A Chance to Say Yes is published!!!

The news is good! Please visit my publisher's website at http://www.archebooks.com/ to view and purchase a copy of my debut novel A Chance to Say Yes. My book was released yesterday. It will be available from http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bn.com/, and other online booksellers in about two weeks. It will be in place at the distribution houses in about two weeks, also, and can then be ordered, using the ISBN, from any bookseller. Many thanks to my publishers. I am totally thrilled. I hope you enjoy reading A Chance to Say Yes. Please let me know how you like it. Tina

My books is ready to be released!

Updating to let you know that A Chance to Say Yes, my debut novel, is ready to hit the shelves. The spectacular cover has been finalized. A Chance to Say Yes should be available for purchase VERY SOON at amazon.com, bn.com, etc., and through fine booksellers everywhere. I will post the latest info of the book's release as I receive it. I believe my story a great beach read. I hope you enjoy A Chance to Say Yes and that you take it along with you on your summer vacation. Smiles, Tina

Local Authors Abound

Hi, People! I wasn't able to post last weekend, but I did attend the monthly meeting of the Southwest Florida Romance Writers (www.swfrw.org). The speaker was a local Naples author who has, as they say, "made good." Her name is Kristy Kiernan, and the title of her well-recieved novel is Catching Genius. She was an interesting and funny speaker. Her instights and revelatons about her path to success as a writer were inspiring. As she worked her way up the hill to publication, she displayed determmation and drive, as well as talent. She said her online critique partner was Sarah Gruen, who wrote the bestselling novel Water for Elephants. FYI, an article about Sarah Gruen appears in this month's issue of Writer's Digest magazine (www.writersdigest.com). Although I haven't read Catching Genius yet, I added her book to my Shelfari bookshelf, which is located next to this column. You can view the info about her book by clicking on the book jacket. It's the last book on the "shelf," so you have to click the ?Next" button three times to reach it. Cheers to Kristy! She has a website, of course, but I will have to post that address later I'm sure you can Google it. Speaking of female authors from Naples, Florida, I do know a handful of them who are published by ArcheBooks, as I will be when my book A Chance to Say Yes is released (soon). At the Naples Barnes and Noble today, I noticed, happily, that three AurcheBooks novels were stacked on the display table under the sign reading "Our Staff Recommends.." or words to this effect. Thanks to the staff at BN for recommending M.B. Weston's A Prophecy Forgotten, Penny Lauer's Bottled Butterfly, and Linda Bilodeau's Stepping Through Seagrass, all of which are located on the adjacent Shelfari shelf. Go ArcheBooks! What's more, local author and SWFRW-member Karna Small Bodman's books were also on that table. Her latest book Gambit is on my shelf, too. On a personal note, I would like to say congrats to my young friend, Zoe, who recently graduated from kindergarten. Zoe was given a special award for being "Sweet and Kind." It just doesn't get better than that! See you next week. Tina

Upcoming Conferences

Hi! Well, I've decided to go for it! I've signed up to attend the national conference of the Romance Writers of America in San Francisco, July 28-August 2 (http://www.rwanational.org/cs/conferences_and_eventsThe conference will be held at the San Francisco Marriott Hotel. I hope to participate in a book signing for literacy event during the conference. My plans are still tentative, but I'm hoping they will come to fruition. For all you fantasy fans out there, here's some trendy info: my author-friend Sandy Lender will speak at ConQuesT39 next weekend, which is Memorial Day weekend. Please sign up now if you are interested. In addition to participating in panels, Sandy will read from her first novel Choices Meant for Gods Sunday at 11:30 and will sign books Saturday at 4:30. Here is what Sandy says about the conference: "If you've ever been to a ConQuesT convention before, you know there's loads of fun fan activities from art viewing to seminars on your favorite sci-fi shows to opps to meet the guests to a masquerade (on Saturday night) to improv story-telling to sessions on creative writing. The special media guests this year are Jeff East from Young Clark Kent and Ellen Muth from Dead Like Me. Check out the ConQuest site at http://www.kcsciencefiction.org/conquest/contactus.html or visit Sandy Lender's blog at http://www.todaythedragonwins.blogspot.com/ to get more information. But do it fast! Memorial Day weekend is right around the corner." From Sandy Lender, Fantasy Author of Choices Meant for Gods Available now http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1595071652 Coming soon, the intense sequel, Choices Meant for Kings So there you have it! I wish I could attend, Sandy. Thanks for sharing. Good luck at the conference. By the way, you can check out Sandy's book on my Shelfari shelf to the right of this column. See you all next week. Warm regards, Tina

My New Shelfari Bookshelf

Hey, All! Please check out the new books I've added to my Shelfari bookshelf. I have 15 books on my shelf. I have NOT read them all, but I did want to share them with you. Each is written by a female author. Each author is either published by ArcheBooks (http://www.archebooks.com/) or is a member of the Southwest Flordia Romance Writers (http://www.swfrw.org/), the grouped I recently joined. My forthcoming debut novel, A Chance to Say Yes, is not on the shelf yet because I am still awaiting its publication (this month, I hope). Please click on the "Next" button below the bookcase to see all 14 books. You can check out each book in depth by clkking on its individual book jacket. Info will pop up. I'm still no expert at Shelfari, but I am learning. I've written additional notes on my other blog, at http://www.achancetosayyes.blogspot.com/. Btw, I read the news at http://www.bbc.com/ because I want to know what's happening in the whole world, not jut the US. While on that site, I read an article about Welsh whisky and found a link to this book: http://www.dramgoodbooks.com/newsite/home/main.htm Always glad to give a plug to a fellow Murray author! :) Tina

Naples Sun-Times Article

Wow! Thanks to journalist Andrea Galabinski and the Naples Sun-Times for mentioning me and my forthcoming novel, A Chance to Say Yes, in the following article about the Southwest Florida Romance Writers. It is in the print edition, as well, which is available all around the Naples, Florida, area. http://www.naplessuntimes.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19648729&BRD=2605&PAG=461&dept_id=523946&rfi=6 Please check it out. The article gives a lot of good info about the group (www.swfrw.org). I am posting the article on my other blog, too: http://achancetosayyes.blogspot.com/. Please drop by again soon! Tina

Poppy's Morning Walk

Poppy is strolling northward along Vanderbilt Beach.. One of my main characters in A Chance to Say Yes, gallerist Poppy Craft-Talbot lives in a high-rise condo, Solarmarina, on this very spot. Here is her POV, as she idles in the cool shadow of her building. The sun is rising to her right. She is gzaing North-Northwest up the sandy shore that fronts the Gulf of Mexico, just north of Naples, Florida, USA.