The Hardhats are back

The hardhats are back at the beach. The sand pumping will run through December 23rd and the construction operations and equipment run around the clock. Hopefully I'll be able to get some pics of the actual pumping.

Bibliotherapy??

Yesterday I came across something in the paper that knocked me for a loop – bibliotherapy. Ever hear of it? It’s just what it sounds like – book therapy.


This exciting new idea comes to us from School of Life, an organization in London dedicated to helping us improve our lives. Their Bibliotherapy department will prescribe books, not necessarily self-help books, which will help their clients, deal with life issues. According to what I read the idea is to provide a one-to-one service for people who don’t have “seriously big issues but need to get through the nitty-grittiness of everyday life.” Of course all this service comes with a price.


Evidently they want to treat reading as an outlet for escape. What will they think of next? Duh! I’ve been doing this all my life. And part of the joy and escapism includes pouring over covers and titles in a bookstore or on Amazon. With my Kindle I can even download sample chapters to help me decide on a purchase.


But if you feel the need to pay someone for a list of eight books they have chosen to help you improve your writing skills, deal with divorce or search for love, you can visit: http://www.theschooloflife.com/Bibliotherapy

Happy Reading!

Same Kind of Different As Me

Same Kind of Different As Me: A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together by Ron Hall and Denver Moore with Lynn Vincent 


So many books, so little time – and this one sat on my to be read shelf far too long. When I finally picked it up and started reading, I literally could not put it down.


This is the true story of two men from widely different backgrounds. Denver grew up a sharecropper on a plantation. Ron, an art dealer, lived a life most of us can only dream about.


It was Ron Hall’s wife, Deborah, who brought the two men together. At her urging Ron volunteered at a homeless shelter and it was there he met Denver Moore, an ex-con. Their lives intertwined and they formed an unlikely friendship, teaching each other life lessons they may not have learned otherwise.


The inspiring story, told in alternating voice by the two men, breaks down every preconceived notion about the wealthy and the homeless. Each man struggling with his own individual conflicts seeks God in a different way. Denver’s story is sometimes very painful but the overriding themes are strong and hopeful. It’s an inspiring tale, one that encourages the reader to be more understanding and compassionate. I found it to be an emotional story that really touched me.


Disclosure: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review program. All opinions expressed herein are mine.

Weekly Roundup or How I Learned to Love Book Promotion

This week has been another whirlwind of interviews and blogs. On Monday I did a Double Feature at Michele Zurlo’s Steam Room: http://www.michelezurlo.com/apps/blog/show/5075457-gale-stanley-s-call
We did a great interview and a giveaway and Michele let me talk about my new releases in October.


On Tuesday I visited Escape into Romance. I always enjoy chatting with Stacey Espino. We had a great time and you can read all about it here:
http://staceyespino.blogspot.com/2010/10/welcome-guest-blogger-author-gale.html

On Wednesday I stopped by Golinowski’s Gambol to talk with my friend Denise: http://gaiasong.livejournal.com/16404.html

Thursday was the best day of all; I babysat for my little men.


Whew, the week went fast. Here it is Friday and I feel like I haven’t done any writing. A book can be great but if no one knows it’s out there, they’ll never read it. Promotion is a necessary evil, so I try to make it as much fun as possible. The possibilities of promoting on the internet are truly amazing. I have a website, 2 blogs, a Facebook page and I Twitter. I belong to writing organizations, loops for readers and writers and I have bookmarks and business cards. I can check my sales and reviews wherever my books are being sold and see the ratings.


It’s easy to fall into the trap of looking at your stats everyday and agonizing when you fall from #4 to #5. I try not to do it. It takes way too much time away from my writing. And the writing is where it’s at – creating another story and making it the best it can be for the reader.


Because the biggest success I can hope for is to know I entertained the readers. When I get an email from someone telling me they couldn’t put my book down it makes my day. That’s what it’s all about. So now I’m going back to work on a new story that I hope you’ll love as much as I do.


In the mean time – Happy Reading!

NaNoWriMo

I must be a glutton for punishment. I’m doing NaNoWriMo again this year. And it’s coming up fast. What is NaNoWriMo? Glad you asked.


According to the website, National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.


Okay so at the end of the month you will not have a novel that you can submit to a publisher. What you will have is a very, very rough draft. Okay, more like 175 pages of crap. But hopefully it can be edited into something
usable. So what’s the point of doing it?


Some people need the motivation to SIT and WRITE. And at the end of the month they will have the exhilarating feeling of reaching a goal. Last year more than 165,000 people participated. More than 30,000 hit the 50K goal. I was one of them. And it was a great feeling of accomplishment.


It also helped me with another goal. I was trying to cure myself of the editing as I go habit. It slows down your writing and takes you out of the zone. When you do NaNoWriMo there is no way you can edit as you go. There’s just no time. The only thing that matters is output. Quantity over quality. Writing on the fly. You are forced to put that quest for perfection aside. I’m sliding back into that over editing mode so I’m counting on NaNo to help me with that again this year.


I’m a pantser. I can’t write an outline to save my life but I have a few things planned out to help me get started. I know my genre - sci-fi romance. I have a good idea of my opening hook and I know how the story will end.


I’ll have a progress widget on my blog to shame me into sticking with it. And I’ll give you updates. Wish me luck!


If you’re doing NaNo and you want a buddy, you can find me here:
http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/413301

My Week – Interviews, Giveaway, Reviews…

This week flew by in a blur of reading, writing and releasing. I’ll start with the releasing.


My first book with Silver Publishing came out Saturday, October 16. SILENT KNIGHTS is a contemporary MM erotic romance. As you can see from the image above, Reese Dante created a fabulous cover and it portrays my characters and their story perfectly. Here’s a sneak peek at the plot.


