Monday, April 9, 2012

Photos from USO Show





Here are some photos from the USO Show. :) Wish you could've been there.

April 2012 Newsletter



Hello Friends & Fans!

March was a whirlwind of a month for me, so that’s why I’m late in getting my newsletter out this month. Early in the month, we went to Destin, Florida for a week’s vacation. I might’ve mentioned in my previous newsletters that Destin is where my daughter, son-in-law and precious grandsons moved to in February. Before you start thinking that we should’ve given them more time to settle in before we visited, let me just say our plans for Destin were made ten months ago. It was sheer luck that Leah and Zac moved to where we were vacationing.  An added benefit to us, getting to spend the week with Luke and Zealand.

I celebrated my birthday there, and the best present of all was when Luke spontaneously sang “happy birthday” to me, even though he’d just awakened from a nap, and was still half-asleep. The week went by way too fast, and as always, it was difficult to say goodbye to my boys. But I plan on visiting them again in June.

As you know, my new novel, LILY OF THE SPRINGS, came out on March 21st. I’m so excited about this book because (also as you know) so much of it was inspired by my late mother’s life. I sure wish she were here to read it. If any of you would like to choose it for your book club discussion, I’ll be happy to “appear” at the meeting, either via phone or Skype (or, of course, in person, if you’re in Northern Virginia.) At the end of the book, there are two pages of suggested questions for discussion. Just e-mail me at CaroleBella2001@yahoo.com and let me know when your meeting is.

Other than the excitement of my visit with the grandsons and the publication of LILY, I had another exciting event in March. I mentioned it in my last newsletter—the USO Dinner Show to raise money for disabled veterans. We had it last Saturday night, and it was AWESOME!!! The place was decorated beautifully with round tables covered with white linen and royal blue drop cloths sprinkled with gold stars. I had a blast singing Karen Carpenter’s “Merry Christmas Darling,” Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots are Made for Walking” and Marilyn Monroe’s “Santa Baby.” The show was sold out, and people were turned away at the door! I’m hoping this means the show will be an annual event, and I definitely want to participate. I love performing! Too bad I discovered this so late in life!  (As soon as I have videos and pictures, I’ll share them.)

Congratulations to Amber Bateman from Nokesville, Virginia, the winner of my March website contest. Be sure and stop by my website and enter this month’s contest. www.CaroleBellacera.com.

I hope all of you have a wonderful April and a Happy Easter!

Blessings,

Carole

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

"Pride and Joy" in New Anthology, The Storm is Coming

The Storm is here!
And you can win a free paperback copy! Announcing the release of The Storm is Coming: An Anthology.
Storms can come out of a clear blue sky, or they can build over a long period. They can take many forms, all terribly destructive: a tornado or hurricane that destroys all your belongings, an abusive spouse who destroys your sense of well-being, or human actions that can devastate an entire society.
In this collection of short stories, poetry, non-fiction, and images, you will find the range of approaching storms, and the range of emotions involved in such cataclysmic events. Within these pages you will find Mother Nature on the warpath in the form of tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, and vengeful plants. You will find storms approaching in the form of an abusive spouse, a fed-up spouse, and the down-trodden. You will find murder and suicide. But, as is always the case after a storm passes, you will also find life beginning anew.
To celebrate the release of this anthology in both paperback and ebook formats, Sleeping Cat Books will send a copy of the paperback to one reader chosen at random. The rules for entering this drawing are below.
The Storm is Coming: An Anthology is now available in paperback (http://sleepingcatbooks.com/storm-store.html) and for Kindle (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007L3M7QE) and NOOK (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-storm-is-coming-various/1109651115?ean=2940014274623).
Please visit these contributors' blogs as we continue our blog tour to celebrate the release:
• Gill Shutt – 2 April – http://fogonthebrain.blogspot.com/ Fog on the Brain
• Carole Bellacera – 3 April – http://authorcarolebellacera.blogspot.com/ – Musings and News
• Randy Mixter – 4 April – http://randy-mixter.blogspot.com/ Writing for Fun and Profit
• Joe Massingham – 5 April – http://jmassingham.blogspot.com.au/ Joe’s Blog
• Catherine McGuire – 6 April – http://www.cathymcguire.com/ Cathy McGuire – Writing and Art
• Ransom Noble – 7 April – http://ransomnoble.wordpress.com/ Ransom Noble – Writer
Rules for Entry
• Comment on the announcement post on the Sleeping Cat Books blog (http://www.sarah-holroyd.com/blog/the-storm-is-here/) between 1 April 2012 and 30 April 2012.
• Be sure to use a valid email address when you post so that we may contact the winner. (This email address will not appear on your comment when you post it.)
• One entry per person. You may comment more than once, but your name and email address will only be entered for the first comment.
• The winner will be chosen at random on 1 May 2012 from all of the unique commenters on the post linked above. The winner's first name will be announced on the Sleeping Cat Books blog that day.
• In the event that we are unable to contact the winner by 7 May, a second name will be chosen at random and announced on that day.