Author Copies & Shirtless Hunks

I received my author copies a few days ago, and Amazon says they are shipping copies, which means that The Wild Irish Sea should be showing up on bookstore shelves any day now! Yes, it's over a week early, but the same thing happened with The Treasures of Venice.

So please, if you DO see the book on a store shelf, LET ME KNOW! And I'd really appreciate it if you would pass the word along.

I will admit that I am not as thrilled as I have been the other two times I received my author copies. Yes, the book looks BEAUTIFUL! Even more than the jpeg... However, I was surprised to see that my publisher changed the back cover copy and didn't tell me. The new back cover doesn't make any mention of paranormal elements or mental telepathy, which I believe are crucial ingredients in this story. I'm afraid that readers who LIKE paranormal elements might not buy the book, and I'm even more afraid that readers who do NOT like anything paranormal will buy the book and be disappointed.

Here is the new back cover copy, and I'd LOVE your opinion:

Drawn to a force he can't resist...
Former police officer Kevin Hennessey is running from his past-choosing to battle smugglers instead of dealing with his personal demons. When a desperate, rain-drenched American woman appears on his doorstep with wild tales of danger, Kevin is drawn to helping her, despite his reservations...

She never saw him coming...
Amber O'Neill knew without a doubt that her brother was in mortal danger. Rushing heedlessly to the rocky shores of Ireland, Amber was stunned to find her rescue mission derailed by a gorgeous, but deeply flawed Irishman...

The tumultuous sea, the intertwined fates of the coastal villagers, and unearthly tales of a hidden selkie prince bring Kevin and Amber together in a connection of mind, body, and soul that neither can deny...

I also received another wonderful review from Kay at Pudgy Penguin Reviews: "Once again Loucinda McGary managed to mentally transport me to Ireland entertaining me along the way with a little bit of romance, mixed in with a few dangerous characters and some magical elements. Let's just say I'll never look at a seal again with the same feelings. Are they really seals? Some of it may have been a stretch of the imagination, but it still made for a fun story."

However, she wasn't very enthusiastic about my cover (and neither were several of her commenters): Despite the book having one of "those" covers, I did enjoy it. Honestly, the cover would have grabbed me just with the spume beating against the rocks and the thatched cottage in the background.

I will admit that she is not the first reader who disliked the "shirtless hunks" on my covers. People either seem to LOVE them or HATE them. Once again, I would love to have your opinion!

Please tell Aunty what you think of book covers with shirtless hunks?

Big Bad Blog Tour for TWIS

Sorry I've been incommunicado for a couple of weeks... More about that later.

But now I'm gearing up for my blog tour for The Wild Irish Sea which will be releasing in
15 more days!

ACK!!!

Of course, the good news is that I'll be all over the blog-o-sphere for three or four weeks giving away copies of The Wild Irish Sea to those who take mercy on me and leave comments. Plus I'll be posting some occasional excerpts starting on the Casablanca Authors blog (click on the title of this post to go there) on the 22nd. But then, if you join my newsletter group you'll get LOTS of excerpts... but I digress, as usual.

Here are the stops on my Big Bad Blog Tour for The Wild Irish Sea:

June 25 Much Cheaper Than Therapy
June 29 My Book Addiction and More
June 30 Mama Writers
July 2 Launch Party on Romance Bandits and
Wendy's Minding Spot
July 5 Anna's Book Blog
July 6 Launch Party on Casablanca Authors and
Literary Escapism
July 7 Romance Writers Revenge
July 8 Fresh Fiction
July 9 The Romance Dish
July 12 Romance Reader at Heart's Novel Thoughts
July 13 Martha's Bookshelf
July 14 Thoughts in Progress
July 16 Paranormal Romantic Suspense Reviews
July 18 Regular blog day on Romance Bandits
July 19 Book of Secrets
July 21 Sia McKye's Thoughts Over Coffee
July 22 Book Junkie
July 26 Romance Junkies

WHEW! I'll be a busy little blogger, but I do have a few "holes" in the tour. If you have a blog and would like to interview me or have me visit as a guest (and give away a copy of The Wild Irish Sea) PLEASE LET ME KNOW!

6 Things about TWIS

ONE MONTH FROM TODAY!!!

The wait for the release of The Wild Irish Sea is almost over! It is scheduled to hit the bookstore shelves on July 6th in one short month.

So far, I received some lovely, positive reviews, and I'm thrilled that readers are enjoying this story. What do they love? Here are a few things:

1. Kevin Hennessey -- Okay, what's not to love about a tough, but vulnerable Irish hunk of a hero?
2. Parker O'Neill -- I knew the heroine's twin brother was going to steal some hearts as soon as he burst onto the pages of the story and started stealing scenes.
3. Ronan Lafferty -- This wee little lad may be only eight years old, but he already shows the makings of a potential Irish hunk, just give him another dozen years or so...
4. Those big brown eyed seals -- What can I say? I'm a sucker for adorable animals.
5. That adorable cottage by the sea -- I always wanted to live in one of those, so putting my hero and heroine in one was the next closest thing.
6. All those cute Irish sayings and scrumptious brogues -- Honestly, even curse words sound good with an Irish lilt!

I'll stop for now but I hope those 6 things intrigued you and gave you something to look forward to when you read The Wild Irish Sea.

Two GREAT Reviews for The Wild Irish Sea!

I'm THRILLED to share that I just received my first two advance reviews for The Wild Irish Sea! There's still a little over a month to go before the book is scheduled to hit the bookstore shelves (all right, all right -- 38 days and yes, I'm counting), so these early reviews feel very important to me. What a relief to know that other readers LURVE my baby... er, um, STORY as much as I do!

