Summer of the Travelin' Fool

My summer actually started in May, when I traveled from my Boston home to upstate NY for a college graduation. At a very large ceremony, my clever daughter met up with a college trustee she knew so we were able to pick her out of the crowd. (The trustees are few in number, and distinctively attired; the graduates are many and all in black robes).

I followed that up immediately with a trip to Atlanta, Georgia. We dined at a restaurant in the Buckhead area with a cool vibe.

My husband ate so many crab legs, we thought he'd burst, but he pronounced them delicious. By the time he was done, I'd forgotten what I ate.

I expected to have a day at home after that to recoup and pack for my next trip, but life intervened and I had to leave almost immediately from the airport to travel to Vermont.

While I was enjoying Vermont, my husband offered to drive a car from Boston to Atlanta for a family member who needed the car down South. On the spur of the moment, I said I'd go with him to keep him company. What was I thinking? I was in Vermont. I'd have to go from Vermont to Boston and then 18 hours or so to Atlanta!

I had a couple weeks to listen to people tell me I was crazy and, I admit it, to dread the trip. But, guess what? It really wasn't bad. We stopped in Washington, DC to stay with my sister and her family in a beautiful suburb. We hit up the actual city of DC at 6 am to avoid the traffic and then we were on our way. Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina all flew by. However, do not speed in NC. My husband said I saved him from several tickets as I drove through that state, which was littered with speed traps.

The nice thing about going south of DC is that you don't have the heavy traffic we're accustomed to up North. That is, until we reached Atlanta, where the gridlock, at 4 pm, stretched as far as the eye could see in both directions. That wasn't fun. We flew home, and this time I went directly from the airport back to Vermont. Ugh. I didn't want to impose another night on the friends watching my kid.

Last week I drove from Vermont to the beautiful coast of Maine, had a lobster fest on the beach, and then drove home to Mass. That was a loooooong day.

This upcoming week I will travel to Pennsylvania. In September, I'm going to a wedding on Cape Cod. In between those two trips, I hope to sneak in a quick weekend to Martha's Vineyard. All of that has to happen within a 3 week span, so maybe I'm optimistic about that.

And this is why my writing group has dubbed me 'The Travelin' fool'!

Who has had comparable traveling craziness this summer?

Journey from Ullapool to Stornoway

Ullapool

On our recent trip to Scotland, we stayed five nights in Ullapool. Our first day there, we climbed this hill or mountain behind Ullapool and walked along the top of it. I'll write about that walk on another blog post. Today's post is a photo diary of our ferry trip from Ullapool out to Isle of Lewis. Click to see a photo of the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry.

A seal swimming in the harbor

We heard that some of the fishermen on the fishing boats feed a seal that lives in the Ullapool Harbour. He's probably waiting for his breakfast.

View of Ullapool from the ferry

 Click on the above photo to enlarge. It was really windy and cold on the decks of the ferry, but we still preferred to stay outside in the fresh air so we could view the beautiful scenery.

This is Loch Broom and the hills on the opposite side of the loch.

Rhue Lighthouse

 The lighthouse takes its name from the Gaelic An Rubha "headland." It is said that many years ago some sailors were found here shipwrecked and sleeping on the rocks, unharmed.

 We passed many beautiful mountains and islands including the Summer Isles.

 The only island of the Summer Isles which is inhabited is Tanera Mor, the largest of the islands. It has a salmon fish farm, a cafe, a post office and some rental cottages. It has no roads and only a trail around the island. It is known for issuing its own postage stamps. Other Summer Isles include Bottle Island, Horse Island, Isle Martin, Priest Island, and several others.

Leaving the Scottish mainland behind.

 We passed through a few minutes of what appeared to be open ocean, where any land masses were difficult to see in the misty distance. This is called the Minch.

Then we approached Isle of Lewis. It is 55 miles from Ullapool to Stornoway. The ride across takes 2.5 to 3 hours.

