December 15, 2000
Volume 1 No. 14
ISSN 1530-5287
E-Book Ecstasy
~ Welcome ~
I wish all of you a safe and wonderful Christmas and a
Happy New Year.
*Featured E-Author:
Linda Bleser (Enchanted Cottage)
*Featured E-Publisher:
Jason Laseman Abby the Troll Publications, LLC
The Wandering Troll Fantasy Webzine
*Behind The Scenes
Leta Nolan Childers (Best selling author of "The Best Laid
Plans.")
As always my special thanks to Eva and Tracy.
There is no review from Tracy Eastgate who has been ill.
**Our thoughts and well wishes for a quick recovery, Tracy!**
***************************************************
Content:
Special Announcement
Sponsors
Featured E-Authors
Featured E-Publisher
Behind the Scene
Eva's Cooking with Passion
Tracy's Book Corner
New Release
Classified
***NOTE***
This month has been very busy, so if I missed your new release
or your announcement please email me at ebooksecstasy@yahoo.com
and it will appear in January 15th issue. Thank you.
***************************************************
***ATTENTION***
E-AUTHORS and E-PUBLISHERS-We are now scheduling for 2001.
If you would like to contribute an article to us, please
contact me so that we can get all the details worked out.
***************************************************
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:
Subject: Indie e-Authors Celebrate the Holidays By Playing
Santa Contact: Leta Nolan Childers, Bstseller1@aol.com;
Linda Bleser, lbleser@nycap.rr.com: or Jim Farris,
For immediate release.
Franklin eBookman Handhelds Selected as Grand Prizes in e-
Authors Event
A record number of independent e-authors have selected the
Franklin eBookman as the grand prize in their latest
promotional event designed to bring awareness to books in
electronic bindings and to thank those readers who have
already discovered the wealth of quality fiction and non-fiction
available in e-books. Three eBookmans will be given as grand
prizes as well as other terrific gifts. More than 85 independent
e-authors and indie e-publishers are celebrating the holiday
season by participating in the event.
"What a wonderful time to celebrate," said best selling indie e-
author Leta Nolan Childers. "It's a glorious time. Sales of our
e-books have never been better. More and more readers are
discovering the delights of books in electronic bindings.
There's a terrific new device hitting the market that will allow
readers to enjoy not only our books but music and many other
things on the eBookman from Franklin. It's the season of
sharing--and so we want to share with readers, those who
already know us and those we'd like to introduce ourselves to."
The authors represent about every venue of e-publishing
imaginable--those published with royalty-paying, non-subsidy
e-publishers, those self-published and those subsidy-published.
They also represent a wide variety of genres and subjects--from
cookbooks to classic science fiction to humor to mystery and
suspense. To date, this appears to be the largest group effort
created in the publishing world of independent authors-either
traditionally or e-published.
"We wanted to achieve several things with this event," said
Linda Bleser, author of "The Chance You Take." "We wanted
to create a game that was fun for us as well as fun for the
player. We also wanted to create a positive and uncomplicated
game that would entertain as well as introduce ourselves."
The Happy Holidays game is easy to play. The entry form is
located at
Contestants click on a participant's name. A new browser
window opens to display the participant's holiday page which
includes a game piece. On the game piece is the name of a
holiday gift. The contestant then just enters the name of the gift
on the entry form. The winners are selected from those who
have the most correct gifts identified on their entry form. The
contest begins November 1, 2000 and will conclude December
31, 2000.
"You may have seen or even participated in other holiday
events, but they all pale in comparison to this contest. It's free
to enter, easy and fun to play, and the prizes are just incredible.
The Franklin eBookman is at the cutting edge of electronic
reader technology, and will be a cherished addition to anyone's
household," said Jim Farris, multimedia author of "Pandora's
Box."
Among the other prizes offered for the promotion are a camera,
a boombox, electronic personal organizers and tons of ebooks,
generously donated by the authors and publishers involved.
More prizes will be added to the bag of prizes throughout the
event.
