#MondayBlogs ~ Social Networks

It seems like there are a lot of folks today that are ANTI-Social Networking. I can understand that if you are limiting yourself to the computer screen and ignoring family and friends in REAL TIME… but what about the people who aren’t surrounded by others like shut-ins, or the folks who live quite a distance from family and just want to stay in touch? I am sure there are a dozen more (at least) valid reasons to LIKE FaceBook, Twitter, Google-plus, Pinterest, Instagram and other such networking opportunities. And don’t ignore the targeted forums like Growing Bolder, LinkedIn, Emergency Service chat-rooms, and chronic illness sites.

I spend a lot of time on sites like FaceBook and Twitter and visit several others frequently; for me a lot of that time has to do with my career as a writer (both author and journalist). I network with others for information, promotion, learning more about my craft, and (because I work from a home-based office) for a pseudo-office water cooler experience. As a journalist I do research on a wide variety of topics and once I query a few search terms I never know where the results will lead me. As an author I use the internet, including blogs and email, to connect with readers. But most of all, I love the fact that social media has given me a chance to re-connect with childhood friends and school alumni even if we are no longer around the corner from each other. And I can stay in touch with long distance family on a more frequent basis than our busy schedules permit via phone or handwritten letters.

There are ways to limit who sees your posts so that the relatively personal family stuff isn’t shared worldwide for everyone, of course marked private or not you should never post the really, really intimate details online. Since I want my online presence to be an “open book” )please excuse the pun from this author), I maintain two FaceBook accounts: one is for personal use and one is for anything related to my writing and my readers. During the average day I flip back and forth between my actual work (research, writing, business records, etc.) and then spend some time checking up on friends and family online.

I notice a lot of people alternately take time off from online, surprisingly most of these people are indeed missed when they are gone. Sometimes I have to wonder if they realize that they have become vital presences in other people’s lives. I have some friends and family that have come off of FaceBook entirely and they are truly missed — while I do have real-time dealing with them, there are times I just want to send them a post, pass along a meme or just send them a smile.

If you are online please feel free to some check out my sites, like me on FaceBook, follow me on Twitter and Google-plus and say HI. Thanks!

FaceBook   https://www.facebook.com/AuthorChelleCordero

Twitter   https://twitter.com/ChelleCordero

Google+   https://plus.google.com/u/0/+ChelleCordero/posts

Three months later ~ Weekend Writing Warriors / #8sunday / 04/26/15

Hi! Welcome to another Weekend Writing Warrior round. Every week writers post 8 sentences on their blogs from a published or unpublished book. Then we "hop" around and leave comments on each other's snippets. Whether our work is already published or in progress, the helpful comments help us become stronger writers on our next WIP. We welcome EVERYONE's comments.

See more at the
WeWriWa blog
& check out the
Facebook Snippet Sunday group

My entry this week is from Hostage Heart, a romantic suspense involving a young lady from Louisiana whose family was affected by the devastation from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

This scene takes place about half a chapter later in the book after Deanna saw Ryan shot. She's mourned him and tried to get on with her life and all of the changes the incident has caused. Three months have passed since Ryan was declared dead and Agent Connie Reed tried to interview Deanna in the hospital. (by the way Deanna has given testimony against the surviving bank robbers). 

...and now the eight:

Connie was seated at her desk hunched over a mound of paperwork when he entered the room; he stood quietly and waited for her to say something.

Finally she broke the uncomfortable silence, “You’re back.”

“Much to your dismay, I’m sure.”

“Yes, I don’t know why you didn’t take my advice and request a transfer Agent Hunter.”

“After three months in the middle of nowhere strapped to a desk there is no way I would want to be stuck in that hellhole, I’m a field agent...”

“You’re a field agent who overstepped your bounds, you are damn lucky she didn’t file charges against you or you would be out of a job and in jail too.”

He did a lot of thinking about Deanna the past three months, he hadn’t had much else to occupy his mind, “How is she?”

“She thinks you’re dead, leave it that way.”

For more WeWriWa Snippets, go to: 

www.wewriwa.com

Hostage Heart  by Chelle Cordero is available as an AUDIOBOOK and in All Ebook Formats and  Print Editions.

Life was hard after the hurricanes swept through, destroying her parents' home and livelihood...Deanna did the only thing she could do. She moved to New York City, found a job, worked hard, scrimped and saved to send what little she could manage back home to Louisiana to her parents.

An errand for her boss - a chance encounter with a crew of bank robbers - a kind man who tried to help her and deserved her courageous help in return... But he wasn't the man she thought he was...no, he was so very much more!

Review

Hostage Heart is a captivating read… I really enjoyed Chelle Cordero's 'Hostage Heart.  It read quickly and kept my interest until the very end. I would highly recommend this book and I plan to read all of the author's other books. It took me along on the adventure. I enjoyed the romance.

~LDB, on Amazon

 AUDIO on Audible  

Print 

Kindle 

AllRomance Ebooks 

Smashwords for All Ereaders 

Payloadz Instant Download 

    ~~~~~~~~

Hostage Heart was my sixth novel published with Vanilla Heart Publishing (summer 2009) - inspired by stories from my husband who was part of a Federal medical team after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and memories of an ex-boyfriend who worked undercover in law enforcement, Hostage Heart was billed as "a hot romantic suspense about deception".

I've posted eight-sentence snippets from Hostage Heart since February and have now pushed the limits of my contract regarding how many words I can post (...ssh), so next week I will be moving on to another story. In the meanwhile if you've missed any of my weekly Hostage Heart postings, just click on the links below (the earliest is the top) to read any of them leading up to this week's (above).

The bank robbery

Danger

Miss Goody Two-Shoes

No money for ransom

Because they sleep together

Mamere called it vibrations

Confusion

Temptation

Foreboding

Death

We have a problem

I hope that you've enjoyed!

#TBT Seven Years Ago... then came Bartlett's Rule

My first book with Vanilla Heart Publishing was published in 

April 2008. I was so excited!

Author Lauren Shiro had made a connection with VHP's Managing Editor and she told me how impressed she was with Ms. Williams. I asked if she would mind if I contacted her, she wished me luck... It wasn't long before I received a response - Send The Manuscript!

Suddenly I was signing a book contract and waiting to see my name on the spine of a book. Kimberlee Williams walked me through promotion techniques, she designed a terrific book trailer and posted it on YouTube, and she arranged an on-air "Meet & Greet"

Soon after I had a book discussion and signing at a Nanuet bookstore and the very first time that I was asked to autograph a book was a feeling I will never, ever forget — Readers wanted MY autograph!!!

I wrote my first newspaper article when I was in college. In 1981 I began freelancing from home while our children were young, but I always said that I wanted to "grow up and become an author" and I did, I did!

I've published a few books with Vanilla Heart Publishing since then, I've had short stories and articles in other books with other publishers, and I am still writing articles for newspapers and magazines all over North America. It's been a thrilling and wondrous ride. Kimberlee has taught me so much about the publishing world and has been a terrific friend as well as publisher. I've also met some terrific people, other authors with Vanilla Heart Publishing. It's been a terrific seven years and I hope to look forward to many more. If you want to learn more about all of my VHP books, visit my website page.

About Bartlett's Rule
Bartlett's Rule shares the story of Lon and Paige's love affair; a romance filled with hardship, emotion, danger and triumph. Falling in love was never the challenge; being there for each other, knowing just what to say and making it work is the real test. Paige and Lon are real; they are human, they cry and they laugh. Paige has to learn to trust. Lon has to learn to be patient.

