Saturday, July 28, 2012

Anita Birt's Note Book

The Olympic Games are well on their way. Canada is hoping to win a few medals.  Our young athletes are full of energy and hope. In the meantime:

Through a glitch in the printing of my romantic suspense novel, Too Young To Die, instead of my story, inside the copies sent to me, the following appeared.  "1001 Legal  Words, You Need To Know." Published by Oxford University Press 2003.

I could not believe my eyes when I flipped open my book. The cover is beautiful. I have informed my publisher who is aghast and is chasing down the problem. Such islife.

I walked a kilometre this morning. Lovely sunny day but with a chilly wind. I am recovering from the radiation treatment I have had  and regaining my energy. The sound of waves lapping the shore is music to my ears. I am so lucky to live by the sea. The fog horns were blowing early this morning but the fog lifted quickly.

I must return to my creative writing lest I lose the urge.
If you feel a purchasing urge, please buy, Too Young To Die. You will eally enjoy it.

Anita
www.anitabirt.com


Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Anita Birt's Note Book

I live by the sea and the gulls are screaming outside my windows. Noisy things. Pretty barn swallows make their muddy nests in nooks and crevices of this building. Nestlings have hatched and are flitting around with their parents. Their peeping cries are joyful especially on a bright sunny day with a cloudless blue sky overhead.

Cruise ships come and go and anchor for various lengths of time.  The clip clop of horses on the road  drawing tourists in various kinds of carriages is a pleasant sound. There is a maritime regulation ordering ships leaving their  home port, i.e. Seattle,  must stop at a foreign port before continuing their voyage, that is why Victoria is the perfect stop-over for there is much to see in and around the city.,

London, England looks like an armed camp as it awaits the grand opening of the Olympic Games. Cops outside on the street carry nasty looking weapons and British soldiers from various regiments have been called in to protect the athletes and spectators.

Terrorist attacks! What have we come to that an athletic contest might end in carnage? Why the hate? Why the desire to kill and maim strangers? The horror in the movie theatre in Colorado last week was a nightmare for those who had come out to enjoy a movie.Who created the monster who  opened fire in a crowded theatre? Was compassion for others absent from his life?

It's hard to open a newspaper or listen to the television news without being immersed in mass killings. I can't imagine living in a country like Syria where a govenment is murdering its own people.

Enough.

Buy any of my books to escape into a fictional world where there are good people and some bad ones who are duly punished. Reading fiction is good for the mind and the soul. You will benefit from reading fiction. I promise.

Anita
www.anitabirt.com

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Anita Birt's Note Book

My review is up on the Darkest Before Dawn Amazon.com site. Sadly I missed a spelling mistake when I posed it. My fingers sometimes act on their own and instead of writing "hoping" I have typed "hopping." Sigh.

I really need , faithful blog readers, if such there be, to purchase copies of,  TOO YOUNG TO DIE, my romantic suspense novel.

Ring Around the Moon is finding more and more readers and A Very Difficult Man continues to be a favourite.  Isabelle's Diary and Isabelle's Story make a good pair. Enjoy them on your e-readers.

A Very Difficult Man,  Ring Around The Moon and Too Young to Die are available from my publisher, Elloar's Cave.com and many popular book stores. Wander in and buy copies. Books are comforting in e-published form or in trade paperback.

Stay well. Go for a walk if you can. Enjoy.

Anita
www.anitabirt.com

Friday, July 20, 2012

Anita Birt's Note Book

I am putting together characters for the book I am writing. Whether I can pull together a new book is a moot point. I am energized with a new project and that's a good thing.

John Peterson's book, Darkest Before Dawn, is important to me because I was there. The ship on which I was a passenger was close enough to the sinking of the Empire Heritage and Pinto to feel the explosions and the depth charges targeting U-482. For history buffs the book should find a place on your book shelves or on you e-reader.

His history of the German U-Boat campaign makes frightening reading since the U-boats ran rampant through the convoys sinking ships and killing thousands of men until the Allied forces learned how to target the U-boats.

Back to me. I have books awaiting your purchase! Make my day. I have five-books, A VERY DIFFICULT MAN, ISABELLE'S DIARY, ISABELLE'S STORY, RING AROUND THE MOON AND TOO YOUNG TO DIE.

A very Difficult Man, a historical romance, Ring Around the Moon, a time travel and Too Young to Die, a romantic suspense, are also in trade paper back. Buy from my publisher, Ellora's Cave.com or at your favorite book store. Because my publisher does not market in Canada, Canadians can purchase my books at Amazon.ca. Simple. Easy. Try it.

Anita
www.anitabirt.com




Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Anita Birt's Note Book

John Petersons's book, Darkest Before Dawn is a first class read for any of you interested in the battle of the Atlantic in the second world war. He focuses his story on the deadly threat of the U-boats launched by the Germans.The U-boats created devastation on the convoys crossing the Atlantic and lay in wait until their next victims came along

On September 8, 1944 the u-boat lay quietly beneath the convoy. During the night, the captain raised the periscope and decided to attack the Empire Heritage, a very large ship lying low in the water. I am reading the book on my Kindle and have to force myself to put it down and get to bed at a decent time!

