Monthly Archives: September 2010

Amazing Author Clare Austin

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I am thrilled to be able to post an interview by Clare Austin, author of Hot Flash.

How did you first become interested in writing?

I’ve always had stories running around in my head. It’s a bit like a movie playing all the time. When I was eight years old I submitted a story to a big New York publishing house. I got a rejection, but just the act of sending something in made me feel very special. Years passed and I had a husband, children and a very full life. Still, characters talked to me, scenes were virtually acted out in my consciousness, stories begged to be told

How long have you been actively writing?
In 2006 I found a book in my husband’s library…No Plot, No Problem…It made it sound easy to bang out a 50k story in a month. I decided to try it. No one ever had to read it, but I would just give it a try. In the designated four weeks, I wrote a 400 page novel! I threw in everything…horses, airplanes, medical drama and intrigue, a beautiful heroine and a handsome hero. I even had a really slimy villain show up. I asked my friends if they wanted to be in my book and what part they wanted to play and then I ran with it.
The scary thing about this project was when I finished I was really afraid I had spent every word I had on this one story. What if it was the only thing I would ever write? So, I wrote three more books that year. Butterfly was my fourth manuscript and my first sale.

Are you an avid reader?

I am a reader…always have been since as early as I can remember. I was the kid with the flashlight under the covers reading Nancy Drew, Laura Ingalls, Black Beauty by Anna Sewell…I still read but I have to say, it is harder to find time now that I have my own stories to write and promote. I love audible books and at any time I might have a dozen on my IPod.
Who are your favorite Authors?
Maeve Binchy, Frank Delaney, Kathleen Woodiwiss, Ken Follett, Erin Harte…I have so many. I’m very eclectic in my reading choices. I read quite a bit of non-fiction as well as fiction and I really like to read outside the genre in which I am currently published.

What is your goal in writing?

I love romance and happy endings. I’ll always have a love story waiting to be written. However, I have some ideas for a narrative non-fiction that I would love to tackle and I would love to branch out into other types of fiction…mystery, family saga, perhaps a sci-fi or time travel…??
Would you rather write a book that sells millions of copies, but have it be “Celebrity Fluff” – or write an award winning novel that no one reads? And why does it matter?
This is the first time I’ve been asked that question in a public forum and I’m happy to answer it. When I wrote Butterfly, I wrote it to sell. That said, it is still good literature and well written. But, we have to be practical sometimes and I wanted to publish my work. I don’t think I compromised but I did write it to a specific market. Awards have to mean something. To me, having thousands…or millions of people enjoying my work, would be a huge reward…better than a blue ribbon or a gold medal to hang on the wall.
My goal is to tell a good story in an artful way regardless of the genre. That is not a compromise for me.

If you couldn’t ever write again, what would you be doing?

I could see myself having been an astrophysicist or a forensic anthropologist, an airplane pilot or an epidemiologist. I have been a stage actor, musician and educator. If I had many lifetimes I would never run out of fascinating pursuits.

Have you ever worked with a professional Editor or Editorial Service? Was it worth the money?

The only editors I’ve worked with professionally were assigned to me at my publishing house. They have all been very helpful and respectful of my work. I like to send a very “clean” manuscript to my editor, so I’m careful about self-editing before I submit anything. It is so important to present a polished product that I feel hiring a good professional editor would be money well spent if the writer is not confident in her/his technical skills.
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Tell us your latest news? My latest release is a romantic women’s fiction…Hot Flash. It is about learning to trust again, being open to new possibilities and allowing love and romance back into your life.

What is your writing routine?

I try to write in the morning and then again in the afternoon. Sometimes this is hard due to other demands, but I always go to sleep thinking about what I want to write the next day. I often think about scenes while riding my horse and, once, I wrote an entire chapter in my head while having an MRI. Come to think of it, it was an MRI of my brain…spooky huh?

How do you come up with titles?

• Hot Flash?…If you’ve ever had one, you’ll know where that title came from. If you’re a woman and you’ve not yet had the pleasure…hold on to your hat!