More information about the Happy Holidays event can be
Information about the Franklin eBookman can be accessed at
Publisher and author participants and their immediate relatives
are prohibited from playing. In the event of a tie, winners will
be selected by random drawing of those who have completed
and correct entries. Contest void where prohibited. Contest
entry forms will be destroyed following the selection of the
winners and will not be used for marketing purposes.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Wordbeams is brimming with festive holiday specials for
December. Aside from special pricing on many books, there
are numerous gifts with purchase and lots of other surprises.
Among them is a very special LETTER FROM SANTA,
(created by Santa's helper, Daisy Dexter Dobbs) complete with
coloring page and activity sheet. All ready to print out and
personalize with your child's name. Come see what else
Wordbeams has in its holiday bag of goodies in December at
Title: MERRY MUSINGS: A HOLIDAY ANTHOLOGY
A portion of the proceeds for this anthology will be donated to
The Portland Rescue Mission in Portland Oregon. This facility
ministers to a diverse homeless population that includes the
mentally ill, drug addicts, disabled individuals, and veterans.
The organization's services and programs include serving
meals, providing shelter beds, distributing clothing, supplying
shower facilities and toiletries, providing referrals to
appropriate agencies, running rehabilitation programs,
providing vocational training, and assisting with job searches.
***More details can be found in the New Release section***
******************
And They Can Cook, Too!
In the Kitchen With Wordbeams Authors
Since 1977 battered women and children have been coming to
Raphael House for safety, advocacy, and support. Through a
myriad of programs including children's programming, a 24-
hour crisis line, case management, an emergency shelter, and
Oregon's first transitional and long-term low-income housing
programs for battered women, Raphael House has become
Oregon's most comprehensive domestic violence intervention
agency for women and children made homeless by domestic
violence. In 1999 alone, Raphael House served more than
3,500 women and children by giving them the opportunity to
build a self-sufficient life, free from violence.
***More details can be found in New Releases section***
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Dream Realm Award Winners:
Horror category :
Graverobbers Wanted (No Experience Necessary) by Jeff Strand
Experimental:
Demon Lake, Luna Lake by Joel Shaper (CrossroadsPub.Com)
Children's Books:
Under a Bear Moon by Carrie Masek (Hard Shell Word Factory)
Cover Art:
Darkers by Denise Ruzich (Hard Shell Word Factory)
Anthology:
A Creative Edge: Tales of Speculation by Steve Lazarowitz
(CrossroadsPub.Com)
Science Fiction:
Heroes Need a Captain by Sharon L Reddy
(CrossroadsPub.Com)
Fantasy:
Guardian of the Continuum by Joey Hill (Dark Star Publications)
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A Special Announcement From: Tracie Clark
I'd like to offer an invitation to submit your unpublished novel
To Starlight Writer Publications, Dark Star Publications and
Pulsar Books.
Starlight Writer Publications
We are actively looking for Gothic (Gothic Mansion Imprint),
Regency (StarSapphire Imprint), Historical (StarDust Imprint),
Historical Mystery (BlazingStar Imprint), Romantic Comedy
(Sunlight Imprint), Romantic Thrillers (DeadlyKisses Imprint),
Romantic Mystery (MoonShadow Imprint), Fantasy (MoonStar
Imprint), Romantic Science Fiction (StarFarer Imprint),
Paranormal and Time Travel (StarryNight Imprint) AND our
two new Imprints of StarShine - Older heroine love story and
our new Anthology group - Tales of the Spirit and Hope, Love
and Redemption.
Authors can send a detailed query letter and synopsis to
subs@starpublications.com for any of the above Imprints at
Starlight Writer Publications.
Pulsar Books is open for submissions for all of it's General
Fiction genres of Action, Espionage, Military, History, Western,
Horror, Fantasy, Mystery and Suspense and Thriller. All
submissions to Pulsar Books are to be sent to
subs@pulsarbooks.com. Please include a detailed query letter
and synopsis.
Dark Star Publications
Dark Star Publications is looking for submissions in the
following categories:
Dark Science Fiction/Fantasy (includes Sword & Sorcery)
Dark Futuristic/Fantasy (SFR'S--Includes Dark Romantic
Futuristic/Fantasy) Dark Romantic (Includes Romantic
Paranormal and Romantic Time Travel) Thriller/Suspense
Horror Anthologies
Please send all submissions with a detailed query letter,
synopsis and the first chapter of your submission in the body of
the email to publisher@darkstarpublications.com.
