Meet Diane Chamberlain

She was an insatiable reader as a child, and that fact, combined with a vivid imagination, inspired her to write. She penned a few truly terrible "novellas" at age twelve, then put fiction aside for many years as she pursued her education.
She grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey and spent her summers at the Jersey Shore, two settings that have found their way into her novels.

In high school, her favorite authors were the unlikely combination of Victoria Holt and Sinclair Lewis. She loved Holt's flair for romantic suspense and Lewis's character studies as well as his exploration of social values, and both those authors influenced the writer she is today.

She attended Glassboro State College in New Jersey as a special education major before moving to San Diego, where she received both her bachelor's and master's degrees in social work from San Diego State University. After graduating, she worked in a couple of youth counseling agencies and then focused on medical social work, which she adored. She worked at Sharp Hospital in San Diego and Children's Hospital in Washington, D.C. before opening a private psychotherapy practice in Alexandria, Virginia, specializing in adolescents. She reluctantly closed her practice in 1992 when she realized that she could no longer split her time between two careers and be effective at both of them.

It was while she was working in San Diego that she started writing. She had a story in her mind since she was a young adolescent about a group of people living together at the Jersey Shore. While waiting for a doctor's appointment one day, she pulled out a pen and pad and began putting that story on paper. Once she started, she couldn't stop. She took a class in fiction writing, but for the most part, she "learned by doing." That story, PRIVATE RELATIONS, took her four years to complete. She sold it in 1986, but it wasn't published until 1989 (three very long years!), when it earned her the RITA award for Best Single Title Contemporary Novel. Except for a brief stint writing for daytime TV (One Life to Live) and a few miscellaneous articles for newspapers and magazines, she has focused her efforts on book-length fiction and she is currently working on her nineteenth novel.

Her stories are often filled with mystery and suspense, and–she hopes–they also tug at the emotions. Relationships – between men and women, parents and children, sisters and brothers – are always the primary focus of her books. She can't think of anything more fascinating than the way people struggle with life's trials and tribulations, both together and alone.

In the mid-nineties, she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, a challenging disease to live with. Although her RA is under good control with medication and she can usually type for many hours a day, she sometimes rely on voice recognition technology to get words on paper. She is very grateful to the inventor of that software! She lived in Northern Virginia until the summer of 2005, when she moved to North Carolina, the state that inspired so many of her stories and where she lives with her significant other, photographer John Pagliuca. She has three grown stepdaughters, three sons-in-law, three grandbabies, and two shelties named Keeper and Jet.

For her, the real joy of writing is having the opportunity to touch readers with her words. She hopes that her stories move you in some way and give you hours of enjoyable reading.

You can read more about Diane and her work at her website:
http://www.dianechamberlain.com

Advertising versus Public Relations

Book marketing brings about many important and sometimes difficult choices for an author. Send a press release? Wait for an interview on a local TV show or create your own TV commercial? These questions boil down to two processes every marketer should know like the back of his or her hand: advertising and public relations (PR). Although many believe these words mean the same thing, in truth they are as different as night and day. Understanding what makes them different is the key to successful book marketing.

Before detailing the differences between advertising and PR, we’ll give an overview of what the words mean. Advertising is the paid use of a controlled medium to persuade an audience to purchase a product. It can be a TV commercial, a pop-up ad on the Internet, a paid advertisement spot on a radio show, or a product placement in a movie. Public relations manages the relationship between a brand—or book—and its target audience. Often, PR can result in newspaper reviews, radio and TV interviews, or magazines articles. Public relations and advertising are both important to any marketing plan.

Total Control vs. Limited Control
Advertising is often attractive because it gives total control to you, the marketer. You can decide what it says, who says it, and how it looks. It is guaranteed that your public will see nothing negative about your book in your advertisement. PR doesn’t provide that luxury. PR involves a third party publicizing your book as they see fit. They can give a poor review or mention you in a poor light if they choose to do so.

More importantly, in PR, you cannot choose when and if your book is publicized. Media will mention it when they wish. You can help this process along by writing a good press release and building a good relationship with local media, but the choice is ultimately up to them. However, advertising provides publicity whenever you want it.

Expensive vs. Cost-effective
As advertising provides ultimate control, it also provides an ultimate price-tag. TV commercials can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Space in a newspaper or magazine doesn’t come cheap, either. However, paying a hefty price for complete control of an advertisement is a trade many marketers are willing to take.

Public relations is a reliable alternative to advertising expenses. As the third party decides whether or not to promote your product, the publicity is free for you. The old quote, “Advertising you pay for, PR you pray for,” clearly rings true.

Skepticism vs. Credibility
Newspaper readers, blog followers, morning news watchers, and radio listeners alike have developed a trust to the media that give them their daily information. Blogs and news shows that are trusted by their readers and audiences can provide a platform for publicity unlike anything that can be offered in advertising.

