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

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

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

REISSUE OF BORDER CROSSINGS NOW AVAILABLE!

Hi, everyone. I've just reissued my very first published novel, BORDER CROSSINGS, a double-RITA finalist in 2000. Available at Amazon.com and at Amazon Kindle.

http://www.amazon.com/Border-Crossings-Carole-Bellacera/dp/1468056387/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326233767&sr=1-4


Check out the book trailer!

Carole Bellacera's December 2011 Newsletter

December 2011 Newsletter

Dear Friends & Fans:

‘Tis the season to be jolly, right? Then why am I feeling so sad? Or rather, so S.A.D. Yes, I’m talking about Seasonal Affective Disorder, a mood disorder that affects 6.1% of the U.S. population. I’m sure most of you have heard of it; maybe you’ve even experienced it yourself. It’s a condition often referred to as “winter blues.” I first noticed it as far back as in the 90’s, although I didn’t know what it was at the time. It was late in the day in November, and my son was out delivering newspapers. He was late getting home, and being a typical mother, I began to worry, so I went out looking for him. As I drove around my neighborhood streets, darkness was quickly approaching, and with it, a sense of dread filled my heart. I just assumed it was a mother’s worry about her son, but even after I found him, and we were on our way home, I couldn’t quite shake the feeling of doom.

In the last few years, I’ve found myself dreading October and November, the shorter days of sunlight, the advancing winter. And this year has been particularly hard. I look back to the days when I loved winter. We were avid skiers then, and always went to Vermont in January or February for a week’s vacation. But when my sister broke her femur skiing in 2008, it ended our skiing as well. At the time, I looked at it as a wake-up call; we were in our 50’s, and had never been seriously injured in 12 years of skiing. And when I saw what Kathy went through in her recovery, I knew I didn’t want to risk that happening to me. Now, I wonder if I made the right decision. Maybe if we were still skiing, I wouldn’t be feeling so blue at the approach of winter.

But I know I’m kidding myself. This isn’t something that a ski trip will fix. Not when you’re dealing with S.A.D. In October, during an especially bad week, I actually called my primary care provider to make an appointment for my depression. To my astonishment, the receptionist told me that my doctor’s appointment book was full for that week, and to call back the next Wednesday. By the time Wednesday rolled around, I was feeling okay again, so I didn’t call. But…I keep thinking…what if I had been suicidal? I imagine most people who are probably wouldn’t come out and admit it to a receptionist. The more I think about that, the angrier it makes me!

I should call and make an appointment; I know that. But I keep thinking…maybe it’s not S.A.D. Maybe it’s just…life. Maybe it’s about change. After all, Christmas isn’t what it used to be—a house filled with happy children. I remember how I used to get so excited about all the holiday cookie baking, the present wrapping, the tree-trimming. Now, it all feels like chores. And I don’t want to feel like that! I don’t want to be a Scrooge. When I was a child, I remember hearing an elderly relative say they weren’t putting up a tree that year, and I just couldn’t understand it. Now…I do. And I hate that! Of course, Christmas has never been the same for me since I lost my mother on December 19th, 1998. Thirteen years, and I still miss her terribly. So, maybe this is part of the reason I feel so blue this time of year.

Yesterday I baked my first batch of holiday cookies while watching “One Life to Live” on TV. And suddenly I had a flashback to Christmas, 1975. Frank and I were living in Carolina Beach, North Carolina. It was our second Christmas together, and I was so thrilled to be playing Suzie Homemaker, baking in my own little kitchen in our rented mobile home with “Days of Our Lives” playing on TV. Even though the weather wasn’t Christmassy at all, it felt like a winter wonderland for me as I sprinkled red and green sugar on cookies. Little did I know at the time that my own little Leah had just started to grow inside me. How could that possibly have been 35 years ago?

