Patricia’s Occasional Newsletter (distributed only by request)

from author Patricia Crossley, www.patriciacrossley.com Please stop by for a visit, read some of my extracts and reviews & pick up some free downloads. email patricia@patriciacrossley.com,


Welcome to the merry month of May (at least in the part of the world where I live.) The air is warmer, the daffodils are finished and the trees are in full leaf. The City of Victoria in British Columbia has, over the years, planted flowering cherry trees on many streets around the downtown area. In early March the streets will start to bloom, some pale pink, some deep magenta, some with single blossoms, some with fragrant clumps of tightly packed flowers. The different kinds of trees come into full beauty one after the other and now, in May, we still have trees bursting into flower, while other streets have snowy drifts of fallen petals.

Not surprising that you catch many a tourist taking a close up shot of one of the beautiful trees.

Rod, my husband, and I are beginning to prepare for our return to Africa. As some of you know, we spent six months recently in Western Kenya administering a scholarship program to enable bright, needy girls to attend High School. We were invited to go back to work with teachers and I am expecting to help with Peer Tutoring, HIV/AIDS awareness and Counseling as well as the Religious Education curriculum. At the same time, we will be setting up a computer lab and beginning to teach basic computer skills. The City of Esquimalt has generously donated ten computers and we were put in touch with another organization which is sending a container to Kenya this summer. They have promised to try to fit us in, so we are trusting that all will work out and that there will be room for our ‛goodies.' We are very much looking forward to seeing the friends we made during our last assignment as well as the girls that we sponsor.

I sent news from Kenya the last time we were there and you can check some of the messages and pictures on my web site: http://www.patriciacrossley.com and click on Africa in the sidebar

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Now, as you scroll down this month's newsletter you will find two very different authors.:

- Karen Anzalone has written a young adult time travel book and has sent me an extract. It sounds great.

- Mary Cox Bilz is a quadriplegic, and I think you will be amazed at her story of courage and determination. Her book, co-authored with Arline Chase, was an EPPIE finalist in non-fiction.

- There is also the announcement of the winner of this month's contest and the details of the contest for May .

- plus an extract from Journey's End, a time travel romance that won four stars from Romantic Times

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Time in a Bottle by Karen Anzalone, Hard Shell Word Factory, www.hardshell.com,

March 2003

When a computer glitch sends four 7th-graders 123 years into the past, they must work together to get back home. But a young girl from the past has a painful secret that gives the four a new focus--save the girl from her abusive stepfather, even if it means being trapped forever in the wrong time.

Excerpt:
A black wind screamed in my ears as I rolled and tumbled through nothingness. I thought my eyes were open, but I couldn't see. I could only hear the wind filling my head, whirling around in my brain, chilling my arms and legs.

Then with a jolt and a blast of brilliant blue, I landed, my body jarring against something cold and hard. I raised my head, gritting my teeth against dizziness. Then another sound exploded inside my head--the shriek of a terrified horse. And just above me, its hoofs pawing the air an arm's length from my head, the horse reared in panic.

I scrambled clear, just before the hoofs struck the spot where I'd been a moment before. I looked around me wildly for Naomi. I caught a glimpse of Michael and Tasha rolling clear of the wheels of the wagon the horse pulled. But Naomi'where was she?

I finally saw her dashing from the back of the wagon. Relief shot through me.

The driver of the wagon gripped the reins, struggling to control his horse. "You dern young'uns, stay outta the way!"

I thought I should apologize, but I felt as if the words had been knocked out of me. The four of us crowded close together, Naomi beside me. Mutely we watched the cursing driver. Finally, the man cracked his whip and the horse thundered off down the frozen mud of the street.

I stared at the ground. A mud street? I swiveled my head up and gaped at the squatty wooden structures lining the road. Turning, my gaze fell on the rough boards of a wooden sidewalk beside us.

Naomi clutched at my arm. "Kevin, where are we?"

Fear bubbled up my spine, stuck in my throat. I squinted up at the sun hovering above the row of buildings in the pale-blue afternoon sky.

He put my hand over Naomi's, pulling her closer. "I don't know.