In today’s world, advertisements are sometimes seen as annoyances. Most people know when they are being exposed to advertisements. As a society, we have become accustomed to being advertised to, and, as a result, we pay little attention to some advertising media. Still, advertisements still have the ability to capture our attention, inform us, and persuade us, as long as they are targeted correctly.

Audience vs. Editor
Successful advertising is targeted at the people who need or want your product the most. The reader must always be kept in mind. If you are marketing a children’s book, think about advertising to families and children. Do your best to match that in the advertisement.

When getting materials together for a PR media campaign, you must consider the editors and producers. These are the gate-keepers; they decide who to publicize and who not to publicize. Often, the publicity of your book relies on a “hook.” Why would your book be important to their audience? They may be interested if your book is about a local landmark, relates to an upcoming holiday, or features a local hero. Your press release can convince them that your book is worth mentioning on their program.

Have you ever heard about Catamenial- Pneumothorax

Author and poet Vanessa Richardson shares her testimony about being diagnosed with a rare disease, Catamenial Pneumothorax. Resources are included after the article.

The year: 1999 – Age: 24 – Am I forsaken?

“Ms. Richardson?”

My name being hailed pulled me from my quiet appraisal of the handsome soap opera star I was watching on the small television in the waiting room.

Standing I approached the X-ray technician and my heart plummeted. In his eyes was that of concern. I recognized the “look” as I often time gave them, when offering comfort to someone in pain.


“Hi. Ms. Richardson?” The technician queried.

I offered a weak nod. I was tired and just wanted to sleep for years. The technician concerned eyes hastily scanning my face should have been an indicator that something was amiss.

“Have you been in a car accident recently?” he softly questioned.

I was shocked by the question. “No. I have not.” I breathlessly replied. Not impart to fear, however. It was a strange occurrence; as of late, I had been experiencing chest pains and could hardly breathe. Talking had become a chore for me and I was exhausted all the time. All these symptoms prompted my emergency room interview with the hospital technician.

“Ms. Richardson you have a collapsed lung.”

Reeling from the announcement, I slumped against the wall in disbelief. I was certain I had misheard him.

“Your right lung is down 100% and it is covering your heart. You must be admitted.”

A bevy of nurses ushered me to a bed. I was given a hospital gown. I was given an IV and was placed on oxygen. All the while, I was in a state of shock and disbelief. I had never been hospitalized in my life. I had a collapsed lung! I was overwhelmed with myriad of questions. How did this happen? Am I going to die? What was the procedure to curing a collapse lung?

I was not in an accident. I do not spoke and I was not heavy into sports. These were all the entities associated with a collapse lung. I was diagnosed with a Spontaneous Pnuemothorax. This is when the lung collapses with no apparent reason. The treatment was a chest tube insertion. My hospital stay was seven days. I would like to say this is where my story ends. However, it was only the beginning. From 1999 to 2005, I’ve had a total of ten chest tubes and a major lung surgery.

My diagnoses changed spontaneous pnuemothorax to that of catamenial pneumothorax. This condition is difficult to diagnose as it is so rare here in America.
What is Catamenial Pneumothorax?

This is when a woman has her menstrual cycle and her lung collapses with in 42-72 hours. About 2%-5% of women suffer from this health issue. Here is when I had to step out on faith. My last recourse was that of a hysterectomy. I was single and had never had children. I felt alone and forsaken. Is it true that good guys finish last? I have no choice in the matter. Should I give up in the face of this great travesty?

The Year 2009 – Age: 35
The Certain Ones: You’re not forsaken. You’re Chosen for Purpose.

At an early age I had made a vow to God to refrain from premarital sex until marriage. I journaled from age 16 until present day. I wrote of how I wanted to one day get married and have kids. So this setback threw me for a loop. Yes, I wanted to have children but I also wanted to be healthy. I was tired of the pain. It seemed I slept and awoke with pain. What was I to do?

Here is my testimony. I did have the hysterectomy. I suffered a loss and dealt with it. The road was not easy for me as I dealt with the issue of infertility. I realized I had a purpose. God’s purpose for me: To encourage women who are experiencing sicknesses and/or infertility. I was tried and emerged dignified. My lesson learned: Happiness is a choice that we make. I decided that I wanted to be happy; so I pursued it. My journey has not been an easy one but I made it. I have written a non-fiction book titled The Certain Ones. The certain ones will find the hidden doors leading to happiness and success. Although I may not be able to physically conceive a child it does not mean I can never be a mother. There are other options. God plans for me were different, yet wonderfully perfect. God knows my name and He knows yours, too!

Resources about Catamenial Pneumothorax

www.catamenial-pneumothorax.com/id15.htm
stanford.wellsphere.com/wellmix360/catam...
Catamenial Support Group – www.experienceproject.com/groups/Have-Ca...