Catching UP!

News Flash!

The Computer is fixed, Hurrah! Hurrah!

Books that went to press, or back to press this week:

A ROSE FOR A FOREVER LOVE: A Coverton Mills Romance, by Lynette Hall Hampton
   Seth Armstrong felt obligated to marry his college sweetheatt when she became pregnant. The marriage was never a happy one and they both wanted out, but when Eve learns he’s fallen in love with someone else, she threatens to run to her home in England and never let him see his children again.

  Galleys that went out, or went out again, this  week

VENDETTA, by Ian Welch
   Ethan is alone and destitute on the other side of the world. His Dad is murdered, their business fails, his Mum unable to cope takes her own life. This is too much of a coincidence, rumors indicate one man is responsible. Ethan learns the truth, but what can he do? He is dealing with a powerful adversary, a man who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. 

WHILE I DANCED, by Lynn Slaughter
   A nerve-wracking audition for a summer ballet workshop reminds fifteen-year-old Cass how much she wishes her mom hadn’t died so young. 

LAINEE DELANEY BACK IN BUSINESS, by Frances Langley
    Lainee Delaney, social debutante turned private investigator wannabe, and substitute teacher gotta be to make ends meet, has just landed her first big case. Enter straight-laced and amazingly hot Cade Gainess, an acquaintance from Lainee's past who has done nothing but irritate her in their brief dealings with each other.   


SOLID OIL, by Russell Hunter
   The rainforest’s secret is known to a very few. But each is perfectly placed to profit from it. The secret is lithium—sometimes described as the oil of the 21st century—and the knowledge of it has spawned a crime cabal led by Vietnamese gangster-turned-investor Johnny Ho and including a diverse cast of fellow crooks.


LIVING THE CALL, by Barbara Garro
    By listening and answering God's call to serve...consider being a lifeboat and keeping people afloat. Hold out a ladder to raise people up. We are all God has to serve Him on our planet. Do you believe that? Or are you thinking God can do everything Himself?

Work began or Continued on the Following this week: 

TOBY MARTIN: STATE FAIR SECURITY, by Barbara Grengs 
   Youngster Toby Martin is back in her fifth adventure. This time she's keeping her private eye open at the State Fair.






BLEEDING HEARTS: Killian Kendal Mystery Series, Vol. 1
   Winner of the Stonewall Society's 2002 Pride in the Arts Literary Award in the Whodunit Category!

   Killian Kendall is used to being overlooked, even in his own family. That's about to change. With the arrival of a new kid at school, Killian's whole world is about to be turned upside down. The new guy is openly gay and, for reasons he can't really understand, Killian finds himself drawn to him. 

REAP THE WHIRLWIND: Killian Kendall Mystery Series, Vol. 2,  by Josh Aterovis.
   Suicide, or murder? That's the question in the second Killian Kendall mystery. Will Smith suspects murder when an old childhood pal drowns, and asks his friend Killian for help in solving the mystery.

A SNUG LIFE SOMEWHERE,  by Jan Shapin
   A Snug Life Somewhere is about Penny Joe Copper, daughter of a roustabout shingle weaver, who is caught up in a 1916 union tragedy known as the Everett Massacre. Her brother Horace is killed, as is the cousin of a radical organizer, Gabe. When her love affair with Marcel, a music student seven years her junior, is thwarted, Penny Jo is pulled into Gabe’s campaign to avenge the “Everett Martyrs.” 

A STORY BOOK, by Elena D. Bowman 
   This is a sample of literary short stories from an author who already has several books with us. The theme of the collection is a writer’s connection with the creator.

MOONLIT BAY, by Elena D. Bowman
  A Paranormal Mystery Novel.

Computer Guru's Tip

Deadlocked by a legend, Kellach must find her kidnapped mother to remove the Dark Druid's curse and save her people from the rampaging Norse. 

Computer Guru's Tip

Still working on getting all the files back, but the Guru came up with a great tip on how to avoid future viruses!

He said that Your computer's Administrator MUST BE ACTIVE in order for the Virus.exe file to be installed.

