Archive for the The Advocate Category

The “T” Word is “T”

On October 9, 2009 / Charmin, coaches, Guilty or Else, Jeff Sherratt, Teresa, The Advocate, The Brimstone Murders / 6 Comments

That’s me…just “T.” My given name was Teresa (no “h”), misspelled on my birth certificate, by the way. It was written Treasa, but later corrected (I think), but not butchered as bad as my father’s last name on his birth certificate. His last name was Johnson. Pretty simple, right? Well, it was spelled Jozsonhoz (or something like that). I researched for a long time to make sure it wasn’t a name change, but his father and grandfather were both Johnson. It was the turn of the century and my guess is some German midwife who didn’t speak English probably couldn’t spell the name.

I was born Teresa, and other than a few childhood nicknames (Sweet Pea, Trazer, Honey Girl, Tree, and #9), stayed that way throughout grade school and high school. In college I somehow became Teri. That stuck for about ten years and then faded. People that knew me back then still call me Teri. The only recent friend I have who calls me Teri is Jeff Sherratt, my mentor and author of “The Brimstone Murders” & “Guilty or Else,” and he’s such a fabulous guy he can call me whatever he wants.

When I taught school some student started calling me “Mrs. Charmin” from the toilet paper commercial…I was squeezably soft, I guess. That one stuck for a few years with the students. But mostly I was called “Coach” because I had a winning softball team for so many years.

When I practiced law, my friend Bob started calling me Teebs. It caught on with a small group of very close friends…that’s where I got the idea for “Sobs” in my novel, The Advocate.

When my nieces and nephews were little they called me Auntie T or TT. That eventually evolved into Tee or just T, which most of my family and adult friends now call me. But my all time favorite, which I mostly see written on emails, cards, and gifts, is FAT (Favorite Aunt Tee). The older I get the more I fit that one…the favorite part, of course.

Aren’t names fun? I don’t really care what my family or friends call me, as long as they do. But I don’t like to see my name misspelled, so remember I’m Teresa, no “h” or Tee (Please no “h” in that either). What interesting nicknames have you had along your path in life?

https://www.teresaburrell.com

The “S” Word–Sabre

On October 1, 2009 / attorneys, characters, child advocate, child protectie services, legal suspense, Sabre, San Diego Zoo, The Advocate / 6 Comments

Sabre (pronounced Say-bra) is the name of my main character in my SOB Legal Suspense series. SOB, Sabre Orin Brown, is an attorney in the juvenile court system in San Diego. Her first appearance is in the novel “The Advocate” where she represents a nine-year-old whose father is fighting to keep the child protective services out of his life. Sabre’s job is to protect her minor client.

What you might not know about Sabre is some of her background. She was raised Catholic, has only one sibling, Ron, who has been missing for five years, a deceased father, and some serious trust issues. She has strong beliefs in the legal system but seems to have that belief tested on a regular basis. Although she appears at ease in her expensive suits and shoes and speaking in the courtroom, she would much rather be wearing jeans and a t-shirt, and walking barefoot on the beach in the rain.

Sabre’s second adventure is in the making in another SOB Legal Suspense novel, and great surprises await her.

The name for the character Sabre came from a little girl who I met some thirteen years ago. She had so much love to give and at the time no one to give it to. She came into my heart where she will forever remain.

How has a child changed your life?
Writers, where do you get the names for your characters?

https://www.teresaburrell.com

The “P” Word is Party

On July 18, 2009 / Idaho, Kalispell, Kennebooks, Kennebunk, launch party, Montana, Orange County, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego Zoo, The Advocate / 5 Comments

Ever since I blogged the “N” word, I’ve had many questions about my launch party for THE ADVOCATE, so I’m writing a bit more about that event. It was in a “p” word…phenomenal. Everyone was so gracious and made me feel so wonderful. I couldn’t have done it, however, without the help of my family and friends. We had a barbeque (thank you, David) and book signing. The weather was too hot, but other than that, everything was perfect.

Over a hundred people attended the launch party, many of them not local. My dea

r friend, Marilee, came the furthest, all the way from Kalispell, Montana. What a treat that was. My sister, Madeline, flew in from Idaho, and my niece, Kimmie, from Washington. I had friends and relatives from San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Kern Counties. Friends arrived from all different walks and times of my life. Some were from my teaching days, others from when I attended law school and then practiced law, from my private businesses, and even from high school (now that goes way back).

