Carole Bellacera's November 2011 Newsletter

I just returned from the South Carolina Writers Workshop last week. This year was even more fun than last year because my daughter, Leah—a brand new writer—joined me. What a treat to experience the conference through a first-timer’s eyes. Leah handled herself with aplomb, and I don’t think anyone would’ve guessed it was her first writer’s conference ever. I was so proud of her!

Check out this photo taken of us on the night before the awards dinner.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2403288595482&set=a.1163416079444.26106.1049116991&type=1&makeprofile=1#!/photo.php?fbid=2403288595482&set=a.1163416079444.26106.1049116991&type=3&theater

At dinner, Leah and I were lucky enough to sit at a table with two New York agents, one on my right, and one on Leah’s left. I really enjoyed chatting with Mollie Glick who regaled me with what her life was like as an agent, and how tough it is when they get rejected—by editors and authors. (Specifically, when an author is courted by two agents, and they choose one over the other. I could only wish I could be in such a position; I can’t even imagine having two agents fighting over repping me.) At the buffet line, while trying to negotiate a salad plate and a dinner plate, I inadvertently dropped too much butter on my plate. Mollie took one look at my plate and said, “You’re way too skinny for that much butter. Can I have some?” Need I say how that made my night? And of course, I shared my butter with her. 

The weekend turned out to be a big success for both Leah and me. Three agents asked for Leah’s book proposal, and Mollie asked for mine. Fingers crossed.

But the best part of the weekend awaited me in Charleston—my boys, Luke and Zealand. What a thrill it was to see their little faces light up when they saw Grandma. (After all, it had been over a month!) I spent three days with them, and enjoyed every single second. Check out the videos I’ve posted on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/user/CaroleBellacera

http://www.youtube.com/user/CaroleBellacera#p/u/1/OBvN7_WiUCQ

Oh, and you’ve got to see the birthday video I made for Luke. (He turns 3 on November 7th.)

http://animoto.com/play/swwkErzLCjmytSORzwfkEQ

Great news! I’ll be reissuing my first novel, BORDER CROSSINGS, in print at Amazon’s CreateSpace this month! I’m so excited to give this book new life. (The first is always super special.) I’ve created a book trailer for it. Check it out:

http://animoto.com/play/upvSZUP1JrsfR8xY1H5ODw

And if you’d like to read the first chapter, you can do so here: http://www.carolebellacera.com/books/borderCrossings.aspx

Congratulations to Cheri Oggy from Dry Ridge, Kentucky, my October website contest winner. Be sure and enter this month’s contest to win a copy of one of my books and a piece of jewelry from Beautiful Evening Beads.
http://www.carolebellacera.com/contact/contest.aspx

Have a great November and a Happy Thanksgiving! (I still can’t believe this year is winding down.)

Carole

Carole Bellacera's October 2011 Newsletter

Dear Friends & Fans:

On vacation last month in Myrtle Beach, I realized the definition of Heaven. It’s having little arms wrapped around you, and a sweet little voice saying, “I love you, Grandma.” It’s a snuggly little blond toddler giggling and trying to take the glasses off your face. It’s…being a Grandma. 

I feel so blessed, getting to spend a whole week at the beach with Luke and Zealand. (And also with Frank, Leah and Zac.) It had been a whole two months since I’d seen the boys, and you know how much a child can grow in two months. Of course, the week went by too fast, as it always does, and soon enough, we were saying goodbye—and for the week after we got home, I suffered baby withdrawal. Luckily, though, I’ll be seeing them again later this month when I go down to South Carolina to attend the South Carolina Writers Workshop conference. I’ll spend an extra few days in Charleston afterwards. (What kind of grandmother would I be if I went within two hours of my grandsons and didn’t go see them?)

I’ve got lots of exciting news this month. As you know, if you read the post I sent out in mid-September, TANGO’S EDGE is now available in print—and I’m really excited about that. Call me old-fashioned, but there is nothing like holding a REAL book in your hands…especially if it’s one that has your name on it. Although TANGO’S EDGE has been available on Kindle and Nook for several months now, I guess it didn’t really feel “real” to me until I could actually hold the book in my hands. If you haven’t seen my book trailer yet, you should check it out, because I just love it!

http://animoto.com/play/Ebww0DhBXzuROaBqIilk9g

Romance reviewer, Harriet Klausner, has this say about TANGO’S EDGE in her . “Tango's Edge is a strong romantic suspense thriller starring two likable lead characters, a super support cast, and a powerful world stage ice dancing background. The story line contains more twists and spins than a dance routine…”


Other good news—LILY OF THE SPRINGS is coming out in print and on Kindle in November. This is the book set in the 50’s and 60’s, inspired by my mother’s life growing up in Kentucky. I’ve waited a long time to share this story with you, and I just know you’re going to love it.

And even more good news—I’m going to reissue all my out-of-print books, the ones that are available at Kindle, in print, every couple of months until they’re all available once more. Buying back my rights from my New York publisher was the smartest thing I’ve ever done! Now, I’m back in control of my work, and it feels great!

Congratulations to Joan Woods of St. Petersburg, Florida, the winner of my September website contest. Be sure and enter this month’s contest. You could win a copy of TANGO’S EDGE.

Have a great October. (How can it possibly be October already?)

Blessings,

Carole

Carole Bellacera's September Newsletter

Greetings, Readers.

Can you believe how fast summer went by? Yeah, I know...it's still warm outside and we're still doing summer-like things--swimming, cooking out, going to the beach...etc. But let's face it, the days are much shorter now. I realized that last night when Frank got home from tennis late, and I was setting the table for dinner out on our screened porch--the censor motion light came on. And my heart sank.