• I collect titles and save them until I have a story that deserves it. I see titles everywhere. The title for one of my current projects came from the name on a boat I saw in Ireland called the Rόis Arís, which in the Irish language means Rosy Again. Butterfly is a fiddle tune and Angel’s Share is a term used in whiskey distillery.

What are your current projects?

My current WIP is third book in the Fadό Trilogy, Selkie’s Song. This takes the story out of Boston and over to west Ireland. I also have a romantic comedy in the early stages…Rosy Again.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

The middle! No question. The beginnings and endings are easy.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Write your heart but understand that if you want to be published, it is a business. No one will publish you because you are brilliant if they can’t sell your book.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

I would love my readers to let me know what they like in my stories and what story themes they would like in the future. I have an email address where readers are free to contact me. My goal is to write entertaining literature that captures a reader’s heart and imagination.

Please contact me at:
AuthorClare@gmail.com

Autographed copies of my current books can be purchased from my website www.clareaustin.com or by contacting me at the above email address.
Digital editions are also available online wherever you already purchase your e-books and from www.thewildrosepress.com
Thank you for having me here today.
Clare

MEDIA KIT Back_cover_blurb_-_Hot_Flash[2]

MEDIA KIT Excerpt 2

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See Jane. See blog. See Jane read blog.

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Did you know…

1. 50 percent of American adults are unable to read an eighth grade level book.
2. More than 20 percent of adults read at or below a fifth-grade level – far below the level needed to earn a living wage.
3. The average reading level of American parents of young children is 7th or 8th grade, but 80% of pediatric materials for parents are written at the 10th grade level or above.

Don’t you think that’s a problem? Yet, I received an email from my son’s 3rd grade teacher today saying he had received complaints about the homework load for the week and so was going to reduce some assignments. One of which was the nightly 20 minutes of reading. REALLY???? Now I admit he my son has had quite a homework load but 20 minutes of reading a night and 30 more minutes of other homework isn’t bad. It’s much better than video games and it still leaves him with about an hour or so to play with the neighborhood boys.

So are the folks who complained really thinking about how the kids have too much to do and can’t be kids or are they thinking of themselves and not wanting to take the time out of their schedule to help with the homework? If we don’t teach kids now how will out literacy and education levels improve?

Laina

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Stop the “pain in the you know what” Telemarketers

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We have all been frustrated at one time or another by a telemarketer. Whether they interrupted dinner or just wouldn’t take no for an answer (even after you said it 10 times). But usually we just treat it as an annoyance you just deal with. However, in the new book out by Steve Ostrow, How To Sue A Telemarketer: A Manual For Restoring Peace On Earth One Phone Call At A Time, he shows that you can stop these annoying calls.

A little about Steve and why he wrote the book…

Telemarketers have been a pain in the general public’s behind for decades. Thanks to their interrupting us day and night, the telephone has been transformed from a convenience, into a source of annoyance and frustration.
How To Sue A Telemarketer: A Manual For Restoring Peace On Earth One Phone Call At A Time is a tongue-in-cheek manual that shows the average citizen how they can fight back against a telemarketer by taking them to small-claims court. Half humorous and half How to, How to Sue a Telemarketer combines comedy with savvy information about the legal system and step-by-step instructions on how consumers can sue telemarketers.
“I wrote How To Sue A Telemarketer for all the good, kind and ordinary people of the world who simply want to have a quiet dinner, or a beer and watch a basketball game, without getting interrupted by someone who doesn’t give a damn about them,” says Steve Ostrow, the books author and an attorney for over 30 years.
In addition to his work as an attorney, Steve has been seen on the Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel and The Ellen DeGeneres Show as a celebrity impersonator for the television character Kramer, of the famed Seinfeld television show. Just visualize Cosmo Kramer going to law school. How would he defend the public’s right to have some peace and quiet in their homes? This book is it. How To Sue A Telemarketer will comically take the reader through the process of:
• What to do when a telemarketer first calls
• Gathering information to file a civil complaint
• Filing and serving of the complaint
• What to do in court all the way through collection on the judgment
• Everything you need to know about suing telemarketers

