Ask The Author...Who ME?

Recently I started a delightful email correspondence with a “newbie” fantasy writer, who asked me some questions about being “a professional writer.” I was thrilled at the chance to respond, and some of my answers to her questions turned out to be as enlightening for me as I hope they were for her. I thought I’d share a few and see if they give you any insight to your own and other writers’ processes.

1) Do you outline your story first or just write freely?
This is also known as being a plotter or a pantser (writing by the seat of your pants). I've always been a pantser. Write where ever the story and characters take me, never know what's coming next. Wrote myself into a lot of dead ends and corners that way! But lately I've been trying to reform. WHY? Because in order to survive as a published author (at least until you become as popular as Nora Roberts and could sell your grocery list), you have to do something called sell on proposal. What's a proposal? Approximately the first 3 chapters of the book and an outline or synopsis of the rest of the story. Can't exactly do that if you don't plan a bit of the story ahead of time! So far this has been very difficult for me.

2)How long does it usually take for you to complete your story?
All three of my romantic suspense novels have taken me about a year to write and research. I'm trying to get faster, but again it's been a struggle.

3)What is the process you use to complete a story?
I'm a very linear writer. I start on page one of Chapter one and I write through to The End. At least on my first draft. Once I start revising, I skip around all over the story.

4)Do you write every day?
Usually, however, I can't write when I'm on a vacation. Lord knows, I've tried! My CP actually loaned me her Alpha Smart TWICE (both times I was on a cruise) and I never did use the dang thing. So lately, I've quit trying to write when I travel. But I do read... a lot!

6)Do you write by hand or type? Why?
Definitely type! My handwriting is so bad that even I can't read it sometimes. Plus, it is far easier to delete and cut & paste on the computer than cross out words and write between the lines and in the margins.

8) Are you a character writer or plot writer?
Actually, I think one depends on the other, so both.

9) Why do you write?
I've tried "not writing" and discovered I was not a happy person then. And you know the saying, "When mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!" LOL! So as difficult and frustrating as writing can be sometimes, it still beats not writing ALL TO HECK!

If you want to see a slightly longer version of some of these answers just go to my post on the Casablanca Authors blog (click on the title of this post to take you there).

99 and Counting

"99 bottles of beer on the wall, 99 bottles of beer..."

NOOOO! Get that tune out of my head!

This is not a post about beer or repetitive songs that make you crazy. This is about 99 and counting...

99 more days until The Wild Sight is released!

HURRAY! I'm down to double digits!

Some numbers are just too much to conceptualize, like the national debt (GAH!). Or visualize, like when the pilot comes on the p.a. system and announces we are flying at 35,000 feet. I can't even wrap my mind around how much that might be, so I usually just say, "Are we there yet?" When I think that my book will sell more copies (I HOPE) than all the current residents of the small seaside town where my son resides, I even have a difficult time with that.

But 99 is easier to wrap my mind around. 99 is a doable number. Large, but not insurmountable. With 99 I can actually see that tiny shaft of light at the end of the tunnel, and it is definitely not an oncoming train.

In 99 more days, my dream will be realized! My book will be on the bookstore shelves! It still doesn't feel entirely real sometimes, but with only 99 more days to go, it's starting to.

Cruising

My DH had that look in his eyes this week. Not THAT look, the other one! The one he gets when he's itching to make travel plans. So it really wasn't a big surprise when I came home from lunch today and he told me he'd booked us on a cruise. This will be our twelfth and I'm tickled pink about it!

Cruising really has become my favorite way to travel. Beautiful surroundings, great food and entertainment, people waiting on you hand and foot -- What's NOT to love?!?!

What's that you say? You've never been on a cruise and you don't have a CLUE about it? Never fear, Aunty will share some cruise tips that she gave to her friend Terri S. who recently enjoyed her very first cruise and is already saving up for cruise #2!

