So I dabbled in Paranormal

I finally broke out of the mold. For years I wrote romantic suspense novels, liked the genre (and apparently so did some readers), and was very comfortable with the genre. I’ve always liked a bit of edge of the seat mystery and am a hopeless romantic myself, so…

But a story was haunting me. Driven by my own nightmarish dreams as a child, I developed a character who dreams and “visits” people who need comfort during a crisis. Sometimes all she can do is lend a soothing presence. In her own life a crisis is brewing – who is there for her? And so Karma Visited, a paranormal suspense novel, was born.

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.

(Okay, I admit, I am still a bit of a romantic and couldn't help leaving people wondering if a relationship would develop from this.)

I found that writing this first paranormal was a challenging task. While I have a firm, personal belief in all things otherworldly and telepathic, it was still difficult to do. In the past I concentrated on writing about tangible things, things that could not be disputed. It was… safe.

Notice though that I said “first paranormal”, I liked the genre and liked exploring some of my more personal beliefs, there will be more.

Excerpt:

Tears streaked down her cheeks and left lines on her soot stained cheeks. I rested my hand on hers and hoped she felt at least a little bit of comfort. The children were safe, she made sure of that. I let her know I admired her bravery. She appreciated the compliment, for just a moment, and then fear grabbed her again.

She stood again and tried to shake the bars free from the window. Safety bars. Those bars were meant to keep evil out and now all they did was trap her in. Luckily the little ones could squeeze between the wrought iron rods and she dropped them to horrified bystanders on the street. She understood that there was no way she could escape, but she was determined to save the children.

One by one she made sure that her charges would be alright, they were safe. And now it was time for her to die, but now the fear of how she would suffer terrified her.

Coughs seized her body as she sank back down to the floor and cried some more. Flames were licking the walls. There wasn’t much time left. We were both scared, but I knew I had no reason to fear for myself.

We could hear the sirens of the approaching fire trucks, but there wasn’t time. Her eyes were haunted as she looked at me and I prayed that the smoke would claim her before the flames. My prayers were answered. I sat still and stroked her limp hand and felt so sad that the girl’s last minutes were filled with terror.

As the burning ceiling above us sent flaming stalactites raining down, I knew she was at peace.

 

“Karma Visited captured me from the beginning and never let go. This tale of good, evil, and a miraculous gift between has a cast of characters you’ll never forget. Well done, Chelle Cordero.” ~ Charmaine Gordon, Author of Survive and Thrive novels and Mature Romances

Karma Visited e-book is available for pre-order through September 15, 2013 from KOBObooks, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and iTunesApple.

http://ChelleCordero.com

When a character lingers

Fiction writers tend to get caught up in their characters’ lives. Sometimes a supporting character becomes an important player, but when that character stays with you and you just can’t get him (or her) go, then there is only one option – write another story focusing on that character.

I don’t close the door on any of my characters, they each become important to me; however if my character has been allowed a happy-ever-after, I am usually content to let them rest. When I create my fictional people, I always build a background, personality and “life” for them. Sometimes they have a tragic history and become a pivotal character who deserves their own happy-ever-after.

This has happened to me twice. While I typed “the end” on my manuscripts, Tom Hughes from His Lucky Charm (originally titled Forgotten) and Matt Garratti in Final Sin lingered and haunted me just begging to live their own lives. Indeed Tom’s tragic past deserved healing and he found the salve in a relationship with Allie Davis. Matt Garratti was a close, loyal and caring friend to his paramedic partner, Julie, in Final Sin.

I moved directly from His Lucky Charm to Within the Law – Tom Hughes was fresh in my mind when I penned his tale.

However I wasn’t even aware how much Matt affected me in Final Sin, after all he was only the best friend to the heroine – I actually wrote three more books after Final Sin before I realized he wasn't going away. Somehow Matt stayed with me imploring me in my dreams to let him live again. I re-read Final Sin and got to know Matt all over again. He had dreams of his own and a future to look forward to with a new wife and a child on the way by the time Julie and Jake were riding off into the sunset.

Matt spoke to me. He begged me for his chance. I wrote Hyphema. ~coming soon.

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.

