March 2008 Newsletter

Welcome to March 1st..Spring...Passover...and Easter.It has been eight month since the release of Guilty of Love.
So far, my sales have been good, except for last month where they seemed to drop.....soI guess it's time for a contest to boost my sales.I have about 60 subscribers to my monthly e-newsletter. I'm asking each of you to tell two friends.The prize?
How about a $50 gift certificate to Bath & Body or a major bookstore, plus a free autograph copy of my upcoming release, Talk to Me, November 2008.
Here's the details, between today and March 15th, for every person who buys two books, either on amazon, or in the bookstore, log onto my blog. patsimmons.blog.com
Click on contests, and give me your name, city, and where you purchased your two books. Don't forget to list the bookstore's phone number or location.Please participate. Great book sales means future book opportunities.
Thanks,Pat

WHAT MADE MY DAY IN FEBRUARY
Oh Taste and See that the Lord is Good (Psalm 34:8), and blessed is the man who trusts in Him.My birthday was February 17th, and my husband made sure everybody knew it--store clerks, bowling coach, servers, etc. Anybody who would listen, he proudly told.
I had to convince my best friend that I was NOT half a century as implied by my husband.I even got birthday wishes from friends on myspace. WOW!!A week later, it would have been my grandmother's 90th birthday.
I've had brief moments of sadness since her death last summer, but last Sunday, the loss really hit me. This time it was me who wanted to talk about her to anyone who would listen.
That's what Pathways, a hospice provider, is designed to do for up to 13 months after the death of a love one. Instead, I spoke with an older cousin who shared her fond memories of my grandmother when I was too small to remember. For those of you who haven't seen a picture of Grandma Jessie, go to my website, and click on genealogy.http://www.patsimmons.net/

The November 2008 cover for TALK TO ME (Urban Christian) remains a mystery.Until then, here's the March unedited excerpt. Meet Valerie Preston, every church has one: TALKTOMEBOOK.blogspot.com
I'm always coming to a neighborhood near you. Two book signings this month.March 7th, at 7 pm.An Intimate Evening with the FatherLife Center International Church800 Union BlvdSt. Louis, Mo 63108314-367-5433March 29th, from 11am-1 pm.Whistle Stop1 Carson RdFerguson, MO314-521-1600Sponsored by Class Book ClubContact Kelly Shaw 303-7386.
You can also visit me via internet:
ChristianFictionAuthors.ning.com
www.patsimmons.net
patsimmons.blog.com
http://www.facebook.com/
www.myspace.com/patsimmonsauthor
www.shelfari.com/patsimmons
www.talktomebooks.blogspot.com

Meet Arlether Wilson, she's the author of Rewriting the Script...
Rewriting the Script is a soul stirring and motivational story of a girl abandoned and abused in the foster care system. After being placed back into a community plagued by crime, drugs, violence, and prostitution, she decided to choose a different path.
Life was difficult. However, she was determined not just to survive, but to change the course of her family's history. Rewriting the Script is a heartwarming story of desperation, grief and triumph. This courageous girl's story confirms that it is possible for anyone to Rewrite Their Life's Script.
Read more about my interview with Arlether on my blog at AnythingInspirational.blog.com.

The owners at Not Just A Bookstore is hosting their first the Literacy Book Festival,Saturday, May 17, 2008, from Noon until 6 pm in Lucier Park, which is east of the U-City Loop.I plan to have a booth there, and other vendors are welcome to participate.For more information, call Connie or Richard, or log onto their website at : www.notjustabookstore.net
Not Just A Bookstore
5892 Delmar Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63112
314-361-99551-877-361-9955

For book lovers and authors....For the past four years, I've been honored to work as a publicist the annual Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine's BOOKLOVERS Convention.This year, it's in Pittsburgh, PA, April 16-20, 2008, with a record number of people attending (1000 readers and 300 authors, including bestsellers like Eric Jerome Dickey, Francis Ray, Heather Graham, Christina Skye, etc. You get the idea).There's 125 workshops for aspiring authors and nightly costume parties.
Check out www.RTconvention.com.
See my pictures from last year at photos.patsimmons.net.
Speaking of writing, last Saturday, I, along with four other aspiring authors had a six hour marathon where we wrote then exchanged our stories for critiques.
In six hours, I wrote two chapters and nine pages of an anthology.
They all shamed me with 15 pages, 23 pages, etc., and I'm the published author. There's something wrong with this picture--just kidding. The requirement was only 3 chapters or 10 pages!So I'm thinking about doing this every month.
If you want to sign up and join in the fun, go to christianfiction.blog.com.
I'll post the day for the March Writing Marathon. **NOTE** Your writings do not have to be works of Christian Fiction to participate.
© 2007 Pat Simmons/ Christian Romance Author