Read the Interview with the heroine of LILY OF THE SPRINGS

http://patbertram.wordpress.com/2012/03/27/lily-rae-foster-hero-of-lily-of-the-springs-by-carole-foley-bellacera/

WIN A FREE PRINT COPY OF LILY OF THE SPRINGS

WIN A FREE PRINT COPY OF LILY OF THE SPRINGS by answering Question # 4 at the Romance Review's 1st Anniversary Party. http://www.theromancereviews.com/event.php

Lily of the Springs NOW AVAILABLE!

Get your copy at this link: https://www.createspace.com/3802163

The 50’s…Drive-in Movies, Doo-wop Music…and Love in the Back Seat of a ’51 Plymouth

“LILY OF THE SPRINGS is like a slow dance to a Patsy Cline song in the arms of your one true love. From the very first page, it draws you back to another time and place and makes you want to stay there forever. Carole Bellacera is a master storyteller."...Teresa Medeiros, New York Times bestselling author of GOODNIGHT TWEETHEART


In 1952 Kentucky, 18-year-old Lily Foster, the daughter of strict Southern Baptist parents, becomes pregnant by the town “bad boy”—and just like that, she finds herself married to a man who doesn’t want to be a husband. Jake has no intention of letting the inconvenience of marriage stop him from what he believes is his due. In actuality, Lily is the one who is trapped. She loves Jake—always has, since they were children playing in the woods on adjoining properties--and she’s convinced she can eventually make him love her. All it will take is desire and patience. Once the baby arrives, they will be the perfect little family.
From Lily’s home on Opal Springs Ridge to a four-year stint at an army base in New Boston, Texas, and finally, to life on their own in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Lily struggles to maintain a rocky marriage with a moody, immature husband while raising two daughters. Set during the “American Dream” period of the ‘50s and into the turbulent ‘60’s, LILY OF THE SPRINGS is a story of a woman’s indomitable spirit and her fight for independence and identity in an “Ozzie & Harriet” society.

Book Trailer: http://animoto.com/play/5oDSGDGlrZCdBgGX5hkuxg

Carole Bellacera's March 2012 Newsletter

Carole Bellacera’s March 2012 Newsletter

Are you serious? It’s March again already??? Man, March comes around faster every year. You know what March means to me? Not the appearance of the first crocus, (which, by the way, appeared here in Virginia in February) not St. Patrick’s Day…no, for me, March means…another birthday!!! (When did birthdays change from something to celebrate to…oh, shit, I’m another year older?) I will be starting my last year of my 50th decade. Now, that’s a horrifying thought! I still clearly remember my 30th birthday and how traumatic that was. It seems impossible that was 29 years ago. Needless to say, I’m not all that excited about another birthday, but what can you do? Like death and taxes, they come whether you want them to or not.

But one good thing about March…no, two goods things—1) We’re visiting Leah, Zac and our grandsons in Destin, Florida for a week. In fact, we’ll be there on my birthday, March 11th…so if I have to have a birthday, at least I get to spend it with Luke and ZZ. And 2) My new novel, LILY OF THE SPRINGS, will be out in print and e-book. You can read the prologue right now at this link:

http://www.carolebellacera.com/books/LillyOfTheSprings.aspx

And here’s the link to the book trailer:

http://animoto.com/play/5oDSGDGlrZCdBgGX5hkuxg

So…I guess March is going to be a good month, after all. And I forgot all about how much fun I’m having rehearsing for the big American Legion show at the end of the month. Who knew it would be so much fun playing Marilyn, Karen Carpenter and Nancy Sinatra? Yes, the costume changes are a little stressful, but I’m honored to be asked to play three very different stars. Here’s a link to a photo of me as Marilyn. (Okay…what Marilyn might’ve looked like if she’d lived to 50-something.) 

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1049116991#!/photo.php?fbid=3065058899326&set=a.1552516086701.77089.1049116991&type=1&theater

Thanks to all of you who entered my Valentine’s Day Blog Hop contest. The three winners were: Mary Hay from Nashville, MI, Anne Muller from Evanston, IL and Gail Hurt from Junction City, KY. And a special congratulations goes to Mary Hay who was one of the two big winners at the Book Lovin’ Babes website—she won a diamond pendant for entering my contest. And congratulations, also, Sara Wilson from Hampton, VA, the winner of my March website contest. She chose a copy of TANGO’S EDGE and also received one of my jewelry pieces from Beautiful Evening Beads. Be sure and stop by my website this month to enter my contest. You might be my next winner! http://www.carolebellacera.com/contact/contest.aspx

I hope all of you have a wonderful March!

Blessings,

Carole

PAYPAL CENSORING FICTION WRITERS!!!

Smashwords Spokesperson, Mark Coker, had this to say about PayPal's attempt to censor authors who write on topics they deem inappropriate. We authors must protest this company's attempt to control what we write. Here's how we can get together and do it. (Posted with permission.)




