Archive for the The Advocate Category

The Advocate #3–More Tidbits

The third book in the Advocate series is moving right along. A couple of weeks ago I blogged about the storyline in the third book in The Advocate series. Since then I’ve been getting lots of questions so over the next few months I will give you a few peeks into what’s to come.

JP has to figure out what year and make this car is. It’s an essential part of his investigation. It could just be the key to solving the mystery. Do you know what it is? Can you see enough of the car to figure out the make, model, and year of the car?

And what about this 1931 Chrysler Imperial? Isn’t it a beauty? I did some research for The Advocate #3 while I was in Florida. I spent a whole day walking through an antique classic car show. There was about 1500 cars at the show all built prior to 1985. What a hoot! So many beautiful old cars all in one place.

Teresa

https://www.teresaburrell.com


Great GALS in Florida

When I talk about the great GALs of Florida, I’m not talking about the woman with the purple hat walking her white shiatsu dog clad in booties, a pink skirt, and matching sunglasses. Nor do I speak of women like Lucille Ball who was purported to own a home on Bird Key. No, I’m talking about the men and women who volunteer as child advocates for abused and neglected children. They are Guardian Ad Litems, or GALs and they spend many hours investigating the child’s life to help determine what is the best course of action for the court to take for this child.

I had the pleasure of speaking to a group of new CASA GALs (Court Appointed Special Advocates) in Sarasota, Fl a few days ago. What a delightful experience. They asked great questions and I could hear the compassion and the eagerness in their voices as they started this new chapter in their lives.

Since my book, The Advocate, deals with juvenile court, I left each volunteer with a copy as a thank you for their unselfish act. I wish I could do that for every CASA graduating class, but at least I can say thank you for all the GALs out there who are serving our children. I, for one, appreciate your hard work and dedication. And a special thanks to the 12th Judicial Circuit Guardian Ad Litem Program of Sarasota, DeSoto, and Manatee counties.

If you have any interest in becoming a Court Appointed Special Advocate there is lots of information on the CASA website. Check it out. It might be just the thing for you.

Teresa
https://www.teresaburrell.com

The Advocate’s Betrayal


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

Advocating Across America–The Desert

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

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

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


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

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

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 “W” word is Write

To write is to be whatever you want. There’s a mouthful of Ws. That is my tagline on my bookmarks, my website, and my brochures. I get many comments on it from my readers. Most just smile and say, “I like that.” Occasionally, I get asked what it means. The short answer is, “whatever you want it to be.” But I’ll explain what it means to me.

Many people write in journals, or write poems, or just doodle words on scratch paper. Journal writing helps us relive the fun times and release the bad times. Each person who experienced that day with you would write a different story. Each brings their own past to help them interpret the day. And each of us writes into the telling what our mind will let us or what we want it to be at the moment. Some people write poems and they do the same thing. You may be writing about a tree, but it’s still about you, your feelings, your perspective. And doodling…how many young men and women have written their sweetheart’s name on their notebooks? How many young women have written, “Mrs. Blah Blah,” trying on a new name, so they can be who they want.

Me, I write novels because I can create whole characters and watch them grow. In my novel “The Advocate,” my main character, Sabre, is a juvenile court attorney, just like me. But it isn’t me. Yes, I certainly have projected many of my thoughts and behaviors onto Sabre. And, yes, sometimes what she says and does is what I would do, but it isn’t me. Sabre is younger, prettier, thinner, smarter, and richer than I am. Remember, “to write is to be whatever you want.”

If you don’t write, then read…it works there too. I remember being Nancy Drew when I was ten and Scarlett O’Hara when I was sixteen.” What have you written or read that has allowed you to be someone or somewhere else?

Teresa
https://www.teresaburrell.com