So Many Books--So Little Time

So many books—so little time or so it seems when I look at the stack growing on my desk. Some deserve immediate attention though. For instance:

Ellen Hopkins' books for the Young Adult audience are written in verse. [Tilt, Perfect, Collateral, Fallout – to name but a few ] A very unique and interesting style, to say the least.  Some pages the occasional words, still part of the verse, but running down one side or the other almost as a side bar, are a sentence themselves when read alone; but, they add meaning when you read the full version in verse including those words. So unique, edgy, but wonderful. She has many books, you'll think --so little time, how can I read them all.  Thank you Autumn for introducing her to our Amberg Writers Group. If you haven't seen her books yet, so a search on Amazon and be prepared to be impressed and pleased, even if you aren't a young adult. These books are good! [Amazon link http://tinyurl.com/8fqksos ]

Ellery Queen—Did you know---I'm embarrassed to say, I didn't—he is not real, he's the pseudonym of two men, Frederick Dannay and Manfred Lee. I picked up a copy of The Finishing Stroke, copyright 1958. It was recommended reading by my instructor, Carolyn Wheat, at The Long Ridge Writers Group School, because my work in progress is about twins who were separated from their brother at birth. It means they were actually triplets—strange premise I thought, perhaps, but—Ms. Wheat's suggestion to read The Finishing Stroke proves, at least to me, there are no new ideas, only new ways authors look at and choose to show them.

Novels in verse, Ellen Hopkins unique perspective, two men writing as one whom we've known forever as Ellery Queen, or even Angela Lansbury's novels written by her Murder She Wrote character, Jessica Fletcher. Creativity-- not trickery, it's uniqueness that counts.

Rip Off By Mar Preston - a review by Billie A Williams

Rip-Off, reviewed by Billie A Williams

Murder mystery by Mar Preston

ISBN 13 – 978-0-9844952-3-8

ISBN 10 098-44952-3-1

Mar Preston hits the ground running when she penned Rip-Off. "…the first forty-eight hours of a homicide investigation were golden. Mason isn't about to let his crew slack off as tired as they are, time is critical, he leaves no room for excuse for either himself or his investigators. "

Rip-Off is set in Santa Monica, California and the reader instantly can feel Mar Preston's command of the territory. Rip-Off is a different kind of mystery in that it deals with an unusual theme. While murder is not that unusual, condo embezzlement is unique. A vagrant, or a street person, found dead in an expensive condo belonging to a man of money is not usual. 

Detective Dave Mason, protagonist, has his hands full trying to tie all the loose cannons in this story into a neat non-volatile package. 

If you enjoy a good police procedural you'll enjoy working the case with the interesting characters in Rip-Off. It's a good read if you can keep the characters straight as Preston untangles the mix before your eyes.

Finding Ideas to Write About

Sometimes it seems finding ideas to write about is hard, but if we open our minds up there are things to write about everywhere.
"Find tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones and good in everything." Says William Shakespeare.
Many an enchanted forest has been fodder for a book or several. Imagine what a tree with a big nurl in the side of it looks like. My Willow tree outside my office window is such a tree. In different light, the time of day, the weather conditions that nurl looks like a million different things that could wind up as printed words on the page somewhere.

Running brooks in many ways sounds like a story teller. Listen, sit quietly at the side of a brook and listen. What message does it sing. What words does it bubble forth?

Sermons in stones - Peter the rock, comes to mind but their are others . Sticks and Stones may break my bones but names can never hurt me. Pet rocks. The Rolling Stones, musical group.

Good in everything?  Nothing happens without a reason. We need to test the skills we've been given to find the good. Imagine those people who were late for various reasons that probably stressed them out and started their day in a miserable mood when they were late to work in September 9 of 2001, they surely see the good, their blessings in that day. We may have to linger over the seeming obstacle before we see the good...but if by chance...imagine.

Did Shakespeare know something we didn't? or that we don't regularly think about?
What do you think? Comment here please.

