Diane Chamberlain's Blog - Posts Tagged "secrets"

Sneak Peek!

Okay, I can't resist. Here is the new trailer John and I just completed for Secrets She Left Behind. Right now, it's only up on You Tube. Soon I'll have it on my website and many, many other places on the web, and it will show up again on the blog once the book is released (May 26th--coming up soon!) Please let me know if any of you have trouble viewing this or it looks "strange" in any way. We're still ironing out the bugs. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDTfm1...
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Published on March 10, 2009 08:04 Tags: behind, left, secrets, she, trailer, video

The Challenge of Promoting a Sequel

How do I avoid letting the cat out of the bag?

I'm working on the updates for my website and have discovered a major challenge: how do I tell my readers about Secrets She Left Behind without revealing too much about Before the Storm? You see, Secrets She Left Behind stands alone just fine, but it is also a sequel to Before the Storm. If someone hasn't already read Storm, how do I tell them about Secrets without giving away the twists in Storm? Not only is this a dilemma with regard to my website, it will be a dilemma at my upcoming speaking engagements and signings. (The back cover copy of Secrets gives away the major twist to Storm, as well).

I've seen two reviews of Secrets so far. Both were obviously written by people who hadn't read Before the Storm, and both were excellent, so I know the book stands alone just fine. That is a goal when I write any books that are linked: they must work apart as well as they work together, so that's a relief. But picture this: I'm at a bookstore where I'll be speaking. People approach the table where the books are displayed and casually read the back covers, as they will most definitely do, trying to decide which book to buy. I hate that they will learn what happens in Before the Storm when they read the cover copy of Secrets.

However, there's almost no way of describing the story in Secrets without giving away Storm. I'm determined to come up with a way to talk about the new book without ruining the surprises in the older book. It's going to be quite the challenge. For those of you who read the Keeper of the Light trilogy backwards (and I know there were many of you!), did it bother you that you knew what was going to happen in the first book when you got around to reading it? Am I worrying too much about this?
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Published on March 24, 2009 08:26 Tags: before, behind, keeper, left, light, reviews, secrets, she, storm, trilogy

Work in Progress: The Title Search

Here we go again!

Last year I asked you to put on your thinking caps to help me title my work-in-progress. Frequent commenter Denise came up with Secrets She Left Behind, which my publisher, agent and I all agreed was a winner. (Look for it in your bookstores on May 26th).

Now it's time to give the new book a title, so I'll give you a small peek inside the story (without giving anything away, I promise), and I'll tell you the titles I'm thinking about.

(Note: A while back, I told you the setting was Beaufort, North Carolina and Ecuador. Scratch Ecuador. Scratch Beaufort, too, but leave North Carolina. The book will take place somewhere near the NC coast).

It's the story of two thirty-something sisters, Maya and Rebecca, both doctors. They have a very loving and supportive relationship, although they're very different from one another. Maya is serious and cautious. She longs to have a baby with her husband Adam, but is not able to. Rebecca is a risk taker who works for a Doctors Without Borders type organization and who sleeps with whatever guy happens to be available (well, almost). Their parents were murdered when they were 14 and 18, after which Rebecca essentially raised and protected Maya.

Since I don't want to give anything away, but do need to give you some ideas to help your thought process, here are some elements in the story:

Back-to-back hurricanes, sister storms (too many 'S's in those two words for a good title).
A man with blue eyes (not a good guy).
Maya's fearfulness and Rebecca's courage.
Secrets surrounding their childhood.
An old cabin on a wooded piece of land, surrounded by floodwaters.
A young woman, very significant in the story, who is a teeny bit mystical.
Themes of family love and protection, people living up--or down--to their "labels" (risk-taker; cautious), betrayal, hope, forgiveness, inner strength.
Does that help? Here are some titles I'm playing with:

The Lies We Told
The Man with Blue Eyes
The ______ of __________ Creek (first blank refers to the mystical woman, second to the name of the fictional creek)

I can't wait to hear your thoughts, and I can't wait to actually finish this manuscript. It's a clear case of a story veering wildly from my carefully planned outline, but what else is new?
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Published on March 30, 2009 09:39 Tags: adam, behind, borders, carolina, childhood, doctors, family, hurricanes, left, love, maya, north, progress, rebecca, secrets, she, without, work

Website Update!

My website's had a bit of an update that I want to share with you. The layout is different for the home page, the books page and a few other areas here and there. Secrets She Left Behind , available May 26th, is now the featured book, and you can read Chapter One if you like. SSLB has received a couple of lovely reviews so far, and I look forward to more! The Courage Tree also has its own page now. I've added some new pictures to the gallery , and the book trailers for Secrets She Left Behind and Before the Storm are featured on the new 'video' page.

Check out the events page to see where I'll be appearing -- especially that "Dinner with the Author" on Emerald Isle in July. Any appearance that includes food is always fun for me!

There is now a 'contest' page on the site! At the moment, it's empty, but very soon it will be filled with information about the big '20-year anniversary' contest. I'll be sure to alert you about it here on the blog. Also coming soon to the video page are the mini-interviews John and I created about the writing life. John's putting the finishing touches on them now.

As you peruse the updated site, please do let me know if you notice anything that's not working properly. And when you check out the gallery, you have to tell me what you think of that original cover concept for Keeper of the Light!

Have fun!
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The Contest: Would You Like a Vacation on Topsail Isand?

I'm thrilled to unveil the contest we've been waiting for! A while back, I asked you, my blog readers, for ways I could celebrate my twenty year anniversary as an author with you. Frequent commenter, Glen Pierce, took the ball and ran with it! Glen lives on Topsail Island, North Carolina, the setting for Before the Storm and Secrets She Left Behind, and he came up with the idea for this fabulous contest.

Just listen: First prize winner will win an off-season vacation on Topsail Island, including accomodations and dinners at the Island's best restaurants. In addition, that first prize winner will receive two invitations to a celebration held in my honor in mid-May. A second place winner will receive a $200 bookstore gift certificate, and ten others will receive autographed copies of my books. I'm so grateful to Glen and to Topsail realtor Sterling Bryson for dreaming this up, as well as to the Topsail Island businesses who are sponsoring it.

How to enter? You can click on the contest link on my home page, or go directly to the contest page. You'll need to answer a few easy questions about Before the Storm, and limit your entry to once a day. Then cross your fingers for good luck!
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Published on April 15, 2009 08:27 Tags: before, behind, bookstore, carolina, certificate, chamberlain, contest, diane, gift, island, left, north, secrets, she, storm, topsail

The Videos: An Unexpected Bonus

When I created the new videos about "my writing life" for my website, my plan was simply to answer the questions I'm frequently asked, so that when readers email me with those questions, I can point them to the videos for the answers. I was so pleased to learn that frequent blog commenter Brenda is using them with her students. Now I've learned that she's not the only teacher to find them valuable. I received emails today from three teachers in three different parts of the country who plan to use the videos with their students. I'm thrilled! Here's a bit from one of their emails:

I thought it was time I wrote to tell you how you're helping me teach my high school students. I've been a reader of your books for more than ten years, and when I read Before the Storm, I knew it would be an excellent book for my students to read, not only because it contains teenaged characters but because it deals with serious issues in an engrossing way. I knew my "kids" would be caught up in the story and not even notice that they were learning at the same time. Although I teach creative writing and English, this book has taught them bits and pieces about geography, psychology, health and, above all, values. When I saw the videos you now have on your site, I was over the moon! I'm developing new lesson plans using them, and I just wanted to take this time to thank you for creating them. (I need to add that I had to get parental permission for the students to read your book. It's a little spicy and salty for this age group, but every one of them agreed to let me use it!)

Isn't that cool? A big "hello!" from me to these teachers and all their students. I look forward to hearing from more of you.

http://dianechamberlain.com/blog/2009...

The contest continues! Win a vacation on Topsail Island and help me celebrate my 20 years as an author by clicking here to learn more. You may enter once a day.
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Published on April 29, 2009 21:41 Tags: before, behind, chamberlain, diane, emails, left, life, questions, secrets, she, storm, teachers, videos, website, writing

Before the Storm, Down Under

I received my copies of the Australian edition of Before the Storm today. I guess the book is being released there right now, or will be very soon. I've been getting the loveliest covers lately, haven't I? I have to admit, I'm glad they kept the title! It will make my life a little less confusing, not to mention much less confusing for my poor readers who are still traipsing all over trying to find The Lost Daughter and A Beautiful Lie, not realizing that they've already read the story under the title The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes.