Aunty's General Cruising Tips

DO NOT buy bottled water on the ship. It is horribly overpriced! Wait until you get onshore and buy a small bottle of already chilled water at a grocery store or pharmacy. KEEP the empty bottle and refill it on the ship for the next time you go ashore. Either refill it yourself in the buffet, or sometimes the waiters in the dining room will fill it for you if you ask nicely. If you have a fridge in your room, keep it cold in there, but be sure to get a brand of water they do NOT carry on the ship, or they might try to charge you.

You are not allowed to bring liquor onboard. Even if you buy it onboard, they keep it and don’t give it to you until the end of the cruise. However, you can smuggle on a small bottle in your purse if you are discreet. They have NO PROBLEM with you bringing in plastic bottles of water, juice or soda (or even cans). Again, don’t buy the same brands they carry (Coke cans) or they might charge you for them.

I never eat from street vendors, but I have never gotten sick drinking a soda with ice in any of the local bars or restaurants. They all have “purified” water or ice, so no worries! If you do get travelers' revenge, DO NOT go to the ship’s infirmary (unless you've had an accident or are truly ill). They can and do quarantine people to their cabins (esp. since the Nor virus)! Also buy medicine onshore, they have all the same stuff at half the price as onboard.

Speaking of the ship's buffet, don’t eat there unless you have to. ENJOY the dining room for breakfast, lunch and dinner! The food in the buffet is never as good and it is always crowded around 8 am and noon (probably at 6 pm too but I NEVER eat dinner there!).

Take advantage of sitting at large tables as an opportunity to meet people. And do not be afraid to ask for something that is not on the menu. I can’t eat melons and most of the fruit at breakfast includes melons, so I always ask the waiter for strawberries or sliced pineapple. Most good waiters will bend over backwards to bring what you want. When they do, I always make a note of their name and mention them in my end-of-cruise survey as giving excellent service. These surveys do carry clout with the home office. Any comments less than stellar and HQ can come down on crew members, or so I’ve repeatedly been told.

It is also fun to ask the waiter or assistant how to say thank-you in their native language. They are usually pleased that you are interested, plus you can impress your friends when you get home by saying thank-you in Polish, Tagalog, or even Farsi! You’ll also notice that a majority of the wait-staff will be from a certain region. Our last Alaska cruise on NCL, the preponderance of wait staff were Filipino, and were wonderfully friendly and all around excellent! Our last cruise (on Royal Caribbean) had mostly Eastern European wait staff. Our waiter was from Bulgaria (but also spoke Polish and was impressed when I thanked him in Polish!) and was truly top-notch! Also, if they aren’t too busy (and sometimes even if they are!) they like it when you ask about their families back home.

The maps they hand out when you get off the ship are pretty worthless. Mainly they just show the stores that give the ship a kick-back. Likewise, those oh-so-important talks that the cruise director or staff give are a waste of time. They are one big info-mercial for the same shops (Diamonds International, etc.) in every port that give kick-backs and jack up their prices accordingly.

Also those “guarantees” they tout on the jewelry purchased onshore are worthless. We’ve been told by more than one frequent cruiser that when they contacted the cruise company about a defective watch or something else they bought with a “guarantee” they were told they had to go back to the shop… RIGHT! You’re gonna go all the way back to Mexico (Alaska, Bahamas) to get them to make good on that guarantee? Save your big purchases for stores back home, and buy something inexpensive from the street vendors. As long as you like it, who cares?

That is truly the bottom line on a cruise -- as long as you have a good time, WHO CARES?!?! And you will have a good time! Aunty guarantees that.

If you have any specific questions about cruises, feel free to email me (via my website) or use the comments. Bon Voyage!

Off and Blogging

I'm popping up all over the blog-sphere these days. Today I have a post up at Wickedly Romantic (http://www.wickedlyromantic.blogspot.com/ or you can click on the title of this post to take you there) about The Sight. The post includes a brief, heretofore unseen, excerpt from The Wild Sight, so I hope you'll take a peek.

Then, this Friday the 13th (very appropriate for those paranormal elements that tend to creep into my stories) I am being interviewed over at Romance Writer's Revenge (http://romancewritersrevenge.com/). If you haven't ventured aboard that pirate vessel with her crew of hearty wenches, you are in for a TREAT! And if you stop by and leave a comment, you might win some chocolate!

