February 15, 2001
Volume 1 No. 16
ISSN 1530-5287
E-Book Ecstasy
~ Welcome ~
I hope everyone had a very special Valentine's Day. I received
my gift early…in the form of my new grandson, Cole Donathan.
It's a gift like none other.
This issue we have a slight change in our normal plan of things.
There is no Featured E-Publisher or Behind the Scene, but we do
have 5 Featured E-Authors and all of them are terrific.
1) Stephen Crane Davidson
2) Alan M Brooker
3) Celia Ann Leaman
4) Elizabeth K. Burton
5) Amy Crawshaw
My very best to Eva and Tracy…two wonderful ladies who are
the heart of this newsletter.
***************************************************
Content:
Special Announcement
Sponsors
Featured E-Authors
Eva's Cooking with Passion
Tracy's Book Corner
New Release
Classified
***************************************************
***ATTENTION***
E-AUTHORS and E-PUBLISHERS-If you would like to
contribute an article to us, please contact me so that we can get
all the details worked out.
***************************************************
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
is free and is sent to subscribers approximately once each
month. Subscribe to our newsletter and find out why we're
beaming!
Subscribe: Beamings-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Unsubscribe: Beamings-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
List owner: Beamings-owner@yahoogroups.com
URL to this page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Beamings
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
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@yahoogroups.com or learn more at our
Brought to you by: http://www.xcpublishing.com/wom.htm
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
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:
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mystery author Christine Spindler announces:
"E-books keep getting better. The more I read the more I like
them. I have set up two new review sites for e-books only. The
response by publishers and readers is overwhelming."
E-Books for Kids: reviews of picture books in several categories
plus a publisher spotlight.
Sexy CyBooks: reviews of erotic quality fiction. Caution: Not
suitable for under 18-year-olds.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
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@yahoogroups.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:
Stephen Crane Davidson
Notes from the underground: Stephen Crane Davidson is my
name, though I use it in writing in memory of the man I was
named after and second because it was what my mother always
called me when I was being incorrigible or worse.
I spent the first seven years of my working career as a counselor
and my academic studies included work in Jungian
psychoanalysis, Celtic folklore and eastern religions. You'll
always see a fascination with relationships in my novels. Does
that make them romances? I don't know. I tend to think of all
my books, even though they cross genres, as action. I like to
read fast moving books and try to write them that way but there
always has to be a relationship in them, one that's often fraught
with conflict. If I were going to make fun of myself as a writer
I'd say: His heroes are always one step away from being
murdered, dismembered, tortured while they're falling in love
with people they didn't want to fall in love with.
Currently I have two books available. One is a sword and
sorcery adventure called Far From The Warring Lands which can
be found at www.pulsarbooks.com. It's a tale of magic, deadly
power and a growing love between people of two very different
types of humans. On another level it's about the Vietnam war.
Is it possible for a country to not fight wars? In the book the
hero has been taught to never fight, yet suddenly there are
people trying to kill him. Complicating matters, his own
magical powers have just bloomed and they are out of control.
From www.dancingwillow.com you can find In Death's Shadow.
It's a medical thriller. On another level it's about finding two
people who just constitutionally wouldn't trust each other and
finding out what it would take to change that. The male hero is a
newspaper reporter trained and educated to believe little. The
female hero is a stripper whose daily job is to lie. Meantime
people are dropping dead from a very deadly virus.
A third book, Dream Killer, is going to be out soon from
www.dancingwillow.com. It's a near future science fiction. In
part it's a study of multiple personalities. In the book, the
female, a very peaceful person, is changed through various
technologies to become an assassin. She kills people while her
own awareness views the action with horror in the back of her
mind. Can her sanity survive? Can she and the man she may
love fight the government and expose this horror?
All three are e-books though Far From The Warring Lands
should be available in paper by late January. I believe in the
long haul e-books are going to open up literature in a way similar
to what the Gutenberg press did. Suddenly many more people
will be able to be published and many more people will be able
to read these books inexpensively. But this revolution will be
slow in coming. At this juncture an e-book author must spend
considerable amounts of time promoting their work. Is this
really that different from a paper publication? Probably not. The
big houses in New York rarely publicize new or mid list authors.
More information on my books can be found at
***************************************************
(2) FEATURED E-AUTHOR:
Author Bio - Alan M Brooker
Why would a former airman and health administrator suddenly
decide to step into the challenging world of writing science
fiction, fantasy, occult, horror and adventure novels?
Was he suffering from a mid-life crises, or showing the first
signs of dementia?
Possible a bit of both, but in actual fact he was returning to his
first love, the written word. A journalist with the Otago Daily
Times in Dunedin from 1954 to 1956, Alan Brooker drifted away
from writing for several yeas as he concentrated on other creative
interests, mainly photography. In this area he undertook training
with the New York Institute of Photography, from which he
graduated in 1969. He worked as a freelance photographer, and
still does when the time allows.
