How A Haunting Murder Led to a Romantic Suspense

It was 1985 and the little town I lived in was horrified at the murder that captured newspaper headlines. The site of the murder was just a few minutes from my home.

Using my EMT skills, I used to work in the infirmary of a local summer day camp in those years. Every day, as I drove to work, I went past the driveway leading to the smokehouse where the victim’s body had been burned beyond recognition. The police caught the murderer and the trial replaced the actual murder headlines.

But each time I passed the mailbox at the end of the crime scene driveway I was filled with an unease, there were nights when the horror at what had occurred there just wouldn’t leave my mind and I would lay awake staring at the ceiling.

When I wrote Final Sin I used a mental image of the crime scene that had haunted my town and I developed a different crime, a crime that included a body that had been set on fire. But that is where the similarity ended…

… Deputy Sheriff Commander Jake Carson has his hands full with the investigation of a brutal multiple homicide, a troubled son and a vindictive ex-wife when he meets young, free-spirited paramedic Julie Jennings. He is immediately drawn to her and finds himself unexpectedly falling in love. Julie finds herself just as drawn to him. When Julie becomes the subject of an obsession, it puts both of their lives in extreme danger… Romance…danger…adventure…suspense…another great Chelle Cordero novel sure to grab readers from many genre!

Final Sin was an Honorable Mention in the
Fiction Category of the 2010 NY Book Festival 

Buy Links

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

KOBO

iTunes

Scribd.

inktera

Final Sin is available in Print, E-book & Audio

Now Available in Spanish and German translations!

Book Discussion Packet

Oy, Politics ~ #MondayBlogs

Election time is coming and if you are on FaceBook that probably means you are about to change your buddy list; you’ll drop some people and others will drop you often without warning. Indeed here are those who post pleas not to discuss anything political and others who constantly post the latest email rumor that makes “the other guy” look bad.

I admit to enjoying political discussions and even engaging in some debating, I like to hear other viewpoints and I like doing the research to back up many of the issues I feel are important. While I don’t expect to change anyone’s mind ultimately I would like to hope that I encourage more discussion and thought.

While I enjoy a good thought-provoking debate, I don’t appreciate it when it becomes personal, I don’t like name calling and foul language, or having my intelligence questioned. And I do get offended when ethnic slurs and outright bigotry works its way into the post.

If you are going to be open to debating the political situation, here are a few tips: by all means THINK or as my dad always said “put brain in gear before engaging mouth”; read what the other person has to say and not just the highlights like they are planning to vote for your favorite candidate’s opponent; especially if they aren’t responding to something you’ve posted there is no way that anything they are saying is personal.

If you are scrolling through your newsfeed and see that oh so perfect post that totally casts the opposing candidate in a terrible and embarrassing light, don’t just repost without checking the veracity (I use Snopes.com a lot) even though it might be tempting. Be sure that you can back up whatever assertions you are making with verifiable sources. And refrain from generalizations about the “people who would vote for [the other guy]. Finally NEVER tell someone to shut up, give it up, or (my “favorite) go back to where you came from — everyone is entitled to an opinion whether you like it or not and they should be allowed to voice it politely.

If you want people to listen to you and think about the arguments you make, try to put it into their perspective. What is important to you may actually be in direct opposition to someone else’s political views. If you can point out the benefits that they would like such as increasing the school budget and adding after school programs (usually a liberal concern) would help lower crime rates (often a conservative concern) as the youngsters and teens would be kept too busy to hang out on the streets.

If the other person insists on nastiness, just back away even if your inclination is to swipe back. And yes there may even come a point where you don’t want or need someone’s malicious and thoughtless words on your page at any time, so unfriend that individual. On word of caution though, don’t unfriend just because you share different views and expect them to want to welcome you back after the election, they might not.

No matter what, if you have made one person really THINK, even if you haven’t swayed them, then you have accomplished something very important.

I’ll leave you with this thought, please VOTE. Yes I have a favorite candidate but I will respect the office and whoever winds up sitting in it — so long as I can believe that true majority rule made that final decision.