Bartlett’s Rule was named one of
Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s Top Ten Reads for 2009
on MyShelf.com

Reviews:

Malcolm Campbell ~Barbara Moroch~Bobi / Amazon

Buy Links

AUDIO –   http://www.amazon.com/Bartletts-Rule/dp/B00F4AUKZQ

PRINT – http://www.amazon.com/Bartletts-Rule-Chelle-Cordero/dp/097965453X

Kindle – http://www.amazon.com/Bartletts-Rule-ebook/dp/B001H0G6KU

AllRomance Ebooks – https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-bartlett039srule-17739-149.html

Smashwords for All Ereaders – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1549

Payloadz Instant Download – http://store.payloadz.com/go?id=853574

and the FREE Book Club Discussion Packet with full color printable bookmarks, author bio and photo, discussion starters, and synopsis –  http://books.noisetrade.com/chellecordero/bartletts-rule-by-chelle-cordero

#MondayBlogs ~ Man plans and God laughs

Throughout our lives the unexpected has a way of startling us, it's not always something bad or good... just something we didn't plan on.

Maybe it's the child who finds a box of crayons and a beautiful expanse of empty wall just before that company you so want to impress is due to show up.

Maybe it's the feline who's perturbed that you enjoyed a vacation away and left the poor kitty home alone with only the twice-daily visits from a caring neighbor to dole out food and now, well, kitties do have their unique way of making a statement... (sigh) right on your luggage.

Or maybe it's the car that wouldn't start causing you to miss that important business interview, you know, the one that held the promise of a promotion.

There are also plenty of great outcomes that were born from plans that went awry like the career choice that never came to fruition because of "budget cuts" and the alternate fall back that led to meeting that special person and a lifetime of joy.

I once listened to someone tell us of his five-year plan which he had scheduled down to the day and it just didn't work out that way. Despite the plan being trashed, today he's a happy family man with a house, loving wife, impressive offspring and a job he enjoys.

Life may not be the plans you thought you wanted, you may be dealt very different opportunities. Sometimes your perfect dinner plan now includes a mural by Crayola, sometimes the washer and dryer need to run all night so that you can be prepared for work the next day. And sometimes you feel like you've been blindsided and may never catch your breath again — but you do.

Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.

~John Lennon

Have you ever heard of the Paperbag Players? These talented improvisation actors take a paperbag filled with random items and perform a skit based on the contents and nothing else. This is a good example of how we need to live our lives using the items at hand. 

Never throw your hands up in surrender because of all the things that "went wrong", instead just grab it all and make it work. Be flexible, be productive, and be happy.

We have a problem ~ Weekend Writing Warriors / #8sunday / 04/19/15

Hi! Welcome to another Weekend Writing Warrior round. Every week writers post 8 sentences on their blogs from a published or unpublished book. Then we "hop" around and leave comments on each other's snippets. Whether our work is already published or in progress, the helpful comments help us become stronger writers on our next WIP. We welcome EVERYONE's comments.

See more at the
WeWriWa blog
& check out the
Facebook Snippet Sunday group

My entry this week is from Hostage Heart, a romantic suspense involving a young lady from Louisiana whose family was affected by the devastation from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Still in shock after seeing Ryan shot, Deanna is taken to the hospital after her ordeal and examined. FBI Agent Connie Reed comes in to take her statement. Deanna is getting over her shock and is getting angry. (I chopped this piece up because I wanted to get it all in)

...and now the eight (creative editing used to make it fit):

“Miss Blair, the nurse told us there was, uhm, evidence of sexual contact, do you want to press charges?”

Deanna shook her head, “I wanted to be with him, I wanted to be with Ryan, the man your agents shot. Why did you have to kill him?”

"You were with... Ryan? He, he pulled a gun, he must have known he would be shot once he pulled the gun.” Reed sighed, “Miss Blair, I understand you’ve been through an awful lot, I’ll leave my card at the nurse’s desk, please call me when you are ready to talk.”

Closing the door behind her, Reed walked down the length of the corridor before pulling her cell phone out of her pocket to punch in numbers. She put the flip-phone to her ear. “The girl is okay, we have some serious problems though, we need to talk.”

For more WeWriWa Snippets, go to: 

www.wewriwa.com

Hostage Heart  by Chelle Cordero is available as an AUDIOBOOK and in All Ebook Formats and  Print Editions.

Life was hard after the hurricanes swept through, destroying her parents' home and livelihood...Deanna did the only thing she could do. She moved to New York City, found a job, worked hard, scrimped and saved to send what little she could manage back home to Louisiana to her parents.