Before long, Matt wonders if he is pursuing his dream or bringing his family into a nightmare which they may never wake from.

http://ChelleCordero.com

http://www.smashwords.com/

Buy Links

Smashwords - multiple ebook formats
Kindle - Amazon

From Long Winded to Short Story

It wouldn’t be the first time that I’ve been called long winded – even when I tell a story socially I tend to expound, flourish and build. What may only have been a simple childhood event becomes a long and entertaining tale. Of course I feel most comfortable writing at least 60,000 words. As a journalist (my “other” job) I’ve often been limited to under 1,000 words for an article so I do know how to eliminate useless words – but that’s NOT creative fiction.

The difference between short story and novel is more than length, although there are acceptable and fairly standard word lengths as guidelines. Generally a short story (and this can vary by publication) is approximately 10-thousand words or less for magazines and up to 15-thousand words for anthologies. Novels (again, this varies by publisher) start at about 60-thousand words and go up from there.

Sometime back I forced myself to write a SHORT story; ironically I believe we need to stretch ourselves and do what we don’t normally do and my stretching was being short. (pu-lease, no height jokes here) To date I’ve got entries in four short story anthologies: Forever Friends, With Arms Wide Open, Nature’s Gifts and (coming soon) Passionate Hearts. In order to keep the tales short, I had to limit my normal tendency to go off on a tangent, I had to keep it simple while still presenting believable characters and an interesting story.

In my short story Not Alone which appeared in Mandimam Press' Forever Friends anthology, I told the story of two college age friends who were dealing with guilt and grief after losing one of their friends in a car accident. Told in first person narrative, the main conflict dealt with the speaker’s decision whether to stand by her friend who was being blamed for the accident. The story had one central conflict, two main characters, spanned just a few weeks in time, and was told in 2500 words.

A short story is not merely a condensed version of a novel. Short stories will often have one major plot, a limited number of characters and revolve around a concise period of time. Novels can have intricate sub-plots woven into the thread, a cast of characters that come and go throughout the book, and the time span can be up to several years. A short story is a segment of life, the novel can depict life.

My most recent short story The Vacation will be in Vanilla Heart Publishing’s Passionate Hearts which will be released later this year. This is a romantic story of a couple learning to trust and depend on each other – I’m very excited. (by the way, the publisher is still accepting submissions until Aug 17!)

In the meanwhile, my current work-in-progress is another novel length manuscript. I guess I just love to weave stories.

Please visit my website and my author's blog to keep up on the latest about my long and short stories. Thanks for stopping by!

~ Chelle

What a ride it's been.

Although I had been writing and published for nearly two decades in the non-fiction world of newspapers and magazines, I was still considered a “newbie” by publishing houses when I approached them with a fiction manuscript in the late 1990’s. There were rules upon rules – get an agent, no unsolicited manuscripts, no unsolicited queries, agents that didn’t want to invest time in an unknown… All I wanted was for someone to give me a chance.

I had two manuscripts I was trying to market – More Than a Friend (never published - yet) and Courage of the Heart (published twice since then). I received a few personalized rejections (and I appreciate the time a couple of editors took to help educate me); while they complimented my writing, the main reason for rejection was that my stories didn’t follow “the formula strictly enough”. Perhaps if they hadn’t regarded me as a “newbie” they might have been willing to take a chance on a storyline that dared to step outside boundaries.

One agent recommended that I self publish and try to overcome my unknown status, but I couldn’t afford that. I did however find a print-on-demand publisher that would be willing to make my book available at no cost to me and a fairly hefty cut of any profits for themselves. My book, Courage of the Heart, was accepted and I was thrilled. However before the book was actually “published”, this company decided to enter the subsidy publishing world; since we had already signed a contract they did not impose any fees, but they also left me totally to my own devices to publicize and market the novel. Courage of the Heart sold VERY FEW copies.

Several years later I was still determined to be a published novelist – I had also learned a lot more about the industry and marketing. When a friend on MySpace began bragging that she had just signed a contract with Vanilla Heart Publishing and was thrilled with the experience, I looked them up and liked what I saw. I submitted a query for my novel Bartlett’s Rule. Managing Editor Kimberlee Williams expressed an interest and asked for the complete manuscript – I was literally speechless the night I opened an email telling me that she was going to offer me a contract. That was almost three years ago.