The Advocate sales were over one hundred…not bad for my first. And if you missed the west coast launch and you live by that other ocean…come see me in Kennebunk, Maine at Kennebooks Bookstore on July 30th.

Thank you all for attending, for buying my book, and for making me feel like a celebrity. That part was a hoot!

Teresa

https://www.teresaburrell.com/

The “M” Word–Michigan and Other “M” States

On June 16, 2009 / California, Echelon Press, Fang Face, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Norm Cowie, Printer's Row, The Advocate / 4 Comments

I just spent five days in Michigan with my nephew Chet and his family where I received the red carpet treatment and had a pleasant, restful time–a much needed break. After a fabulous weekend in Chicago at Printer’s Row Book Festival, Chet picked me up and drove me to Bay City. Michigan was beautiful, so many shades of green (as opposed to our southern California brown hills) and lots of spring flowers still in bloom. While I was there I researched an area where one of my characters will go in my next novel. It is a sequel to The Advocate. It’s so much easier to write about an area when you’ve actually been there. I was quite surprised how different things were from the aerial maps I saw online. My highlight in Michigan was passing through Paw Paw and seeing where Norm Cowie, author of Fang Face, went to high school (great book, by the way!)

When I started to write this blog I thought about how the “M” states had played an integral part in my life. In addition to Michigan I have a connection to most of the “M” states. Growing up in Minnesota I remember jumping rope to the Mississippi diddy: M-I-crooked letter, crooked letter-I-crooked letter, crooked letter-I-hump back, hump back-I. A good part of my family lives in Montana, so many that we chose to have our “Family Onion” there last year. My very dear friends live in Maine and I have the good fortune to visit there quite often (going again the end of next month). We had our last sister trip with all five sisters in Missouri (memories that will forever be dear to me). My publisher, Echelon Press, is located in Maryland. So that only leaves Massachusetts. Although I’ve been there several times, have some nice memories of Boston, but it’s the remaining state to develop a real connection. Any suggestions? Any of you connected to the “M” states?

https://www.teresaburrell.com

The “K” Word–Kantor

On May 21, 2009 / attorneys, cologne, drawing, Sabre, The Advocate / 2 Comments

Since most of my blogs have been about me, I thought I’d give you all a break and provide a little insight into my novel. So my “k” word is “Kantor,” the cologne Sabre’s brother, Ron, always wore in The Advocate. Here is an excerpt from the book, page 25:

She opened the office door. A familiar odor caught her attention–faint, but recognizable. Her brother’s favorite cologne, Kantor. It had been years since she had experienced the smell of his cologne, unsure if they even still made it. She would check with the other attorneys on Monday to see who in the building wore the cologne. She started to dismiss it when she noticed that her brother’s photo, on the credenza behind her desk, was facing the wall. She knew she hadn’t moved the photo.

No point in trying to find the cologne, it doesn’t exist except in The Advocate, again on page 181:

As she approached the spot where the stranger had been sitting, she smelled the familiar odor of Kantor cologne. Once again her heart skipped a beat. It was the only cologne Ron ever wore. The smell grew stronger the closer she came to where the man had been seated. She peered around, but he seemed to be gone. She watched as she walked to her car, but no further evidence of him, nor the smell, presented itself. More paranoia?

I guess you’ll have to read the book to see where the smell of Kantor is coming from. If you haven’t done it already, you can click here to enter the drawing to win a free, autographed copy of The Advocate.

The “J” word–Juggle

On May 16, 2009 / cognac, Comedy Club, Elvis, juggle, juggler, jugular, Loui the XIII, Presley, Robin Williams, The Advocate / 4 Comments

Can you juggle? Years ago I learned to keep three balls in the air for a while, but I never worked at it hard enough to master it.

On the other hand, like the rest of you, I’ve been juggling things all my life. In college, I juggled schoolwork, a job, the party scene, and managed to get through it without destroying my grade point average. I juggled bills, spending money, and rides for lack of parking. I even went through a period in my life where I was pretty adept at juggling men.

And then there’s the jugular vein (which has nothing to do with the word I started with, but sounds close enough and it does start with “j”). When I was teaching sixth grade, I had a student (yes, a sixth grader—and that wasn’t half as bad as the one with the gun a couple of years later.) come at my jugular vein with a knife. I guess you don’t need to ask why I changed from teaching to law.

