AUTUMN, 2009 NEWSLETTER

Linda Rettstatt
~~~
Writing for women--
Stories of strength, love,
humor, and hope.




Autumn, 2009 Newsletter


Dear Friends and Family,

2009 has been quite busy. Many of you are wondering what I’ve been up to and when the next book is coming out. I know this because several of you have emailed repeatedly, asking,

“When’s the next book coming out?”
I’m very pleased to announce the September 1 release of

The Restoration of Abby Walker

from Wings ePress.

Abby Walker Mulgrew is counting on two things to breathe life back into her marriage: the Alaskan cruise she and her husband, Wil, have planned, and the see-through negligee she has purchased for the trip.

Within the first twenty-fours hours of the cruise to celebrate her twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, however, Abby receives the one gift she least expects.

~ * ~

Two other novels have been contracted by Champagne Books for publication in 2010. Next Time, I’m Gonna Dance is scheduled for January, 2010 release, and Shooting Into the Sun will be available in May, 2010.

In other news, my new contemporary romance novel, Wake-Up Call, is now under the representation of Anita Melograna, agent with
Crosswind Agency.

My article, It’s Only Too Late If You Don’t Start Now…, will be published on Sunday, September 27 in the Memphis Commercial Appeal My Words column.

And I have a new roommate. Her name is Olivia. She weighs nine pounds, prefers Fancy Feast, and sleeps just about any place she desires. Yes, I am now owned by a cat. Actually, I rescued her, then she returned the favor. She’s being very gracious, so far, in allowing me free range of the apartment. But things could change at a moment’s notice if I don’t clean the litter box on time!

~ * ~

While you’re waiting for the next new release, kick back and enjoy any of these books available from Wings ePress, Inc. at: http://www.wingsepress.com/ or at http://www.amazon.com/
This is also a great time to do your early Christmas shopping!

(Signed copies are available directly from me upon request.)

~ ~ ~

Writing tip: Write every day. It’s not so important what you write as it is that you write. The jury is out among writers as to the validity of writer’s block. Some of us swear it doesn’t exist; others who have been caught in the quicksand of the inability to structure a meaningful sentence beg to differ. That’s not the point, though. The point is, to be a writer, one must write. You cannot always write what you want to write, but you can always write. Perfecting one’s skill requires consistency, practice, and the sharpening of one’s tools. So, write a novel, a short story, a poem, or a very descriptive shopping list.
Just write!

Links:

My website: http://www.geocities.com/lindarettstatt

My blog – One Woman’s Write: http://www.lindarettstatt-author.blogspot.com/

My publishers: http://www.wings-press.com/ and http://www.champagnebooks.com/

Contact me: lindarettstatt@yahoo.com


I hope you have all enjoyed a relaxing summer.

Linda

The Passing of an Icon

Mary Allin Travers

1936-2009

I was saddened to learn of the passing today of Mary Travers. Mary was a driving vocal force with the folk trio Peter, Paul & Mary. I had the privilege of having met Mary several years ago when she appeared solo at a telethon to benefit Pittsburgh's Children's Hospital. As a part of the folk trio and as a solo artist, Mary devoted herself and her talents to encouraging social change and increasing awareness of injustices in our world. Over the past few years, Mary bravely battled leukemia.

Mary Travers was a generous, kind, and graceful spirit, and she will be sadly missed.

~ * ~

Celebrate the Freedom to Read!

September 26 through October 3, 2009 is national Banned Books Week. This event is sponsored by the American Library Association, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the Association of American Publishers, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and the National Association of College Stores.

Events are scheduled at public libraries and bookstores across the country. You can participate in events that celebrate our freedom to read. For more information, visit the Banned Books website:
http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/info.html

I personally believe that parents can and should exercise the right to determine the types of movies, music and print media to which their own children are exposed. But I believe that determination should rest with individuals and not be the result of a blanket decision made by a few on behalf of the whole. Please visit the website and decide for yourself if you can support the efforts to protect our freedom to read. If you peruse the list of books recommended for banning, you will not only find erotica and what some may consider pornography, but you will find many classic works and contemporary bestsellers.

