Media and Press

A few words from Bev Scott (video):

Recognition and Awards

Sell Sheet:

Bio:

Featured In:

Family Storytelling

Story Ideas:

Here’s how Bev Scott can help you with your story:

  • Researching family secrets including genealogical resources.
  • Independent authors and self-publishing…how, why, lessons learned.
  • Homesteads in the Great Plains – hardships that families endured, historical fact and fiction.
  • Dugouts and Sod Houses – The real “little houses on the prairie”
  • How to write historical fiction – tips
  • Women’s History – raising children as a widow, without a safety net.
  • Family stories, a legacy for future generations.
  • Authors changing genres from non-fiction to fiction – experiences, advice

Nebraska September 2018, Book Tour Itinerary

Downloadable pictures:

Sarah's Secret book reading, Bev Scott The audience at Laurel Bookstore, Oakland CA, hear Bev Scott read from “Sarah’s Secret.”

Sarah's Secret, Jan. 2017 Book Launch Party Book Launch Party, Jan. 2017, San Francisco. (l-r) Joyce Reynolds-Sinclair, Dennis Raybuck, Bev Scott, David H. Stringer
Sarah's Secret, Book Launch Party Jan. 2017 Book Launch Party, Jan. 2017 in San Francisco. (l-r) Ruth Borenstein, Bev Scott, Karen Strauss
Book reading party 6-6-17 Bev Scott Robert Holgate, generous host of Bev Scott’s June 2017 book reading party.

Testimonials:

Midwest Book Review by Diane Donovan:

“How these disparate lives come together makes for a Western story of struggle, redemption, betrayal, and family ties that winds its way through hearts and minds as deftly as it moves through early America’s rugged landscape…Readers of Western fiction who enjoy a solid blend of history and psychology, and who seek more than just a frontier flavor in their fiction, will find Sarah’s Secret a revealing and absorbing read.”

Patricia and Craig Neal, co-founders, Heartland, Inc:

“In the flash of one moment, the trajectory of a man’s life and of those who loved and depended on him changes forever. The developing plot draws the reader in as we wait to see how this one action reaches into and impacts the lives of future generations. Set against the backdrop of a post-Civil War nation, when thousands headed west to escape their past, disappear into the horizon, and remake themselves, this biography is a rich study of pioneer ethos and the risks faced every day. The women touched by this man, who kept his secrets close, are heroines of courage, steadfastness and goodness. Beverly Scott is an author who has a way of painting word pictures that make you feel like you are a part of the story as it unfolds towards the discovery of his devastating secrets.”

Jim Van Buskirk, former Program Manager, San Francisco Public Library, co-author, Gay by the Bay: A History of Queer Culture in the San Francisco Bay Area:

“We all grow up with family stories, or pieces of them, though our forebears are perhaps not as adventurous characters as Bev Scott’s pioneer grandparents. Her research has uncovered long-hidden secrets, vividly restoring their shadowy lives to the forefront in this historical novel. Re-imagining people, revisiting times and recreating places long gone, Scott evocatively invites us to join them on their journey of hardship and achievement, as men, women and children traverse the central plains in the late 19th and early 20th century to establish lives in an often-inhospitable environment.”

Diane, Amazon Reader

“This is a short and very well told tale with interesting twists and turns in the plot to keep you interested. We follow the widow Sarah and her five kids across the plains, alone with such enormous courage, patience and hopefulness. Her strength and resourcefulness sustains them through some pretty harrowing experiences and this is all told in a very convincing first voice.
Then the back story, we meet up with her husband Sam and his story which is not at all what we thought and not at all Sarah’s experience of him. What happens when you have been so profoundly betrayed by the person you trusted most in your life? Humiliation, both personal and public and a broken heart. Can it heal? It is a tough life and like all of us she struggles with compassion to make her way in the world. Good read.

Excerpts from the Book:

“As we began our descent from the high plains Daniel and Joe carefully pulled the ropes controlling the break levers to stop the wagons from running away downhill. As I rode at the front of the first wagon I gasped at the beauty of the canyon in front of us. The river had sculpted a deep gorge through the layers of rock, glowing in shades of red, orange, tan, and magenta set off by the azure sky. I wondered if the river was really red or whether it was a reflection of the canyon walls. The short brush and green trees on the shore added another vivid contrast. But hidden underneath all that beauty was the treachery of the rocks, rushing water and deceptive quicksand bogs.”

. . .

“‘There are times when I am lonely and sad.’ I couldn’t tell her that I resented that Sam left me alone with five children. ‘I was counting on Papa for some reassurance and support. I took his death very hard.’ I paused to take a breath and keep the tears from taking over my words. Millie nodded. ‘You were very close to him.’ The tears cascaded down my face for a few minutes.”

. . .

“At first light on the second day out, Will was serving breakfast. He took a big swig of coffee and rang the chow bell. Cooking for hungry cowboys wasn’t too bad. They demanded to be fed, but they didn’t need anything fancy. Breakfast was bacon, coffee and biscuits or what the men called ‘sinkers.’ As they ate, Will looked around at the men. Some of them were pretty young, not much older than his son, Willy. They were looking for excitement, happy to walk around with their irons and brag about their exploits. The older ones were there for the money. ‘We just want an easy drive north,’ they said. He shared their sentiment.”

. . .

“‘So your name’s Sam. You moving out like I asked?’ With her sharp tone, Will could feel his defenses rising. But her gaze drew him in and he was curious to learn more about her. ‘Yes, ma’am. But before I ride off, could I get a cup of coffee?’ He longed for a cup of coffee—he hadn’t had one since Dodge. But he was even more interested in her. She seemed to be living alone with her daughter. He wondered how she’d got here and how she managed by herself.”

Where to buy “Sarah’s Secret: A Western Tale of Betrayal and Forgiveness”: