This Week's Upcoming Blog Guests

Stop back this week for several authors coming by for the MG/YA (Middle Grade-Young Adult) Ebook and Blog Tour.

Tuesday: Meradeth (Snow) Houston, author of the upcoming fantasy/paranormal COLORS LIKE MEMORIES

Wednesday: Marva Dasef, author of BAD SPELLING, talks werewolves

** Friday: I'll be at Rebecca Ryals Russell's blog talking about the real "big boom" - When Writing and Collecting Collide.

Saturday: Shellie Neumeier, author of the paranormal-Christian book DRIVEN lets her character do the talking.

Remembering the Human, and Canine, Heroes of 9-11

Today we remember the brave men and women, the firefighters, police and rescue personnel, who answered the call for help during the horrendous attacks on the NY World Trade Center on 9-11.

Not to be forgotten are the hard-working rescue dogs who helped in search and rescue at the site, many suffering injuries in the process.

The American Kennel Club continues to offer funds and ongoing support to make sure that these working animals will be there to help and will also get the care they need.

* See 9-11 Memorial
See the video....

YA Blog Tour: Welcome to Barb Ehrentreu, author of "If I Could Be Like Jennifer Taylor"

Today I welcome YA author Barbara Ehrentreu, author of the intriguing-sounding, IF I COULD BE LIKE JENNIFER TAYLOR. Keep reading for the contest at the end.

About the Book:

Carolyn Samuels is obsessed with the idea of being popular. She is convinced that the only thing keeping her from happiness is her too-heavy-for-fashion body and not being a cheerleader. When she's paired for a math project with her middle school tormenter, Jennifer Taylor, Carolyn's sure it's going to be another pain-filled year.

Homework blackmail, lies and a chance to be made over make for an uneasy friendship, especially when Carolyn uncovers Jennifer's secret. Can she keep a secret and become one of the popular crowd - the cheerleaders - or will she be a mean girl target again? EBook available 9/16, MuseItUp Publishing.

Interview with Barbara Ehrentreu, author of IF I COULD BE LIKE JENNIFER TAYLOR.

What was the inspiration for IF I COULD BE LIKE JENNIFER TAYLOR?
I wrote this book, because my daughter had the beginnings of an eating disorder and she also felt bad about her body. I needed three chapters for this children’s workshop led by Paula Danziger, so I wrote them. In the story, the main character is being bullied by a girl named Jennifer Taylor, whom she both hates and wants to be like. She actually says, “If only I could be like Jennifer Taylor.”

Which authors have most influenced your own writing?
Lewis Carroll, Jane Austin, Paula Danziger, John Irving and too many others to list.

What's your ideal writing spot? Have any special writing rewards?
I can write almost anywhere, but right now I’m happy writing at my desk on my laptop. When I’m writing I like to have chocolate cookies available and caffeine free diet Coke.

Describe your writing style.
I just start out writing and have no idea where it's going. When I have a good sentence I write that and usually the story moves along by itself. Dialogue writes itself if I have fleshed out the character enough before I write.

What's next for you?
I'm working on an adult novel, as well as two other YA novels. WHEN MY LIFE CHANGED is almost ready to send out. This is also a YA novel about a 15-year-old girl whose life changes when her father has a heart attack and bypass surgery.

** CONTEST!!
Comment about your experiences as a freshman in high school to be entered in a drawing for a copy.

Excerpt from IF I COULD BE LIKE JENNIFER TAYLOR:

I spot him walking toward my locker with a small box in one hand and a plastic fork in the other. My Crush! He hands me the box, and I open it. Inside is a piece of luscious chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.

I look up into his blue eyes and give him the box so I can touch his cheek as I smooth his dark hair. “You always know just what I like.”

He smiles and feeds me a forkful of cake. I don’t have to worry about eating it because I can eat anything I want and not gain weight. He places the cake box in my locker so he can put his arms around me. The first bell rings in my ears. I ignore it because I’m thin and blonde and floating in the arms of my dark-haired crush. The other cheerleaders run up to us laughing and kidding around, and I’m about to speak. The ringing gets louder.

