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.
Showing posts with label contemporary fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label contemporary fiction. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
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
Monday, March 19, 2012
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
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
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
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.
>
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.
>
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Carole Bellacera's January 2012 Newsletter
Dear Friends & Fans:
Happy 2012!!!! Wow! Has this year just sped by or what? I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season. We just got back from a fantastic trip to Charleston over Christmas, spending several fun days with our grandsons, Luke and Zealand. At 3 and almost 2, they were a delight to watch open their presents. Zealand, the two-year-old, was awake before Luke, and he walked out into the living room, over to his new tricycle, climbed on it and said, “Yeah, yeah, yeah!” So cute! Luke came out a little while later, and still half-asleep, looked at his new Spiderman bike and rubbed his eyes like he couldn’t believe it. But Luke’s favorite gift was his Play Mobile hospital; he spent hours at the kitchen table playing with it. I’ve never seen a kid so interested in doctors, ambulances and hospitals. (Could that be a sign of a future doctor in the family?)
My favorite gift—spending time with the family. Age and wisdom teaches you that that’s the ultimate gift, and if you have that, you don’t really need anything else. We were blessed with beautiful weather in Charleston, and spent Christmas Eve walking around the historic city. On the day after Christmas, we drove an hour southeast of Charleston to Edisto Beach and spent a couple of days there. I wanted to take the boys to the beach where you can find huge conch shells (that can only be taken from the state park by children) but it didn’t work out the way I planned. Still, the boys found some good shells anyway, even a perfect sand dollar which Luke promptly stepped on when I put it down on the sand to take a picture. It broke in three pieces. Easy come, easy go.
Good news to share! I entered my jeweled Christmas trees (inspired by my Aunt Jan’s talent) in the Washington Post Christmas Craft Contest, and they won third place. You can see the article at this link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/todays_paper?dt=2011-12-22&bk=TAX&pg=9
More good news—I’m reissuing my first novel, BORDER CROSSINGS, in print this month. Should be available any day now. I’ll let you know when I get the word.
Oh, and this month you can get a special price on the Kindle edition of TANGO’S EDGE for only .99 cents.
Be sure and stop by my website to enter this month’s contest for a free autographed copy of TANGO’S EDGE or BORDER CROSSINGS and free jewelry from Beautiful Evening Beads. www.CaroleBellacera.com
So, have you made any resolutions for the New Year? I’m not one to make a long list of resolutions. But I do have one. To live in the present. And I hope, by doing that, I can stop all my worrying which has gotten out of control lately. (Well, what do you expect? Just got a text message from my son who’s in Canada saying he’d just finished his first flight lesson in snow and 25 kts. winds. I don’t know what “kts” means, but it doesn’t sound good.) Oh, and an update about my depression issues. I bought one of those sunlight simulators, and have been trying it out. Unfortunately, it makes me light-headed…or that could be the sinus infection I’ve been battling for two weeks. Anyway, I’ll let you know if the light works. (And I did see a doctor who, of course, recommended drug therapy. Not a fan, but I’m thinking about giving it a try.)
With that, I’ll leave you with wishes for a great January!
Carole
Happy 2012!!!! Wow! Has this year just sped by or what? I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season. We just got back from a fantastic trip to Charleston over Christmas, spending several fun days with our grandsons, Luke and Zealand. At 3 and almost 2, they were a delight to watch open their presents. Zealand, the two-year-old, was awake before Luke, and he walked out into the living room, over to his new tricycle, climbed on it and said, “Yeah, yeah, yeah!” So cute! Luke came out a little while later, and still half-asleep, looked at his new Spiderman bike and rubbed his eyes like he couldn’t believe it. But Luke’s favorite gift was his Play Mobile hospital; he spent hours at the kitchen table playing with it. I’ve never seen a kid so interested in doctors, ambulances and hospitals. (Could that be a sign of a future doctor in the family?)
My favorite gift—spending time with the family. Age and wisdom teaches you that that’s the ultimate gift, and if you have that, you don’t really need anything else. We were blessed with beautiful weather in Charleston, and spent Christmas Eve walking around the historic city. On the day after Christmas, we drove an hour southeast of Charleston to Edisto Beach and spent a couple of days there. I wanted to take the boys to the beach where you can find huge conch shells (that can only be taken from the state park by children) but it didn’t work out the way I planned. Still, the boys found some good shells anyway, even a perfect sand dollar which Luke promptly stepped on when I put it down on the sand to take a picture. It broke in three pieces. Easy come, easy go.