Alan had joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1956, then
spent 20 years serving his country both in New Zealand and the
Pacific Islands, before he ended his contract and moved into the
world of public administration, first with a construction company
and then with the health service. He had to make himself
redundant from the position of Area Manager of the Kaipara
Area Health Services based in Dargaville (New Zealand) in 1994
during the Government's reorganization (downsizing?) of
Northland's hospitals. Then in 1997 he faced pressure to resign
from IHC (NZ) Inc as part of another restructuring and decided
he had enough of other people playing such a major part in
planning his future.
He also became heavily involved in sports, both playing and
administrating. He is a life member of the Wellington Badminton
Association, two Wellington badminton clubs and was given a
Service Award by the New Zealand Badminton Federation for
services to Badminton.
His other sporting interests included underwater fishing and
photography, rugby, cricket, field hockey, tennis and tramping.
But his mind never stopped creating new worlds filled with
strange and challenging people and events. These were recorded
for future "development"
When he was posted to Fiji in 1964 and became part of the group
responsible for closing down the RNZAF station at Lauthala Bay
he started to fill in some of his "dead" time by creating "live
worlds" based on his notes.
ArialIn 1982 Alan eventually moved to Northland to be nearer
his property at Taupo Bay - which he had bought in 1969 after
seeing it from the air on a very traumatic flight back from Fiji by
Bristol freighter 3 years earlier. 31 years later he has actually
moved to the beach permanently and now works from one
location only, instead of travelling between Dargaville and
Taupo Bay.
Working for the health service was unlike anything Alan had
ever experienced - instead of cooperation and consensus between
the 6 hospitals that formed the Northland Hospital Board there
was constant bickering and back stabbing. It was an endless
battle for dominance - which was understandable at a time when
survival of regional services depended on building up your patch
and undermining those around you. Patient care counted less
than financial restraints, a scenario that has seen the New
Zealand health services shrink and go from being the best
in the world to some of the worst. Progress has been punctuated
by a series of major systems disasters that have led to a
breakdown in public confidence and the unnecessary loss of
innocent lives.
Alan had to make a serious personal management decision. He
could play their stupid power games and suffer the resultant price
(stress, frustration and possible breakdown) or he could develop
some outside interests to counter-balance the stresses of his
chosen occupation.
Alan returned to writing.
He used his imagination to create new worlds into which he
could escape and vent his frustrations on characters which he
could manipulate - and even kill and torture if necessary - to his
heart's content. It's not really strange that some of them bear a
strong resemblance to people he worked with during that period.
In less than 4 years he produced 18 novels, ranging from 46,000
to 90,000 words each.
Alan created, but he didn't polish and edit. That would have to
wait for a more stable time, so that he could look at the stories in
a calm and detached manner
The Mean Green Machine (ISBN 1-877162-06-X), a New
Zealand based adventure, was the first to see the light of day. It is
part of a series of 6 featuring New Zealand troubleshooter Al
Brookes. It has also been contracted to be issued as an eBook by
Pulsar and will join The Radicals (ISBN 1-58697-051-8) that is
now on the market and features the same main characters. It was
published by Pulsar Books in November 2000.
Science Fiction/Fantasy/Occult is a difficult genre to publish in
New Zealand. The market is too small and specialist, so Alan ha
gone offshore to publish these. The first four are on the shelves
in the USA now and are available through Barnes & Noble,
Amazon.com or Xlibris Corporation. They are Dreams of
Torment (fantasy) (ISBN 0-7388-0112-7), The Battle for
Barnstable (occult) (ISBN 0-7388-0110-0), Bad Blood
(science fiction) (ISBN 0-7388-0108-9) and Dreams of Charni
(science fiction) (ISBN 0-7388-0106-2).
The last named is the first in a six-part series titled Warrior of
Earth and features Jason Williams, an earthman transported to
the distant planet Praesepe in the Crab nebula. Praesepe really
does exist, check it out in a star map! The Warrior of Earth saga
and The Battle for Barnstable have also been contracted by
Pulsar Books for issue as eBooks, starting in 2001. They will
also be available as trade paperbacks, printed on demand by
Pulsar Books (http://www.pulsarbooks.com)
A horror novel, Tharne's Quest (ISBN 1-58697-037-2) is his first
venture into eBooks and has been released by Pulsar Books
(http://www.pulsarbooks.com). Other eBooks have been
contracted and publication of these will start during 2001.
Alan is no longer married. That episode in his life ended in late
1961, less than 12 months after he took the steps down the aisle
in St Mary's of the Angels in Wellington. He has not remarried,
although there have been several occasions when the urge
returned, but the memories lingered of the past and comparisons
with the present were always inevitable.
A serious commitment to work and sport replaced the longing for
marital bliss, and after over 39 years on his own, he could well
have become impossible to live with!
Not content to just surf the web, he also designs web sites and
keeps his own on line at The Gateway to an Unknown Reality at
http://www.igrin.co.nz/ambro. You will find details of all his
writing on line at his site, as well as links to interesting literary
information, and other hot links.
