in this issue In the News & More Mother's Day Trivia Book Reviews For Aspiring writers For Screenwriters For Authors Book of the Month In the News & More Amid Dire Predictions Newspapers Show Relative Stability -- A day after an influential investor suggested it's a dying medium, the newspaper industry unveiled results of a semi-annual tracking study showing relatively stable circulation trends. The largest U.S. newspapers recorded modest gains, while circulation for the overall industry was essentially flat over the past six months, according to figures released Monday by the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Simmons Hispanic Study: Spanish-Speakers Prefer TV Ads In - What Else - Spanish -- Marketers keen to lure viewers not yet jaded by television advertising should set their sights on the Spanish- language audience--who are not only more receptive to TV commercials than the rest of the population, but also have a more positive overall impression of advertising CELEBRITY GOSSIP Orlando Bloom got a nasty scare as he was spirited off the set of his latest film set in Morocco following an explosion. Fears that terrorists had detonated a bomb on the set of "Kingdom of Heaven," were quickly dispelled when it was discovered that the blast happened when some flammable liquid in some bottles ignited in a storage area. What the hell-evator's going on? Ashley (don't you dare call her "Olsen Twin") Olsen got trapped in a lift while visiting a pal's West Hollywood pad after unwittingly pushing the "EMERGENCY STOP" button! Then, instead of hitting "ALARM," Ashley panicked and cell-phoned her bodyguard, who was waiting on the street. Mr. Muscle rushed in and was dialing 911 when the building's maintenance guy ambled by and fixed everything. Shaken Ashley kissed him on the cheek and called him, "My hero!" Michael got a taste of bad phone while chatting with sis Janet as she took a potty break just before hosting "Saturday Night Live." She was talking to him on her cell phone when it slipped from her hand into the toilet -- which automatically flushed, sending Big Bro into the New York City sewer system. "Oh my God," Janet screamed, "I just flushed Michael down the toilet!" And that's where she left him as she rushed onstage for her live gig. Things got hairy for Halle Berry, who had a nasty reaction to hair extensions glued to her scalp for the flick "Nappily Ever After." Unable to bear severe itching, she had hairdressers remove the troublesome tresses for new ones. But just days later, the replacement locks started slippin' and slidin' -- so she begged producers to let her slide with her natural-born hair. The unsympathetic moguls told Halle: SUCK IT UP! . PUBLISHING NEWS Fountain Press New Release: The Most Recent Study on the Second Part of the Book of Isaiah is Now Available Our Incomparable God. A Commentary on Isaiah 40-55 by Barry L. Ross Paperback; 168pp ISBN: 81-88784-00-1 This book is the latest and most up to date commentary on the second part of the book of Isaiah known as the Babylonian Isaiah or Deutero Isaiah. A scholarly but lucid exposition of the sixteen chapters which, Ross calls the Gospel of Isaiah. A very useful study tool for students of the Bible as well as a wealth of preaching material for pastors and teachers as Ross relates each passage to our times. In this book the prophet Isaiah becomes our contemporary! When you buy a copy you are making two affordable to poorer Christians in the third world! Echelon Press is pleased to announce that due to an overwhelming number of requests, the voting for the 2004 Perfect Hero has commenced...early! The photos are up, the buttons are live, and the men are ready to win your hearts! So click on over to and cast your votes! All new photographs have been added to Ed Scott's website. Make sure to check it out! Medicine Bow Gallery - Finally, RomTom's Comporting Roadwise - ISBN 0-9753341-0-7 is for sale on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. Stop by and check out this wonderful autobiography that takes you into the past of political upheaval. MOVIE REVIEWS Godsend - 2 out of 5 points In the tradition of "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Others," this taut and gripping thriller tells the story of devoted parents who are willing to do anything to resurrect their beloved son who was tragically killed in a freak accident. "Godsend" stars Academy Award winner Robert De Niro, Academy-Award nominee Greg Kinnear, and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos. The