Do You Watch "Days of Our Lives"

Oh yes, I’m a sucker for a soap opera – I used to watch “Days of Our Lives” with my disabled mom when I came home from junior high school; since we didn’t have VCRs and DVRs back then, I couldn’t watch once I went to high school or college. I feel like I’ve grown up with many of the characters (although certainly not at the same rate, lol)

But, I digress…

I am sitting here watching a Days of Our Lives episode (hope I don’t throw any other fans any spoilers here) and Nick is finally confessing to Gabi what happened to him in prison. I sure hope that she accepts him.

I thought of my novel Courage of the Heart and the scene where Adam Sherman tells Davie Prescott what happened to him…

Wow! The stories are so incredibly close. Unfortunately prison rape is frequently a very real and tragic occurrence…

I have to say that Blake Berris (actor, Nick Fallon) has done a wonderful acting job. Kudos to him.

I recently created a NEW Book Club Discussion Packet for Courage of the Heart (you can download it here)

This book makes a terrific addition to any book club repertoire. I hope you enjoy it –

…and now, back to my soap.

Adam is attracted to Davie, but he shies away from her innocence because he feels his shameful past is too harsh for her existence. Adam finally shares his darkest secret with Davie and is amazed to find that she doesn´t turn away from him.

But when Adam’s past catches up to him, he soon learns that there´s a lot more at stake than just his nightmares. Adam is prepared to give Davie up if need be in order to protect her until he learns that she´s got a secret of her own. With Davie´s help, Adam learns a courage that is born of love, courage of the heart.

I miss my youth – win a FREE ebook!

I miss the days when I felt confident enough to lead with my heart and not my head – when common sense didn’t stop me from having fun – when I had the desire and the impetus to experience adventures – when I felt invincible and couldn’t comprehend my parents’ worries.

Today as a woman with several decades behind me and offspring of my own, my perspective is quite different. Today I (try to) think before I act, weigh the possible results of every decision, and say thanks everyday that I survived my youth and still manage to make it through my present. I don’t lead a boring life by any means, but I do lead a more cautious one.

My two grown children have followed their hearts to travel the world, jump from airplanes, run obstacle races, play extreme sports, explore caves, hike mountains, respond to danger as first responders, learn and use new skills, take gambles, and always push themselves a few steps further. It would be sooo easy to live vicariously through them. And now I truly emphathize with my parents’ angst…

My characters are not boring people either. When I write I include some of my past experiences, borrow some of my children’s lives, and certainly toss in my dreams, to create people who live life to the fullest.

Have you read any of my books? Would you like to take a guess and try to win a FREE ebook of one of my novels?

Listed below are 3 columns – a character, a profession, a book title.  See how many you can match up. The first 4 people to play this game and get AT LEAST 1 complete answer right will win a FREE ebook. (hint: for easy clues, go to  http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/chellecordero) Submit your answer in the comments below

1:  Adam Sherman
A: artist
r:: Final Sin
2: Tom Hughes
B: state trooper
s:: Common Bond, Tangled Hearts
3: Julie Jennings
C: FBI agent
t: Bartlett’s Rule
4: Caitlyn Price
D: pr exec
u: Courage of the Heart
5: Matt Garratti
E:  business owner
v: Hyphema
6: Paige Andrews
F: bodyguard
w: Within the Law
7: Ryan Hunter
G: programmer
x: His Lucky Charm
8: Justin Ross
H: flight medic
y: A Chaunce of Riches
9: Ben Johnson
I:  paramedic
z: Hostage Heart

May is National Pet Month

National Pet Month is a celebration of the benefits that pets bring to people’s lives – and vice versa. It is observed annually in the United States in May… (from Wikipedia)

I love cats – I have three of them. Each pussycat has a unique and distinct personality. Often I swear they talk back, sure, it may sound like a “meow“, but it certainly means more than that.

