Destiny Booze's Blog: The Smiling Pains of Novelist Destiny Booze - Posts Tagged "booze"

I'm currently writing a romantic thriller that is pretty edgy. I received some feedback that surprised me from an editor. She said that I would lose readers that are animal lovers because of a scene with an animal? Is that true?

I'm also an animal lover. I don't want to offend anyone. Honestly, it never occurred to me that it would be a problem. It's a work of fiction. It's not even like a movie where a real animal is needed. Still, the scene is pretty violent.

This discussion is on amazon.com. Here's the link if you want to post a comment: http://www.amazon.com/gp/forum/cd/dis...

What are your thoughts?

Personally, I think the toughest part of parenting is the constant wonder of whether or not I'm doing it right. It's absolutely terrifying to me to think that I could be making erroneous decisions for my child. He is my biggest and most important responsibility in my life. I don't want to mess up.

I wish God would grade me once a year just so I can see that I'm on the right track. Honestly, how can any of us know?

Did I accidentally say something in anger that he thinks about every single day? Is there a lesson I have failed to teach that he needs to know? Have I developed this child so that he will grow into an independent, good and caring man?

I fear that by the time I have the answers to all of my questions, he will all ready be a man and I will be out of time to make sure that I am a good mom.

I guess the only thing that I can do is continue to pray every night, and hope for the best...

I just saw a commercial yesterday that I absolutely adore. It had a boy playing baseball by himself. He was throwing the ball up in the air and swinging the bat, trying to connect. Each time he threw the ball up, he would announce, "I'm the greatest baseball player of all time!" If he missed, he would just shrug and try again. Then he would again say he was the greatest player. When he got to strike three, he looked puzzled. He really expected to knock the ball "out of the park." Suddenly, his eyes lit up with a new thought. "I'm the greatest pitcher of all time!" he exclaimed, and started jumping up and down in celebration.

I absolutely love that commercial. It was an advertisement to parents to remind children to stay postive and keep a good attitude. What a great message. It surely caught my attention.

Do you want to be a hero? Join my contest!...



…and win a signed copy of Altered Beginnings!



Here’s why. July 4th is just around the corner and I want to honor a hero. Here’s another why. Altered Beginnings is full of heroes.



Leigh Lawson, the main character of Altered Beginnings is a true hero. She overcomes an abusive childhood, puts herself through college and lands a highly successful career. Yet, that’s not the reason she’s a hero. She agrees to work with the police to put a mobster in jail. Yet, there again, that is not the reason. None of the obvious reasons for heroism apply here. The most important aspect about Leigh is that in order to do all of the above, she has to begin the process of accepting herself, flaws and all, and loving herself. Shouldn’t we all do the same?



I think she is an amazing character – a definite heroine!



Now, the contest…



I want to give my book away to an everyday hero – someone who really goes the extra mile for others. It doesn’t have to be anyone with superhuman powers. To me, a hero is someone that wears clothes from a thrift shop to save money for his or her family’s budget, someone that asks themselves what little thing he or she can do to make his or her spouse happy every single day, someone that smiles when he or she walks down the street to everyone – even the vagrant sitting at the corner. The list could go on and on!



So, are you a hero? Does this sound like you or someone you know?



Nominate an “everyday hero” by emailing me at destinybooze@gmail.com. It’s okay to nominate yourself! In the entry, include the reason that this person is a hero. This isn’t an essay. One or two sentences will do.



I will accept entries beginning today until Wednesday, July 1st. Be bold and give yourself a nomination! I dare you, double-dare you, or even triple-dare you!



When all entries are received, I will select the reasons I find the most meaningful and post them for an anonymous vote by you. You get to choose my hero, the winner! So, don’t forget to come back by to read the entries! No names will be included, just the explanations of our “everyday heroes.” Voting will take place from Thursday, July 2nd to Monday, July 6th. Send in your votes to destinybooze@gmail.com. The winner will be announced Wednesday, July 8th. Good luck!



I sure hope there are lots of heroes in the world!






**Please, only one entry per email address, and each person may only be nominated once. However, the reasons for the nomination may be endless. All entrants will automatically be placed on my mailing list for my newsletter. This address will not be sold or shared for any reason. You may choose to opt out of the newsletter at any time.**

It was last year while camping for Labor Day Weekend that my brother Darin said to me, "You need to take those training wheels off that bike." He was referring to my son's bike, of course. One of them was bent almost all the way up. The other hardly touched the ground and when my son was riding, he wasn't really using either one of them. The only time you could see him lean on the training wheel was when taking off or coming to a stop. He would just lean over and let the training wheel catch him instead of using his feet.



I told Darin that I wouldn't take them off until my son said he was ready. I meant it, too. Why bother unless he was going to try to ride without them? "Fine," Darin said. Then, he walked over to my son's bike and bent the other training wheel up some. I thought of stopping him. I even thought of bending it back down while Darin wasn't looking. I guess it was mommy-protective instincts kicking in. I didn't want him to wreck and get hurt, but I let it go to see how things went.



To my astonishment, my son kept on riding that bike just as if the training wheels were still on the ground. He never wrecked. He didn't even wobble. I was worrying for nothing.



Well, just two weeks later, he let us take them off. (He wasn't really using them anyway.) And, away he went without a moment's pause. My chest swelled with pride. I felt tears. Look at what he had accomplished! I should have known he could do it!



His accomplishment got me to thinking about myself. What things can I do that I haven't given myself enough credit for? What things can I do that I have been too scared to try? How about you?



Let's really reach out there and see what we can do. It's a lesson Darin taught me and my son showed me. I'm sure we are capable of more than we think!

Give a big round of applause for all the heroes out there! Congratulations! Here are the final contestants. Email me your votes by Monday, July 6th to destinybooze@gmail.com. Good luck to everyone!


Hero # 1 - "I guess your description fit me to a t- with yard sale clothes , helping others, even to animals so I nominate myself."


Hero # 2 - "I nominate myself. I garden obsessively these days; it's a way of getting exercise that doesn't kill me, and working with the Earth. The last few years, I've raised many more crops -- strawberries, tomatoes, onions, kale, cucumbers, peppers, raspberries -- that my family can eat on our own, so I've been sharing my extra produce with my neighbors. Healthy, organic, chemical-free veggies and fruits to four or five families in my immediate neighborhood, all free."

Hero # 3 - "My husband is my hero. He gave up his job to become my full-time caregiver when my arthritis became to painful for me to take care of myself. He shows me a million times a day by doing the laundry, in taking out the trash, in making all the meals, in helping me get dressed that he loves me and cares about the quality of our life together. It might not be the life we had originally planned but it is filled with love. He keeps me laughing with his humor and that is indeed the best medicine. He is my everyday hero."

Hero # 4 - "I nominate my step-dad. I was dropped on his doorstep late one night on my 13th birthday and my father told him that he couldn't keep me anymore. Jim took me in, dried my tears and stepped up to the plate of raising me through my teenage years. He was one of the few positive influences that shaped my life. He's a hero because even though he didn't have too, he did."

Hero # 5 -"i would like to nominate myself, because just like leigh lawson in ur upcoming book, ive had to a rough back ground to and i can relate to the character alot. i try to look for the good things in a person and not dwell about the negatives. well to begin why i think im a hero is because when my mom comes homes from her job, i always have a nice meal set and ready for her and ask how her day was and clean the house from my other older siblings that make a mess all the time, how i convined my mother to take in a stray cat that i love very much which had kittens and we kept some of them and when i go cut grass for my clients that i have, i stay there to talk to them for a while, cause they dont get to talk to anyone that much,when it comes to my education wise i just graduated from high school with my friends and made some of them to graduated by helping them with there work with some classes so they would understand it cause there were times i thought they were not going to make it at first and how i know that if my friends are in trouble that they can always count on me to help. for me i love cooking very much and my inspiration is when i get to see smiling faces as they bite into a delicious treat that i have made. for my work as a landscaper assisstant for one of my brothers company i love to make something out of nothing for poeple properties, how once a normal looking yard becomes filled with diffrent rays of plants and streams of water to make a little river around there yards, those are the memories that you will never forget."

Hero # 6 - "Hi! I should be nominated because, I'm watching eleven of my sister's and her friend kid's with high blood pressure! While they're taking a trip for two weeks to relieve some stress of being a single mother's! Im not asking for any money in return and still doing it with a smile on my face. Also I just reunited three sister's after seven years! Please keep in mind that it's the summertime!"

Hero # 7 - "I'd like to nominate my husband for the hero contest. He is a powerlineman, has been for going on 4 years now. He's the one that shows up in the middle of a storm, middle of the night, rain or shine, to retore our power when something goes wrong. For the first 3 years, he left on Sunday and returned home on Thursday from work, if we were lucky. There were times when he had to go out of state to work and would be gone for months at a time. He's worked several hurricane storms to help restore the power. Not once has he mumbled or grumbled about having to go out in the middle of a storm to go to work. He loves his job and loves to help others in their time of need. He's worked several 16-18 hour shifts in the pouring rain, high winds, and thunderstorms to get the power back on. We have two small children that he pretty much watched grow up in pictures. Through all this he's been a wonderful husband and the best dad my kids could ask for. In Jan he decided to go with a local company so he could be home every night and see his kids more. He's home most every evening now. There have been a couple times he's had to be gone for a fews days up to a few weeks. Some people just don't realize the dangers these guys and gals go thru to ensure we have power."

