Remembering Kat Attalla...by Jamie Hill

Kat's BWL Page

"Your candle burned out long before your legend ever did." ~ Candle in the Wind, music and lyrics by Elton John and Bernie Taupin.

Kathryn Butti Attalla died on October 26, 2015. To her friends she was Kathy, to her daughter she was Mom...and to the rest of us, she was Romance Author Kat Attalla.

Born in Englewood, New Jersey on January 15, 1957, Kathy grew up in Cresskill, New Jersey. She attended cosmetology school after graduating high school and worked as a hair stylist. At age twenty she traveled to Greece, going by herself because "it seemed like it would be an adventure". In Greece she made some new friends including an Egyptian man who she called 'her own romantic hero'. Fouad Attalla would later become her husband. They moved to Egypt so she could get to know his family but eventually moved back to the states. Their daughter Jasmin was born in New Jersey. 

When Jasmin was a baby, Fouad was writing articles for newspapers and encouraged Kathy to try her hand at writing. With his encouragement, she would go on to write and publish numerous novels.

Kathy, Fouad and Jasmin did lots of traveling to visit his family in Egypt and hers on the Jersey shore. Once Jasmin graduated from high school they moved back to Egypt, where Fouad passed away in 2008. Kathy and Jasmin eventually returned home to the Jersey shore, finally settling in North Jersey.

Jasmin was the creative artist behind several of Kat's most recent book covers, the four 'Prince' themed titles. 

On a personal note: I 'met' Kat online when she signed on with Books We Love to publish her back list and new romance titles. I can honestly say she was a joy to work with, funny, sharp as a tack and extremely talented. I love contemporary romance and romantic suspense and those were the genres she wrote. I enjoyed reading each of her books and truly loved the prince themed books more than I ever thought I would. Kat's characters are endearing. Her heroines are down to earth, spunky women. Whether her hero was a hunky detective or a spoiled prince, they drew me in and I devoured every word she wrote. 

I knew Kat was active in her local New Jersey chapter of Romance Writers of America, but it wasn't until she died that I learned how loved and respected she was among that group. Many, many people wrote on her Facebook wall telling how Kathy had encouraged them, helped them get past writer's blocks, laughed with them, cried with them, whatever it took. It was lovely seeing the outpouring from her friends.

I also enjoyed the photo on the right which I found on her FB page. It seems when Kathy went with friends (or perhaps her beloved sisters?) to a bar she was usually the designated driver, and could often be found sitting with a pen and paper, jotting down what the characters in her head were telling her.

Kat's death has hit many of us at BWL hard. She and I were close in age, and as I messaged back and forth with Jasmin to check details, I discovered how much we had in common. I also attended cosmetology school and worked as a hair stylist for several years. (Yikes, not for me.) I'm an M&M nut, and I asked Jasmin what kind of candy her mother liked. Turns out Kathy was diabetic and not supposed to eat sweets at all. She did have a thing for York Peppermint Patties (yum) and Jasmin has inherited that love. 

Two of Kathy's favorite singers were Elton John and Billy Joel. They are two of my favorites as well. I chose quotes I thought were fitting from their music to accompany this post.

Kat Attalla was diagnosed with Myelodisplastic Syndrome, which is very similar to leukemia. She was being treated by oncologists and went through chemotherapy and radiation. She succumbed to complications from a stem cell transplant which they were hoping would cure her, but Jasmin admits they all knew there were risks.

(Another personal note: I have friends whose children were diagnosed with Diamond Blackfan Anemia, and I helped organize a Bone Marrow Drive for them a year or so ago. We're still getting reports of matches from that drive. I'm a registered donor and I hope everyone reading this is, too. http://www.deletebloodcancer.org/  )

It's comforting to know that Kat was doing what she loved for as long as she was able, and that she had good friends and a loving family around her. For my part, I have a beautiful little keep box that she sent me after one of her trips to Egypt. I treasured it then and will even more so now, as a reminder of her kindness.

Kat Attalla's books will continue to be available for her fans and new readers to enjoy long into the future. Books We Love hopes to publish her final novel in 2016.