Our current guidelines for books being submitted are:
MANUSCRIPT FORMATTING GUIDELINES/SUBMISSION
FORMATTING GUIDELINES
Single spaced
No page numbers
No Footer
ONLY THE TITLE OF THE BOOK in the header
ALL underlined words or phrases changed to ITALICS
Cover page to include in the Upper Left Hand Corner:
Author's Name
Author's Address
Author's Phone Number
Author's FAX Number, if available
Author's E-mail Address
Cover Page to include Centered vertically and horizontally:
Title of Manuscript
By-Line
Genre -- VERY IMPORTANT!
Word Count
In addition there should be no white space at the top of the first
page of each chapter. It's not needed in e-publishing. CHAPTER
(NUMBER) should be centered at the top of the first page of
each chapter. A hard page break should be at the bottom of the
last page of each chapter. For ease of reading use TIMES NEW
ROMAN 12.
Please do not use HTML.
Word 6.0/95 or above
Word Perfect 6.0 or above
Rich Text Format
We prefer that the book not be too gory or have graphic
violence. We especially loathe books which victimize women
and children or feature cruelty to animals.
We ask that the level of sexuality be appropriate to the material.
SWP/DSP and Pulsar rates its books for its readers, following
the classic motion picture scale from G to R. We do not do X-
rated books or erotica. This is not to say that an author can't get
fairly steamy, but it must be appropriate for the material, not
forced into the narrative just to make the book more saleable. It
won't. At least, not here it won't.
Write the kind of love scenes you feel comfortable with -
anywhere on that G to R scale and the odds are we'll be fine
with it, too!
We break a lot of rules about content and theme and plotting
here at SWP/DSP and Pulsar, but we still believe in love, happy
endings and the triumph of good over evil. And that is what we
want to see!
Because of the greater freedom with enovels, our word count is
Generally 50,000-150,000 words, though we will look at longer
books when the story warrants the length. The MINIMUM
length is 50,000. The exception being for young adult and
middle reader books.
You may pass this email on to anyone that would be interested.
Please contact me with any questions.
Thanks,
Tracie Clark
Director of Marketing
Romance Foretold, Inc. http://www.romfort.org
Starlight Writer Publications http://www.starpublications.com
Dark Star Publications http://www.darkstarpublications.com
Pulsar Books http://www.pulsar.com
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Millennial Milestones: A Celebration of Change:
Eighteen celebrated authors have come together to celebrate
the changes of a century and to aid the cause of diabetes
education and research. (100% of the proceeds of this book
will be donated to that cause.)
(Available in download formats only)
***************************************************
SPONSORS:
Subscribe to BEAMINGS!
"Beamings" is the official newsletter of Wordbeams, the
brightest star in electronic publishing. Our books offer top-
uality fiction and nonfiction in electronic format via download
(e-mail attachment) and on diskette.
Subscribers will learn all about our new releases; get the latest
news about Wordbeams authors; and find out about
Wordbeams contests, special offers, and promotions. Beamings
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month. Subscribe to our newsletter and find out why we're
beaming!
Subscribe: Beamings-subscribe@egroups.com
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List owner: Beamings-owner@egroups.com
URL to Beamings page at egroups:
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
TracysBookReviews: Is a place where authors, publishers,
reviewers and readers can all get together to discuss and
promote books and things around books. Everyone is free to
post promotions, reviews, new releases, etc, as long as it
pertains to books. Authors and Publishers can promote their
sales or contests they may be having. We can discuss books,
reviews, how we feel things are going, things we would like to
see happen, help people network with new ideas, share
experiences and support each other. Email volume changes on
a daily basis, sometimes it is quiet now, but on occasion we do
post quite a bit.