Enjoy an Evening of Books at Palaia ~ #MondayBlogs

Dynamic VHP Authors
Chelle Cordero and Charmaine Gordon

Will Be At Palaia Vineyards on
Friday, July 31 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM

Multi-published Vanilla Heart Publishing Authors Chelle Cordero and Charmaine Gordon will be at Palaia Vineyards on Friday night, July 31, 2015, 6:00PM to 8:00PM to read from their books, host an interactive discussion of the stories and the writing process, and sign book copies. Copies will be available for purchase. There is no cover fee; participants must be at least 21-years old.

Chelle Cordero is an award-winning author who writes stories of Passion and Suspense; VHP has published ten Cordero novels including Final Sin, a murder mystery based in the Hudson Valley. You can find more information about Chelle Cordero at her website http://ChelleCordero.com.

Charmaine Gordon is a former actress who writes books about women who Survive and Thrive; Charmaine's first novel with VHP, To Be Continued, has been optioned for a television movie. More information about Charmaine Gordon is available at https://AuthorCharmaineGordon.wordpress.com/.

Kimberlee Williams, Managing Editor at Vanilla Heart Publishing, said “Our VHP Dynamic Duo certainly promises to be entertaining and make for a fun-filled evening at Palaia Vineyards.” Vanilla Heart Publishing is an independent publisher based in Washington State.

Palaia Vineyards is named for the winemaker's grandfather, Angelo Palaia, who emigrated here from Italy and passed his winemaking skills on to his son and grandson. Over ten acres of vineyards are situated on a 200-year old Hudson Valley former dairy farm. The old barn has been restored and is now a beautiful, clean winery on the lower level, with storage and a tasting room above preserving the look and feel of the historical building.

Palaia Vineyards is located at 10 Sweet Clover Road in Highland Mills, Orange County, New York; it’s easy to get to by car, the vineyard is five miles north of the Woodbury Commons Outlet Stores on Route 32. The phone number is (845) 928-5384. (directions)

Please say you'll come
join us on our FaceBook Event Page
(click above)

Help a buddy out...

Have you read any books recently that you enjoyed and perhaps would like to see more from that author?

Or better yet, do you KNOW a struggling author and would like to see her/him enjoy some success so you could say "I knew her when"?

What can you do - Plenty.

• Buy the book. Give the book as gifts, if you enjoyed it, maybe your friends will too.
• Talk it up. Tell your friends about that great book you just read and suggest that they might enjoy it too.
• Write a review - on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, GoodReads and even on FaceBook or a personal blog.
• Drop the author's name and the name of the book the next time you visit your local library - don't be shy - ask if they carry any books by (author name)
• Rate reviews posted on Amazon, you know where it says "Did you find this review helpful?", click it.
• While authors love it when their books are newly sold, it also helps when a reader passes their book along or even just leaves a copy in some random place with a note saying, Please Read Me & then pass me along again (usually print) - these are called "Traveling Books".
• Are you a member of a book club? Suggest that book to the club for a rousing discussion; many authors make Book Club Discussion Packets available to help facilitate discussions.
• If the author is local, invite her/him to your club, store, restaurant, home, library or any venue to meet and greet readers - the author can discuss an area of expertise or even HOW to get published.
• Host a book party featuring the book or even asking everyone to bring a favorite book to swap.
• Does the author have a FaceBook Page? LIKE the page.
• Does the author have a blog? Follow it.
• Does the author have a newsletter list? Subscribe.
• LIKE and Share the author's Amazon page.
• Tweet and re-tweet. Tweet about the author's blog or any mentions of author or the book(s); re-tweet the author's tweets. Do the same for Google-Plus.
• Share author posts on your FaceBook page.
• Find out if the author has a Street Team and JOIN; "a group of people who 'hit the streets' promoting an event or a product." (Wikipedia). Aside from helping the author, you will often get lots of free swag and other incentives.

