Starting Over ~ Fingers on the Keyboard

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Linda Barrett

Toot the old horn…or not? Warning: blatant self-promotion coming up!

Writers live in a cave of their own making. Caves are necessary because writing is done alone. Sometimes, it’s lonely work. At other times, the characters are so alive, so in your face, filling the cave with chatter, chatter, chatter. Perhaps too much of a good thing 🙂

My goal as a writer is to come out of the cave’s darkness and into the light of day. I’m talking about PUBLICATION. What satisfaction! What accomplishment! What j-o-y…. Oh, yeah? Not so fast, my friends. After giving birth to the baby, what happens next? How do we cave-dwellers know if anyone likes or appreciates or cares about our beautiful labor of love?

We don’t know. Except for two things: reviews and sales. Personal emails are nice too, but we live for reviews. They are the only feedback we get after sending our child nekked into the world. So, now I’ll share with you what some readers and reviewers are saying on Amazon about my newest babies starting with the novel, Family Interrupted:

This one’s also on my shelf! And in my e-reader.

Barbara, a reader, says: Read this book! Amazing book. From beginning to end it keeps your interest.

Bookaweek, a review site: I’ll read more by Linda Barrett.

Sue, a reader, says: I loved this book. I was so hoping for a happy ending, and it was better than I had hoped for.

Detra Fitch, Huntress Reviews: An emotional roller-coaster ride

Allison, a reader, says: Great story! Ms. Barrett’s writing is engaging and her character’s are very real.

FAMILY INTERRUPTED received 4 and 5 star reviews from these readers and others. Nothing less. Just check the reviews on Amazon and see for yourself. So, I’m happy and proud. And hope that you’ll help me spread the word about the book.

Available October 3rd

HOPEFULLY EVER AFTER was released two weeks ago, so it hasn’t garnered as many reviews, but I’m very pleased with what’s been said so far:

Joni Rodgers, NYT bestselling author says: Linda Barrett’s frank, funny memoir delivers an honest account of her difficult journey…Highly recommending for the newly diagnosed.

Jane Perrine, author and reader gave it 5 stars! She says: Emotional tale beautifully told. …Linda’s strength and wit kept me reading. She’s completely honest and shares intimate details of those years but not in a way to make the reader uncomfortable.

And now we come to Celebrate! my youngest offering, an anthology only five days old: Welcome to the world, baby! You’re beautiful. Sweet. Romantic. And full of second chances at love. Not to mention a great line up of writers starting with NYT Bestselling author, Barbara McMahon who’s accompanied by award winning Rogenna Brewer, Deb Salonen, Karen Sandler and moi. No reviews yet. But I’m sure readers who love the stories will jot a sentence or two on the Amazon and BN boards. It’s just a matter of time. Who could resist a beautiful face like yours?

So today I’m spreading the word that this cave dweller yearns for some honest feedback. Am I tootin’ my own horn? Let’s look at it another way. Do moms brag about their kids? You can be the judge!

As always, thank you for stopping by. I hope to see you for the next edition of Starting Over–and on Facebook, too.

OCTOBER CONTEST: Two winners in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Post a comment and your name will be entered in this month’s drawing for two of the books shown below and a $25 gift certificate to either Amazon or BN. Your choice!

Starting Over ~ Meet the Authors of CELEBRATE!

Posted on August 27, 2013 by Linda Barrett

CELEBRATE! – A five story anthology plus a novella about holidays we celebrate throughout the year. All written by authors of On Fire Fiction.

I feel like I’m hosting a party, introducing people who I know will turn out to enjoy each other’s company. At least in the world of books. Wonderful authors matched with enthisastic readers. That’s what I call a party. Of course, it used to be called a book signing…but I think that’s evolved to its electronic versions–blogs and other social media. To me, it’s all good as long as writers and readers connect.

It’s time to connect with Dee Davis who’s favorite genre is romantic suspense. She’s written lots of them. Has won awards for them. Somehow, she figured out how to combine a thriller with holiday good times. With a little inspiration from one of her favorite movies, Die Hard, she managed to combine loss and hope…and a killer. Dee is the author of our stand-alone holiday novella, Still of the Night..