Galley Proofs and More!

HOORAY! My galley proofs arrived yesterday. In case you don't know what these are, they are the pages, fully set up and ready to go to the printer who will then produce the actual book. What I (the author) have to do is read through and make sure there are no errors.

YIKES! No pressure!

But this is one step closer on my road to publication, and I'm excited to make it.

Another first for me will be happening on June 17th. This month, Sourcebooks is the featured publisher at Enchanting Reviews http://www.enchantingreviews.com/ and they will be hosting a chat with upcoming Casablanca authors, Marie Force, Robin Kaye, Malena Lott and ME! The chat begins at 8 p.m. Central time. Hope you will drop by!

ARCs

Yesterday I received exciting news from My Publicist (okay, so she's the publicist for the entire Sourcebooks Casablanca line, but she's also MINE)! She is ready to mail out ARCs of The Wild Sight.

In case you aren't familiar with that acronym, an ARC is an Advanced Reading Copy, or in this case an Advanced Review Copy. These are copies of the book before it is finalized. They are sent to reviewers like Publishers Weekly and Library Journal, and even online reviewers like All About Romance and Romance B(u)y the Book.

Yes, I'm a nervous wreck worrying about whether or not I'll get "good" reviews. I know not everyone has the same taste and not everyone will like it, but worrying about things over which I have NO CONTROL is a specialty of mine! Plus, I'll have a great excuse to over-indulge in chocolate or fruity alcoholic drinks no matter what the reviews are like.

Mostly, I'm excited that I've made one more step down that road to publication!

P.S. If you are a reviewer and would like to receive an ARC of The Wild Sight, please email me via my website (link is on the sidebar) and I'll pass along your request to my publicist.

Character Building

I'm blogging today, May 26th over at the Casablanca Authors blog. Just click on the title of this post (also the title of my blog post there!) to go there.

We will be trying something different starting June 1st. Each of the participating authors will post an installment of an ongoing story called The Bachelor Auction. My contribution will be on June 5th. This promises to be a fun and interesting experiment! Please check it out.

Back Cover Copy

A couple of days ago, My Editor emailed me the file of the cover flat for my Advanced Reading Copies! I was tickled pink to see not only my front cover but also the back cover and spine of the book. There were a couple of wonderful quotes from lovely and generous authors, Karin Tabke and Sandy Blair, neither of whom "know" me but were willing to read and say nice things about The Wild Sight. And best of all, I got to see and read the all-important back cover "blurb" written by My Editor!

So many readers (including yours truly) pick up the book, read the back cover, and make their decision whether or not to buy. Here it is, and I'd love to know what you think. Does this interest you to read further? I know it does for ME, but I could be a tad biased...

He was cursed with a “gift”
Born with the clairvoyance known to the Irish as “The Sight,” Donovan O’Shea fled to America to escape his visions. On a return trip to Ireland to see his ailing father, staggering family secrets threaten to turn his world upside down. And then beautiful, sensual Rylie Powell shows up, claiming to be his half-sister . . .

She’s just looking for the family she never knew . . .
After her mother’s death, Rylie finds tantalizing clues that send her off to Ireland to find the man listed on her birth certificate as her father. She needs the truth—but how can she and Donovan be brother and sister when the chemistry between them is nearly irresistible?

Uncovering the past leads them dangerously close to madness . . .

Donovan’s visions lead them into mystery and murder, and only by going deep into the fens can they defeat an ancient enemy and bring the truth to light . . . but will they ever be able to get out?

Turkey Talk

Oh dear! It's been a very long time since I shared a travel adventure. Better cure that up, right quick, as my Gramma used to say.

Last week, the DH made reservations for our holiday getaway. For the past three years, we've gone on a cruise, but this year we are going on an escorted tour of Turkey. We have been to Turkey once before, but that was twelve years ago. We had a wonderful time and I'm really looking forward to going back! The Turks are lovely, friendly people, always willing to help even if they didn't speak English (and we definitely didn't speak more than about two words of Turkish).

