Re-posted from The Book Connection ~ Hyphema

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2011

Interview: Chelle Cordero, Author of Hyphema

Joining us today is Chelle Cordero.  She is the author ofBartlett's Rule, Forgotten, His Lucky Charm, and other books. Her latest release is Hyphema.

Welcome to The Book Connection, Chelle. Let's start by talking about where you grew up.

I like to tell folks that I grew up in the only NYC borough that begins with a “D” – da Bronx. We lived in a nice 3rd floor walk-up facing a city park. It was a great place to stare out of the window and daydream.

What is your fondest childhood memory?

I had a very happy childhood with a lot of fond memories. But one memory does stick out… my dad was really just a big kid, when my sister and I used to watch TV with him, we all dressed up like the characters from the show. LOL, cowboy hats for Gunsmoke, army helmets for Combat, and police badges for the cop shows – this was terrific for my already overactive imagination.

When did you begin writing?

As a kid, I was always writing stories – tried to write a TV script starring an actor I had a crush on! In high school I took a creative writing class with instructor and poet Daisy Aldan. She was wonderfully encouraging. In college I wrote for my school’s newspaper and helped write news stories for the college radio station. I had my first professionally published piece, a newspaper article, in a local weekly paper when I was 19. After that it was really just a hobby until I was pregnant with my daughter (1981) when I decided to work at creating a home business. But it wasn’t until the mid 90’s when I pursued my dream of fiction writing. I am pleased to say I finally “grew up to be a novelist”!

Do you write during the day, at night or whenever you can sneak a few moments?

While I try to write my fiction whenever I can find a chance, I am most productive during the late night hours when the rest of the world sleeps. As a full time freelance writer, I do spend much of my day writing to meet newspaper deadlines.

What is this book about?

Matt Garratti was a NYS paramedic (readers first met him in my novel Final Sin). He is married now with a son and has moved to North Carolina to work at his dream job as a flight medic. His wife, Sudah was born in Pakistan, is a practicing Muslim, and is not yet an American citizen (although she is working towards becoming one). As a family they meet up with prejudice and suspicion and when apparent threats are made against his family, the local police are quick to write things off as local reaction to a Pakistani Muslim in the area – maybe they are a little too quick?

What inspired you to write it?

Matt did, the character fromFinal Sin. Matt developed quite a personality of his own in Final Sin. He became a character that needed his own story. Since Matt is a bit of an “adrenaline junkie” (responds to 911 medical/trauma emergencies), he definitely lives in the field of EMS (emergency medical services). He’s a family man who wants better for his family than he had with a father who abandoned them. He’s also a romantic who is willing to work through cultural differences and social snubs because he truly loves the woman he married.

Who is your biggest supporter?

I am fortunate to have a few very supportive folks in my corner. I think the biggest would have to be my publisher Kimberlee Williams. She is extremely encouraging and knows just when I need some ego bolstering.

If you knew then, what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently?

When it comes to my fiction, I think I would have surrounded myself with other writers long ago. Writers have a unique way of understanding other writers.

Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?

While the book will be available in print (probably July), it is available as an e-book for now: you can purchase it for the Kindle from Amazon (http://amzn.to/fEYUR7) or through Smashwords for multiple e-book formats (http://bit.ly/epqtjy) 

Do you have a website and/or blog where readers can find out more?

Both! My website is http://chellecordero.com/ and my blog ishttp://chellecordero.blogspot.com/.  Also, please feel free to visit my “media room” on my website to find out more about me, my latest release Hyphema, and even download free .pdf e-books.

Do you have a video trailer to promote your book? If yes, where can readers find it?

Yes I do, you can go to http://youtu.be/8IcK1NN7P2E to see it.

What is one piece of advice you would like to share with aspiring authors everywhere?

Never give up, never stop writing.

What is up next for you?

I have this idea rolling around in my head for a paranormal romantic suspense but, please, don’t say anything to my publisher yet, I want to see how this idea works out first…

Is there anything you would like to add?

Thanks so much for allowing me this opportunity to chat here today.

Thanks for spending time with us today, Chelle. We wish you the best.

POSTED BY CHERYL

NEW!

About the English language

I received the following humorous tidbit from a friend the other day and I thought it was worth sharing...

Read all the way to the end...
This took a lot of work to put together! 
   
