signed the contract with Abingdon Press for this series in 2010. So many of my readers have been in touch with me about this next book, expressing their anticipation to find out what happens next and how I conclude the series. 

 Beyond the Valley is my favorite out of the three. Sarah seemed to resonate with me on so many levels. She is a wife and expectant mother, a loyal friend, a grieving widow. Her faith is shown in a way relevant to the times she lived in, not just a Sunday Christian, but a virtuous woman whose daily walk with God required ultimate trust, though her trials cause her to question. 

I hope for those who have read books 1 and 2 in the series will read Beyond the Valley to discover how Sarah came to River Run and the many trials she faced and the love she finds in a compassionate physician, Alex Hutton.
 

Here is a little bit about the story—

When Sarah’s husband Jamie drowns, her young life if shattered and takes a turn that she never expected. Pregnant and now widowed, she reaches out to Jamie’s family for help but they are unwilling. Instead they devise a plan to have her kidnapped and taken to the Colonies to live a life of servitude for seven years.
She is deceived and taken aboard a ship headed for the Colonies to be sold, bound to unspeakable hardship and forced into the same world she left.  

Caught in the talons of servitude, she falls in love with a young conscientious doctor, Alex Hutton, who has arrived in Virginia to care for his widowed sister in law and two young nieces. Called back to serve in Washington’s army, he promises he will return for her, gain her freedom and wed her. Other plans were made for Sarah when her owner finds himself bankrupt and sells her the first chance he gets. She’s taken out into the frontier, captured by Indians, and faces unbearable hardship.

When the mistress of River Run along the Potomac encounters Sarah’s plight after she has escaped, Eliza Morgan pities her, and a way is made for Sarah to remain with her and care for Eliza’s young daughter, Darcy. Revolution has ignited in America, and together they endure many hardships which bring them together in friendship. But when Sarah learns that Zachary Halston, a local landowner, has seduced Eliza, she is troubled about what to do. 

Grateful for Eliza’s kindness, Sarah is forever bound to keep silent. She promises Eliza to never reveal the secret that Ilene is Eliza’s child, even at the risk of living a life in shame if her master should ever discover the truth upon his return.

Trapped in Eliza and Hayward’s troubled lives, Sarah flees River Run. Will she make her way back to Alex and freedom as he searches the wilderness for her? Or will her hopes be crushed at the hands of the man who deceived her long ago in Cornwall when she faced destitution?




‘Praise for 'Beyond the Valley'
Beyond the Valley is a delightful escape of adventure and romance and a sweeping saga of tragedy and hope that you won’t want to miss!  (5 Stars)                                                                                           MaryLu Tyndall, author of the Surrender to Destiny Series  

Creating characters with intense realism and compassion is one of Gerlach's gifts. Her books typically involve dramatic situations, giving her characters a chance to rise above their adversity. Beyond the Valley is a shining example of that, reminding us that we are never forsaken. This is the third in the Daughters of the Potomac series. Sarah's character was introduced in the first novel, Before the Scarlet Dawn, and now she has her own heart-wrenching story that takes us from England to Virginia and Maryland. The historic setting is vividly descriptive, bringing the story to life, almost becoming a character unto itself. 
You may shed some tears, but you'll come away with deep contentment and satisfaction of a story well told.                                                                                                                                                (Review in RT (Romantic Times) Book Reviews Magazine - 4 stars)

* * *



 Actors Rita would choose if BEYOND THE VALLEY was made into a movie…or her dream of a Masterpiece Theater Series.    

Settings for 'Beyond the Valley' 

 Bassets Cove in Cornwall, England


Westmorland County, Virginia at the mouth of the Potomac River

 Great Falls, Potomac River

Potomac River


 BEYOND THE VALLEY is available in both ebook and paperback in bookstores everywhere.
For purchase online.

 Amazon: In Paperback -  http://tinyurl.com/8dta3o2
   In Kindle ebook - http://tinyurl.com/bjou7db

 Barnes & Noble: In Paperback -  http://tinyurl.com/ae6dbvu
   In ebook -

 Christianbook.com:  In Paperback -  http://tinyurl.com/b9vj4av
  In ebook -   http://tinyurl.com/agy6bv8

Buy the entire series in paperback at a discount: http://tinyurl.com/aclvcl8


FOR FACEBOOK AND TWITTER
After a long anticipated wait, Beyond the Valley, by Rita Gerlach, book 2 in The Daughters of the Potomac Series, is now available. Beyond the Valley is a tale one woman's trials, her losses and sacrifices, and her faith to find true love and freedom. 

http://ritagerlach.blogspot.com/

FOR BLOGGERS

If you would like to help me promote this book, please feel free to copy and paste this post with the book covers to your blog.

STOP IN ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1 FOR AN ONLINE TEA LAUNCH PARTY AND A CHANCE TO WIN AN AUTOGRAPH COPY!
 

Saturday, January 26, 2013

DAYS BEFORE A BOOK LAUNCH ~ HOPES ~ post a comment to win a signed copy of Beyond the Valley



Today is the 26th of January, five more days until the official launch of Beyond the Valley. I'm calm. I'm collected. But I feel thankful and hopeful this morning. Years ago when I first began writing, I met with little support, except from my husband who gave me lots of encouragement. He said, 'You have the right to pursue your dream'. And pursue it I did with a love of storytelling that welled up inside me to the point my heart ached at times.

Today, I am sitting at my desk looking outside at the snowy scene. I can't believe how quick the years have gone by. In five days my seventh novel will be available to readers. Two days ago copies arrived by FedX. The cover is gorgeous, the interior laid out beautifully.  The ebook edition is up on the online bookstores, and everything is ready to go. 

