February Newsletter 2009

“From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life.” -Arthur Ashe

February Newsletter 2009

 

Hello!

 

I have some wonderful news. ALTERED BEGINNINGS is in the final stages of editing and cover art is underway. I should know a release date very soon! Here’s a blurb for you:

 

The headline in the small town newspaper read Girl Missing, Presumed Dead or Worse.

Leigh Lawson returned to Nags Head, North Carolina after four years with a huge shock. That big and bold headline was about her! Everyone thought she was dead!

The truth was that she was doing well. While gone, she had gotten clean from drugs and worked hard to get her bachelor’s degree in engineering. With her life back on track, she returns home in hope that she will receive a warm welcome. Instead, she gets the townsfolks’ disdain.

Everyone hates her, everyone except Jason Altarez, an ambitious and resilient reporter with his sights locked on Leigh. He chases her with oozing charm and romance, but does he really want her or is he after his next story?

Leigh’s life soon spirals out of control when the police recruit her for an undercover assignment. They want her to go back to the life of her troubled teenage years, back into the drugs, and help them to bring the local drug supplier to conviction. It may be Leigh’s only chance to redeem herself with her family and friends. If she can complete this one assignment, the town will forgive her. The only problem is that she needs to figure out how to stay alive in the process…

Jason is her continuous partner through it all, proving his dedication to her as he struggles to keep her safe. Leigh wants to believe he is a man of his word. She wants to believe that her heart isn’t completely foolish for falling for him, especially when she discovers evidence that Jason may be working for the very drug dealer that Leigh is trying to have arrested. Will he betray her in the end or will he demonstrate the most romantic notion of all – that love at first sight truly exists?

 

Keep checking my website at www.destinybooze.com for further updates and to read my daily blog called The Smiling Pains of Novelist Destiny Booze. Every Sunday, I post a joke and every Monday, I post a piece of motivation. Have you found your smile today?

What’s New for March?

I'm interviewing a really neat lady - Author Keta Diablo, a published erotic historical romance and erotic fantasy writer. Read the interview on my blog on Monday, March 2nd. If you want to get a sneak peak of Keta, visit her blog -Keta's Keep at http://www.ketaskeep.blogspot.com or visit her on the web at http://www.ketadiablo.com.

 

Read a new poem by Alicia Tags in my creative corner. She's a talented poet and a great friend that I recently discovered on myspace. Her poem is titled Cherry Blossom Angel. Also in the creative corner, I am posting my article about my interview with David Baldacci...just in case anyone missed it the first time around!

 

Be on the lookout for an excerpt from Altered Beginnings. I've been promising to put one out there...well, here it comes...sometime in March! Keep checking back!

Visit my daily blog at http://www.destinybooze.com

March is just a week away. Wow!

Time honestly seems to fly by! Only a week until March? Yikes! I've got a newsletter to get out...

Okay, here's what's coming up for March:

1. I'm interviewing a really neat lady - Author Keta Diablo, a published erotic historical romance and erotic fantasy writer. Read the interview on this blog on Monday, March 2nd. If you want to get a sneak peak of Keta, visit her blog -Keta's Keep at http://www.ketaskeep.blogspot.com or visit her on the web at http://www.ketadiablo.com.

2. Read a new poem by Alisha Tags in my creative corner. She's a talented poet and a great friend that I recently discovered on myspace. Her poem is titled Cherry Blossom Angel. Also in the creative corner, I am posting my article about my interview with David Baldacci...just in case anyone missed it the first time around!

3. Be on the lookout for an exerpt from Altered Beginnings. I've been promising to put one out there...well, here it comes...sometime in March! Keep checking back!

Happy Valentine's Day! I have a gift...

My guessing contest is now closed, and here are the official results:

The winner of the gift certificate to www.tarot.com is David Wright with a guess of 387 pages... Congratulations, David! You were one page off. What an amazing guess! Any psychic powers there....hmmmm....

The book is called The Ghosts of Virginia Volume II by L.B. Taylor, Jr. It is a fascinating account of ghost "tales" and "stories" through Virginia, a very interesting read. It has a very high rating at amazon.com! But, I wouldn't recommend it as a bedtime story! : )

This was so much fun. I want to extend my deepest appreciation for everyone that participated. The contest was a big success and I really enjoyed it!

David, you will find your prize in your inbox! Everyone remember to keep checking back for my next contest!

A new poem to introduce my current project!

I am currently working on a third book for my Outer Banks Suspense Series! Here's the introductory poem.


Accelerating Circumstances


In a moment of blindness,
She said yes.
Anticipation left her breathless.

That he was a stranger,
Added to the danger.
Excitement outweighed any wager.

With no thought or plan,
She went with the man.
Exhilaration heightened the night inside the van.

When they came to a stop,
He got on top.
Arousal masked the gun’s sudden pop.

Every thrust - a release of hate,
Coupling with a lifeless mate.
Disappointment was the murder, not perfect, not great.