An errand for her boss - a chance encounter with a crew of bank robbers - a kind man who tried to help her and deserved her courageous help in return... But he wasn't the man she thought he was...no, he was so very much more!

Review

Hostage Heart is a captivating read… I really enjoyed Chelle Cordero's 'Hostage Heart.  It read quickly and kept my interest until the very end. I would highly recommend this book and I plan to read all of the author's other books. It took me along on the adventure. I enjoyed the romance.

~LDB, on Amazon

 AUDIO on Audible  

Print 

Kindle 

AllRomance Ebooks 

Smashwords for All Ereaders 

Payloadz Instant Download 

    ~~~~~~~~

Check out the NEW Vanilla Heart Publishing Reader-Reviewer Club

more titles are being added daily!
Get to read fantastic VHP titles for FREE
Sign up today.

#MondayBlogs: Negativity – a note to politicians

When I first started dating my husband he was selling appliances in a local store (no, that is not how I met him…) — he was pretty successful at his job. In our early conversations I once asked him how he managed to outsell so many of his co-workers. Here is his answer, “I don’t spend time knocking the competition. I sell the items we have and let customers know how good each of them is. People want to know what they are buying.”

Even though Mark has moved on to another SUCCESSFUL career which he does as well (and is happy doing), his lessons about salesmanship have always stayed with both of us. I’m reminded of his words EVERY election year and with potential presidential candidates announcing their intentions it’s more pronounced than ever.

So this is a note to those candidates: If you want my vote, please tell me what YOU can do for our country and why I should vote for you. I’m not interested in your criticisms about other candidates. I want someone who can offer solutions to our problems and make our lives easier, safer, and more productive. When you spend your time and campaign money to complain about someone else’s policies and actions, all I hear is that you know how to complain and whine, and that is no way to run our country.

Go back to basics – encouraging the average American to vote for you is tantamount to applying for a job and hoping to be hired. You should build your resume with your experience listing what your responsibilities and accomplishments are (were) in any relevant jobs. When you interview, promote yourself and tell the employer why you could handle/perform the job in the company’s best interest. Your voters are your (potential) employers, we are not social buddies who chit-chat and hear your everyday complaints.

If YOU want the job (aka my vote) please stop telling me what you don’t like about the OTHER GUY... 

Please tell me why I should want YOU.

Death - Weekend Writing Warriors / #8sunday / 04/12/15

Hi! Welcome to another Weekend Writing Warrior round. Every week writers post 8 sentences on their blogs from a published or unpublished book. Then we "hop" around and leave comments on each other's snippets. Whether our work is already published or in progress, the helpful comments help us become stronger writers on our next WIP. We welcome EVERYONE's comments.

See more at the
WeWriWa blog
& check out the
Facebook Snippet Sunday group

My entry this week is from Hostage Heart, a romantic suspense involving a young lady from Louisiana whose family was affected by the devastation from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

My apologies, this past week of Passover has been so busy that I haven't spent much time online - so I missed reading all of your snippets last weekend. The holiday ends this weekend and I have to pack all of my Pesach dishes away, but I will try my best to double up and read snippets during the week.

Despite Ryan's promise to get Deanna home, F.B.I. agents raid the compound and Ryan and one of the other bank robbers are missing. As the agents prepare to bring Deanna to safety, the other missing bank robber appears.

...and now the eight (creative editing used to make it fit):

The man had a rifle pointed at Deanna  — a shot rang out and he went down. Ryan shot him. One of the F.B.I. agents ordered Ryan to drop his weapon; he didn’t.

Another shot rang out, Deanna watched in horror as Ryan’s body jerked and he collapsed.

“Ryan,” Deanna tried to run to him, she was stopped by one of the other agents, “Ryan, please...”

She could see blood staining the chest of the man Ryan shot.

The agent who shot Ryan went to check his pulse and then repeated the gesture on the other man, “they’re both dead.”