Alan M Brooker, 23 Mako Street, Taupo Bay, RD1, Mangonui,
0557, New Zealand email to: ambrook@igrin.co.nz
Telephone:Taupo Bay 0064 9 4060930; mobile 0064 21 2522064
Fax: USA (001) 530 481 5130 NZ (0064) (9) 439 2042 (PC
based - on demand, alert first)
Check out my web site at http://www.igrin.co.nz/ambro
Read reviews of Tharne's Quest and sample chapters from my
other occult, scifi and adventure novels.
***************************************************
(3) FEATURED E-AUTHOR:
On Being an Eauthor
Sharing the Joy with Others
Celia Ann Leaman
Being an eauthor is a little different to being in print. I think as
ebooks become better known, however, this will change. Right
now, when people discover I am an author, generally their first
question is to ask what I write. Many react positively and are
really interested in the new technology, the availability of ebooks
and how to read them.
I am discovering, however, and sadly, there is a lot of snobbery
in the arts world. Others react less positively when they know I'm
not yet published in paper. I've even had my credibility as a
writer challenged. This is a pity, because art is art in whatever
form, created for the enjoyment of all, and should never be used
as a status symbol.
Others don't know what an ebook is and don't particularly want
to, or they are afraid of them. They become defensive because
they haven't much time for technology, period.
I know many eauthors experience this, and find it difficult.
However, I try to remember something I once read in Rilke's
Letters to a Young Poet. Talking about growth and how to deal
with it, he says that one must be patient with those you leave
behind. Well, if you are pursuing a career in epublishing, then
you are certainly doing that!
Being a part of changing the publishing world is no mean feat
and is probably one of the greatest events of our time. Of course
not everyone is going to be happy about it, many people hate
change. Yet without change, life wouldn't be very interesting.
Nor would we learn much, because it brings about growth and
experience, and can be very exciting. Living this particular
experience, I find every day turns a corner and opens a page of
opportunity. During the past fourteen-months, ever since I first
heard the word ebook, I feel I have been on a crash-course of
discovery and education.
Ironically, it was the old publishing world that led me to it. Had I
not felt so despondent, I may never have sought an alternative:
though I'd had short stories published, I'd become quite cynical
about ever finding a market for my novels.
However, in hindsight, I now look on that period of frustration
simply as something that led to this. That is how progress
happens, and without a doubt, this is progress. How could the
opening a door of such opportunity to thousands of writers and
consequently their readers, not be? It doesn't really matter about
the format or the medium that we use, only that we read.
Because to read is to feel not alone, and to be educated.
Mark Twain says Courage is resistance of fear, mastery of fear -
not absence of fear. I'm mentioning this because it took great
courage for me to send my first novel out into cyberspace. I
feared I might lose it, or that it might be stolen. But then the
pioneer spirit took over and said 'what the hell, what have you
got to lose?' If my manuscript was lost, I hoped I would have
enough fortitude to put it down to experience, and write
something else. Life is too fleeting to get bogged down by one
failure, and anything in life has a risk attached to it.
I've never regretted that decision. On the last day of 1999,
Awestruck accepted my first novel, Mary's Child. Since then it
has received favorable reviews, and was nominated for a
Frankfurt Ebook Award. By spring I'd completed my second
novel, Unraveled, and it was published by Wordbeams in
November 2000.
Inspired by my small success, belonging to a great community of
writers from all over the world, I refuse to even think of the
ebook world not existing. Soon, when the dedicated readers
become as commonplace as telephones, people will hardly
remember a time when it didn't.
I'm truly honored to be an ebook pioneer, and in the company of
so many talented and upbeat people who are working very hard
to make this work.
© Celia Ann Leaman January 2001
***************************************************
(4) FEATURED E-AUTHOR:
I See Read People: Creating and Coping with Characters
by Elizabeth K. Burton
I was sleeping peacefully the other night when I was abruptly
awakened in the wee hours. I lay there, trying to determine what
had interrupted that really great dream where George Clooney
and I were--well, never mind that.
Then it came again.
*Hey! Are you listening? About time!*
"Go away! This can wait until morning."
*I don't think so. I can't believe you made me do that. I would
NEVER do that.*
No, it wasn't the resident ghost. It was one of the characters from
my current work-in-progress lodging a complaint. Nor would she
let me alone until I swore I'd fix the problem as soon as the
computer had warmed up.
I know that the essence of quality writing is to create characters
that leap off the page, but this is ridiculous. They wake me up at
night, they butt in when I'm trying to finish something else I'm
writing to meet a deadline, they aggravate me when I finally get
a chance to take a break and catch a movie. They whine and
complain and nag and just generally make nuisances of
themselves.
When it comes to what drives my fiction, the answer is easy:
characters. Good ones, bad ones, indifferent ones-sometimes
even absentee ones. I place them in a challenging situation and
turn them loose. Sometimes I'll give them a little nudge, but
that's all. Too much interference and I'm fair game for the kind of
wake-up call I mentioned earlier. Or, worse, a complete writer's
block.
When I get an idea for a novel or a short story, it usually begins
with a character. "A slightly retarded woman with money is
charmed into marrying an abusive man" became "Simple Sarah
and Slippery Sam." My novel DREAMS OF DARKNESS arose
from the question of whether two diametrically different people
could overcome those differences and work together to save
their world.