HOW TO SUE A TELEMARKETER IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT
Congress has spoken! Anti-telemarketing legislation has been passed. Under reasonable restrictions, certain tactics by telemarketers are prohibited and court actionable. Violations can be enforced by the State via the attorney general’s office, the public via class action lawsuits or private lawsuits, and individuals via the small claims court.
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA) started the ball rolling. Congress was torn between the special interest lobbyists and the people’s vote. The green cash of the lobbyists stalled the legislature for numerous years, but eventually the annoyance of the telemarketing industry became too much. The door opened and the unfettered invasion of free speech was outweighed by the consumer’s right to privacy. After strong objection and outrage by consumers groups, the common sense legislation protecting the privacy of one’s own home was long overdue.
The 1991 original law was pretty weak and without sharp teeth. A free bite at the apple was given and the first offense by a telemarketer to a residence was forgiven with only a simple apology. A second offense was required in order to make an unsolicited commercial call actionable. Basically business did not change under the original law. In 2003, over great objection from the special interest groups, came the National Do Not Call Registry. Yes, 2003 was a great year for the peace and quiet in a consumer’s home. Instead of a consumer requesting individual companies from not calling the home telephone soliciting their service, a residential consumer could sign up at one location and prohibit almost all telemarketers from calling the home phone number. The burden shifted to the telemarketing companies to check “the registry” rather than having the consumer contact the merchant and opt out. Penalties were instituted which are collectible by attorney generals, lawyers, and individuals through the small claims process.
Under the TCPA and the Do Not Call Registry, there are several different violations which are collectible. The most popular ones are:
1. Calling a residential telephone number that is on the National Do Not Call Registry;
2. Using a pre-recorded dialing device to initiate a commercial sale;
3. Using a blocked telephone number when initiating a commercial sale;
4. Soliciting a consumer before 8am or after 9pm;
5. Failure to provide a copy of the company’s Do Not Call Manual after demand for a copy;
Each violation is actionable separately, or can be “stacked” together when multiple infractions are incurred. Even though the courts are supposed to punish each violation with a $500 penalty, different judges will approach cases differently. Some judges will allow you to “stack” as many violations into one case as possible. Others may limit you to one, two, or three causes of action. Regardless of the amount of the judgment, you are able to prosecute the invasion of your peace and privacy in your home through the small claim courts.
Penalties under the TCPA may be “trebled” when the court finds that the violation is intentional. It can be tedious to understand when a telemarketing violation is intentional and when it is not. Rationally thinking, all solicitations by telemarketers are intentional; they are intentionally picking up the phone at their boiler rooms and randomly telephoning as many people as possible making their commercial pitch. It is not accidental that your number may be called, just random bad luck. I guess the easiest way to understand the intentional tripling of damages is using the playoff basketball foul analogy. Some fouls are hard basketball fouls, some are flagrant one fouls, and others flagrant two. Sometimes you just shoot free throws, other times you get ejected from the game. Sometimes the court awards you $500; sometimes the atrocious call telephone solicitation can be awarded $1,500. It’s all up to the ref.
If you are a Democrat and you get a telephone solicitation from a Republican candidate, slow down before you start licking your lips about bringing the opposing political party to its knees. Under the TCPA, certain types of speech are exempted from lawsuits under the Act. Always remember, the violations under the TCPA were balanced with the First Amendment Right of Freedom of Speech. Certain solicitation exceptions are specifically carved out:
1. Tax exempt non-profit organizations, including political parties and campaigns;
2. Organizations with which you’ve had a prior business relationship;
3. Organizations with which you’ve given prior written permission and not expressly revoked;
4. Calls which are NOT COMMERCIAL.
Convenience is a big part of our lives. All of us would like to nail these pesky telemarketers; sometimes it is easier just to hang up the telephone. However, if you are in the mood to make some cash and fight back against these commercial parasites, the good news about small claims court litigation is that it can prosecuted in our home backyard. Since the violation occurred at our telephone, the proper jurisdiction for the action would be our local court.
Steve Ostrow is an attorney, celebrity impersonator and the author of the new book How To Sue A Telemarketer: A Manual for Restoring Peace On Earth One Phone Call At A Time. To date, Steve has successfully sued, or settled, won and collected, over 10 judgments against telemarketers. To find out more and order his book, go to www.howtosueatelemarketer.com