1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse morerefuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture..
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in thedesert..
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.  
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewerline.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow tosow.
17) The wind was too strong for me to wind the sail.
18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear..
19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
20) How can I intimate this to my most intimatefriend?

Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France . Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

PS. - Why doesn't 'Buick' rhyme with 'quick'?

You lovers of the English language might enjoy this.

There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is 'UP.'
It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP?
At a meeting, why does a topic come UP?
Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UPfor election and why is it UP to the secretary to writeUP a report?
We call UP our friends.
And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver; we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen.
We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car.
At other times the little word has real special meaning.
People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UPan appetite, and think UP excuses.
To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special.
A drain must be opened UP because it is stoppedUP.
We open UP a store in the morning but we close itUP at night.
We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP!
To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP,look the word UP in the dictionary.
In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions.
If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used.
It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't giveUP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.
When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP.
When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP.
When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP.
When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP.
One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP,
for now my time is UP,
so.......it is time to shut UP!

Imagine if you were immigrant to the country and had to learn English.

Hyphema    by Chelle Cordero
From the Series: EMS Novels by Chelle Cordero,  
Hyphema: Bleeding in the eye caused by trauma… Matt Garratti, a paramedic from New York, moves his wife and son to North Carolina to work at his dream job as a flight medic. Pakistani born Sudah, his wife, receives frosty stares and insensitive comments from their new neighbors... Matt wonders if he is pursuing his dream or bringing his family into a nightmare from which they may never wake.

Button Up Your Overcoat

As a writer I get to live vicariously through my characters. I get swept up in their lives, sometimes cry for them, worry a bit, and cheer them on. I use the real-life things that have touched me or stories I hear from people around me. All in all, it makes for very interesting experiences.

In 2005 I listened to stories that my husband and some of his fellow DMAT team members told about what they had seen in the New Orleans area after Hurricane Katrina brought that city down. They had gone down there as part of a medical response team to try to help. My husband was there for six weeks. Hearing about the courage and resiliency of the survivors and their determination to rebuild was amazing.

When I wrote Hostage Heart my heroine was a young lady from Louisiana whose family was devastated by the “hurricanes”, even losing a beloved family matriarch to the flooding. I relied heavily on the stories from my husband and the tales my late grandmother always told me after living through several Florida hurricanes, and I hoped it gave me a feeling of authenticity that I could put into my story.

About a year ago in the north eastern community where I live in the Hudson Valley of New York, I personally lived through Superstorm Sandy, barely downgraded from a hurricane. What was most memorable, aside from the fierce winds, driving rain and sixteen foot waves crashing in from the river, was the fact that I was lucky to be part of the rescue efforts in my small town.

I was a part of a local volunteer ambulance corps and we had just moved into a brand new building. The town supervisor was looking for a place to host a shelter for the many residents who would be displaced by the rising water or who would need assistance due the high winds and loss of electricity. We had the room, we had a generator, and we were a relatively safe distance from the river. Just a few families evacuated before the full brunt of the storm hit (a little more than a year before Hurricane Irene hit another part of our county and left my town unscathed, people expected the same thing).

The town dispatched buses to aid evacuation as the storm grew stronger and it became more evident we were not going to escape nature’s wrath again. While other members of my family and several of my friends responded to the many ambulance calls and aided in rescues, I was one of those who manned the shelter, greeting evacuees, keeping records and offering comfort however I could. A few of our corps members were affected, one losing his home to the river, and others needing heat and electricity. Residents in the town were generous and gave many much needed donations of clothing and other goods. 

One of the scenes I wrote into my latest novel, Karma Visited, came directly from the night that Superstorm Sandy ravished the waterfront communities in the county I live in.

We had stragglers arriving through the day, but when the first busloads of evacuees arrived I remember looking down the hallway to see a large mass of shocked faces, dripping clothing, frightened children and broken spirits moving towards the only salvation they could find that night – us. We accepted many family pets (preparations were made to keep them separately from the human evacuees), but I remember seeing this young girl holding her beloved pussycat. The cats paws were literally wrapped around his owner’s neck. I don’t know who looked more scared. These are the two images that remain in my mind. The shelter was open for a week. By then many of the evacuees were either able to return home or had made arrangements with family; a few who lost their homes and possessions were put into a longer term facility where they could live, go to work and school, while trying to rebuild.

