#NewBook: The Power of Love by Marlena Smith @WriterMSmith #Romance

Hi everyone. Today, it gives me great pleasure to have Marlena Smith–fellow author, blogger, and friend–over to visit with some exciting news! Mar has a new book out! I’ll let her take the stage to tell you all about it … 🙂 


Hello!!

Saying I’m excited doesn’t quite feel like enough to describe today. I can’t believe I’m finally here and promoting the launch of The Power of Love. Thank you so much for joining us, and a huge shout out to Harmony for hosting today! Thank you for supporting me and giving me the opportunity to share my story. [My great pleasure, Mar!]book cover for the power of love by marlena smith

Over the next few days, I get to visit some writing friends, and I’m thrilled to be sharing this journey with them because they’ve been a part of my writing family for several years. And oh how I adore each of them.  <3

Ok, let’s kick this launch off and go back to the beginning. Where it all began…

My earliest memories of writing are from grade school. Early grade school. If you know me, you probably know this story. We were given a gingerbread-shaped booklet and told to let the words flow. I wrote about my family and our home. Somehow, this story took me to the Alabama Young Author’s Conference, and my eyes were opened to a world I didn’t know existed. From there, the pieces came together.

I started typing up stories on our old family desktop and printing them off on the dot matrix printer. These would be called dinosaur devices today, but I thought it was the coolest.

I wrote about four princesses that were learning the full grasp of their magical powers, and they meet just as many princes. What a love story?! Then, there was the tale of Sara living in the days of horse carriages and general stores. This one has a little suspense due to a potentially tragic accident. We mustn’t forget the ridiculous amount of notebooks and journals I had, filled with my ramblings and ideas. These were mostly poetry because that was my first love, I think. Emily Dickinson, Edgar Allan Poe. They were the greats.

I love looking back on these old stories and am so thankful I still have them. Even at a young age, I had quite an imagination. I’m grateful I’ve never grown tired of that creativity.

Book Blurb:

She only wants a fresh start and a life away from the big city.

 Scarlet finds herself in the small town of Belmont, Montana. It’s a quiet town with a lot of charm. One she didn’t expect to fall in love with, but it offers something magical.

 Will her past catch up to her? Will she be forced back into the life she hates? Will she risk everything for a chance at love?

 Purchase Links:

author photo of marlena smithAbout the Author:

Marlena Smith is a multi-genre author that uses her own small town life experiences to create stories of the same. Her publications include:

 

Marlena grew up in Alabama with a love of words and creativity. She still lives in that small town today with her family and has never lost that passion. She spends her days working with churches to help them grow and her nights creating tales.

Three Random Facts  (I’m stealing this idea from fellow writer, D.L. Finn!)

  1. I graduated high school with a 4.05 GPA. Even though the class had under 80 students, I was still excited to be part of the top 10. And to this day, 15+ years later, I still miss many of those faces I had grown so close to.
  2. I’ve visited one of the most haunted places in the US–Waverly Hills Sanitorium, a facility from the early 1900’s that housed Tuberculosis patients.
  3. At the above mentioned facility, I laid inside a coffin. It was part of the offered attractions, but for me, it was a way to experience what those patients went through. Harsh treatments and traveling down the body chute, being left with lifeless bodies even though you still had a heartbeat. It seems they didn’t have much compassion.

If you’d like to connect with Marlena, you can find her online:

 

I can’t thank you enough for joining us today. Please help me in thanking Harmony for sharing her site with us. (She has some fantastic posts and book reviews, so do yourself a favor and look at her past posts!) [Thanks so much, Mar]

See you in the next post! Happy reading!!  <3

36 Comments on “#NewBook: The Power of Love by Marlena Smith @WriterMSmith #Romance

  1. HI Harmony, it is lovely to see Marlena here with her new book. Her three facts are interesting, especially the last two. They gave me the chills.

  2. I enjoyed learning more about you, Marlena. How wonderful that you kept all your childhood stories.

    I gotta say you are braver than me to have lain in a coffin. Best of luck with the new release.

  3. It was nice to “meet” Ms. Smith here and learn about her new book. The Power of Love sounds sweet. I like to write dark tales, but I don’t think I could ride down the Waverly Hills’ chute in a coffin. Smith is brave!

    • Thank you so much, Priscilla.
      I think my love of horror helped encourage me to follow through with the experience. It really was terrifying, though. Just the whole idea of what went on there.

  4. Thanks Mar for the shout out! Although I’m not sure alI can take the credit for it, I might have seen it somewhere before, but it is fun to use in posts. That sounds like a terrify place to visit and not sure I could have laid in that coffin. Congrats on your new release, I loved it 🙂 Thanks for hosting, Harmony xo

  5. Huge congratulations to Mar! I know how exciting it is to have a new book release. This sounds like a lovely story. Thank you, Harmony, for hosting!

  6. There aren’t enough words to show my appreciation, Harmony. Thank you for hosting me and sharing about my book. <3 You truly are a gem!!

  7. Congratulations, Mar! Best wishes on your release. (And I know this is a romance, but I’m looking forward to a book about a girl who climbed into a coffin in a haunted sanatorium!)

    Harmony, thanks for hosting.

  8. Thanks so much for hosting Marlena today, Harmony. The book sounds like a winner. And I loved learning about her early princess story. I’m sure I have one of those somewhere in the archives too. Lol. And great random facts though the sanitorium sounds dreadfully sad. Huge congrats to Marlena on the new book.
    (And thanks, Harmony, for your comment on Robbie’s blog. I can’t reply there, so wanted to give you a hug here. <3)

    • Hugs received with gratitude and returned with warmth! Thanks, Diana 💕🙂

    • Thank you so much, Diana!! I appreciate you taking the time to visit.
      And yes, the sanitorium was such an experience. As we toured the facility, I felt an overwhelming sense of sadness. I couldn’t imagine what all those people went through.

  9. All the best, Marlena. I’m in awe that the place you visited had a body chute. That alone could inspire a story.

  10. Thanks for the introduction to Marlens and her writing. Will surely check out.
    You are so generous of heart, Harmony! Such a blessing to have to come to know you through blogging. ❤️🙂