Mario  ~  Luigi  ~  Tigger
(please don’t be insulted dog lovers, I like pups too,
but I am highly allergic to them)

Some time ago a reader asked me about writing pets into my novels and I was ashamed to admit I had only done it once, in Courage of the Heart my heroine Davey had a dog named Gizzy that lived in her childhood home with her dad.

So feeling a little bit guilty and noticing the three felines pictured here staring at me as I work on my latest WIP, I’ve written a cat into it. My hero owns a cat, or rather, resides with one. The feline is named Mauszer, he gets underfoot quite a bit and hisses at the heroine a lot… but that is really expected for such an intuitive animal.

My current work is a paranormal named KARMA VISITED

Somehow I picture Mauszer as an older, possibly overweight, grey tabby. The hero inherited him from a previous tenant. I think he’s an indoor cat (as mine are)
So how about you? Have you read (or written) about any memorable pets in your favorite stories? Please, tell me about it.

Have you had your Expresso today?

Such exciting news!



Folks can walk into any location with the fun to watch EBM, call up a favorite title, and walk out five minutes later with their very own copy – it’s instant gratification!

What’s an EBM?   Expresso Book Machine



Now what this means for you, dear readers, is that you can walk into a location and walk out that same day with a fully printed book in hand!   Not ordered and wait – but you can start reading immediately.  Formerly this instant gratification was only available at a very few select mortar and brick stores – or for ebook purchasers… and there are still some purests out there who enjoy the feeling of a book in their hands.


And there are NO shipping charges – how much better can this get?   Even overseas readers can enjoy print copies of books WITHOUT those exorbitant shipping charges.


There are dozens of these machines already out there ALL OVER THE WORLD – and they are expecting that amount to more than double by the end of 2012.

Right now you can find EBMs in the following countries:
United States of America
Santo Domingo
Canada
England
Netherlands
Egypt
United Arab Emirates
China
Japan
Philippines
Australia


… and there are MORE coming!  For a complete listing of locations AND books available go here  http://bit.ly/JtiIpm 


Read the brochure here   http://bit.ly/NQOikO

New version – UPDATED 2011 Sampler

Fall 2011 Chelle Cordero Sampler

Fall 2011 Chelle Cordero Sampler
By: Chelle Cordero | Other books by Chelle Cordero

Published By: Vanilla Heart Publishing

ISBN # 9781937227791

Word Count: 118500

Available in: Adobe Acrobat

Read More

About the book

This Chelle Cordero sampler is free for your enjoyment. All of Chelle’s novels are available in both print and ebook editions for every reading device, through online retailers and in select bookstores around the world. Chelle’s writing workshop, Living, Breathing, Writing: A Lesson A Day is available in both print and ebook for Volume 1, and Volume 2 in ebook.

Bartlett’s Rule

Bartlett’s Rule shares the story of Lon and Paige’s love affair; a romance filled with hardship, emotion, danger and triumph. Falling in love was never the challenge; being there for each other, knowing just what to say and making it work is the real test. Paige and Lon are real; they are human, they cry and they laugh. Paige has to learn to trust. Lon has to learn to be patient.

Hyphema

Hyphema: Bleeding in the eye caused by trauma… Matt Garratti, a paramedic from New York, moves his wife and son to North Carolina to work at his dream job as a flight medic. Pakistani born Sudah, his wife, receives frosty stares and insensitive comments from their new neighbors… Matt wonders if he is pursuing his dream or bringing his family into a nightmare from which they may never wake.

Final Sin

Deputy Sherriff Commander Jake Carson has his hands full… investigation of a brutal multiple homicide, a troubled son and a vindictive ex-wife. He meets young, free-spirited paramedic Julie Jennings. When Julie becomes the subject of an obsession, it puts both of them in danger…

His Lucky Charm

What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas… this time it follows Brandon and Caitlyn across the country and into a world of espionage and danger. The one thing that Brandon knows for sure is that he can’t afford to lose his lucky charm, Caitlyn.

Common Bond, Tangled Hearts

Layne Gillette’s world is turned upside down when a man she has never met shows up to lay claim as the father of her 6-year old son. When Layne’s abusive “ex-husband” shows up, they are torn apart by danger, kidnapping and lies.

A Chaunce of Riches

Ben Johnson was hired as a bodyguard for a rich widow and her kid, but he never expected to be working for the woman who had abandoned him just when he had needed her the most. Damn it all, he still wanted her. Samantha Chaunce never thought she would have to explain why she married the rich man instead of Ben. Or that her husband had been murdered…and Ben was the prime suspect.

Hostage Heart

Life was hard after the hurricanes swept through, destroying her parents’ home and livelihood… An errand for her boss – a chance encounter with a crew of bank robbers – a kind man who tried to help her … a man who isn’t all he seems…no, he is so much more.

Courage of the Heart

Courage of the Heart shows us that sometimes love is the only cure for the very deepest of emotional wounds. The story of the two lovers takes a series of unexpected and fast paced turns where lives, sanity and love are put in jeopardy. Their commitment to one another results in a spirit that binds them together and helps them to overcome physical and emotional dangers.

Within the Law

Tom gave up on ever falling in love again the day that he buried his high school sweetheart and fiancé. He started a career in law enforcement just so that he could find her murderer and rapist. Just when he is about to see justice done, he meets Alli Davis-the defense attorney for the murdering rapist who took his love from him.

from Courage of the Heart

COURAGE OF THE HEART shows us that sometimes love is the only cure for the very deepest of emotional wounds. The story of the two lovers takes a series of unexpected and fast paced turns where lives, sanity and love are put in jeopardy. Their commitment to one another results in a spirit that binds them together and helps them to overcome physical and emotional dangers.

Davie slept only fitfully through the night. It hadn’t taken her long to realize that this was the first time she was sleeping without Adam by her side since he had come home from the hospital.

By the time the morning sun cast enough light, Davie got up as quietly as possible and changed into her jeans and a man’s flannel shirt. She carried her loafers to the door. Davie tiptoed downstairs.

Everyone in the house was asleep.

She opened the door to Adam’s room and peeked in.

“I must have finally fallen asleep…” He whispered from the couch which was made up like a bed. “I’m having a wonderful dream. You’re here.”

“Good morning.” She hurried in and kissed him. “Get up, come with me.”

“Where?”

She smiled seductively. “Trust me.”

Davie waited silently in the kitchen. It didn’t take long before Adam was by her side wearing jeans, T-shirt and sneakers.

“Come on.” She took his hand and led him outside through the kitchen door.

It was chilly, a layer of frost covered the ground. They moved quickly along the side of the building until they came to a door. Davie pulled the door open slowly to minimize the squeak of the hinges and pulled Adam inside with her.

“What is this place?” He asked.

She had pulled the door closed behind them. A small dirty glass pane above the door let in just enough light to see the small cubicle. An old wash basin hung off the wall; it had obviously not been used for a long time.

“I think it was originally meant to be a laundry room. When I was a kid it was my secret playhouse.” She put her arms around him in the tight quarters and kissed him.

“Mmm, good morning.” He held her and kissed her back. “I missed you all night.”

“I know.” She slid her hands under his T-shirt. “Show me how much.”

He nipped at her ear lobe with his teeth and caressed her through her shirt. “How did I ever manage to get so lucky to tap into all this passion you have bottled up?”

His breathing quickened when he felt the erect nub through the flannel. “No bra?” He stepped back and made a show of unbuttoning her shirt. Adam weighed her rounded breasts with his hands and bent to suckle each one in turn.

Davie ran her fingers through his hair as she held him tightly against her.

He backed her against a wall and knelt before her. He placed tiny kisses on her belly as he unsnapped her jeans to pull them down her hips and legs. Once again, he realized that she had worn no underwear and he felt his pulse racing. Kneeling before her, he tasted every part of her as she was exposed to him.

