• Home
  • News
    • Cocalico
    • Police & Fire
    • Years Ago
    • Weather
    • Opinion
    • Archives
    • Social
      • Births
      • Engagement
      • Weddings
      • Anniversaries
    • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Shopping
    • Business Review
    • Showcase of Homes
    • Taste of the Town
    • What’s on Tap
    • Green Dragon
  • Obits
  • Contact Us
    • Advertising
    • About Us
    • Newsroom
    • Delivery Issues
    • Subscriber Services
      • Subscribe
      • Manage Your Subscription
    • Send Us Stuff
  • e-edition
Ephrata Review
Don't Miss
  • Small town theater with a big town feel: Susquehanna Stage Company
  • Gameseum officially ‘levels up’ for a March grand opening
Home   >   News   >   Book signing set for Akron author’s first novel

Book signing set for Akron author’s first novel

By Rochelle A. Shenk on February 7, 2018
  • Tweet
  • Pin It
Smith will sign copies of her book at Javateas on February 10.

Smith will sign copies of her book at Javateas on February 10.

Akron resident Donna L.H. Smith will sign her debut novel, Meghan’s Choice, Saturday, Feb. 10 from 10 a.m. to noon at Javateas Café, in part of the former Doneckers store, 333 S. Main St. Ephrata.

Ashley Scheirer of Javateas said this will be the first book signing at the Doneckers location, which opened in the fall of 2017. “We are especially excited to host Donna because she is local, and we love to support our local community and help get the word out about community members doing great things. Our new space offers some great opportunities to host future events like this as well as other community events,” she said.

Smith describes the novel as a Christian historical romance western. “Meghan’s Choice” tells the story of a young woman’s bold journey to a wild Kansas railroad town in 1871. After her father gives her an ultimatum to work for a year before marriage, Meghan Gallagher impulsively takes the first position offered ­ a tutor for eight children of Santa Fe Railroad executives.

Although Smith currently lives in Akron, she grew up in Newton, KS, a small town about 25 miles north of Wichita. Smith explained that Meghan’s Choice is based on an actual event that occurred in Newton in August 1871 ­ the gunfight at Hyde Park. Over a ten-day period, more people were killed and wounded than at the OK Corral. She said she adhered closely to facts about the gunfight between William Bailey and Mike McCloskey, which was started after a contentious election. During the fight, Bailey was killed. She said Louis L’Amour is the only other western author to write about this event; it’s loosely retold in the opening chapter of his novel “Flint”.

Smith explained that in Meghan’s Choice, some of the events were fictionalized and her hometown’s name was changed to New Boston. But even that fictionalized name has a connection to the real Newton, KS. Smith explained that Newton was established as a rail head for the Santa Fe Railway. It’s located along the historic Chisholm Trail, which was used in the post-Civil War era to drive cattle overland, from ranches in Texas to Kansas railheads. The town was named Newton after Newton, MA, since it was home to some of the railroad’s main stockholders. Smith said today Newton, MA is a suburb of Boston, hence her name of New Boston.

She holds a B.S. in Telecommunications from Oral Roberts University and an M.A. in Communications from Wichita State University. “My focus was broadcasting. I hadn’t given serious thought to being a writer. It briefly crossed my mind in 1979 when my grandmother was dying. She was born in 1885 and traveled from Ohio to Kansas in a covered wagon in the 1890s; I thought her story would be interesting to tell, but that was a fleeting thought,” she said.

The idea of being the author of a novel crossed her mind again about 13 years ago when she was 49 and going through what she described as a stressful time in her life. “That book would have been about how to get over rejection issues. When I told my friends about that idea, they made a bit of a joke of it,” she said even though she had experience in her career with various forms of writing through public relations, radio and print journalism, marketing and advertising.

The desire to write a novel crept in again in 2011. At that time she operated a business making homemade chocolates that she sold online; she closed the business in 2014. Smith recalls that she was watching the Hallmark Channel, and a “Murder She Wrote” movie was playing. She recognized one of the actors as Duncan Regehr, who had played “Zorro” in the Family Channel’s TV series. “I grew up watching Zorro (reruns of the 1950s version with Guy Williams as Zorro) and so the Family Channel’s series was something I also enjoyed. After that I followed Regehr’s work,” she explained.

The Hallmark movie sparked a desire in her to write Zorro stories on Fanfiction, a website where fans of a particular set of characters such as Harry Potter or Zorro create original stories based on the characters. Smith posted Zorro pieces on the site throughout 2012. “They were well received, so again I began considering writing a novel. I prayed about it for some time. The phrase gunfight at Hyde Park came into my mind, and I had my answer. I recalled hearing a bit about the incident as a child, so I began doing research,” Smith said.

She adds that she’s always loved the genre of romance, so she knew her story would be a romance set amid the historic event of the gunfight. With the goal of writing a novel that included the historic gunfight in mind, she set out to hone her writing skills.