Please Tweet and Share this article. 
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Take a look at my website book list http://chellecordero.com/novels-by-chelle-cordero/

LIKE my author page on FaceBook https://www.facebook.com/AuthorChelleCordero

Follow me on Twitter https://twitter.com/ChelleCordero

Thank you!

Vanilla Heart Publishing E-Book Discussion Packets

VHP  E-Book Book Club

Book clubs and their members play an important part in the enjoyment and excitement of reading terrific books. Here at Vanilla Heart Publishing, we appreciate the passion and enthusiasm book clubs generate when reading and discussing books!

Easy! Inexpensive Packages including Ebooks, Author Info, Discussion Starter Questions, and Full Color Bookmarks for your club membership to simply print out and use!

Vanilla Heart Publishing authors can give your book club (across the United States, Canada, the UK and worldwide) an exciting presentation – in person, by Skype, or via forums and group chat on the internet. 

Book Club Extras Packets

Author Info, Title Detail, Discussion Starters and
Printable Bookmarks - All FREE!

Book Club Extras Packets are available as free downloadable packets or viewable online.
To download your free packet, simply click the EBCE link, or view online.

   EBCE      VIEW ONLINE   
     Common Bond, Tangled Hearts by Chelle Cordero   Layne Gillette’s world is turned upside down when a man she has never met shows up to lay claim as the father of her 6-year old son. When Layne’s abusive “ex-husband” shows up, they are torn apart by danger, kidnapping and lies. 


   EBCE      VIEW ONLINE   
     A Chaunce of Riches by Chelle Cordero   Ben Johnson was hired as a bodyguard for a rich widow and her kid, but he never expected to be working for the woman who had abandoned him just when he had needed her the most. Damn it all, he still wanted her. Samantha Chaunce never thought she would have to explain why she married the rich man instead of Ben. Or that her husband had been murdered...and Ben was the prime suspect. 

   EBCE    VIEW ONLINE
     Within the Law by Chelle Cordero   Tom gave up on ever falling in love again the day that he buried his high school sweetheart and fiancé. He started a career in law enforcement just so that he could find her murderer and rapist. Just when he is about to see justice done, he meets Alli Davis-the defense attorney for the murdering rapist who took his love from him. 


   EBCE    VIEW ONLINE
     Hostage Heart by Chelle Cordero   Life was hard after the hurricanes swept through, destroying her parents' home and livelihood... An errand for her boss - a chance encounter with a crew of bank robbers - a kind man who tried to help her ... a man who isn't all he seems...no, he is so much more 

   EBCE     VIEW ONLINE 
     Courage of the Heart by Chelle Cordero   COURAGE OF THE HEART shows us that sometimes love is the only cure for the very deepest of emotional wounds. The story of the two lovers takes a series of unexpected and fast paced turns where lives, sanity and love are put in jeopardy. Their commitment to one another results in a spirit that binds them together and helps them to overcome physical and emotional dangers.

   EBCE     VIEW ONLINE   Hyphema 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. 



   EBCE    VIEW ONLINE

Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire by Malcolm R. Campbell  Mainstream humor with a dash of mystery... Jock Stewart is a mix of Don Rickles and Don Quixote, Stewart is the man for the job when the skirts are up and the chips are down...

   EBCE    VIEW ONLINE   

Bartlett's Rule by Chelle Cordero  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.

   EBCE    VIEW ONLINE   

His Lucky Charm by Chelle Cordero  What happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas... this time it follows Brandon and Caitlyn across the country and into a world of espionage and danger. The one thing that Brandon knows for sure is that he can't afford to lose his lucky charm, Caitlyn. Will their romance survive a foreign threat to national security, kidnapping, personal tragedy and a murder attempt? (Previously released as Forgotten, 2008)

  EBCE    VIEW ONLINE

Final Sin  by Chelle Cordero  Deputy Sheriff Commander Jake Carson has his hands full... investigation of a brutal multiple homicide, a troubled son and a vindictive ex-wife. He meets young, free-spirited paramedic Julie Jennings. When Julie becomes the subject of an obsession, it puts both of them in danger...

