#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

#TBT for real!

Today was just such an appropriate day to unexpectedly meet up with someone I haven't seen in about 15 years — after all, it is #ThrowbackThursday, the day we all try to trigger a bit of a time tunnel trip to the past.

After picking up an item at a local store I was just beginning to back my car out of a parking space when I was flagged down by a smiling woman who had just parked her own vehicle. She looked familiar as she neared my car...

"I know you!"
"You look familiar, too."
"We were in the same Bat Mitzvah class together!"
...

(We were both Bat Mitzvah'd as adults, I was 40 and it was about a year AFTER my daughter's Bat Mitzvah at 13) 

Circumstances had changed, the shul we both went to went belly-up, and we lost touch through the years. But it was just so good to see each other again.

I re-parked my car and went back into the store with her and we just stood and chatted asking about each other's families and the latest news. 10... 15 minutes went by far too fast; maybe it was 20? We exchanged contact info and promised each other we'll keep in touch.

I hope we do.

#TBT - It's been ONE year since I joined the #WeWriWa hop! Yay me!

 I am ...since 9/15/2013

9/15/13 WEWRIWA a community of writers and readers

My very first (& hopefully not last) post that is part of the WeWriWa meme!
(thanks to Charmaine Gordon for cluing me into this terrific weekly activity)

Since this is National Preparedness Month, I am choosing my brief excerpt from one of my EMS suspense novels, Final Sin - this is from a scene in the autopsy room, Jake is entering to learn what he can from the autopsy in hopes of solving a crime. Present are the chief investigator Sheriff Jake Carlson, the Chief Lab Pathologist Dr. Ramos, and the remains of Holly, a victim of a sadistic murderer :

        He entered the autopsy suite passing the heavy wooden sign next to the door; It said, “HIC LOCUS EST UBI MORS GAUDET SUCCURRERE VITAE”. Once before when Jake had been here, he had asked for a translation of the Latin words and was told, “This is the place where death rejoices to teach those who live.” He was anxious to learn and he hoped Holly would be anxious to teach; He had high hopes that they could learn something, anything that would lead them to the murderer. Two men were waiting for him as he donned a surgical gown and protective eye-wear.

        Holly’s body was already lying on the shiny, aluminum dissection table. The table, a little more than waist high, was edged with an aluminum channel to allow blood and fluids to drain away from the body. The room was uncluttered and glaringly bright. It was a stark reminder of the lifelessness of the cadavers stored in the drawers along the wall.

For more snippets:  http://www.wewriwa.com 

Amazon Paperback
Kindle
Audio Edition
NOOK
Smashwords
iTunes/Apple

#TBT re-posting from Long and Short Reviews, July 31, 2011

Working Characters

by Chelle Cordero

Many of my characters have successful careers and work they like, sometimes love. I’ve had characters who have saved lives, written about it, drawn pictures, investigated bad guys, defended the rights of the accused, and created hype. Some of the jobs were easier to write than others because of my own familiarity with the profession or thanks to the help of someone who actually walked in those shoes.

Lon Bartlett in Bartlett’s Rule was a successful columnist. “He is a pompous ass!”, that’s how Paige Andrews describes him. Lon brags about his exploits with the fairer sex and he’s built a reputation as a “real man”. Paige is wary of falling under Lon’s spell, she questions his attitudes, she condemns his sexploits. But, they have to work together.

Paige works in the public relations department of a well-known magazine. She understands how publicity works and how images are created. Still, she sees Lon and knows that is the kind of man she wants nothing to do with.

As a writer myself, Lon’s work appealed to me and of course I understood a bit of what it takes to be a writer. During my college years I did a short stint working temporary positions – it gave me several great resume starters and a good look at the business world. One really enjoyable assignment was in the publicity department at McCall’s – I used my own experience working at McCall’s as the basis for By-Lines Publishing, the company depicted in the book.

It was really fun to relive those years…

from the introduction of Bartlett’s Rule:

“He is a pompous ass!”

When Paige Andrews is given the assignment of courting a famous writer for the publishing company she works for, she meets and entices the sexy, charming and thoroughly dangerous womanizer, Lon Bartlett.

Lon immediately takes a not-so-professional, personal interest in the young woman and pursues her. Lon is thrilled when Paige finally succumbs to his charms only to find that her haunting past sets off a terrifying reaction. Lon learns a heartbreaking reality – Paige is a rape survivor.

Will Lon be able to change his womanizing ways? Will he want to? Will Paige ever learn to trust again? Can they learn to love and live, together?

You can download a FREE sampler of

Living, Breathing, Writing: A Lesson A Day by Chelle Cordero

at http://bit.ly/qMTvLU
(includes sample chapters & writing exercises)
based on the acclaimed Living, Breathing, Writing Amazon Kindle Blog

Thanks Long and Short Reviews for allowing me to be here today!