For the most part, once I have my people all I need to do is just
keep putting obstacles in their way. The way they deal with one
set-back often suggests what they should have to fact next in
order for their evolution to continue.
However, as Stephen King notes in ON WRITING, having the
actors take over the play isn't necessarily a bad thing.
"[I]f I'm not able to guess with any accuracy how the damned
thing is going to turn out, even with my inside knowledge of
coming events, I can be pretty sure of keeping the reader in a
state of page-turning anxiety."
There are two polar ideas about the best way to develop
characters. On the one hand, there are the martinets like John
Cheever who believe characters should be kept firmly in line.
"The legend that characters run away from their authors-taking
up drugs, having sex operations, and becoming President," he
once said, " implies that the writer is a fool with no knowledge or
mastery of his craft."
At the other extreme--and we seem to be the majority--are the
fools like me whose characters move in and insist on active
participation in the story-development process.
"I have no influence over them," Erskine Caldwell said. "I'm
only an observer, recording. The story is always being told by the
characters themselves."
So where do these people come from? In FICTION WRITER'S
WORKSHOP, Josip Novakovich lists four main methods for
developing realistic characters. The first, which he calls the
"ideal method," is where they are constructed from scratch using
"psychology textbooks, astrology charts, mythology, the Bible
or, simply, your imagination." Like Minerva, they arise from the
gray matter of the Jovian author fully grown and ready for
action. This is essentially the method I use. I don't say there
aren't bits and pieces of myself and/or other people I've met over
the years somewhere in the construction materials, but they aren't
there through any conscious act of mine.
Equally valid, if slightly less fun, are the autobiographical
method, where the writer uses bits and pieces of her own
experience and personality to enliven her creatures; and the
biographical method in which characters are drawn from people
we know or meet or simply observe. The obvious danger of the
latter is in making your constructs too readily recognizable,
unless you're writing satire. Turning creepy Uncle Harry into
your serial killer might win you an Edgar, but Uncle Harry might
win the libel suit.
The fourth and final method combines any and all of the other
three. Most beginning writers use this method, taking a bit from
here, a piece from there, adding a dash of what happened to them
that day at the lake and combining it all into a finished product.
It's what makes journaling such an important aspect of the
writer's life, providing a place for us to jot down a description of
that talkative woman we sat next to in the doctor's office who
was obviously hiding some dreadful fear under her chit-chat or
the sad child we saw watching the other children playing in the
park. These are the raw materials of character-building.
How you eventually come to develop your fictional world's
inhabitants is strictly personal. It's not where characters come
from that matter but how quickly they assume flesh and blood
and become people your reader can identify with.
"Plot gets readers involved; characterization makes them care,"
states Paul Raymond Martin in THE WRITER'S LITTLE
INSTRUCTION BOOK.
So, perhaps I'm not so badly off after all, besieged as I am by
these people I've created. If they are real enough to wake me up
to protest the actions I've had them take, to follow me around
demanding I write down what they have to tell me RIGHT
NOW, then I can believe they will be equally compelling to my
readers.
"The moment comes when a character does or says something
you hadn't thought about," said award-winning author Graham
Greene. "At that moment, he's alive and you leave it to him."
Sources:
1. King, Stephen; ON WRITING; Scribner; New York, NY;
2000
2. Martin, Paul Raymond; THE WRITER'S LITTLE
INTRUCTION BOOK; Writer's World Press; Aurora, OH; 1998
3. Novakovich, Josip; FICTION WRITER'S WORKSHOP;
Story Press; Cincinnati, OH; 1995
Elizabeth K. Burton is a writer and freelance book editor from
Austin, TX. A former journalist, she has had two short stories
published: "Simple Sarah and Slippery Sam," which was also a
Writers of the Future finalist, and "Somewhere in Her Smile."
Her first novel, Dreams of Darkness: Book 1 of The Everdark
Wars, was published in electronic format in September by
Pulsar Books and is scheduled for release as a POD trade
paperback later this year. The contributing editor for Science
Fiction and Fantasy on Film at Suite 101, she also edits and
publishes a monthly book review zine, The Blue Iris Journal
***************************************************
(5) FEATURED E-AUTHOR:
Author ~ Amy Crawshaw
As we come into the New Year, I am please to announce that my
first book, "Winter into Spring" will be available to the reading
public. Five years in the making, my romance was a long time
coming. Soon the fruits of my labor can be purchased at Gemini
books.
When I started this venture in 1995, I had no ambition other then
to get the story in my head and heart on paper. It was pure
enjoyment. From planning the male and female characters, their
looks and personalities, to creating the conflict that fractures the
pair and the resolution that brings them back together, it was my
world and I was queen. Although, I eventually found that
characters, once created, sometimes have minds of their own. I
couldn't wait until my husband was asleep so I could sneak the
notebook that held my musings out from under the bed in order
to write.
