Silent Screaming Newsletter
September 2003

In this issue:
News
Book Reviews
New column: Ask Annette
Contests/Offers
Featured Books/Sites

~~~~~
NEWS
~~~~~

There is an interview with me up at:
http://www.writersmanual.com/AAnnetteGisby.shtml

I did it a little while ago, but it took a while before it appeared
on the site. :-)

Still offering deals on Silent Screams and Drowning Rapunzel, either
free books or free shipping, your choice. :-) Please go to
http://homepages.which.net/~annette.gisby/offers.htm for
more details.

Twisted Tales will be hosting its first reader poll soon, for
independent books and authors. If you would like to nominate a book
which has been independently published, please send me an email with
the name of the book, author, genre and publisher to
annette.gisby@which.net

Ebookad are also offering deals on my ebook versions of Silent Screams
and Shadows of the Rose. Details are further down the page.

Double Whammys at the Fiction First Bookstore (my amazon associates
page) Each month a well known author or two will be partnered with
a not so well known one who writes in similar genres or styles. To
see this month's double whammys, pleas go here:

http://associatesshop.filzhut.de/shop/index.php?ID=fe4c04f4b9a0209908026e9dc1bc4ff5&Mode=books


~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Book Reviews
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anywhere But Her
By D Herrle
Publish America, 2003
Trade Paperback
ISBN: 1592866476
Herrle's website: http://www.subtletea.com
Adult
Contact Reviewer: hojoreviews@aol.com
Rating: 5 of 5

Are Poetry and Prose-Real Prose-So Different?
Poet Seduces Readers with Prose

Reviewed by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, award-winning author of This is
the Place and Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered

I keep forgetting that Anywhere but Her is not poetry. At the same
time, I am glad it is not, for poetry sometimes requires effort to
fully comprehend the intent of the author.

It is not that D. Herrle's stories and sketches are not layered enough
to warrant leisurely study, that they wouldn't reap deeper levels of
comprehension if a reader wanted to spend the time with them. It's
just that the accessibility of easier reading, coupled with the beauty
of poetry is refreshing; it's also important because everyone these
days seems to be in such a hurry.

The author invites his readers to "drift like a breeze-blown cloud
through city streets" and, those who choose to do so will be seduced
by what we see there; seduction is a subject near and dear to Herrle's
heart.

As it turns out, in spite of the speed in which the world turns, I read
this book a second time. I became convinced that Herrle is at is best
when he is inside the minds of characters most different from him, the
old ones, the female ones. I'd like to tell you about dozens of
discoveries I made. Instead I will point out only two, just enough to
entice-ok, to seduce-you:

One of the first sketches starts simply: "When humans sleep they are
equal." That is certainly an idea worth exploring.

"Old Lovely" is my favorite story. This is a story of youth meeting
age, age remembering youth, age maintaining youth.

The other stories, however, are delicious and different and surprising.
The connection you will find between them is simply the genius (and
seduction) of D. Herrle.

(Carolyn Howard-Johnson's first novel, This is the Place, has won eight
awards. Her newly released Harkening, also a collection of stories, has
won three.
Learn more at: http://carolynhowardjohnson.com.)


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Crystal River
Roger Brown
Erotica
Extasy Books
1-894869-90-7
Reviewed by Annette Gisby, author of Drowning Rapunzel and
Silent Screams.


"This place could not have looked any more haunted if there had
been a sudden lightning strike, the shriek of a banshee and the
flight of a bat."

So begins The Crystal River by Roger Brown. But for the protagonist
Dan Mathis, he discovers much more than a haunted house. As the
new caretaker of THE NAME OF THE HOUSE HERE, he discovers that the
house is actually a portal to different times of the past.

A womaniser with a colourful past, Daniel begins to wonder if maybe
he is going crazy, hearing voices, imagining someone touching him.
Then he discovers his "ghost" who insists he call her "Eve".

Dan knows it's not her real name, but he doesn't care, too interested
in what Eve can do to his body, and he to her's, although it is a
while before he can actually see her!

