News

El Segundo Library Book Fair

On June 7, 2010 / Dorothy Howell, El Segundo Book Fair, El Segundo Library, Eric Stone, Kelly McDowell, Paul Levine / Leave a comment

I’ve been attending events almost every weekend but this past Sunday I had the pleasure of serving on a panel at the tenth annual El Segundo Book Fair. I listened to the non-fiction panel as they presented information about their Hollywood Legend books. I learned some very interesting facts about where some of the bodies were buried. And Kelly McDowell, former mayor of El Segundo, moderated…what a hoot he is!

I had the pleasure of serving on the mystery/thriller panel with the great authors Dorothy Howell, Eric Stone, and the ever-entertaining Paul Levine. I hope the audience had as much fun as we did.

They had face painting and balloon art for the kids along with a comic book artist and storytelling. The whole event was well put together.

If you live in the area and get the chance to attend next year I think you’ll really enjoy the experience.

The Advocate’s Betrayal

On May 18, 2010 / Barnes and Noble, Galleria, Matt Pizzo, The Advocate, The Advocate's Betrayal, ZOVA books / Leave a comment

My new novel, THE ADVOCATE’S BETRAYAL, will be released June 29th! I am so excited. I had to show off my cover. Matt Pizzo designed it for me and I think he did a fabulous job.

I have a new publisher for this book, ZOVA books. ZOVA is having a contest on Facebook where they are giving away an autographed copy of my first novel, THE ADVOCATE, each week until the release of this second book. If you haven’t read THE ADVOCATE, you should enter the drawing…You have a good chance of winning. If you have read it, enter anyway. You could give the copy to a friend or relative or donate it to your local library.

My launch party will be held at the Barnes and Noble, Galleria on Tyler in Riverside, CA on July 3rd. So if you are close by, please mark your calendars.

THE ADVOCATE’S BETRAYAL is available for pre-order on Amazon.com and will soon be available on ZOVA Books.

See you at the launch!

Teresa
https://www.teresaburrell.com

Happy Mother’s Day

On May 9, 2010 / drug addiction, foster care, foster mother, Godmother, Mother's Day / 2 Comments

I’m not a mother, technically, but over the years I have received many Mother’s Day wishes from my nieces and nephews, my “de-facto” son, my students, and minor clients. I commend all of you who have given birth, but more importantly to those who have given love to the children of this world. I want to share an experience I had while practicing law at juvenile court.

My client, a little boy about eight or nine years old, was in foster care because his mother was on drugs. Although I don’t excuse his mother’s behavior, she was basically a good woman with a serious drug addiction. She made some bad choices when she was young and her child suffered because of it. But it didn’t stop the little boy from loving her just the same. When I went to visit him he told me all about both of his mothers. This is the what he said. “I have two mothers, a mother and a God-mother, the mother that born me, and the one God gave me. I love both of them.”

Teresa
https://www.teresaburrell.com

Advocating Across America–The Desert

On May 6, 2010 / Advocate's Betrayal, Connecticut, CWC, Inland Empire, Maine, Massachusetts, New England, New Hampshire, New York, Operation Desert Swap, Ridge Writers, Ridgecrest, The Advocate, Victorville / 1 Comment

Yes, I’m still in California and advocating across America…California is a big state after all. I have recently had the opportunity to speak to two branches of the CWC, one in Victorville, CA, the High Desert Branch, and the Ridge Writers in Ridgecrest. I have to say I really enjoyed both of these groups. It’s really fun speaking to other writers because they have a sense of where you are and where you’ve been. But these two groups were exceptional. They really made me feel at home and were very supportive. Actually, everyone in the desert has been wonderful (except the wind).

I will continue to speak to groups and sign in southern California until after the release of my second book, THE ADVOCATE’S BETRAYAL. Then I will head east in July to the New England states. I will be in Maine, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. If you’re in one of those states and are interested in having a speaker at an event, please let me know.

So, it’s the desert this week, Inland Empire next, and then back to the beach.

Teresa

https://www.teresaburrell.com

Girl Scouts at Book Signing

On April 12, 2010 / Barnes and Noble, Girl Scouts, literacy badge, Long Beach, The Advocate, Towne Center / Leave a comment

I’m still advocating across America, but for a while I’ll be right here in southern California. I was at a book signing at the Barnes & Noble in Towne Center, Long Beach, CA just recently, and had the great pleasure of meeting a Girl Scout troop. The manager told me they were there to earn a badge, and they wanted to meet an author. So he coordinated it with my book signing.