Everyone is welcome to join by simply sending a blank email
to: TracysBookReviews-subscribe@egroups.com and if you
need help in changing from regular emails to digest format,
please email me and let me know. If you have any questions
about this group, please feel free to contact me at:
mailto:teastgate2@home.com and I will get back to you as
soon as I can. Thank you, Tracy.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
LOVE to read? Feel naked without a BOOK?
Subscribe to WORD OF MOUTH--free book review
newsletter! The place where regular people share their all-time
favorite reads and a little about themselves so that you can
decide if you share their taste. SUBSCRIBE at:
word_of_mouth-subscribe@egroups.com or learn more at our
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ebook Junction is the official newsletter of Bridge Works
Publishing focusing on e-publishing; Reviews of ebooks
including interviews with authors; Writing and e-publishing
resources, news, sites for research and advice, in depth look at
various ebook software and exploration as to how much growth
will occur in the e-publishing arena and what direction it will
take; To subscribe send mailto:
subject=subscribe Or visit my website to subscribe here:
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
E-Book Of The Week
E-published authors write wonderful books. This is why I am
an avid reader of e-books. To promote the growing number of
talented authors, I created a feature on my homepage where I
highlight a new e-book every week. I wish there were more
weeks in a year. Please check out this great service for readers
and writers. The URL is:
You can sign up to my announcement list by sending a blank
e-mail to: e-bookoftheweek-subscribe@egroups.com
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
AllAboutMurder announces the kick off in September of their
newsletter, AAM in the News, following their one year
anniversary. We have a bit of something for everyone. Like
murder, suspense, thrills, and a bit of romance? Check out our
monthly updates from movies, to books, to writers tibbits, to
quizzes and polls. Interested? Check out our page at:
subscribe directly at:
AAM_in_the_News-subscribe@egroups.com You need not be
a member of AllAboutMurder to subscribe! Hope to have you
join in the fun!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
E-Books Rock!
Quickly becoming the largest "eBook only" directory on the
net, E-Books Rock! brings you much more than hundreds of
books from dozens of publishers. E-Books Rock! also delivers
right to your screen: book excerpts, contact info, lists of
authors in your area, awesome contests, and the weekly "What
The Hell...?" question! This site takes you into the author's
world with in depth and informative interviews that asks
thought provoking questions such as, "If you could vote
members off of Gilligan's island, who would get the boot
first?" or "Are blondes really more fun?" Of course, authors
talk about their books too!
If you haven't visited E-Books Rock!, you're missing out! Open
24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Drop in for a visit!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Marketing eBooks Newsletter: is your guide to selling more
books. With proven strategies for marketing your ebooks,
interviews with best-selling authors, Bright Ideas that really
work, e-publishing industry news and much more, this list is
the weapon you need to help you sell more books. Don't miss
any more sales--subscribe today! Send any e-mail to:
***************************************************
(1) FEATURED E-AUTHOR:
Before and After "The Call"
By: Linda Bleser
(Originally published in "The Inside Track" newsletter of the
Saratoga Romance Writers)
It happens overnight. After working for many months or years,
you get THE CALL. Suddenly you've moved into the rarified air
of the published author. You don't feel any different. Inside
you're the same person you were yesterday, but now the world
perceives you in a new light. Your words have more weight,
your opinion is sought out, your advice is more valid. You are
now the Keeper of the Secret Knowledge. It doesn't matter that
you're not completely sure what that secret knowledge is, or that
there's a treacherous voice in the back of your mind insisting it's
all a fluke. You wake in a cold sweat convinced that someone
somewhere will discover their mistake and the next phone call
will be, "Oops, sorry. You're not the Linda Bleser we were
looking for."
But that never happens. Before you can catch your breath, you're
catapulted onto a publishing roller coaster that convinces you this
is real. It has to be real, otherwise why are you spending 23
hours a day working on cover art, bios, interviews, marketing
and promotion? And that's when you realize that you have
changed. It's a subtle psychological change. You've gone from
having everything to gain, to having everything to lose. There
are people whose livelihood depends on your book -- editors,
agents, artists, publishers and booksellers. Your book. That
sacred, secret repository of all your hopes and dreams which
you've clutched protectively to your heart, safe from the slings
and arrows of reviewers and disgruntled readers. Your book.