“Oh, Adam.” Davie’s breath was coming in short spurts as she felt his very intimate kisses on the inside of her thighs.

Courage of the Heart by Chelle Cordero

AMAZON B&N OMNILIT PDF


KINDLE SMASHWORDS MULTIFORMAT

Celebrate Read-an-Ebook Week with FREE books

Use the code RE100 at checkout to

get these books for FREE

during Smashwords
site-wide promotion!

(Offer good thru Mar. 12, 2011)

I have short stories in each of the following anthologies!

With Arms Wide Open (features “For Love of Family” by Chelle Cordero)

Ebook Price: $4.99 USD. 48640 words. by Vanilla Heart Publishing on June 14, 2009
Stories and poetry exploring the joy of living and loving, With Arms Wide Open… Stories and poems about taking a chance, moving past fear or apprehension, risking everything for love, finding peace, expanding a comfort zone – and other emotions and experiences that share the intimacies of living and loving With Arms Wide Open.


Passionate Hearts Anthology (features “The Meeting” by Chelle Cordero)

Vanilla Heart Publishing Anthologies and published by Vanilla Heart Publishing on Sept.1, 2010
Sixteen fabulous tales of love, passion, and romance from sixteen incredibly talented authors: Victoria Howard, Jacqueline Seewald, Chelle Cordero, Michael Bracken, Charmaine Gordon, Melinda Clayton, Marilyn Celeste Morris, Angelica Taylor, Robert Hays, Kathie Harrington, Misha Crews, Allison Wonderland, Sandy Nicks, KC Sprayberry, Smoky Trudeau Zeidel,and Billy Burgess

Nature’s Gifts Anthology (features “I Swear That Raccoon Just Knocked” by Chelle Cordero)

Ebook Price: $4.99 USD. Non-Fiction by Vanilla Heart Publishing on March 22, 2010
Our first annual Nature’s Gifts Anthology… More than twenty pieces, from haiku to villanelles, from essays to short stories, will delight nature lovers everywhere. Take a walk in a garden or hike in a national park. Reflect on the moon. Learn something new. Laugh—and cry—with our writers as they discover the beauty, the joys, and the raw power of nature.

Forever Friends (features “Not Alone” by Chelle Cordero)

Ebook Price: $6.66 USD. 88370 words. Fiction by Shelagh Watkins on February 17, 2011
This collection of stories and poems, created by members of the Published Authors Forum on the world wide web, reflects the bond of friendship between writers from all over the world. Forever Friends is a celebration of the power of friendship and human relationships. The breadth and depth of the stories cover all ages from young to old.