Why did she have to die?
Her husband and son will later cry,
For a wife and mother that went goodbye.

The stakes accelerate for each kill,
Striving for the lust of that first thrill.
The disappointment and rage never-ending, until…


Destiny Booze

To see my daily blog, visit my website at http://www.destinybooze.com.

My interview with Bestselling Author David Baldacci!

Famous and humble, rich and philanthropic, opinionated and non-judgmental, family-oriented and hardworking are opposing characteristics found in one very complex and talented man – Bestselling Author David Baldacci.



Clear your calendars and join me in welcoming Baldacci as he skirts around Botetourt County for two speaking engagements and book signings on Saturday, April 4. He will be at Friends of the Moneta and Franklin Co. Public Libraries at 11 a.m. for a free event open to the public; then he will be at Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center at 7 p.m. (tickets required).



As a current Virginia resident, engagements close to his hometown of Richmond are a particular joy for Baldacci. “I’ll personalize anything,” he said. “I’ll sign any book.” Meeting and talking with fans, posing for pictures and personalizing books is a real treat to him.



As a child, Baldacci described himself as very argumentative. His friends and family were not shocked in the least when he chose to obtain a law degree and established a career as a trial and corporate attorney in Washington D.C.



His writing career began more slowly and privately. He confessed lying to his mom and giving her a fit during his childhood. “I told whoppers when I was a kid to get out of trouble,” he said with a laugh. To fix this fibbing problem, his mom bought a blank book and told him to vent all that creative energy in a more positive manner.



He loved to read, so he took to the writing with equal enthusiasm. “Harry the Spy stuff,” was the phrase he used to describe his first stories. A new and secret passion began. Teachers throughout Baldacci’s schooling encouraged him in his writing.



The love of writing stemmed from a love of entertainment for Baldacci. He told a story about performing a play in school that became an important memory for him because one special person was in the audience. “Dad came and watched,” he said, his voice reflecting the excitement he remembered. He explained that his dad didn’t get any paid time off from work back then and it was such a sacrifice that he came.



Baldacci learned to equate entertainment with “magic,” though it was the written variety he stuck with. He loved to see his words, his story transcend from the page and come alive for him, but also to experience the rush of having that same story come alive by the reader. The magic is the transference of the story.



His first novel, Absolute Power turned into a bestseller and a movie starring Clint Eastwood. It wasn’t quite the overnight success that the publishing industry praised it to be, Baldacci explained. In reality, his success took about fifteen years of consistent hard work and an unbelievably understanding wife.



The secret to success according to Baldacci is a matter of discipline and dedication to the work. Writing is also a matter of communication, that magic and ability to transfer the story to the reader. He also fights against complacency. There should always be new goals, new ambitions, never a formula to success. There is no such formula, Baldacci explained.



Michelle Baldacci is David’s other half and partner, and as evident by his description of her, his true love. She reads all of her husband’s material first, and offers the first review. “I listen to her,” David said.



Despite the fact that over 60 million copies of David’s books are in print worldwide and all of his books have been national and international bestsellers, Baldacci admits that he still has doubts. “I’m afraid with every work that I won’t be able to bring the magic again,” he said. Then, Michelle becomes his biggest support as well. “She’s very protective of me. I wouldn’t be here without her.”



As partners, David and Michelle have established a charity called Wish You Well Foundation that supports family literacy in the country through supporting existing literacy programs. It is a subject that the Baldacci family truly believes in. Baldacci is firm in his belief that freedom and democracy are contingent on the ability to read. Those feelings only grew more empowered when David and Michelle had kids, Baldacci said.



Of course, he obviously fights illiteracy by writing such amazing stories for readers to enjoy. Come and meet the man with all of the above opposing qualities on Saturday, April 4. According to him, he owes those characteristics to three important teachings from his parents – “Hard work is never a bad thing; Humility is a wonderful thing; and Don’t judge others if you have never walked in their shoes.”



One experience in humility came during an outing for lunch. Baldacci was eating with his wife when a lady from across the restaurant began to stare at him. Eventually, the lady made her way over to his table and asked him if he was who she thought he was. His response was that if she read fiction, then yes. The lady turned and yelled back to her husband, “I was right. It is John Grisham.”



To learn more about David Baldacci, his books, his foundation or his upcoming events, visit www.davidbaldacci.com.

Another Nashville Star from Botetourt County, VA?

Find out more at www.destinybooze.com

Today is the day!

Oh my gosh! I'm interviewing David Baldacci today and I am outrageously excited.

This man is such a talented writer. He is a best selling author of many, many books. He had a movie made out of one of his books called Absolute Power that starred the famous Clint Eastwood.

It is so hard not to feel spellbound by the accomplishments under Baldacci's belt. I sure hope I can pull myself together enough to ask some intelligent questions without getting too tongue-tied.

Wish me luck!

Motivational Monday - Find a Smile!

Check out this weeks motivation at www.destinybooze.com

A Smile Every Sunday

Check out todays joke at www.destinybooze.com