The dream evaporates, and I realize it’s the darn alarm piercing my sleep. Slamming my fist onto the snooze button, I get this nagging feeling. Then I remember. I have something to do. Worse luck, I have to do it, not as the slender blonde beauty in my dream, but as the real Carolyn Samuels with my brown curly hair hanging like shriveled spaghetti, mud brown eyes, and a body too large for fashion.

** TO Post 2 on YA Blog tour: Meradeth Houston, "Colors Like Memories"

Miniature Art by Anna Hardman - DOTY Winner

The October issue of Doll Reader Magazine includes the January winners of the Doll of the Year Awards for 2011.

Congrats to miniature doll maker Anna Hardman for her People's Choice award for Miniature Artist Dolls. This is her second win. She's getting miniature dolls the attention they deserve! And her doll - hand-sculpted and an original design - is indeed a work of art! Simply beautiful!

Miniatures Monday: New AIM for Sept - Fantastic Food and Make a Coat

The fantastic Sept. issue of Artisans in Miniature (AIM) Magazine is now out. Wow, dine in style with all kinds of wonderful food!

And... Kathy Mendenhall of Mini Patterns (who made and contributed the pattern and how-to for the wonderful yellow dress on the cover of In Miniature Style II) has a great coat pattern and how-to in the issue.

Download here free.

It's Alive!! New website, new minis, etc.

Finally! It works. yay! My new website is up! My worrying is over!

Well a few things have to be added yet, but I can do it at my leisure now. Do let me know if anything does not go to the right page or something.

** Got In Miniature Style II? -- I added a pdf for the Halloween printies to make the screen in my book. See miniatures page at site. Btw, if you have the book linked, the page has changed.... to www.cverstraete.com/in-miniature-style-ii.html. Stop by!

New Website Coming!

Finally, most of the pages are ready and I hope to launch a new website on a new server shortly.

The web address is still the same though it comes up direct with the wwww - www.cverstraete.com and the emails will be the same once I set them up. (or use christine.verstraeteATfacebook.com).

In case of any disruption, contact me at www.facebook.com/christine.verstraete.

Miniature Fast Food in AIM Magazine

Check out my fast food article in the August (#10) Artisans in Miniature (AIM) Magazine. Love all that food - and no calories! Looks so amazingly real!

See blog link. Download or read online here.

Miniatures Monday: Home on the Range

This has to be one of the most charming miniature scenes I've come across lately. Doll maker Gina Gagnon of Lone Wolf Miniature Creations recently shared her latest work inspired by a real-life woman.

Her miniature doll is based on a Montana rancher's wife named Beth whom, Gina says, is "a very feisty 80-year-old, who still saddles her own horses, herds her and her husband's cattle, raises llamas, goats, etc., and wins ribbons at the county fair."



You can just see that spirit in Gina's creation! We can only wish we'll all be so active and independent when we get to that age.

Interview with Shobhan Bantwal, Author of Bollywood Novel, The Full Moon Bride

Today I again welcome best-selling author Shobhan Bantwal who is giving readers another glimpse into the "Desi" life via her latest book, THE FULL MOON BRIDE.

Bantwal, who has calls her type of writing "Bollywood in a book," is not afraid to tackle sometimes controversial topics and show the sometimes dark side of Indian life. In her last book, THE DOWRY BRIDE, she addressed what can happen when wives are "sold" to the prospective husband via a dowry.

In her new book, THE FULL MOON BRIDE, Bantwal introduces readers to a practice that many Americans may not understnad, but which is still common in many Indian and European families--the arranged marriage. As the interview reveals, it also is something Bantwal is personally familiar with.

About The Full Moon Bride
What makes a marriage—love or compatibility? Passion or pragmatism? THE FULL MOON BRIDE is a compelling story that explores the fascinating subject of arranged marriage, as young Indian-American attorney Soorya Giri navigates the gulf between desire and tradition.

In choosing between two very different men, Soorya must reconcile her burgeoning independence and conservative background. And she must decide what matters most to her—not just in a husband, but in a family, a culture, and a life.



Interview with Shobhan Bantwal:

1. What keeps you writing?
The need to share a story with as many people as possible is what keeps me writing. Fiction writing is still very much a hobby and does not earn much in terms of money, but the satisfaction of publishing a book, entertaining so many happy readers, and then receiving loads of positive feedback is well worth it.