Arnish Lighthouse

 As we approached Isle of Lewis, we saw this beautiful little lighthouse. Arnish Lighthouse was built in 1852 by Alan Stevenson, member of the famous Stevenson family who designed and built several lighthouses. Robert Lewis Stevenson was also a member of this family.

Stornoway

 Click on the above photo to enlarge. The population of Stornoway is around 9000. It's the largest town in the Western Isles and the 3rd largest town in the Highlands after Inverness and Fort William. Check out the dark clouds over Stornoway.

Stornaway

I hope you enjoyed this journey across the Minch. Next time we'll look at some fascinating historical sites on Isle of Lewis.
Thanks!!
Vonda
www.vondasinclair.com

PS In other exciting news, my book, My Wild Highlander is the WINNER of the National Readers' Choice Award in historical. Woohoo! :)

Lady Angelique Drummagan, a half-Scottish, half-French countess, has suffered much pain and betrayal in her past. She wants nothing to do with the sensual Scottish warrior that the king has ordered her to marry because the rogue could never be a faithful husband, but she has little choice in the matter. Dangerous, greedy enemies threaten her from all sides and she's in dire need of his protection.

Sir Lachlan MacGrath, known as Seducer of the Highlands, possesses a charming wickedness and canny wit which has earned him much popularity. After the king decrees that he wed the fiery hellion, Lachlan discovers there is one woman who can resist him--Angelique. Can he break through her icy façade and melt her heart, or will the dark secrets lurking in her past not only cost them their future together, but their very lives?

Do You Like to Win Free Stuff??

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There's not much time left! Feel free to pass on the info to your friends. The more the merrier.

And speaking of contests...

If you think Silken Canvas is a gorgeous cover - stop by Affaire de Coeur and vote for it here.

Natasha
Voluptuous - coming Sept 6th
Her Royal Romance - coming Oct 2013
Playing for Real - coming Feb 4th
www.natashamoore.com

Guest:Candice Gilmer & Under His Nose

Today we welcome guest author Candice Gilmer! Take it away, Candice...

 

Let’s Make It Complicated! (Read--How I Give Myself Headaches)

By Candice Gilmer

Hi.

My name is Candice Gilmer.

And I am addicted to over-complicating my plots.

Ever heard the phrase “His eyes were bigger than his stomach”? Yep. That’s about how I write.

My ideas are bigger and much more exciting when I’m initially writing/plotting/world-building than when I’m actually doing the writing.

Take my latest book, Under His Nose. It’s the first in the Guys and Godmothers series.

 

The series overview? Three Fairy Godmothers decide to take on men for their charges instead of women. Sounds simple, right?

One would think.

Then I get in there, and start pre-plotting (whether this is a real term, I don’t know, but it’s what I characterize the series flow, etc.) and think, sure! Let’s make three books happen simultaneous! That’s no big deal, right?

Oh my God…

Seriously.

Someone kick me the next time I try to write three books that are going on at the same time. Especially where, in the beginning, the middle, and the end, all six main characters are together.

Don’t get me wrong, I really do love these books, they’ve been a lot of fun. You wouldn’t know it, to look at the spreadsheets, notecards, and outlines that litter my office space. I think I scared my husband the other day when he accidentally glanced at one of my outlines.

But they are.

I mean, Fairy Godmothers taking on boys? How fun is that? And in the first book, Under His Nose, the Fairy Godmother, Christy Molar (Married to Ewan Molar, a Tooth Fairy), has her work cut out for her, because what should be easy--best friends since grade school--turns out to be much more than she bargained for. Especially when her arch nemesis, Cupid, is running around with all his cherubs, shooting arrows into people, and screwing up all of Christy’s hard work.

The second book, Before His Eyes, comes out in early 2014, and the third, later in the year. And of course, with every book, I make it a little more interesting -- read ‘complicated’-- than the last.

