Five-Star Review of Leaving Lukens From "Readers Favorite"

I am honored once again with another five-star review. I love reading comments such as these--so gratifying to see my books touch readers in this way. Leaving Lukens  is a story I just had to share, and I'm so glad I did. Just wait to see what I have in store for you next, dear readers!

Book Review

Reviewed by Alice D. for Readers Favorite

Laura S. Wharton has created in "Leaving Lukens" a delightful romantic thriller of the World War II era. Set on the island of Lukens, which is near New Bern on the Carolina mainlands, "Leaving Lukens" is more than a story of the islanders leaving their homes for the mainland where school age children will be educated. It is about how close the horrors of World War II, Nazi submarines and Nazi naval warriors, came to our coastlines, threatening life in small seaside villages like New Bern, Oriental and the island of Lukens. The story's main character is 17 year old Ella Marie Hutchins, who is moving with her mother Louise to the mainland and the home of her mother's fiance. We read about Ella's romance with local Jarrett Migette fizzles, especially when Ella is rescued from invasive Nazis by mysterious stranger Griff who is posing as a local family's nephew. Actually, Griff is a Navy officer working undercover but he shares his love of diving to investigate old ship wrecks with Ella. Will Ella find a lasting future with Griff or will the winds of war separate them?

"Leaving Lukens" is a highly well-written and well-edited story of World War II that brings home to the post-war generations how our country's coastlines were touched by the awfulness of war. Characters such as Ella, Griff, Jessica and Jack, Ella's mother and grandmother are totally believable and in keeping with those long ago times. Ella and Griff's attraction to each other is beautifully portrayed and obeys the social mores of those years of the early 1940s. The plot flows to the ending which will more than satisfy the reader. Laura Wharton is an author to follow. Put "Leaving Lukens" on reading lists everywhere.

Midwest Book Reviews: Leaving Lukens awarded Reviewer's Choice

I'm humbled to announce my historical novel, Leaving Lukens, has been named the Reviewer's Choice by Midwest Book Reviews! This is such an honor. Thank you for recognizing my book!

Reviewer Sandra Heptinstall said the story set on the North Carolina Coast (including New Bern, Oriental, Lukens, and Ocracoke during 1942) captured her from the start, and the ending blew her away. You may read her full review on my Reviews page of this blog, if you want to. 

'Tis the Season

With holidays quickly approaching, opportunities abound for writers and readers to come together. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to participate in a Holiday Shop Stop at my local community center. I brought books to sell. others brought jewelry, Pampered Chef, and other represented merchandise.

The day went quickly with a number of people stopping in the see what I had..."you wrote these?"  What a great opportunity to tell others not only of my books, but of North Carolina's coastal history! Yeah, I sold some books!

Next up: Speaking/signing at our fabulous regional history museum during Autumn Leaves Festival (Friday, October 14, 3-5 p.m.). If you're in town, stop by and say hello!

In November, I'm off to New Bern/Oriental for signing/book selling (and a little bit of run).

Then, December 11 will be my official book launch party at Trios Restaurant in Mount Airy (2-5:00 p.m.) -- come celebrate with me! December 17 I'll be in Winston-Salem for a signing at Barnhill's Books on Burke Street. If you need to do some holiday shopping, this is a great place to do it! Wine, books, and other neat gifts await!

'Tis the season for shopping! Enjoy!

Leaving Lukens Finished

Well, at least the very rough draft of the manuscript is. It took me six months to write -- far better than the six years it took to research and write The Pirate's Bastard. (What a relief!)

The story took a few unexpected turns, and I am quite pleased with the work. The story is a bit of a roller coaster ride of an adventure tale. There's a bit of a love story woven in, too, for readers who like to see how relationships develop -- or don't.  There's an element of mystery, but not in the traditional sense. I wasn't meaning for it to be a mystery. Honestly, I don't know what I intended with this one, other than to tell a good story. That's what I think it is -- a good story set in 1942 coastal North Carolina.

New Bern and Oriental figure prominently, and I hope I've caught the essence of what these wonderful towns were like in 1942. Because New Bern is such an incredibly rich town in terms of history, information is abundant about what it might have been like back then. Oriental has always had a uniqueness about it -- and that continues today.

Special thanks go to the owner the The Bean in Oriental. He's allowing me to use an image of his delightful coffee shop on the cover as part of a design element. Other places in Oriental are mentioned as well, like Steamers, a great restaurant there. I look forward to enjoying the quiet quirkiness of Oriental in the future. 

That won't be today, though. I'm heading in the opposite direction for a book signing tomorrow in Banner Elk at the Banner Elk Winery. Author and friend Mary Flinn has invited me to this event, and I'm so grateful to be included. I only have a few copies of The Pirate's Bastard left in my "signing" stock -- wonder how many I'll come home with after this event?

New year, new work

With the start of a new year, I finally sat down to continue working on a project I got really excited about in October. Holidays, life, and other projects found their way into my schedule for the last quarter of the year, and I had to put this project on hold ... until now. With a day off dedicated to writing, I made great progress; the manuscript isn't going the way I thought it would, though.

In fact, the characters I was peddling around with on the handlebars of my bike last fall have morphed, and the outline for the story is nearly upside down from how I "planned" for it to be.

Truly, it's a good thing. I don't want to give the story away, but I'll share with you a few of the surprises I discovered yesterday. My lead character, Ella, is much stronger than I gave her credit for last fall. She's remained calm (to a point) in a most harrowing experience that probably would have caused me to have a heart attack. This is the first story I've written from a woman's point of view -- go figure -- and it's proving insightful on many levels.

This isn't a love story, but there is a love interest or two. There's a mystery to solve, some deep-seated issues to resolve, and of course there's a boat. Set in 1942, the story dips a toe in the waters of the economic stress of the times, the social issues of a small North Carolina coastal town near New Bern, and the war that was encroaching upon the lives of the village's occupants.

With the strong running start I had yesterday, I have a better sense of where to go with the story next -- or rather, Ella is telling me what's going on ... it will be interesting to see how she wants to resolve it.

In this new year, I wish all my friends and family (and those of you reading this who haven't made yourselves known to me yet) a prosperous and productive new year. May the characters in your lives prove insightful to you, as well.