I gave no serious thought to publishing the work until my aunt, a
reporter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, gave me a copy of
"Writer's Digest" and invaluable encouragement. A seed was
planted.
In the meantime, the Crawshaw family acquired a computer and
Internet service. There in the world of cyber space, I met Glenda
and was introduced to the world of e-books. Always an avid
reader, the new technology intrigued me and inspired me.
A year and a half later, after revisions and rewrites, hope and
despondency, interruptions from a crying baby or two, and the
penning of a several short stories that just had to be recorded, my
novel was finally down on paper.
Truly at the beginning of the endeavor, I never thought I would
find a place for my story, but because of the relationships I
formed on the net, I began to dream of becoming a published
author. Maybe my novel and stories could find a home outside of
my personal sphere? On a lark I submitted a short story or two,
and much to my surprise the inconceivable happened. My first
works were published electronically.
So, with limited success and fear and trembling, I sent my novel
to a publisher. Unfortunately "Winter into Spring" was rejected.
You can not imagine the depression that fell when I received that
slip. I quit every group I was in and gave myself a huge pity
party.
However, through the friends I made in groups like e-authors and
Glenda, who was kind enough to give me a good swift cyber
kick, I made a second attempt with another publisher. I tried
Gemini. To my delight, they accepted my books for publication!
So "Winter into Spring" has a home on the web and I have a new
profession.
I foresee a day when all reading of books, newspapers, textbooks
etc, will be accomplished with the help of an electronic reading
devise. (At least I hope textbooks will soon be read with the new
technology, my daughter's bookbag weighs 35 pound. I'm NOT
exaggerating.) I know that I march to the tune of a different
drummer in holding that view, but my first love was science
fiction.
Unfortunately, I'm currently stalled one third of the way into my
second book. I guess that's what Christmas with four kids can do
to you. That's why E-book Ecstasy's December featured author
Linda Blesser's article, "Before and After 'The Call,'" meant so
much to me. I love my characters and their conflict once again
and recently they are clambering for attention.
I must answer.
Amy Crawshaw~Author of Winter Into Spring~
Visit Storyteller~A collection of great short stories~
***************************************************
EVA'S COOKING WITH PASSION:
By: Eva Kende
We take salt for granted, are paying little attention to when it
goes into the food. Yet, when you add the salt can make a big
difference to taste and texture. Salt draws moisture out of meats
and vegetables. With the moisture flavor comes out as well and
the texture of the food changes too.
When you are making a soup or stew, drawing out the moisture
and flavor into the liquid is a positive move. The gravy or soup
will be thick and flavorful. Salt in this case is added early in the
preparation to bring out the best flavor and give body to the
preparation.
However, when you are roasting a large chunk of meat or a
whole fowl, cooking chops, broiling steaks or frying liver, you
want to keep the juices inside the food for best results. If you
hold the salt until the meat has been seared and partially cooked,
it will stay juicier and will retain the flavor better. In fact, with
meats that are served rare or just done, it's best to salt only just
before serving.
Even if you don't add salt prematurely, there are always some
juices that leak out of the meat when frying or broiling and are
deposited as a brown crust in the pan. Dissolving this in a little
bit of water, stock or wine at high heat, scrapping the bits into the
liquid, will give you a nice flavorful sauce to serve with the
meat, as well as, clean your pan. I often add a teaspoon or two of
prepared mustard to the water I am using, resulting in a tangy
sauce that goes well with ham or pork chops.
~^.^~^.^~^.^~^.^~^.^~^.^~^.^
Eva Kende
visit me and my cookbooks at
~^.^~^.^~^.^~^.^~^.^~^.^~^.^
***************************************************
TRACY'S BOOK CORNER:
By: Tracy Eastgate
Vested Interests
By Monette Michaels
Publisher: Starlight Writer Publications
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
ISBN(s): Pending
Release date: June 2001
Downloads $3.95 (US) each
Print on Demand: Pending
**** Excellent
Brigit (Bree) Bauer is a successful lawyer that cares about her
clients. She devotes countless hours to worthy causes, but in the
process has made many enemies. Now for some unknown
reason, Bree has become the target. Someone is determined to
erase Bree out of existence and she has absolutely no idea of who
or why. All she knows is they are determined, just as she is
determined to continue her normal life and routines.
Tony Pendrake owns and operates a successful security company
that does more than just install security systems. They specialize
in all areas of security and some that are beyond what a normal
security company would handle. He also has strong feelings for
Bree and is determined, one way or another, that she will become
a part of his life and his wife. So when someone sets their marks
on Bree, Tony takes it personally and holds nothing back in order
to find out who and stop them before it is too late. But will it be
enough? Especially considering this person seems to know their
every move and is relentless in trying to obtain their goal, Bree's
death.
Author Monette Michaels will once again razzle and dazzle you
with twists and turns, bringing you into the book as the story
unfolds, making it seem as if you are there on the scene.
VESTED INTERESTS brings you more than a simple mystery
and suspense, Ms. Michaels also fills the pages with laughter and
sorrow, love and danger. This is definitely a book that will have
you up way into the early morning hours reading, unable to put
down until the last page is turned.