  EBCE    VIEW ONLINE

To Be Continued by Charmaine Gordon  Elizabeth Malone wakes up the morning after an amazing night of passion with her husband of forty years to find a note: "Dear Lizzie, it's not you, it's me." Abandoned by her husband, disappointed in daughter Susie's casual attitude – ‘Dad's having a mid-life crisis’, Beth decides to re-establish herself as the winner she once was. When Frank Malone returns, he's in for a big surprise!

  EBCE    VIEW ONLINE

Starting Over  by Charmaine Gordon  Each morning, Emily Kendrick runs on the hard-packed sand of St. Augustine Beach. She runs to clear her mind and heal her heart. From the widow's walk of the house perched high on the dunes, a man trains his binoculars on Emily... One early morning run, he sees tears spill down Emily's tanned face. She stumbles and falls, crumpling into a heap in the sand. . .and doesn't get up. A lone runner reaches Emily's side. Her watcher slams his binoculars onto the railing as he throws his coffee cup against the steel and Plexiglas windscreen...

  EBCE    VIEW ONLINE

Now What?  by Charmaine Gordon  It was 2:30 a.m. when the phone rang. I fumbled for it, my heart starting a race toward bad news. Our doctor s voice urged me to hurry. I crammed into clothes as if I expected this call. It is only a fever that won t go down, isn't it? Our doctor shook his head. ...We did everything possible to save him. I held him in my arms when he took his last breath. Carly, I m so sorry. Settling in beside my Bob, I held his cooling hand and asked the two words spoken many times during our years together. Now what? This time there was no response. I was on my own for the first time. When my fingers touched his wedding ring, I slipped it off and held it in my fist. The gold band was warm. I clung to him. Come back to me, dearest. Sometimes what you wish for is more than you can live with.

  EBCE    VIEW ONLINE

Reconstructing Charlie  by Charmaine Gordon  Charlie Costigan has a secret. Home life gone from bad to the worst when she protects her mother from another vicious attack by her drunken father. Midnight. Clothes thrown into an old suitcase, she races for the bus with a letter to an unknown aunt and uncle. This is my daughter. Embrace her as if she were your own. Determined, Charlie begins again. Alone with her secret.

  EBCE    VIEW ONLINE

Loving Her  by L.E. Harvey   Loving Her is a collection of short stories celebrating love and life between women; each story tells a story, and together, they create a depth and understanding of women's love for each other and for life. Loving Her shares the stories of remarkable and ordinary women- women learning to love and women making a difference, all while managing the world around them...as lovers do.

  EBCE    VIEW ONLINE

Unbreakable Hostage  by L.E. Harvey   Lareina Oliveira; high school math teacher, she wants to share her passion for math. So it is back to school for Lareina…a tough Ph. D. program. A classmate is captivated by Lareina’s beauty and intelligence, and despite her repeated refusals to his attentions, he  kidnaps her! Only her determination and wits can save her… Will her family, roommate, and a wily detective from Missing Persons get to her before it is too late?

  EBCE    VIEW ONLINE

Imperfect  by L.E. Harvey   Carol Mathers, born a sickly child, in a home fraught with undercurrents that threaten to sweep away any chance she might have for a ‘normal’ life.  Now in her mid-thirties, she's a highly sought-after IT guru in St. Louis.  She has built a great life for herself with her partner, Alexandria, even though the two face prejudice as lesbians, and as an interracial couple -fighting tragedy and sometimes, finding triumph.  Carol discovers that she has acquired AIDS as a result of a childhood transfusion from the dark period of time before AIDS was widely known… or understood, not even by the medical profession.  Now, the two women face even more obstacles, prejudice, and a strange, new life as AIDS patients and  it all causes her to wonder about the meaning of and purpose of her own life… or if there is any purpose at all…  

You can also download .pdf book discussion packets
for all Chelle Cordero novels
directly from her website

BOOK DISCUSSION PACKETS:

 Karma Visited (pdf file)

Bartlett’s Rule (pdf file)

His Lucky Charm (pdf file)

Final Sin (pdf file)

Hyphema (pdf file) 

Hostage Heart  (pdf file)

Courage of the Heart (pdf file)

Common Bond, Tangled Hearts (pdf file)

Within the Law (pdf file)

A Chaunce of Riches (pdf file)

Exciting News! Bartlett's Rule is now in Audio

Can you hear it now? YOU BET!

