Bell Bridge Books

BOOK TITLES: WHAT MAKES THEM GREAT

By Don Donaldson

It’s a constant surprise to me that I’m able to write books that are liked by people who aren’t my mother.   But I often can’t figure out what the title of a book should be.  Oh, I know when a title is great and so do you… It’s like the dealer at a flea market who once said to me when I picked up an expensive item to look at more closely… “You have good taste.”  Then, while I was secretly preening at his compliment, he added,  “Of course, it’s not that hard to spot quality.”   It’s the same with book titles.  Here’s a test:  What do you think of this title?  THEY DON’T BUILD STATUES TO BUSINESSMEN.

To me, it’s awful.  I’d think so even if I’d been the one to come up with it.  Actually, it was the famous writer, Jacqueline Susann, who crafted that one for a book that eventually became a mega best seller as VALLEY OF THE DOLLS.  Does anyone out there like the first title better?  Okay…. So there’s always someone who enjoys being a contrarian.  But all the rest of you I’m sure gave the right answer.

Let’s try another.  How about ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL?  That’s actually not horrible.  But it doesn’t sound like the sweeping saga the author wrote.  I certainly think the title it was eventually given, WAR AND PEACE, is soooo much better.

I once had an agent who told me that they had a consultant who was a “genius” at titling books.  I guess he was too busy to take a look at the book the agency titled for me.  (I’ll never tell which one it was, but will say that when BelleBooks reissues it later this year, it will have a new title.)

So, it’s easy to know a great title when you see it, but boy is it hard to come up with one.  I usually sit for hours playing with words and rearranging them in what I hope are creative ways.  No matter what title I eventually settle on for a book, I have this nagging suspicion that even if I really like the one I pick, there was a much much better one I could have used.  I just couldn’t find it.  My WAR AND PIECE was out there, just beyond reach.

Okay, a final test, and maybe you already know this one.  Which of these titles is better?  TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY, or the one that has become an icon: GONE WITH THE WIND.  See, even our contrarian from above picked the right answer.

Well, I’ve used up my allotted space here so all I can do now is be GWTW.

-Don

This month get Don Donaldson’s THE MEMORY THIEF for only $1.99 at Amazon Kindle!

A SUSAN STORY

by Judith Arnold

The April Tree’s dedication reads: “For Susan.”

Although Susan and I grew up just a few blocks apart, our town’s school districting assigned us to different schools until fifth grade, when a new school opened and we were both transferred there. That first day of fifth grade, we found each other and bonded like epoxy. We were inseparable.

Susan was a gentle soul. Her voice was soft and lilting, her giggle infectious. She was smart and talented. We both loved to write, and we spent hours upon hours penning short stories about adolescent girls, which we planned to publish in an anthology called Trouble, Trouble, Trouble. Susan was as athletically inept as I was. She loved the Beatles as much as I did. She was amazingly kind.

She was also dying.

In those days, a diagnosis of leukemia was a death sentence. Susan’s parents decided not to tell Susan she had a disease that would kill her; they wanted her to enjoy as normal a life as possible for as long as she could. They asked my parents not to tell me, because if I knew, I would tell Susan. She and I had no secrets. We shared everything.

So Susan and I were told only that she had a blood infection which required regular doctor visits. At the time, I was receiving allergy shots, and I saw

Our sixth grade class photo. Susan and I are both in the second row. Susan is the second from the left, in the red sweater and blue skirt. I’m the second from the right, in the plaid jumper and white blouse.

my doctor about as often as she saw hers. Sometimes she wore a back brace for support, but my father also wore a back brace due to a spinal injury, so I thought nothing of Susan’s brace.

Susan died the summer after sixth grade. A complete shock, her death hurled me into an emotional abyss. Today, I would have been sent to a therapist and dosed with antidepressants, but again, those were different times. I was left to cope with my sorrow on my own.

Because I was a writer, I coped by writing. I wrote wrenching, anguished prose-poems. Bitter, raging diatribes. Bleak, existential parables. Cynical stories bristling with distrust and hostility.