Three days ago, author and reviewer Kelly Moran posted a wonderful review on her blog (just click on the title of this post to go there). Among other nice things, she had this to say:
I adore Irish stories, and this was no exception. A fascinating blend of American and Irish culture come together in this tale to bring the reader right there on the rocky shores, feeling the spray on your face and a lilt to your heart...
This is also a book which readers can take a lot from. A bit of adventure, a little fantasy, a touch of humor, and a lot of love make for a delightful read...
Though there is the mystery element to this book, I found the telepathy angle and love story more rewarding. Highly recommended, and I certainly look forward to more from this author.

Talk about UPLIFTING!

Then, yesterday, I staggered out of my sick bed (yes, I've been down for the count with an ugly stomach bug -- UGH!) to find that The Romance Studio gave The Wild Irish Sea 5 HEARTS (which equals "excellent") in this wonderful review by Theresa Joseph:
This book had both romance and mystery and I loved it. How couldn't you fall into the pages with such fascinating characters including a selkie prince: a sexy, Irish police officer, a feisty American, smugglers, big brown-eyed seals and three adorable youngsters...
The chemistry between the hero and the heroine is sizzling and their dialogue and interaction is captivating. I read this book in one sitting, I just couldn't put it down...
This is a great read for relaxing at the beach or pool and equally well suited to curling up in front of a fireplace. This author is definitely going on my must-read list.

Thank you, Theresa and sorry you didn't find your own hunk in Ireland. Maybe next time...

To read the entire review, go here:
http://theromancestudio.com/reviews/reviews/wildirishseamcgary.htm

Now I'm off to eat a bland dinner and bask in the glow of these first two wonderful reviews. Happy weekend everyone!

Tropical Islands and Running Away

I have a post up today at Casablanca Authors blog (just click on the title of this post to go there). Our topic has been new beginnings and I wrote about running away and starting fresh... like maybe on a tropical island somewhere.

Of course, I had to mention the quintessential runaway, the artist Paul Gauguin. Back in the 1880s Gauguin was a struggling artist who decided to literally get away from it all. So he abandoned his wife and five children and ran off to Tahiti where he painted lots of pictures of the natives.

Oh, and a few of himself too! Here's a self-portrait he did in 1893 when he was living in Tahiti.

While he might have been an artistic genius, I always viewed him as an irresponsible jerk for leaving his wife and kids. I guess he was living proof of that fine line between genius and madness, just like Vincent Van Gogh, who's paintings I find far more appealing.

What do you think about the genius and madness argument? And do you prefer Gauguin or Van Gogh?

Journaling and New Perspectives

A few days ago, I was sifting though a box in my office when I ran across one of my old journals. I've written journals off and on since my first diary didn't have enough room for me to put down everything I wanted in one day's slot. I was 13 or 14 when that happened.

I kept a journal through much of high school. Alas, those all got thrown out when I got married. I was far too busy working and studying when I was in college, but after I got my degree, I started up with a journal again. I kept one throughout my pregnancy, and have that one stored away in my cedar chest should my son ever want to read it. After he was born, I had no time to eat or sleep, much less write in a journal! I didn't start up again until he was three or so.

Anyway, back to the topic of the journal I found a few days ago... This one seemed particularly prophetic because the first entry was dated May 11, 2002.

Eight years ago seems like another lifetime to me now. I was the manager of a multi-million dollar state program that was suffering from some major service delivery crises, while I was going through some personal physical and emotional upheavals. Reading through those journal entries brought it all back to me...

• My passive-aggressive boss who undermined me at every turn
• The incompetent staff in our Personnel department who constantly refused to return my phone calls or if they did, refused to help me in any way
• My primary care doctor who focused on minimal physical problems rather than address the big picture of my overall health

It was not a fun time for me! But it was also a time when I was on the brink of change. During this time, the idea of quitting my job first took shape. I did a lot of angsting about whether I could survive on the money I'd saved and the small amount of retirement benefit I'd receive if I did quit. I was also struggling to write and wondering if I could ever FINISH much less SELL a book.

But eventually, I did convince myself that I could do it. And I did!

Looking back with my current perspective, I still feel bad about the terrible time I had grappling with it all. But I'm happy to know I made THE RIGHT decision! I've never once regretted leaving that job. Plus, I've not only finished, but I've sold and will soon have published three books! One of my major dreams in life came true.

Journaling was a therapeutic activity for me back in those dark and depressing days. Matter of fact, it still is therapeutic for me to write out my frustrations and keep track of my writing progress. And since finding and reading this old journal and knowing that my story does have a happily-ever-after, I can see it's also a great reminder of how far I've traveled, and that things do have a way of working out for the best!

CONGRATS! And Countdown

First of all

BIG CONGRATS

to Helen who is the winner of my contest and gets an ARC of The Wild Irish Sea, a gift cert. and some chocolates!

Thank you to all who entered!

The good news is that The Wild Irish Sea is scheduled to hit bookshelves everywhere exactly TWO MONTHS from today! Yes, we are in double digits and the countdown is winding down quickly.

I will be starting my blog tour at the end of June and it will run through the middle of July, so there will be lots of opportunities to read excerpts, interviews with yours truly, probably some of the characters, and of course FREE BOOKS! On most of my blog tour stops, the only thing you need to do to be in the drawing for a free book is leave a comment. What could be easier?!?!

I will be posting the stops on my blog tour here as soon as they are finalized. Meanwhile, if YOU have a blog and some time from the end of June through most of July, I would LOVE to be your guest! Please drop me an email!

Brenda Novak's Auction

HURRAY!

Brenda Novak's online auction for diabetes research started yesterday. Not only is this a cause very near and dear to yer olde Aunty's heart (my BFF has been a type 1 diabetic for over 50 years!) but the auction itself has GREAT items for readers, writers and EVERYONE! (Just click on the title of this post to go to the auction home page.) Brenda is hoping to break $1 million in donations this year and I'd love to see that happen too.

I donated several items to last year's auction and of course, I'm donating more items this year! Here's a list of my items and where to find them:

• An autographed ARC of The Wild Irish Sea -- "The Biggie" of my donated items, you can find it listed along with about 20 other ARCs by many different authors under For Readers: Advance Readers Copies
• Autographed copies of both The Wild Sight and The Treasures of Venice -- this "Nice Pair" is listed under my local RWA chapter Sacramento Valley Rose Presents
  
• Also under Sacramento Valley Rose Presents, I contributed an autographed copy of The Wild Sight and a box of chocolates (a necessity for every reader and writer!) to the special "basket" called Roses and Reading Gift Basket
• The Romance Bandits have a special "basket" listed under Gift Baskets and Goodies. It's called Romance Bandits Book Bonanza and I've included an autographed copy of The Treasures of Venice along with a lot of other cool books by other Banditas and stuff with our Romance Bandit logo.

The auction really does have something for everyone, including critiques by authors, agents, and editors, trips, lunches, dinners, and gift items of all kinds, even a MacBook and an iPhone! I hope you'll take a look and place a few bids. It's all great fun and for a great cause!

I've got my eye on a massage. So tell me, what are YOU hoping to win?

More Cruise Piccies

A few more piccies from my March cruise to the Caribbean...

This shot was taken on Barbados, and yes that is the DH in his best tourist outfit.

Of all the islands we visited on this cruise, Barbados was unique in a couple of aspects. First of all, it was the only coral island we visited. If you look at a map of the West Indies, the islands are spread in a semi-circle and are all volcanic. Barbados is outside that ring of islands and is a coral atoll.

The second unique thing about Barbados was that, unlike the other islands who had several different countries rule them at various points in their history, Barbados was always under British rule. They take great pride in their long British history and have built and named buildings and landmarks after similar ones in England. The DH is standing in front of the Barbados Houses of Parliament, patterned after the larger and more famous ones in London.

This fellow on the very tall pair of stilts is on St. Croix and he was amazingly agile on those things! This character is called a Moko Jumbie and is a mixture from African folklore and some original Caribbean imagination. Such stilt walkers are permanent fixtures in most parades and festivals on St. Croix and a few of the other islands.

I've read that sometimes Moko Jumbies were used to frighten children into good behavior -- as in "if you aren't a good boy/girl, the Moko Jumbie will get you!" YIKES! Gotta tell ya, that would have probably worked on me. But in other versions, Moko Jumbies chase the evil spirits away. I like the latter version much better.

This beautiful black sand beach is on Grenada, one of my favorite stops on the cruise. Isn't that water gorgeous? The only other black sand beach I've ever seen (at least this up close and personal) was on the Big Island of Hawaii. In both cases, the black sand was the result of the years of erosion of nearby flows of lava.

Grenada is called The Spice Island because they grow a lot of nutmeg, cinnamon (which is actually tree bark) and tamarind here. All over the island people were selling incredible fragrant necklaces made of spices and flowers.

The interior of Grenada was largely one big lush, tropical rain forest. At one of the stops on our 'across the island' tour, I spotted this wise little monkey sitting placidly in the tree watching all the tourists.

That's it for this batch, but I'll put up pictures of the two Dutch islands, Curacao and Aruba, which were the final two stops on our itinerary.

Contest Reminder

Just wanted to give everyone a quick reminder that you still have time to enter my contest to WIN the ARC of The Wild Irish Sea.

All you have to do to win the ARC, a $10 gift certificate to Amazon and some chocolate is send
me proof that you've purchased The Wild Sight or The Treasures of Venice or answer three easy questions about one of them. I'll even give you the questions here to save you a step:

For The Wild Sight:
1. What are Donovan and Rylie's middle names?
2. What is the name of the facility where Dermot O'Shea lives?
3. What is the name of the city where Rylie goes alone to meet Sybil Gallagher?

For The Treasures of Venice:
1. What is Keirnan's middle name?
2. What is the name of the Venetian district where Kathleen has an apartment?
3. What is the name (first and last) of Fredo Rosso's mistress?

Just send me an email with your answers to either set of questions and you'll be eligible to win! I'll choose a name at random from all the entries on May 4, 2010.

The fine print: Void where prohibited by law. You must be 18 years or older to enter. No prize substitution permitted. Odds of winning are determined by number of entrants. This contest is subject to all federal, state and local laws and regulations.

National Library Week

Here in the US, this past week was National Library Week (April 11 -- 17) and their theme for this year was:
Communities Thrive @ Your Library

What I didn't know was that National Library Week has been celebrated since 1958. WOW! A tradition ALMOST as olde as me!

Public and school libraries all have a very special place in my heart because I spent a lot of time in them when I was growing up. During the school year, at least once a week (and usually more often) you could find me somewhere in the stacks of books with my nose stuck in a book. I'd go before school started, after school (if the bus was late) and just about any other time I was allowed inside. Whenever we had 'free time' at the library (which happened every couple of weeks or so) you would find me rushing in the door first!

During the summer, the public library was a real haven. In a place that often reached 100 degrees in July and August, our house did not have air conditioning. The library did! My mother would take me, my sister and brother to the library every other week and I was in HEAVEN! The place was cool and filled with books. What more could you possibly want?!

Our nearest public library was in a grand old building with marble columns in front and wide stone steps with curving marble bannisters that my sister and brother would slide down over and over. Not me! I was inside picking out books to take home and read! Bless my mother, she would let me check out as many as I could carry because she knew I really would read them all! The library had a summer reading program and every year I was allowed to participate (1st -- 6th grade) I won some kind of prize for the large number of books I read.

Yes, I was a hopeless BOOK GEEK!

Yes, I still am.

No, I DO NOT CARE and I never did! I wear my geek badge proudly.

One of the biggest thrills for me, since seeing my books in print, is knowing they are in libraries all across the country.