So when they’re all done, I get a big bottle of wine, or a very large margarita, and cheesecake.

And believe me, I can’t wait for that margarita. Because I will have earned it.

What about you, when you complicate things, how do you reward yourself? (Leave a comment for a chance to win a $10 gift certificate to Amazon)!

Candice
http://candicegilmer.com

Cameo's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Have you ever had a really bad, horrible, rotten day? A day that makes you want to cry? I had one of those days last week. There were some changes at my job, and I was beginning to feel really down. Everything that happened was a reminder of lost opportunities and the blatant showcasing of colleagues being promoted while I have been successfully pigeon-holed in a role that I’ve never liked. And I kept asking myself, how did I get here? What choice did I make that put me in such a position?

The next day was much better—as Scarlett O’Hara said, “Tomorrow is another day.” However, it got me to thinking about how one really terrible day can lead to much soul searching and sometimes major changes in one’s life, kind of like in a novel. How many romances or women’s fiction stories start off with the heroine being dumped, discovering an affair, being informed she has to marry a cad to get an inheritance, or some such other major unsettling developments?

There have also been movies that focus on the events that happen when someone’s day goes horribly wrong. Nothing to Lose with Tim Robbins and Martin Lawrence comes to mind. It’s a comedy about a man who thinks he’s discovered his wife’s infidelity on the same day another man facing dire circumstances tries to rob him. The evolution of their relationship changes both of their lives for the better; however, they would have never met if one of them hadn’t had a really bad day.

There are also children’s books with this same theme, like Judith Vorst’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, and I’m sure there are many other stories like them. So what is it about a horrible day that makes it worth so many literary and cinematic treatments? Is it because of the universal theme of it? Everyone has bad days, so maybe we all connect with that on some level and when we share it, like I am now, it makes us feel better.

So tell me about a bad day you’ve had. How did you get back in a good mood? Please do share, and have a wonderful day!

Guest: Collette Cameron & Highlander's Hope

Please welcome Collette Cameron as our special guest today!

In February 2011, Collette decided to sit down and write a Regency suspense romance with a few Highlander’s thrown in to spice things up a bit. She wrote Highlander’s Hope, the first book in her Blue Rose Trilogy. She has a BS in Liberal Studies and a Master's in Teaching. She's been married for 30 years, has 3 amazing adult children, and 5 dachshunds. Her puppy, Ayva, sits on her lap while she writes. Ayva also nibbles at and lies on the keyboard. Collette loves a good joke, inspirational quotes, flowers, the beach, trivia, birds, shabby chic, and Cadbury Chocolate. You'll always find dogs, birds, quirky—sometimes naughty—humor, and a dash of inspiration in her novels. Her motto for life? You can’t have too much chocolate, too many hugs, or too many flowers. She’s thinking about adding shoes to that list. 

Q: Thanks for visiting with us, Collette! Please tell us about your latest release. And do you have a review you could share with us?

A: Thanks so much for having me here today!

Highlander’s Hope released in May, 2013. It’s the first book in my Blue Rose Trilogy. I deliberately created a large cast of characters in the book. Many of the secondary characters get their own books too.

Not a day has gone by that Ewan McTavish, the Viscount Sethwick, hasn't dreamed of the beauty he danced with two years ago. He's determined to win her heart and make her his own. Heiress Yvette Stapleton is certain of one thing; marriage is risky and, therefore, to be avoided. At first, she doesn't recognize the dangerously handsome man who rescues her from assailants on London's docks, but Lord Sethwick's passionate kisses soon have her reconsidering her cynical views on matrimony. On a mission to stop a War Office traitor, Ewan draws Yvette into deadly international intrigue. To protect her, he exploits Scottish law, declaring her his lawful wife—without benefit of a ceremony. Yvette is furious upon discovering the irregular marriage is legally binding, though she never said, "I do." Will Ewan's manipulation cost him her newfound love?