Only it's no longer yours alone. It belongs to the people who
have put their faith in you, and to those readers that trust you to
entertain them and hold them enthralled from first page to last.
There's more. These same people now expect you to write
another book. Easy enough, right? You're a writer. That's what
you do. But suddenly your available writing time has dwindled,
encroached upon by marketing time, promotion time, galley
reading time, book-signing time, ARC-making time...not to
mention all the lists you feel you have to belong to in order to
keep up with this business which has now become your career.
You begin to long for those carefree days when you could write
at your leisure, without the pressure of looming deadlines.
Worse yet, there's a devil of doubt squatting on your shoulder.
He snickers in your ear that you can't possibly do it again, that
you'll never be able to pull all those random stray thoughts and
story ideas into a fully-formed cohesive plot, that the words will
never flow as effortlessly, that you'll never come up with an idea
as compelling. He taunts you mercilessly, predicting that you'll
never make a second sale. It took ten years to sell the first one,
didn't it? What makes you think you can sell the second one any
sooner?
But you can. How do I know? I'm the Keeper of the Secret
Knowledge, remember? And that knowledge is simply this -
trust the process. The same magical, mysterious force that pulled
all the tenuous threads of your story together into one beautifully
woven tapestry still smolders inside you. Yes there's more
pressure now, but you have an army of supporters who have
invested their time and effort into your success. They want you
to succeed as much as you do. You also have the benefit of those
five, ten, or fifteen years of experience. You have the benefit of
what you learned during those endless revisions. So trust the
process. You can do it again, and you will do it over and over
and over again. Because you're a writer -- the same writer you
were before you received the call. Well almost. You're a little
more frazzled, a little less dewy-eyed, and a whole lot more
experienced. Oh yes, and you're also the Keeper of the Secret
Knowledge. Pass it on.
Linda Bleser
Author of: Enchanted Cottage
***************************************************
FEATURED E-PUBLISHER
What Next?
By: Jason Laseman
Abby the Troll Publications, LLC
The Wandering Troll Fantasy Webzine
In late 1992 and early 1993, the Internet became a commercial
success. We started with simple html and graphics. Sound files
quickly entered and animations came alongside. These basics
tools set the foundation for what has blossomed (okay, maybe
exploded) into today's web. While there are an infinite number
of new tools and capabilities, some fun and helpful, others just a
pain in the butt, the foundation is still the same.
We can browse with any number of simple browsers and read to
our hearts content. Graphics make a pleasant accompaniment,
and occasionally a sound file or two spice things up. It takes a
creative combination of accenting tools, together with the
basics, to produce an enjoyable and attractive website.
In the electronic publishing business, we have created some
very basic tools and devised a simple platform for an alternative
reading experience. Ebooks are produced in a variety of easy to
use formats, two popular formats being html and PDF. A
number of practical reading instruments have been invented to
accommodate these formats, one of the most common being the
Rocket Ebook.
It would seem that between common ebook formats and handy
reading devices, a new and comparable reading experience
would have been presented. But is the new reading experience
better than the old?
Most people will say no, for a variety of reasons. One reason is
cost. Most of the new hand-held reading devices are too
expensive for the casual reader. Let's not kid ourselves about
this, if we want ebooks to take off, we have to attract the casual
reader-the person who walks into a bookstore once every few
months and picks up something to kill a few hours a week.
While one person spending $25.00 a year on books is not too
impressive, several million casual readers add up quickly. Why
would a person spend $150.00 on an electronic ebook reader,
only to read four or five ebooks a year with it? They won't.
That's one problem. Luckily, some answers are on the way. The
year 2001 will see the introduction of several more reasonably
priced reading devices. While $80.00-$100.00 is still expensive,
the fact that the cost will be dropping by 50% in one year is
impressive, and shows we are making progress.