experiment is successful and under Richard's watchful eye, Adam grows into a healthy and happy young boy, until his 8th birthday. What starts off as an interesting premise with a good cast quickly becomes stale, as the narrative of "Godsend" is so bad that people were laughing at scenes that were supposed to be tense and gripping. The resolution to the story never arrives and the explanations are so ham-fisted that they will have you rolling your eyes in disbelief. Mean Girls - 4 out of 5 points Raised in African bush country by her zoologist parents, Cady Heron (Lohan) thinks she knows about "survival of the fittest." But the law of the jungle takes on a whole new meaning when the home-schooled 15-year-old enters public high school for the first time and falls prety to the psychological warfare and unwritten social rules that teenage girls face today. The romance is more of a background motivator than hot and steamy, but it is a sweet one. Surprisingly, the movie gives the audience credit for having a brain and does make the best teen comedy in years, and certainly the best SNL movie since Tommy Boy. Faint praise? Like, totally. Laws of Attraction - 1 out of 5 points In this modern take on the classic screwball comedy, Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore star as divorce attorneys who suffer from one of those old Hollywood predicaments--opposites attract. You can't really blame Moore and Brosnan for the comedic mediocrity that is Laws of Attraction, when they're working under a director whose only way of jump-starting the plot is to get his characters drunk so they'll loosen up--which, if you read AA literature, might make them official alcoholics. Comedy? More like tragedy. FOR AUTOGRAPH SEEKERS Selma Blair The Deal c/o Deal Street Productions Inc #1 - 2285 Clark Drive Vancouver, BC V5N 3G9 Canada "filming ends: May 14/04" Sean Penn 'The Interpreter' Interpreter Productions LLC 1 Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, 16th Floor New York, NY 10017-2201 "filming ends: 28 May 2004" Luke Perry 'When Harry Met Sally' Haymarket Theatre Royal Haymarket London, SW1Y 4HT United Kingdom "Play ends: May 29th 2004. Also stars Alyson Hannigan." Heath Ledger c/o Lords Of Dogtown Columbia Pictures 10202 Washington Blvd. #300 Culver City,CA 90232 "'Filming began April 2nd, 2004'" Ja Rule 'Assault On Precinct 13' c/o Why Not Prods. 30 Booth St., Ste. 200 Toronto, ON M4M 2M2 Canada "Filming Started 4 April 2004" **** We appreciate and hope you continue to send us your comments, opinions, articles and suggestions. Remember if you submit anything to our newsletter - include a link back to your site. Betsie's Literary Page is where readers are respected, books are cherished, aspiring writers are encouraged and authors are adored. Copyright by Betsie, 2004 All contents of this email are for the use of Betsie's Literary Page subscribers and may not be reproduced in any way and/or posted on websites without prior express written permission. If you would like to have friends or associates receive our emails, rather than forwarding this, please have them subscribe. Thank You for reading, see you next week!

GreetingsEveryone! As authors, we often we receive letters, some detailing how much they liked our book, others, how much they hated it. But it's often that one email that stands out to put a smile on your face. Here's one I'd like to share with you: Hello, We talked about your book at our last monthly meeting with Department of Social Services caseworkers in SC. One of the members had a copy of your book and encouraged all of us to buy one and read it. Debra M. (Debbi) Fetner, EdD - Associate Director, Center for Student Learning It goes on to say that she purchased a copy, without a doubt this one not only put a smile on my face but sent me up to cloud nine ^_^ Mother's Day Trivia    The youngest mother whose history is authenticated is Lina Medina, who delivered a 6½-pound boy by cesarean section in Lima, Peru in 1939, at an age of 5 years and 7 months. The child was raised as her brother and only discovered that Lina was his mother when he was 10. On April 9, 2003, Satyabhama Mahapatra, a 65-year- old retired schoolteacher in India, became the world's oldest mother when she gave birth to a baby boy. Satyabhama and her husband had been married 50 years, but this is their first child. The baby was conceived through artificial insemination using eggs from the woman's 26-year-old niece, , and the sperm of the