All of Chelle Cordero’s books
are available at 25% discount
from Smashwords

Use the code RAE25 at checkout

~~~~~~
Offer good thru Mar. 12, 2011

Love, the Second Time Around

Does being able to love again after loosing your mate mean you didn’t love well enough the first time?

I had this discussion once with a friend who said quite simply that she is so happy with her husband that if she ever lost him she couldn’t see not being married, so she probably would look to marry again and hopefully with love.

I was watching a new show the other night and there was a discussion between the two female leads, one who played the step-mother. Now widowed, the step-mother asked the daughter why she always hated her so. The daughter’s reply was “I thought my father loved my mother enough… until I saw him
with you.”

It’s an unfortunate fact that spouses rarely die together which leaves one with the task of living. Sometimes living means having a new relationship. What happens when the people around you, the ones you love like your children, have difficulty accepting that new love? What happens when you have difficulty accepting that love?

My grandmother, she should rest in peace, was married five times. My grandfather, the one she called the love of her life, left her a young widow with three children. I never knew him or the next three. Years after I was already married and a young mother she called me and wanted to talk. She had met a wonderful man that she enjoyed spending time with, but he insisted on getting married. She was afraid she would lose him if she kept saying no.

I told her that she had to decide if he was more important than the “single life” she was enjoying. She decided he was and they were married. Sam and Kay lived several very happy years together and she never regretted her decision. My sister and I, grandchildren through her daughter who was now gone, were thrilled for her and even learned to call Sam “Zeyda” which is Yiddish for grandfather.

Witnessing this beautiful romance from courtship through Zeyda’s eventual passing was a wonderful and uplifting experience. You’re never too old to fall in love – and you never lose the love you hold in your heart.
(excerpt)

“Where were you anyway?” He had tried to reach her and he had worried when he couldn’t.

“Huh?”

“A couple of the guys said you weren’t in yesterday.”

“You were checking up on me?”

“…and I couldn’t get you on your phone at home.”

“I went back home to see my dad.”

“Oh.” He grinned sheepishly. “I’m glad to hear that. I knew that the office heard about me on Tuesday. The hospital found my employee ID and called about insurance and I was real worried ’cause I hadn’t heard from you. I figured you were still really mad at me.” He stopped to catch his breath. It relieved Adam to know that she hadn’t stayed away just because she was angry at him.

“Believe me if I had known earlier, I would have been here.”

“Really?” He looked really young and boyish for a moment.

“Of course.” Davie laughed. “For some stupid reason I do care about what happens to you even though you keep on pushing me away.”

“I’m sorry. Sorry about pushing you away, but not about you caring. I like to know that you care about me.” He reached for her hand again. “So, what was the occasion for going home?”

Davie bit her lip. “The sixth anniversary of my mom’s death.”

“I’m sorry, Davie.” Adam knew from the way Davie had talked about her mom that she still took her passing very hard. “I’m glad you were able to be there with your dad.”

Davie shook her head and grimaced. “He didn’t need me.”

“Of course he did.”

“Nope. What my father needed was privacy.” She looked at Adam with a defensive smile. “I walked in on a lovers’ tryst.”

“What?”

“It seems that Daddy has a girlfriend and they’re getting married.”

“That’s great!” He saw her hurt expression. “Isn’t it?”

Davie stood up and began to pace around Adam’s bed. “I guess so. I don’t know.” Sighing, she stopped at the foot of his bed. “I guess I just have to get used to it.”

“You really are upset about this.” He frowned.

Davie returned to the chair and leaned closer to Adam. It was comfortable to talk with him. “It’s just that I never thought my father could love anybody except for my mom.”

“It doesn’t mean that he doesn’t love her.”

“That’s what Elizabeth said.” Seeing the question in Adam’s eyes, Davie added, “…my father’s fiancée. She’s a widow, too, she said they hadn’t planned to fall in love.”

“Sometimes, Davie, people fall in…are very attracted to other people and…well, sometimes they don’t even realize it themselves…and…” Adam stopped stammering and took Davie’s hand in his. “Davie, about those rumors at work…”

“Yeah?”

“We have two options. We can ignore them, or we can give them some fodder for the rumor mill, but,” he had to muster up his courage, “I would like to make them come true.” Adam suddenly knew just how important this woman had become to him.

Courage of the Heart
COURAGE OF THE HEART shows us that sometimes love is the only cure for the very deepest of emotional wounds. The story of the two lovers takes a series of unexpected and fast paced turns where lives, sanity and love are put in jeopardy. Their commitment to one another results in a spirit that binds them together and helps them to overcome physical and emotional dangers.