Join us on the How To Sue A Telemarkter virtual tour. To learn more about the tour, visit http://bookpromotionservices.com/2010/07/05/how-to-sue-a-telemarketer/. You can also learn more about How to Sue a Telemarketer at http://howtosueatelemarketer.com/

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Forgiveness

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If you forgive someone you have to also let whatever you forgave them for go. It makes no sense to say “I forgive you” and yet still obsess and bring it up. Now let’s be honest, you may still obsess for a while. Saying you “forgive” is much easier than actually forgiving. But you need to work through it and deal with it yourself. Not continually pout the person you “forgave” through hell every day.

I am completely speaking from personal experience. I know firsthand how necessary it can be to forgive someone, and of course to want to, but yet not really be over “it” and feel that you have to rehash it a million times. While you may feel compelled to rehash, you shouldn’t.

Here are some tips to put you on the road to forgiveness.

1. Commit to letting go. You aren’t going to do it in a second or maybe not even in a day. It can take time to get over something. So commit to changing, because you recognize that the pain is hurting you.

2. Think about the pros and cons. What problems does this pain cause you? Does it affect your relationship with this person? With others? Does it affect work or family? Does it stop you from pursuing your dreams, or becoming a better person? Does it cause you unhappiness? Think of all these problems, and realize you need to change. Then think of the benefits of forgiveness — how it will make you happier, free you from the past and the pain, improve things with your relationships and life in general.

3. Realize you have a choice. You cannot control the actions of others, and shouldn’t try. But you can control not only your actions, but your thoughts. You can stop reliving the hurt, and can choose to move on. You have this power. You just need to learn how to exercise it.

4. Empathize. Try this: put yourself in that person’s shoes. Try to understand why the person did what he did. Start from the assumption that the person isn’t a bad person, but just did something wrong. What could he have been thinking, what could have happened to him in the past to make him do what he did? What could he have felt as he did it, and what did he feel afterward? How does he feel now? You aren’t saying what he did is right, but are instead trying to understand and empathize.

5. Understand your responsibility. Try to figure out how you could have been partially responsible for what happened. What could you have done to prevent it, and how can you prevent it from happening next time? This isn’t to say you’re taking all the blame, or taking responsibility away from the other person, but to realize that we are not victims but participants in life.

6. Focus on the present. Now that you’ve reflected on the past, realize that the past is over. It isn’t happening anymore, except in your mind. And that causes problems — unhappiness and stress. Instead, bring your focus back to the present moment. What are you doing now? What joy can you find in what is happening right now? Find the joy in life now, as it happens, and stop reliving the past. Btw, you will inevitably start thinking about the past, but just acknowledge that, and gently bring yourself back to the present moment.

7. Allow peace to enter your life. As you focus on the present, try focusing on your breathing. Imagine each breath going out is the pain and the past, being released from your body and mind. And imagine each breath coming in is peace, entering you and filling you up. Release the pain and the past. Let peace enter your life. And go forward, thinking no longer of the past, but of peace and the present.

8. Feel compassion. Finally, forgive the person and realize that in forgiveness, you are allowing yourself to be happy and move on. Feel empathy for the person and wish happiness on them. Let love for them, and life in general, grow in your heart. It may take time, but if you’re stuck on this point, repeat some of the ones above until you can get here.
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Darn kids!

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I had a great conversation the other day with someone about kids and the younger generation and the sense of entitlement some of them seem to have. I was a spoiled only child but I worked. My mom refused to just hand me everything and so I had to also work to supplement  the money my parents gave me. This taught me that when you want something you have to work for it. It will NOT be handed to you. So why do so many people feel that they are deserving and should be given what they want rather than to work hard for it?

A friend of mine showed me this list by Bill Gates and I think it is right on track.

