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Chris McClelland's World War Two Romance, IN LOVE AND WAR named a #2 Best Selling YA military fiction e book by Amazon! Star-crossed lovers Inga and Mack must endure a host of sacrifices to survive and finally be re-united by the end of World War II. The story of two families from two different sides of the war and the hellish suffering they endure. Chris McClelland’s most popular and highly acclaimed book so far.

Out in early 2025: Excerpt from the family saga CONTRITION originally named Bronze Medal for Fiction by the Veteran’s Administration nationwide contest. CONTRITION, a family Mormon saga spanning the 20th Century, follows the life of veteran Hyrum Fratelli and his children as they endure the toughest century known to America and to man.

Chris McClelland is known as a creator of compelling historical fiction and poetry that has won many awards. Find out why McClelland’s stories have become so popular with readers in recent years.

Blog #132; Kudos for Best Seller Status!! IN LOVE AND WAR rated 2nd in Best Seller Category for Young Adult Military Fiction !

 Now I can say I am officially a Best Seller!  Not sure what it means, but it sure sounds nice...

Blog #131; Free give away; military themed books for Veteran's Day

 For the next 2 days, to Celebrate Armistice Day, later known in the United States as Veterans' Day, November 11th I will be offering my World War 2 novel IN LOVE AND WAR and my World War 1 novella UNDER OLD GLORY for free.  This includes in the UK and countries in the Commonwealth at the time of Armistice Day, including Canada, South Africa, India, and Australia.

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Blog #130; If poetry is the music of the soul, play on! DEMENTIA: POEMS; Free poetry collection for friends, family and other loved ones.

A close family member is struggling with dementia right now, and it has been a heart-breaking situation for my extended family, not to mention my immediate family here in Utah.  But where there is suffering, there is healing, and I have created a healing volume called DEMENTIA, that in part deals with this painful subject.  Some poems have already appeared in Poetry and Mental Health, the magazine.

In the German culture, people do not buy presents for loved ones on their birthdays, the birthday boy (or girl) gifts presents to his or her friends and family.  When Erin asked me what I wanted for Christmas this year, I had just the idea.  A heartfelt book of personal poetry dealing with family and friends, with love and loss and all that is in beween.  Think of it like an Irish wake,  in book form.

The book itself is of no cost to you.  If you are a member of my immediate family, you will recieve an autographed soft cover copy in the snail mail.  No cost.

In December, a five day long time will come when the book will be available to you as a digital book, free of charge also.  Not quite the same keepsake, but available to all with screens like kindle or other screen-based book reading technology.

Last, but certainly not least, after the first week in Demember, the renowned opera singer and narrator/actor Paul Hart Cochran will perform the poetry for Audible, and you can access these readings for free through audible.  We only ask if you do this that you consider giving his performance a careful listen and some kudos.

More on this project as it develops,

Chris McClelland 

Blog #129

 What if you had a knowledgeable coach to help you understand how to create compelling characters?  Page turning stories?  Compulsive plots?  How does a seasoned writer answer any and all questions you may have about the art and craft of creative writing?  I have learned much and am willing to put that experience to work for you.  

Have you ever wondered, where do compelling characters come from?  How does a writer like Shakespeare tap into such basic instincts and end up with a masterful, infinitely complex character like Hamlet?  Or maybe on a more basic level, how does Santiago come about in Hemingway's imagination and writing, where a legendary fish becomes a life's obsession..  How would you like to tell tales of life-long rapturous passion, seething vengence, calculated cunning?  Did you know you have all of those characters and more inside you, just bursting to be expressed?  You have genius and magic, and wonder inside you, to paraphrase Goethe.  Don't cheat the world of your magic, your stories, the worlds inside you!

Just contact me at provocanyonreview@gmail.com to start your creative journey today.

Blog #128; Two day give away of digital version of the BEST SELLING World War II novel by Chris McClelland: IN LOVE AND WAR

On November 2nd and 3rd, we will be giving away electronic copies of IN LOVE AND WAR, the BEST SELLING of all of Chris McClelland's many books.  This novel was Chris' debut novel, (my second full-length novel is being released in just a few months) and IN LOVE remains nearly 8 years after its release, a solid and unique read.  Just see what some Amazon readers have said about it over the last eight years:

Sadly, war seems to be a perennial constant.  It seemed to me that as long as humanity was plagued with warfare, we would not have a situation where my book was not relevant.  I released it in 2016, and with little fanfare.  No big publishing house behind it.  No ad blitz.  But more and more, people responded to the story. The numbers were in the hundreds, but they responded.   Combat veterans from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam told me it helped them heal.  So maybe it did some good for the readers.  I invite you to open your heart to your humanity.  Open yourself to Mack and Inga's plight, and I promise this book will affect how you see love and war.

Customers say

Customers find the book readable and enjoyable. They also appreciate the emotional content, saying the characters are real and the relationships are deep and meaningful. Readers praise the author's excellent job of interweaving stories and tying them all together.

Kindle Customer

4.0 out of 5 stars Love a German, in pre-World War II America? Yes.

Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2018

Verified Purchase

You can tell that Chris writes from the heart. You can almost feel the humidity and smell the Orange blossoms of central Florida and feel the dust and grit and heat of North Africa, but mostly you can feel the perfectly human love and angst of Mack and Inga and their families, all through the fabric of this book. Kudos, Chris.

T Blake

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read! Great quick read while I was traveling ...

Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2016

Verified Purchase

Great read! Great quick read while I was traveling on a plane last week. Good storyline and suspenseful. Enjoyed this book very much!

 

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Blog #127; Consultant for Hire for Your Developing Fiction Writing

Have you ever thought of learning to better write your own stories? Learn the tricks of the trade that make your stories stand out with real impact? Have you thought about even publishing some stories, or even entering awards contests? A multiple award winning fiction writer and editor, I have won numerous awards and have had stories and poems published dozens of times. For the month of November, 2024, I am offering a special deal for those of you who have been loyal readers to my Blog and who have bought/read my give-away books. Are you interested in taking the leap to writing and publishing your own short stories… 

For the month of November, you can be on your way to giving yourself a most special Christmas present this year: the permission to pursue your dreams. You can send me a rough draft (it doesn't matter how rough) of a fictional short story, of any genre (mystery, literary, sci-fi, horror, etc.), up to 4000 words (16 pages total), and I promise to give you a detailed full page double spaced professional level summary of suggestions for improvement at a modest 20 dollars introductory offer. If you find some merit in my comments, we can continue an exchange if you like. If you feel the comments weren’t helpful, just let me know why and I will ask no questions and we can part friends. You have nothing to lose but a bit of time at the desk… 

PS As a special offer this month, contact me and we will provide a one page commentary as described above for a friend in addition to your own paid one for free. Two for the price of one! Consider it a Christmas Present for the Season. 

I have many years (decades now) creative writing teaching experience (college level creative writing courses, workshops with other writers and editors, and one-on-one consulting work). If you are ready to put my extensive experience to work for you, please contact me at provocanyonreview@gmail.com.