Welcome to Silent Screaming
The Annette Gisby Newsletter

IN THIS ISSUE:
News
Book Reviews
Feature Article
Qoute of the Month
Bad Joke of the Month
Contests/Offers
Sites etc.

NEWS
~~~~~~
I've posted the cover design of my new novel, Drowning Rapunzel to
my web page at:
http://homepages.which.net/~annette.gisby/rapunzeldetails.htm

It's still scheduled for release in June, so that's something to look
forward too. :-)

I have also had a bit of redesign of the main site at:
http://www.annettegisby.n3.net

It looks a bit more professional, and a bit easier to update hopefully!
Who'd have thought that a few years ago my website consisted of just
a few pages? LOL!

I have also added a new article to my website, a travelogue about our
time in Madeira, you can read it here:
http://homepages.which.net/~annette.gisby/madeira.htm

John took the lovely photograph, which gives an excellent view of what
Madeira is like.

If you haven't yet ordered your signed copy of Silent Screams, don't
despair, I still have some left and you can order from here:
http://homepages.which.net/~annette.gisby/paperback.htm

I take dollars, pounds and euros (or rather paypal does!) I will also
accept cheques or money orders in those currencies too, just email me
for the address to send it to. Email: penguin2@blueyonder.co.uk




BOOK REVIEWS
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Curse this House
by Barbara Wood
Warner Books

Reviewed by Annette Gisby, author of Silent Screams
and Drowning Rapunzel

Leyla Pemberton returns home to Pemberton Hurst after the death of her
mother and a twenty year absence. She remembers little of the time she
spent her first five years of life there, save for the fact that she
was severely traumatised by witnessing the death of her father and
brother and has no memory of the incident.

Her relatives are strangers to her, a grandmother who rules the house
with an iron fist from her room, nervous Aunt Anna, sickly uncle
Henry, eccentric cousin Martha, boorish cousin Colin and Theo, her
eldest cousin who is the only one to welcome her.

What are they hiding?

Shocked by Leyla's return, the residents of Pemberton Hurst have no
choice but to give up their secret. All the Pembertons are cursed...

Leyla doesn't believe it and sets out on her own investigation into
her father and brother's deaths. Her enquiries are fraught with danger,
because there is someone who doesn't want her to remember that fateful
day, but who?

This is a well paced and plotted novel, a real page turner. The
historical detail is very accurate, but without detracting from the
story so that it reads like a novel rather than a history lesson.
Leyla is a very likeable character, and I could almost see cousin
Martha sitting everywhere, her knitting needles clicking away.

My one gripe would be the spelling. It is written in the first person,
supposedly by Leyla, a young Victorian English lady, but her spelling
was American. It distracted from the story when supposedly reading
about an English girl going to "the center of the coppice." She would
have spelled it "centre."

Despite the American spelling, (which is really just a personal
opinion) it was a good read, something to curl up with on a rainy day
and let the outside world disappear.



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

Quentins
By Maeve Binchy
Dutton, 2002

Maeve Binchy Weaves her Magic
Again After 11 New York Times Bestselling Wins

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

Maeve Binchy magically weaves together the stories of not only several
generations but what seems like the whole of Dublin.

The stories in "Quentins" are entwined around the history of a lovely
Irish restaurant from which the book takes its title. Its proprietress
reads lips. She is rather like an all-seeing stage-manager in "Our
Town" excepting that her life is intricately plaited with those of her
customers and relatives. Ella Brady is young and so impressionable she
lets her hormones make decisions about love and life just as many of
us have. She falls for a loveable cad. She has a gaggle of friends and
they have loves (or not). Throw in the unlikely story of Quentin who
gave his name but little else to the restaurant that he owns and a
wealthy New Yorker who also happens to be Irish and, er...well, you
get the idea.

My advice is to forget trying to make all the fine connections and
just go along for the ride. Maeve Binchy is a superlative plotter who
knows how to braid, knit and lace and how to write characters as well. This bunch of mad Irish men and women are well worth following. Pretend you are in a restaurant-much like Quentins-and are watching the people at the other tables and those passing by outside your choice table near a window. You'd be entertained, right?

"Quentins" is the same way. It's a little like eating a holiday dinner
peopled by a huge, talkative Irish family. It's not necessary to get
every link, every association, when you're having so much fun.


Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the awards-winning author of "This is the
Place" and "Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered." She is
also a columnist for the Pasadena Star News and a freelance writer.
Learn more at
http://www.TLT.com/authors/carolynhowardjohnson.htm.

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

Slums of Paradise
by D Jason Cooper
Twilight Times Books

Reviewed by Annette Gisby, author of Silent Screams & Shadows of
the Rose.

In the not too distant future, myths, legends and the existence of
God have all been proven as scientific fact. Vampires are on the
rampage, killing anyone who is foolish enough to be outdoors after
dark.