Something that is in the favor if electronic publishing, is the
variety of original novels available in electronic format. While
New York publishers are stuck producing the same novel with a
different author's name on the cover, time and time again,
epublishers are taking the risk of producing off-the-wall
manuscripts that never would have been considered for
traditional publication. Not to say that everything available in
electronic format is of the speculative nature, there are many
novels that fit into traditional genres, written by talented people
who didn't want to squeeze themselves into the mold of print,
and instead made the decision to stick with their vision and
opted for the electronic format. Simply put, readers have more
choices of what kind of literature they want to read when
dealing with electronic publishers.
Assuming that the problem of cost is dealt with over the next
year or two, and hand-held readers become something many
people can afford, and news of ebooks continues to grow, we
could be looking at an even playing field in a few years. It will
become a realistic expectation that people can choose between a
print book, and an ebook, for roughly the same cost.
But will this make the average reader switch from print to
electronic publications? Not necessarily. Some with switch for
the novelty of something new. Others will switch because of the
variety of literature available. But most will not be swayed until
they are shown a definite advantage.
That's where our creative thinking becomes invaluable. It's up
to us, the writers and publishers, with help from readers, to
continually push for advancements in the field of ebooks.
Writers write because they enjoy it. Publishers publish because
they think they know what others will enjoy reading. But lets
face it, readers are the people who spend their money on our
products and allow us to continue chasing out dreams. We
always need to keep the reader in mind, constantly thinking of
ways to improve the reading experience for them.
I would propose initiating a dialog with readers of ebooks to
find out what they enjoy about the experience, and what they
don't. Then take it even further and discuss what they would
like out of the experience. I think the reader is often left out of
the development process, a critical mistake.
You can create a hand-held device that screams, shouts, dances,
and gives of odors to accompany the story, but what good is it if
the readers don't want a smelly, loud, obnoxious break from reality?
As a comparison, I'm not implying that java script is
inherently unpleasant, but I personally find that it is often
sluggish and annoying. Sure, neat things can be done with it,
but when it gets down to it, I really don't care, I don't want it
displayed, it's a waste of my time.
By continuing to develop tools that enhance the readers reading
experience, while not being overly burdening, we can develop
the electronic experience into something that will not only rival
the print reading experience, but will offer so much more that it
won't even be a question as to whether to buy a book, or an
ebook. This will be the value added that takes the electronic
reading experience above and beyond the print experience,
giving casual and skeptical readers reason to switch to ebooks.
If you are a writer, continue to pursue your dream and write the
novel that you want to write. If you are a publisher, keep
pushing forward, looking for ways to improve your products.
And if you are a reader, please, let publishers know what you
like and don't like about their products. Don't be afraid to fire
off that email. We have the basic foundation in place. Now it is
a matter of tweaking things, making subtle changes, and finding
the perfect combination of literature and electronics.
Jason Laseman, December, 2000
Abby the Troll Publications, LLC
The Wandering Troll Fantasy Webzine
***************************************************
BEHIND THE SCENE
Leta Nolan Childers
The holiday season is my favorite time of the year, and I truly
enjoy including this time of year in the fiction I write. I've
discovered that quite by accident many of the traditions my
family has enjoyed for years find their way into my books...as
well as some of the more colossal foibles that have occurred.
Hey, it's why I write comedy.
This year one of the books near to my heart is being released.
Called "The Ornament," it is the story of an heirloom passed
from one generation to the next. It begins at the turn of the
previous century, 1899, and progressively follows each
generation right through to the next of this past century, 1999.
While each of the stories included in "The Ornament" are
fictitious, the foundation of the story is based in reality. In fact,
I
thought of this story as I was sorting through Christmas
ornaments and came upon one that has been handed down from
my great-great grandparents to me. It's the same one that will
eventually go to my son.
At the same time, I was thinking about just why Christmas and
the holidays were such a special time of year for me. Of course,
I love the reason for the season, the celebration of Jesus' birth.
And I enjoy giving and receiving presents, though quite
honestly there are very few I remember from year to year. I
enjoy the music and the bright lights on the tree. I enjoy the
special food and the cards I exchange with family and friends.
All of it is quite wonderful.
But, I discovered there was another reason, almost as important
as the celebration of Jesus' birth, that made this the most special
time of the year for me. As I carefully caressed the cut glass
prism that was created more than a century ago, it came to me.