Eventually, I started writing romance novels. I loved creating stories in which I could control the endings in a way I couldn’t control real life. Every now and then, I’d attempt another kind of story—a Susan story—but none of those attempts was worth preserving.

A few years ago, I decided to try again, and I wound up writing The April Tree. I created three heroines who lose their best friend, April. Each of those heroines reflects a part of me. Becky is rational, determined to make sense of an incomprehensible universe yet taking comfort in quirky rituals. Like Becky, I think logically while clinging to my own superstitious rituals. Elyse draws portraits which always contain a bit of April in them, just as all my books contain a bit of Susan. Florie wants simple answers to complex questions. Unlike her, I usually can’t accept those simple answers, but I yearn for them as strongly as she does.

Having written nearly ninety romance novels, I knew The April Tree needed something more, something real life often fails to provide: a hopeful ending. So I created a fourth character, Mark, who plunges into despair after April’s death, just as I did after Susan’s death. Mark needs saving, and April’s friends set out to save him. They believe they can overcome the pain of April’s death by redeeming someone else’s life.

Click to preview!

At the end of The April Tree, new grass sprouts in a place where Becky hadn’t expected anything to grow. One thing I learned from Susan is that while loss and grief may scar us, we can still celebrate life, finding joy in the soft, sweet green of new grass. Another thing I learned from Susan is that no one is ever really gone as long as her memory lives on in those who love her. Susan still lives in my heart and in my books—especially in The April Tree.

This month only, THE APRIL TREE by USA Today bestselling author Judith Arnold is only $1.99! 

130 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

by Danielle Childers

Much to the chagrin of my husband who does not in any form or fashion enjoy watching Christmas movies every month and every season, I love Christmas.  I saved this post for August, because I really wanted to emphasize just how much I’m obsessed with the holiday cheer. It’s not December, and it’s not Christmas in July. I just really love Christmas. Ask my colleagues. Christmas is my only Pandora station.

So, I’m currently reading THE FAT MAN: A TALE OF NORTH POLE NOIR by Ken Harmon featuring Gumdrop Coal. He’s an angry elf.  It’s so satirical and

still kind all at the same time. It’s brilliant! There’s a mistletoe forest and an eye shooting BB gun. I could die of Christmas overload. I love it. It reminds me of a holiday version of John Hartness’s THE BLACK KNIGHT CHRONICLES. Comparable snark minus the vampires!

So, during my summer time winterfest and during the 198th time I’ve watched The Santa Clause starring Tim Allen (one of the best Christmas movies ever and in my top 5 favorite movies of all time) I happened to notice that there are . . . wait for it . . . RECIPES in the bonus material of the dvd!  It was foodie contemporary before its time!!!  One of the recipes was for Wolfgang Puck’s hot chocolate, which is, according to Judy the elf, not too hot, has extra chocolate, and shaken, not stirred.  I had to try it, but this launched a conversation in the work place about the best hot chocolate. Had I not seen the pinterest recipe with condensed milk? Thus, the hot chocolate war began.

We tried condensed milk, ghiradelli bitter chocolate, and bourbon vanilla from Madagascar. Gross. Way too sweet (and that may be the first time I’ve ever uttered those words). No, thank you.

So, to my delight, The Santa Clause won yet another competition of awesomeness!

The best hot chocolate:

2 oz semisweet chocolate

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

pinch of salt

2 c heavy cream

2 c milk (I used 2%)

1/2 c sugar

3/4 t vanilla

Melt the chocolate into cream, stirring constantly over medium heat.  Whisk in cocoa, sugar, salt, and vanilla over low heat. Add milk.  Enjoy!

ALL MY BABIES

by Eve Gaddy

I was thinking about babies today.  What made me think about babies was not my three-year-old, adorable, identical twin granddaughters, as you might imagine.  I’m having to realize they’re not babies any longer.

They are little kids!  However, they are still my babies.  But I digress.