An erotic novel, with a twist on the haunted house theme makes an
interesting read. The sex scenes are very graphic with language to
match, so not for the easily offended.

Surprisingly for an erotic novel, the best written parts were those
that weren't the love scenes. I found the love scenes relied a bit
too much on coarse language to describe the act and not enough on
emotion, although at other times in the book, emotion does shine
through.

Three stars.

www.annettegisby.n3.net


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Trespass
Barbara Ewing
Time Warner
Historical

Reviewed by Annette Gisby, author of Drowning Rapunzel and
Shadows of the Rose.

In the London cholera epidemic of 1849, MP Sir Charles Cooper is
worried for his youngest daughter, seventeen year old Harriet, and
resolves to send her away to the country until the danger has past.

Harriet is pleased to get away from her father, but also worried that
he won't send her elder sister, Mary, with her. Isn't she in danger
from the cholera too? (More danger than either of them know, for Mary
has been helping a doctor treat the cholera patients in the poorest
parts of London.)

Harriet enjoys her stay in the country with her cousins, and wonders
at the easy way the family has with each other, for there is a dark
secret at her London home, one she has no words for, because how can
a young lady speak of the unspeakable?

Harriet plans a daring escape to New Zealand, following in the footsteps
of her cousin, for surely even her father's reach cannot get so far
as New Zealand?

This book is excellent, with a little dash of history thrown in now and
then, but without turning the novel into a history book. The main
emphasis is on the characters, and what characters they were. So
realisitic and evolved. I was on tenterhooks the whole time wondering
of Harriet could ever escape.

At a time when women had no money of their own (unless they were lower
class and could work), they were owned first by their fathers and
then by their husbands, and were not even allowed to work, how could
a young girl escape her terrible fate?

"Everything you say is yours, belongs to me, is provided by me,
everything, every breath that you take belongs to me. I am your
father. And as you well know you owe me absolute obedience."

I devoured this book in two days, you just have to keep reading to
find out what happens next. With a wealth of historical detail and
well drawn characters, it's one you'd want to read again.

www.annettegisby.n3.net

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Column: Ask Annette

Do you have a question on writing, publishing, marekting or promotion
of your books? Send them to annette.gisby@which.net and you may get a
reply in the newsletter.

This month's question:

Dear Annette,

I've written a book and want to get it published, but it needs
editing and I can't afford the prices that editors seem to be
charging. Is there anything else I can do?

Answer:

It all depends on what type of publisher you are going after. Traditional
publishers will eidt your book free of charge (although it is a good
idea to have your book checked by someone else before you send it
off to catch any glaring errors.)

A lot of e-publishers will also edit your book free of charge, as
will some Print on Demand companies. Publish America, Sunnyside-up
Publishing and Superior Books are a few that come to mind, who don't
charge the author upfront frees, either for editing or publishing
the books.

If you are self-publishing or going with a company who doesn't do
editing, maybe you could try swapping with another author, they edit
yours and you edit theirs, or you can try your local college for an
English student who would be willing to help. They may charge you, but
maybe not as much as professional editors.

If you do decide to go ahead with a professional editor, get quotes
from various companies, and try to contact other authors who have
used them. Do they allow you to get a sample edit (e.g. the first
chapter) for free so you can see what the quality is like? If not,
I would avoid them.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Contests/Offers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You can buy signed copies of Peter May's books here:
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/peter.may/peter.may/bookstore.htm

Prices inlcude postage & packing etc., different prices depending
on where you want them delivered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You can enter to win free books at the website below:

http://www.curledup.com/win.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gumball Poetry Contest
fee: $3 per poem (no limit on entries)
prizes:
1st: $200
2nd: $150 plus publication
3rd: $100 plus publication
deadline: 21 September 2003

More details on website below:
http://www.gumballpoetry.com/contest/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Erotica Anthology, poetry, stories, art etc.
Pays $10 per piece accpeted, plus a copy of the
book when published.