On our previous visit, we were limited to the west coast of Turkey. This new trip will revisit some of our favorite places and take us farther east into Cappadocia and Ankara. We will start in Istanbul, of course, a beautiful, exotic city that I can't wait to see again! The Blue Mosque (pictured), the Grand Bizarre, and the Topkapi Palace are all fantastic sights!

We will also go back to Kusadasi, which is now a cruise ship destination, so I doubt we recognize it. Of course, the whole reason to go to Kusadasi is to visit the ruins of Ephesus, and they are spectacular! On our last visit, we had just been to Athens and seen the Acropolis, saw Ephesus, then went on to Naples and visited Pompeii. Of those three I can unequivocally say that Ephesus impressed me most!

Don't know if things have changed (HOPE NOT!) but at that time, you were allowed to walk in, around, and over the ruins of that fantastic city. I kept thinking how Antony and Cleopatra walked the same streets (or more likely were carried on elaborate litters), of how the most intelligent and sophisticated denizens of civilization lived and worked there, and naturally St. Paul's letters to the Ephesians.

One of the more memorable things that happened when we were at Ephesus involved a photo. It was quite chilly the morning we arrived via dolmus (hired van) at the ruins. I am seldom bothered by the cold, rarely wear gloves, and a hat almost never. However, on this day it was cold enough that I sported both gloves, a hat, and about three layers of both tops and bottoms under my jacket. Basically, I resembled a homeless person wearing everything I owned.

I was snapping photos of everything, including DH, when I was approached by a lovely Turkish lady with a camera. I thought she wanted me to take a picture of her and her family, but after much gesturing and halting words, I figured out she wanted to take a picture of her family with ME and DH! So DH and I sidled up to her husband, two children and mother (or possibly mother-in-law) and smiled. This was in the pre-digital days, so I don't know what the final product looked like. But somewhere in Turkey, in a family photo album is a picture of me and DH bundled like the homeless and grinning like fools. I imagine the caption underneath reads: Us with a pair of weird Americans we met in Ephesus.

A Tiny Taste of Things To Come

A couple of weeks ago, my editor (yup, still a thrill to type that!) asked me to get some "blurbs" for The Wild Sight from other romantic suspense and paranormal authors. I've seen these "blurbs" in other books, of course, but I hadn't thought far enough ahead to obtain any on my own. So now I found myself in the very awkward position of having to ask friends, people I barely knew, and people I didn't know at all to "...please read my book and say nice things about it."

YIKES!

I had this big knot of fear in my stomach for every one of those emails I sent out asking for "a favor." And here I thought all those years of rejections had toughened me up. I need to pull up my "big girl panties" and GET OVER THIS! Asking for blurbs is just another little step down this twisty path of publication.

Very soon now (in less than 147 days!) "my baby" will be released to the world and not everyone will like it. GASP! I know I will get bad reviews and nasty comments from people who may or may not have read it. Waiting to hear back from other writers (who tend to be much kinder than reviewers) is just a tiny taste of things to come. Here's hoping there will be far more positive than negative!

My Cover Is HERE!

At loooong last!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words so let me just say:
YES!!!! I feel like a teeny-bopper in the throes of a new crush!

I really do think it is THAT beautiful! I have been waiting a VERY LONG TIME to see a book cover with my name on it. I'm THRILLED this is the first.

My MySpace and Blogging Elsewhere

I finally caved in and did it. I joined MySpace.

Those of you who also have a MySpace place, please "friend" me! You can either click on the title of this post to go there or here it is: http://www.myspace.com/loucinda_mcgary

I will freely admit that I had help setting the thing up, and I'm still not completely pleased with it, but it's a start.

And a couple more quick plugs... I posted today on the Bandit blog about using characters' family members as a source of both internal and external conflict. http://romancebandits.blogspot.com/

Then on Monday, April 21st, I will be interviewed on "Jennifer's Random Musings" http://jennifersrandommusings.wordpress.com/
If you leave a comment, you might win some chocolates!