I saw one of my plants that my husband had just whacked back to nothing to encourage it to grow.  Poor thing is nothing but stalks with a few leaves, at least for now.  And it dawned on me that it is one of my babies.  This houseplant, an angel wing begonia, is over thirty-five years old.  My husband and I bought it when we were first married and living in Dallas, Texas.  When we moved across country to Utah a few years later, we gave it to my mom and grandmother to keep for us.  Luckily they both had green thumbs and it continued to grow and prosper.  We had new plants from the cuttings through the years, but the main one stayed with my mom.  When we finally moved into a house where we had room to grow it, we took it back.  (Not easily.  Mom had to move to a retirement home or I doubt she’d have ever given it back.) I love that plant.  And don’t worry, it will grow back full and beautiful, I promise.  I’ll post pictures when it does.

I have another plant I love.  A braided ficus that’s over twenty years old.  Alas, I’m the only person who loves my poor baby.  It sits by my back door and according to my daughter, son-in-law, son, and husband, is very much in the way.  My daughter tells me that (loudly) every time she comes over.  So does everyone else.  Well, my father-in-law doesn’t but I’ve seen him bat at it when he thinks I’m not looking.  Nevertheless, there it sits and there it will remain.

I’m blessed to have wonderful human babies.  My kids and grandkids are my heart.  I never understood my mother maintaining I would always be her baby until my daughter and son grew up.  Doesn’t matter how old they are, they’re my babies.  I’m betting that goes double for grandbabies.

Let’s not forget furry babies.  All the animals I’ve ever had are my babies.  My Golden Retriever, Maverick, is convinced he’s my third child.  He’s also convinced he’s a puppy, even though he’s now eleven.  And he’s certain he’s a lap dog even though he weighs eighty pounds.

Now we come to my books.  Yes, every book I’ve written is my baby.  Most of them were not easy to write, and definitely had their joys and sorrows in the creating.  I did have one authors call a “gift book”.  The whole book, from start to finish, flowed out of my fingers like manna from heaven.  I’ve never experienced that before or since.  I want another one of those!

I love all my book babies and usually the one I’m currently working on is my favorite.  But some are extra special.  Fully Engaged is one of those books.  I loved writing and especially researching that book.  I hope you enjoy it too!

Today ONLY, Eve Gaddy’s FULLY ENGAGED is $1.99 at Amazon Kindle! Click the cover to preview.

Also by Eve Gaddy:

This month only! These bestselling titles are ONLY $1.99 at Amazon Kindle!  Click the covers to preview!

SUMMER PICNIC

by Danielle Childers

It’s August in Memphis, but it only feels a little like summer. We’ve had so much rain, that the temps haven’t really conquered very much of the 90s on the thermometer.  Winter’s my favorite season, so I’m not sad one bit, but there’s still room in my heart for summer.

I love summer, because I love the 4^th of July (I adore holidays). And I love the beach and lightning bugs and watching my bulldog play in his swimming pool. I love fresh cut grass and my fig tree.  But I really, REALLY love picnics. I love sitting on a quilt, eating watermelon, and enjoying family and friends.  In Memphis, we have the largest urban park in the country. Bigger than central park! Complete with paddle boats, rolling hills, a huge greenway, ponds, and, wait for it, buffalo. It is the best place for a picnic! So, today, on Foodie Wednesday, we’re making a super-fun picnic dessert! And it’s vintage . . . be still my heart! (Well, from 1969 . . . so, retro?)

Strawberry Jello Poke Cake!

1 boxed cake mix

1 3oz box of strawberry jello

1 tub of cool whip.

Make the cake per directions on the box. Boil 2 c of water. Dissolve jello in water. Poke holes in the finished cake. Pour jello on top. Let cool and spread with cool whip. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours or more. Enjoy!

And speaking of picnics, one of my all-time favorite picnic scenes is in Trish Jensen’s FOR A GOOD TIME CALL. Check it out!!!

ZOMBIE SURVIVAL

by Howard Odentz

Bell Bridge Books is proud to present debut author Howard Odentz!