The Capricorn Goat

Book Review of The Capricorn Goat
ISBN 1-4489-0078-6
978-1-4489-0078-7
by Billie A. Williams
　
Mystery writer, Billie A. Williams, publishes mysteries as fast as a Missile streaks across an ocean. The Capricorn Goat, one of her fairly recent releases, does not disappoint. She has assembled a book full of entertaining characters, as usual, who excite the reader and move the story forward. For the most part, these characters with such "fun" names, are intelligent, and especially, very human.

Williams’ protagonist, January Flannel, is a mystery author who finds herself immersed in an intriguing mystery which is far too real for comfort. Her good friend Sasha "Echo" Folio is accused of murder and although she entangles herself in the same danger Echo is in, January does not back away.

A quote from The Capricorn Goat gives the reader a sense of January’s loyalty to a friend and a peek into her experience as an author: "As a writer, her mind puts the pieces of the mysterious murder together in a puzzle, all the clues interlocking."
Williams stealthily cuts a slice of political intrigue into the mix. How can she explain to her teenage daughter, Taylor, why her father who suddenly disappeared many years before, has suddenly resurfaced in such a profound circumstance?

The story centers on the characters and their relationships with each other and the men that complicate their lives; the threats that curse their every day. January is run down by a "hit and run" driver which nearly takes her life, and puts her in a wheelchair. An intruder bullies his way into her house; shots are fired, bullets find their mark.

A local teenager is kidnapped. All this at Christmastime when parties are planned and shoppers fill January’s gift shop, The Capricorn Goat.

The climax will keep the reader on the edge of his seat, and all the pieces of the puzzle finally slide into place and click at the end. I promise you, The Capricorn Goat, will make you glad you sat in a cozy chair with your favorite cup of tea and submerged yourself in Billie A. Williams’ gift for writing.

Review by J. Gayle Kelly
Author of The Watermelon Patch, and other novels.

CONTEST ENDING SOON

Fin, Fur and Fatal an Ary England Mystery/Suspense -
send me an email at billie @ billiewilliams.com for a shot at winning one of these prizes:
an autographed cover flat,
a toy mommy dog with a puppy in her mouth,
a dog bookmark,
A bendable dog pen, and more.

If you buy the book send me a copy of your receipt and I will enter your name in the hat to receive the ebook of your choice from all my Wings books

You can read the first 3 chapters and see the cover on my website at www.billiewilliams.com You will get the best price on the book at Wings -
ENTER TODAY CONTEST ENDS FEBRUARY 28
hope to hear from you soon!
Billie

Single Titles ?

You'd be amazed at the good fiction that awaits you if you only knew where to look. It doesn't have to be a series to get you hooked - if you read an author, your next search could be for that author's name - there are few one book wonders in this world so you are pretty much sure to find another title by an author you love. So why not start your search here:

Hey, did you hear that SingleTitles. com has a whole new look? They have hundreds of book reviews, interviews, and lots of great excerpts. Plus, they're now featuring thrillers and mysteries. Check `em out at http://www.singletitles.com.

I know you'll find some good reading, I did.
Billie

Fearless Factor Author Interview

Interview with Jacqueline Wales,
Author of the book and workbook The Fearless Factor
By Billie A Williams
Jacqueline,
As I read your work I hear your voice as strong but never harsh. Your words come across as if you were a caring grandmother. Women are supposed to be nurturers and you certainly are that. I watched your video and felt immediately attracted by your charisma.