Although I spent the bulk of that week in the shelter, it was to care for those who managed to find some modicum of comfort, some who literally watched their homes floating into the river, others who needed warmth and electricity in a powerless community, and some who thought they were safe until trees crashed through their roof. My own family was relatively unscathed – a few trees fell on the property missing the house and doing minimal damage otherwise. We left our pussycats home after assuring their safety and arranging visits home to feed them – they managed without lights and the TV. At the end of the week we came home, cleaned up the debris, threw out some spoiled milk, and finally allowed everything we had seen and done to take hold of our emotions.

One year later, I still see areas in the region that need rebuilding, I hear of families still trying to start over. Here at home I see a community that has survived. Every day I pray for the people who still need our help and support fundraising efforts in the community.

One year has passed, one year… I feel very blessed to have been a part of the recovery and very, very blessed that my family seemed buffered through the storm.

a related article:  Rockland Web Design Blog

10/27/13 WEWRIWA a community of writers and readers

Welcome to a Weekend Writing Warriors snippet.  Participants share 8 sentences of our writing, published or unpublished Everyone is welcome to leave a comment. See more at the WeWriWa blog.

Once more from Karma Visited, and yes, creative punctuation was used to make it fit:

She looked scared, “How can you see me?”

He shook his head, “Come on, I’m not playing games.” He looked at her and shook his head again, “This is some kind of joke, isn’t it, they were all just pretending that you weren’t there, I’m pissed because this wasn’t exactly the time to play games.”

“No,” she sounded hesitant, “no one can see me, usually, no one except… the people I come to help and I don’t know why you can see me, who are you?”

“Wha…?” He stopped himself and stared at her, “Who are you, how is this happening? Wait a minute,” he stared in silence as recognition dawned, “I’ve seen you before.”

“No,” Annie shook her head fervently, “never.”

For more WeWriWa Snippets, go to: 

www.wewriwa.com

FREE Book Club Packet    http://store.payloadz.com/go?id=1809349

PRINT  

http://www.amazon.com/Karma-Visited-Chelle-Cordero/dp/061587326X

Smashwords  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/344391 

ALLROMANCE  https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-karmavisited-1295927-248.html 

Kindle http://www.amazon.com/Karma-Visited-ebook/dp/B00F6BGFF2 

Instant Download PDF   http://store.payloadz.com/go?id=1809348 

Apple iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/karma-visited/id685074771

Kobo  http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/karma-visited

Nook  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/karma-visited-chelle-cordero/1116351963

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All about writing and being a writer

This week’s lesson…

It’s Time to Start Writing: all about writing a synopsis, a blurb, a book description, a logliner and a tag line

And recent lessons…

Socially Acceptable Networking: using social media to build your author platform and promote yourself and your book

Oh, But It Is a Business: it takes more than just writing a book to be a professional writer

OUCH, Editing Errors: learn to self edit and improve the appearance of your manuscript

The Good, the Bad and the Foe: making the most of your villains

Every blog comes with Writing Exercises and Prompts

Writing Exercise: Using your own life as the basis, write down the highlights and make sure to include happy times and disappointments as well as your dreams and hopes. Using this description, create a “hero” and a “villain” and the way they might react to marriage, career and money.

Writing Prompt: In no more than five minutes, write down every action word you can think of (it’s okay if you use different forms of the word such as run-runs-running)

Writing Exercise:  We’ve all heard biblical stories, choose one. Rewrite the story in 2013. For example, what would happen if a man came across a burning bush and expected his followers to understand while he stayed there to receive a significant message? Try to keep the miracle, but with the reactions and settings of today.

Writing Prompt:  Think of the most evil character you’ve ever written about, or use one that you’ve read about if you need. Describe their best childhood friend and whether they miss them today.

When is SEX Too Much Sex? ...and the need for support

There’s a recent article in the LA Times, Self-published e-books rife with illicit erotica survey finds by Hector Tobar, which claims “erotica is 25 times more prevalent in self-publishing than in traditional publishing”. Apparently this statistic is causing the larger online retail book outlets to reconsider the inclusion of these books on their sites. The article also cites a lack of content oversight of self-pubbed books  and low (zero?) reviews and ratings as a reason for booksellers to be wary.

I am not an erotic author, but I sure do enjoy a good HOT sex scene and have even employed several in my own novels. I write about Passion and Suspense,  my novels are published through a traditional small press publisher (a fantastic one by the way, Vanilla Heart Publishing), as an Indie author, my books have been consistently lumped in with self-published books. My personal opinion, this is NOT a bad comparison.