Zombies are a big part of my life. Who’s interested in the fact I raise little goats?

Sure, I live on a small farm in Massachusetts where I have a herd of Nigerian Dwarfs, a couple llamas, a flock of chickens, my attack cat, Severus, and my incredibly intelligent West Highland Terrier, Einstein, but honestly, everything about my life is all about the walking dead.

Seriously, what if the zombie apocalypse really does happen?  Thanks to Tractor Supply, I’ve got a sturdy fence—good for keeping

Wickham, Howard's llama

animals in—awesome for keeping zombies out.  I’ve got a steady supply of milk from the goats. Of course my hands will probably cramp up from squeezing those teeny-weenie udders, but if I can make cheese and yogurt, I’m willing to risk a few calloused palms.

The eggs? As long as my girls are happy, I’ll get a dozen a day.

Then there’re the llamas. All they really do is keep the lawn down and poop, but that’s premium poo we’re talking about. The garden grows really well here.

Oh yeah, after getting all gross and sweaty from working on the farm, I can even take a shower with my own well water and my home-made soap.

So, you see, with all the hobbies going on, I’ll be pretty safe when the zombies come knocking at my door up here in Western Mass.  As a matter fact, I can probably make goat milk cheese and veggie quiche, sit on the deck and laugh.

Try and get me, you creepy dead things—just try.

Carnival, Howard's Goat

Did I forget to mention that if I’m bored while the zombies are storming my stronghold, I can keep myself entertained by singing songs from the few full-length musicals I’ve written and produced around the country?

Yeah, I know—I’ll l eventually get tired of belting out the same old tunes, but by then, I’ll have bigger fish to fry.

The UFOs will probably be buzzing the goat pens and that Bigfoot in the woods out behind the llama field will be eyeing my fattest buck, Rebuttal.

Paws off, fella—he’s mine.

(Howard Odentz is not crazy. Honest. All his doctors say so.)

To learn more about Howard’s survivors of necropoxy, visit his blog: http://howardodentz.com/index.html

Get your copy of DEAD (A LOT) today!

Click the cover for a preview!

SUMMER READING

by Danielle Childers

Okay, it’s almost August (which means there are only 148 days until Christmas! Get excited about your life!) And I’m just now thinking about summer reads.  Traditionally they’ve been chick lit or beach themed (SERIOUSLY check out the Tiki Goddess Mystery Series by Jill Marie Landis).  But, I define a summer read as a book that’s worth reading even though you have a beach and an endless blue sky and the sound of waves competing with it. With this in mind, I stumbled upon WHERE’D YOU GO BERNADETTE.

Now, it’s been popular on the lists and has this awesome art deco cover, and I’m thinking, “Wow, Bernadette looks cool!”  The only problem is that I accidentally read the entire book before I could find a beach. Sad day.  It started with a sample.  Book samples are gateway drugs.

This book is quirky. SO quirky, you’ll expect it to be magical, but it’s just so simple and so chocked full of the most amazing visual metaphors, it gets away with being . . . simply quirky.  Go read it and tell me how you would describe it!

WHERE’D YOU GO BERNADETTE is written in a smattering of correspondence, emails, newsletters, notes among gossipy friends, and billboards of all things. There is some narration by the only daughter of the star of the show, Bernadette, so don’t worry that you’ll be lost.

Now, I have to tell you about the blackberries. Bernadette, a brilliant but reclusive architect (even when you see the unreliability of other characters – and I love an unreliable tale) who walks around knitting from a backpack, managing to act refined and educated while simultaneously being treated as a pariah, has blackberries. Not just a plant or two, but so many blackberries that they prevent landslides and fill the basement of the house she lives in as they’ve grown up through the dirt to take over.  It’s cool, though. Both the overtaking of the house, which isn’t really a house, and the blackberries represent Bernadette’s talent and shame and … well, life just pushed her down a little. So she disappears to reclaim herself from the universe.

The ending is inspired.  The words will fly by.  You will devour this book.