Another day has passed since I began writing this newsletter, and I’m feeling better. Maybe it’s the therapy of sharing with y’all. Or maybe it’s because I’m counting my blessings—and I have many. My wonderful husband of 37 years (our anniversary is coming up on December 7th), two great “kids,” Leah and Stephen, and the most adorable grandsons in the world, Luke and Zealand. I have a new novel coming out in March, and I’m reissuing my very first novel, BORDER CROSSINGS, in a few weeks. I belong to a great church and sing with a choir directed by the best musical director in the world. I have lots of friends and two fantastic sisters. I’m healthy and active, and so is my husband. Yes, I’m blessed.

But you know what? I’m still going to call my doctor and make an appointment. And if any of you are suffering from S.A.D., I urge you to do so as well. Let’s not suffer in silence—because we’re not alone, although it feels that way sometimes. Depression makes you feel alone, and that’s why it’s so important to seek help.

Okay, moving on...thanks to all of you who voted for my cover for LILY OF THE SPRINGS. I'm pleased to announce I'm going for the one with the girl in shorts walking down the road. I really loved the other cover, too, but I feel this particular cover fits the concept of the book better. I appreciate all of you taking the time to give me your input. (I think I knew in my gut this was the cover I wanted because every time I got a vote for it, my heart soared. And when the other cover got a vote, I felt deflated. As it turned out, this cover got more votes than the other one.)

Congratulations to Wilma Frana, my November contest winner. Wilma, if you’re reading this, e-mail me at Carole@Bellacera.com with your address so I can send out your autographed book and jewelry. Everyone else: Stop by my website and enter my December contest. www.carolebellacera.com.


God Bless & Happy Holidays

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

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

Carole Bellacera's May Newsletter

Hello, Readers.

I hope you're enjoying the beautiful spring weather (unless you're one of my fans in Australia, and in that case, the beautiful autumn weather.) :) I hope you're not suffering from allergies like I am. This has been a rough spring for me. I swear, I can't remember what it's like to breathe through my nose. I hope to do it again someday.

Other than not being able to breathe, April was a great month. We went down to Charleston to spend Easter with Leah and Zac--and our two darling grandsons, Luke and Zealand (ZZ for short.) I've come to realize that there's nothing more beautiful in the world than the sound of Luke saying, "I love you, Grandma." (He's two, and since Christmas, has started to speak in full sentences. And he's quite the chatterbox.) ZZ , at 17 months, is my laid-back, always smiling little sweetheart. A real cuddle-bunny. :) As you can see, I'm slightly enamored of my two little guys. I wish I could figure out how to insert photos into this newsletter, because I'd love to share some with you (besides the one on my main page.) But I can give you a link where you can see some recent videos. http://www.youtube.com/user/CaroleBellacera#p/u/2/Tg9NkWrxUkE

I hope you all have been enjoying my chapters of TANGO'S EDGE. I just posted Chapter 5 this morning. INCENSE & PEPPERMINTS is progressing well. I'm starting on Chapter 11 today. I've been getting positive feedback on the book from some colleages, and by the time I finished writing Chapter 10, I had tears in my eyes. And that's a good thing. If I can generate emotion in myself when I write, then I'm bound to generate it in my readers.

I'm still shopping LILY OF THE SPRINGS around--looking for an agent and/or a publisher. I have two agents reading it, but I've pretty much given up on the first one because she's had the manuscript since October, and I haven't heard a thing. Besides, I'd rather go with the second agent because she's in New York. Anyway...bottom line--I'm not quite ready to go the self-publishing route yet. I think I'll know when it's time.

Well, that's about it for this month. Have to get back to work on INCENSE & PEPPERMINTS. Don't forget to go to my website and enter my monthly contest to win a copy of one of my books and a custom-made necklace set from Beautiful Evening Beads. You can check out my a sampling of my jewelry pieces at http://www.etsy.com/shop/Beautifuleveningbead. I have my first craft fair tomorrow at the Culpeper Street Festival. Wish me luck! :)

Have a great May!

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