Find her Books We Love titles here: http://bookswelove.net/authors/attalla-kat/  But don't start one of her books unless you have a couple of hours to spare, because I assure you, you won't want to put it down.   

Thanks to Jasmin Attalla for help with the details of this blog post. Any errors are mine alone and all blame can be attributed to the tears on my computer monitor.

R.I.P. Kathy. You will be missed. ~ Jamie

"You've got your passion, you've got your pride, but don't you know that only fools are satisfied? Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true. When will you realize, Vienna waits for you? 

"But you know that when the truth is told, that you can get what you want or you can just get old. You're gonna kick off before you even get halfway through. When will you realize... Vienna waits for you?"  Vienna, music and lyrics by Billy Joel

Just who is Michelle Lee ...

As I mentioned in my first post about myself, (found HERE) I am a big geek and am working on my master's degree in biology.  I have also alluded in past posts about my start in the whole writing world with the erotica genre.  So to anyone who knows this about me, it should come as no surprise that when I am required to give presentations in class, and I am given a fairly free reign, my comfort zone is within a realm that is embarrassing to many others.  Which works for me, since I am a lot calmer during presentations if I am shocking the audience.  See, what many people don't know is ... lean closer ... I'm shy.  I know!  Right?  Me?  Shy?

Truly I am.  So I get really nervous when I have to present - but if I can make the audience also uncomfortable, then I actually feel less nervous.  Which leads to some, well, interesting presentations.

Case in point ... during one class, we were asked to do a presentation on the topic of Species Extinction.  Now most of my classmates picked species we will be sad to see go, which for someone who cares as much as we all do, was a fairly morose and sad class period.

To lighten things up, and because I am shy as heck and hate presenting, I picked something a little bit different.  I picked a species we would be thrilled to see go extinct.

Now, I will warn you in advance, there is a LOT of delicately put language as I attempt to take a very off-color presentation and make it general audience friendly.

So, I started off talking about how this is what we typically think of when we talk about habitat destruction and fragmentation.

This is another view of habitat destruction and the results.

Then I told them that today I wasn't going to be talking about that - about the bad habitat loss, and the evils of man caused species extinction.  Not because it isn't a serious concern, because it is.  There are so many species I could have picked, and just thinking about it is enough to make me cry.  So to get through presenting, which I hate, especially without crying, I needed to do something different.

Rather, I was going to be talking about ...

Well, to put it delicately - a habitat loss caused by hygienic attention to intimate body parts.  Although for them I had a nice, um, image.

(Pausing a moment for the laughter to die down)

After everyone got back into their seats, because some people fell out of them, we had to wait for one poor guy to have the picture I used explained to him. Since it was of a house cat with its hair removed.  Nuff said. 

:-)

Then I really started into my presentation.

The Background: Habitat Destruction

The Brazilian wax Brought to the U.S. by 7 Brazilian sisters: 

Jonice, Jocely, Janea, Joyce, Juracy, Jussara and Judeseia Padilha

Growing up in the Brazilian coastal city of Vitoria, the sisters, like other women there, routinely waxed hair from intimate areas to accommodate the ever shrinking bikinis worn on the beach.

The JSisters Salon is about a block from New York’s famous Fifth Avenue shopping strip.  The Salon opened in 1986.  In 1994 they introduced the Brazilian waxing technique.

After this, I showed a diagram of what a brazilian wax involves.  Um, I will spare you that very vivid imagery.

Regulars return approximately every four weeks, and pay $75 for a Brazilian Bikini Wax. 

Treatments range from complete hair removal to custom designs.

(Next I showed diagrams of different styles of grooming that were possible)

 Men are also getting Brazilian waxes. Some go for complete hair removal, and some also for designs.

(Had to throw in the eye candy there.)

(again I showed the possible grooming options)

Then I got into the details of it all, just why waxing is "bad".

Short and Simple: Habitat loss

WARNING: Science content ahead!

Lice of the intimate body region (Phthirus pubis) infest about 2-10% of the human population

A female louse needs to mate only once to remain fertile throughout her lifetime, and can lay eggs every day.  Think about that - it's terrifying!