If you are so inclined, I encourage you to find an event near you.

Happy reading!

Linda

FINDING HOPE - The Movie

Click the cover to view my new video trailer for FINDING HOPE.




Linda

IT'S HERE!

THE RESTORATION OF ABBY WALKER is now available at Wings ePress http://www.wings-press.com

Abigail Walker Mulgrew married into one of the wealthiest families in Baltimore society. Her daughter, Caitlin, is in graduate school in California, and Abby is preparing to celebrate her twenty-fifth wedding anniversary with her husband, Wil, on a cruise through Alaska’s inner passage. Abby is determined to use this time alone with Wil to bridge the chasm that has gradually widened between them.

The last thing Abby expects as an anniversary gift is the news she receives from her husband. It propels her into a tailspin that drops her down in an Ocean City, Maryland B&B. Abby faces several changes, among them the opportunity to open the antiques business she has always wanted to own.

As Abby learns more about refinishing and restoring furniture, she begins her own process of restoration, reclaiming the woman she thought she would one day become.
* * *

THE RESTORATION OF ABBY WALKER is available in electronic format and trade paperback. Visit my website to read early reviews www.geocities.com/lindarettstatt

Thanks to all of you who encourage me to keep writing and who let me know how much you enjoy my books.

Linda

Books, Books, and more Books

And the Truth Will Set You Free by Linda Rettstatt
(2008 EPPIE Award Finalist)
Women’s Fiction

Blurb:

At fifty-two, Kate Reynolds believed that she had her life in order—a career, her own home, treasured friends, and financial stability. When she is asked to take an early retirement, the bottom falls out of her perfect world and Kate plummets through the hole.

Kate leaves her home in Pittsburgh and moves to a small town in Connecticut to pursue a long-dormant dream, where she soon finds herself faced with questions about her life and her choices. As she faces her own truths, she finds the freedom to accept the second chance that life has offered her.

And the Truth Will Set You Free by Linda Rettstatt
(2008 EPPIE Award Finalist)
Women’s Fiction
Available from Wings ePress, Inc.

A nightmare has been troubling Claire Vanderfelt Hutchings for the past two years. Deciding the nightmare may have some significance, she obtains a referral to yet one more therapist. Claire’s goal is simply to make the nightmare stop. However, if it has something to tell her first, she is willing to listen. As she explores the nightmare that leaves her terrified and shaken, questions begin to surface—the answers to which could turn her life inside out.

Her search for clues leads her from Pittsburgh to New Hampshire, where she meets Lee Rowan and his mother, Elizabeth. A strong attraction between Claire and Lee blossoms into a new romance—one that Claire resists, fearful it will end in disaster, just like her marriage to Shawn Hutchings. Claire comes face-to-face with her deepest fears and longings as she discovers a secret about her past, a lie she has lived for over thirty years. Now, thirty years later, Claire uncovers the truth and puts the missing pieces into place, uniting two families—one that has loved her and raised her as their own and the father who never gave up hope.

Pieces
Available from Wings ePress, Inc.




The Year I Lost My Mind by Linda Rettstatt
Women’s Fiction

Blurb:

My name is Beth Rutledge. Today is my birthday. I am fifty-one years old. My mother will tell you I have been having a midlife crisis. My best friend will tell you I am courageous. My husband will tell you that, on my last birthday and for just a little while, I lost my mind.

I will tell you this: Sometimes you have to lose something in order to reclaim it. Sometimes you have to trust the love that holds the seams of your life together and stretch it to a new limit. Sometimes you just have to lose your mind…and follow your heart.

The Year I Lost My Mind
Available from Wings ePress, Inc.