“No, no, no...” Deanna collapsed crying Ryan’s name.

For more WeWriWa Snippets, go to: 

www.wewriwa.com

Hostage Heart  by Chelle Cordero is available as an AUDIOBOOK and in All Ebook Formats and  Print Editions.

Life was hard after the hurricanes swept through, destroying her parents' home and livelihood...Deanna did the only thing she could do. She moved to New York City, found a job, worked hard, scrimped and saved to send what little she could manage back home to Louisiana to her parents.

An errand for her boss - a chance encounter with a crew of bank robbers - a kind man who tried to help her and deserved her courageous help in return... But he wasn't the man she thought he was...no, he was so very much more!

Review

Hostage Heart is a captivating read… I really enjoyed Chelle Cordero's 'Hostage Heart.  It read quickly and kept my interest until the very end. I would highly recommend this book and I plan to read all of the author's other books. It took me along on the adventure. I enjoyed the romance.

~LDB, on Amazon

 AUDIO on Audible  

Print 

Kindle 

AllRomance Ebooks 

Smashwords for All Ereaders 

Payloadz Instant Download 

    ~~~~~~~~

Sometimes it seems that there just isn't enough time
in the week to get everything done and
this past week was a perfect example of that.

We have to prioritize the things we do and sometimes have to
give up some activities... It isn't that the things we don't get to
aren't important, we just can't do it all.

My time was spent with family and I concentrated on home life.
In a way it's been kind of a renewal and with the weather finally
showing up with some warmer days, I look forward to a fresher
perspective and greater productivity.

I think spring is finally here.

I know what you did... ~ #MondayBlogs

Knowing where all the bodies are buried (figuratively) is a daunting responsibility.

Between the easy availability of personal information and things that have been said and done basically in front of me, I find that I have kept many secrets for others. Just search a person's name on the internet, use a genealogy database, find a person's Facebook profile, and simply listening to most people who might tend to get a bit loose with their tongues, and it's not hard to possess secret background info.

Okay MOST of the info is not criminal or earth-shattering to the many, but most of the secrets would cause extreme embarrassment to its owners.

Ironically many people don't realize how much personal information (even details they want to keep hidden) can be found online, are told at family or school reunions, get worked into conversations and sometimes are hinted at or spilled by themselves — especially if the person has had a few drinks  — and then at some point days, or even years, later the truth comes out. Sometimes an individual has fabricated a complete lie (guilt? ego? shame?) and then gets tangled in the details.

I know secrets that some people have tried their best to keep hidden; maybe I was there when something happened, maybe I heard it from another knowledgeable party, or maybe I accidentally came across it while I researched something unrelated for an article I was assigned... but the fact is, I know.

I've heard war stories from someone who never served, about offspring that had no knowledge of half-siblings, know of marriages that weren't really the first for each but that's what one party was told, criminal histories that didn't get divulged even on job applications, certifications and diplomas that were counterfeit, and more. Sometimes anger at someone who has belittled others or been careless about other people's feelings have led me to IMAGINE spilling the beans, I've managed to resist so far.

When faced with knowledge about someone I try to see who the truth would actually cause pain to and resist the temptation; most times the true victim would be a complete innocent. When faced with with an unpleasant truth and then seeing the liar causing more pain (like the father who claimed to but never served making his son feel less than a man because a physical impairment kept the son out of service), it sometimes is so tempting. Sometimes though, no matter how tempting, I know I would crush belief systems, destroy a child's admiration for a parent, and cause emotional pain to a spouse who considers the mate to be the world.

I may not be willing to expose some of these secrets or lies, but that doesn't mean they will never be found out. Someone else may also know and perhaps that someone will act with malice. Imagine the pain a loved one may feel when, after a death, paperwork is sorted for insurance purposes and such and disturbing details come to light and suddenly the loss of a loved one is compounded by not even being able to ask questions or talk about it. And the day you are found out that embarrassment may be multiplied many times over.