Plus they are ugly little creatures.

Of course, I had to bring the science into it, and discuss lice eradication treatments.

Lice of the intimate region were usually treated with topical insecticides, Rid, Nix, and Malathione lotion.

Best treated with prescription wash containing permethrin.

From there, I moved on to the stats ...

Just How Wide-spread Is The Habitat Loss?

Greater than 80% of U.S. college students remove all or some of their, um, intimate hair.

A majority of men and woman in Australia remove all of part of their intimate hair.

In the U.K., 99% of women remove some hair, generally on their legs, pelvic area, and underarms.

The trend of the Brazilian wax (and other hair removal processes) is an alternative to pesticides in stemming one of the planet’s most contagious STDs.

Clipping, waxing, and shaving the pelvic region destroy the optimal habitat of this particular species of lice.

Intimate area "grooming has led to a severe depletion of crab louse populations.  Add to that other aspects of body hair depilation, and you can see an environmental disaster in the making for this species” says Ian Burgess, medical entomologist with Insect Research and Development Ltd.

Although the WHO doesn't have records on this species of louse, because it doesn't transmit disease, some records are kept by health care workers dealing with STDs.

2003 Study: In Australia at least 1/3 of people experience an infestation at some pt, in their life.  Since 2008 – Sydney’s main sexual health clinic hasn't seen a woman with lice of the pelvic region, and male cases have fallen 80%.

Ten years ago in the U.K. doctors started noticing a dwindling rate in cases of these lice, even as prevalence rates of other STDs increased.  

CDC has no stats for U.S. on this species of lice, because it isn't a disease causing agent.

Although this species of louse isn't a current threat, there is potential for new outbreak emergence, especially with its increasing resistance to pesticides.  Its cousin, Pediculus humanus humanus (body louse) is a vector of disease.  

"In the case of pubic lice, habitat destruction is a good thing” says Richard Russell, director of medical entomology at Sydney’s Westmead Hospital. 

Then I went to my sources slide:

Pubic Lice (Pthirus pubis): History, Biology and Treatment vs. Knowledge and Beliefs of US College Students.  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Vol. 2, pgs 592–600. 

Brazilian Bikini Waxes Make Crab Lice Endangered Species, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-13/brazilian-bikini-waxes-make-crab-lice-endangered-species-health.html

And, I ended on a comic slide, something I learned from one of my professors that I now always do.

S

So, aren't you glad you're not going to school with me?  My classmates both love - and hate - when I have to present.

I also did a talk on 50 Shades of Animal Sex: Kinky, Painful and Deadly Sexual Practices in the Animal Kingdom and another talk on The Technology of Orgasm: Hysteria and the Origin of the Vibrator.

If you're interested in seeing one of these as a future post, let me know.

As for anyone interested in my covers ... check out Stardust Creation  Come on, geek - so of course I had to go geeky with my website name. :)

Just who is Michelle Lee ...

It has been suggested to me that you might like to know a little bit more about me.  I am not sure that I agree, since I am a fairly boring person.  I am a true introvert, with a healthy dose of shy added on just for good measure.  But in a series of posts over the next little while, I am going to attempt to give you a glimpse of BWL's OZ, the woman behind the cover art curtain.

So, why do a say I am fairly boring?  Well, to give you a hint, my idea of a good time is reading scientific journal articles and books.  Now don't get me wrong, I like reading fiction books.  Love them in fact.  I am a voracious reader, and can put down 3-10 fiction books in a week, depending upon what I have going on in my life.

But I am also a bit of a geek.  Ok, so remove 'bit' and sub in 'enormous' and you have a better reflection of me.  So really, it should come as no surprise then that I have a few summer reading books that aren't fiction.

To put things into perspective for you, I am currently working on my Masters in Biology, with a focus on ecology and bird survival rates.  My undergrad is in Biology Education.  My favorite animal group are birds (Class Aves).

So now that you have some background about geeky me, you'll understand a little bit more when I share my summer reading list.

(If you have an interest in any of these books, the covers link to the books on Amazon where you can find more details out about them).