Synopsis: Paul Stanton thought he had it all, a great job, a beautiful condo and a stable relationship with his soul mate. When his lover dumps him for another man, Paul is forced to rethink his life. He visits his childhood home in rural Pennsylvania rather than spend the holidays alone in San Francisco. But only a few days with his family is enough to convince him that you can't go home again.


Paul leaves for the airport in the midst of a snowstorm. Stranded in the woodlands, a chance meeting between him and a hunter is his only option for survival. He knows the type. A backwoods bigot like the men he grew up with. But what choice does he have? A few days with the Mountain Man convinces Paul there's more to Andy Reynolds than meets the eye. But is it enough to bind two men who have nothing in common except their sex?


SILENT KNIGHTS is available at Silver Publishing:
http://tinyurl.com/GS-SilentKnights

More good stuff - MATING CALL Black Wolf Gorge: Book 2 is # 6 on Siren’s Top Twenty!


And the first review for MATING CALL is out.


4 Stars from The Romance Reviews. Vixhen says “Ms. Stanley’s excellent development of the main characters makes it impossible not to care for each of them. I found the story compelling and believable. I completely forgot that I was reading a non-traditional love story. This story affected me in a way like no other.”


Read the rest here:
http://erotic.theromancereviews.com/viewbooksreview.php?bookid=187


Erotic Paranormal Ménage a Trois Romance, M/F/M, Shape-shifter, Bondage


Human contact is the last thing Sable wants and the she-wolf lives wild to avoid any chance encounters. But when a hunter sees her transform into his quarry, she becomes fair game. Jude and his twin capture the feral creature but lust blurs the line between captor and captive.


Read the first chapter at D.Renee Bagby Presents First Chapters:
http://dreneebagbypresentsfirstchapters.blogspot.com/2010/10/mating-call-by-gale-stanley.html

MATING CALL is available at Bookstrand:
http://www.bookstrand.com/mating-call


To celebrate I'm hosting a giveaway at Goodreads. It will run until October 31.
I have 4 paperback copies of CALL OF THE WILDS Black Wolf Gorge: Book 1 available.
Sign up here:
http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/6183-call-of-the-wilds

And here’s where I hung out during the week.


On the 12th I was at the Wicked Muses talking about how sexy paranormal heroes raise the bar for mortal men.
http://wickedmuses.webs.com/apps/blog/show/4901777-welcome-gale-stanley


On the 15th I was at Rosy Raunchy Romance talking about how this is not my mother’s romance.
http://www.victoriablisse.co.uk/blog/ffgalestanley/

On the 16th I visited Terry Kate at Naughty Boys in the Backseat.
http://naughtyinthebackseat.com/boysblog/2010/10/gale-stanley/


Whew! I had a blast. Now I’m going to plant my butt in front of the laptop and write.


Have great week everybody and Happy reading!

MATING CALL # 4 at Bookstrand and I'm Celebrating with a Giveaway!

MATING CALL Black Wolf Gorge: Book 2 is # 4 at Bookstrand!

http://www.bookstrand.com/mating-call

To celebrate I'm hosting a giveaway at Goodreads. It will run until October 31.


4 paperback copies of CALL OF THE WILDS Black Wolf Gorge: Book 1 are up for grabs.


Sign up here:


http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/6183-call-of-the-wilds

And stop by the Wicked Muses today. I'm guest blogging about Running with the Pack. Do seductive alpha heroes raise the bar for mortal men? What do you think?
http://wickedmuses.webs.com/apps/blog/show/4901777-welcome-gale-stanley

The Best Birthday Ever!

Today’s the big day and what a great start! I was blown away to see all the birthday wishes from my Facebook family. They’re the best! Who says a writer’s life is solitary and lonely? Not when you can reach out and connect with so many great people all over the world. Thank you all for thinking of me. I love you guys!


Birthday present #1 – I checked Siren’s site and MATING CALL hit #10 on their Top Twenty. I couldn’t be happier.


Birthday present #2 - D. Renee Bagby Presents First Chapters is spotlighting MATING CALL today. I hope you’ll stop by and read the first chapter. http://dreneebagbypresentsfirstchapters.blogspot.com/2010/10/mating-call-by-gale-stanley.html


Now I wonder how the DH will top all that??


Hope you all have a great day!

All About a Libra

Yesterday was full of good stuff to start my birthday week.


First – It was Release Day for MATING CALL! And it's on Siren's Top Twenty Best Seller List!

It's an Erotic Paranormal Ménage a Trois Romance, M/F/M, Shape-shifter, Bondage Novel

Human contact is the last thing Sable wants and the she-wolf lives wild to avoid any chance encounters. But when a hunter sees her transform into his quarry, she becomes fair game. Jude and his twin capture the feral creature but lust blurs the line between captor and captive.

Available at:
http://www.bookstrand.com/mating-call


Gift #2 – a contract from Silver Publishing for SOME LIKE IT ROUGH!


Gift #3 – The final edits for SILENT KNIGHT. Which means release day is just around the corner. October 16!


I was wondering what else could be in store for me this week so I checked the internet.


“A nagging voice in your head is like your own private DVD commentary on Monday and Tuesday. If only it had a sense of humor! Your meticulousness might be your downfall: There are just too many details to deal with. Then, on Wednesday, the irrelevant periphery falls away and you find yourself staring into the eyes of someone you feel awfully strongly about. Ah, beauty! Ah, romance! Your infatuation with this person has you feeling possessive on Friday, but give them space. Saturday you sense that some major changes in your life are afoot, and Sunday you're glowing.”


I better warn the DH he’s in for a romantic weekend, I’m supposed to be glowing on Sunday.


Hope your week is great!