IN THIS ISSUE:
My monthly column update
Book Happenings
Q & A Time

Happy “Hands-on” Valentines Day!

Everyone has heard of Christmas caroling... What better way is there to show you care than to visit folks and serenade them at the holidays. Now take it a couple of months down the road--how do people know you still care? Can you say “Valentines Caroling”?

This is exactly what a small group from our church is going to do this Valentines Day weekend… But what songs will we sing? After a few moments of scratching my head, I came up with the answers: “Valentines Carols, of course!” This month’s “Every Day *IS* Mother’s Day” comes equipped with your own selection of “Valentines Carols” to sing to those you love—and to everyone else for that matter. Remember, everybody needs to feel loved. Skip the chocolate (well, maybe not the chocolate!) and give the gift of yourself through song this Valentines Day.

Click on the direct link to my column below:
http://pages.sbcglobal.net/cynthianna/momsday_index.html
(You may have to copy and paste the above URL into your web browser to get them to work.)


BOOK HAPPENINGS

All is quiet on the book publishing front. I’ve written and mailed a letter off to the editors at Dorchester asking them for a final verdict on my humorous romance, BEAUTIFUL DREAMER. If no word is forthcoming, I’ll start shopping it around elsewhere. (Nine months is long enough to make a decision on a manuscript, in my opinion. Heck, even my very particular teenage daughter doesn’t even take that long to decide what to wear the next day to school!)

In spite of the frustration of dealing with slow-to-decide publishers, I’m plugging away on my next books. Yes, I have more than one in progress even as I type. One story I call a “chick-lit” romance, populated with twenty-somethings. The other story is a romantic suspense, ”kung-fu romance” I’m penning with a friend of mine, Elaine Moore. The tentative title is TEARS OF THE DRAGON. We’re still deciding on an appropriate pen name. We need something short and memorable—a name that sounds a writer who knows how to write fast paced action as well as tender love scenes. Any and all suggestions are welcome.

In the meantime, if you find yourself inside a lot on these cold days curled up with a good book in front of the fire, here are some titles that Elaine and I have written that may interest you:

MADONNA OF THE DARK (Vampire fiction)
by Elaine Moore
ISBN 1-928704-02-6
Authorlink Press, Inc. http://www.authorlinkpress.com

RETRIBUTION (Book II of the MADONNA series)
by Elaine Moore ISBN 1-928704-19-0
Authorlink Press, Inc. http://www.authorlinkpress.com

COUNTRY BOY, CITY GIRL (contemporary romance)
by Cynthianna Appel ISBN 1-58851-918-X
Publish America Inc. http://www.publishamerica.com
(trade paperback edition—available at Amazon.com, BN.com, Wal-Mart.com and other online booksellers)

THE FIXER-UPPERS (contemporary romance)
by Cynthianna Appel ISBN 1-59088-984-3
Wings ePress http://www.wings-press.com
(trade paperback and electronic editions)

Since February is often associated with romance and Valentines Day, I’ll be doing what a lot of romantic-fiction authors will be doing this month—talking to various writers groups. On the 22nd I’ll be in O’Fallon, MO, presenting a program to the Saturday Writers Group on manuscript preparation and other helpful writing tips to ensure your book’s publication. If you happen to be in the area, be sure to drop by and say “hello.”

Now, it’s everybody’s favorite--Q & A TIME!

Q: Speaking of helpful writing hints, where can I find all the answers to writing-related questions people have asked you in previous newsletters?

A: The answer is simple. Click on the link below to find my new web page entitled, “Writing Tips.” There you’ll find the questions and answers that have been published in newsletters past. You also have the opportunity to ask a few of your own. Don’t be shy! This is your “hands-on” opportunity to ask that question you’ve always wanted an answer to but were afraid to ask.

Writing Tips
http://pages.sbcglobal.net/cynthianna/writingtips.html

If you have a question--any question, related to writing, romance writing, publishing or whatever--email me at cynthianna@hotmail.com.(Do not hit "reply" to this newsletter--your email will bounce.) Results guaranteed or double your money back.

And before I forget, I’m soliciting ideas for a non-fiction inspirational book I’m working on tentatively entitled, “If You Have a Talent, God Has a Plan.” If you know of anyone (including yourself) who has an unusual “talent” that they feel God has blessed them with for the greater good, please email me and let me know the details. Thank you.

It’s time to bring this “hands-on” newsletter to a close. If I haven’t given you enough suggestions to keep you busy through these cold, cold weeks of mid-winter, then I’ve not done my job. E-mail me and suggest a few more activities if you like!

Until next time, may God bless you and keep you toasty warm on these chilly nights--

Cindy
(a.k.a. Cynthianna Appel)
My web site: http://pages.sbcglobal.net/cynthianna

P.S. Feel free to forward this newsletter on to an email friend or ten. You'll be glad you did. (But if you do forward this on, please forward the entire contents and not just bits and pieces. Thank you.)