Tasha and Michael squeezed into a tight knot with us, like football players before a big play. Michael's eyes were wide with excitement. "Looks like an Old West town."

Tasha poked her head out of the huddle, then back in. "Everyone's dressed in old-timey clothes.
I risked a peek myself. Nearby, a grizzled old man in worn dusty pants and greasy suspenders slouched against a building. A woman hurried by, her ankle-length skirt flaring around her. A bony-faced man in tall black top hat and black suit stepped off the sidewalk behind me, then dashed across the street.

Desperate for some sense in the craziness around me, I scanned the storefronts for a clue. My exploration lurched to a halt at the sign displayed just overhead.

"Look!" I read the sign aloud. "Bodie Baths and Barber Shop."

Michael grinned, shaking dark hair from his eyes. "We're in Bodie!"

This was a dream, I was sure of it. I squeezed my eyes shut, figuring if I focused hard enough, I could wake himself up.

Suddenly, a gust of wind kicked up and I felt something slap against my jeans. I opened one eye to peek at the crackling sheet clinging to my shins. My stomach twisted and turned. A newspaper.
"This'll have the date." Michael snatched the paper up and scanned it. "October 18th," he read. "Eighteen eighty."

The sun seemed to blink out. I groped for Naomi, suddenly terrified that the blue light was sucking me up again. I shook my head clear and drank in the sight of Naomi's concerned face.

"We've gone back in time," I whispered hoarsely.

This book is available at http://www.hardshell.com

***
JOURNEY'S END, time travel romance, by Patricia Crossley

Time travel with a difference. . . .
As she makes ready to leave London at the end of the twentieth century in order to fulfill her dream of practicing medicine in the third world, Dr. Kari Lunne and her dog are catapulted four hundred years into the past. .
Somewhere in the twenty-fourth century, Aidan Torrance realizes what he has done and plans to make good his mistake by picking up the annoying woman - and her dog - and depositing them back into their own time, like a wrongly directed parcel.
Aidan does not reckon on Kari’s strong will. Kari does not expect to have to make choices that threaten her whole future. Neither of them expects to fall in love with someone far removed from their own space and time. Journey’s End culminates in lovers meeting after a wild ride through time. Can a doctor from the twentieth century find love and happiness with a maverick historian from the future when they meet in Tudor England?
**

Four Stars from Romantic Times:
JOURNEY'S END is an excellent time travel romance with a "you-are-there" feel. The depiction of medieval England is realistic enough to make one glad that it is history. The hero and heroine are intelligent and likable and the villains provide enough suspense to keep this a page-turner without taking over the story. (Susan Mobley, January 2001)

*

Imagine this...You're minding your own business, walking the dog when you bump into Mr. Tall, Dark and Mysterious. The next thing you know, you open your eyes and you and your dog are 400 years in the past. What happened? Are you simply a raving lunatic as the people around you seem to believe? That is what Dr. Kari Lunne would like to know, because it has happened to her. . .
A JOURNEY'S END is both historical and futuristic romance in one delightful package. If you like reading time travel romances then this is a book for you.
Reviewed by Barbara Small

**

here's an extract from Journey's End:
The road was quiet at this time in the evening. She caught the scents of cooking and conversation that drifted from open windows of the old houses, now converted to flats. The full-blown roses sent a heady perfume through the gardens. Most had been planted long ago by the careful merchants who had built the solid terraces. Neglected and forgotten, besieged now by tricycles, motorbikes, and baby prams, a few hardy bushes continued to flourish and bloom against all odds. The brief summer shower had brought out their scent in the night air. An aroma of spices floated from the Indian takeaway on the corner.

The wolfhound took the lead on the familiar way into Hampstead, where the houses grew more spacious, sitting serenely in carefully tended gardens.

Once on the Heath, they slipped into the cool, dusky areas under the trees. The thick foliage screened the buildings, and the rumble of traffic on Willow Road grew fainter as Ben plunged on round massive and ancient rhododendron bushes. The rain fell harder now, and Kari inhaled the damp, earthy smell of the leaves.