This time of the year, most people tend to celebrate their
holidays in much the same way that they did as children. The
traditions carry from one generation to another. It is a sublime
way to celebrate the past and hope for the future. Of course,
with each generation the traditions change a bit. A wife brings
one thing to the holiday while a husband might bring another.
Together they might even create entirely new traditions.
For me, it's oyster stew and crackers for Christmas Eve supper.
For my husband, it's the annual creation of divinity, the only
time of the year he has that candy. And as we decorate our tree,
there are ornaments from his family, ornaments from mine,
ornaments we've selected together and those created by our son.
It's a continuation of our family history, a way to remember
those who brought us into being. In fact, one way that we
remember our parents and grandparents and great-grandparents
is to place a tradition candy cane for each one on our tree, the
final ornaments to be placed there. We remember and honor
them by making a special place for them in our holiday
celebrations.
And isn't that much about what Christmas is all about? The
celebration of a family, a Holy family. A family that reaches
down to touch each of us who believe even today, a couple of
thousand years since that little family celebrated the first
Christmas in a lowly manger.
From our family to yours...have the best holiday season ever.
Leta Nolan Childers is the best selling author of "The Best Laid
Plans." Her holiday books, "Belles of Christmas," "Cat Tales: A
Christmas Story" and "The Best of Presents" are currently
available from DiskUs Publishing. "The Ornament" will be
released later this month, also from DiskUs Publishing,
***************************************************
EVA'S COOKING WITH PASSION:
By: Eva Kende
It is the season to be jolly or when many homemakers drive
themselves crazy? Let's face it, the holidays are full of
pressures, unrealistic expectations, rush, unforeseen problems
and, often, financial worries.
If you are to have the best possible Holiday Season, you must
remember:
· family and friends come first --- office, school and other
social demands have to be kept in their place
· retailers create unreasonable expectations to make you part
with your money --- you don't have to fall into their trap
· must set time aside to get rest --- a harried person can't
emotionally identify with the real meaning of the Holiday Season
The way you can keep your cool is to keep it simple:
· Resolve not to try new recipes during the month of
December. New recipes take time and energy. February is a
good time to add to your repertoire.
· Clean the fridge before you start to shop. Move all seldom
used items to the back lower shelf so that they don't interfere
with your focus.
· Have as many make-ahead dishes as possible in your menu plan.
Include in your plan a list of serving dishes and linen
you will need and get them ready early, as time permits.
· Don't get carried away with making just one more dish for
the festive dinner. Make a simple menu plan and stick to it.
Stick the plan on the fridge or on the inside of a cupboard
door and keep checking it to make sure you didn't veer off
track.
Have a Joyous Christmas and a very Happy New Year!
~^.^~^.^~^.^~^.^~^.^~^.^~^.^
Eva Kende
visit me and my cookbooks at
~^.^~^.^~^.^~^.^~^.^~^.^~^.^
***************************************************
TRACY'S BOOK CORNER:
By: Tracy Eastgate
Tracy's Book Reviews
Copyright © 2000 by Tracy Eastgate
***************************************************
NEW RELEASES:
Abby the Troll Publications, LLC
The Wandering Troll Fantasy Webzine
Cast Away The Works Of Darkness and Other Stories
K.G. McAbee
Single author anthology, predominantly fantasy
CD $9.50
EFile $3.50
Release Dec. 1
Abby the Troll Publications, LLC
In this collection of short stories, K.G. McAbee introduces you to
many new characters, as well as several that have appeared in
various other works of hers. Fans of her novel, "A Fine
Impersonation", will appreciate the stories featuring Commander
Ravyn Maliker. It's fast-paced, exciting, inventive, and a fun
read.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Title: Double Trouble (Book Two of the Hawkman Series)
Author: Betty Sullivan La Pierre
Author's e-mail: BZNA93A@aol.com
Author's url: http://www.geocities.com/e_pub_2000
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Ebook or print book: Ebook in PDF and for the Palm
Publisher: E-Pub2000
Publisher's url: http://www.go.to/E-Pub2000
ISBN: 0-9-706622-1-1
Release Date: December
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Title: Make Her Dreams Come True
Author: Joey W. Hill
Publisher:Dreams Unlimited
Genre: Sensual Romance
Meg is in the mall. It is her first "solo" outing since her nervous
breakdown from her divorce. She stands before a dress display,
dreaming of the things that might have been, when a stranger
tells her to try on the dress. The mysterious Daniel then asks
Meg to submit to his control for the rest of the day. When Meg
agrees, Daniel takes her on an erotic journey, using all the
treasures the mall has to offer to help her rediscover her
sensuality and self-confidence, her sense of herself.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Title: First Love (Book 2 of the Angelfire Trilogy)
Author: Karen Wiesner
Publisher:Hard Shell Word Factory
Mainstream Romance
To be released in electronic and print formats December 2000
She was expecting...anything but him!