I was there and lived to tell the tale. After the attacks on the Empire Heritage and the rescue ship, Pinto, the convoy was ordered to continue on its prescribed course; two other ships had been ordered to return to the devastation to pick up survivors.

To add a note of cheer to this blog; if you enjoy a solid romantic suspense novel. buy my book, TOO YOUNG TO DIE. I guarantee you will find it a real page turner. It's available as an e-book and in trade paperback.

I have started writing a new book, totally different from anything I have ever done before. I shall say no more until I am sure the story works - perhaps I shall keep it to myself until I finish writing the last page! At that point I shall need an agent or a thoughtful editor. That's for the future.

In the meantime what are you reading?


Anita
www.anitabirt.com

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Anita Birt's Note Book

I have ordered paperback copies of "Darkest Before Dawn," about the sinking of the Empire Heritage by a German U-boat off the coast of northern Ireland. This was the convoy on which I sailed. My small ship, The Ariguani, was rocked by the huge explosion when the torpedo struck the Empire Heritage. I was lifted up off my bunk and quickly threw on my warm clothes and grabbed my life jacket. I told my story and called it Atlantic Crossing.

 Reading about the sinking of the Empire Heritage gave me the shivers. While I was sleeping peacefully in my bunk, a torpedo was snaking its way through the north Atlantic to take down the big ship. Too close for comfort but the U-boat was looking for a big ship and The Ariguani was small and escaped destruction.

All this happened in September 1944 and I remember it clearly. I have an excellent memory and  have written a short memoir, ON BEING SIX, when my family stayed on the island of St.Vincent in the Caribbean where my brother and I had wonderful adventures.

I have three of my books available in trade paperback. My historical romance, A Very Difficult Man, a time travel, Ring Around The Moon and a romantic suspense, Too Young to Die. All five of my romance novels are e-published. All have had excellent reviews. Treat yourself to an entertaining read and buy one or two.

Anita
www.anitabirt.com

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Anita Birt's Note Book

I have ordered an interesting book on my Kindle. It's called, Soucouyant,  It's name comes from a demon of Trinidadian folk lore. The name rings a bell for me. My mother lived in Trinidad with her family and she heard all these tales as a child. She told the stories to my sister, brother and me and the story about the Soucouyant woman sticks in my head.

She was a demon who used to take her skin off at night and hide it under a bush, then she'd go about tormenting people and forcing them to pay to remove the spell she'd cast. But one night, a young man saw her take off her skin. When she was out of sight he filled a bucket with brine and soaked her skin in it, then he rinsed off the skin and placed it under the bush.

When she returned her skin had shrunk and she couldn't get it on. She went about crying "skin, skin don't you know me now...? Chant it aloud in a Trinidadian accent! My mother did when she told us the tale.

My romantic suspense, TOO YOUNG TO DIE is available in e-format or trade paperback. It's a real page turner and has had great reviews.

www.anitabirt.com

Anita


Monday, July 9, 2012

Anita Birt's Note Book

After reading in the paper recently about The Honest Toddler and his words of wisdom, I wondered if there was space in the wide, wide internet web for words of wisdom from "The Honest Old Lady," that would be me, of course. Have lived a long and interesting life. Lived in seven different countries. Had a long and happy marriage. Raised two interesting and challenging children. Had a mother who wrote adventure stories for girls. Have written five romance novels and one non-fiction book myself. 

I await a comment or two.

Change of subject. Check my publishers web site and have a look at the cover of my book, TOO YOUNG TO DIE. www.ellora's Cave.com. Easy to order with one or two clicks.

 How would you fare if you had to escape into the Cascade mountains with a three month old baby to avoid being tortured and then shot. Not a pretty picture. Buy my book and see how my heroine manages to keep herself and the baby alive.

Anita
www.anitabirt.com



Sunday, July 8, 2012

Anita Birt's Note book

I have been out of service for over a week after my computer crashed. I had technicians in to find the problem. Seems there was an obscure bit of software that had  been corrupted and caused the problem.

I have heard from my publisher to-day that my murder/mystery TOO YOUNG TO DIE is now available in print as well as in e-pub format. You can order my book directly from my publisher at www.ellora's cave.com or at Amazon.com (in Canada, Amazon.ca) Baker and Taylor, LS1/ingrams, and Barnes and Noble.


We are finally getting summer weather here on Vancouver Island after a miserable cold, rainy spring. There is always a bit of a chilly wind blowing because we are by the sea. We don';t get that awful sticky hot weather covering parts of the United States. I hope that soon gives way to clement weather.

About writing. I have finished my memoir, ON BEING SIX and it's ready to go to my family. If you'd like to read it, send me a comment at the end of this note. It all happened in 1929, a life time ago, but still fresh in my memory.

Life goes on apace. I am still mulling through a ghost story that takes place in a senior's residence. I shall keep my creative juices flowing and suddenly the first page will appear to start my book. A first line will also do the trick. I started one of my romance novels with these words: "Of course you will consent to marry me."
I am sitting on that book waiting until feel ready to do more editing. Various health problems have slowed me down.

Anita
www.anitabirt.com