Since Bartlett’s Rule was published in April 2008, I’ve penned several more manuscripts and so far I’ve had a total of eight novels with VHP (one romance, six romantic-suspense, and one murder-mystery). Courage of the Heart was updated, the contract with the first publisher was nullified and it was released by VHP in January, 2009 – and it has sold many, many more copies.


Vanilla Heart Publishing is a traditionally based small press offering contracts and decent royalties. Between what I’ve learned about promotion and marketing and the excellent guidance, knowledge and support from Kimberlee Williams, I have enjoyed a small modicum of success.

The publishing industry today is very competitive – fortunately there are many more options for newer and unknown authors. No matter whether an author is completely self-published, under contract with a small independent or published by one of the “Big Six”, the process of promotion and marketing has to be a team effort. An author’s responsibility does not end with the words “The End” – unless you have a six figure reputation that a publisher is willing to invest in, you will have to heavily involve yourself in promoting yourself and your work. Many successful writers maintain a strong internet presence between social networking and blogging, set up in-person appearances, and jump on every opportunity to publicize their books.

Vanilla Heart Publishing and its authors work together as a team to ensure success. Kimberlee encourages us to use social media and blogs, she maintains a company blog and helps to “brag” about her authors, and provides online forums where we can get more exposure. She also sends out press releases, review copies, creates trailers, distributes sales sheets, designs our covers and markets the VHP line to distributors, online retailers and indie bookstores. As much as Kimberlee does for each of us, she is demanding – no one is allowed to sit on respective “arses” and wait for it all to be done for us. It is definitely worth it all.

It’s been an interesting and exciting ride. Sometimes it might even seem a bit overwhelming – those are the times when Kimberlee shifts from gentle taskmaster to nurturer and helps to re-build our egos. With her knowledge and encouragement, it is fun as we watch the sales rankings and get “Google alerts”. I don’t know if I would be as happy doing what I do if I were with a bigger publisher or self-publishing and doing it all on my own.

For now, I’m working on my next novel - and loving the work I do.

Check out my website - Welcome to Chelle's World

Got it covered...

Are we so superficial that we judge the books we’ll read by the way the cover looks? It’s part of the come on I guess.

Truth be told, if your book cover doesn’t grab a potential reader’s eye, your words will remain hidden within the pages. Think about your own shopping experiences – your curiosity gets piqued by how something looks; the outfit that looks dynamite even hanging on the hanger, the food that looks tasty even on the package label, and the cars that seem to stand out from the rest on the highway. A book cover shouldn’t be misleading the same way food packaging should at least hint at what is inside the package. Alas, the cover should appeal to your target audience.

Three of my novels have undergone face-lifts since the stories were first introduced:

Courage of the Heart was first published in 2001 by another publisher which transformed itself into a self publishing vanity press between acceptance of my manuscript and actual production. Without paying big bucks, there was no help in the marketing and promotion area; using the “If I knew then what I know now” lament, maybe I could have still gotten somewhere anyway. However, the original cover seems more suited to a textbook than an intriguing novel. Courage of the Heart was re-released by Vanilla Heart Publishing in 2008 with a tantalizing new cover and a combined promo effort between VHP and myself. I think you might agree, which one would catch your eye?

Next up we have Bartlett’s Rule. Kimberlee (my publisher) and I loved the original cover for Bartlett’s Rule – unfortunately we soon found out that the characters on the cover looked young and folks assumed the content was YA. My books are definitely NOT YA, thank you very much. Bartlett’s Rule is the story of a rape survivor who falls in love, the man who loves her and their combined efforts to learn how to trust, deal with the sorrow and anger, and not let the ugliness of the event take anything more away. While many parents have told me that they passed this book along to their teen agers, it really is intended for “mature audiences”.