Do you have any library stories to share?

Caribbean Piccies -- St. Lucia

As promised, I'm posting a few piccies from our recent Caribbean cruise.

Even though it was very hot and humid every day, we still had a very fun time and enjoyed visiting all the different islands.

One of my favorite stops was the island of St. Lucia. As you can see from this photo taken on a hilltop, it is mountainous with some spectacular views! And yes, the water all over the Caribbean is that beautiful turquoise color!

We made a visit to a banana plantation on St. Lucia, and found it to be very interesting. These blue plastic bags are placed over the stalks of growing bananas to protect them from insects. Also another interesting thing to note is that each banana plant produces only one stalk of fruit. The whole operation is very labor intensive, and made me appreciate my sliced bananas at breakfast much more than I had in the past.

One of the most distinctive features on St. Lucia is a pair of mountain peaks called the Pitons. Here they are in the distance with a small fishing village in the foreground. Actually, the one in the center of the picture is Petit Piton and is quite a bit smaller than Gran Piton, which is behind it.

Like almost all of the islands in the West Indies, St. Lucia is volcanic in origin, and the Pitons are the remains of an old volcano. They are right at the edge of the ocean, and reminded me of Morro Rock here in California, which was also an ancient volcanic plug.

Our tour group drove down into this village and took a couple of speed boats to a lovely beach located between the Pitons. It was great and the water was almost as warm as a bath!

I'll stop for now, but promise to post more piccies of some of the other islands we visited in a few days.

WIN An ARC of The Wild Irish Sea!

NO FOOLIN'!

My lovely publicist managed to scare up an additional Advance Review Copy of The Wild Irish Sea and I've decided to have a contest to give it away to one of my loyal readers. And just to sweeten the prize package a wee bit, I'll throw in a $10 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble, and some chocolates!

What could be better?!?! You'll be able to read The Wild Irish Sea two months before it is on the shelves. You can also buy another great read or two, and you'll have the romance reader's staple -- CHOCOLATE!

So how do you get all these lovely goodies?

Very simple! Just send me proof of purchase.

If you purchased a copy of either The Wild Sight or The Treasures of Venice, snail mail me copies of your receipt (to the address on my website). Or you can email me a copy of your invoice if you ordered it online (minus your personal info, of course). Or you can even take a picture of your receipt and email it to me. Just prove to me in some way that you bought a copy of one of my books and you'll be in the drawing to win the ARC, gift certificate, and chocolate!

You can email me via my website: www.LoucindaMcgary.com (link is on the sidebar) or my personal account at cindymm18 AT gmail DOT com. The contest will run for this month and I'll announce the winner the first week of May.

VERY IMPORTANT P.S. -- If you are like Aunty and can't find your receipt, email me and I'll send you 3 easy questions to answer about either The Wild Sight or The Treasures of Venice. Answer correctly and you're entered!

Home Again Home Again!

I'm BAAAACCCKKK!

I just returned home from my sixteenth cruise a few days ago. Unfortunately, my head is still spinning from jet-lag so I have no pictures to post just yet. I promise to have some in the near future...

...right after I finish my galley-proofs, which arrived a couple of days before I left and are due back to my copyeditor on Friday. ACK!!!

Meanwhile, I have a blog post up at Casablanca Authors today (just click on the title of this post to take you there) listing my Top Ten Things About Returning Home. Yes, Dorothy was right, there really is no place like it!

What has everyone been up to while I was gone? Yer olde Aunty would love to know!

P.S. Less than 100 days until The Wild Irish Sea is on the shelves!

The Watts Towers

I have a post up today at Romance Bandits (just click on the title of this post to go there) that's about different kinds of creativity. But it also includes a few cool facts and a picture of the Watts Towers (here's another one).

If you've never heard of or seen pictures of these fabulous works of art, get thee to Google!

I'd never heard of them either until the DH took me to see them about a dozen years ago. They were all hand built by Simon Rodia, a former tile-setter, over a period of about thirty years. Some of his neighbors were less than thrilled with his construction project, but many of the neighborhood kids would bring him broken bottles and plates to use in the fantastic mosaic designs he put all over the towers.

A few years ago there was talk within the city government of Los Angeles that the Towers were a "safety hazard" and should be torn down. Thank goodness someone recognized them for the unique and beautiful works of art they are. Okay, that's MY opinion!

So what do you think? Have you seen unusual pieces of art like this? Are they art or eyesore? Not in my neighborhood?

Ode to Daylight Savings Time

UGH!

Can it be true? Daylight savings time starts this weekend?

I really HATE the "spring forward" portion of DST, where you lose an hour in the middle of the night. I feel like I have jet-lag, but I haven't been anywhere. Talk about unfair, and yes, it makes me even more cranky than usual.

Back in the days when Aunty still slaved away at her Dreaded Day Job, one of my co-workers (who quickly became a good friend thanks to his skewed sense of humor) used to send us poems he'd written for 'special' occasions. These could be anything from obtaining a car from the State Garage (sometimes an ordeal unto itself), the end of the current Legislative session (and the rush of bills requiring analysis) or actual "holidays" like Ground Hog Day or St. Patrick's Day.

One of my favorites was his poem about Daylight Savings Time. It is too good not to share, so with grateful thanks to my friend James Q. here it is:

Ode to Daylight Savings Time

by James Q.

Spring forward, fall back,

They robbed me of an hour in the sack.

Spring forward, fall behind,

I guess they thought I wouldn't mind.

Fall backward, spring ahead.

But I'd rather still be sleeping in my bed.

Care to share you thoughts about Daylight Savings Time?

The Wild Irish Sea on Amazon!

YAY!

My cover for The Wild Irish Sea is now up on Amazon! (just click on the title of this post to go there) Also the back cover copy is up in place of the previous blurb that didn't mention my heroine's name. (Thank you to my dear editor for facilitating this change!)

