Well, here it is, my first official newsletter. I'm excited, aren't you?

October is a big month for me! Due to popular demand, THE CHANCE YOU TAKE is being re-released in expanded format by Novel Books Inc. this month. (http://www.novelbooksinc.com) This new and improved edition is now available in electronic download and trade paperback!

Also, October brings the release of HOLIDAY HEARTS, a Christmas anthology featuring novellas by Leta Nolan Childers, Elizabeth Delisi and Kay Techler from DiskUs Publishing. (http://www.diskuspublishing.com) Buy the book for those three wonderful authors alone and you'll get my novella free!

And if that's not enough, I promised to tell you about the second annual e-writers Halloween Contest. What? You missed the first one? Well, lucky for you, you're right in time for the second one! What's the prize, you ask? $125.00 CASH! That's right, CASH! Runner-up prizes include downloads by award-winning authors, and that's even better than money. To play, simply go to http://www.geocities.com/e_writers_today/contest.html where you'll find the contest rules. Follow the links to participating authors Halloween pages and you're on your way to winning big prizes!

Now I have to warn you that my Halloween page is WAY SCARY! There's dripping blood and ghosts and spooky creatures and a picture of me. Ahhhh! Well, don't say you haven't been warned.

Now that the promotion is out of the way, I've decided to answer some of the subscriber questions that have dribbled in since I sent out my invitation:

Q. I went to the NBI site to download your short story, A FORK IN THE ROAD, but you're no longer the featured author. What can I do? HELP, I'm bereft.

A. Dear Bereft. All of the short stories featured on the NBI site are still available for download. Simply go to "authors" then click on Linda Bleser. There you'll find a page featuring my bio, interview, excerpt, and short story, as well as ordering information for THE CHANCE YOU TAKE! Or use this direct link: http://www.novelbooksinc.com/authors/linda_bleser/ssdl-Fork-bleser.htm (See, already this newsletter is worth its weight in gold!)

Q. Will there be nude pictures in the newsletter.

A. (Geez, I have strange friends.) Well, after some hardball negotiating, I'm happy to say YES! Luna has agreed to be photographed nude. Considering she walks around all day without clothes on, I'm not surprised she went along with this. Her first nudie picture can be viewed at: http://www.bleser.com/linda/pictures.html (scroll to the bottom to see Luna posing in all her naked glory). Luna likes poetry (if it's written on the side of her Meow Mix box), laying around all day in the sun, and biting bare toes. Her turn-offs include hairballs, neighborhood dogs and being chased off the couch. There's a little bit of tiger in her, but she freely admits that the right person can make her purr like a kitten.

Q. I have a friend who never gets email and would love to receive your newsletter. How can I subscribe them?

A. Never gets email? What planet do they live on? Okay, assuming such a creature really does exist, feel free to forward my invitation to any friends you may have. Or they can subscribe quick and easy by going to my home page at http://www.lindableser.com and using the subscribe form on the right-hand side of the opening page.

Q. I signed up in a moment of weakness and now I've decided I really don't want to clutter up my mailbox with your semi-regular newsletters. How do I unsubscribe.

A. Mom? Is that you? Okay, okay, if you really must unsubscribe, just click on the link at the bottom of this newsletter and the kind folks at Authors Den will take care of everything behind my back. This way I'll never know you've abandoned me and my feelings won't be hurt. By the way, you're *not* invited for Thanksgiving dinner.

Q. Am I the one who owes you a cookie?

A. Yes.

Q. When, oh when, can I look forward to another chatty, thought-provoking, award-winning newsletter from my favorite author/best friend/hero?

A. Well, I could do this every week, but you'd probably get tired of me, right? (Don't answer that, it was a rhetorical question.) Okay, I'm guessing I'll have more news around Christmas time when ENCHANTED COTTAGE becomes available again. I'm sure we'll be running a Christmas contest about that time, giving you another chance to win big prizes. So, unless I have some really great news to share with you, or I get very lonely, you probably won't hear from me again until November or December. (Who's that clapping in the back of the room? I can hear you, ya know!)

One final note. I'll be attending the Romantic Times convention in Orlando next month. (Woohoo!) Okay, gorgeous hunky male cover models aside, I hope to sell lots and lots of books. Even better, I hope to meet some of the wonderful writers and readers I've only seen online over the years. If you're anywhere near Orlando November 14-16, please stop by and say hi. Mention the newsletter and you'll get a free gift. That's right, while supplies last I'll be handing out the official, guaranteed "lucky dice" necklaces that have become prized all over the world.

That's all for now! Send questions, comments, or cookies to lbleser@nycap.rr.com. I'll be back in your mailbox soon with more exciting news.

-Linda
http://www.lindableser.com