I am getting so psyched about the Topsail Island contest! The entries are piling up and I can't wait until I can call the grand prize winner on the phone to give her (or him) the great news. (Yes, I plan to make that call myself!). Only one more week to enter, so if you haven't done so already, beg, borrow or steal (only joking!) a copy of Before the Storm, answer the questions on the entry form, and get ready to hear my voice when you answer the phone.

Secrets She Left Behind is now available for pre-order! I can't wait to be able to say "It's in stores." Very soon. So many exciting things going on!

The contest continues! Win a vacation on Topsail Island and help me celebrate my 20 years as an author by clicking here to learn more. You may enter once a day.
http://www.dianechamberlain.com/chamb...
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Published on May 05, 2009 06:53 Tags: australian, beautiful, before, behind, ceecee, contest, daughter, edition, entries, island, left, lie, life, lost, secret, secrets, she, storm, topsail, wilkes

Podcast, Newsletters, Kindle and Song

I played around with this title until I liked the rhythm of it. A more apt subject heading might be "miscellany", but that doesn't have much of a ring to it. So here we go!

•Podcast: One of my neighbors, high-schooler Kelly Williamson, had to create a podcast for a school assignment and she asked if I'd agree to be interviewed. She was a delightful interviewer full of great questions, and the podcast of the interview can be heard here.

•Kindle: Do you have one? Some of my older (as well as my newer) books are available in Kindle format. You can find the following books at Amazon's Kindle Store: Before the Storm, The Courage Tree, The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes, Summer's Child, Kiss River, Her Mother's Shadow, The Bay at Midnight, and Cypress Point.

•Newsletters: My latest e-newsletter will be sent out on May 26th. It's so pretty! If you haven't signed up to receive my e-newsletters, you can do so here.

•Song: I joined a choir at the church I recently started attending. I used to sing with an interfaith gospel-ly type choir in Northern Virginia and I adored it, but we didn't use music (needed our hands free to clap, you know). I know how to read music, sort of, in that I know an A from a G (I'm slightly embarrassed to admit I played the accordian as a wee tot), but I simply do not understand how people can look at those notes and sing them without hearing them played first. I'm in awe! I'm also determined to learn how to do this. All advice is welcome!

•Bonus: This just in! A new review of Secrets She Left Behind. "(Chamberlain) explores the psychological complexity of a family pushed to its limits. . . the alternating narratives allow plenty of insights into the characters' motives while creating intrigue and suspense." I love it! Secrets She Left Behind will be released on May 26th, just a few days away, but it's available for preorder everywhere.
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RedRoom Picks My Video as Video of the Week!

Wow, this is so nice! RedRoom.com, which is a community of readers and published authors, selected one of my writing videos as its video of the week. I'm so pleased, and pleased for John as well, since he produced it (he also produced my video for Secrets She Left Behind.

Only four days till Secrets is available!

You can see all of my videos at:

http://www.dianechamberlain.com/chamb...

Secrets She Left Behind by Diane Chamberlain
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Published on May 23, 2009 07:31 Tags: behind, chamberlain, diane, left, redroom, secrets, she

Secrets She Left Behind

Today's the big day! Secrets She Left Behind should be in stores this morning. It's the story of a family--a complex, extended, messy, and wildly secretive family. It's suspenseful and surprising, poignant and ultimately uplifting. I can't wait to hear what you think of it!

If you haven't seen the book trailer for Secrets, you can check it out here. And here are some snippets from a few reviews:

"(Chamberlain) explores the psychological complexity of a family pushed to its limits...the alternating narratives allow plenty of insights into the characters' motives while creating intrigue and suspense."

--Booklist


"The plot is absolute genius . . . an intriguing page turner that is extremely difficult to put down."

--ManicReaders.com

"Chamberlain is superb at creating characters we become involved with."

--ReadertoReader.com


"Totally absorbing and full of twists and turns."

--Romancejunkies.com

Would you like to receive a personalized bookplate for your copy of Secrets She Left Behind? I'll pick five winners at random from those of you who comment on this post.

Happy reading!
Secrets She Left Behind by Diane Chamberlain
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Published on May 26, 2009 23:55 Tags: behind, chamberlain, diane, left, secrets, she