niece's husband. Bobbie McCaughey is the mother who holds the record for the most surviving children from a single birth. She gave birth to the first set of surviving septuplets - four boys and three girls -on November 19, 1997, at the University Hospital, Iowa. Conceived by in vitro fertilization, the babies were delivered after 31 weeks by caesarean in the space of 16 minutes. Jayne Bleackley is the mother who holds the record for the shortest interval between two children born in separate confinements. She gave birth to Joseph Robert on September 3, 1999, and Annie Jessica Joyce on March 30, 2000. The babies were born 208 days apart. Elizabeth Ann Buttle is the mother who holds the record for the longest interval between the birth of two children. She gave birth to Belinda on May 19,1956 and Joseph on November 20, 1997. The babies were born 41 years 185 days apart. The mother was 60 years old when her son Joseph was born. The highest officially recorded number of children born to one mother is 69, to the first wife of Feodor Vassilyev (1707-1782) of Shuya, Russia. Between 1725 and 1765, in a total of 27 confinements, she gave birth to 16 pairs of twins, seven sets of triplets, and four sets of quadruplets. 67 of them survived infancy. The modern world record for giving birth is held by Leontina Albina from San Antonio, Chile. Leontina claims to be the mother of 64 children, of which only 55 of them are documented. She is listed in the 1999 Guinness World Records but dropped from later editions. And you thought your two kids at home were a challenge. Book Reviews    Title: Hidden Legacy Author: Margaret Hodapp Publisher: PublishAmerica; (November 2003) Genre: Historical Romance ISBN: 1413711545 Paperback; 192pp ISBN: 1413711545 $19.95 Rating: Highly Recommended May 2, 2004 From Ireland to Virginia, rags to riches, riddles and romance Tessa is married to Sean O'Donnell, an abusive man by nature, who one night becomes stinking drunk and is killed by thieves leaving Tessa to make a new life for herself. Sean's brother had given him a one-way ticket to America prior to his death. Tessa takes her chance and the ticket then boards the ship. Here she meets and befriends Melissa Duncan, a wealthy woman who suffers from TB. Melissa readily shares her stately room with Tessa, as well as other information regarding her family. Having worsened, upon their arrival to the Americas, Melissa dies. Tessa then assumes Melissa's identity and heads for Uncle George's estate. But Tessa soon discovers Melissa's uncle has passed away just prior to their arrival, as well as the neighbor, Sarah, who had been caring for Uncle George. Tessa having moved into the estate in need of groceries and money goes to work for the town grocer. Meanwhile Sarah's husband who had been scheming and plotting in order to obtain rights to the estate, sets out to prove Tessa is a fake and hopefully gain control of the property. Amazingly enough, Sarah suddenly reappears giving Tessa a series of clues to claim her inheritance. Will Tessa find what she needs before the estate is auctioned off? Hidden Legacy is well written, and contains humor, suspense, drama, and romance all wrapped into one dramatic story. The book is a rags to riches tale with a smooth flow, not dragging the heart of the book. Nice twists and believable characters help keep the story interesting. Hidden Legacy is an enjoyable and easy to read novel that is great for readers sixteen and up. Reviewed by Sherry Kruegel You can read the interview with Margaret Hodapp here Title: Necklace of Warm Snow Author: Brenda Hall Publisher: Publish America; (November 2003) ISBN: 1413704298 Paperback: 177 pp $19.95 Rating: Recommended May 6, 2004 During the 1942 Paris round-up of Jews, Lena is separated from her family and forced into hiding. It's there in the rural French countryside that she meets and falls in love with Alistair, a British secret agent. At the conclusion of his mission Alistair leaves Lena behind thinking she will be safe. Years after the war, Alistair, trapped in a loveless marriage returns to France searching for his lost love. Instead he finds more intrigue and is murdered. Alistair's daughter, Hillary, is determined to find out the truth behind her father's murder. As a result of her parent's battleground of a marriage, Hillary lived with the feeling of loneliness throughout her childhood. It was only before Alistair's trip to France that she began to feel her father's love. Solving Alistair's murder, Hillary finally