Finding Hope by Linda Rettstatt
Women’s Fiction

Blurb:

Janet DeMarco is having one of those days. She feels underappreciated, underestimated, and misunderstood. She accidentally resigns from her job and, when her husband finds it amusing, she hands in her resignation to her family, as well. Janet becomes a blonde, changes her name to Hope, and meets two people who help her realize the blessings in her life: Ricki, a young single mother, and Joy, a homeless woman close to Janet’s age.
When Janet embarks on a journey of self-discovery, her one source of support is her husband’s elderly Italian grandmother, Carmela. Finding Hope is about the ever-evolving spirit within every woman.

Finding Hope
Available from Wings ePress, Inc.




Abigail Walker Mulgrew married into one of the wealthiest families in Baltimore society. Her daughter, Caitlin, is in graduate school in California, and Abby is preparing to celebrate her twenty-fifth wedding anniversary with her husband, Wil, on a cruise through Alaska’s inner passage. Abby is determined to use this time alone with Wil to bridge the chasm that has gradually widened between them.

The last thing Abby expects as an anniversary gift is the news she receives from her husband. It propels her into a tailspin that drops her down in an Ocean City, Maryland B&B. Abby faces several changes, among them the opportunity to open the antiques business she has always wanted to own.

As Abby learns more about refinishing and restoring furniture, she begins her own process of restoration, reclaiming the woman she thought she would one day become.

The Restoration of Abby Walker
(Coming September, 2009 Wings ePress, Inc.)

To purchase any book, click on the cover. Books are also available at Fictionwise and Amazon.com. Happy reading.

Linda

So Many Ideas, So Little Time

My 'ideas' file is bulging at the seams. Now you would say that's a good thing. Especially for someone who always has two or three works in progress at one time. But this sometimes presents a conflict. I can be going along just fine, hammering out a brilliant new novel. Then--wham--a new book idea.

New story lines are like new babies--you can't resist dropping everything to give them your undivided attention. I mean, they're new, fresh, full of promise. Not like that manuscript with the middle that's beginning to sag just a bit, and with that character who suddenly turned on you in Chapter Fourteen.

The question is: What do you do? Do you drop the manuscript you've slaved over for weeks or months and turn your attention to the new idea? Or do you jot a quick story note, tuck it in your 'to-be-written' file, and keep plugging away at the work at hand? I am often tempted in this way.

I swear my muse is a sadist. She feeds me an enticing story line and introduces me to intriguing characters, and just when I'm immersed in the story, she tosses me a treat. A tasty little morsel of an idea that, I swear, has been dipped in chocolate. It's irresistible. My attention is drawn away from my current work as I sniff around this new and exciting idea. What the heck, I can take the time to write out the story line, maybe identify a few characters. Oh, how about an outline. I should do this while the idea is fresh, before I forget.

The next thing I know, I have four works in progress and I'm suddenly like a ball bearing shot into a pinball machine, zinging from post to post, being flipped around and back again. I can kid myself and say it's all productive as long as I'm writing something. But I'm kidding myself. I manage to get a chapter done here and a few paragraphs done there, but progress toward those two coveted words--'the end'--is slow at best. This is where the discipline of writing comes into play. And I've never been that good with discipline. I'm much better with the 'play'.

There are times when I wish I had an 'off' switch in my head. When I could flip the switch and turn off the flow of thoughts and ideas and just focus on the one book in front of me. I know writers who hit a dry spell or experience writer's block are shouting, "Oh, shut up!" But, trust me friends, being bombarded by ideas (not all of which should become novels) is the other side of that frustrating coin.

I'm envisioning myself with a laptop filled with half-written books. So, I'm wondering: How do you, my fellow writers, strike a balance? What do you do with those brilliant ideas that insert themselves into your mind while you're working to finish one novel? How do you capture the idea and keep it on the back burner? Or do you just drop everything and run with it? If so, what happens to the closer-to-finished work that had your attention?

Linda