Bartlett’s Rule by Chelle Cordero is now available as an AUDIOBOOK on Audible, iTunes, and on Amazon! Also in All Ebook Formats and Print Editions.

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.

Review

A fantastic read -- a love story between two seemingly very different kinds of people. Between all the tribulations that get in the way of their romance, they ultimately triumph. The story is so well crafted and the characters evoke lots of emotion from the reader. The plot takes lots of twists and turns and underscores the severity of rape crimes and the lasting damage it inflicts upon its victims.

~Barbara Moroch

 

Bartlett’s Rule audiobook is narrated by Gwendolyn Jensen-Woodard, professional voice actress, owner and producer at Gypsy Audio, residing in the Pacific Northwest. Final Sin was the first audiobook she produced for Chelle Cordero and Vanilla Heart Publishing, followed by Hostage Heart, and is now at work on Chelle’s upcoming paranormal suspense, Karma Visited. Gwendolyn’s range, professionalism, and extraordinary high quality production standards are just a few of the reasons we’re thrilled to be working with her on these projects.

                            

AUDIO, PRINT, and ALL ELECTRONIC EDITIONS

BUY LINKS

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

And if you decide to use the Amazon-exclusive Audible.com 30-day free trial membership it includes:

• This audiobook free, plus a bonus audiobook of your choice
• Exchange any book you don't like with our Great Listen Guarantee
• Total flexibility - cancel, pause or upgrade membership easily and whenever you like

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://store.payloadz.com/go?id=907621

Bartlett’s Rule was named one of Carolyn Howard Johnson’s Top Ten Reads for 2009

Hey Book Clubs !!!

Are you a member a Book Club and looking for new material?

Are you growing bored by the same old discussions and need new material?

My fantastic Managing Editor at Vanilla Heart Publishing helped me create Book Club Discussion packets for each of my novels ~ and they are FREE and instantly downloadable. Each packet has loads of intriguing discussion starters, bookmarks, resource info and more...

 Karma Visited (pdf file)

Bartlett’s Rule (pdf file)

His Lucky Charm (pdf file)

Final Sin (pdf file)

Hyphema (pdf file) 

Hostage Heart  (pdf file)

Courage of the Heart (pdf file)

Common Bond, Tangled Hearts (pdf file)

Within the Law (pdf file)

A Chaunce of Riches (pdf file)

Enjoy!

Your Next Book Club Discussion - Bartlett's Rule

Free Discussion Packet

Bartlett’s Rule
(pdf file)

(excerpt)

     She nodded. Memories flitted through her mind as if the event had just occurred. She swore she could feel the shock and disbelief... and the pain. “Hal was distraught. He begged me to take him back... again. But I couldn’t. He kept calling me but I kept saying no.” She paused unsure whether she could continue, but when she looked at Lon and saw his compassion staring back, she felt stronger. “He was waiting in the apartment one day when I got home from work. I hadn’t thought to change the lock. I didn’t realize he still had a key. He was crying and he begged me to talk, just talk. So I said okay.”

     Lon saw Paige glance at the clock over the stove. Her courage seemed to falter. “Take your time. There’s no hurry.”

     “We argued again. I asked him to leave. He refused. So I said I was going out for a while and would he please be gone by the time I got back.” She felt the sob build inside her. “I finally went to walk out, he grabbed me just inside the door of the apartment, pushed me to the floor, held me down covering my mouth, pulled my clothes off and entered me. Hal said he was showing me he loved me. It was painful. I must have formed a mental block because although I remember being scared about pregnancy, I honestly couldn't remember or figure out if he used a condom or came in me.”