So, I’ve juggled many things, survived an attack to the jugular, and even dated a juggler for a few years. Most of my friends probably couldn’t tell you his name. He was simply “The Juggler.” The relationship was an adventure. You can’t imagine the places a juggler can get you into. We stayed in Elvis Presley’s Palm Springs home (long after Elvis was gone), had a shot of Louis the XIII Cognac with some producer in Hollywood (at $100 a shot—totally lost on me), and hung out with Robin Williams at the Comedy Club for hours after it had closed. The juggler, nine years younger than me, had a maturity level at least ten years less than that. But then, what did I expect? After all, I was dating a man who played with his balls for a living.

What do you have the most trouble juggling? Or the most fun?

https://www.teresaburrell.com

C Word–It’s All About the Children

On April 14, 2009 / children, curtain climbers, juvenile court, The Advocate / 3 Comments

My “C” word is children. Although, I never gave birth to any, I’ve been surrounded by them since I entered this world. I had eight brothers and sisters. I’m the baby. When you come from a clan that large you soon have oodles of nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews. I lost count around twenty years ago—at fifty plus.

When people would ask me why I didn’t have any children, I would jokingly reply, “I hate kids.” The truth is, I’ve spent my entire life working with those little “curtain climbers.” I’ve taught, represented, tutored, counseled, and coached them. I even helped raise one son who I inherited from a relationship. He’s wonderful, but I have to give his father the credit for doing such a fabulous job. He was consistent, caring, and conscious of what was going on in his child’s world. And as a result, Bobby grew up to be a well functioning member of society. In fact he’s now an attorney—ok, so he’s not perfect (and that’s the part he got from me.)

Our children are our most cherished commodity. They need our protection, our love, and our direction in this crazy cosmos. I’ve seen so much heartache and pain among those little ones with my stint at juvenile court. That’s part of the reason I wrote my novel, The Advocate. It deals with a fictional juvenile court case while it delves into some of the realities of child abuse.

Life is all about the children and the joy they bring into our lives. What have you done lately to make a child’s day special? Or what has a child done that made you smile?

A Thank You to the Protectors of our Children

On March 12, 2009 / attorneys, CASA, classroom, coaches, doctos, Echelon Press, nurses, police, social workers, teachers, The Advocate / 1 Comment

This is a thank you to all the people out there who have dedicated their lives to working with children—the teachers, the classroom aides, the doctors and nurses, the social workers, the attorneys, the judges, the police, the coaches, the CASA volunteers, the children’s charities, and anyone else who spends their time and money to help our precious “little people.”

There is nothing quite as rewarding as seeing a smile appear on a child’s face for something you have done for them. If you haven’t done anything lately to make a better life for a child, start today. You’ll be glad you did.

My novel, The Advocate, (Echelon Press, publisher) gives you a glimpse of what goes on in the juvenile court system. I’m hoping it will help to educate the masses a little on what the process is like and how much some of these children suffer. I’m in the process of setting up speaking events at non-profit functions where I can dedicate the proceeds from the novel to support organizations dedicated to child advocacy. It’s a small way to do my part.

Please add your thanks to these special people with your comments on this blog.

It’s Just Mind “Bloggling”

On February 18, 2009 / book contract, children, legal, mystery, novel, The Advocate / 6 Comments

I recently signed a book contract with Echelon Press Publishing. My legal drama, The Advocate, will be released late this summer or early fall.

Since I now have a book contract for The Advocate, I was told I should start blogging. So this is my first attempt at this incredible new communication system. This stuff still boggles, or should I say “bloggles,” my mind. But then I’m still amazed every time I fly, that those gigantic metal birds can stay up in the sky. I’m also impressed with robotic vacuum cleaners, cars that park themselves, and microwave ovens. So, you see, it doesn’t take much to impress me or “bloggle” my mind.

Once I get through this initial stage of figuring out how this all works, learn the mechanics, and get comfortable with the process, hopefully, I will come up with something intelligent or at least interesting to blog about. Meanwhile, if you want more information about my exciting new novel, The Advocate, (I keep saying the title because I just like seeing it in print.) please check out my website at https://www.teresaburrell.com.