Book Review - A Cup of Comfort for Dog Lovers II by Colleen Sell

A Cup of Comfort for Dog Lovers II by Colleen Sell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you adore dogs and enjoy a light easy read, then this book is for you. A Cup of Comfort for Dog Lovers II is a collection of short stories and essays that celebrate man's best friend, the dog. From heroic acts to plain silliness, these stories reflect the devotion we have for our four-legged friends and their unwavering love for us.

This is a heartfelt collection of fifty stories, well written by various authors, and edited by Colleen Sell. Some of the stories are serious, even sentimental, and others humorous, but they all share the magical ingredient of a dog’s devotion. This is a truly enjoyable collection of short stories.

While all the stories were good, a special acknowledgment goes to Susan H. Miller for her story, The Dachshund That (Almost) Conquered the World. Susan is a friend and fellow member of the Humble Fiction Café writers group. Her writing style and stories are an inspiration and joy to read.

Book Review – Death by Dorlana Vann

Excellent – a very quick and enjoyable read. Death is really two books in one. First is Jaclyn's Ghost, which I had read pre-publication, loved, and blogged about it here. This is the story about fashion model Jaclyn Jade, who has to find the reason she doesn't make it into Heaven after her untimely and murderous death. She enlists the help of a psychic that can hear ghosts, as well as a mysterious and intriguing ghost named Logan. An exciting adventure ensues and one that is sure to captivate readers – it did me!

The second story is Passage to Mesentia. Here, Dorlana Vann surprises the reader with twists and turns that test Wade and Bella's relationship as they search for answers to the murder of Bella's archeological parents. A mysterious and surreal stranger named Ben solicits their help in finding an ancient Egyptian artifact believed to be the reason behind the murder, all the while pulling in Bella with his romantic and tragic past.

Dorlana Vann is a newly published author, fellow member of the Humble Fiction Café writers group, and a friend. Read the book if you get a chance, and watch for more of her novels in the future.

HFC/Good Books in the Woods - Author Event

This is just a quick courtesy reminder about the exciting author event being held this Saturday at Good Books in the Woods. While I haven't yet been to Good Books in the Woods, it looks like an interesting and fun bookstore to visit and was featured in the Lifestyle section of the Houston Chronicle on Mar 24, 2009. I will be there along with several other members of my writers group, Humble Fiction Cafe, between 12-3:00 p.m. If you already have Split, bring it along to have it signed by some of the contributing authors, or you can purchase your copy there. We will also have contests to give away books, plus you can listen to poems and short stories being read by the authors.

Since this is my very first book signing ever, I'm really excited and am hoping for a great turnout. Please tell you friends in the Houston area to stop by!

For those who have attended (or hosted) book signing author events, tell me... what should I expect? Any tips/tricks or recommendations to help make it more successful?

Humble Fiction Cafe: An Author Event Not to be Missed!

An Author Event You Won't Want to Miss!

On Saturday, Sept 19, members of Humble Fiction Cafe will be at Good Books in the Woods. The event is from 12:00-3:00 p.m. and will feature author readings, book and e-book giveaways, and more.

Click here for more information.

Click here for a map.

Hope to see you there!

More Good News from Humble Fiction Cafe

I just have to brag some more about the talented writers of Humble Fiction Cafe. You already know about the book success of Dorlana Vann and Susan H. Miller, and the acceptance of Kelli Meyer into the esteemed Odyssey Fantasy Writing Workshop.

Now Chrissa Sandlin has a poem entitled The White Market in Sorcerous Signals (http://www.sorceroussignals.com/WhiteMarket.html). Check it out!

It is wonderful to be able to share all this good news!

Upcoming Book Reviews and Contest!

Great news! I've received my copy of Death by Dorlana Vann (containing Jaclyn's Ghost and Passage to Mesentia) and A Cup of Comfort for Dog Lovers II with a story by Susan H. Miller. I first mentioned these books in my post, WordProverb: Writers Group News and Success!

I'll be posting full reviews in the future!

In the meantime, I am pleased to announce my first ever giveaway/contest on this blog!

Da-ta-ta-da!! What will you win? ...drum roll, please

There will actually be two lucky winners. 1st place winner receives their choice; Death by Dorlana Vann or A Cup of Comfort for Dog Lovers II. Second place winner will receive the remaining book. I'm working on getting the books autographed too, but can't promise that yet!

I'm so excited and I hope you will be too, because it is so easy to win. To enter, just leave a comment (yes, that easy). Here are the rules:

• Comments are eligible for the contest until midnight, July 16, 2009 Central Time zone.
• I will use the Custom Random Number Generator to pick 1st and 2nd place, and announce the winners on this blog on July 17.
  