1.Could you tell us what was, or was there a single event that turned your life around? That made you let go of fear and grip life by the horns and take charge?
Jacqueline
I'm not sure there was a single incidence. Fear has been such an important feature of my life given my background of violence, but I was aware one day when my daughter was about six months old of having an incredible screaming fight with my husband as she sat below us looking on in amazement at these two people who had completely lost it, and then seeing her wide-eyed stare and understanding that my life was out of control. That was a defining moment of 'I better get some help, or I'm going to destroy the next generation."
2. You mention that we parade around covering our fear with things like procrastination, depression and such, what would you say to someone who really does think they have that knot in their stomach when faced with doing something outside their comfort zone?
Jacqueline
The knot in stomach is our resistance. We know we must do something different, but we are afraid because we don't know what that looks like. We resist change because somehow it is seen as threatening to our lifestyle, our relationships, our current way of being, but the resistance causes us far more problems than we know. I also like to say that fear is our alarm bell. When the fear bell rings in our stomach, that's when we pay attention. What am I avoiding, what do I need to do differently here?
3. Your book and workbook, and your website have such a plethora—such a vast wealth of information it’s hard to know where to start. What or where would you tell a beginner, someone who thinks, “Hey you might be right,” where would you tell them to start in their recovery or discovery of being fearless?
Jacqueline
I like to say that being fearless is not the absence of fear, but the choices and decisions we make when fear shows up in our lives. Fear is normal. It's a part of our existence when new things happen or when we're confronted by something outside our normal existence. So pay attention when the fear bells ring. Look at your choices. If you make the wrong one, choose again. Trust that you have the right answers even if you can't see them right away.
4. It sounds like you had a very tough life to begin with, but you don’t sound like you blame anyone for the circumstances you pulled yourself out of and through. Did you have a mentor, someone who guided or helped pull you to your feet after so many trials and tribulations?
Jacqueline
Blaming is a waste of time. When you blame others for your miserable life, or for the circumstances of your existence, you're putting out excuses. I believe there are no more excuses. We are all 100% responsible for the life we lead, even if we feel someone or something else is responsible for the unhappiness or challenges of our existence. I could have gone through my entire life blaming my parents for their lack of love, their violence, their chaos, but I realized they did what they knew how to do, and didn't stretch themselves beyond their boundaries. I learned how to forgive and have some compassion for their weakness.
5. You are now happily married and have reunited with the children you felt you had to let go for adoption. That is such a marvelous and inspiring story. Tell us a little bit about how that came about. You know, what began the journey– finding your husband, or finding your children, or finding yourself?
Jacqueline
I've been married twice. The first was to the first man who said he loved me and we had a child together. We met when I was in the middle of giving my first child up for adoption. I later walked out on both the husband and the child we had together. I knew there was something more waiting for me, but I had no idea what that was. It was a radical thing to do in those days, and I suffered a lot of disdain as a result. When I met my second husband, I was in the deepest pit of despair at having left my child behind with his father, and I had tremendous self-loathing. It took seven years together before I was willing to commit to having another child and I said before she was born that "I would leave her before she left me." She graduated college in June of this year. I then went on to become stepmother to my second husband's daughter, a complete stranger at the age of 10 from Thailand, and then have another child with him. She is about to start college. My son, who was left with his father, became very close to me and we now have a wonderful, healed relationship. Throughout it all, I have done my best to live my life as best I can, becoming a role model for all those children. It was clear that I had to become healthy so my children could be healthy. I've made that my mantra for the last 30 years.
6. “Life is not about finding the answers; it’s about asking the right questions”. I have been reading a book called Power vs Force and it echoes that statement. It says that there can be no question asked unless you already have the answer inside you or you would never know to ask the question. So how do you know the question to ask yourself? What did you ask yourself that started your journey back to life and living?