***
Title: Sweet Dreams
Author: Karen Wiesner
Publisher: Avid Press, LLC
Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 1-929613-61-X (disk/download); 1-929613-62-8 (Rocket edition);
1-929613-60-1 (print)
Coming December 2000
Someone has unleashed an ancient evil bent on destroying
Cassidy Christopher by eradicating the women he loves, one by
one...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Title: Byte Me
Author: Pauline Baird Jones
Publisher: Hard Shell Word Factory
www.paulinebjones.com
Deputy U.S. Marshal Matt Kirby's (The Last Enemy) little
brother Jake has followed him into the U.S. Marshals Service.
Their top tracker, Jake always gets his fugitive. Now he's hot on
the trail of a gang of cyber-thieves with an unusual agenda.
That trail takes him to Colorado and a country western bar
managed by sexy, mysterious Phoebe Mentel. Instant attraction
quickly complicates this high tech chess game between two
people who don't know how to lose and are afraid to love."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Title: Valkyrie
Author: Lindsay McKenna
Publisher: Hard Shell Word Factory
Type: trade paperback (POD) $14.95 and disk $5.00 (dl) and floppy
disk $7.00
Genre: Romantic suspense
ISBN: trade paperback (POD): 0-7599-0005-1
floppy disk: 1-58200-625-3
Pub Date: 12-1-2000
Blurb: Women in combat? Corporal Cat Fremont finds herself a
lynchpin in the middle of a political storm and ground combat.
And only one man wants to protect, love and save her: Captain
Jim Boland. Will he be able to sve her life? Both sides want to
see her destroyed in this hot-button issue.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Wordbeams
Title: GRACIE'S HOLIDAY HERO
Author: Betty Jo Schuler
Published: 12/1/00
ISBN: 1-58785-033-8 Rocket ISBN: 1-58785-145-8
Genre/Category: Contemporary Romance
Formats: PDF/HTML/Rocket
Price: Disk $7.35 (s&h incl.) Download $4.55
Publisher: Wordbeams http://www.wordbeams.com
Book Page: http://www.wordbeams.com/gracie.html
Description:
Merett Bradmoore walked into Gracie Singleton's life her
freshman year of high school with a heart full of hope and
changed Christmas forever. Fifteen years later, Gracie is
determined to return the gift of hope to her disenchanted hero.
Dreams can come true, and do, in this heartwarming romance.
***
Title: TWAS THE STRIKE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Author: Amy Bowllan
Published: 12/1/00
ISBN: 1-58785-078-8 Rocket ISBN: 1-58785-143-1
Genre/Category: Children's
Formats: PDF/HTML/Rocket
Price: Disk $5.95 (s&h incl.) Download $2.95
Publisher: Wordbeams http://www.wordbeams.com
Book Page: http://www.wordbeams.com/strike.html
Description:
Sir Knight Black is a crayon who's feeling so forlorn about his
lack of worth at the brightest, most colorful time of the year,
that he takes desperate measures--and almost manages to stop
Santa from making his journey on Christmas Eve night!
***
Title: DURGLES, IMPS, AND JITTERBEES
Author: Wendy Callaghan
Published: 12/1/00
ISBN: 1-58785-032-X Rocket ISBN: 1-58785-144-X
Genre/Category: children's
Formats: PDF/HTML/Rocket
Price: Disk