Ready?

I plan to start with TAKING WING, which examines the evolution of bird flight.  So from the first "known" bird ancestor to modern day.

But you can't look at flight itself without also considering one of the most important aspects that allows it - the FEATHER.

So next on my list is a fascinating look at FEATHERS.

After that, I am going to take a step back and look THE ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF BIRDS.

After that, it is a toss up.  I will probably read both of the following books at the same time, since one is more of a birder guide companion and the other is a textbook.

If I still have time, I plan to then get into a specific set of bird, my absolute favorite - OWLS.

In addition to OWLS OF THE WORLD, I also have several other owl books focusing on specific regions of North America.  But I figure that is about all I will get to this summer.  Ah well - there is always next year.

Now, if you like birds and have an interest in my suggestions for the best reading for an Amateur/Beginner Birders, just let me know in the comments.

What's In A Biography

By Michelle Lee
BWL Art Director

During a conversation at the RT 2013 convention, the topic of Biographies came up.  From there it got me to thinking about what makes a good biography (in my opinion anyways).

So I figured I would share my thoughts ... feel free to comment if you agree or disagree with me. : )

BIOGRAPHY DO'ES: 

1. DO write in third person.  I know, it may seem silly to write about yourself that way, but really - it just makes the biography sound better.  Just avoid the royal "we" where possible. : )

So instead of saying "I love to write ______", it should read "Michelle loves to write ________"

2. DO mention interesting things about yourself.  If you have traveled to an exotic place, especially if you found it inspirational, mention it.

3. DO share some small details.  Now I am not saying give a full run down of your entire life from birth to the present.  At the same time, readers like to feel like they are connecting with an author.  So if you love to hike, or to cross-stitch, consider mentioning it.  Just avoid going into the 'too-much-information' category. Some things are private - and should stay that way.  *wink*

4. DO have fun with it.  I love to read biographies where the author had a little bit of fun writing it.  It should never come across to the reader that you felt it was a chore to write - even if it was.

5. DO include your website URL.  I can't stress this enough!!!  The purpose of a Bio is to share a little bit about yourself with readers - but also to let them know where to find more.  It drives me nuts having to goole for an author's website, and sift through the mountain of links for their books on Amazon, Goodreads, etc.  I want to find the author's website where I can see information they provide about their books.  (Speaking of author websites - if you haven't already, check out my Top 5 DO'ES for websites post'.

BIOGRAPHY DON'TS:

This section I not so affectionately call the 'what were they thinking' tips ...

1. DON'T ever give dates in your bio.  What I meant by that is, if you have a new book in your series coming soon - don't give the exact release date for when it will be coming out.  The reason for this is two-fold.  One - delays can and do happen.  Two - it dates the biography.  If you put a date in your biography, once that date has passed - then it should be updated.  Problem with that is, most publishers don't have the time to upload a new bio for all of their authors each time a new book comes out, and you are certainly not going to want to go to all of the websites you have your bio up on and do the same.  So save yourself the headache and don't go there.

If fact, I have found that shying away from the whole mentioning of the new books coming out, how many books your have available, etc.  Again, just details that will get out of date and require the work and hassle of updating your bio at numerous websites.

2. DON'T be too specific.  Don't give too many clues as to where you live, etc.  Stalkers can and do happen.  So make sure to protect yourself with a general "mid-Missouri" or whatever.  You might have a contact address on your website - but you don't want it out there on every book, promo, review, etc. site in existence.

3. DON'T mention books released with another publisher.  This one can be tricky.  You want to mention awards and best-sellers and yet you don't want to mention books out with another publisher on another publishers website.  Because let's face it, it is a little bit rude to say "Best-selling author of ____ book, and have the bio up on a different publisher's website.  Kind of like having your prom pictures displayed at your wedding - when your spouse was not your prom date.

So how do you get around that?

There are a couple different ways.  You can go the route of "published with ____, ____, and ____".  Pitfall there is, you have to change all of your bios if you add or remove a publisher.  I speak from personal experience here when I say it is a pain and a half to deal with.