Hero # 8 - "First of all I'd like to refer my mother, Addie Alley, for being a hero. She has overcome abuse from her alcoholic father. She lived through very tough times including having only an outhouse for a bathroom. They used to use a wringer washer. She also took care of 9 brothers and sisters. She survived the death of two of the brothers who died at very young ages. She survived a younger brother in his later years who took ill with cancer. She stayed by his side until his death, administering to his every need or want. She left school at a very young age and got married. She didn't have much of an education but later on in life after her husband (my father) died of a sudden heart attack. She remarried a while later and raised her new husband's two children, this after raising three of us and all the children in her family. She took in her grandson when he needed a place to stay when he was homeless. She has supported my brother through his tough times giving them groceries, money and clothing. She still assists him and his wife and four children. She is always thinking of others. She sold the bulk of her and my father's land to him for a very low price so that he could continue living there, which he had been living there rent free. He finally paid it off. She also deals with the issues of my alcoholic and drug addicted sister. She finally continued her education and became a CNA to work with the elderly in nursing homes. She graduated in the top of her class. Her husband took the same course and they enjoyed their work. Giving is what she does. She currently is disabled due to a patient who had grabbed her arm when he was falling and then re-injured it when a rough acting patient grabbed her arm and tried to bite it. She twisted to get away thus re-injuring her arm. This was an awful thing for her as she was no longer able to help the elderly. She currently maintains her home and husband's needs while he works. She also takes care of my gr andfather. She has been doing this for over 20 years unselfishly as well as takes care of my grandmother. She provides rides to their appts. and takes care of their finances and makes sure they have their groceries. While all of this has taken its toll on her and she sometimes has to "vent" she still does it. My grandfather recently had to go to a nursing home and he gives her constant grief but she takes it all in stride.

I, on the other hand, am a hero in my own rights because I suffer from Bi-polar, depression, panic and anxiety attacks, IBS, arthritis, bursitis, fibromyalsia and agoraphobia. I raised my son to the best of my abilities while suffering from all of these situations. I too am now disabled due to the physical and emotional issues I deal with. I used to be a legal secretary for 20 years while suffering from these illnesses. My first husband passed away after 13 years of marriage and left me to raise my son who was 9 at the time. He had some issues while dealing with his father's death but I stood by him all the way. Today I am an author of 10 books. I also run a web site for free advertising for authors. I feel that they need some assistance in marketing their books because I know the hardship of the costs of marketing. I give of my time and the fees for this web site and enjoy all I can do for authors. I have always worn used clothing in the hard times of my son's and my lifetime because I would not take from him what he needed or wanted. I provided for him until he was 17 and wanted out of our home. He was being a typical teenager and felt his mom was to constraining on him. He still is welcome in my home. My husband was a musician and always out on the road. Although I knew he was not faithful I needed to maintain his position in the household for his son's sake. At one time I finally had to leave just before he passed away in the best interests of my son.

I am not sure if myself or my mom would be a hero in your mind but I truly believe that my mom is definitely a hero. I, myself, on the other hand find it hard to type out what it is that makes me a hero because I suffer so much but have not taken my life as so many others do because of their disabilities with psychological issues."

Hero # 9 - "I'm nominating my Mom as my hero. When I was in 1st grade I told her I wanted to be in Girl Scouts and she made it happen. Not only that but because my leader got sick she took over the troop. Even though she had to bring along my younger brother and sister. That alone is not what makes her a hero. My younger sister started having gran mal & petit mal seizures when she was 3 1/2 years old (physical reason), but mom didn't let that slow her down. My siblings shared in everything, camping, trips, selling cookies etc.There were 24 girls in our troop and we went from Brownies to Seniors. Mom's spirit, fairness and goodness made ours the best troop through out the years. Even when you'd think the girls would have too much else going on in our lives (boys top of list) they wanted to stay in scouts.She never let any of the girls down and when my brother was old enough, helped him in Cub thru Boy Scouts (he got his Eagle, me my Gold).While still a Brownie Leader she stood before TV cameras and my whole Elementary school to support a little girl with AIDS. We welcomed the girl into our troop and everyone gained from the experience. Mom called the paper & complained with they only reported the bad things that were said about the school meeting and then went around our Girl Scout council and told other leader it could be done. Not to be put your head in the sand, but get educated.