In another life, Dee would choose to be a rock singer, an actress or a winery owner. Hmm..is there a theme here. Maybe creativity? She loves anthologies because she usually gets to know authors who are new to her, stories she can read in an hour or so. “I’ve found amazing hew authors and worked to find copies of old anthologies with stories from authors I already loved.”

I agree with Dee. I view an anthology as a schmorgasbord of stories and authors. You can taste a little from everyone at the party. Dee Davis is part of the On Fire Fiction group of authors, but her holiday story stands on it’s own as a separate publication. Here’s a taste of Dee’s novella:

STORY TITLE: Still of the Night

FIRST LINE: “I’ll be home for Christmas…” Judy Garland crooned in surround-sound, and Jenny Fitzgerald resisted the urge to throw something.

Oh-oh. I think Jenny’s world is upside down. That’s a huge reaction to the words home and Christmas, the opposite emotions of what those words usually generate. Maybe she’s getting divorced. Maybe she lost her job. Maybe…maybe…maybe… Maybe she’d being blackmailed. I want to know more! A good first line.

We’re going to wind up this series next time with my own contribution to CELEBRATE!. As always, thank you so much for stopping by. I hope to see you for the next edition of Starting Over.

POST A COMMENT AND YOUR NAME WILL BE ENTERED INTO MY AUGUST CONTEST. THE PRIZES ARE A CHOICE OF ONE OF THE SELECTIONS BELOW AS WELL AS A $25 GIFT CERTIFICATE AT EITHER AMAZON OR BN. YOUR CHOICE!

Starting Over ~ CELEBRATE!

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Linda Barrett

CELEBRATE! A five story anthology plus a novella about holidays we celebrate throughout the year. All written by the award-winning authors of ON FIRE FICTION.

We’re continuing the celebration with my long-time friend, BARBARA MCMAHON, who I met way back when we both wrote for Superromance. At last count, over sixteen million copies of her books have sold in fifty different countries in twenty-one different languages. I am so impressed! She wasn’t always a writer. No, indeed. She began her working life in a much for glamorous profession: a flight attendant for an international airline. Well, okay. Maybe it sounds more glamorous than it really is. She worked very hard at that job, but soaked up lots of background for her books. To Barbara, however, there’s no place like home, and her favorite story locale is the American West. She’s written numerous books with cowboys as heros and plans more for the future.

So which holiday did Barbara choose to highlight? THANKSGIVING! This is what she said:

“I chose Thanksgiving as it’s one of the most American of holidays celebrated in the United States. While the official holiday was set in the 1940’s, America has a long history of celebrating by giving thanks–from the days of Jamestown and Plymouth to soon after the Revolutionary War. It’s always been a favorite of mine. I love turkey, dressing, and lots of pies for dessert!

Thanksgiving is a time for families ot gather together to celebrate harvest, another year, give thanks for all their blessings, and enjoy each other’s company. In Love With All The Trimmings, however, the family reunion planned might not be as joyful as initially anticipated when two sisters vie for the affections of the same man.”

STORY TITLE: Love With All The Trimmings

FIRST LINES: “I’m coming home for Thanksgiving!” Juliana felt her heart drop. “You’re coming here?” she squeaked.

Uh-oh. I’m thinking there’s trouble in River City. The first sentence has an exclamation point, so speaker is excited and happy. Juliana…not so much. Don’t you just love a story when the conflict starts on Page One, Paragraph One?

Barbara’s book, I’LL TAKE FOREVER, is also available now. A contemporary romance involving a DEA agent looking for cover in a small town–and finds Jenny’s house. Jenny cannot believe that anyone in her town would be involved with drugs. To learn more about Barbara, link to her website: www.barbaramcmahon.com

As always, thanks so much for stopping by. Next time at Starting Over, you’ll meet an author who’s also a cover designer. Hope to see you then.

POST A COMMENT AND YOUR NAME WILL BE ENTERED INTO THE AUGUST CONTEST. THE PRIZES ARE A CHOICE OF ONE OF THE SELECTIONS BELOW AS WELL AS A $25 GIFT CERTIFICATE TO AMAZON OR BN. YOUR CHOICE.