Alternatively, you can create a tweaked bio for each publisher.  To do this, you would create the generic bio you have on your website, and then for each publisher delete the details for other publishers that are not really appropriate.  Then add in small details you want to highlight.  Problem here is, then you run into issues with websites where your releases with numerous publishers.  In those cases, generally the first publisher to upload a bio is the one shown for all releases.

My personal suggestion - a generic, one size fits all bio.  And if you have a release you want to highlight, maybe consider a simple, check out my website at _____ for latest fan-favorite and best-seller information.  That way you get in the URL for your website, a mention for your best-sellers, and still keep your publisher happy.  Then on your website, you can highlight whatever you want to, without anyone's feathers being ruffled.  Plus - when you only have one bio, it is very easy to copy and paste when submitting to a different publisher.

4. DON'T write a novel length bio.  Yes, you want to give details.  Yes, you want it to be fun and engaging.  But you do not want it to take up more than a page of text.  I'd say stick under 350 words.  500 words should be the maximum.  Go for succinct.

5. DON'T stress the process.  A lot of authors I know hate three parts about writing: the proposal, the publication info (writing the blurb, filling in a cover art form, and stuff like that), and writing a bio.  Like I said before - try to have fun with it, but if nothing comes to you, go for simple.

Just telling the reader that you  started out as a neuro-surgeon and then started writing when you were forced to take a vacation in a remote cabin in the woods (while hubby was hunting, fishing, etc - or due to ulcers, stress, and so on) and were without internet and phone.  That's fine.  You fell in love with the creative process when you actually had down-time and could think.

Maybe you started writing when your husband was deployed and the kids started school.  That's cool too.

Or it could simply be a matter of you love writing, and have always done so.  You started our writing in a journal, and in high school penned your first novella as a class assignment and it all went from there.  Perfectly fine!

Remember the K.I.S.S. process.  Keep It Simple Silly ...

BIOGRAPHY EXAMPLES:

So the first thing you are probably thinking right now is, well fine Miss Opinionated - what does your bio look like?

Author Michelle Houston/ Cover Artist Michelle Lee:

Born to ride on the back of dragons, to journey among the stars in a ship traveling faster than light, or to dance the night away in the arms of a mysterious vampire, Michelle Houston willingly shares the worlds in her mind in an effort to bring them to life.

Writing everything from short and sweet stories, to hot and spicy tales of kink, from contemporary tales of erotic romance to erotica romances featuring Greek gods, vampires and were-creatures, she has crossed sexualities and has gone wherever her mental muse has guided her, a journey she has never regretted.

For her alter-ego, Michelle Lee, creating graphics is a labor of love.  As much as she may complain about creating covers for certain genres - there is a simple joy in putting a face to a story.  With her covers, she hopes to provide the wrapping for the gift an author creates.

Beyond that, Michelle has a love of the natural world around us (except for insects, spiders, snakes, scorpions, and she reserves the right to add more at any time).  She's one of those people that actually liked Biology in High School, and enjoys learning about all things science.

In other words, she is an ordinary woman with an imagination that is only held in bounds by how fast she can type.

You can find out more about Michelle Houston on her author website at: www.michellehouston.com or her graphics site at http://eroticdesign.eroticpen.net 

Now that you have seen my bio, how about some good examples from your fellow BWL authors.

These authors have (in my opinion) nice bios.  I just kept hitting random authors pages until I found a couple good examples.  So if your bio isn't here it doesn't mean anything ...

~ * ~

Jenna Byrnes could use more cabinet space and more hours in a day. She’d fill the kitchen with gadgets her husband purchases off TV and let him cook for her to his heart’s content. She’d breeze through the days adding hours of sleep, and more time for writing the hot, erotic romance she loves to read.

Jenna thinks everyone deserves a happy ending, and loves to provide as many of those as possible to her gay, lesbian and hetero characters. Her favorite quote, from a pro-gay billboard, is “Be careful who you hate. It may be someone you love.”