The Wild Sight... Top Ten

Okay, I stole this idea from Kelly Krysten. I just discovered her great personal blog (click on the title of this post to go there) and she recently posted " Top Ten Things That Make Your WIP Rock!"

Always one to latch onto a good idea, I now proudly present The Top Ten Things YOU (the reader) Will Love about The Wild Sight:

1. Donovan (and it's not an accident that he bears in uncanny resemblance to Hugh Jackman) and his psychic "gift"
2. Rylie and her sassiness. (but as Han Solo once said of Princess Leia, "She's got a lot of spunk to go with that sass.")
3. The way Donovan and Rylie can't keep their hands off each other. (This is a romance after all.)
   
4. The beautiful Irish countryside, and the real locales like the Giant's Causeway (pictured) and Rathlin Island.
5. Rylie's first meeting with her biological father.
   
6. The underlying theme of parent/child relationships, especially father/child.
7. Doreen, the bossy older sister. (Ask my siblings where I came up with the idea for that character!)
8. Jeremy Heany, "... not a bad sort for a lawyer..."
9. The Niall Marker (see my previous blog entry on Feb. 28th for more on this one)
10. How many ways can the Irish cook potatoes? (That's a picture of boxty.)
    

Of course there are many more things *I* love about the story, and I believe you will too! Most of my critique partners, beta readers, and friends who have read some sample chapters have loved the paranormal aspects and the ancient Celtic stuff.

If you are one of these lucky few, please share in the comments! If not (only 174 more days to wait!), please tell me your own top ten (or two or three) things you love about your favorite book or Work In Progress.

The Golden Heart, Rita and The Gap

The two BIG contests in the world of romance writing are The Golden Heart (for unpublished fiction) and The Rita (for published). The finalists for 2008 were just announced on March 25th, and I'm happy to say that several writer-buddies of mine are on both lists.

I'm even happier to say that this year I was not eligible to enter either contest. I sold my novel before the deadline to enter the Golden Heart, but the book was not out in time to enter the Rita. Several other Romance Bandits and I are in this same position and we've dubbed it "being in the Gap."

So how does it feel to be in The Gap?

Honestly, I feel greatly relieved! I've never been much of a fan of contests, and with the lone exception of my Golden Heart final (the one and only time I ever entered), I haven't had much luck with them. However, the annual awards ceremony for the Golden Heart and Rita is truly a glamorous affair and lots of fun to attend, if you are NOT one of the nerve wracked nominees. Being in The Gap this year means I will thoroughly enjoy myself before, during, and after the ceremony.

And you can be certain that NEXT YEAR and every year that I'm eligible, I'll be entering the Rita!

DO NOT Hurt the Puppy!

Warning: Rant about to happen.

A few nights ago, the DVD d'jour was I Am Legend. I don't want to spoil the story for anyone, so if you haven't seen the movie yet, but plan to, then stop reading now.

I almost didn't finish watching this movie because the dog died! WORSE, the hero had to kill his beloved companion! And this isn't the first movie I've watched lately in which dogs were hurt of killed. In the movie Invasion (with Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig), dogs could recognize the humans infected with aliens and as soon as they did -- bye-bye doggie. UGH! And don't even get me started about the dead dogs in No Country for Old Men!

What a disturbing trend! Now I'm a dog lover from waaay back (my family has had at least one dog for as long as I can remember). I like cats too, and most all little furry creatures, but I digress...

I'll admit that what happened to the dog in I Am Legend was germane to the plot, but I still didn't like it. As for the other two movies mentioned, NOPE! They could have totally left out the dog killing and not affected the story at all. I'm not very squeamish, and I even LIKE a bit of gratuitous violence now and then, but NOT when it is directed at animals!

Okay, rant over.

The Great Peep Hunt!

Happy Easter to those who celebrate the holiday!

We're having a virtual Peep Hunt over on the Romance Bandits blog today.(just click on the title of this blog post to take you there) So I decided to "hide" my Peeps (green of course! After all they are Irish Peeps.) here on my personal blog.