My good friend and writing colleague, MaryLu Tyndall, a talented author in her own right, sent me her copy of RT Book Reviews so I could read the review they printed. I had no idea they were reviewing Beyond the Valley until she told me. It is printed in the February issue.
 
Review in RT Book Reviews Magazine - 4 stars
(Creating characters with intense realism and compassion is one of Gerlach's gifts. Her books typically involve dramatic situations, giving her characters a chance to rise above their adversity. Beyond the Valley is a shining example of that, reminding us that we are never forsaken. This is the third in the Daughters of the Potomac series. Sarah's character was introduced in the first novel, Before the Scarlet Dawn, and now she has her own heart-wrenching story that takes us from England to Virginia and Maryland. The historic setting is vividly descriptive, bringing the story to life, almost becoming a character unto itself. You may shed some tears, but you'll come away with deep contentment and satisfaction of a story well told.)
MaryLu's endorsement for Beyond the Valley.
Beyond the Valley is a delightful escape of adventure and romance and a sweeping saga of tragedy and hope that you won’t want to miss! (5 Stars)

My hopes are high. I hope...
  • readers will enjoy the story.
  • That they find a respite from their troubles for a while.
  • That they realize through the story that love finds a way even when things look impossible or insurmountable.
  • That through tough times, we are never alone.
  • That there is hope for the future and forgiveness for the past.
  • That evil never prevails.
  • That historically people suffered through hardships we cannot imagine today, and many succumbed, others overcame.
  • That the greatest of these is love.

If you purchase a Kindle copy of Beyond the Valley, I'd love to send you a signed personalized note you can add to your Kindle that includes the book cover. Just head over to my author's page on Authorgraph and click on the request button. 
  http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/RitaGerlach1

Visit my website and view 'Photos of Scene' to see the photographs I took of the setting.
http://ritagerlach.blogspot.com   
   
Post a comment to be added in a drawing to win in a signed copy of Beyond the Valley.  (USA only)

Friday, January 25, 2013

Days Before a Book Launch ~ What's it like for a writer?

Exciting. Nerve racking. Busy. 

Whenever I have a novel ready to come out, a few readers have asked me what it is like the days before the launch. Oh, there are the butterflies in the tummy, the nerves, the emotional rollercoaster, the hopes that readers will love the book. They've asked me if the book just appears on the online bookstores, on bookstore shelves, and word spreads of it's availability. Well, it's not quite that way.

A book is in production for months. There is the editing phases. Book cover design. Media and social contacts. Endorsements are sought from other authors. Influencers and book reviewers are sent copies.  These tasks are mostly on the shoulders of the publisher. But a writer has a lot to do in creating a buzz for her book. In today's world, online promotion is the greatest method of getting the word out. Here's a list.



Facebook
Twitter
Author's Website
Author's Blog
Pinterest
Yahoo Groups
Bloggers
Readers List
Newsletter     . . . and more

So, there is more to a writer's life than just writing a book. All this marketing takes time and effort, and the willingness to pull away from writing to work on promotion. It would be nice if all a writer had to do was write. But if you want to get the word out about your novel, it is essential you work at marketing. I'm sure you have noticed that's just what I am doing now with this blog post. Please love me for it.



Excitement for me is building in these final days before the launch of 'Beyond the Valley' book 3 in the Daughters of the Potomac series. I loved writing Sarah's story, and I am hoping and praying my readers will love it too. 
You can read a portion here: http://books.google.com/books?id=TAM6ks0z2jIC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Share some of the things you do to market your books that are not listed above.

How can you as a reader help an author promote their newest release?

Friday, January 18, 2013

WAS LIFE SIMPLER BACK THEN?

The novel I am currently writing is set in Chevy Chase, Maryland and a little village in the western part of the state beginning in 1908. The working title is 'Between the Shadows' taken from two lines in the book. 

 A view from Louisa's bedroom window.
The way the tree outside quivered in the breeze caused the light to tremble between the shadows.

 Louisa speaking to Jackson, the hero, about how the light plays prisms through the crystal chandelier in the foyer.
“Yes, I believe that is what it is called. I love the way it casts colors between the shadows.”

In order to saturate myself into the era, I've been reading and watching everything I can find to fit the storyline in order to build a mental image of life in the early 1900s.

The period is referred to as the Edwardian in England and the Gilded Age in America. For the wealthy, life was opulent on both sides of the Atlantic, but with different attitudes and standards. Many an English estate was cash poor. Whereas in the US estates were both land and investment rich, and women could inherit, as viewers have seen in the series Downton Abby.

I cannot say life was simpler in those days. The life expectancy was shorter, disease more rampant and life-threaten such as the influenza breakouts. My great great grandmother succumbed to one of those. Child mortality and women dying in childbirth was also higher. Women and minorities were treated as second class citizens. Children worked in dirty factories, and orphans were castoffs.

But on a positive note, the clothes were beautiful and feminine. Men valued a handshake and their word. People went to church on Sundays, and ministers preached the Bible, not self-help sermons. Morals were valued. Women gained the vote. The first Mother's Day was celebrated in 1908, and baseball became America's pastime.

As I am writing 'Between the Shadows', I find myself transported back to a place I visited often in my childhood. I had a great aunt and second cousin that lived in a grand house in Chevy Chase, and my father would take us over to visit when we were kids. From the foyer was a staircase leading upstairs. It was closed off and we were not allowed to go explore the upper story. I wanted to so badly. Instead I imagined bedrooms with antique furniture, poster beds, Persian carpets, and marble fireplaces. I can recall the ride down Connecticut Avenue, the estate houses lining the road, the country club on the right.

'Between the Shadows' will be romantic fiction, a story of love between two different classes of people, and their challenges to accept and hold on to that love. 

How do you imagine the Gilded Age? Would your life have been better or worse off, shorter, poorer or richer? Was life simpler back then?