2. What has changed in your life since you wrote this book?
Some major changes have taken place in my personal life: I am about to retire from my career job (the one that paid the bills until now) and move to Arizona from New Jersey (where I have spent the last 37 years - my entire adult life).

3. What inspired this story? Was it harder or easier to write than the others? Why?
The inspiration for this story is the second-generation of Indian-Americans, young folks like my daughter, whose parents emigrated to the United States to follow their dreams and make a better life for themselves and their children.

These offspring of immigrants face many challenges: straddling two diverse cultures, striving to meet the expectations of conservative parents, fitting into their more emancipated American peers' lifestyles, and fulfilling their own private career and family goals. My protagonist in The Full Moon Bride is bright and successful, but miserable about her plain looks, especially when she compares herself to her American friends. Finding a man on her own is difficult when her low self-esteem gets in the way of progress. This book was fairly easy to write since the plot and scenes come from close daily observations.

4. Was your marriage or any family member's arranged? What are your views on it in this day and age? Does it still work?
Yes, I have been happily married for 37 years and my marriage was strictly arranged. My husband and I met two days before we were engaged, then married 10 days later. All my sisters, uncle, aunts and most cousins have been married by arrangement. I believe in the custom wholeheartedly, if it is done right, that is, with the potential bride and groom agreeing to the marriage and making a sincere effort to make it work. Approximately 75 percent of marriages in India are still arranged and most seem to work very well.

5. Since your marriage was arranged, why does it work? What were your initial views about it and how do you see it now?
Arranged marriages work because the families from both sides do a lot of discreet fact gathering and research before picking someone eligible for their children. The caste system is still alive and thriving in India, therefore seeking an alliance with a family of the same caste is still a significant factor, along with similarities in social and economic circumstances. With so many elements in common, adjustment is made easier for the newlyweds.

Additionally, complete family support from both sides makes for a stronger marriage. Initially, when I was young and enamored by the idea of falling in love, I was hesitant about walking into an arranged marriage, but now, after 37 years of living in a one, I am an enthusiastic advocate of the custom.

6. What is your goal in writing this story? What do you want your readers to know or learn?
My goal in writing this book was to bring awareness to some of the challenges faced by second-generation immigrants. Also, American society places so much emphasis on beauty and youth that many who are labeled as plain, or overweight or unattractive grow up with easily-shattered egos and lack of self-respect. Writing The Full Moon Bride was my way of highlighting this subject and the immigrant experience in America. I want my readers to know that despite the outward appearance of having realized the American dream, many immigrants privately face other challenges, some expected and others unexpected.

7. What's next? You have another book coming out?
Yes, there is another book, scheduled for release next summer. There is no title yet but it will also be about a young Indian-American woman navigating the gulf between desire and tradition, her family's expectations and her own dreams.

8. What advice would you give to authors starting out?
My advice to aspiring authors is to write the book of your heart, even if it does not fit into a "box." I did that myself when I started to write stories that are a mix of different genres. In essence I created a new sub-genre of women's fiction, which I call "Bollywood in a Book" — ethnic fiction with colorful characters, strong romantic elements, action and adventure.

Thanks, Shobhan for stopping by again. We've enjoyed your visit!
Thank you once again for hosting me on your popular blog. It has been a pleasure to talk about my books and share my experiences as an author.



About Shobhan Bantwal
Award-winning author Shobhan Bantwal calls her writing “Bollywood in a Book” —romantic, colorful, action-packed tales, rich with elements of Indian culture —stories that entertain and educate. Shobhan has five published novels by Kensington Publishing, with a sixth slated for 2012. Check out her
website or visit her on Facebook.

* Review: Let me say that I am hooked! This is the third book I've read by Shobhan and I can't wait to read more. I love the way she brings the culture and her characters to life. You can't help but root for the "underdog" beau-in-waiting, and almost want to give her main character a shove to open her eyes! The romance ends as you hope, with a little sizzle and a lot of emotion. While she wanted to focus on self-doubt, I almost felt like her main character was too down on herself. Finally, she does feel more confident and starts to look at herself as others see her, especially as this good-looking suitor (as he's described) clearly sees her differently than she's seeing herself at first. The details of the culture and family life make the novel even more interesting.

* Read my other interview with Shobhan about her novel, The Sari Shop Widow here.