For the latest news, visit Jenna’s website at

http://www.jennabyrnes.com/

~ * ~

Being born in Bristol, England, Victoria Chatham grew up in an area rife with the elegance of Regency architecture. This, along with the novels of Georgette Heyer, engendered in her an abiding interest in the period with its style and manners and is one where she feels most at home.

Apart from her writing, Victoria is an avid reader of anything that catches her interest, but especially Regency romance. She also teaches introductory creative writing. Her love of horses gets her away from her computer to volunteer at Spruce Meadows, a world class equestrian centre near Calgary, Alberta, where she currently lives.

http://victoriachathamauthor.wordpress.com

www.twitter.com/@VChathamAuthor

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorVictoriaChatham

~ * ~

By day, Keira des Anges has the distinct pleasure of assisting teenagers with disabilities find employment while helping empower one life at a time. By night, she is a writer and avid reader of anything spooky, magical and totally out of this world.  

Keira is always a mother and a wife. Her children are her biggest inspirations and her husband is the rock that holds everything together while she continues writing and pursuing her dreams.

Find Keira on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KeiraDesAnges

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KeiradesAnges

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/pub/keira-des-anges/6/303/6a8/

~ * ~

Ann Herrick grew up in Connecticut, where she graduated from The Morgan School and Quinnipiac University.  She now lives in Oregon with her husband, who was her high-school sweetheart.  Their wonderful daughter is grown, married and gainfully employed, and has given Ann her only grand-dog, Puff, a bloodhound-rottweiller-beagle mix.  While she misses the East Coast, especially houses built before 1900, she enjoys the green valleys, fresh air and low humidity in the Willamette Valley of Oregon.  Ann loves cats, walking, the Oregon Ducks and working in her back yard.  In addition to stories and books for children and young adults, Ann also writes copy for humorous and conventional greeting cards. She loves to hear from her readers and can be contacted through her web site: http://annherrickauthor.com

~ * ~

Jamie Hill was born and raised in a beautiful, mid-sized town in Midwest, USA. At various times she wanted to be a veterinarian, teacher, cheerleader, TV star or a famous singer. The one thing she always wanted to be was a writer. Starting at about age ten, she penned romance as she envisioned it in one spiral notebook after another.

 When she's not working at the day job she loves, Jamie enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and watching movies (the scarier the better!) In her ‘spare time’ she can often be found writing, editing, or doing something more mundane like housework. After that, she's probably taking a nap. She loves to hear from readers, so feel free to drop her a line.

 Find more about Jamie at these places online: 

Website  ~  Facebook

~ * ~

Multi-published author Rita Karnopp knew at a very young age she wanted to be a writer – and penned her first story at age sixteen. She is drawn to the history of the Native American and strives to bring alive the authenticity of a time past.  Whether writing suspense, Indian historicals, or contemporary romance, Rita enjoys bringing excitement and the enduring power of love to her stories. 

Rita currently resides in Montana with her husband and their loveable Cockapoo named Gema. 

When she isn’t reading, writing or doing research, Rita enjoys making dream catchers, gold panning, crystal or sapphire digging, rafting, fishing, canoeing, and spending time with her children and grandchildren.

Also find Rita at:

Website: http://ritakarnopp.com

Facebook: rita.karnopp@facebook.com

LinkedIn: rita karnopp

Blog: http://mizging.blogspot.com/

Contact her at  ritakarnopp@bresnan.net

~ * ~

Born way too many years ago, in a tiny community off the west coast of Canada, Jude Mason learned to love the outdoors and anything to do with the ocean pretty much as soon as she could walk. Married, at the ripe old age of eighteen to her high school sweetheart, they live very happily, still on the coast and in a small town.

Jude loves to hear from readers so feel free to drop her a line.

Website: http://www.my-haven2001.com/

Blog: http://jude-mason.blogspot.com/

Newsletter group on Yahoo:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Jude_Masons_Newsletter/

To be added to her mailing list: jude_mason@my-haven2001.com  

~ * ~

I hope that this post has helped on the topic of BIOGRAPHIES.  I know I personally hate writing the things ...

Remember, this post is just my opinion.  Mileage may vary.  So feel free to comment if you agree (or disagree) with my take on things.