I'M NOT READY FOR WINTER! Or autumn, for that matter. Boy, have I changed. Back a few years ago when I was still an avid skier, I always looked forward to the cool, crisp weather of fall because I knew in a matter of months, we'd be heading up to Vermont for our annual ski trip. But then my sister, Kathy, had to go and break her leg--on the last run of the last day of vacation, and Frank and I haven't been skiing since. Seeing what Kathy went through in her recuperation put the fear of God in me. A broken leg may not sound like much, but believe me, when you're a woman of a certain age (or a man, for that matter) it's a big deal. Thus, Frank and I (mainly because of me) have given up skiing, opting to take a cruise every couple of years rather than the annual ski trip. I guess that means we're officially old.

So, no, I don't look forward to autumn and winter anymore. It's just another reminder to me that another summer has come and gone, and who knows how many more will be in my future? I know how that sounds. Geez, the woman must be depressed! But no, I'm really not. Really!!! I take full enjoyment out of every day, and I'm grateful for all my blessings--and I have a lot of blessings. I just guess at this point in my life, I'm more conscious of the passage of time, and isn't that normal?

Anyway, I'm looking forward to our annual Myrtle Beach vacation next week, and praying (with all my might) that Hurricane Katia will not be a threat. (The grandsons are joining us, and if I don't get my baby fix, I don't know what I'll do.)
Speaking of hurricanes and earthquakes, can you believe last week? I was standing in the kitchen, unloading the dishwasher when the earthquake happened. Everything started to shake, and my initial thought was that our practically new clothes washer had gone off-balanced again. But it didn't take me long to realize we were actually having an earthquake. I was in a smaller one in Hawaii years ago, but it was nothing like this. I wouldn't say I was scared, but it sure was disconcerting. And then Hurricane Irene--we didn't get much of an effect here in Northern Virginia, but it sure made an impact east of us. And those poor people in Vermont really got hammered! I think one hurricane per season is quite enough, don't you? (Please, Katia, stay away from land!!!)

Hey, guess what? I have exciting news! TANGO'S EDGE, my romantic suspense novel about an American ice dancer helping a Russian ice dancer to defect, will be available in PRINT very soon. Stay tuned for more about that...
Be sure and stop by my website and enter my monthly drawing for a copy of one of my books and a unique jewelry piece from Beautiful Evening Beads. www.CaroleBellacera.com

And have a great September!!!

Blessings,
Carole

April 2011 Newsletter

Dear Friends & Fans:

I want to thank those of you reading TANGO’S EDGE, and especially those who’ve sent me e-mails, telling me how much you’re enjoying it. You can’t possibly know how much this means to me. How much your messages makes my day just a little better. Just know when you take the time out of your busy day to tell me my story has brought you even the smallest amount of pleasure, it fills my heart with joy.

You see, my self-confidence has flagged in the years since my last novel came out. The fact that I haven’t sold a book –or even found an agent who’ll represent me–since 2006 has done a number on me. Had me questioning my talent. Questioning why I was even bothering to write. Yet, I’ve somehow managed to keep writing, finishing the complete manuscript of LILY OF THE SPRINGS (and still searching for an agent to represent it) and now happily and eagerly working on INCENSE & PEPPERMINTS, my Vietnam combat nurse story. I knew, somewhere deep inside, that writing novels is what I’m meant to do—whether or not I’m successful at selling them. And now, your e-mails and comments on Facebook confirm that. So, thank you, from the bottom of my heart.  Knowing you’re reading my books makes the rejections just a little less stinging.

Writers today know that the publishing world is changing, and whether or not it will be beneficial for them is still up for debate. It’s harder than ever to break into publishing with a traditional publisher. Just ask some of my author friends, ones who’ve had 50+ books published—and who now can’t sell, and like me, can’t even find an agent. Authors whose books have hit the NYT Best Sellers list with one book are finding subsequent books aren’t selling—not to the satisfaction of their publishers. You know what that means. Publishers dropping authors. I’ve heard rumors of some authors who’ve published with big NY publishers are now being published with small press—just to keep their books out there. I’m a prime example—started out with Forge Books, a New York house, and finally, with my fourth book, UNDERSTUDY, forced to go with small press so it would be available in trade paperback. But now, it’s almost impossible for a mid-list author like me to sell to small press even—because bigger name authors are also being forced to go with small press. It looks like in the future, the only books that will be published by major houses in New York are the mega-selling authors like James Patterson, Nora Roberts and Stephenie Meyer. So, more and more of us are turning to untraditional methods just to get read—thus, I’m posting TANGO’S EDGE online. Having you read my work reminds me that I am a writer. And not only that, my books are good—and they deserve a readership. Thank you for reminding me of that.  I posted Chapter 2 of TANGO’S EDGE this morning, and if you haven’t read the prologue and Chapter 1, they are available at:

http://tangosedge.blogspot.com/


Well, we’re off to Charleston for Easter to visit the grandsons. My daughter, Leah, allowed me to do the Easter baskets for them, so I’ve been having so much fun putting them together. I just got back from Charleston a few weeks ago, having spent a week down there with them. Luke, 2, and Zealand, 15 months are so much fun at this age. Luke is talking a mile a minute (and Grandma taught him to say, ‘Grandma, you’re cracking me up!) and Zea is such a sweet little cuddle-bunny. (I’m going to try to post pictures; sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.) You know, I never imagined you could love a grandchild as much as you loved your own children (how stupid was that?) but you do—every bit as much. I’m praying like crazy that Frank will find a job down there and we can move there this summer!!! Is that too much to ask?

Anyway, I hope all of you have a wonderful Easter! Take care, and I’ll talk to you again next month!!!

Blessings,


Carole