     He suppressed the ripple of anger he felt. “You were in shock.”

     “I never thought he would really hurt me and believe it or not, I was afraid in the beginning of the attack to fight back and hurt him. So in some ways, I almost feel as if I let him do what he did because by the time I did start to fully fight, he had me pinned down. I couldn’t get him off of me.”

     He waited. She was quiet and just stared at the table top. “What happened next?”

     “I... I got up and got dressed and I left. I went to a friend’s house. I thought she was a friend. I was crying so hard. I remember her saying to me ‘Well what did you expect, you never said no to him before.’ The guilt really set in after that and I blamed myself.”

     Sighing, Lon realized how Paige had been betrayed twice, once by Hal and once by that so-called friend. “So you didn’t think you had the right to report it as a crime.”

     She cried. “She convinced me it was my fault. And I knew I hadn’t fought the way I should have. I waited a while and then I called my apartment to make sure he had gone. I went home and showered. I douched. I tried to wash it away. I even threw out the clothes he had torn off of me.”

     Lon stood and started to go to her. Then he thought to ask first. “May I hold you?”

     Paige choked back her tears and nodded. “I’d like that.” She stood and went into his arms. It felt good to be comforted.

     “Ssh.” He held her and soothed her hair away from her face. “None of it was your fault. Hal had no right to do what he did to you.”

     “But I didn’t fight him.”

     “You trusted him. He betrayed that trust.”

     “I... I thought he loved me. He was the first man I had ever been with. We had been sleeping together from before we got engaged. My friend was right, I never told him no.”

     “Your so-called friend wasn’t much of a friend. You didn’t do anything wrong, Paige.”

     She cried into his shoulder and Lon just held her.

Bartlett's Rule by Chelle Cordero

AMAZON   B&N   OMNILIT PDF

KINDLE   SMASHWORDS MULTIFORMAT

Please join me online Sunday

Please join the online book Discussion of Final Sin by Chelle Cordero on Sunday January 31, 2010 - it's going on all day.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VHP_Readers_Club/

free excerpts, questions, discussion and prizes

Deputy Sheriff Commander Jake Carson has his hands full with the investigation of a brutal multiple homicide, a troubled son and a vindictive ex-wife when he meets young, free-spirited paramedic Julie Jennings. He is immediately drawn to her and finds himself unexpectedly falling in love. Julie finds herself just as drawn to him. When Julie becomes the subject of an obsession, it puts both of their lives in extreme danger...

Final Sin by Chelle Cordero

AMAZON B&N OMNILIT PDF

KINDLE SMASHWORDS MULTIFORMAT

The NEW Exciting VHP Readers Club

Click to join VHP_Readers_Club

Meet & Mingle with Vanilla Heart Publishing Authors in this Yahoo Group! Find author chats, book discussions and more... Sign up now and don't miss out on any exciting events.

Stop Abuse of Women on Swatton Live

Stop Abuse of Women - Interview with Chelle Cordero - Author of Bartlett's Rule

Hey all, please tune your computer dials to
Swatton Live on October 7 at 9:00PM EST
http://bit.ly/baalc

"Chelle Cordero will join us in discussing her novel, Bartlett's Rule. This is a story of a woman recovering from the devastating effects of rape while she learns to trust and fall in love again. The story explores the secondary victim challenges facing the man she meets (after the rape) and the effects on people around them."

Jeanine Swatton is the CEO/PR Director of Swatton Live, LLC. She is the co-founder of "Preventing Abuse Against Women". Jeanine holds a Master's degree in Computer Science from Boston University. Her vision is to help women who are victims of abuse and provide them with the services and tools to become empowered.

*****

Join the separate Amazon Forum Discussion on the Bartlett's Rule page about Sexual Abuse - scroll down the page to Customer Discussions: This product's forum. http://bit.ly/4FqH2F