Pope Antioch III has had enough, and vows to do something about it.
He wants to create the perfect vampire hunter, a vampire, yet not a
vampire, for the man who becomes the vampire hunter, is like them,
but yet not like them. He has the strength and power of his prey,
but little of their weakness, he can survive sunlight and does not
succumb to so many cravings for blood.

There are those that oppose the pope and his new instrument against
the vampires, conspirators abound, how will they ever know who to
trust?

This is certainly one of the most different vampire novels I've come
across, blending elements of mysticism, religion, horror and science
fiction to create a unique blend. There's even a bit of romance and
adventure in there too. Great characters and a fast moving plot that
keeps you guessing.

The author described the resurrection of Harker, this new vampire
hunter very well, so that from the outset you were sympathetic towards
him, even though you knew he was far from human.

An author to watch.


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


Charity, Fun and Books--What a Way to "Go!"

Hot Footing it Around Ireland
by Ian Middleton

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

Not that anyone cares, but I'm putting all travel section editors on
notice: I hate travel books. I prefer serendipity when I travel and I
truly don't give a darn about the kind of soap a hotel puts in its
bathrooms.

My point here is that Hot Footing Around the Emerald Isle by Ian
Middleton is a book even travelers (and book lovers) like me can
adore.

This book is funny. And perspicacious. And it will do the world some
good-l-iterally. More about that in a minute.

This is a book about, well, you know, the adventures the author had
hotfooting it around Ireland. Now the author plans to do it again for
charity. He will walk 300 miles across Ireland to aid asthma research
come May. Part of the proceeds from this book go directly to charity
and the rest of the profits will fund this second walk-sort of charity
and profits in motion like a giant snowball (I hope) rolling down and
hill and collecting more good, pristine stuff as it rolls!

And more "good stuff" could include another book. Mr. Middleton's
writing reflects his breadth of travel and his experience in the UK;
not that they are connected or anything but he also has a rather salty
vocabulary. He has an uncanny knack for spotting the way the universe
provides coincidences and for characterization. Emerald Isle introduces
us to more interesting characters that the average novel.

This book is also inspirational. No, not that kind. It will be an
inspiration to English speakers with a tad of Irish running in their
veins to visit the green islands. They can go the way Ian did or they
can get themselves one of those how-to books that list prices and
locations if they prefer. It's really not what you read about Ireland
that's important. It's how well what your reading works at getting you
there!

Learn more about Ian and his new travel, his charity efforts etc. at
www.idanmiddleton.com.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson's first novel, "This is the Place," has won
eight awards. Her newly released "Harkening: A Collection of Stories
Remember" has won two. One might consider both sort of travel guides
to Utah.
Learn more at: http://carolynhowardjohnson.com.


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


Cover Story
by Gerry Boyle
Berkley Prime Crime

Reviewed by Annette Gisby author of Silent Screams
and Shadows of the Rose

Jack McMorrow, ex-journalist for the Times and retired Detective Butch
Casey have been friends since childhood, although they haven't seen
each other since the murder of Casey's wife ten years ago. When
McMorrow is in New York on business with the Times, he accepts an
invitation to meet with Casey for old times' sake.

Later that night, the popular mayor, Fiore, is found murdered in a
hotel bathroom, stabbed to death. Casey's fingerprints are all over
the weapon and he is arrested. McMorrow can hardly believe it, he knew
that Casey was upset because the mayor had let his wife's killer go,
Fiore had been the DA at the time, but McMorrow didn't think he was
capable of murder.

Digging deeper into the crimes of ten years ago, McMorrow discovers
that the mayor had more enemies than grains of sand on a beach and he
wasn't as perfect as everyone was making him out to be. Determined to
get to the bottom of things and clear his friend's name McMorrow is
pursued by the press, by the police and by others who seem determined
to kill him.

The plot is fast and pacy with lots of dialogue and interaction between
characters and it was difficult to put the book down. New York under
Mayor Fiore is painted as this wonderful Utopia, but McMorrow can see
the worms underneath, things haven't so much changed as been brushed
under the carpet and the holes start to show.

And who really did kill the mayor? Well, you'll just have to read and
find out. You won't be disappointed.


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


FEATURE ARTICLE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Four P's by Annette Gisby
A very brief overview of different types of publishing.


1)A Traditional publisher is usually what every writer aspires to. You
will usually be offered a book contract giving them the exclusive
right to publish your book. In return, they will pay for everything,
from production through to marketing. Money is invested by the
publisher, not by the author. A site with information and sample book
contracts is sfwa.org

2) Self-publishing is just that, the author invests their own money in
their book. The author will pay for printing, storage, distribution,
marketing etc., with all the financial risk as well. It will be
difficult to get self-published books reviewed and stocked in stores,
but not impossible. It could work well if you have a non-fiction book
and a niche market, or you have already had some experiences in
marketing/promotion etc.