In case you haven't heard, about two weeks ago, PayPal contacted
> Smashwords and gave us a surprise ultimatum: Remove all titles
> containing bestiality, rape
>
> or incest, otherwise they threatened to deactivate our PayPal account.
> We engaged them in discussions and on Monday they gave us a temporary
> reprieve as we continue to work in good faith to find a suitable
> solution.
>
> PayPal tells us that their crackdown is necessary so that they can
> remain in
>
> compliance with the requirements of the banks and credit card
> associations (likely Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express,
> though they didn't mention them by name).
>
> Last Friday, I sent the following email to our erotica authors and
> publishers:
> https://www.smashwords.com/press/release/27 Then on Monday, I issued an
> update,
> and announced we would delay enforcement of PayPal's guidelines so we
> and PayPal could continue our discussions:
> https://www.smashwords.com/press/release/28
>
> THE PROBLEM:
>
> PayPal is asking us to censor legal fiction. Regardless of how one
> views topics of rape, bestiality and incest, these topics are
> pervasive in mainstream fiction.
> We believe this crackdown is really targeting erotica writers. This
> is unfair, and it marks a slippery slope. We don't want credit card
> companies or financial institutions telling our authors what they can
> write and what readers can read.
> Fiction is fantasy. It's not real. It's legal.
>
>
> THE SOLUTION:
>
> There's no easy solution. Legally, PayPal and the credit card
> companies probably have the right to decide how their services are
> used. Unfortunately, since they're the moneyrunners, they control the
> oxygen that feeds digital commerce.
>
> Many Smashwords authors have suggested we find a different payment
> processor.
> That's not a good long term solution, because if credit card
> companies are behind this, they'll eventually force crackdowns
> elsewhere. PayPal works well for us.
> In addition to running all credit card processing at the
> Smashwords.com store, PayPal is how we pay all our authors outside the
> U.S. My conversations with
>
> PayPal are ongoing and have been productive, yet I have no illusion
> that the
>
> road ahead will be simple, or that the outcome will be favorable.
>
>
> BUILDING A COALITION OF SUPPORT:
>
> Independent advocacy groups are considering taking on the PayPal
> censorship case.
> I'm supporting the development of this loose-knit coalition of
> like-minded groups who believe that censorship of legal fiction should
> not be allowed. We will grow the coalition. Each group will have its
> own voice and tactics I'm working with them because we share a common
> cause to protect books from censorship.
> Earlier
> today I had conversations with the Electronic Frontier Foundation
> (EFF), The
>
> American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) and the
> National
>
> Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC). I briefed them on the
> Smashwords/PayPal situation, explained the adverse affect this
> crackdown will have on some of our authors and customers, and shared
> my intention to continue working with PayPal in a positive manner to
> move the discussion forward.
>
> The EFF blogged about the issue a few days ago:
> https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/02/legal-censorship-paypal-makes-ha
> bit-de
> ciding-what-users-can-read
> Today, ABFFE and NCAC issued a press release:
> http://www.scribd.com/doc/83549049/NCAC-ABFFE-Letter-To-PayPal-eBay-re
> -Ebook
> -Refusal-2012
>
> I will not be on the streets with torch in hand calling for PayPal's
> head, but I will encourage interested parties to get involved and
> speak their piece.
> This
> is where you come in...
>
>
> HOW YOU CAN HELP:
>
> Although erotica authors are being targeted, this is an issue that
> should concern all indie authors. It affects indies disproportionately
> because indies are the ones pushing the boundaries of fiction. Indies
> are the ones out there publishing without the (fading) protective
> patina of a "traditional publisher" to lend them legitimacy. We indies
> only have each other.
>
> Several Smashwords authors have contacted me to stress that this
> censorship affects women disproportionately. Women write a lot of the
> erotica, and they're also the primary consumers of erotica. They're
> also the primary consumers of mainstream romance, which could also
> come under threat if PayPal and the credit card companies were to
> overly enforce their too-broad and too-nebulous obsenity clauses (I
> think this is unlikely, but at the same time, why would dubious
> consent be okay in
>
> mainstream romance but not okay in erotica? If your write paranormal,
> can your were-creatures not get it on with one another, or is that
> bestiality? The insanity needs to stop here. These are not questions
> an author, publisher or distributor of legal fiction should have to
> answer.).
>
> All writers and their readers should stand up and voice their
> opposition to financial services companies censoring books. Authors
> should have the freedom to publish legal fiction, and readers should
> have the freedom to read what they want.
>
> These corporations need to hear from you. Pick up the phone and call them.
>
> Email them. Start petitions. Sign petitions. Blog your opposition
> to censorship.
> Encourage your readers to do the same. Pass the word among your
> social networks.
> Contact your favorite bloggers and encourage them to follow this story.
> Contact
> your local newspaper and offer to let them interview you so they can
> hear a local author's perspective on this story of international
> significance. If you have connections to mainstream media, encourage
> them to pick up on the story.
> Encourage
> them to call the credit card companies and pose this simple question,
> "PayPal says they're trying to enforce the policies of credit card
> companies. Why are you censoring legal fiction?"
>
> Below are links to the companies waiting to hear from you. Click the
> link and you'll find their phone numbers, executive names and postal
> mailing addresses.
> Be polite, respectful and professional, and encourage your friends
> and followers to do the same. Let them know you want them out of the
> business of censoring legal fiction.
>
> Tell the credit card companies you want them to give PayPal permission
> to sell your ebooks without censorship or discrimination. Let them
> know that PayPal's policies are out of step with the major online
> ebook retailers who already accept your books as they are. Address
> your calls, emails (if you can find the
> email)
> and paper letters (yes paper!) to the executives. Post open letters
> to them
>
> on your blog, then tweet and Facebook hyperlinks to your letters.
> Force the
>
> credit card companies to join the discussion about censorship. And
> yes, express your feelings and opinions to PayPal as well. Don't
> scream at them. Ask them to work on your behalf to protect you and
> your readers from censorship.
> Tell
> them how their proposed censorship will harm you and your fellow writers.
>