The third novel not only had a face-lift, but a total transformation including name change. Forgotten seemed to live up to its name, not so much for the story, but because looking up the story by title alone was too arduous and often unsuccessful. Try it, go to Amazon and type Forgotten into the search bar; my book comes up (finally) somewhere on page 5 – fans had difficulty finding it at online retailers and since there are only some walk-in stores carrying the book, we had to make it easier. The story of Brandon and Caitlyn and amnesia, espionage and love was just reborn as His Lucky Charm – and we are hoping that this book also lives up to its name. The brand new cover certainly seems to be a “grabber”.

“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. Previously released as Forgotten, by Chelle Cordero”

Excerpt from His Lucky Charm:

He felt his muscles clench as he stared into the woman’s face that lay beneath him. If he hadn’t already felt her trembling, he would have known she reached her own climax just by the expression of her face. With one more powerful thrust he felt everything he had spilling into her, he felt a completeness he would have never thought possible. Everything stopped and then he swore he felt their hearts start beating again as one. Pausing a moment to look into her eyes, and they were beautiful eyes he thought, he brushed a long strand of chestnut hair away from her face and kissed her. Then he rolled off of her.

“I love you.” Her voice was soft, like the touch of her lips. He couldn’t believe the tingling he felt in his loins at hearing her words.

“You’re not even human...”

“What?” She almost laughed at his choice of words.

He hadn’t even meant to say that thought out loud. “I mean... I just never felt so... consumed before. I feel like I am under some kind of spell.” As he sat up to face her, he was surprised by the life he felt in his groin. Feeling a touch embarrassed, which was a new feeling for him, he admitted, “I almost feel like I can go another round, and considering how powerful that was...”

She faced him and gave him a sultry smile; her bare breasts were firm and small. But not too small, he thought, just enough to fill his hands. He felt his groin tighten again and just stared.

“Hey, are you okay?” She suddenly sounded self-conscious.

“Uh, yeah.” He forced himself to look at her face.

She touched his arm, her fingers felt light like feathers. “Can I do anything for you?”

“Yes.” He glanced at her breasts again and then back at her face. “Tell me... who are you?”

She laughed, it was a full-bodied sound. “Just one day married and...” She saw the surprise in his eyes as he looked at his left hand and saw the ring. Pulling the bed sheet up to cover her nakedness, she looked at him puzzled. “You’re serious?”

He frowned. “‘Fraid so.”

Beast Warrior (Wolf Maiden Chronicles)

Beast Warrior is a historical paranormal romance that takes place during the Viking Era of the Dark Ages. A time when only the strong survive. It is the second book in the Wolf Maiden Chronicles, which depicts alpha lycans and their human wolf maiden mates.

Sigurd, an alpha Norse wolfskin, son of Gunnolf the Red seeks revenge against shape shifting bearskins, Bork the Mad and his son, Mord the Blood Claw for the death of his parents and his older brother Guda. Orphaned, he has been raised by his older sister Brynhild, who convinces him to take a wolf maiden in order to increase their small pack. Despite the warning by Hungerd the wolf witch, he takes a farmer’s new bride with tragic consequences. Alone he joins a long ship until the day he can avenge his pack’s demise.

Emelisse, a Frank wolf maiden, has been raised and educated in the classics, science, literature and languages by female lycans of the Lupercal. Born a runt with a weak heart her father has been overprotective. She refuses to be treated like a delicate vase and rebels by seeking out riding and falconry. Now at age eighteen Emelisse frets that her father wants her to accept Radulf III the Cruel, an alpha lycan of a pack of powerful warriors. She tries to run away with her human lover.

Viking werewolf, Sigurd rescues Emelisse, from the claws of the berserker bear men. He claims her as his ulf hexen or wolf maiden, but she wants to leave lycan society and live with humans. To complicate matters she has been called by her goddess Feronia to save the lycans from a dreaded disease. Their union is wrought with great peril in a world where werewolves must battle against their own kind as well as their fierce enemy, the berserker bear men. Will Emelisse accept Sigurd a foreign lycan as her alpha mate? Sigurd vows to protect her from their enemies but how can he save her before she dies from her ailing heart?

Read Lindsay's review at Classic Romance Revival.