She attended several Christian writers’ seminars and conferences, and graduated from the Christian Writer’s Guild Craftsman program under Jerry B. Jenkins. She also discovered a website for would-be writers called Almost An Author. She currently serves as assistant managing editor for the site, which trains and encourages writers and was recently listed as one of the top 100 best websites for writers, She also blogs on her own website: donnalhsmith.com and is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Advanced Novelist Network, established by her mentor DiAnn Mills, and Advanced Writers and Speakers Protégé program.

Meghan’s Choice was named a semi-finalist in the 2014 Operation First Novel by Jerry B. Jenkins and received an honorable mention for the Golden Leaf Award in 2015. The book is published in connection with Hartline Literary Agency, serving the Christian book community.

Smith said Meghan’s Choice is the first book in the Known By Heart trilogy. She’s currently working on the second book, Rose’s Redemption, and the final book will be Hannah’s Hope. In addition to the book signing at Javateas, Meghan’s Choice is also available from Amazon in both print and Kindle formats. Area readers who are not able to attend the Javateas book signing, but would like to obtain a signed copy of the book may contact Smith at dlhswriter@windstream.net.

  • Tweet
  • Pin It

About Rochelle A. Shenk

One Comment

  1. Donna Smith

    February 8, 2018 at 7:22 pm

    Good article. Thank you. Please note Javateas Donecker’s address is 333 North STATE Street. Thank you.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest News

  • Akron Borough looks to keep clean water out of sanitary sewers

    Heavy rains last fall dumped thousands of gallons of surface...

    • Posted February 20, 2019
    • 0
  • Something fishy’s going on in these classrooms!

    Classrooms offer a variety of learning opportunities. In addition to...

    • Posted February 20, 2019
    • 0
  • WellSpan report highlights $190.3 million 2018 community benefit

    WellSpan Health provided $190.3 million in community benefit to southcentral...

    • Posted February 20, 2019
    • 0
  • Brother’s spirit runs like the wind

    One local woman’s enduring love for her famous, late brother...

    • Posted February 20, 2019
    • 0
  • Pressed into history

    Featuring hot and cold sandwiches, soups, and salads, The Pressed...

    • Posted February 20, 2019
    • 0
  • Etta B. Brubaker Holsinger, 88, Doneckers seamstress, active at church; Lioness, hospital volunteer

    Etta B. Brubaker Holsinger, 88, of Ephrata, and formerly of...

    • Posted February 20, 2019
    • 0
  • Donald R. Leed, 86, Korean War vet, stonemason, fan of NASCAR, enjoyed deep sea fishing

    Donald R. Leed, 86, of Stevens, passed away on Friday,...

    • Posted February 20, 2019
    • 0

Subscribe

 

Susbcribe to The Ephrata Review today!

Ephrata Square Cam

Ephrata Square Cam Click the image to see the live cam
  • Latest

  • Popular

  • Comments

  • Akron Borough looks to keep clean water out of sanitary sewers

    Heavy rains last fall dumped thousands of gallons of...

    • February 20, 2019
    • 0
  • Something fishy’s going on in these classrooms!

    Classrooms offer a variety of learning opportunities. In addition...

    • February 20, 2019
    • 0
  • WellSpan report highlights $190.3 million 2018 community benefit

    WellSpan Health provided $190.3 million in community benefit to...

    • February 20, 2019
    • 0
  • It’s over – Pig, rooster chases canceled

    Organizers say safety and protester disruption concerns fueled the...

    • August 31, 2016
    • 33
  • Not the same

    Editor, Record Express, As a former legislator from Lancaster...

    • April 16, 2014
    • 13
  • The Akron dream

    I suppose it was around 1970 when this new...

    • March 26, 2015
    • 12
  • Julie Boyer Mathiot says:

    Dave , I just looked at this now. I am so Sor...

  • Larry E Harsh says:

    Janice: I didn't know how to get an answer...

  • Sharon lenhart mc cauley says:

    I will miss my uncle dearly we would talk on ...

Special Section

The Hill: Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and a Great New Menu

The Hill: Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and a Great New Menu

When it comes to St. Patrick’s Day, The Hill is THE place to celebrate on March 17. Put on your gree[...]

Our Location


View Larger Map

Links

Lancaster Farming
Lititz Record
LancasterOnline

Privacy

Terms of Use

  • Home
  • News
    • Cocalico
    • Police & Fire
    • Years Ago
    • Weather
    • Opinion
    • Archives
    • Social
      • Births
      • Engagement
      • Weddings
      • Anniversaries
    • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Shopping
    • Business Review
    • Showcase of Homes
    • Taste of the Town
    • What’s on Tap
    • Green Dragon
  • Obits
  • Contact Us
    • Advertising
    • About Us
    • Newsroom
    • Delivery Issues
    • Subscriber Services
      • Subscribe
      • Manage Your Subscription
    • Send Us Stuff
  • e-edition

Copyright © 2019 The Ephrata Review, a member of LNP MEDIA GROUP, Inc.