• The winners will need to contact me by email before 10pm Central Time on July 27, 2009 or another winner will be selected.
• Sorry, only residents of the continental U.S. and APO/FPO and Canadian addresses are eligible.

Please note - to be eligible, your comment must appear on this post on the WordProverb blog. If you are reading this on Facebook or elsewhere, please visit the actual blog post to add your comment.

Thank you and good luck!

Writers Group News and Success!

I’m pleased as punch to share some great news from my writers group, Humble Fiction Café.

Publishing Success!

Death by Dorlana Vann
Representing the death card in Tease Publication’s Dark Tarot Series, this is a two-in-one novel containing Jaclyn’s Ghost and Passage to Mesentia. Two great paranormal novels in one book, click here for details and brief descriptions of both stories. Available now at Barnes and Noble or Amazon.

A Cup of Comfort for Dog Lovers II by Colleen Sell
This is a collection of fifty great dog stories. Susan H. Miller contributed The Dachshund That (Almost) Conquered the World, a most enjoyable story for dog lovers everywhere. Available now at Barnes and Noble or Amazon.

I encourage you to purchase these books and enjoy the talent of both Dorlana and Sue!

Other Success!

Kelli Meyer was accepted into the esteemed Odyssey Fantasy Writing Workshop. They only accept 16 students each year, so it’s quite an accomplishment to be accepted into this six-week writing program.

Way to go Dorlana, Sue and Kelli!

New Post on Endings

Please visit my novel blog, Hope and Faith, where I've posted Six Common Types Endings, the information gleaned from an endings class given by Linda Lindsey of HFC. It was an outstanding class full of valuable insight, too good not to share!

Five Things I Hope to Accomplish This Summer

Fun related:

• A Trip to Disney World – This is something I've talked about summer after summer. Our last visit was just after 9/11, the park was empty – no lines, no wait. But the kids were too young to remember. It's way past time for another Disney vacation.

Writing related:

• Work on my Novel – Get at least half-way through the rewrite of my novel, Hope and Faith. The Humble Fiction Café writers' group classes for our Six Month Novel Project (6MoNo) will be completed. No more excuses!

• Write one short story and post to my blog. This is part of my New Year's Resolutions.

House related:

• Wash the windows on the front and sides of the house. I recently did the back windows and they look so much better!

• Organize and clean out my office. Perhaps a better name for my office would be multi-purpose room, as it serves as my day job office, writing space, and sewing area (lol – as though I sew). It also contains the household record-keeping area, bill-paying site, reference books, and the piano. It has a tendency to collect material, and needs a thorough organization/cleaning.

What's on your agenda for the summer?

Insomnia

Last night, I tossed and turned fitfully before succumbing to insomnia. Even though the rain typically produces a lulling melody that makes sleep come easy, I was too excited and in a state of agitation and worry. Finally, I got up and headed for the word processor.

First, the excitement. Recently Dorlana Vann of Humble Fiction Café gave an informative presentation on pacing and tension, and I am delighted to be reading a book that vividly reflects those teachings. More on the book in a review once it's finished.

Through Dorlana's lesson, I realized how important constant tension is to the overall enjoyment of a book. The writer not only has to make the reader care about the character and what happens to him or her, but be concerned about what happens next. When the character has overcome one challenge, the next adversity must already be set up. The presentation was very insightful.

As far as the agitation and worry, I love to blog, but of recent, my blog postings have fallen off in frequency. Partly due to my incredibly busy life, but I also wonder where to go with the blog. I feel like it's time to notch it up a bit, take it to the next level, but how and what is that?

And if it isn't enough that I've let my blogging posts fall off, I have been equally remiss in setting aside sufficient writing time for my novel. Oh, I'm working on it. Slowly. I complain about not having the time to work on the novel, yet I realize we all have the same amount of time – 24 hours each day. What we do with that time is what counts. My fault is in not making writing a higher priority.

In a nutshell, my worries stem around writing and the goals I've set for myself for this year.

I may or may not do a facelift on the blog. It hasn't been so long ago that I gave the blog a new look, but I am thinking about exploring a three-column layout. The reason is so that I can post my 2009 writing goals in plain view as a continual reminder of the things I hope to accomplish this year, and for my readers to hold me accountable. I want people to ask how the novel is progressing and keep me to task.

How are you doing with your goals for this year?
Do you think it is helpful to have your goals in front of you on a constant basis?
Is it helpful for others to know your goals?

Split is Positively Rejected!