I must admit that even after all this time, the Amazon "rankings" are still a mystery to me. I only know that the lower they are, the better, and as soon as the cover was posted The Wild Irish Sea's ranking went from 4 million and something to 150,000. I guess that's pretty good for a book that won't be released for another four months... All right, four months as of YESTERDAY.

That does feel like an incredibly long time to wait, and I'm very grateful to everyone who has already pre-ordered it. Also, please pass a little of your patience my way! I know, I know... I picked THE WRONG BUSINESS to be in if I had no patience (and I know I don't). Everything in publishing is hurry up and wait! It's worse than the grocery store, where I inevitably pick the slowest line. It's even worse than the security screening line at the airport!


So PLEASE, help yer olde Aunty out! Give me some suggestions or share some of your secrets. What do you do to help pass the time when you must wait? How can I cultivate my patience?

Meanwhile, for those who are more like moi, you can actually read some exclusive excerpts from The Wild Irish Sea right now! Just click on the Yahoo Groups button on the sidebar of this blog and join my newsletter group.

No Cussing Week

The California Legislature, in its infinite wisdom and because it had nothing better to do (read HEAVY sarcasm here) has passed a resolution to make this "No Cussing Week." So what happens to violators? Will they incur a fine everytime they say a cuss word? Can we start by policing the legislators themselves?

Okay, as far as I'm concerned, there's a BIG DIFFERENCE between cuss/swear words and cursing. Cuss words generally involve body parts or bodily functions that we keep private (and for good reason). To me, it doesn't take a lot of creativity to repeat the same three or four words over and over, and they do tend to lose any shock value they may have had after the tenth repeat.

And alas, saying them very easily becomes a habit. I heard very few swear words growing up and, with one rare exception, never said any until I went to college. The things you learn while seeking a higher education! However, I will say (from personal experience) that NOTHING gets you to clean up your language faster than having a toddler follow you around repeating everything you say!

Now back to that difference... While cuss words are the same things repeated over and over, usually with increasing volume, CURSING is creative. Basically you find a way to heap insults, cast aspersions on another person's character or lineage, or just generally hope ugly things happen to them, but without necessarily resorting to the same four or five swear words.

Culturally, some groups seem more proficient at creative cursing. I'm proud to say this seems to be the case with the Irish. Not that they can't toss about their share of swear words, they can! But there's something almost lyrical in some of their cursing, and I've tried to use that with my own Irish characters.

Here are a couple of examples: May she still be alive 'til everyone's sick of the sight of her.


May you be afflicted with the itch and have no nails to scratch with.

And the Irish seem especially fond about invoking the devil: The devil swallow you sideways!


May the devil take him by the heels and shake him.


May the devil cut the head off you and make a day's work of your neck.

So much more creative and fun than simply shouting the F-word!

Do you have some creative cursing to share on this "No Cussing" week?

Long Branches On the Family Tree

This magnificent warrior is Quanah Parker, whom many historians call the last great chief of the Comanches. AND he just might be a very distant twig on my family tree!

My son has recently developed a keen interest in genealogy, and has been researching branches of our McGary family tree. Turns out that my 4 times great grandfather, Hugh McGary was married to a woman named Mary Jane Parker. Mary Jane's cousin Cynthia Ann Parker was captured by a Comanche raiding party when she 9 years old, and she was then adopted by a Comanche family who had lost their own child. Cynthia went on to marry the chief of their tribe, and Quanah Parker was their son, who also became chief.

VERY distant relationship I must admit, but still FUN! Many, many years ago, I read the historical novel, Ride the Wind by Lucia St. Clair Robson, a fictionalized account of Cynthia Ann Parker's life with the Comanches. So I was somewhat familiar with who she and her son Quanah Parker were, but I would never have imagined they might be related even distantly.

Admittedly, my knowledge of my ancestors has been limited to things older family members told me. Now, thanks to the wonders of the internet, my son's research has turned up many interesting things that might or might not be substantiated about our family.

Being Irish on both my mother and father's sides, I naturally assumed some of my ancestors came to America during the terrible Potato Famine of the 1840s when so many Irish immigrants landed here. Looks like I was completely wrong in that assumption. Turns out that Grandpappy Hugh was born around 1815 in North Carolina!

And according to my mother's cousin, one of our mutual xgreat grandfathers sailed from Cork, Ireland in 1832 and settled near the Cumberland Gap in Kentucky. Since I know my maternal grandfather was born in a little Kentucky town near the Cumberland Gap, this sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

So what do you know? No Potato Famine immigrants, but a famous Comanche chief. Those branches on my family tree certainly are tangled!

What about yours? Do you have any "famous" ancestors that you know about?

Celebrating!

There have been some exciting things to celebrate around yer olde Aunty's homestead this week!

On the personal side... In the wee hours of the morning on Feb. 20 (and I do mean WEE, as in between midnight and 1 AM) the newest member of our family arrived! My grand-niece Rylee was born weighing 6 lbs. 14 oz. and 20 inches long. I am told she has a head full of brown hair, but am waiting for pictures to verify.

We've all been waiting anxiously (esp. her mother and father) since Feb. 11 for this little bundle of joy to make her appearance. And of course, the fact that they picked a name only one letter off from my heroine in The Wild Sight made me doubly proud!

The other piece of very exciting news is writing related.

Did you notice the beautiful lavender logo on my sidebar? Well, just in case you didn't here it is again:

YES! The Treasures of Venice is one of ten finalists in the Australian Romance Readers Awards for 2009! (Just click on the title of this blog post to go to the AARA website.) Treasures is in there against some MAJOR competition, so I have NO expectation of winning, but I am so honored to be included in the list of finalists!

So have you celebrated anything lately?

What about Chinese New Year? It's the year of the tiger! GRRRRROWWWLL!