At last, she stooped to unhook the clasp of the leash, and Ben bounded away eagerly to the open grass, seeking his own delights and smells. The gray shape blended into the shadows, and Kari followed slowly on the gravel path. Her one regret at leaving London was deserting Ben. They’d been together a long time. He’d been an adorable puppy, all feet and legs topped by a lolling tongue and a big grin. He was a good dog, he wouldn't cause Mike any problems and her brother had better take good care of him. She caught the blur of movement in the distance--it had to be Ben again, covering the space between them with long, determined strides and she smiled in anticipation. He would come back, check in briefly with her and be off again in a flash. She braced herself for the size and weight of him as he made straight for her.

Suddenly there was movement between her and the dog. A crouched figure rose up, ghostlike, from the grass, giving the bounding animal no chance to veer away. Kari heard the soft thud of the impact as the animal and the stranger met, and both went flying back on the turf. The dog recovered his footing first and barked a warning; the hair on his neck bristled. Kari hurried nearer. The shape rose more slowly and she distinguished the outline of a man, a large man, dressed in black. Beside him lay a bag and a package. Was he a burglar? A drunk? A drug addict maybe, looking for any source of ready cash? Or preparing to shoot up?

She stood close to the dog, laying a hand on his collar. The man had risen to his knees, shaking his head. She could make out broad shoulders and dark hair that shone with the misting of rain drops. She pushed back her own damp mane. Ben had quieted, and she stepped closer to the stranger. She peered at him, trying to see him better.

"Look, I'm sorry. Are you hurt? Can you stand?" Kari thought of all the warnings she had disregarded about walking alone at night on the Heath. Prudently, she decided not to go too near in case he made a grab. "I'm a doctor. Can I help you?"

With a grunt, he pushed himself up on his feet and brushed the grass from his side. He was not merely wide in the shoulders, but tall and well-shaped in the black T shirt tucked into black jeans that hugged slim hips. His silence added to her wariness until another thought struck her. "Do you speak English?"

Without her glasses and in the dim light, his features were still a blur. She tried narrowing her eyes to bring him into focus. For once she should have left her contacts in. This time he seemed to have heard her question and stopped the movement of his hands to glance at her. She had a flash of strong features and luminous gray eyes, and then the brief impression was gone. The muscles in the pit of her abdomen tightened. She put it down to the apprehension caused by stopping to talk to a stranger in a lonely, dark place. She had been warned.

They both stood, frozen in time, caught in a cocoon of darkness and misty rain. The distant sounds of the city faded, drowned by the pounding of her blood in her ears. Her quick breath sighed in the still air. Ben pressed against her side, his damp fur rubbing her bare leg. She felt the wiry hair against her palm as she laid her hand on his head. She could smell the wet grass where the collision had released spores from the bruised stalks.

She was no longer afraid. Her senses were sharp, taking in every detail that she could see, every scent, every touch on her skin. "I shall remember this moment," she thought.

The stranger broke the spell as he spoke at last. "I do indeed speak English." He bent to pick up a black jacket. "I apologize if I spooked your dog." He turned away so she could no longer see even the pale oval of his face.

"No problem, he'll live. Ben doesn't frighten easily." She dragged her mind back from its reverie. She was still in a lonely place with a strange man doing God knows what. "But you seem pretty suspect to me," she said to herself. "There doesn't seem much the matter with you. Maybe you can be left."

He ignored the ironic emphasis on the dog's name. Didn't he have any manners? He stood still again. She felt his scrutiny, but his back was turned to the distant light. Damn, if only she could see his face properly. The memory of her mother's cat, a sleek, black creature, came unbidden to her mind. The animal would watch patiently for hours, willing to out wait wary birds and mice. She cleared her throat.

"I hope there's no damage." She wanted to add: "Although it was your fault for rearing up like that right in front of poor Ben."

Instead, she stepped forward and picked up the bag. "Don't forget your shopping." She held it out, although it felt empty.

He gestured impatiently. He was holding something in the waving hand. "Please," he said curtly. "Go away! You shouldn't be here. Take the dog and go."

Her eyebrows rose in reaction to his churlishness.