3) POD or print-on-demand is like a combination of traditional and
self-publishing. Some companies are selective and don't charge the
author, like traditional publishing. Some charge a fee and are not
selective, so more akin to self-publishing, but usually cheaper than
having a thousand book print run from a printer. There is information
about various POD companies at

http://www.geocities.com/dehannabailee/pod.htm

POD's store books electronically and can print one book at a time, as
and when they are ordered, so no surplus stock cluttering up your
garage or spare room

4) E-publishing is where your book is an e-book or electronic book,
not paper. Some e-publishers are selective and don't charge authors,
some charge a fee. A few now offer the option of print-on-demand as
well. There are two main types of e-book formats, the adobe PDF
(portable digital file) and the Microsoft reader. The adobe acrobat
reader is needed for PDF files and the Microsoft reader for the
Microsoft reader files, both are available free from the Barnes and
Noble website. There are thousands of free e-books available on the
web, quite a few of them from www.ebookdirectory.com




QOUTE OF THE MONTH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I like deadlines. I love the whoosing sound as they fly by." -
Douglas Adams.



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

Sign on a closed music store:

"Gone Chopin. Bach in a Minuet."



CONTESTS/OFFERS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.fireandwater.com/fun/competition.asp

Win Free Books from Harper Collins

Every week we will be giving away three free copies of selected new
titles covering all sorts of different subject areas. Our competitions
are quick and easy to enter so why not get started now and see what
you can win.

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

http://www.booksfree.com/drawing.shtml

Register for a chance to win a $50 Gift Certificate from booksfree.com.
Use your Gift Certificate to purchase fiction, nonfiction, reference,
audio, and children's books on our site. Drawings are held on the last
day of the month.

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

In honor of the release of DEADLY CARESS in April, Brenda Joyce is
giving away to one lucky winner a set of her first 3 Deadly books
(DEADLY LOVE, DEADLY PLEASURE, and DEADLY AFFAIRS).
Visit her site at http://www.brendajoyce.com to enter her contest.

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

http://www.winningwriters.com/annualcontest.htm

This contest seeks today's best poems on the theme of war. Winning
Writers will award $2,000 in prizes.

More details on the site, online and snail mail submissions accepted.

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

Deadline: April 30, 2003
No entry fee
Bold Books is sponsoring a Mirror, Mirror Writing Contest. Write
300-500-words about your relationship with your mirror, and be
eligible to win a copy of the novel, "It's My Body and I'll Cry If I
Want To". The deadline is April 30, 2003, and it's free to enter. Each
of three winners will receive a free copy of the book. The three
winning entries (and possibly runnersup) will be published on
boldbooks.com.

See full contest details on:
http://members.shaw.ca/boldbooks/contest.htm

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




CLASSIFIEDS
~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.writingshop.com/

Fast, friendly feedback on your own writing (novice to advanced) from
a professional, published editor, and interactive, multimedia software
(Mac's & Windows) that looks, acts and feels like a personal writing
tutor (rated "excellent" by The Internet Writing Journal).

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

SOS For Authors

Let best selling author Janet Elaine Smith guide you through the
publishing minefield with classes on marketing, publising and more.

http://sosforauthors.tripod.com/

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

The Treasure of St. Paul
by Karla Brandenburg

In the year 79 A.D., Mt. Vesuvius buried Pompeii and two other cities
in a sea of lava, but the story that lures Kira Ellison to southern
Italy is one of blinding lights and miracles following in the wake of
St. Paul as he traveled through that region prior to the volcano's
eruption. For a woman who wants one last chance to chase after a
phantom before she settles into a life that seems expected of her, it
is the perfect diversion.

Prior to her arrival, a dream haunts Kira's sleep. The premonition
forewarns her of the dangers that lay in wait, but it doesn't prepare
her for Dominic Fioretti. When she comes face to face with the "man of
her dreams," the dangers become all too real, both physically and
emotionally. Will she find the legendary grail? Or will she go back
home to lead the life that seems destined for her?

Visit the author's website for more details and to order:

http://www.geocities.com/klblang/

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


NUW Book Club April Top Five

The top five picks are:

The Light: Alien Abduction by Micahel Thal (sci-fi)

By Any Other Name by Kathleen Walls (suspense)

How to Repair Computers by Harry Husted (non-fiction)

Fiery Surrender by Linda Morelli (Historical Romance)

Profile of a Murder by Roger Vizi (Mystery/Suspense)

and this months's browsable book is No Lady and Her Tramp
by Kristie Leigh Maguire and Mark Haeuser (Humour/Romance)

For more details on these and other NUW books, please visit the
website:
http://clik.to/NUWAuthorsBookClub

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

Well, that's all till next time.

Take care,
Annette.

www.annettegisby.n3.net