Did you celebrate Mardi Gras on Tuesday? I didn't but I wish I had.

Q&A with Misa Ramirez

I'm so pleased to have another friend and chapter mate of mine on the blog doing Questions and Answers. (Just click on the title of this blog post to visit Misa's website.) Last year, Misa Ramirez launched her debut novel and book one in the Lola Cruz Mystery series, Living the Vida Lola. This month, Lola is back with the publication of Misa's second novel, Hasta La Vista, Lola. So without further adieu, here are the questions and Misa's answers...

Please tell us about your latest release Hasta La Vista, Lola and how you came up with the idea for the book.

Thanks for having me here today, Cindy! It's been a busy couple of week with the release of Hasta la Vista, Lola! This is the second book in the Lola Cruz Mystery series, and was so much fun to write. The initial idea for the mystery sparked from a newspaper article I read in the Sacramento Bee quite a few years ago. There was a man who died, and his wife discovered after his death that he'd led a completely separate life with another wife and kids. I took that idea and twisted it around, Lolafied it, and ultimately the mystery evolved into something else, but that was how it started. Little ideas take hold and sprout and before long you have a whole tree!

The mystery in the first book also came about from a newspaper article. It was an unusual way for someone to die, and I ran with it.

In Hasta la Vista, Lola!, Lola walks into her parents' house to find nearly every single relative of hers there...mourning her death. Except, of course, she's not dead! Which begs the questions, who is dead, why was she using Lola's name, and who was the intended victim?

Lola Cruz Mysteries are equal parts mystery and romance/relationship, so much of the book continues where Living the Vida Lola left off with Jack Callaghan and the on again/off again relationship they're having.

How long have you been writing and what inspired you to start writing?

I've been writing on and off for 15 years, or so, but with the intention of publication, about 6 years. I taught middle and high school English/Language Arts; reading and writing have always been a passion of mine. I'm so fortunate to be able to do what I love!

What are your favorite and least favorite parts about writing?

I enjoy revision the most, believe it or not! I know, I know, CRAZY!!! For me, the first draft is always the hardest. I really struggle with plotting and my characters evolve slowly, so sometimes it's an excruciating process (which I still love!). Revision allows me to add to what I've already created, to fine tune, to create layers, and to really dig in.


What is next on the horizon for Misa Ramirez?

I've developed a middle grade series for girls called Quiz Girl. It's being shopped now. I'm currently working on a women's fiction novel with magical realism, and books 3 and 4 in the Lola Cruz Mystery series are being submitted as we speak. I'm always busy, busy, busy!

I've also launched a brand new web site called Books on the House (http://booksonthehouse.com ) which is all about bringing great books to readers. Each Monday an author and book are featured, and the following Monday, several copies of that book are given away to random winners. We'll feature skype interviews, as well. I've been working really hard on it, and am so excited to see it grow.

And, of course, I'm always chasing heroes! (http://chasingheroes.com ) Never a dull moment.

Thanks for having me, Cindy!
Thank YOU, Misa, for taking time out from your very busy schedule to do the Q&A!

Now it's your turn! Do you have a question for Misa about her books or her writing process? Don't be shy! She'd love to hear from you!

WINNER!

YIPEE!!!

I'm thrilled to announce that The Treasures of Venice has WON the romantic suspense category in the "Judge a Book By Its Cover" contest sponsored by the Houston Bay Area RWA chapter! (just click on the title of this post to see all the winners)

The Wild Sight took third place in this category of the contest last year so I'm very excited about The Treasures of Venice finishing FIRST! In addition to a beautiful certificate (I have the one for The Wild Sight framed and in my office), a copy of my cover along with the other five winners will appear in an advertisement in the April issue of the Romance Writers Report. If you are a member of Romance Writers of America (or know someone who is) be sure to look for it!

What more can I say except the Sourcebooks Art Department ROCKS! They were totally responsible for this awesome cover as well as the equally lovely (my opinion may be slightly biased) cover of The Wild Sight. I also think they did a fantastic job on my newest cover, The Wild Irish Sea. They did ask me for input on this third cover and I did mention a seascape and a thatched roof cottage, but I never envisioned anything as wonderfully eye-catching as what they produced!

So THANK YOU Art Department and THANK YOU HBA-RWA! You really brought a huge smile to my face!

Meanwhile, I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my galleys for The Wild Irish Sea, which are suppose to be delivered tomorrow. One more step closer to the book being on the shelves!

OH MY! Seeing all three of the covers here together makes my heart pitter-pat just a wee bit faster!

Do You Snoop?

My mother was a wonderful woman with many fine qualities, but heaven knows, she loved to snoop! Not in a malicious way, she just loved to know all the little details about everyone around her.

All through junior high and high school my sister and I would catch her listening in to our telephone conversations, or going through our notebooks for possible notes our friends had passed to us during class. (You know those folded scraps of paper passed stealthily hand-to-hand right under the teacher's nose.) But most unforgivable of all to my teenage mind, my mother opened every piece of mail that arrived at our house. No matter who it was addressed to, she opened it and read it first. ACK!!!

My sister claimed not to mind. HUH?!?! I think she just liked the extra attention. I was mortified beyond belief, mostly because Mom would openly admit to her snooping and ASK about things she'd read or heard! Oh the horrors! Oh the teen angst!

Looking back on it now, my mom's snooping was pretty harmless. And I'm sure she would tell you she was just trying to be a responsible parent, which was also true. But I think it went beyond that. She genuinely liked to know. I think snooping was one of the things that made my mom an avid reader.

Reading about characters is a kind of snooping. You are privy to their thoughts, actions, and motivations. Sometimes you get to find out things (or figure things out) before they do!