If you have a dark secret make sure that those around you won't get blindsided. Most secrets are often a bit of embarrassment to the owner, but they can be a devastating loss to the loved ones who always believed in you. Take away the power from those who may have learned your secrets unwillingly, or even purposely, and allow your loved ones to really know you.

Foreboding ~ Weekend Writing Warriors / #8sunday / 04/05/15

Hi! Welcome to another Weekend Writing Warrior round. Every week writers post 8 sentences on their blogs from a published or unpublished book. Then we "hop" around and leave comments on each other's snippets. Whether our work is already published or in progress, the helpful comments help us become stronger writers on our next WIP. We welcome EVERYONE's comments.

See more at the
WeWriWa blog
& check out the
Facebook Snippet Sunday group

My entry this week is from Hostage Heart, a romantic suspense involving a young lady from Louisiana whose family was affected by the devastation from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Deanna and Ryan have grown infinitely (& intimately) closer after last week's snake in the shower. Back in the cabin tensions are high as "the boss" arrives and is far from happy about Deanna's presence. Ryan makes a promise to Deanna that he will get her back home.

...and now the eight (creative editing used to make it fit):

“Come back with me, Ryan, turn yourself in; you’re better than this,” she waited through his silence.

He squeezed his eyes and exhaled slowly, “no Deanna, this is me, this is my life.”

“If the police capture you, they are going to put you in jail for a long time.”

“They won’t capture me.”

“Ryan, if you come back with me and turn yourself in, I’ll tell them that you didn’t kidnap me; I’ll tell them you protected me and saved me."

He wished he had the time to see where things could go, “Deanna, trust me, I am not getting out...”

“You could.”

“No Deanna, I expect to die here.”

For more WeWriWa Snippets, go to: 

www.wewriwa.com

Hostage Heart  by Chelle Cordero is available as an AUDIOBOOK and in All Ebook Formats and  Print Editions.

Life was hard after the hurricanes swept through, destroying her parents' home and livelihood...Deanna did the only thing she could do. She moved to New York City, found a job, worked hard, scrimped and saved to send what little she could manage back home to Louisiana to her parents.

An errand for her boss - a chance encounter with a crew of bank robbers - a kind man who tried to help her and deserved her courageous help in return... But he wasn't the man she thought he was...no, he was so very much more!

Review

Hostage Heart is a captivating read… I really enjoyed Chelle Cordero's 'Hostage Heart.  It read quickly and kept my interest until the very end. I would highly recommend this book and I plan to read all of the author's other books. It took me along on the adventure. I enjoyed the romance.

~LDB, on Amazon

 AUDIO on Audible  

Print 

Kindle 

AllRomance Ebooks 

Smashwords for All Ereaders 

Payloadz Instant Download 

    ~~~~~~~~

Happy Passover and Happy Easter
 whichever (or both) you celebrate.

This week as I was frantically trying to complete my Passover shopping (yes, this is a holiday focused around food!) I ran into an acquaintance that I hadn't seen in a while. We chatted for a few and she asked how everyone in the family was doing; she knows all of us through various channels.

She asked if my daughter and her husband would be making it to the Seders and I answered they would be with me for the second night (We celebrate with two Seders); they had plans to be at my son-in-law's family the first.

The next question was whether my son and his new wife (just since last December) would be joining us. My answer this time was that they would be out-of-state visiting her parents.

I laughed then and said that's what comes with marriage, you have two families to split your time with. And then I smiled broadly and told her "Of course that also means that I have double the children, so I'm happy."

Family is a wonderful thing. I've always enjoyed watching my children grow and I am very proud of the adults that they've become. Both of my adult children have chosen exceptional partners and I love each of them as well... My mom used to say "It isn't in-law, it's in-love."

Each of the children I've acquired through marriage have lovely parents and we all love sharing these great kids!

When I write about relationships in my books I often think about the similarities and differences between my real life and my characters' imagined ones. Deanna's parents, which readers meet later on in the book, are very much like my own were — they are protective and loving, and they support their child through anything. In some of my other books the parents and family histories aren't always the nicest and I feel bad for my characters; sometimes I even feel a bit guilty for giving them such hard lives...