Saturday, March 12, 2016

Marsha Ward, A Great Author!

Author Marsha Ward

One of the best authors I know, Marsha Ward, excels in writing historical fiction, including the novel, Gone for a Soldier, which was a finalist in the 2014 Whitney Awards.  Marsha has written several fantastic books, including The Man from Shenandoah, which was published in 2011, Spinster's Folly, which was also a finalist in the Whitney Awards for 2012, and a book that I loved to read, The Zion Trail, recently published in February 2016, a book about a young man, Elijah Marshall, and his trials as he joins the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and is a part of the Mormon trek westward.

It is no surprise that Marsha Ward has been so successful, having seen multiple books become finalists in the prestigious Whitney Awards.  When you read her writing, it's easy to see why.  The words flow very smoothly, the plot fast paced right when it needs to be, relaxed when it needs to be, and always crisp and focused.  Here is an example, the first paragraph in The Zion Trail:

"After I made a half circle at the end of the row of corn, I pulled Tom, our plow horse, to a halt, swept off my old hat,  and wiped the trickles of sweat from my eyes with the back of my wrist.  Then I ran my fingers through my dripping hair to train it back from my eyes, from whatever good that would do.  August had been plenty hot this year of Our Lord, eighteen forty-three.  The cool breezes of autumn couldn't come fast enough to suit me."

Can't you just see a picture of that, clear as if it were a movie?  And it stays that good, all the way through to the book's fantastic end!  Marsha Ward is an author I highly recommend and if you like historical fiction, I think you'll love her writing.  Plus, she's not only a great author, she's a wonderful person as well.  Check out her website,   blog, or Author Page on Amazon, to read more about her and her wonderful books!




2 comments:

Marsha Ward said...

Thank you for this post, Loralee! It's so nice of you to put it up>

LoraLee Evans said...

You're welcome! Thanks for being such a great friend.