"I most certainly will." She dropped the bag. Let him pick it up himself. She turned her back on the rude stranger, Ben at her side. The dog sat for her to attach his leash.

Behind her, the man cried out. "Go, go, get back! Why are you waiting? No, Tanis, no, not yet!" His voice rang with despair.

It was the last thing Kari heard as something hit her full force between her shoulder blades, and she fell, spinning endlessly through a deep, black tunnel.
**

The e-book available now from the author. Read it on your PDA, your laptop or in print out.

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And now let me introduce you to my friend Mary Cox Bilz (http://www.marycoxbilz.com)

Author and mouth artist Mary Cox-Bilz had always wanted to write, but spent most of her younger life doing the things other women did. She went to college, managed her own business, and did evaluation and counseling in the Maryland Rehabilitation Center to help other
physically challenged people learn to manage their disabilities.

Mary was born with Arthrogryposis (ARTH-row-grip-O-sis), a birth defect that left her a quadriplegic with only 3% use of her left arm and 7% use of her right. Though confined to a motorized wheelchair, she has taught writing classes for a local college, workshops for thesummer conference at the International Women's Writing Guild in Sarotoga Springs, New York, and online writing classes.

Mary uses a mouth stick to type manuscripts on her computer (at 29 correct words per minute), or surf the Internet, and does pen and ink drawings by holding the pen in her mouth.

Since 1998, the Maryland author has written five books: three published by White Oaks Creations, a Christian publishing house in VA and two published by Cambridge Books in MD. One of the Cambridge Books is a co-authored, how-to book for authors, recently nominated as a
2003 Eppie Finalist. Two of the print books are also electronically published by Ebooksonthe.net.

An accomplished mouth-artist and a 2000 Courage Cards award-winning artist, Mary has created her own line of inspirational greeting/note cards and artwork.

A member of Antioch United Methodist Church in Cambridge, Mary stresses that her inspirational books are written for an inter-denominational audience.

Her current book project, a Christmas anthology of stories by authors throughout the world, will be released in print and electronic versions in July 2003 by Cambridge Books and Ebooksonthe.net. Mary brings her literary and artistic talents to Christmas In The Country,
serving as both editor and illustrator of a color-filled holiday keepsake.

For interviews, contact Mary at wheels@shorenet.net or marycoxbilz@yahoo.com.

EPPIE finalist "How-To" Book by Mary Cox0Bilz and Arline Chase.

How To Promote, Advertise, And Market Your Published Book, co-authored with Arline Chase, print and electronic versions published in 2000 by Cambridge Books and Ebooksonthe.net Available for sale at http://www.ebooksonthe.net

How to Promote, Advertize, and Market Your Published Book By Mary Cox-Bilz & Arline Chase is a step-by-step guide that offers tools that you can integrate into your own marketing plan. These suggestions have been strategies used by authors to pull their books out of boxes, onto
book shelves, and into a customer's hands. Here's how to get attention for your published book, from two authors who have practiced what they preach.

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I mustn't forget the contest news. Cindy Gorsci won the coffee mug and has chosen one of the flower photographs. I do hope she's pleased with her prize.

I told you that my contemporary romance A Suitable Father is to be reissued byZumaya Publications later this year in electronic format and in print. I have copies of the first e book publication on disk in a "bookcover" case. This month I will be giving away 10 of these copies to contest entrants. If you already read ebooks, you'll love it. If you have never tried an ebook, maybe this is what you need to take the first step.
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Thank you for allowing me time in your busy lives once again. I’m interested in receiving your feedback on anything in this newsletter or on my website (www.patriciacrossley.com) . I’ve kept the format of the newsletter simple, so that it doesn’t cause a problem in your system. Please email me at patricia@patriciacrossley.com if you have any comments or suggestions. If you know anyone who would like to receive the newsletter, they only need to send me an email with ‘newsletter’ in the subject line. If you no longer wish to receive the newsletter, let me know by email and I will remove your name from the list. Remember, this newsletter is sent only on request. If you think you have been wrongly subscribed, please let me know and I will remove your name. Happy reading!