Review by:
Tracy's Book Reviews
Copyright © 2000 by Tracy Eastgate
***************************************************
NEW RELEASES:
No Other Recource
Eddie Price
Elwood eBooks
ISBN: 1587320169
Available Now
Fiction- Thriller
Who is killing abortion providers and their advocates? How far
will people go to defend their beliefs? FBI Agent Brad Curry is
sent undercover to find out.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The Quest for Gillian's Heart
by Catherine Snodgrass
Historical Romance
February 2001
LTDBooks http://www.ltdbooks.com
ISBN 1-55316-040-1 (download or diskette)
ISBN 1-55316-962-X (Rocket edition)
Andor never believes any woman could grab his heart much less
enflame it,untilan Irish lass named Gillian comes into his life.
Gillian will do all she can to save the child she carries from harm
even if that means marrying the leader of the Northmen who
ransacked her village and took her captive. Little does she realize
that her heart will soon be captive. But happily ever after seems
never to be when cultures and religions clash, and others want
the bride and groom for themselves. Those who will stop at
nothing to achieve their goals...not even murder.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Eye Of A Jackal
Joni Latham
CrossroadsPub.com
ISBN: 1-58338-402-2
Fantasy
We are not necessarily alone on this planet. Arianna and
Trayjon, the guardians of a magical race who live undetected
among humans. Centuries ago an evil attempted to take over
their race and the human world, resulting in a rift between them.
They learn to trust themselves and each other before the darkness
destroys all they hold dear.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Wordbeams
Title: SHENANDOAH SURPRISE
Author: Karen Sweeny-Justice
Published: 2/1/01
ISBN: 1-58785-050-8 REB ISBN: 1-58785-126-1
Genre/Category: Contemporary Romance
Book Page: http://www.wordbeams.com/shenandoah.html
Awakened one night by the sounds of an intruder, park ranger
Catherine Carver discovers that she's been assigned a roommate,
a summer seasonal whom she suspects may be after the
permanent job she wants--and he just happens to be a sexy hunk!
*****
Title: NIGHT TERRORS
Author: Drew Williams
Published: 02/1/01
ISBN: 1-58785-049-4 REB ISBN: 1-58785-132-6
Genre/Category: horror
Book Page: http://www.wordbeams.com/terrors.html
From an abyss of darkness, he came to their dreams and
whispered his name. Dust. For Detective Steve Wyckoff, the
summer brought four suicides and a grisly murder. Deaths that
would haunt his dreams and lead him to the brink of madness.
*****
Title: BETROTHED
Author: Tabitha Day
Published: 2/14/01
ISBN: 1-58785-048-6 REB ISBN: 1-58785-131-8
Genre/Category: Historical Romance
Book Page: http://www.wordbeams.com/betrothed.html
A Southern belle and a Northern gentleman find themselves at
odds when André attempts to rescue Angelique from the
difficulties she finds herself in following the Civil War. She's
unforgiving of his past slights, and André is even harder on
himself for what he sees as his personal sins of the war. Can
they overcome the past to fulfill their destiny?
*****
Title: LOVEY-DOVEY
Authors: Judy Bagshaw; Patricia Crossley; Daisy Dexter Dobbs;
Pamela Johnson; Tracy Jones; Joyce and Jim Lavene; Celia Ann
Leaman; Jennifer L. B. Leese; Michelle Marr; Rose Murray;
Ross Richdale; Kimberly Roberts; Ursula Roeder; Betty Jo
Schuler; Carolyn Scott
Published: 2/14/01
ISBN: 1-58785-124-5 REB ISBN: 1-58785-125-3
Genre/Category: Romance Anthology
Book Page: http://www.wordbeams.com/lovey.html
Fifteen gifted writers have penned a tantalizing collection of
amorous tales designed to draw even the most down-to-earth
readers into a reflective, starry-eyed mood. As assorted lovers
answer destiny's call in this romantic compilation, readers are
taken on a breathless journey through the peaks and valleys of
love, passion and sentiment.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
THE SCOTTISH THISTLE
By Cindy Vallar
Published by Pulsar Books
Historical Fiction
January 2001
E-book ISBN 1-58697-312-6
$4.95
In July 1745, Bonnie Prince Charlie landed in Scotland intent on
raising the Highland clans in his bid to regain the British throne
for the Royal House of Stewart. Rory Macgregor, a woman and
chieftain of an outlawed clan, and Duncan Cameron, a warrior
and bodyguard of the chief of a respected clan, forge an alliance
to protect their people and survive the `Forty-five and its bloody
aftermath.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Starlight Writer Publications
A Little Piece of Heaven
Linda Bleser
Starlight Writer Publications
ISBN: 1-58697-233-2
Romantic Comedy
Mayhem ensues when identical twins Ashley and Alexis
Kincaid scramble to pull off a complicated deception.
