Back Cover Copy

YAY! I received the FULL cover that will go on my Advance Reader Copies and it includes the Back Cover Copy. Here's the photo:


I just LOVE the red background on the back cover and my name on the spine in a red rectangle! After all, red is a power color!

And so you don't have to strain your eyes, here's what the back cover says:

He's a charming Irish rogue who never met a lock he couldn't pick...

Keirnan Fitzgerald is desperate to locate the missing Jewels of the Madonna. With danger at every corner and time running out, he must use whatever means possible to uncover the stolen jewels in time to save his sister's life...

She's simply in Venice to relax and heal her broken heart...

Samantha Lewis is shocked with a dashing stranger approaches her in a Venetian cafe pretending to know her. She's ready for something new and exciting in her life, so she throws caution to the wind and accompanies the Irish charmer into his dangerous world of intrigue, theft, and betrayal...

As the centuries old story behind the Jewels disappearance is revealed, Samantha must decide whether the man she's so compellingly drawn to is her soul mate from a previous life or if they are merely pawns in a relentless quest for a priceless treasures...

New Cover!

HOORAY!

I'm so excited! My editor sent me the cover for The Treasures of Venice and she said I could share it!

All I can say is WOW!

The Sourcebooks Art Department has outdone themselves again.

I really expected a cover similar to The Wild Sight, not that I would have minded since I LURVED that cover (and so did a lot of other folks). But they went in a different direction and what a FANTASTIC RESULT!

So far the response has been all positive, even the DH likes it! Okay, he did make a snide remark about the guy taking off his shirt in church, but overall he thought it was very evocative and eye-catching.

What do you think?

Cappadocia

I have a post up on the Romance Bandits (just click on the title of this post to go there) with pictures of the Fairy Chimneys we saw in Cappadocia, Turkey.

As I mentioned, the weird formations and other-worldly-ness of this region made me feel like I was on another planet! Too bad I don't write science fiction or fantasy. Cappadocia would definitely inspire all kinds of story ideas.

Now be honest, does this look like any place on earth you've ever seen? (Never mind that alien creature standing in front of the formations.)

Amazon Pre-Order and A Contest!

Good news!

The Treasures of Venice is now listed on Amazon and Target.com as available for pre-order. Even though there's no cover image or story blurb yet, the title, my name as author, and the September 1st release date are all there.

Another small step down the long road to seeing The Treasures of Venice on the shelves!

I've also decided to hold my very first contest!

Members of my Yahoo Group (see the sidebar for info) are eligible to win $10 Amazon and Barnes & Noble gift certificates. If you are already a member, THANK YOU! You don't have to do anything, but if you convince a friend to sign up for my Yahoo Group between now and April 26th, you will increase your chances to win.

All NEW MEMBERS who sign up between now and April 26th will be in a special drawing for a $10 gift certificate. So please, PLEASE sign up now! You might win, but even if you don't, you'll get all the news FIRST, and you'll get to read monthly excerpts from The Treasures of Venice and my next release!

Gimme 5... Things About Treasures of Venice

It is now LESS than six months until my next release The Treasures of Venice hits the shelves, so I guess the countdown has begun!

I suppose a good place to start is by revealing a few things about the story. Here then, are five random things about The Treasures of Venice:

1. Even though the story is set in Venice, Italy, the hero is an Irish hunk by the name of Keirnan Fitzgerald (and any resemblance to Gerry Butler may not be all that coincidental),
2. The heroine, Samantha Lewis has the same color eyes as me (described by the hero as golden green),
3. The character of Serafina Lombardo was inspired by a Renaissance portrait of a young woman named Gianna Tornabuoni,
4. The story was originally inspired by a piece of music from the opera "Jewels of the Madonna" but also borrows liberally from Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet,"
5. The book features a dual storyline that takes place in both current day Venice and Venice in 1485.
   

It still doesn't seem quite real that this story will finally make it's way into print (I actually wrote it before I wrote The Wild Sight). September feels a long way off, but I know (based on previous experience with The Wild Sight) that the time will fly by! Right now, I can't wait to see the cover!

Your Game

Here's a fun Meme that was sent from my friend Ian in Arizona. The challenge is to answer each to these 13 questions with a word that starts with the same letter as the first letter in your first name. Oh, and you can't reuse your name for the boy/girl name!

What is your name? Cindy
A 4 Letter Word: Cool

A Boy's Name: Colin (my son)

A Girl's name: Chloe (my previous dog, a Schipperke/Jack Russell mix)

An Occupation: Carpet weaver (saw these in Turkey)

A Color: Chartreuse

Something you wear: chaps (LURVE those cowboys!)

A Beverage: coffee

A Food: Chocolate! (Was there ever a doubt about this answer?)

Something found in the bathroom: cleanser

A place: Charleston (only been there once, but really enjoyed the historic section)

A Reason for being late: Channel surfing (Not something I do very often)

Something you shout: Cowabunga! (DUDE!)

Okay, now it's YOUR turn! If Ian can come up with 13 answers all starting with "I" you can surely manage.