Dale Marie Taylor’s recently released novel, Carrie’s Song, features a young woman who is struggling to find her way in late 1890s Nashville, Tenn. Carrie is a student at Fisk University and is a piano forte major. She is involved in the women’s suffragette movement and the effort to stop the lynching of blacks during the post reconstruction era. Carrie interacts with iconic black political figures of her times such as educator and civil rights advocate W.E.B. Dubois and speaker and journalist Ida B. Wells Barnett. During the last days of her schooling, she teaches recently freed slaves and their children to read and write.
When she meets Edward Smith, also an accomplished musician, she becomes quite enamored with him. Theirs is the story of surviving a volatile period in the history of the United States. It is a time of danger but also of impressive achievements on the part of African Americans and other groups of people.
The story challenges the notion that all African Americans were impoverished after the end of slavery. In Taylor’s story, we read examples of African American entrepreneurs who make a success of their lives in spite of the harsh realities of Jim Crow assaults against them.
Carrie’s story is one that represents the experiences of many North Americans during a quickly changing social, economic and political period in the history of the United States. The book is available as ebooks at major book retailers (see Draft2Digital) and at Amazon’s Kindle.
Dale Marie Taylor
409-745-6841
dmarietaylor@gmail.com
Press Release
August 2021
San Antonio, Tx
Narrativemagic Press
narrativemagic.com
narrativemagic@gmail.com
Dale Marie Simmons Taylor, released her second book in the Apple Hill Series, Hester’s Journey. The first in the series was released in 2019 and featured Hester’s mother, Easter, who refused to walk on the Trail of Tears. Easter’s book is set in 1838 and features Easter’s family — Wahali, who removes with other Cherokees to “Indian Territory” which for some Cherokees is in today’s Oklahoma. Easter’s sister, Lucinda, departs for the Qualla territory with her love, Walking Bird, where the Eastern band of the Cherokees settled in the Appalachian mountain area. Easter’s brother, Degataga, marries Ruth, a white missionary for another unusual set of confrontations. The story also explores the unique matrilineal nature of some Cherokee families.
In this second in the series, Hester’s Journey, Easter’s daughter, Hester, departs for Pennsylvania in 1863, where her uncle, Wahali, is practicing medicine. She wants to do the same and joins him in Gettysburg. There, one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War becomes both a training ground and test of Hester’s metal. However, the story is not just about Hester’s trials. It’s also about her love for Austin, an African American man who helps other African Americans who are being challenged by Confederates. Awinta, Easter’s African-Cherokee sister plays an important role in this story as well. Awinta, who dresses as a man to fight against the Confederates, plays a tough and daring role at the Battle of Honey Springs with her love Atsadi. The story challenges traditional notions of identity while sketching a portrait of American life when slavery was at the center of a national struggle.
A third book in the series focuses on Hester’s daughter, Minta, whose strong, plucky constitution helps save lives during Galveston’s 1900s storm. Minta’s story is due out in the 2024.
June 2018
Narrative Magic Press
narrativemagic@gmail.com
Galveston, Tx. -- Heber Taylor's recently released book King Fisher is available in print and as ebooks. King Fisher is the story of an 1800s southwest Texas gunslinger who challenged cattle rustlers on both sides of the Texas border. Fisher's skill with a gun made him a convenient target for zealots and those who would try their hand at fame. Fisher defended his own cattle spread while helping his neighbors. But for his efforts, he was pursued by a Texas Ranger.
Also available by Heber Taylor is, The Old Farm, a fictional representation of life in East Texas during the US depression of the early 1900s. He writes passionately about the lives of people who struggled to survive a time of too few resources but a great deal of determination.
Heber Taylor is a retired news writer. Write to him at P.O. Box 70, Stone Mountain, Ga. 30086.
June 2018
Narrative Magic Press
Check out Ela Bell's newest release, Archi: Mysterious Embrace as Archi, who can see into the future, comes eye to eye and heart to heart with Ranhita, who can suggest things. How does she do that? Archi is on the case of some bad characters when he meets Ranhita. At first, she seems to be in the way. Then, he wants her very much in the way. They pursue a group of bad characters who are stealing women and babies and combine their talents.
More is coming in this series on the Briant siblings. Herman can see into the past. Will can manipulate the weather. Roland speaks to dead people, and their sister Althea is a healer of the first order. Follow this family of talented marvels as they solve mysteries and pursue their true loves.
Ela Bell's Archi is her fifth release. Her other books include Heat, Hot, Desire at Sea and Engaging Passion. In late fall, Bell will release a historical novel featuring First Nations characters. Ela Bell lives of the Texas coast with her husband, also a writer. They enjoy traveling and music. Ela Bell's novels are available at most ebook outlets and various online retailers. Contact her at elabell19@gmail.com.