So happy Peep hunting and hey, you've already found one. We're giving away some great prizes!

My "Official" Title!

After long months of waiting, I finally have my "official" title! The book formerly known as Death in the Fens will be published with the title The Wild Sight: An Irish tale of deadly deeds and forbidden love.

I'm so excited after all this time to have a title to pimp! Er, um, I mean PROMOTE!

Plus, the book is available for pre-order on Amazon! Just search for my name. Right now my sales ranking is somewhere in the 6,000,000s. Nowhere to go but UP!

Now that I have a title, here's hoping that a cover won't be far behind!

An Infomercial

I now interrupt my own blog to plug some of the other things going on in my writing life...

First, and most exciting- -"the book formerly known as" Death In The Fens is AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER ON AMAZON! Never mind that the title listed on Amazon is NOT the "official" title. But the publication date really is October, 2008! So still no title and of course, no cover, but A PUBLICATION DATE! That's progress! If you go on Amazon and do a search for my name, THERE IT IS!

Second, I'm now part of a new Yahoo group for Sourcebook authors and readers. Here's a link if anybody is interested in joining. But more than that, I'd love for you to join MY Yahoo Group (see the blog sidebar) for periodic updates on my book and my writing.




Click to join Discovering_Romance_with_Sourcebooks

And finally, since this is my Infomercial, might as well drop in a plug for the Romance Bandits. Romantic Times is holding their annual convention in Pittsburg, PA April 16--20th. Several of the Banditas (including Donna MacMeans, Christie Kelley, KJ Howe, and Trish Milburn) will be there. Here's your chance to meet some REAL LIVE Romance Bandits. Unfortunately, time and resources (read $$) have conspired to prevent me from attending. Maybe next year...

Progress -- Sort of

I received my copy edits yesterday! I know this is hardly cause for celebration, but these are my VERY FIRST and I'm excited.

I've heard a few horror stories about copy editors who changed huge hunks of prose or questioned writers' facts and research. After a fast scan of my manuscript (which still has no title -- ARGH!), I'm happy to report there are none of those things! In fact, I just might LURVE my copy editor!

And if I'm this happy over the copy edits, when I get the galleys I'll probably be in "First Time Author" Heaven! Pathetic, I know, but I just can't help myself.

Name Games

We're playing a NAME GAME over on the Bandit Blog today, courtsey of Kate Johnson/Cat Marsters who originally posted these nine ways to generate a cool name:

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current street name);

2. YOUR "FLY Guy/Girl" NAME: (first initial of first name, firstthree letters of your middle name)

3. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)

4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)

5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name,first 2 letters of your first name, first 2 letters of mom's maiden)

6. SUPERHERO NAME: ("The", your favorite color, favorite drink)

7. NASCAR NAME: (the first name of your grandfathers)

8. FUTURISTIC NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne and the name of your favorite kind of shoes)

9.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother & father's middle name )

So hop on over to the Romance Bandits (click on the title of this blog for the link) and join in the fun! We are also giving away a prize for correctly guessing the identity of nine different Bandits based on their "new names."

Did Dennis Lehane Start This Way?

Very often, readers and new writers ask those of us who have circled the block a few times and have the completed manuscripts to show for it: Where do you get your ideas?

My usual answer is EVERYWHERE! However, since that might not be terribly helpful to those who seriously do want to know, here's an example of how story ideas can indeed be found EVERYWHERE.

A few days ago while I was out running errands, I stopped in at the lovely Golden Arches for a quick lunch. As I prepared to dunk my first McNugget into my chosen sauce, the lady at the table across from me came over and asked, "Are you going to be here long?"

"As long as it takes me to finish my lunch," I replied. (Obviously I exceed the size limit for the plastic tubes and paraphernalia in the "play yard.")

"Can you please keep an eye on my granddaughter while I use the restroom?" the lady asked, indicating a little girl of about four, who was busily munching a french fry.

I said I would and consumed my own fries and McNuggets while the child swung her legs and kept eating for the entire five minutes her grandmother was gone. However, once I finished and left, I was struck by how many possible story ideas presented themselves in my little scenario.

