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!