For years authors (and publishers) of self-published, small press and e-books have had to fight the stigma that our books are not quality, not entertaining, not worthy of big name publishers. Brick and mortar bookstores have rarely, if at all, dedicated shelf space to us; online retailers, IF they carry our books, don’t make it easy for readers to find our books while browsing; and several influential book critics refuse to include our books in their set of reviews. Yet, we’ve still managed to infiltrate the marketplace without conventional means of support. We are here and strong.

Another article, less recent, Sticks& Stones: The Changing Politics of the Self-Publishing Stigma by Terri Giuliano Long seems to be as much in support of self-pubbed and Indie authors as Tobar’s is in questioning our true value.  Long’s article says, “Naomi Blackburn, founder of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Book, a 400-member Goodreads book club, believes self-publishing has opened the door for new voices and given readers a far greater selection.” Long suggests that there are those in conglomerate(a.k.a. Big Six) publishing who are trying to cast blame on Indie/self-published competition for ups and downs in the industry.

There are several well-known, successful authors who have self-published at some point including: T.S. Elliot, Ernest Hemingway, Upton Sinclair, Henry David Thoreau, Edgar Allen Poe, Stephen King, Anais Nin, George Bernard Shaw, Margaret Atwood,  and many more. A few of the now very successful and respected books that were not originally deemed suitable for publication by major press were Carrie by Stephen King, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling, Animal Farm by George Orwell, and A Time to Kill by John Grisham. Amazing industry hype brought enormous success to Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. And well known Jackie Collins re-released an updated version of The Bitch AND self-published it as well, the book received amazing reviews and references such as “Another Trashy Novel by the Queen of Trash”.

While there are of course a FEW authors who do not thoroughly edit their work before publication, and erotic authors are trying to break into a (formerly) prudish conventional industry, these excuses for the lack of support for the talent of Indie authors seem to be a cover-up. Perhaps to minimize the competition?

Indie authors need to support each other to help pave way to a greater acceptance, better sales, and pride. If a book is entertaining and reasonably priced, most e-books certainly are, then it will be bought by readers IF IT IS KNOWN. Just like our readers and fans, not everyone is going to enjoy every genre, but if we read a good book, hear good reviews by others, and know of a new author’s sincerity and talent, then we owe it to ourselves and our own success to help promote our fellow Indie authors by word of mouth, social networking, guest blogs, and posting our own good reviews.

Let’s create our own hype, raise our voices and begin our own Indie Authors Movement.

(If you agree, please share this article and start the noise)

Courage of the Heart
by Chelle Cordero

 He trailed kisses down her neck while he let his hands explore the recesses of her body. Davie shuddered when he found the warmth between her thighs with his fingers.

"Am I hurting you?" He was concerned. Even though he had made it a habit not to get involved with any of his partners, she had made him pause. There was something special about this girl; there was something about her that had stayed in his mind ever since their first meeting.

"No…oh, Adam, that feels so good." Davie kissed him back as she felt her response spiraling toward the unknown. "Adam…Adam…" Her breath caught.

"What Sweetheart?" It was easy to see how excited she had become and it felt good to know that he had that effect on her.

"Adam…" She felt very timid. "I've never felt like this before."

"I'm glad." He thought of how good it was going to feel when he entered her. "I'm so very glad."

"Adam…teach me…"

He mated their lips and wrestled his tongue with hers. "What do you want me to teach you?" He smiled against her neck.

"Teach me how to…ooh…" She arched her back and pressed herself into his palm. "How to make it good for you."

Oh lord, so sweet, he thought as he took a delicate nub into his mouth. "How could it not be good for me? You are so beautiful…"

Davie felt another shudder run through her. "But, I don't know…Adam, I," She inhaled sharply as she felt his fingers probing inside her. "Adam…I've never…"

For the first time, Adam remained motionless. "Never…what?"

"I've…never been with a man before." She sensed his withdrawal before he actually pulled away.

Adam's brow was furrowed, "What are you saying, Davie?"

The icy chill that Davie felt left her feeling embarrassed to be lying naked in bed with this man. She pulled the bedsheet over her exposed breasts. "I've never been with a man…before"

He sat upright in bed seemingly unaware that he was just as naked as she was. "Are you telling me that you're a virgin?"