What a great day it was for me. I got to meet these enthusiastic young girls, eager to read, and some even interested in writing. I talked to them about my experience as an author and answered their questions. Each one had prepared a question to ask (part of earning their badge, I presume.) They were delightful and had some really intelligent and interesting questions. They spent the whole afternoon in the bookstore and were well monitored by the adults and all polite and very well behaved.

Afterward, they asked me to sign bookmarks for them. It was more fun than signing books because they were so excited.

The Girl Scouts is a really great program for children. I wanted to be a girl scout when I was a kid, but never got the opportunity. The program has some very dedicated people as I just saw with the group in Long Beach. The thing that impressed me the most, however, was that there was a badge given for literacy. How cool is that! I don’t recall Girl Scouts having a literacy badge when I was young. Go Girl Scouts!

Were you a scout when you were young? Any fun stories to tell?

Teresa

https://www.teresaburrell.com

Advocate Across America–South Carolina

On March 4, 2010 / Alexis Hart, Barbara DeShong, Marc VunKannon, NC, Nick Valentino, Sam Morton, Sarasota, Seattle, The Advocate, Thomas Riley, Tobaccoville, University of South Carolina / 3 Comments

I just returned from the South Carolina Book Festival in Columbia, SC. It was by far the best festival yet for so many reasons.

First of all, the people were just wonderful. They were friendly, easy to talk to, open, and provided just plain southern hospitality. I was impressed. It started with my train ride. I met some very interesting people on the ride from Sarasota to Columbia. I had dinner with a couple from Virginia who taught me a lot about trains. Patrick was an avid train rider and proved to be very knowledgeable about the whole train system.

On the train ride I sat next to a delightful woman, named Pamela. She was kind enough to offer me a ride to my hotel when we arrived in Columbia at 4:30 in the morning. To top that off she came to the book festival on Sunday to purchase a copy of “The Advocate.”

Second surprise of the trip was when I received a text from my friend, Sooze, who lives in Tobaccoville, NC. She sent me a message to let me know she was going coming to SC to see me. She arrived about 3:00 p.m. and we met for dinner and an evening of catching up after 21 years of separation. Sooze drove about four hours to see me and then stayed overnight so she could go to the festival the next day and get a second (that’s right, she already had one) copy of my novel. Sooze was my secretary when I first started practicing law…together we grew up. She has no idea what her visit meant to me.

Third surprise: I was standing in the booth and looked out into the aisle to see a man with a very beautiful, young blonde girl standing next to him. They seemed to be staring at me and talking about me. It took a moment before I recognized my best friend, Ron, from law school. The really unusual part about this is that he lives in Seattle, WA. He was there with his daughter who will likely be attending the University of South Carolina next fall. Ron saw that I was there by reading the information on line regarding the book festival and showed up to surprise me. And surprise me he did!

The book festival was a lot of fun. I truly enjoy working with the other Echelon authors. Everyone is so good about helping one another. This time I had the pleasure of working with Marc VunKannon, Sam Morton, Barbara DeShong, Alexis Hart, and our rising Echelon star, Nick Valentino with his debut steampunk novel, “Thomas Riley.” Click on Steampunk to see what it’s all about. I’ve posted a picture of Nick so you can get a glimpse of what he does.

South Carolina was great fun. I’ll be touring around Southern California for a while now but I can’t wait to get back on the road.

So, tell me, do any of you have a South Carolina story you’d like to share?

Teresa
https://www.teresaburrell.com

First Stop: Sarasota, Florida–Sort Of

On February 19, 2010 / Columbia, Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, Echelon Press, Florida, Sarasota, scarlet fever, South Carolina Book Festival, The Advocate / Leave a comment

I’m sitting here in a gorgeous home in Sarasota, Florida looking out at the bay and watching the birds dive into the water and the occasional boat go by. I could get used to writing from this view.

I’ve started my “Advocate Across America” tour here in Sarasota, but I say “sort of” because I’m not participating in any public events on this trip. I have one private meeting here. I plan to return later on and attend a number of events including Sarasota Woman’s Club, book clubs, and bookstores. I’ll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, I’m visiting with friends, working on the third book, and getting some much needed R&R before I move on to Columbia, South Carolina for the South Carolina Book Festival. So if you’re in the area, please come out to the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center on February 27th or 28th and stop at the Echelon Press booth and say hello. I’d love to meet you.