Your thoughts?
Laina

Bill Gates speech: 11 rules your kids did not and will not learn in school

by Kent Summers on Wednesday, May 26, 2010 at 8:34am
Rule 1: Life is not fair – get used to it!

Rule 2: The world doesn’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won’t be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it’s not your parents’ fault, so don’t whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent’s generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they’ll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.

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Websites….ARGH!!!!!

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I am writing this blog post because I am so completely frustrated this evening by the fact that I have went on 3 websites now for research for my blog posts as the Indianapolis Style Examiner and because of the poor site design, I have not been able to find what I need. Therefore, I am unable to profile local businesses and draw more business their way. As the end user looking at these sites that are absolutely beautiful from a design standpoint, I can only assume that the designer and web developer cared more about the “look” than the functionality for the end user. It’s a huge disappointment for me.

I don’t want to throw anyone under the bus so I won’t mention those sites that leave a lot to be desired and that I probably won’t go back to but I will point out a couple websites that have the right idea.

Niche Boutique has a very functional site. It is organized by category, price, and designer. That enables me to look at all denim if I want or just a particular designer. It provides pictures of the merchandise and an easy checkout.

N. Rue and Co. is one of my favorite stores in Indy. They were awesome to me with the launch of my first book but I’m not just saying their site is great because of that. I actually think their site is extremely functional. There is a place for Natalie, the owner, to post her thoughts so that us, the customer, can read what she things is the top fashion “must haves.” It has a place to search by designer and for new arrivals to see all the latest styles that have arrived. It makes it easy for people to shop. And that’s what I want. Ease in shopping.

So web dudes, please!!!!! Create websites that regular people can actually use!!!!

Laina

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Women are from Earth and Men are from Pluto, which isn’t even a planet.

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Can I just say that men are clueless sometimes, most the time, all the f$%#ing time. I just got into an argument with my BFF over the fact that we were having a discussion about a certain someone else (female) and then she called. He proceeded to throw me under the bus and tell this girl we were talking about her. Now please know we weren’t talking anything bad but it was the point. I was like how stupid are you. Why would you have a conversation with me and then turn right around and tell her that we were talking about her. He looked at me as I was calling him some choice names and was like “What? What did I do?” Really?? He had to ask? What an idiot.

It took me forever to get through to him that I felt it was wrong to be having what I thought was a somewhat private conversation and then immediately turn around and tell that person. Am I wrong? Is it too much for me to expect that he would keep what I was saying between us. Especially, when we hadn’t even finished the conversation? Maybe my expectations are too high but I was just taken aback.
It got us on to an even bigger discussion on the differences between men and women and what’s important with communication and such. I told him that I felt most women would rather know something bad then wonder. Whereas men would rather not know and then just put it out of their mind. Maybe ignorance is bliss? I just know that I don’t want to be made a fool of. Dealing with the hurt is easier than pretending.
Heck, what do I know? Any thoughts out there? And they say women are complicated.

Laina

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Sometimes the best conversation is one with yourself

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in the desert
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For the woman, the man is a means: the end is always the child.
Friedrich Nietzsche

The other day my 4 year-old daughter told me she was going to have a conversation with me, by herself, so I wasn’t to answer her. At first I was confused by what she was saying so I just simply said “ok.” She then started talking to herself and then then said “mom, but I want a snack,” I started to reply to her and she yelled at me. “I told you I was talking to myself and not to answer, mom.” So that’s what she meant, I thought to myself. Then I thought it was somewhat strange that she was having a conversation with me, yet by herself, when I was sitting right there. I asked her why she was doing this and she replied, “because I want to.”

It made me think of when I was little and my mother used to say that sometimes the best conversation was that you had with yourself and I hadn’t thought of her saying that in years. Obviously, my daughter feels the same way that talking to herself is much more entertaining than talking to me when I am sitting right there. Instead of being hurt I thought it quite amusing and funny. Also that she was so intent on using her imagination.

I challenge each of you today to have a conversation with yourself. It doesn’t have to be outloud if you don’t want to embarrass yourself but do it. The let me know if it was fun or uncomfortable. Or if maybe you had nothing to say:)

Have a great Tuesday!

Laina

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