1. The grandmother doesn't return.
2. The grandmother returns only to find me and her granddaughter are (as in the succinct title of the DVD I recently watched) Gone Baby Gone.
3. The grandmother returns and accuses me of abusing the child.
4. While the grandmother is gone, the child shows me her bruises and asks me to protect her from grandma.
   

I think you get my drift, and I didn't even mention the hunky EMT drinking coffee at a nearby table, nor the homeless man hitting up people for change in the parking lot.

Now you know what I mean when I say ideas are EVERYWHERE, even at your local fast food joint! Who knows, maybe even Dennis Lehane (who wrote the original novel Gone Baby Gone) got ideas under the Golden Arches! Okay, maybe not.

The Niall Marker

When I was doing research for "the novel formerly known as" Death in the Fens, I happened upon something called The Niall Marker. Geneticists have isolated a gender specific trait that they have traced back to a 5th century High King of Ireland, Niall of the Nine Hostages.

Being the history geek and lover of trivia that I am, I decided I MUST incorporate this fascinating bit of obscure information into my novel. Only it turns out The Niall Marker might not be that obscure after all...

A couple of weeks ago, I watched a fascinating program on PBS about how African Americans are tracing their roots by studying their DNA. Scientists have perfected a technique that can tell anyone what percent of their DNA is from Africa, what percent is Native American, and what percent is from Northern Europe. The narrator of the program, a professor at Harvard, was quite surprised to learn that over 30% of his DNA came from Northern Europe. But that's not all!

Turns out that he had Irish ancestors. How did the experts know? (drum roll, please) Because he had The Niall Marker. I couldn't believe it! There was my fascinating little piece of trivia that I'd put into my book on national television!

Truth IS stranger than fiction!

My New Slogan

Any Time, Any Place, Aunty Cindy.

That pretty much says it all!

If you'd like to generate your own personal slogan, just click on the title of this blog post for a fun site that will let you do it.

The Waiting Game

I'm blogging today over on Romance Bandits about the Hurry-Up-And-Wait torture that is the publishing business. (Just click on the title of this blog to hop over there and read my whine... er, um, rant... er, um, POST!)

Yes, I'm sorry to admit that with 5 months down and at least 7 or 8 more months to go before my book (the manuscript formerly known as Death In The Fens) hits the shelves, the waiting is getting on my last nerve!

I know, I know -- Patience is a virtue. However, it has never been one of mine!

Phyllis A. Whitney 1903--2008

I was greatly saddened to learn of the death of Phyllis Whitney on Feb. 8th at age 104. She and Victoria Holt and Mary Stewart were the first romance writers I ever read. That's because my mother read their "gothic" romances, and as a bored teen with nothing else to read, I would "borrow" from mom. I was soon hooked on those stories with "exotic" settings, and still love them today.

Matter of fact, I read Phyllis Whitney's last novel Amethyst Dreams a few years ago. Wonderful story, and she was 93 WHEN IT WAS PUBLISHED!

I always said I wanted to be Phyllis A. Whitney when I "grew up." Like her, I like to set my stories in places I've visited (like Italy and Ireland). And like her, I want to still be writing when I'm in my nineties! (Hey, dream big.)

Mostly I hope I'm able to bring some small amount of pleasure to my readers and that they will continue to read my books for as long as I am able to keep writing them. It can be done, because Phyllis Whitney did it, and she did it with aplomb!

God Speed, Phyllis A. Whitney! Thank you for being a true inspiration and leading by your own marvelous example.

5 Books

It's been awhile since I've done a Meme, (ever notice how those things seem to run in cycles?) so I thought I'd share The Last 5 Books I Read:

1. Untouched -- the latest lush and sensual Regency Noir from my Bandit buddy Anna Campbell
   
2. Does She Dare -- a sassy sexy romp by my Bandit buddy Tawny Weber (do I sense a trend here?)
3. Silent in the Grave -- an atmospheric Victorian murder mystery crammed with luscious detail by Deanna Raybourn (a debut author).
   