Davie sat up clutching the bed linens tightly to her body. "Yes."

"Damnation!" Adam got up from the bed angrily. "You couldn't have told me that before?"

Her eyes welled with tears. "I didn't know we were going to wind up in your bed…"

They had gone out to dinner, again, and a walk in the park. His kisses turned into an invitation back to his apartment. She wasn't naïve, she knew that they might…get closer, but she was so spellbound by him…

"Dammit Davie! I have never taken a virgin before and I certainly don't intend to start with you!"

She watched incredulously as he pulled a pair of jeans on. "I'm sorry…I…" Suddenly Davie felt angry. " If you thought that I thought it was going to be some kind of commitment, you don't need to worry. I got carried away…don't worry, it won't happen again." She stood taking the bed-sheet with her to cover herself. "If you don't mind giving me some privacy, I'll get dressed."

Her anger made him feel contrite and he responded in much gentler tones. "I'll take you home as soon as you're ready."

"Don't bother! I'll manage on my own." She stared at the bedroom door pointedly, but he didn't budge. "Fine!" Davie dropped the linen to the floor and picked up her clothing.

Earlier, Adam's body had felt as cold as if he had been blasted with icy water, but as he got another glimpse of her astonishingly beautiful naked body again, he was happy he had donned his pants to hide his reaction.

"I…I'm sorry", he turned his back to her. "I…I just can't be…the first…"

"What?!"

            "I'm sorry…" He left the room. 

10/20/13 WEWRIWA a community of writers and readers

Once again, another snippet from Karma Visited. In this scene, Undersheriff Dave Turner has been called to the scene of a motor vehicle accident. The survivors, two children, have already been rescued. (creative punctuation has been employed)

As Dave watched the fire department volunteers that were left to bring the bodies up to the roadway, he realized he hadn't seen all of them come up the embankment. There had been a woman next to the car, he noticed her because she wasn't in uniform like the others. Who was she, he asked one of the firefighters about her. 
The guy shrugged, “Who?” He was busy helping the tow truck operator unwind the winch to haul the car back up. 
“There was another woman down there, next to the car, where is she?” he looked around. “I wanted to ask her if she saw the accident, she wasn't in uniform.” 
The firefighter frowned, “Sorry, never saw her.” 

For more WeWriWa Snippets, go to: 

www.wewriwa.com

Do you believe in karma? 

Annie Furman has a gift that allows her, while she sleeps, to visit people in their time of need - but who will be there for her when she needs help? Undersheriff Dave Turner is investigating a series of home invasions and homicides. He has no idea that solving this case will lead him to the woman of his dreams. 

Karma Visited will stay with you 

     

by Svbabe

I simply could not put this book down! A must-read! The story will haunt you. This is a story where you really root for the good guys and boo the bad guys! I loved it!

FREE Book Club Packet    http://store.payloadz.com/go?id=1809349

PRINT  

http://www.amazon.com/Karma-Visited-Chelle-Cordero/dp/061587326X

Smashwords  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/344391 

ALLROMANCE  https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-karmavisited-1295927-248.html 

Kindle http://www.amazon.com/Karma-Visited-ebook/dp/B00F6BGFF2 

Instant Download PDF   http://store.payloadz.com/go?id=1809348 

Apple iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/karma-visited/id685074771

Kobo  http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/karma-visited

Nook  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/karma-visited-chelle-cordero/1116351963

Chelle Cordero's EMS Mystery Suspense Novels Reviewed

New 5-Star Review of Final Sin

reviewed by Jerrid Edgington
author of EMS novels & Oklahoma Paramedic

What a great book

I loved this book. I couldn't put it down once I had the chance to dive into it. The imagery was impeccable, characters were strong, and it had a great plot. If I could give it six stars, I would. Great job, Chelle !!!

Final Sin    &   Hyphema

Both novels are available in ebook, print & audio

a review of Hyphema

5.0 out of 5 stars Nobody Writes It Better by Author Charmaine Gordon

Chelle Cordero tackles a difficult subject this time in her latest release HYPHEMA: bleeding in the eye caused by trauma. A mystery thriller with love, prejudice, and first responders makes HYPHEMA a must read in this climate where compassion and understanding will lead toward peace.

Writing from years of experience as a first responder, Ms Cordero paints an accurate, thrilling story of the lives of flight medics in North Carolina.