Happy holidays to all! 2008 has been an exciting year, and one of my highlights was having Split published. It provided a vast array of learning experience and even more exciting…

Split is Positively Rejected!

Recently, Humble Fiction Café entered our book, Split, into the 16th annual Writer’s Digest International Self-Published Book Awards. We did not win. I am happy to report however, that we received some fantastic scoring and commentary.

On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being excellent, Split received outstanding marks as follows:

Plot – 5
Grammar – 5
Character Development – 4
Cover Design – 5

Wow – I’m still excited by those impressive marks. The judge went on to comment that he liked the overall theme of the book, as well as the variety of voices and writers. He mentioned a few stories by name where he particularly liked the ending, and said all the stories were good reads! Additionally, he found value in the end of story explanations. The judge complimented Humble Fiction Café saying that through our writing he felt we liked one another and he sensed good will.

Equally beneficial, the judge also mentioned areas that could improve the book, such as stronger character development, and less focus on plot twists that occasionally resulted in sudden, sometimes violent endings. The judge felt there were too many stories with the character Beatrice, but also said they were all good so he wouldn’t know which stories to cut.

Overall, I think the commentary and our scores were outstanding. As writers, we value this kind of feedback because it helps us know what we did well, and how we can do better in the future.

If you haven’t yet read Split, I invite you to do so. If you’ve read Split, I would love to hear from you. What did you like best about the book? How do you think the book could be improved?


Happy Holidays!

September Happenings

I've been a little slow with my blog postings since August vacation and then back to school. I am happy to say that life is beginning to settle down and fall into a routine, so hopefully the posts will get back to a more regular schedule.

In the meantime, I wanted to share with you some of my plans for September posts. First, be watching for a review of the book The Faith of Barack Obama by Stephen Mansfield. I received a free book at From Where I Sit, which is the blog of Michael S. Hyatt, Thomas Nelson Publishers President & CEO. In return, I agreed to post a 200-word minimum book review on my blog. What a great marketing concept for book authors.

I mentioned in a previous post that I was working on a very late letter writing short-story project for my writers group, Humble Fiction Café. I am happy to report that I should have a rough draft ready soon. Once critiqued by the group, I will make it available to read. It's been a challenge as I am attempting genre that I have not written before. We will see how it works and I'll look forward to your comments as well.

Finally, one of my daughter's teachers shared a poem with me entitled Unity, by Cleo V. Swarat. I'd like to share it with you.

Unity
Cleo V. Swarat

I dreamed I stood in a studio
And watched two sculptors there,
The clay they used was a young child's mind
And they fashioned it with care.

One was a teacher:
the tools she used were books and music and art;
One was a parent
With a guiding hand and gentle loving heart.

And when at last their work was done,
They were proud of what they had wrought.
For the things they had worked into the child
Could never be sold or bought!

And each agreed she would have failed
if she had worked alone.
For behind the parent stood the school,
and behind the teacher stood the home!

Writer’s Block

According to Dictionary.com, writer's block is "a usually temporary condition in which a writer finds it impossible to proceed with the writing of a novel, play, or other work."

Phew! That's good news to me. I was so worried I had writer's block that I even made mention on both MySpace and Facebook. But writer's block isn't my problem at all if the definition above is correct, and I can confidently say that because of just one word in that definition. Proceed.

You see, I am stumped with a particular writing task, but it isn't a problem of "proceeding" with the writing. No, my problem is with "starting." Let me explain, and perhaps some of you can offer suggestions that will help me through this thing.

Several months ago, the Humble Fiction Cafe writers group embarked on a writing assignment whereby those participating made up and wrote letters. It could be any kind of letter; a love letter, business letter, Dear John letter, etc, with props and fancy stationary or envelopes allowed. We collected the letters, and making sure no one retrieved their own contribution, we randomly selected the letters as a basis for a story. The premise was that the letter would serve as inspiration, get our muse in gear, and maybe even force some of us to write in a genre we hadn't yet experimented with.

I very reluctantly pulled a letter after being assured we had no deadlines for this project, and that I could take all the time I wanted.

It was going to be a challenge for me to write a story based on the letter I received. After reading the letter several times and racking my brain for storyline ideas, I set it aside while I finished writing my short story, Reservations for Two. I'm the type writer that seems to work better on one project at a time.

Now it's time for me to start my "letter writing" story, but I'm stuck. My letter has not prompted the swell of ideas I had hoped for. In fact, I haven't come up with a single idea that doesn't stink!

By now I think everyone in the group has completed their assignment, so I'm sure the author of my letter must know I have it and be wondering why I haven't come forth with a story. Rest assured, I'm struggling with it working on it.