Needless to say, this little apple didn't fall far from the tree. Yup, I love to snoop too, but I like to think I'm a bit more covert than my mother was, at least when it comes to friends and family. Not necessarily while reading. I've been known to mutter at the characters even while I'm deeply engrossed in reading. On occasion, I've even shouted out, "I KNEW IT!" when a plot twist happened just the way I suspected.

As for my writing, one of the things I love most about it is knowing all the little details of my characters lives. Even if those thoughts, feelings, experiences never quite make it onto the page, I still feel more competent to tell their stories just by knowing all about them. I've even been guilty of rubbing my hands together in gleeful anticipation because I know what's about to happen and I know how my poor characters are going to react.

Yes, yes, I know. We writers are a weird lot. But it's so much fun! Besides, snooping on my characters keeps me out of trouble with my friends and family members who would much rather I not do my snooping about them.


What about you? Do you like to snoop? Ever been caught? Or do you snoop openly like my mother used to do?

It's HERE!!!!

Yes, Aunty is doing the Happy Dance all around the room!

I can't help myself, I'm so very excited about

MY NEW COVER

for my July release The Wild Irish Sea!

I know I'm biased, but I think it is GORGEOUS! The Art Department at Sourcebooks has outdone themselves yet again. The beautiful seascape carries through over onto the back cover, and that stone cottage fairly shouts, "Ireland!" Don't you agree?

I know some people (like my DH) object to the headless male torso, but I rather like having a BIT left to my imagination... I MEANT THE FACE!

I'm also very pleased with the back cover blurb:

Drawn together by a force they can’t resist…

The telepathic image of her twin brother fighting for his life sends Amber O’Neill rushing to the rocky shores of Ireland. Desperate to find him, she turns to reclusive local inspector Kevin Hennessey.

Bound together with a passion as relentless as the tide…

His past full of pain, Kevin has withdrawn from the world. But when the rain-drenched American appears on his doorstep with her wild tales of danger, something more than her sensuous beauty makes it impossible for him to turn her away.

The wildness of the sea, the mystery of a selkie prince, and a dangerous band of ruthless smugglers bring two lost souls together in a connection of mind, body, and spirit that can’t be denied.

So now that I have a cover, my Advance Review Copies will be going out soon. I hope to have one up for bid in Brenda Novak's online auction, like I did last year with The Treasures of Venice. I will let you know about that as soon as I know.

Meanwhile, please join me whilst I drool over this latest addition to my book covers. I do think the three of them make quite a lovely set. What do you think?

Pretty As A Picture

As most of you know, in addition to this blog, I participate in a couple of writing related group blogs. One of them is the Casablanca Authors blog (just click on the title of this blog post to go there).

In the past week, we've been making a few changes to our blog format. Hey, it's January -- new year, time for change, renewal, and revitalization! One of the changes we CasaBabes decided to make was to put our photos on the sidebar.

I'll confess that I was not in favor of this change. I'd like to claim the reason is because I value my privacy, which I do, but the truth is I'm SCARED. People judge others by their looks all the time, I'm afraid.

Will readers be disappointed if I don't look like their idea of a romance writer?!?! What exactly DOES a romance writer look like?

Hey, I know what I look like, and there's NOT any resemblance to my beautiful, young heroines. Nor do I look like the media cliches of romance writers. I'm not glamorous, with perfect hair and make-up and I do not own a pink feathered peignoir. That's why, in the days before I had a book cover to post on my profile, I used this picture of my grand-niece Jilly. Yes, it's silly but still adorable, and not unlike yours truly when I was a little kid.

I did go along with the majority on the Casablanca blog and my picture is now on the sidebar. It's the same photo I use on Romance Bandits and my website, so it's not like I've been a recluse that nobody has seen before. And maybe I'm worrying for nothing.

Does anybody even look at author's photos? (I'll admit that I do!) Do YOU? Do you care what your favorite author actually looks like?

Interview with Donna Del Oro

Since this blog is about 'the good, the bad, and the ugly' aspects of the writing life, I decided to start something new: Author Interviews! Maybe some of you would actually like to read about somebody else besides moi! DUH! What a concept!

Anyway, my first victim -- er, um, participant is my good friend and chaptermate, Donna Del Oro, who has published two humorous contemporary romances. BIG THANX Donna for volunteering to answer a few questions! (and if you want to learn more about Donna, just click on the title of this post to go to her website.)

Please tell us about your newest release Hasta La Vista, Baby and how you came up with the idea for the book.

After my sister's divorce, I began thinking about divorce and why women choose certain men as their spouses over other, possibly more worthy, men. This became the premise of HASTA LA VISTA, BABY.

Sonya, an art teacher and talented muralist, is informed by her handsome but lying and cheating husband that he wants a divorce so that he can marry his pregnant (and younger) girlfriend. Sonya goes berserk and chases him around the pool with a BBQ fork. His family separates them, Earl leaves and Sonya collapses with an emotional meltdown. Later, much later, when the fog in her mind lifts, she begins to analyze herself and her choice of men. An artist, she's always turned a blind eye to most things practical and introspective. An obsession with beauty, including gorgeous men, has been her detriment in life. It takes a while and the steadfast friendship of her soon-to-be-ex's younger brother, Scott, before Sonya wakes up and wises up. For her, self-awareness is a painful process but a necessary journey. I was thinking of my sister as I concluded the story.

How long have you been writing? And what inspired you to start writing?

Like most authors, I've been writing since childhood, but I began this serious journey to authorship when I retired from 34 years of high school teaching. I'm afraid writing's a need and I'm not sure I'll ever be able to stop. I love good stories and interesting characters, whether in books, movie-celluloid or TV.

What are your favorite and least favorite parts about writing?

I love playing God and getting to know my characters and then moving them around in my story like pieces on a chessboard. Most of the time, however, they end up with a life of their own and moving themselves ...and me! I dislike rejections, naturally, and the terrible uncertainty that your last novel might indeed be the last one.