discovers what she was missing in her life. Two stories weaved into one, Necklace of Warm Snow has it all...love, espionage and murder. Ms. Hall's duel storyline takes the reader through the looking glass of time and history with well written and heart warming scenes. Reviewed by: Susan Weekley Title: Pillar's Fall Author: Ben Eden Publisher: Publish America; (July 2003) ISBN: 1413700241 Paperback: 245pp $19.95 Rating: Highly Recommended May 6, 2004 One brief moment was all it took to change Detective Thomas Pillar's life forever. Faced with a decision between the death of many versus the death of one, a child, Pillar chooses the death of one. Months after that fateful day Pillar is attempting to make sense of his life and what is happening around him. Confronted with a series of brutal murders he realizes he is now facing a demonic prophecy that leaves him with the burden of saving the life of a second child. Pillar's story is one that will keep the reader turning pages and sleeping with the light on! Ben Eden has taken the classic plot of good and evil and delivered a truly unique tale. Can't wait for the next installment of this thrilling series! Reviewed by: Susan Weekley Here are a few interviews recently posted, please visit to learn more about these intrigiuing authors: The Dark Princess: Donna J. Schmidt Seriously Dark and Disturbed: Nora Weston The Piaculum: Richard C.Gray For comments or questions about reviews - please direct them to: betsiesbooks-books@yahoo.com For Aspiring writers    TRIGGERING THE SHADOW Usually our opposite qualities flare up because they're triggered by something. We can trigger or "hook" someone's shadow by reminding them of something embarrassing, shameful, or destructive from their past. As a result, that person might lash out with anger or become depressed. Sometimes our shadows pop out because we're in a relationship with our opposite. His or her dominant traits help bring out our less-developed and hidden side. In most cases, someone's shadow gets hooked by actions or traits that are dramatically opposed to his or her value system. Suppose that your father is a devout Catholic. He sits i the front pew every Sunday. He's the local priest's best friend. He insisted you go to Catholic school. If you convert to a different religion, you can be sure that your action will hook his shadow. The shadow's response can manifest itself in any number of ways - anger, cattiness, rejection. It can cause one to be disinherited or kept at the fringes of the family or the fringes of society. Sometimes this response can be volatile, unexepected, and dramatic. These responses make good drama, because they raise the pitch of your story. You undoubtedly have some shadow experiences in your background. We all do. However, you may find that writing about such an experience is too personal and difficult. If so, write it out, tear it up, write it out again, and tear it up again until you can achieve some level of acceptance of the experience. For Screenwriters    SETUP Everything is related in a screenplay, so it becomes essential to introduce your story components from the beginning. You've got ten pages to grab or hook your reader, so you've got to setup your story immediately. That means page one, word one. The reader must know what's going on immediately. Tricks or gimmicks don't work. You've got to setup the story information in a visual way. The reader must know who the main character is, what the dramatic premise is, that is, what it's about, and the dramatic situation - the circumstances surrounding the action. There is no better illustration of this than Robert Towne's screenplay of Chinatown. Read it, study it then use these simple techniques. - The upcoming Nashville Screenwriting Conference - Producer Karen Murphy (A Mighty Wind, Best In Show) and screenwriter Les Bohem (The Alamo) discuss one of the most unique screenwriting events outside of Hollywood. http://www.scriptjournal.com/newsletter.htm SCREENPLAYS WANTED -------- 1) Kyskeya Films -------- I am looking for a completed provocative drama script; lead role MUST be a young adult male (age 16-20, he cannot be older than 21). Budget range will not exceed 1 mil. WG and non-WG both welcome to submit. My credits can be found on IMDB.com Please email a logline followed by a synopsis (no email attachments will be read) to: Benjamin Louis at Ben@Kyskeya.com For Authors    For book/interview submissions: Nature Friend is a monthly magazine covering nature. Their topics include