Let's hope that my muse will kick in and I'll have a flood of ideas soon. In the meantime, please feel free to offer your thoughts for getting out of this slump. It is surely appreciated.

I’m an INFJ – What about you?

When I tell people I'm an INFJ, almost everyone asks what I mean. INFJ is my Myers Briggs personality profile, and the letters stand for Introversion, iNtuitive, Feeling, Judging. While I won't go into the details of each of these "types," I'll summarize as follows.

I – Downtime, or reflection, is my energy source
N – With less interest in details, I tend to look for the “big picture”
F – I empathize when making decisions
J – My preference is for order and structure, and for things to be settled

Great news! According to Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type by Paul D. Tieger & Barbara Barron-Tieger, good "arts" careers for INFJs include Playwright, Novelist, and Poet. So at least I've confirmed writing is a good fit for my personality type!

But that's not what's prompted me to write about personality type.

At a writers' group meeting several weeks ago, we talked about our great chemistry and how each member contributes a different skill set. Gary talked about Dorlana's ability to see where the story should start, Chrissa's capacity at florid description, Theresa's skill of natural dialog, and Kelli's passion with punctuation, just to name a few. Then he mentioned my ability to see the details.

Wow. Imagine that. Me – see the details!

What a surprise that was. You see, my "N" is real strong in my INFJ. Strong to a fault. I see the forest, but rarely notice the trees. I couldn't tell you what color shirt my husband was wearing when I dropped him off at work this morning. Nor could I tell you the color or type car that most of my neighbors drive, although I do know a few. I may not even notice when a family member gets a new haircut. I just don't pay attention to those details.

Yet here I was receiving what I feel is a terrific complement. Thank you, Gary! Which got me to thinking… do I really see the details while reading the work of my colleague writers?

Knowing your strengths and weaknesses helps. Since I am so aware of my inattentiveness to detail, I think when I'm tasked to look at or read something, I pay particular attention. And while I read chapters of novels or short stories for the group, I typically have the "big picture" in mind and usually will have read through the selection more than once. So as I read, I look at those details to see if they fit with the whole picture. Anyway, that's what I'm guessing.

Now I'm curious – do you know your Myers Briggs personality profile? If you do, please share it in the comments section and I'll bet we see a truly diverse group of personality types.

Whether it's my writers' group, or any group for that matter, Gary is right. It's all our differences that make us so great; and together, we're all pretty awesome!

Split Book & Candle Giveaway - Ends Soon!

Don't forget - Humble Fiction Cafe' is giving away a copy of Split, our anthology of short stories and poems reflecting dichotomies, and a 3X4 Cappuccino Brulee' pillar candle custom-designed by Studio 3B. What a delight to curl up and read a good book of short stories, while enjoying the delicious smell of Cappuccino Brulee'!

If you haven't already entered, you still have time. It's so easy. Just visit Humble Fiction Cafe' before midnight, June 20, and add your comment to the blog post. Or, send an email to humblefc@gmail.com with "Split Giveaway" in the subject line.

GOOD LUCK!

"Split" Book & Candle Giveaway

Humble Fiction Cafe is running its first ever book and candle giveaway, and you could win a signed copy of Split, our anthology of short stories and poems reflecting dichotomies! And if that weren't enough, we are throwing in a 3X4 Cappuccino Brulee' pillar candle custom-designed by Studio 3B.

Details to enter can be found at www.humblefictioncafe.blogspot.com. The contest deadline is midnight, June 20, so be sure to visit soon.

Following are a few links with excerpts from Split.

Hell's Kitchen, by Dorlana Vann
Enrico's Only Hope, by Sheryl Tuttle

Goodreads

If you are like me, you like to read. But you're busy, and nothing is more frustrating than wasting time reading a not-so-good book. It's a rarity when I put a book down as unreadable, but there have been many books I've finished that I've wished I had. Or better still, I wished I hadn't even bothered starting. And so now I'm a member of Goodreads.

At Goodreads, reader reviews are available for books that you place in one of three default bookshelves… "read," "currently-reading," or " to-read." It is customizable in that you can add or modify your bookshelves, but these are the defaults and they have suited me well.

Any time I hear of a good book, or I read a good review from a friend, I can immediately place the book in my "to-read" bookshelf, which is a great feature. Later, when I am ready to make a new book purchase, or even if someone asks for my book preferences, I have a complete list of books that I know I want to read.

"Currently-reading" is where I put books that I am reading, but haven't yet finished. From there, once the book is finished, it is very easy to move it over to the "read" bookshelf and add a review. I have found the reviews on each book to be so helpful in determining whether I want to read a book, so I always make sure to add my review to the books I finish.