If their charade as best-selling romance novelist
"Lace" Kincaid is exposed, they could lose everything -
the fame, the award, and the love of the man duped by
their duplicity.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jemma's Heart
Kay Layton Sisk
Starlight Writer Publications
available as download and POD
ISBN:1-58697-174-3
February 2001
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Through All Time
by Judi Phillips
Starlight Writer Publications
ISBN 1-58697-100-X
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The Scent of Stone
Savannah Michaels (pseudonym)
Starlight Writer Publications
ISBN: 1-58697-092-5 (download & print)
Imagine the havoc as a love potion created by Merlin's
apprentice in 500 AD, sees the light of day in 2000. Shawn
Corrigan and Darcy Brannigan aren't just imagining it; they're
experiencing it firsthand! When Shawn searches the surrounding
area of Tintagel Castle to find Merlin's secret cave, he finds more
than he bargains for. Unplugging the antique bottle that he pulls
from its hiding place, he sets off a chain reaction. Across the
ocean, Darcy Brannigan feels the effects. Haunted by a
mysterious tantalizing scent, she unwillingly follows its path to
her destiny. As Shawn's and Darcy's paths merge, they encounter
an unlimited supply of surprises, including a villain searching for
"The Thirteen Treasures of Britain," supposedly buried with
Merlin. And by all means, let's not forget the master of chaos
himself * Merlin.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chance of a Lifetime
Amy Leigh
Starlight Writers Publication-DreamStar Book
Available in PDF/HTML Download
Contemporary Romance
ISBN: 1586971239
February 2001
Auto mechanic, Trace Jones, wants two things in life--to be left
alone and to buy his own business. Crashing his car and
becoming stranded on Emily Payton's pig farm in rural Missouri
puts a definite kink in his plans. Emily Payton knows her swine
better than anyone. As far as she's concerned, she'd rather keep
company with a pig than any of the men in her community, who
don't even see her as a woman. In danger of losing her farm to
back taxes, Emily doesn't need the distraction of Mr. California
gorgeous. Trace Jones is the kind of man a woman like Emily
only dreams of. He's nothing more than a sexy, brooding
diversion from her financial worries--until she breaks her arm.
How can Trace ignore Emily's plight when he can't ignore the
growing attraction between them? She is everything he isn't-
innocent, kind, good. Her fight becomes his. Now all he has to
do is convince her he is her Chance of a Lifetime.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Married By Mistake
Laurie Alice Eakes
SWP
ISBN: 1-58697-112-3
Historical Suspense (Regency)
When Dante Werian, Marquess of Edenvale helps a young
woman escape from a burning building, he doesn't expect to
learn he rescued her from the village jail. Nor does he expect to
find himself married to her before the night ends. Neither does
Gabrielle Alexandra Lyn-Edred, known as Stormy due to her
initials, expect to exchange the shackles of prison for the bonds
of matrimony. But in 1814 Scotland, even an heiress convicted
of a felony and a nobleman running from himself, can make the
wrong claims before witnesses and find themselves married by
mistake.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The House in the Steeple
by Jane Hollingsworth
ISBN 1-58697-217-0
A StarryNight February 2001 release
Copyright ©2001
GENRE Paranormal
After five years in a nightmare marriage, Bedie Breckenridge
wants two things - a child to love and the absence of men. Eleven
year old June, psychic and secretive, cares for no one. But she
does love old houses and will do anything to call this one home.
Even keep the secret that a vicious entitiy inhabits her room.
When parole officer Tom Lillard learns that June's murderous
brother is back, the menace doubles. Which creature assaults
Bedie? To defeat it, they will risk everything...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Rock of Ages
Alexandra Duncan
(AKA Ishbel Moore and Maureen Brannigan Gottfried)
SAXCO
Publisher URL: http://saxco.net/
Adult romance/adventure
Megan Cameron, free-lance journalist and partner in a hotel
business on the Scottish island of Arran with her godmother
Amelia, is trying to piece her life together after a relationship
gone bad. They visit Edinburgh to view the newly discovered
Celto-Christian treasure, The Rock of Ages. It is stolen soon
after and Megan's existance is threatened by the ariival of three
mysterious men and one annoying young woman; the thief and
the accomplice, and two members of the international
investigation team bent on achieving a double sting. Her aunt is
accused of stealing the Rock of Ages, and Meagan has her heart
stolen in the process of reaching the truth.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mariah's Love
Louise Crawford
The Fiction Works
fantasy/romance
When the blood of Mariah's husband joins that of her father and
sister, all murdered by Chadyk soldiers, she swears vengeance on
Rathyn, the new Chadyk commander. Rathyn wonders if the
enemy leader has cast a spell on him when he risks his men's
mutiny to convince her he wants peace. Through betrayal and
treachery they are brought together only to be ripped apart as
Rathyn's dream of ruling the Chadyk Empire becomes a reality.