CELEBRATING
Wolf Maiden Chronicles
by Eva Gordon
Werewolf Sanctuary, Book 1
Beast Warrior: Viking Werewolf, Book 2
And Coming Soon,
White Wolf of Avalon: Werewolf Knight, Book 3
Wolf Support Opportunity!
All Day September 4th, 2009



To Eva Gordon’s Wolf Maiden Chronicle Series, Eva Gordon and Vanilla Heart Publishing are pleased to announce we will donate $1 per copy sold during the entire day on September 4, 2009 to Howling Acres Wolf Sanctuary, where Charlie and Sherrie LaBat have maintained a wolf sanctuary since 1991, committed to wolves in need of a permanent, safe haven.

Every dollar donated goes to Howling Acres Wolf Sanctuary to support wolves and their care by these terrific and dedicated people, including food, veterinary care, safety equipment, and protection…YOU can make a difference!

Join Eva Gordon on Books with Heart Radio and chat about the Wolf Maiden Chronicles! A Howling Good Time Celebrating The Full Moon and the release of Beast Warrior: Viking Werewolf.

Friday - 9/4/2009 1:00 PM Pacific time - 60 Minutes.


Eva Gordon
Author of Paranormal and Fantasy Romance
http://www.ravenauthor.com
http://evagordon.blogspot.com/
ISBN: 978-1-935407-30-0 for Werewolf Sanctuary LCCN: 2009924111 http://tinyurl.com/WerewolfSanctuary
ISBN 978-1-935407-31-7 for Beast Warrior, Viking Werewolf http://tinyurl.com/Beast-Warrior-Viking-Werewolf

Villains - not necessarily bad people

Last April (2008) I was nervously anticipating the public release of my first romantic-suspense novel, Bartlett’s Rule – and was I ever nervous!

Since then Vanilla Heart Publishing has introduced three more of my romantic-suspense novels.

Just barely more than a year later, I am once again frantically nervous about the release of my latest novel – a mainstream murder-mystery this time – Final Sin.
“Deputy Sheriff Commander Jake Carson has his hands full with the investigation of brutal multiple homicides, 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...” Trust me, I did the research, some of the scenes in Final Sin aren’t so pretty.

In a little more than a year, I seem to be on my way to creating a village of characters and I hope they will be as memorable to my readers as they are to me. Each book has a lead couple; oh yes, even though Final Sin is not genre romance, the couple is in love and readers will understand how this adds to the heightened tension and threat. Each story also features a cast of “supporting characters” including some not-so-nice people.

Especially since I have written Final Sin, a book with a VERY DARK SIDE, I have been thinking about my protagonists. Just as my heroes and heroines are not perfect, I think I can actually find redeeming qualities in almost all of my characters; for instance, even Hal (Bartlett’s Rule) in his dying scene, finally tells Lon where he can find Paige before it is too late – I don’t think he was trying to save himself, I think he just finally had a pang of conscience.

There were multiple “bad guys” in Forgotten but the one that stands out in my mind the most is Amanda. Amanda did so many mean-spirited things simply because of unrequited love – she loved Brandon, Brandon loved Caitlyn. It must have been very difficult for her to know that the man she loved had no feelings for her. Within the Law had Alli’s ex-husband, Bryan – I admit I am having a hard time finding anything redeeming about him except to say that at one time Alli loved him so he must have had something decent in him. Finally in Courage of the Heart there is a small crew that terrorizes Adam and Davey; it is obvious that Gonzo, the youngest member of the group, is himself a victim and goes along with the things he is told to do out of fear.

Final Sin has a villain, a very evil villain. But I am not going to tell you more about him right now until after you’ve read the book. Later this month, right here on Lindsay’s Romantics, I would like to host an online book discussion, check it out on Friday, May 29, right here on Lindsay's Romantics. In the meanwhile, if you would like to send me any questions, please write to me at ChelleCordero@gmail.com.

Final Sin is available for INSTANT download in

Kindle format from Amazon

and also in

.pdf form from Vanilla Heart Publishing.

Vanilla Heart Publishing just announced

EXCITING news!
MAY CELEBRATION ~ May 1 - May 31, 2009

ALL FICTION EBOOKS in VHP Ebook Catalog are just $7.50 Instant Download!

Order Final Sin from Amazon

(print)