In Bernadette’s honor, I’ve homemade blackberry butter today, because when life hands you blackberries, you just have to churn some butter.

This recipe is easy-peasy.  You’ll need 1 qt of heavy cream, 3 T of powdered sugar, 3 T of blackberry jam, and a pinch of salt. (Side note: Dear Grandma, A pinch is not a measurement.)

Just whip the cream (a stand mixer or processor is best) until it becomes whipped cream, but DON’T stop!  It will become butter.  The butter will eventually separate from the buttermilk (save it if you have cornbread on hand).  Here’s a fabulous tutorial. The whole process is less than 15 minutes.  Then mix in the jam, sugar, and salt, and voila! Blackberry butter! Serve on soft, warm bread.

Enjoy, but tell me, what’s your favorite kind of summer read?

A LIBRARY TROLLOP’S READING RECOMMENDATIONS

by Danielle Childers

Has anyone else been watching Sister Wives on TLC? I’m fascinated, and Janelle is my favorite (because I think she’s the hardest worker with the most common sense)! Now, leaving polygamy aside, because we’re really just talking about entertainment here, there’s something fascinating about a group of women who come together and manage relationships and support relationships and, well, feed so many people while running such large households. This brings me to the reading recommendations.

The 19^th wife by David Ebershoff combines a past tale Brigham Young’s 19^th wife, who tried to revolutionize the world to ban polygamy, and a modern day man who most go back into a polygamist sect to solve his father’s disappearance. A really fantastic and historic read with a modern day mystery. Fascinating and a little academic . . .

Then there’s THE GLASS WIVES by Amy Sue Nathan  about 2 wives in plural marriage who lose their husband and must redefine relationships and keep their kids in mind.  It’s really a fresh twist on women’s fiction, and we all know I love some women’s fiction! I also really love a debut author gone right!  It’s dramatic and touching, and you’ll find yourself quickly invested in the Glass family.  You just have to decide what makes a family.

Now . . . what food do you pair with these books? It’s a little bit of stretch, but reach with me!

The Duggar’s Tater Tot Casserole.  With 20 kids (21?) the Duggars sure know how to feed some kids! I’ve cut the recipe in half (and it still feeds an army).

Duggar’s TTC

2 lb ground turkey browned, salt and pepper to taste, drained

3 lbs tater tots

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can evaporated milk

1 can cream of chicken

In a 9×13 pan, cover the meat with tater tors. Mix soups and milk and pour over the top. 350 degrees for 60 minutes.

My personal suggestion, if you want to get fancy, is to throw some onions in when you brown the turkey and sprinkle cheese on top of the whole thing!

COFFEE BEAN COOKIES

by Foodie Wednesday

It’s Foodie Wednesday, and we’re inspired by chocolate covered espresso beans!

The entire staff just returned from an enormous romance writer’s convention (RWA), and we had leftover goodies from our author swag bags, so these coffee bean cookies were a must!
There were a few glitches, though.  A lack of shortening had our team debating bacon grease at one point. Don’t worry, someone made a Crisco run!

Enjoy these cookies just like you would a giant cup of coffee with your favorite sweet romance. Speaking of . . . have you heard that Lindi Peterson’s RICH IN LOVE was featured in USA Today? Also Elizabeth Sinclair’s SUMMER ROSE is a finalist for this year’s Maggie Awards!  AND Jill Barnett’s BRIDGE TO HAPPINESS is only .99¢ at Amazon! Get your coffee on while you read! (Recipe Below)

Click for samples!

Coffee Bean Cookies

1/2 c butter

1/2 c shortening

3/4 sugar

2 1/2 c flour

1t baking soda

1 t salt

1/2 t cinnamon

2 eggs

1 t vanilla

1c chocolate covered coffee beans

1c english toffee bits

Instructions: Cream butter, shortening, and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla.  Combine dry ingredients, then beat into butter mixture. Stir in coffee beans and toffee. Drop in heaping mounds onto baking sheet. 350° for 10-11 minutes.  Savor.