When Love is Not Enough

A common thread in all of my stories is trust. Sometimes there is complete lust, sexy attraction, passionate opportunities – but if the couple has a chance in hell, or heaven, they have to trust each other.
In Bartlett’s Rule Paige’s past makes it difficult for her to trust any man and nearly impossible for her to trust her own judgment. Along comes Lon whose patience and compassion teaches her she can trust. Then when events occur that put Lon in jeopardy, Paige never loses her faith in him even though she’s prevented from showing her support. Brandon deceives Caitlyn in a vain attempt to keep her safe in His Lucky Charm, instead though he almost loses her for good when his duplicity is too much for her to accept.
Adam shares his deepest secret with Davie in Courage of the Heart. While Adam trusts her enough to take the risk he is scared of her reaction, but thrilled when he receives her acceptance. In Final Sin a psychopath targets Jake and Julie when they act on their mutual attraction. Despite the torrid passion between them, they are torn apart when they lose trust in each other, it’s that trust that will, hopefully, save them both.
This theme is prevalent in all of my novels and stories whether is a passionate love affair or a close, platonic friendship –In Not Alone, a short story in the Forever Friends anthology, trust is questioned when a mutual friend dies in a car accident and when trust is regained and strengthened, the friends stand by each other.
Most of my stories involve love, many even include mind-blowing sex, but sometimes even love isn’t enough to make and keep my characters happy and bonded with each other. I believe that trust is the foundation of any worthwhile relationship.
(excerpt from A Chaunce of Riches)
“Where are you going? You’re the one who wanted to… have sex. I just want to see what you wear to bed.” He was talking in a loud whisper so that no one else in the house was disturbed.
“You weren’t drunk when I said I wanted to make love with you.” She tried to pull her hand away again but he wouldn’t let her go.
“I told you I am not drunk.” He sounded annoyed. “And I didn’t come here to have sex with you.”
She relaxed and stopped pulling away from him. “Then why are you here?”
“We need to talk.” He sat down heavily on the side of her bed and leaned back against the headboard. Ben kicked his shoes off and stretched his long legs out in front of him. He was still holding on to her.
She was annoyed that he had frightened her. “What do you want to talk about?”
Ben took her by the shoulders and turned her towards him. He squinted in the dark. Sam felt exposed under his gaze. “Is that a nightgown? How long is it?”
“To my knees.” She still wasn’t convinced of his sobriety.
He released her suddenly. “It’s not very sexy.”
“Well excuse me, I didn’t know I had to dress for company.” She sounded indignant.
“I remember when you used to wear one of my T-shirts to bed. Now that was sexy.” He told himself that her tousled hair and the simple fact that she was lying there in a bed wasn’t turning him on.
“That was a long time ago.” She painfully whispered.
He laughed. Then there was silence.
Finally Sam sighed and relaxed beside him. “What did you want to talk about?”
He looked at her in the dark. “You, me, sex, your husband, who killed him and who is trying to scare you?”
“Is that all one question?”
“Don’t be bitchy.” He sounded exasperated. “Did you love him?”
“Julian? He was a good man.”
Ben snorted. “That doesn’t sound like you loved him.”
“He’s gone.” She sounded sad. “Why do you need to ask?”
He grimaced. “Did you ever love me Sam? I know you said you did. But did you really?”
“Yes.” She still did but she knew he would never believe her.
“Then I don’t understand why you did what you did. If it were just the money… Sam, it’s not like you had a fling with the guy. You married him… you gave him a son. You lived in his world.” His words hung in the air. “And you never thought twice about me.”
He could hear her breathing in the dark. Sam was struggling not to cry.
“I can’t undo the things I did. I am so sorry I hurt you Ben.” Her voice cracked and she had to pause. “I really thought you would have found someone else and would be married by now…”
“I will never again put myself out there. I will never again trust a woman with my heart.”
“But Ben,”
“Don’t sound so surprised. That’s the lesson you taught me Sam.” He shook his head. “I never needed someone as much as I needed you when I woke up in the hospital. You have no idea what I went through.”
“Tell me.” He didn’t know how much she knew. He didn’t know that she was willing to do anything to save his life. He didn’t know that she was willing to sell herself to Julian to pay for his medical care.
“No. It was a long road. If you had cared, you would have been there.”
“So are you saying we’re stuck now? We can’t move on?” Sam turned to him. “Ben, we’re here now, together. We can be together now. Ben, you could have died but you didn’t…”
“We both could have died.” He thought she was talking about the car accident. “And you could have stayed.” He was quiet for a long time. “I wish I could forgive you, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to.”