Shelfari book review thrilling

Now we're getting somewhere. My novel is getting great reviews! I'm just thrilled to read them, and then scoot around on Google to see where else the posts are picked up. When the next book comes out, I'll know exactly where to send it for an unbiased review.

Memories of place gone by

My son has taken a liking to Star Wars. He was so surprised to learn that when I was a kid of 15 or so, I piled into a Toyota Corolla with eight or so friends and we dashed for the downtown theater in Annapolis to see the opening night of Star Wars. It was an event not to be missed.

Now, I've never been a Star Trek fan, and am not really that into SciFi these days; but back then, Star Wars was a major happening, something akin to a Harry Potter release these days, I suppose. The funny thing is, I don't recall the sequels (Clone Wars) having as much fan fare as the sequels to Harry Potter's introduction. Or perhaps I'm not paying attention, anymore.

With an exhausting amount of Lego's around the house, my son can build anything he's seen in books, movies, and life. So, put Star Wars and Lego's together, and you have any number of sand cruisers, star ships, R2D2s, and dashing characters vying for attention. He is saving his money for a $72 kit to build ... Darth Vader's Death Star.

Ah, the days of childhood.

Book reviews starting to appear

On Amazon, I have two reviews of The Pirate's Bastard so far. I keep an eye out for them in other places, but if I hit five reviews on Amazon, my book moves "up" the ranking of favorites and will be suggested as a read to others interested in historical fiction.

Midwest Reviews is a national review organization, and I'm tickled the reviewer thought so highly of my little book. The other reviewer kindly equated my work to something she might see on PBS's Master Piece Theater!

If you buy the book through Amazon, I hope you'll take the opportunity to review it there.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Pirates-Bastard-ebook/product-reviews/B0046A9QFU/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

New year, new work

With the start of a new year, I finally sat down to continue working on a project I got really excited about in October. Holidays, life, and other projects found their way into my schedule for the last quarter of the year, and I had to put this project on hold ... until now. With a day off dedicated to writing, I made great progress; the manuscript isn't going the way I thought it would, though.

In fact, the characters I was peddling around with on the handlebars of my bike last fall have morphed, and the outline for the story is nearly upside down from how I "planned" for it to be.

Truly, it's a good thing. I don't want to give the story away, but I'll share with you a few of the surprises I discovered yesterday. My lead character, Ella, is much stronger than I gave her credit for last fall. She's remained calm (to a point) in a most harrowing experience that probably would have caused me to have a heart attack. This is the first story I've written from a woman's point of view -- go figure -- and it's proving insightful on many levels.

This isn't a love story, but there is a love interest or two. There's a mystery to solve, some deep-seated issues to resolve, and of course there's a boat. Set in 1942, the story dips a toe in the waters of the economic stress of the times, the social issues of a small North Carolina coastal town near New Bern, and the war that was encroaching upon the lives of the village's occupants.

With the strong running start I had yesterday, I have a better sense of where to go with the story next -- or rather, Ella is telling me what's going on ... it will be interesting to see how she wants to resolve it.

In this new year, I wish all my friends and family (and those of you reading this who haven't made yourselves known to me yet) a prosperous and productive new year. May the characters in your lives prove insightful to you, as well. 

Barnhill's for books, wine, and pottery?

Saturday's book signing at Winston-Salem's Barnhill's was fun...despite the cold temperatures. A few customers braved the cold to stop in and say hi, and taste a few of the many offerings in the wine department.

The best part of this past weekend's experience was to visit with Barbara and Bob Campbell, of The Wood 'n' Potter. He's the woodworker, she's the potter. They make lovely items perfect for Christmas gifts (or anytime), and they are delightful people.

That's Stacy in the apron -- in addition to pouring wine, she also is an author and does the cover layouts for books published by Second Wind Publishing. And here's Theas, manager extraordinaire (and budding actress). She'll greet you when you come to Barnhill's, and help you find the book you need to get you through these long, cold days (and nights):

Book signing at Barnhill's this Saturday

Barnhill's Books on Burke Street in Winston-Salem is the next host site for a book signing this Saturday (December 11). If you're in town, come visit me and pick up a copy of The Pirate's Bastard. As extra incentive, they have wine there so you could have a wine tasting! How fun is that?

Book signing at Tellabration the best so far

Back when I was single, the prospect of going to the library on a Saturday night was NOT a good thing...it wasn't cool, it wasn't hip, and it certainly wasn't a way to attract a date worth having.

I must be getting old.

I had a great time at the library Saturday night! Real fun, listening to very talented story tellers spin their webs and catching the fully packed audience in their webs of laughter or suspense. Add to that the selling of nine books, and lots of friends, and you can see why it was wonderful to be part of the Tellabration! I encourage everyone who loves a good story (or six) to attend next year.
http://www.mtairynews.com/view/full_story/10398265/article-Tellabration--draws-record-crowd?instance=secondary_stories_left_column