New romance writer Ela Bell makes her debut this year by releasing three novellas. Ms. Bell, a writer of long standing and former college professor, published the three short works under Narrative Magic, which handles writers working within various genres.
The three books, “Heat: An Erotic Romance,” “Hot: An Erotic Romance,” and “Desire at Sea” can be purchased as ebooks at various ebooks outlets, such as ibooks, Amazon’s Kindle, Barnes and Noble’s Nook and several other ebook retailers.
Bell wrote the three books following an interest in texts such as “Fifty Shades of Gray.” However, she says the books are not similar to E.L. James’s work.
“The women in my books are ‘agentic’ in that they express courageousness, independence, competitiveness and assertiveness,” Bell said. “I began with the first novel thinking that I might be as sexually innovative as James; however, as I wrote it, I realized that I need to write a work that I would read. That meant I needed to make the sex easier to get to for readers.
“One of my favorite writers has been Bertrice Small. I noticed that in her more contemporary modern erotica, the characters encounter some conflicts, but ultimately, we the readers get the sex – not as a tease – but soon,” she said.
“Though I enjoy reading historical romances, when I’m ready for something a little more raw and immediate, I look for contemporary erotica. I noticed that even in those works, the writers sometimes teased the reader before the sex was offered. So I wrote the first two novellas with sex scenes early in the narrative.”
Bell admits that the story lines are rather simplistic for “Heat” and “Hot,” but intentionally wrote the pieces in this manner to offer the reader the juicy parts immediately.
“’Heat’ and ‘Hot’ both have female characters as the lead protagonists,” she said. “The male characters figure in prominently, but not as well as the female characters.
Val and Brice feature as central characters in “Heat,” while Sadie and Spenser take the spotlight in “Hot.”
“Each piece is written in third person so that we can see into the minds of the principal characters,” Bell said. “Also, the female characters in ‘Heat’ and ‘Hot’ know each other. Their close friendship is the catalyst for their sexual explorations.”
The third novel in her three works, “Desire at Sea,” features a woman who is also loosely associated with the previous two women. However, Kara is not from the same class or living the same kind of life as the other two women. Her male counterpart, Alex, plays a subdued but powerful role as a sea captain. This makes an interesting contrast to Kara’s troubled past. In spite of this, Kara evinces her own brand of power in overcoming obstacles to her happiness.
All three books are available online and can be purchased for under $5 at various ebook outlets. Ms. Bell plans to offer the books as paperbacks.
Ms. Bell will give free copies of her books to readers who sign up for her newsletter or offer a review. Write to her at elabell19@gmail.com.
For more information or to order copies of Ela Bell’s books, write to narativemagic@gmail.com or write to Ms. Bell at elabell19@gmail.com.
See images and book information below--
Ela Bell Book Summaries:
Heat: An Erotic Romance
Heat: An Erotic Romance—Val and Brice meet at a wild party and heat things up later at his hotel. A host of sexy couples are busy at the party, but Brice only has eyes for Val. They both have all but love in their lives. However, Val must come to terms with an emerging identity.
Publication Date: Dec. 21, 2014
Number of pages: 74
Subgenre: Erotic Romance
Heat at Smashwords (books are sold at various platforms such as iBooks or can be obtained at Smashwords.)
Sadie and Spenser meet at a rocking Manhattan club and sparks fly as these tall athletes heat things up in a cab, at a racquetball club and in bed. These two can’t keep their hands off each other. However, each has issues that need resolution.
Kara Carlise, a well-to-do accountant, and Alex Murdoch, a ship’s captain, meet at a New York ballet where things heat up at first glance. Kara’s an enigma to Alex who is in town for a short time while his ship is being repaired. After a short and hot romance, he heads off for Europe, thinking of her as he meets the challenges of his last voyages. Kara surprises him by arriving at his return docking and slips on board without his knowing. When they encounter some danger on the high seas, Alex shows his metal and so does Kara. But the incident leaves Kara deeply disturbed. Alex loses touch with Kara and can’t find her after she leaves the ship. Will these two find one another again?
Living off the coast of Texas, Ela Bell enjoys telling stories, from steamy romance to the literary. Her interest in topics and settings reflect a wide range of values. She grew up partly on Navy bases, which included a diverse population. She’s been a literary, journalistic and romance writer under various pennames. She taught college courses for a number of years before trying her hand at romance writing. She enjoys reading, traveling and playing the piano. She and her husband live off the coast of Texas where they share their home with a German shepherd and a wily cat. They enjoy walking and spending time at their seaside cottage.
Narrative Magic Press
A publishing company that handles a variety of authors.