Good news to share! I entered my jeweled Christmas trees (inspired by my Aunt Jan’s talent) in the Washington Post Christmas Craft Contest, and they won third place. You can see the article at this link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/todays_paper?dt=2011-12-22&bk=TAX&pg=9
More good news—I’m reissuing my first novel, BORDER CROSSINGS, in print this month. Should be available any day now. I’ll let you know when I get the word.
Oh, and this month you can get a special price on the Kindle edition of TANGO’S EDGE for only .99 cents.
Be sure and stop by my website to enter this month’s contest for a free autographed copy of TANGO’S EDGE or BORDER CROSSINGS and free jewelry from Beautiful Evening Beads. www.CaroleBellacera.com
So, have you made any resolutions for the New Year? I’m not one to make a long list of resolutions. But I do have one. To live in the present. And I hope, by doing that, I can stop all my worrying which has gotten out of control lately. (Well, what do you expect? Just got a text message from my son who’s in Canada saying he’d just finished his first flight lesson in snow and 25 kts. winds. I don’t know what “kts” means, but it doesn’t sound good.) Oh, and an update about my depression issues. I bought one of those sunlight simulators, and have been trying it out. Unfortunately, it makes me light-headed…or that could be the sinus infection I’ve been battling for two weeks. Anyway, I’ll let you know if the light works. (And I did see a doctor who, of course, recommended drug therapy. Not a fan, but I’m thinking about giving it a try.)
With that, I’ll leave you with wishes for a great January!
Carole
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Carole Bellacera's June Newsletter
June 2011 Newsletter
Dear Friends & Fans:
Greetings from the Bluegrass State of Kentucky!!! I’m here visiting my beautiful Avon representative sister, Kathy. www.youravon.com/kathyfoley. We’ve been having so much fun, and I’ve been spending way too much money (a lot of it on Kathy’s Avon products—she’s a great saleswoman!)
On my second night here, Kathy hosted a fantastic cocktail party for me with her friends and clients. We had lots of good food and wine, (yes, wine…even though we’re in a dry county here) and she had my books on display for new readers (which was pretty much everyone…except for Linda.) I met some really nice ladies, all of whom are talented in their own right (you know who I’m talking about—Linda, Brenda, Donna, Dorothy, June, Pam.) What a blast!
This whole week has been a blast. You know how I like “junkin,” right? I know I’ve mentioned that. Well, Kathy does, too. And just in case you don’t know what I mean, we like to go to consignment shops, thrift shops, junk stores (and there are a lot of them around here) and just see what we can find. Well, we found some treasures this week, let me tell you! But more importantly, we had some experiences that we’ll laugh about for years. Case in point—we were in Goodwill, me, Kathy and Linda, and I had a wardrobe malfunction. It actually started before we left the house. I put on this blouse that had a cut which made it impossible to hide my bra straps, so Kathy offered to let me borrow her strapless Victoria’s Secret bandeaux. I accepted. My first mistake. I had my suspicions about this thing from the beginning. So, we’re in Goodwill, and I’m moving around, checking out shorts and Capri’s (good news! I’d lost 5 pounds in the past month, and gone down a size.) Unfortunately, I wasn’t the only thing moving around. That damn bra kept…slipping, and the girls were…well, popping out. (How on earth these nubile young women wear these as outerwear, I’ll never understand!) Finally, I’d had enough. I was standing at the back of the store, and in a moment of complete insanity, I reached under my top, pulled that offending thing down to my waist, over my skirt and let it fall to my ankles. Only then did I look up (as Kathy and Linda, a few aisles over, we’re convulsed in laughter) and see this man down at the end of the aisle, his eyes agog, his mouth hanging open in complete astonishment. I quickly stepped out of the bandeaux, and only then did I realize what it must’ve looked like. Let’s just say that I was, no doubt, the subject of conversation at somebody’s dinner table that night.
Anyway, shopping wasn’t the only thing we did this week. We did a lot of eating—as much fattening stuff as we could possibly stuff into our mouths—and drinking of the nectar of the gods. (We are not good for each other, but we sure have fun.)
Last night we drove to Kathy’s friend’s house out in the country—way out in the country. Donna owns this beautiful farm of 12 acres, pasture and woodlands, with a beautiful creek running behind her house. We met her goats (up close and personal) and her horses, dogs and cats. As soon as I get home, I’m going to put a video on Facebook of Donna’s goats. They are so cool! Did I ever tell you how much I love goats?