Another thing to like about Goodreads is the friends network. Friends are people that you know that can see your reviews, what you've read and are reading, etc. Even better, Goodreads lets you set automatic email updates when your friends have added books or reviews. What better way is there to hear about a book and then be able to add it to your "to-read" list? Word-of-mouth from someone you know and trust is the best!

Anyway, that's why I'm a member of Goodreads. I hope you also have an opportunity to check it out! And if you have read Split by the Humble Fiction Café, please don't forget to add your review.

Win An E-Book!

I am proud to be a member of the Humble Fiction Café (HFC). It's with pleasure to announce that two of our writers group members, Dorlana Vann and Theresa Law, have books being published by Tease Publishing as part of their Dark Tarot series. It is also with pleasure that I tell you these two authors have sponsored contests where you can win a free copy of the e-book, Jaclyn's Ghost.

Here's what to do…

Visit Dorlana's blog on Dark Tarot and participate in the discussion on ghosts. But better hurry, because today is the deadline! Do you believe in ghosts?

It's too late to enter Theresa's contest, but she was looking for romantic moments. Do you have one to share?

By the way, I've read Jaclyn's Ghost and highly recommend it! I think it would make a great addition to anyone's summertime reading list.

That's it for now!

Split and the Lessons Learned

I'll never forget the day that Split arrived and I was able to hold our newly published book in my hands. Up until then, I knew we had all written and contributed stories and poems for an anthology of dichotomies. We had worked on it for months. We had read and critiqued each other's work, watching the stories become more cohesive with each re-write. We had shared back-story and helped one another capture it in an appropriate format. We had labored over each of our stories. Yet it was when I held Split in my hand, that it all felt real.

For those of you new to this blog, Split is a book of 27 short stories and poems, each reflecting a whole or one-half of a dichotomy, or two mutually exclusive or contradictory ideas. The contributing authors belong to my writer's group, Humble Fiction Café (HFC), a diverse mix of extremely talented writers at various stages in their writing careers.

I don't remember the month, but in 2007 we decided to challenge ourselves to write a book and selected the theme of dichotomies. There is war/peace, hot/cold, guilt/innocence, create/destroy, and many more dichotomies reflected in our stories. Some of us worked hard to contribute just one story to the book, while other (more prolific) writers provided more. We all hope you read the book and let us know your favorite(s).

There were many lessons learned throughout the process, which is exactly why we undertook this project (HFC does not receive any profit from the sale of this book). I learned, for one, that as many times as you re-write and edit a story, there is more that can be done. Until you put it away and declare it "finished," it isn't done!

I discovered that there is a lot of work that goes into editing and cover design. Our group was fortunate enough to have the talent of Kelli Meyer and Victor DiGiovanni respectively for these tasks, and for that, we are all truly grateful.

But wait, there is more. A book introduction had to be written, a back cover synopsis, bio's for each author, and even descriptions to follow each story embodying the dichotomy. Then the book had to be organized. Whose story would appear first, second, last? And what organization would make the most sense. After all, some of the stories written were by-products of another author's story, borrowing characters or locations or some other common thread. Everyone within HFC contributed magnificently to these tasks.

Finally, while we are the Humble Fiction Café, I know I for one experienced pride in the completed product. For days, Split was all I could think about or talk about, and the smile would not wipe off my face. It's not about how many copies are sold or whether or not a book makes a best-seller list (although wouldn't that be grand?). It's all about the enormity of the project, the completeness, the giving forth of all your efforts that provides the satisfaction.

Participating in the creation of Split was hugely rewarding. What an outstanding group of individuals to have pulled this off and with a remarkably good book to boot. Kudos to the HFC!

It's Here! The long awaited anthology by the Humble Fiction Café is now available!

Click here to order your copy.

Read the 27 stories and poems in Split and enjoy the work of twelve contributing authors. Each story contains one-half or each half of a dichotomy. Some of the stories contain threads from other stories, perhaps a common character or location. How many can you recognize?

If this seems like an advertisement, well, it is, of sorts. I am a contributing author to Split and am so excited that it is published and now available. I really want you to read the book, but my motivation is not for the money. No. Neither the Humble Fiction Cafe (HFC) nor the Split contributing authors receive any compensation from the sale of this book.

The reason I want you to read this book is for your feedback. Feedback can be one of the most valuable lessons to a writer. So, please let me know your opinion of the book. What do you like about the book? What are your dislikes? Do you have a favorite story? A favorite character? Where did you hear about Split? Did you read all of the stories? Did you read them in order? Would you recommend this book?

Comments are very welcome – I value your feedback!