how-to stories about nature and scientific experiments, photo features, articles about interesting and unusual animals. The contact is Marvin Wengerd, the editor, at the magazine, 2673 TR 421, Sugarcreek, OH 44681, (330) 852-1900; Fax: (330) 852-3285. Gourmet Magazine plans to devote more space to subjects that are food related, but are not solely tied to restaurants, recipes and places to travel. They will be doing more stories in the future about the design of kitchens, and the social aspects of the production of food. They are interested in newsy information, and wants the information by mail or E-mail. Suggestions can go to Jocelyn Zuckerman, senior features editor, Gourmet Magazine, 4 Times Sq., New York, NY 10036, (212) 286-4568; Fax: (212) 286-2672; E-mail: jocelyn_zuckerman@gourmet.com. The Magazine for Couples is a new publication which concentrates on the lifestyles of couples. They have features on celebrity couples, films, food, sports, oddity (strange laws about sex around the world), parenting, sex, news, food and drink. The publication just made its debut this Spring, and plans to publish four times a year: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. The editorial contact is Neil Morton, who is the editor-in-chief, at 2:The Magazine for Couples, 145 Front St., E., Ste. 207, Toronto, ON MSA 1E3, (416) 469-1429; Fax: (416) 469-9616. You can E-mail them at: neil@2magazine.com. Check out their Web Site: www2magazine.com. Regine is a quarterly magazine for the affluent, ambitious, and philanthropic people who make up the minority communities in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Edited by Regine Lopez-Piere, the publication is a lifestyle magazine celebrating the achievements and charitable work of the affluent African-Americans and Hispanics in the tri-state area. The publication seeks to entertain and engage its readers on the issues of race, gender, class, and the good, bad and ugly in life. Suggestions for the magazine can go to Lopez-Pierre, or to DuEwa M. Frazier, book editor; Tinnycua Williams, their restaurant editor. Thomas Lopez-Pierre is the publisher/CEO. They are reached at PO Box 1930, New York, NY 10025, (212) 961-9371. E-mail them at RegineMagazine@aol.com. Their Web Site: www.RegineMagazine.com, is being constructed. Paying Magazines - get paid for your article! ACCENT on Living Email Address: acntlvng@aol.com Editor: Betty Garee Critiques rejected manuscripts: Occasionally Rights: Buys one-time rights unless otherwise specified. Looking for: Non-Fiction: Length requirements: Short, tightly written. 250 to 1,000 words, typed double-spaced. May be submitted on hard copy or via 3.5" floppy disk using DOS text, WordPerfect or QuarkXpress formats. African American Review URL: http://web.indstate.edu/artsci/AAR Email Address: asaarev@amber.indstate.edu Editor: Joe Weixlmann Critiques rejected manuscripts: Occasionally Rights: One-time publication rights Looking for: Fiction and Poetry. Open. Please keep in mind we are an academic journal Length requirements: Poets: no more than six poems at a time; provide return postage or unused work will not be returned Fiction writers: 2,500-5,000 words preferred; provide return postage or unused work will not be returned Bible Advocate URL: http://www.denver.net/~baonline Email Address: cofgsd@denver.net Editors: Calvin Burrell, editor; Sherri Langton, associate editor Critiques rejected manuscripts: Occasionally Rights: first, reprint, one-time, simultaneous Looking for:Poetry and Nonfiction. Length requirements: 1500-1800 words GALAXY URL: http://www.intouch.bc.ca/pub/galaxy Email Address: galaxy@intouch.bc.ca Editor: Matthew Forbes Critiques rejected manuscripts: Occasionally Rights: one-time rights Looking for:Fiction, Poetry, Plays, Screenplays and Literary. Nonfiction: GALAXY is looking for writing that describes the moment when things come together. GALAXY accepts submissions in the form of fiction, non-fiction, travel writing, poetry, reviews, etc. The writing must evoke an image in the readers mind, and an "ah yes, I get it." Length requirements: 1200 word maximum 4 to 5 poems per submission Book of the Month    BLP proudly announces its selection for BOOK OF THE MONTH: Upon the Shoulders of Vengeance: The Journey to Armageddon by James McCann I recommend that you pick up a copy and take your own personal journey into these pages. This book is indeed a work of art, inside and out! Purchase a copy today!

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