Jacqueline
What do you want? Where in your life do you want to make a difference, and who will it benefit if you do the work that must be done? What are you willing to sacrifice? What are you ready to leave behind? What do you think is holding you back and why? These are my questions. These are the fundamental questions we must all ask when doing the work we must do. All the answers are inside of you. If you don't know the questions, then find someone who does. That's how I've managed to survive and thrive as well as I have. I've had hundreds of mentors and guides along the way. Without them, I could not have done the work I've done.
7. You seem so very well put together, so sure of what you are doing and where you are going. Do you have any doubts anymore? What is your biggest struggle today?
Jacqueline
I still have doubts. Can I really do the work I've set out to do. Am I strong enough, knowledgeable enough, disciplined enough. Ultimately, the answer is yes I am, and I stay focused on the end result. My biggest struggle is to set time aside for me. I work very hard and because of my martial arts training I can push myself further than is necessarily good for me. So I must learn to let go, let God, and trust the process of unfolding.
8. Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers on The Printed Word Blog today?
Jacqueline
Don't give in to your fears. It's your imagination on overdrive and it's simply a conditioned response. You can choose differently. It took me many years to get to where I am today, but I like to take the long road. Don' t be hard on yourself and treat yourself with kindness and compassion. The rest will follow.
9. Where can readers find you? What kind of products do you offer readers and where can they find them?
Jacqueline
If you go to http://www.thefearlessfactorbook.com where you'll find the downloadable version of the book and a study guide that accompanies it, as well as 6 hours of audio.
The print version was not complete for the tour, but you can sign up at http://www.thefearlessfactorbook.com/signup and I'll let you know when it's ready.
Or http://www.thefearlessfactor.com you will find lots of great information to help you on the way including a special gift from me called The 4 Easy Steps to Overcoming Fear.
I have a radio show each Sunday on Achieve Radio called Fearlessly Speaking http://www.achieveradio.com where I interview lots of great guests and is available to listen to on archives.
And if you'd like to get a copy of my book When The Crow Sings you can find that at http://www.amazon.com/When-Crow-Sings-Jacqueline-Wales/dp/0979859808/ref=ed_oe_p
10. Where do you go next on your blog tour?
Jacqueline
I'm traveling the blogosphere this month and next and visiting lots of different bloggers and radio interviews which I always enjoy.

Thank you so much for stopping to visit us today. I really want to thank you for helping us find a way to feel our fear and conquer it.I hope our visitors will feel free to ask questions and that you will come back and answer them when you have a chance today. Thank you again for your time and your wonderful book and workbook.

It's my pleasure and I thank your for the opportunity to speak with your visitors.

About Jacqueline Wales
Jacqueline Wales is known the world over as The Black Belt Millionaire. Her unique programs have helped women around the globe develop strong personal success, confident communication and clear visions of their goals. She is the author of five books including The Fearless Factor available at http://www.thefearlessfactorbook.com
For information on how to get YOUR copy of The Fearless Factor visit http://www.thefearlessfactorbook.com/signup.html

You Won't Want to Miss This!!

He's our friend - we'll be here!
Hint: He's not a cat!



Rajah is coming to Printed Words - He will be allowing me to interview him with his Mom. This is a one of a kind opportunity - adorable and lovable - he'll be here June 8, 2008 Please stop by tell all your friends!

An Early Valentine's Day Sale -- are you ready?

Extra, Extra – Special Valentine Bundle Sale
VALENTINE BUNDLE
In celebration of Valentine’s Day
From now until February 14, 2009

Buy either
Angeni from Red Rose Publishing OR Dark Thunder from Erotique Press

(Angeni The e-book edition available now.
Dark Thunder is available in Print or e-book now.)

And as a Bonus from the author, Cricket Sawyer, receive:
1. Valentine Express (Erotique Download)

2. Hunks and Heros from the Valentine Express Booklet (PDF file)

3. Spaghetti Variations Cook Book (PDF file)

4. Angeni Book Marks (PDF printable file)

Send your proof of purchase to Cricket at cricket@cricket-sawyer.com and she will send you your bonus items. Hurry while all the items are still available. Do it Now while you are thinking of it before the offer disappears.

ANGENI Buy Link
http://redrosepublishing.com/bookstore/product_info.php?products_id=357

Angeni weaves her web to entangle evil in its own cocoon of destruction. Shape-shifter, singer, protector her life is in turmoil, is Kaus Borealis soul mate or an evil that won’t be trapped?


DARK THUNDER Buy link
http://www.erotiquepress.com/direct/buy-erp-cs-dt.htm


Dark edgy romance, a vulnerable woman plucked from a loveless marriage. Saved, she thinks, by her dark knight. The dark knight becomes a dark warrior with problems of his own. Sucked into a spiral of bizarre behavior and terrifying consequences, she soon realizes what her vulnerability has cost her. Is there a way out?