But the Chadyk people will never accept a Syrithian witch upon
the throne. To save her, Rathyn must risk the Syrithian art of
transformation. A transformation no man has ever survived.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Awe-Struck Books
WOLFSONG
Barbara Raffin
romantic/suspense/adventure
ISBN: 1-58749-052-8
Formats: html, Palm, Rocketreader, eBookman
Release date: February 2, 2001
When Madison Montgomery joins Native American artist
Walker Armstrong's wolf re-population project, he sees her as
just another city-bred female dabbling in the latest trendy cause,
not unlike the last woman in his life. But Madison's motives are
more complex. Not only is she sincerely attempting to bring back
the wolves, but she's hunting the man who raped her best friend.
As Madison teaches Walker to trust his heart once more, he
teaches her it takes passion to free the soul.
*****
GUESTHOUSE
Linda Orlando
Romantic suspense/ ENNOBLE LINE
February 11, 2001
Formats: html, Rocketreader, Palmpilot, eBookman; pdf by request
Diskettes: 7.50/Downloads 4.30
ISBN: 1-58749-059-5
Lauren's fiance disappeared only weeks before their wedding,
leaving a void in her life that she has not been able to fill. She
longs for answers, for closure, so that she might trust again.
Lauren accepts a job as a live-in physical therapist, caring for
Daniel Robinson at Seacrest Manor. He is handsome, with a
hard, sexy body, and intense blue eyes. Lauren is instantly
attracted to him, though Daniel is bitter and hostile. He has mood
swings and emotional issues of his own to resolve, apart from the
paralysis that was caused by a mysterious boating accident. He
repeatedly reaches out to Lauren, then pushes her away. When
intruders threaten the secluded Seacrest Manor, Sheriff Garth
Edwards struts onto the scene. He offers protection, and seems to
be the hero Lauren has been longing for. But Lauren wonders if
Garth is what he pretends to be. She must decide which man is
truly best for her, the brave, gallant Sheriff Garth, or the intense,
fascinating, frustrating Daniel.
*****
The Hero's Best Friend
Elise DeBeraru
Western historical romance
February 18, 2001
isbn: 1-58749-027-7
Formats: html, Rocketreader, Palmpilot, eBookman; pdf by request
diskettes and downloads
The Award Winning, Bestselling Author of Remember My Love
brings you a very different hero and heroine to love. Big Sam
Blake and Miss Prudence Hofheinz both believe love was meant
for other people--the kind that look like his partner Clint and her
beautiful friend Arabella--but not for them. So when the Sidekick
and the Schoolmarm meet during a drought-ridden Springtime in
a dusty Western town, they never expect to fall in love with each
other. When they do, it seems like a miracle. But Sam and
Prudence must face a villain's deception, a partner's betrayal, a
small town scandal and a serious injury that threatens to tear
them apart before they can find the forever kind of love that can
sometimes happen not just to the Hero, but to the Hero's Best
Friend.
*****
The Scheming Spinster
Emily Deans
Regency Romance
ISBN: 1-58749-066-8
Formats: html, Palm, Rocketreader, eBookman and pdf by request
diskettes and downloads
February 27, 2001
Juliet Morseby is a proud and independent young lady who has
no intentions of marrying. She sees no reason to give up her
comfortable life to be shackled to a spoiled and selfish lord.
When a duel is threatened between her brothers and their
longtime enemies, the Driscolls, Juliet finds herself married to
the
Viscount Robert Driscoll in order to preserve the peace. Now
Juliet must find a way to dissolve this unwanted marriage to her
family enemy and somehow prevent her brothers from fighting.
For a resourceful lady, this task should not prove too
difficult...except she had no idea that her new husband would be
so irresistible.
***************************************************
CLASSIFIEDS:
Rita Hestand: check out her beautiful web site at:
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Doink!
The New Millennium just hit you between the eyes! And
E-Books are IN. For the best in romance and sci-fi and
everything in between, check out the reads at Awe-Struck E-
Books. www.awe-struck.net
(Pssst! There's a sale on ALL the time...)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
ON SALE NOW:
COLORADO SPITFIRE in PAPERBACK
Author: Glenda D. Tudor
For more information:
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
From the creator of lbiza Loud (Club Dance):
Comes the erotic/ romantic musical story:
WATER & ICE-THE SPIRIT LOVERS. A story of
two lovers destined to be together from the beginning of
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Storyteller is now open for submissions of short stories
etc. We are a non-paying forum for your work. Teen
works welcome. Take a look at: "Only someone who
loves a child…"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
If you like romance sparked with spine-tingling danger, read
Eddie Price's NO OTHER RECOURSE! This page-turning,
cross-genre thriller, rated 10/10 by publisher Rich Elwood, has
earned a 5-star rating from Hattie Boyd at Scribes World Review
(December Romance/Suspense), and is a finalist in the 2001
EPPIE Awards (Thriller Division). Soon to be out in trade
paperback from Lightning Press, it is available for PC download
at www.elwoodebooks.com , and for the Rocket/Gemstar reader
at www.bn.com and www.powells.com. A Microsoft Reader
version is already registered and will soon be available.
***************************************************
Thank you for subscribing. If you know of someone that
might enjoy our Newsletters please pass it on.
© Copyright 2000-2001 Glenda D. Tudor
All rights reserved
This site owned by: Glenda D. Tudor
(c) Copyright 2000-2001