~Chelle

#ThrowBackThursday - 2010 50 Great Writers You Should be Reading

I was selected as one of the authors to be honored

in this book published by The Authors Show in 2010

"50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading" published by THE AUTHORS SHOW, is the show's first book compiling some of the best guests who have appeared on both its online radio and TV versions of the show. 

from the 2010 press release:

Chelle has eight novels published by Vanilla Heart Publishing: Bartlett’s Rule, His Lucky Charm, Within the Law, Courage of the Heart, Final Sin, Hostage Heart, A Chaunce of Riches, and Common Bond: Tangled Hearts. She has short stories in three Vanilla Heart anthologies: With Arms Wide Open, Nature’s Gifts, and Passionate Hearts; and in Forever Friends from Mandiman Press. Chelle Cordero is a freelance writer with numerous articles in regional and national newspapers and magazines. Cordero also authors a weekly online writing course Living, Breathing, Writing available by subscription through Amazon Kindle Blogs. 

Appeared on Nina Pierce's Around the Writer's Block 11/30/2008 #TBT

Make Room for Chelle Cordero!

Written by Nina on November 30, 2008 

Categories: Guest Blogging, Interview

I want to welcome Chelle Cordero, a multi-published author and freelance writer whose articles have appeared in various publications including The Journal News, Hudson Valley Magazine, Emergency Magazine, Spotlight, Auto Trim News, EMS Products, Sound Management Magazine and more. Chelle has agreed to set the freelance personna aside for today and tell us about her novels.

Tell us a little bit about you and how you got into writing.
I have always enjoyed telling stories. I was the kid who had very believable imaginary friends and even family members. When I was in high school (HS of Art & Design, NYC) I had to take an elective course and a Creative Writing class led by poet Daisy Aldan fit into my schedule – after that I not only knew that I enjoyed telling tales, I had to.While I was in college (Fordham University at Lincoln Center) I had my very first newspaper article published in both a Bronx weekly paper and in my college newspaper. But it took several years before I wrote full-time. While I was pregnant with my daughter I decided that I wanted to both work and be an at-home mom; freelance writing definitely fit in with my plans.

Please tell us about your books.I am in love with the idea of being in love, so I write love stories. My genre romances Bartlett’s Rule and (coming in February) Courage of the Heart have strong messages as well as inspiring love stories; His Lucky Charm and Within the Law were fun to write because they have continuing characters (but they are both stand alone novels). Another book, due out sometime in 2009, is a departure from the normal romance genre for me: Final Sin has a love story involved but the main story is an edge of your seat crime thriller. I had someone tell me that while they were reading the manuscript, they put a kitchen knife next to them after the first chapter!

How do your stories come to you? Characters first? Plot first? Or does it all just sort of come together at once?Imagine sitting in a theatre, only you didn’t necessarily plan to be there, and the curtain opens to action on the stage. That is kind of how it is with me. It’s like I see a scene played out in front of me and I give the characters “a life”. Then I play “what if” and I just record my characters reactions to the curveballs.

If you came with a warning label what would it read?Caution – this person MAY be a little off-balance. She talks to herself and has a whole slew of characters running around in her brain.

Describe your writing space. Do you move around or always write in the same place?I do most of my actual writing seated at my desk and computer. On very rare occasion, I’ll sit with my laptop on my recliner in the living room. But I do most of my thinking (and creating my stories) ANYWHERE because I never know when a thought will strike.

Tell us about your writing process. Are you a plotter or pantzer? Do you have comfort drinks or snack foods. Any favorite music you play while writing?I lay out the initial conflict and I decide on the final outcome – how the story gets there is up to my characters. For instance, in Bartlett’s Rule the initial conflict was that Paige was a rape survivor and she detested Lon because of his alleged chauvinism and his image as a player; by the end I wanted them together as lovers and friends with a happy ever after potential. I took the time to give each major character a history and based their actions and reactions on what “drives them” (similar to method acting). The story basically wrote itself and I just threw in a few twists and surprises now and then. I wind up picking a “theme song” that makes me think of my characters and the conflict they are going through – then I play it repeatedly while I am working, and I do mean repeatedly. The theme song for Bartlett’s Rule was Garth Brooks’ “To Make You Feel My Love”; His Lucky Charm’s theme song was Kenny Chesney’s “Because of Your Love”, and Within the Law’s song was Faith Hill & Tim McGraw’s “Let’s Make Love”.

If we asked your friends to name 3 personality traits about you, what do you think they would say?Imaginative – Nurturing – Outspoken

When you’re reading someone else’s books what about a man is a turnoff and why?If he is disrespectful to others, if he doesn’t care about another person’s feelings, if he will “climb over others” without even remorse. A man can be strong without cruelty.

What happened to the first novel you ever wrote?It was a romance novel called “More Than a Friend” and I tried to submit it to a few of the bigger romance imprints. My story was rejected a handful of times because it wasn’t straight genre (one or two rejection letters actually came back citing “too much going on”). I rewrote it several times based on the numerous suggestions I received from helpful editors to eliminate some story, some characters, some conflicts, etc. My story lost focus and, simply put, it didn’t seem to go together anymore. Maybe I didn’t know how to rewrite it for the market back then but now it is hopelessly outdated. If that were to happen to me today, I would investigate other publishers (ie: small press) and I would not limit myself to a straight romance genre house.