What is next on the horizon for Donna Del Oro?

I'm currently revising an FBI mystery novel, A BODYGUARD OF LIES, and a psychic thriller with a Greek-American hunk who's obsessed with a beautiful psychic and her past. One's with one agent and the other's with another agent. A small publisher wanted to buy the thriller but I turned down the offer. Frankly, I'm holding out for a NY publisher.

Floricanto Press wants me to write a sequel to my first novel, OPERATION FAMILIA, so I might revisit the Hispanic world of Rick Ramos, Dina Salazar and Lisa Luna before long. Being half Hispanic, it's always fun to return to my roots and find humor and satire in this subculture.

You are one busy lady, Donna! Thanks so much for being my first author interviewee and best of luck with all your writing endeavors!

If anyone has more questions for Donna, please ask away as she will be dropping by over the next few days.

Give the Bard His Due!

Recently on one of my loops, someone attributed the quote: "Revenge is a dish best served cold" to the Klingons!

As I sat giggling at my keyboard typing up a funny reply, it suddenly occurred to me that this poster was serious. She had honestly never heard this famous quote from Othello except via Star Trek! Would poor old Will be spinning in his grave or laughing?

Being the huge Shakespeare buff that I am, and knowing his bawdy sense of humor, I rather suspect the latter. He'd probably leave it to the mere mortals like me to be outraged on his behalf that so many people don't recognize his famous words as actually being his.

For example, the very biblical sounding: "Neither a borrower nor a lender be" is actually from Hamlet. Yes, there's a lot more in that play besides "To be, or not to be" and "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." In fact, most of the famous quotes from Shakespeare are from Hamlet, whether most people realize it or not.

I fully expected "To be, or not to be" would be his most famous quote, but I looked up the 100 most famous quotes from Shakespeare just now, and number one was from a play I personally like far more than Hamlet. "That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Of course that's from Romeo and Juliet. But do people really know that? Given my recent experience, I'm beginning to wonder.

Number 2 is from MacBeth (another favorite play of mine) and was not "Out damn'd spot!" as I expected, but "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,"

My personal favorite quote didn't even make the Top 100: "...some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em." This is from my favorite of the comedies, Twelfth Night, and it never fails to get a laugh during a performance. I wonder if the writers of Star Trek ever used it?

What about you? Do you have a favorite Shakespeare quote? I'd love to know what it is, and I'll tell you if it made the Top 100.

Off Again!

Remember back in November when I was dreaming about spending time in the Florida Keyes? Well, looks like I wasn't the only one thinking about sunny Florida. Seems the DH found a good deal on a flight and a rental car...

So by the time you read this, I'll be enroute to Tampa. Of course, the only problem with this trip is that Florida is having the coldest winter in years! Matter of fact, I've been looking up the weather predictions, and the high temps. in central Florida are the SAME as we have been having here. In other words -- BRRR!

There's just something inherently WRONG about packing thermal long johns for a trip to Florida. Can't quite make myself do it... Sure hope I don't have to buy a pair once I get there!

What about you? Ever taken a trip somewhere and it turned out to be not at all what you expected?

Please think WARM thoughts for yer olde Aunty!

Two New Reviews!

YAY! And BIG THANX to Pudgy Penguin Perusals (click on the title of this post to go there) for giving me TWO great reviews in the past couple of weeks!

Here's part of what the reviewer said about The Wild Sight:

"I loved the setting and the budding sensual romance between the two main characters. The mystery of who really is Rylie's father and why he abandoned them. Also liked the lesser characters a lot; Donovan's father Dermot and his sister Doreen. They really add to the plot as Donovan suspects they know more than they are saying about the day Donovan's mother disappeared. There is an element of the paranormal in this book too that really fit into the story in a big way."

And here's part of the review of The Treasures of Venice:

"I loved the setting; rich descriptions transported me right into the scene.
Two concurrently running plot lines centuries apart; one in the present with characters who may be the reincarnation of the characters from 1485 time line.
The intrigue and adventure of the characters', main and minor, dangerous search for the jewels from renaissance Venice."

Surprisingly, she is one a the few who did not like the cover of TToV. I guess the jeans were a little too low-slung, and too much bare chest revealed. Oh well... Luckily we all like different things!

I'm anxiously awaiting the cover for The Wild Irish Sea, which will be released SIX MONTHS FROM TODAY! HURRAY! Considering the current cover trends, I expect the cover will have a bare male torso on it somewhere. LOL!


Do you judge a book by its cover? What kinds of covers are your favorites?

Charming Threes

Thought I'd start the New Year off with a fun little Meme.

This one is from my friend (and former co-worker) Sassy and the answers are all in threes...

What are three names you are called?

1. Cindy
2. Aunty Cindy
3. Loucinda
   

Three things you did last night?

1. ate dinner
2. watched "Castle" on TV (but it was a rerun -- BUMMER!)
3. checked my email
   

Three things you are wearing right now?

1. fuzzy red slippers (birthday present from my son)
2. pink sox (I know, I know they CLASH with the slippers!)
3. thermal long johns (Hey! It was cold today.)
   

Three things you ate today?

1. chocolate Christmas candy (a tough job but somebody had to do it)
2. tortilla chips and salsa (from my fave fast food place, Rubio's)
3. a handful of raw almonds (healthier than those chips)
   

Three things you want very badly right now?

1. My cover for The Wild Irish Sea
2. a new book contract
3. chocolate

The last three people you talked to on the phone?

1. My son
2. My BFF Shirley
3. My very good friend Kathy
   

Your three favorite beverages?

1. Diet Pepsi
2. Chocolate milk
3. strawberry margarita
   

Thanks a bunch for that fun little exercise, Sassy!

Okay, now it's your turn. Answer as many of these questions as you want. Or maybe you have another three things you'd like to know. DO TELL!