Appropriate Reasoning

You have to admit these are perfect gifts - Books that is - The printed word will never go out of style for any gift giving reason.

--
Two pertinent lists from Jessica James, author of Shades of Gray, posted on Amazon:

Top Five Reasons Why Guys Should Give Books as Gifts

5: She can't connect with a new sweater like she can with a book.
4: Hey guys, they're easy to wrap!
3: They come in all sizes, shapes and colors--what could be easier?
2: It's cheaper than a romantic getaway but can produce the same result.
1: Books are gifts of love and joy--and can create everlasting memories.

Top Five Reasons Why Girls Should Give Books as Gifts:

5: They're easy to store--on coffeetables, bookshelves, nightstands or countertops.
4: They never go bad no matter how long they're stored--and they can be used quickly or savored over time.
3: Books can teach, educate, entertain--and distract him from football.
2: It's a small investment that can return dividends for life.
1: Books are the perfect gift of enjoyment that don't require him to leave his chair.

[Thanks to Traci A. Lower.]
Billie

New Virtual Book Tour Site Launch on Feb 1, 2008

New Virtual Book Tour Site Launch on February 1

Many people have heard about virtual book tours, sometimes called virtual author tours or virtual blog tours. They are a new and exciting way for authors to "tour" the internet - without leaving their home.

Imagine... you can meet potential readers from all over the internet and potential all over the world and you don't need to leave your home and family. In addition, a virtual tour is much more reasonably priced than the plane tickets, hotel rooms, meals etc that you need to buy for a book tour on the ground.

Authors and readers are all invited to visit the new virtual book tour site. There are over 100 articles and interviews to help authors learn more about book promotion. There are a number of web pages that were created by our tour site sponsors - they offer many products and services that could be beneficial for you. (If you would like to become a sponsor, please contact me at nikki_leigh22939@yahoo.com for more information.)

What's different about this book tour option? While our featured authors will visit other blogs throughout the month, each tour stop will be posted on the book tour site. Visitors who come to the site have the option of reading any or all of the information about the books and the author in one central location. So, whether you arrive at the tour on day 1 or the last day, you can easily catch up on all the details that each author wants to share with you. Each visitor has a choice about how they want to learn about the feature authors. I encourage you to visit the site frequently to find out what new information has been posted. The links which are posted below, take you to each author's tour page. All posts about their books are linked to these pages and are easy to access.

So, what books are we featuring in February? Here's some information about the authors you will meet during the month. They have all posted some information on the site and much more will be posted throughout the month.

Earl Ofari Hutchingson - The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House http://www.inspiredauthor.com/promotion/Earl+Hutchinson+-+Feb+2008
The Ethnic Presidency is an explosive look at how racial and ethnic conflict has openly and covertly played a crucial role over the past three decades in influencing, shaping and ultimately deciding who bags the world's biggest political prize, the White House. It explains how racial politics is playing an even bigger role in the 2008 presidential election and future elections.

Steven Clark Bradley - Nimrod Rising
http://www.inspiredauthor.com/promotion/steven-clark-bradley-author-nimrod-rising

Have you ever felt that the world was guided in ways that are beyond man's control? The constant changes in the world since the time of Nimrod 4000 years ago until today and all the events that have shaken the world have been to bring the universe back into the hands of the Prince of Darkness, Lucia, a world that he had ruled with his Watchers before it was all ripped from his grasp when man was created. Nimrod Rising paints a diabolical picture of how the Prince of Darkness executes his evil plot to take the world back by force and destroy civilization in the process. From the Great Builder Nimrod in 4000 BC to today, 666 generations later, you can ride the storm of Nimrod Rising and experience the death of a world and the birth pangs of another. You will swear it is really upon us!