More details on website below:
www.justusroux.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aligator Juniper Contest (Fiction, Creative non-fiction, poetry)
fee: $10 per story/poem/essay etc.
prizes:
1st: $100
other prizes paid in copies.
deadline: 1 Octobber 2003

More details on website below:
www.prescott.edu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Compass Rose White Pines Fiction Contest
fee: $15
prizes:
1st: $500 plus publication.
deadline: 12 November 2003

More details on website below:
www.chestercollege.edu

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Buy Shadows of the Rose by Annette Gisby at ebookad.com for only
$4.49, a 10% saving.

http://www.ebookad.com/eb.php3?ebookid=14576

Buy Silent Screams by Annette Gisby at ebookad.com with a 15% discount,
you only pay $5.91

http://www.ebookad.com/eb.php3?ebookid=14456

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Featured Books/Sites
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Long after any war ends, those who fought continue to
pay its price - and so do their families.
"Love, Jimmy: A Maine Veteran's Longest Battle,"
by Nina M. Osier -
http://www.geocities.com/nina_osier/JimmyFrontPage.html



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://musemedia.net

MUSE MEDIA is your ONE-STOP-SHOP for all your Publishing Publicity and
Public Relations needs.

Muse Media has the market cornered on getting your book or project in
front of the decision makers at newsrooms, editorial and pitch
meetings, magazine planning sessions, television and radio production
meetings and each and every media venue in between. Let M2 show you
how you can dramatically increase your sales by placing your project
in the media with limited expense and turn-around time. Don't knock
your head against the wall of media inaccessibility; let Muse Media
open the door to publicity that you never knew existed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In His Corner: Will the Real Billy Joe Please Stand?
by Joan Moore Lewis
Atlanta, 1967 -- Is there some bad in the best of us?
http://www.joanlewis.com

Available from amazon, bn.com and more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.go-publish-yourself.com

Articles etc. on self-publishing

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Desert Heat by Kristie Leigh Maguire

Don't expect the typical romance story with this novel. There are no
shrinking violets or shy maidens who long to be taken against their
will in "Desert Heat". Get swept away to another world - a world of
passion, sex and romance. You may never view love - or the desert -
through the same eyes again.

http://www.geocities.com/kristieleighmaguire/desertheat.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://sosforauthors.tripod.com/

From bestselling author, Janet Elaine Smith.

SOS! for Authors to the rescue! Yes, we have heard your cry for help.
We want to respond. We want to give you a hand in making that dream
come true. We will offer services that will carry you from the idea in
your head and the blank computer screen in front of you all the way to
signing your finished product at an honest-to-goodness bookstore.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Plays for a New Generation
by Karen Mueller Bryson
Global Authors Publications

Plays for a New Generation" is a humorous anthology of five original
plays written for a new generation of theatre-goers. The author is the
award winning playwright and novelist, Karen Mueller Bryson. Often
funny and always memorable, the plays in this collection include:
Almost Thirty, But Does He Know Botticelli, Thazel Hoffstetter Lives
Here, When Fat Chicks Rule the World, and The Story of What Happened
When BeBe Romano Said She Was Having a Baby.

This is an excellent anthology for student actors who are encouraged
to use the plays royality free for educational purposes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Memoirs of a Rogue
by Mark Haeuser
Global Authors Publications

His name is Brae, he enjoys women, drinking and having fun, and
his sword is for sale to the highest bidder...

www.globalauthorspublications.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Black Rosebud:
Have no Mercy II
by Bobby & Kam Ruble

A murder, a mysterious farm girl, a thief and the grandson of an
executed man - what do they all have in common?

www.bobbyruble.com


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BAD JOKE OF THE MONTH:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A lady was picking through the frozen turkeys at the grocery store,
but couldn't find one big enough for her family. She asked a stock
boy, "Do these turkeys get any bigger?" The stock boy replied,
"No ma'am, they're dead."

Thanks to author Joan Lewis for that "turkey"! LOL
www.joanlewis.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until
drops of blood form on your forehead." - Gene Fowler

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Take care till next time.

Annette

www.annettegisby.n3.net