I am now a graduate from Florida Southern College and in charge of their art gallery, soon will be earning my Masters and teaching college arts. I am also proud that I am a lifetime member of Girl Scouts.

It's not all about merit badges or selling cookies, I have learned from my hero to give to the community and want to thank my Mom for her inspiration!!"

Hero # 10 - I have served my country proudly and cry whenever I hear bag pipes. I am a mom who has dedicated her life to her kids and husband, for which takes great courage to look under the beds and pull that stuff out and then wash it! :) Teenagers you know! I smile at strangers, I feel compelled for some reason and can't resist a stray animal, I adopt my kids friends and when it comes time to pass out the doughnuts at school for mom's day I seem to be hearing mom more and more....how many kids do I have again?? lol If not for me one said child would have never played football, ran track or other things because his parents are busy with other things. Sweet kid and I hope it will someday make him know someone supported him for know other reason than every child deserves to do those things you know.

Hero # 11 - I don't think I'm a hero (I just do what has to be done). But I do think it's more than some people would do.

I'm 20 years old, I still go to school and 2 years ago my parents divorced. My father is a very busy man. He owns 2 shops and manages them all by himself. That's why I started doing the household. Every friday and 2 out of 3 weekends I help my father in his shop

Fincastle Herald/July 2009

For Destiny Booze, writing was a means of escape, an outlet, a source of fun and entertainment, and yes, a deep seeded passion above all else. But, it was never something to be taken seriously, until now.
After years and years of writing that began as soon as she was capable of holding a pencil, Booze's debut romantic suspense novel, Altered Beginnings was released May 15 from Whimsical Publications.
"It doesn't feel real," Booze said. "I've seen the book, held it, flipped through it, even signed a few copies for people, but the connection still isn't there. I need someone to pinch me." When she saw the final published paperback for the first time, Booze recalled thinking, "That's really my book? What kind of alternate universe did I wake up in this morning?"
The publication sure was a big shock to Booze and her family. "I remember my mom squealing with joy," Booze recalled. "Then, she said, I didn't know you knew how to do it." It was a statement that echoed inside Booze's head. She hadn't known either, but she did it.
Booze grew up at Jellystone Park Campground, a resort that her family managed. It was located a few miles out of Buchanan, in Arcadia. She described her childhood as fun, but a lot of hard work each summer. Along with her two brothers, she was expected to carry her own weight and help with whatever needed to be done for the camping season.
She saw herself as a small-town girl with dreams that didn't venture further than her front porch. "I always thought that I would take over at the campground. My brothers didn't seem interested, and I loved it there." She attended college, working toward a business degree, but the English classes were always her favorite. She loved the writing assignments.
A wrench was thrown into those plans when Jellystone was sold in 1999. The new owner was interested in a more hands-on approach to the business and took over the management duties. Booze's family found themselves searching for a new home, and moved to Roanoke. "My dad started working for UPS, but I felt utterly lost. The campground was all that I knew," Booze said.
She began writing more and more. It was more than a hobby. It was a coping mechanism. "I wrote my first book in high school, and though I can't say that it was good, I had loads of fun writing it. When I lost Jellystone, I tried writing a book about a girl at a campground, but it was too hard. I was too close to the situation. I must have started that story five times or better just to trash it every time," she said.
The next few years Booze described her life as an unconscious exploration to find herself. She job hopped from several different career paths. She tried day care, office work, even a couple positions in healthcare, but nothing settled her into a rhythm. "Nothing felt right," she said. "When I was at Jellystone, I felt confident in myself, and I was searching for that sureness again, but I just couldn't find it."
In between jobs, Booze wrote the book that would lead to her first publication. She began researching the publishing industry, and sending her manuscript to publishers. "I can't begin to tell you how many rejections I went through. All I can say is there were a bunch," she said.
Last year, she took a job as a community journalist with the Fincastle Herald. "Writing felt comfortable, and the restlessness within me instantly settled. I loved writing for the paper and it helped pay the bills, but writing books is where my heart kept leading me.”
Then, it happened. As she opened another letter from a publisher she thought, “probably another rejection.” But this time it was a legitimate offer with a real contract.
This year, for the first time, Booze became a fulltime novelist. "I know it's what I'm meant to do," she said. "It feels right."
Altered Beginnings is the first book in a series by Destiny Booze called the Outer Banks Suspense Series. It is available now through Barnes and Noble. Just ask for it at the counter, or you can order online at www.bn.com, www.amazon.com, www.waldenbooks.com, www.target.com, www.booksamillion.com or www.whimsicalpublications.com. The sequel, Predetermined Endings will be released later this year.
To find out more about the author or to find correspondence information, visit www.destinybooze.com.