Anyway, the week is drawing to a close. I’m leaving for home tomorrow. Oh, and I have some other exciting news! A few weeks ago, I auditioned at my local mall for a singing competition, and I’m one of 20 finalists (out of 100) and will be competing in the finale on June 26th. The grand prize is a $1,000 mall gift card. I’ve decided to sing Michael Buble’s “Feeling Good,” the song I sang at the church variety show a couple of years ago. Wish me luck!
Thanks to those of you who’ve purchased one of my Kindle books. The sales are good, and I’m thrilled. If you haven’t checked them out yet, here’s the link:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=carole+bellacera&x=11&y=21
Hope all of you have a wonderful June. Don’t forget to stop by my website and enter my monthly contest. www.carolebellacera.com.
Blessings,
Carole
Dear Friends & Fans:
Greetings from the Bluegrass State of Kentucky!!! I’m here visiting my beautiful Avon representative sister, Kathy. www.youravon.com/kathyfoley. We’ve been having so much fun, and I’ve been spending way too much money (a lot of it on Kathy’s Avon products—she’s a great saleswoman!)
On my second night here, Kathy hosted a fantastic cocktail party for me with her friends and clients. We had lots of good food and wine, (yes, wine…even though we’re in a dry county here) and she had my books on display for new readers (which was pretty much everyone…except for Linda.) I met some really nice ladies, all of whom are talented in their own right (you know who I’m talking about—Linda, Brenda, Donna, Dorothy, June, Pam.) What a blast!
This whole week has been a blast. You know how I like “junkin,” right? I know I’ve mentioned that. Well, Kathy does, too. And just in case you don’t know what I mean, we like to go to consignment shops, thrift shops, junk stores (and there are a lot of them around here) and just see what we can find. Well, we found some treasures this week, let me tell you! But more importantly, we had some experiences that we’ll laugh about for years. Case in point—we were in Goodwill, me, Kathy and Linda, and I had a wardrobe malfunction. It actually started before we left the house. I put on this blouse that had a cut which made it impossible to hide my bra straps, so Kathy offered to let me borrow her strapless Victoria’s Secret bandeaux. I accepted. My first mistake. I had my suspicions about this thing from the beginning. So, we’re in Goodwill, and I’m moving around, checking out shorts and Capri’s (good news! I’d lost 5 pounds in the past month, and gone down a size.) Unfortunately, I wasn’t the only thing moving around. That damn bra kept…slipping, and the girls were…well, popping out. (How on earth these nubile young women wear these as outerwear, I’ll never understand!) Finally, I’d had enough. I was standing at the back of the store, and in a moment of complete insanity, I reached under my top, pulled that offending thing down to my waist, over my skirt and let it fall to my ankles. Only then did I look up (as Kathy and Linda, a few aisles over, we’re convulsed in laughter) and see this man down at the end of the aisle, his eyes agog, his mouth hanging open in complete astonishment. I quickly stepped out of the bandeaux, and only then did I realize what it must’ve looked like. Let’s just say that I was, no doubt, the subject of conversation at somebody’s dinner table that night.
Anyway, shopping wasn’t the only thing we did this week. We did a lot of eating—as much fattening stuff as we could possibly stuff into our mouths—and drinking of the nectar of the gods. (We are not good for each other, but we sure have fun.)
Last night we drove to Kathy’s friend’s house out in the country—way out in the country. Donna owns this beautiful farm of 12 acres, pasture and woodlands, with a beautiful creek running behind her house. We met her goats (up close and personal) and her horses, dogs and cats. As soon as I get home, I’m going to put a video on Facebook of Donna’s goats. They are so cool! Did I ever tell you how much I love goats?
Anyway, the week is drawing to a close. I’m leaving for home tomorrow. Oh, and I have some other exciting news! A few weeks ago, I auditioned at my local mall for a singing competition, and I’m one of 20 finalists (out of 100) and will be competing in the finale on June 26th. The grand prize is a $1,000 mall gift card. I’ve decided to sing Michael Buble’s “Feeling Good,” the song I sang at the church variety show a couple of years ago. Wish me luck!
Thanks to those of you who’ve purchased one of my Kindle books. The sales are good, and I’m thrilled. If you haven’t checked them out yet, here’s the link:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=carole+bellacera&x=11&y=21
Hope all of you have a wonderful June. Don’t forget to stop by my website and enter my monthly contest. www.carolebellacera.com.
Blessings,
Carole
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