Virginia Vassallo - Unsung Patriot: Guy T. Viskniskki How The Stars and Stripes Began
http://www.inspiredauthor.com/promotion/Virginia+Vassallo
The Unsung Patriot is the biography of Guy T. Viskniskki, the dynamic first officer-in-charge and editor-in-chief of The Stars and Stripes newspaper. Based in part on Guy's unpublished autobiography describing the first difficult months of the paper, his granddaughter's knowledge of the family verbal history paints a picture of a complex man. A devoted husband and father, Guy was unable to show the love he felt for his family. Guy poured his time and talent in the newspaper business. His knowledge and energy made the Army's newspaper a reality and his doctrine of "by and for the soldiers" still is the guiding light of the Stars and Stripes.

I want to extend an invitation for each person to visit the site and learn more about each of these authors and their books. I invite readers and authors to register on the site and create a profile page to tell us more about yourself. Also, feel free to post a comment about any of the posts or post an introduction on the forums. If you have questions, feel free to contact me at nikki_leigh22939@yahoo.com.

I look forward to meeting many new people.

Nikki Leigh
Author of the Book Promo 101 Series
www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm

Atlantic City; Ewando, South Africa, Ironwood Michigan,

ATLANTIC CITY; EWANDO, SOUTH AFRICA AND IRONWOOD, MICHIGAN
(What do they have in common?)
by Billie A Williams
Reading one of Eric Maisel’s Sunday newsletter/notes is always an education, always interesting and mind opening. Today Eric is visiting New York City. From describing the rental unit he is rent/borrowing from a retired doctor on a trip of her own to another part of the US – to his trip to other parts of New York he intrigues, enlarges your life, and provides fodder for thought. I dare not miss his inspiration for the week. Here is a tidbit of what he had to say today

“…Atlantic City. We walk into a pitch-dark casino where a five-storey-tall animated vulture is saying something. The boardwalk is broiling and you can't actually see the ocean, as the boardwalk is separated from the ocean by dunes; and between each casino is a strange patch of shanty housing that you aren't supposed to notice.”

I don’t know about you, but that absolutely had my visual creativity on edge – the part about the “strange patch of shanty housing,” reminds me of so many places where the locals have become so used to a particular eye sore that they no longer see it. Is the shanty housing slums? Are they squatters? I’m curious right away. What is Eric’s picture of shanty housing? Is it the same as mine? If I wrote to ask him, I’m sure he would answer right away, but I’m stubborn that way—I want my vision. I want it to match what I wrote about in my South African Adventure Novel,Tung Umolomo. Or, at the very least, the shanty town under the bridge in my Knapsack Secrets. (You can read 1st chapters of each on my website at http://www.billiewilliams.com/ )

You see the shanty town in South Africa’s make believe space beyond Ewando are tin and cardboard hovels that the locals working in the city have constructed because they aren’t allowed to live in the ‘white’ housing. They must commute to work for minimal wages, in jobs that no one else will work hard enough to fill. The picture of these shanty towns with children playing in the dirt streets in stagnant water puddles – where no central plumbing is available, makes me cringe. My heart nearly breaks for these children.

The shanty town in Knapsack Secrets is under a highway overpass. Motorists, oblivious to the shattered lives below, race past to their day to day ‘important’ stuff while below, people are starving, people are hurting with no health care, children are playing in the dirt and learning their lessons from parents too stressed and too distraught to concentrate on anything but where their next meal will come from. These sights break my heart too.

They are both fictional, but they are both also very real in our world. As is the case for many, if not most homeless people—it was chance, not choice that put them in these circumstances. If my books can spark a tiny bit of empathy in people’s hearts to try to help make these conditions disappear – I will have fulfilled my purpose in this life.

As for Eric Maisel – look him up at Amazon or wherever good books are sold or do a Google search on his name. He will make you think, challenge your beliefs and goad you, very gently and almost without your knowing, into making a difference in some small corner of your world.

===============================================
Feel free to use this article in your newsletter or magazine as long as you keep the resource box with it. Thank You!
Billie A Williams is an award winning mystery/suspense author.
http://www.billiewilliams.com/
http://onewomansgarden.blogspot.com/
http://printedwords.blogspot.com/
www.YouTube.com/basbleau43