4. The Serpent Prince -- the third in a trilogy of loosely related romances set in Georgian England by my 06 Packer Pal Elizabeth Hoyt. This heroine and I almost share the same moniker!
   
5. Frommer's Guide to Western Europe -- Okay, so I only read the parts about London and Paris... er, um actually the DH RIPPED those parts out and packed them in his carry-on bag. I did mention that we travel light, didn't I?

Geez, that's an awful lot of historical romance for someone who writes contemporary! And next on my reading list is yet another historical: Bandita buddy Christie Kelley's Every Night I'm Yours which hit bookstores TODAY!

Where In The World Is Aunty Cindy?

Well, given my previous posts on my latest trip, it shouldn't be too hard to guess. But I couldn't resist the opportunity to share a few photos.

Holy Moly! Was that a hunchback I just spotted in the bell tower?





No, the bird on her head is not part of the sculpture. Yes, the dog next to her is.


What BIG hats you have, not to mention guns!

There Really Is No Place...

...like HOME that is!

I arrived home on Wednesday after a 10+ hour plane flight. UGH! Even though the trip was wonderful, I'm sooo happy to be home again.

WARNING: Rant about to happen.

Why is it there are NO washcloths in Europe? Seriously. None.

Granted, we didn't stay in luxury accommodations, but they were not the youth hostels and private B&Bs we frequented in our back-packing days (I brought my own towel back then). But these were both very nice three star establishments with plenty of towels.

However, in London they gave us these weird little mitts made of material the same consistency as those fabric softener sheets you throw in the dryer. I'm supposed to wash with that??? Still, better than Paris where they gave us NOTHING resembling a washcloth. Thank goodness I had a fit of intuition (or maybe it was a memory flash of the back-packing trips) and threw one ratty old washcloth into my suitcase right before we left.

Okay, rant over.

The Bandit Invasion of Romance Novel TV is going along great guns. Hope you will all go over to their site and check us out, especially next Tuesday, Jan. 29th when JoMama and I will be the featured Banditas.

A Bandit Invasion!

One of the coolest sites on the net for romance readers and writers is Romance Novel TV. They have video clips, interviews with BIG NAME authors (Connie Brockway and Mariah Stewart are just two examples), and a really great forum area. (Just click on the title of this blog entry to take you to the site.)

In short, it's a HAPPENIN PLACE! That's why it was such a surprise and delight to get an invitation from the folks at Romance Novel TV for the Romance Bandits to blog with them from Jan. 21st through Feb. 1st!

Since there are twenty of us Banditas, we are pairing up for each of the days (Mon. -- Fri.). My good buddy and CP, Jo Lewis-Robertson (aka Jo-Mama) and I will be in the spotlight on Tuesday, Jan. 29th. We plan to discuss "The Devil Is In The Details -- Research, BSing, and Choreography." This will be my first time as a guest on another site and I'm really excited!

Our Bandit Invasion is sure to be lots of fun, and we'll probably be giving away prizes like we often do on the Bandit Blog. Please drop by! You have to be registered to comment, but anyone can lurk and read the comments and vicariously join the fun.

Places I LOVE

I posted today over on the Bandit Blog about my upcoming trip and certain places I've felt an unexplained but wonderful affinity for. (Just click on the title of this post to link to the blog.) Especially Rome and Paris. I'm not sure what it is about those two cities, but they have touched me in a way that few other places ever have.

I would also LOVE to hear any and all suggestions for places to see and things to do in London.

It's Launched!

HURRAY!

I finally have a website!

Seems like it has taken forever, but actually it was only a few weeks. Dawn, at Austin Design Works put together the whole shebang, and she's been wonderfully creative and patient with me. And I'm thrilled with the result! But I'll let the pages speak for themselves.

Please check it out at: http://www.loucindamcgary.com/ (or you can click on the title of this blog to go there)

I'd love to know what you think. You can comment here, or leave me an email on the "Contact" page. I would also LOVE IT if you signed up for my Yahoo Group newsletter.

No doubt about it, 2008 IS GONNA BE GREAT!