I just got this sweater … do you think it compliments my eyes?I don’t know, I can’t hear what it is saying… (No? And I thought torquoise spots over purple stripes screamed “love me”! Huh, I’ll have to try again.)

If you could be one of your characters who would you choose and why?Caitlyn Smythe Price from His Lucky Charm (& continued in Within the Law) – she’s a little bit wild and emotional, but she is also a very strong person and ready to face off against anyone for the people she loves.

If you were sick in bed which movie would be your comfort movie and why?Actually I dislike watching TV or reading in bed, so if I were that sick, I couldn’t quite come up with an answer. Rarely will I watch a movie more than once; I am just no fun that way. I guess my favorite relaxation movies include The Replacements, An American President, and The Pacifier.

What advice would you give aspiring authors?Never give up and never get discouraged. Listen to every critique but don’t treat it as gospel. Believe in yourself in order to make others believe in you.

How does your family feel about your writing?They are very supportive but I doubt that they truly understand how and why my excitement exists over a printed page or a fantasy that’s just running around in my head. They congratulate me on my successes and brag about me to their friends and generally make me feel pretty darn good about myself.

Anything else you’d like to share with your readers?I believe I really lucked out meeting the publisher that I did; she is always ready with encouragement and support. She is just so positive that she helps build confidence even when her writers feel a bit unsure. I also have made friends with many other writers, not just with the same publishing company, and I have noticed that, almost without exception, these folks are super friendly, supportive and helpful. These writers have achieved some enormous successes of their own and they are very quick to applaud another’s successes. It’s nice not to have to worry about much of the backbiting that seems to pervade so many other fields.

Chelle … wait, Chelle … oh dear, she’s gone off with one of the cabana boys. I’m sure she’d love for you to stop by her website or friend her on Twitter, Pinterest or Facebook. She’d love to have you visit her blog or Yahoo Group. All of her books can be found at Vanilla Heart Publishing. 

Chelle is actually very chatty and would love to answer your questions. Feel free to show her some comment love!

 See more at: http://ninapierce.com/blog/make-room-for-chelle-cordero/

from 2008 for #ThrowbackThursday ~ The Magic of Passover

In time for Pesach, here's an older article about Passover preparations & festivities. This year, 2014, has been wonderful, although our first seder was just three of us (hubby, son & me, future dil was working & daughter & sil were with his side of the family). The 2nd seder was lovely, a table of 13, unfortunately not everyone invited was able to make it. It was a fun time with lots of laughter and good food. ...still my favorite holiday.

As a child I loved waking up the morning before the first Passover Seder to see our kitchen so sparkling with aluminum foil lining the stove and refrigerator shelves. The special dishes were set on the table and the good silverware was polished and sparkly. All of the “chometz” (any mixture that contains flour and water that has been allowed to ferment) was GONE, often hidden away in a cardboard box in a bedroom closet or such. The food pantry was chock full of delicious chocolate covered jell rings, jars of gefilte fish (mom didn’t make her own), matzo farfel for turkey stuffing, sweet grape wine, apples, walnuts and other delicious treats.

When the extended family came to the Seder on either (or both) of the first nights, my folks had folding tables set up that stretched across the living room effectively dissecting the bathroom and kitchen side of the room. Depending on how much horseradish you took on your gefilte fish, you were happy, or not, that you sat on one side of the table or the other – the dash for water rivaled the great Exodus by itself! My dad did not read Hebrew, neither did many of the other relatives, and trust me, English was not my dad’s first language. So the reading of the Haggadah (the story of the Exodus) was always a lot of fun as daddy substituted words.

As far as I was concerned, Passover was pure magic. Passover has always been my very favorite holiday.

Now I am the mom and the wife. It is my kitchen that I line with aluminum foil. It’s my pantry that gets scoured and restocked. It is my table that hosts family Seders for up to 20 people (the largest was 24!). And oy, it is my back that feels the strain year after year.

This year as I folded myself pretzel-like to line my pantry shelves and realized that I am not nearly as flexible as I once was, I began to wonder if perhaps I fell in love with the holiday and its “magic” because I was not the one originally doing all of the work.

But as we sat around the Seder table on the first two nights (the first was just the 6 of us, the 2^nd night we had 16) and we took turns reading from the Haggadah – in English with the prayers being done in Hebrew by those who knew it – there was so much laughter and so many jokes. There are jokes that are repeated year after year and still are laughed at, like the parsley dipped in salt water that we call the salad course of the meal, red faces after the horseradish is passed on matzo (home ground from fresh root!), and many, MANY impromptu comments thrown in during the evening.

The service and meal takes approximately 4 to 5 hours. That is 4 hours or more of captivated audience even though I have more table room than mom did and my home is not dissected by the elongated table. (But it was still a riot when my son, seated at the far end, handed his father, seated at the head of the table, a walkie-talkie so they could “communicate”!) And as I sat there, hopping up between courses to serve, I noticed something significant – the magic is the family. It is the laughter, it’s the joy, it’s the good food, it’s the love and it’s time together.

There is such a magic – I love the Passover holiday.