The best thing you can do is set Admininstrator as a separate User ID from you and your Personal files.  Then create a User ID in your own name and move all your information and files to that User.

Seems I had mine set as Administrator and that's all and was the cause of my many Problems. Shelley did, too, and she caught the FBI Virus last week, a sneaky bit of larceny that demands that you send someone $300 via Paypal and (They Promise!) your computer will be restored, which of course it won't.

The Guru Says, "The Administrator must be up and running to Install any virus, which if won't be, if you are set up as a separate user. Only one user runs at a time. So a virus can come in, but it won't install...

Dissappearing Holiday Zucchini Bread

At last, here's a sweet, romantic Christmas paranormal anthology! 

Each story has its unique ghost and psychic experience where holiday traditions are kept alive and a love story warms your heart. And the most delightful ghost of all, Mary Blake's Christmas rubber ball, connects the stories to give you a read that will leave you longing for more.

Dissappearing Holiday Zucchini Bread

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
  
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  
• 3 eggs

• 1 cup vegetable oil
  
• 2 1/4 cups white sugar
  
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
  
• 2 cups grated zucchini
  
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
  

Directions

1. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
   
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
   
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
   
4. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.
   
   
   You can make this ahead now, while there's plenty of fresh zucchini in the garden and freeze it. It will keep fine until the holidays--Halloween, Thanksgiving, even Christmas ... but if it disappears too soon, it' always easy to make more.

Nothing Caught!

More News!

No new book files or ready-to-go galleys available as yet.  Shelley will try to make them on her computer over the weekend.  We just had hers fixed. If that doesn't work, the guru will come Monday or Tuesday...

NEWS FLASH

NEWS FLASH

Am having major computer problems.  The guru is on the way. Meanwhile I cannot print any new files until or unless he fixes the d____d thing.

Will do Catching up tomorrow, if there is anything to catch UP.  I have galleys to go out, that I can't make files to send. I have books to typeset and e-books to make, so I can keep working behind the scenes. I just can't send any files to authors, or to the printer, until it is fixed.

Scene Structure -- writing tip

A story of two young friends who e-mail aliens on Jupiter! When their space ship arrives, so does a lot of adventure. When the space ship leaves-a special bond has been formed.

Question from the e-mail bag: Other students in my writing class say they have trouble following my scenes and one commented that I needed more "structure." Any ideas on how to do that?

Answer: Every scene has the same structure. 

Here it is:
    1. Transition, preferably with hook. Who? When? Where?  With A Problem Statement with a hook.

    2. Rising action and dialogue.  Everything that happens in the scene and in the right order.

    3. Turning point of the scene  The place where something changes forever.
        (if there's no point, the scene goes, no matter how well written)

    4. End/resolution of the scene, preferably with another hook. Usually when we come to the end of a scene,

                                           * * *


we indicate it with the double line break, at least two extra lines of "white space"  and most people use the three stars, a line, or some other indication, because if your copy ever gets sent to a publisher, who will run it through a typesetting program, that program will close up any and all the blank lines.

Once the turning point is reached, set a final hook, and the scene ends.  The Scene Ends Right There! Yes, as soon as the point is made, regardless of what else might have really happened later in real time.

Gerald Hedgerow, son of two famous writers, one a novelist and the other a poet, has finally achieved success on his own . . . or rather, with the help of Miss Grainger, his pen-named alter ego. Unfortunately, though, this sweet, even tempered agony/advice columnist offers fame at a steep price.

Miss Grainger's Favorite Recipe for Baked Beans

6 slices bacon, diced

1 cup chopped Vidalia onion

1 (16-ounce) can pork and beans, drained

1 (16-ounce) can lima beans, drained

1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 (10-ounce) package sharp cheddar cheese, cubed

1/2 cup ketchup

3 tbsp. Dijon Mustard

3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon French's Worcestershire sauce

Heat oven to 325 degrees.  In a small skillet, saute the bacon and onions until the bacon is crisp and onions are lightly browned. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add bacon-onion mixture; mix well. Pour bean mixture into a large casserole sprayed with Pam. Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.


 (Serves 8)