Making a book trailer:



After creating my very first book trailer without any experience in making any sort of video at all, I can tell you that it is possible for anyone willing to put the time into it. Here’s exactly what I did.



1. I did some research by watching other book trailers and seeing what other authors did. I noted what I liked about each trailer, and particularly what I didn’t like. By googling book trailers, I discovered that I needed to make sure that I selected royalty-free pictures and royalty-free music.
2. I began started with one basic idea I wanted to get across about my book. Immediately, I realized that it needed to be mostly visual, so I didn’t want to add in a lot of text. What I did type in needed to be very short, concise and add a punch to the theme of my project. (For Altered Beginnings, my theme was simple. Suspenseful with a lot of action…just like the book.)
3. My next step was to become acquainted with Windows Movie Maker. It came installed on my computer. Like most windows programs, it is fairly user friendly, and I figured it out pretty quickly.
4. When I was ready to give it a go, I spend hours finding pictures that I wanted to use. Most of the pictures I used were ones I owned or from my computer’s clip art. There are websites where royalty-free pictures are available for purchase to use for projects such as this.
5. It took a lot of pictures to get my project to look like I wanted it to. Step 4 was by far the most time consuming.
6. Last but not least, I searched for music until I found exactly what I was looking for.
7. I signed up for an account at www.youtube.com, uploaded my video, and the rest is history.
8. Done!



Here’s the final outcome: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzmQsH...



What do you think? I thought it wasn’t too shabby for an amateur. I’m proud of myself.

The biggest advice I can offer is that you really have to remember that a book trailer is a very short and visual sales pitch. Make it short, sweet and irresistible!

ALTERED BEGINNINGS
DESTINY BOOZE
ISBN 978-0-9787738-9-2
May 2009
Whimsical Press
www.whimsicalpublications.com
Paperback
$12.95
220 Pages
Suspense/Romance
Rating: 4 Cups

Leigh left her foster home and never looked back until she received an invitation to her best friend’s college graduation party. It is not until she attends the party that Leigh learns she is infamous for her disappearance, earning scorn from her step-brother and most of the town.

Jason is a reporter and feels there is a story about the beautiful woman who re-appeared and shocked the town. Soon though, he learns that not only is Leigh an interesting story, but she is in danger from a drug dealer and the police.

In the horrific world of child abuse, drug dealing, and small town "good ole boy“ politics, Leigh doesn't know who, if anyone, she can count on. While she feels for Jason, he may the biggest threat around her.

Leigh is fascinating, and Jason is intriguing as the intrepid journalist. The friendship she has with her brother and former best friend give the tale a warmth that the extremely serious mystery needs. The drugs, prostitution, and violence can be harsh, but the players' concern for others keeps the story encouraging. The dialogue is well done, and relatively clean for a book dealing with violence. While the bad guy is known early, the reasons are worth waiting for. Leigh's interaction with the villain and the police require a logic jump, but this is a very interesting book. The dual love stories added to the book and were a perfect platform for changing loyalties. The sequel is set up well, without being flagrant. I look forward to reading it when it comes out.

Anya
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More


This review came from http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/Book...

Predetermined Endings, the sequel to Altered Beginnings and book 2 in my Outer Banks Suspense Series will be released September 7th!

Here's a blurb:

Predetermined Endings
By Destiny Booze



Angelica Chappell’s story makes huge headlines. Only a few months ago, she released a new pharmaceutical drug called Krytonix that effectively slows the spread of cancer cells. She has no idea her story will attract the attention of a serial killer. Suddenly, she is a target whether she realizes it or not. This killer is interested in more than her life. He wants her reputation, too. His first mission is to sabotage Krytonix.

William Pierce worked undercover for the FBI for five years to bring down a ruthless mobster that he ultimately is forced to kill. Two months passes by since that assignment. Still, William saw things he couldn’t talk about. He did things he couldn’t talk about. He believes his soul is damned. Returning to “normal” everyday life isn’t an option. He isn’t the same man he used to be. He refuses to return to FBI headquarters. He becomes a rogue agent with an agenda.
These two characters literally collide when Pierce's agenda leads him to Chappell. It will take both of them to keep Angelica alive and to figure out who is trying to kill her. William soon finds himself developing feelings for Angelica. Too bad for her killer, William worked as a trained killer for the mob. Will he find her killer and hand him over to the legal system to see that justice is served or will he search and destroy?