Since I just got here I don’t have much to report, but I’ll try to report in from South Carolina and let you know how this part of the trip went.

And if you’ve been to Florida I’d love to hear about your experience. Just comment below.

Teresa
https://www.teresaburrell.com

Advocate Across America

On February 2, 2010 / America, book club, Chicago, child abuse, library, radio interview, South Carolina Book Festival, television interview, The Advocate / 1 Comment

I finally completed my A to Z blog and it’s time to start a new one. So, I decided to “Advocate Across America.” My plan is to tour all fifty states with my novel, THE ADVOCATE, and blog as I go. As new books in the series are published, they’ll go with me as well. I know this tour will not be an easy task or be completed any time soon, but I’m up for the challenge and I’m excited about seeing my book in every state.

My plan is to have an event such as a Meet and Greet in a bookstore, or a speaking event at a service organization or library, a discussion with a book club, or a radio or television interview…whatever happens to fit into the schedule. At the same time I’m hoping to help build an awareness about child abuse in America.

This is my call to action. If you’re interested in having me speak in your city, please send me an email to teresa@teresaburrell.com. I’ll do everything I can to try and make it happen. I’ll also give notice on this blog when I schedule a city so if you’re in the area you can attend or schedule another event with your book club, bookstore, or organization.

First stop is Sarasota, FL the last week of February. Next, I’ll be in Columbia, SC on February 27th and 28th for the South Carolina Book Festival. In June, I’ll be in Chicago, IL and Bay City, MI. July, August, and September I’ll be covering quite a few states. I’ll keep you posted.

Where would you like to see THE ADVOCATE?

Teresa
https://www.teresaburrell.com

The “Z” word is Zero

On December 29, 2009 / child abuse, holidays, new year, novel, publication, resolutions, The Advocate, zero / 4 Comments

The “Z” word is zero…zero days left in 2009. That leaves only hours to complete this year’s resolutions. It’s time to dump the old list and make a new one, and be realistic this time. Then starting January 1, 2010, zero in on one major resolution at a time and make it happen!

I always make a “New Year’s Resolution” list and although I don’t accomplish everything, I manage to get a lot of it done. I even break it down into categories. I have my “physical” list, that’s what I want to do to get into shape. I have my “emotional” list, the things I want to work on to feel better about myself. I have my “financial” list, my “make life better for others” list, my “family” list, and I always have a “travel” list, stating the places I want to go. Some of these lists overlap. Before I start to make my new list I take my resolutions from the year before and look at the things I’ve accomplished and the things I have not. Then I take the things from the year before that are still important to me and put those down first, usually with some revisions, making them more realistic or giving them a higher priority.

This year one of my goals is to speak to as many groups, in as many states, as I can about child abuse. Another is to take those extra pounds off I just put on for the holidays. My novels are a big part of this year’s resolutions. I have sales numbers set for The Advocate. I have editing and publication goals for my second novel (which still needs a name). And I plan to complete the third novel in the series.

Okay, so maybe I’m a little anal about this resolution thing, but however you do it, it’s time to zero in and get started! Do you have a resolution you are particularly determined to accomplish this year?

Happy New Year!
Teresa
https://www.teresaburrell.com

The “Y” word is Yesteryear

On December 29, 2009 / brothers, family tree, grandparents, siblings, sisters, yesteryear / Leave a comment

I recently spent a wonderful couple of days with my three brothers and two of my sisters. We sat around and talked about days of “yesteryear.” I learned things about my parents that were both amazing and heartwarming, things I’d never heard before. My brothers talked about the scrapes they had been in as kids. They shared military stories, girlfriend adventures, and just everyday events at home on the farm. Some of them were pretty wild and crazy, and the details varied a little depending on who was narrating, but all were fun to hear.

My oldest brother, Don, told us how daddy would stay up at night and stir the fire in the wood stove on many long, cold winter nights. Don told us that with the first four or five siblings he didn’t know our mother was pregnant because no one talked about it. He knew she was “sick” and there would be a lot of commotion for a few days and suddenly he had a new brother or sister. Our mother was a little round and he never noticed any difference.

We not only got to hear stories about their adventures but also stories that had been passed down from our parents and grandparents. If you ever get a chance to meet with elder family members and hear stories of yesteryear, take advantage of it. What a wonderful thing to hear the tales that have been passed on from one generation to another. Do you have a family tale to tell? Please share.

Teresa
https://www.teresaburrell.com