I just got a 5-star and top pick from The Romance Reviews."HIGHLANDER'S HOPE is a merry chase of an action-packed, exciting escape into a lively enjoyable romance ... I rate it five stars but wish I could make it more. It is a wonderful book."

Q: Awesome review! What inspired this story?

A: A single scene popped into my head one day. It was the Banbury Inn scene where Ewan finds Yvette asleep in his chamber. I built the entire plot around that scene.

Q: Why did you choose your setting and why was it perfect for your book?

A: I wanted to go outside the typical trappings of a Regency and have much of Highlander’s Hope take place in Scotland. Though Ewan is a title English lord, his Scot’s heritage is what drives him.  Some of the niceties of English society were left at the border so that Scot’s boldness and daring could take over. 

Q: Sounds fascinating. I love that Scots are daring and bold. :) How do you choose names for your characters?

A: I consider their heritage, occupation, and personalities. Yvette’s mother was French so I wanted Yvette to have a French first name.  For my hero, I wanted a strong Scot’s first name, but I also wanted his English title to be catchy. I thought Sethwick had a nice ring to it.

Mrs. Pettigrove acquired her name because she’s a fussy, petty matron. Her sister, Lady Clutterbuck is a terrible gossip. Ewan’s siblings and cousins all have traditional Scot’s names (Gregor, Dugall,  Callum, Alasdair, Isobel, Seonaid) because they eventually get their own Highlander saga.

I also use family and friends names for middle names because my characters all have at least four names.

Q: Great names! Did you choose the title of your book and if so how did you do it?

A: I’m grinning here.  This is embarrassing, but the original title was Love Hath No Fear. I changed it to Love’s Fearless Embrace, and it still wasn’t right. It wasn’t until I had finished the book, and was in the middle of editing, that I realized one of the driving forces of the plot was Ewan’s ongoing hope that he could make Yvette his.

Q: Sometimes we do have to go through several titles before we find the right one. Please tell us about your favorite character in the book.

A: Adaira Ferguson is my favorite character. Don’t me wrong, I love Yvette. After all, she’s my firstborn heroine, but Addy— Well, Addy is a sassy Scot’s lass that swears, wears breeches, and cares more about her horses than conventions. I love her daring spirit.

Q: Please tell us about your other books.

A: The second book in the trilogy, The Viscount’s Vow, is due to be released in September.

Q: Wonderful! Congratulations! What do you wish you’d known before becoming published?

A: How important critique partners are! Oh, and that writing the book is only the first step. The rest can be daunting to a newbie to the industry.

Q: I agree with you on that. What’s next for you?

A: I’m almost done writing the third book, The Earl’s Enticement.  That’s Addy’s story.

Then I have a stand-alone single title based on a character introduced in The Earl’s Enticement. After that is a 5-6 book Highlander saga,  and another series, all based on characters from Highlander’s Hope.

Q: Wow that's fantastic! Would you like to ask readers a question?

A: I actually have two, if that’s all right. What’s the one thing that makes you pick up a book and devour it, and the one thing that makes you not finish a book?

  Highlander’s Hope Excerpt:

Escape.

Yvette stood on unsteady legs, grasping the table’s edge for balance. She strove for poised composure, despite feeling like a powerless pawn in a despicable game of human chess, played for the amusement of those who enjoyed tragic endings at the expense of someone else’s happiness-no-their very existence.

The Great Hall radiated silent tension. All eyes were on her. She looked at the strangers staring at her, their eyes reflecting a myriad of emotions. Embarrassment, horror, dismay, pity, outrage, compassion, and yes—even a few smugly satisfied.

“You knew?” She looked to Hugh and Duncan, before swinging her gaze to Alasdair and Gregor. They bowed their heads in chagrin. Her turbid gaze swept the rest of Ewan’s family.

“You all knew?” Yvette searched Giselle’s sorrowful eyes, then Adaira’s tear-filled ones. “You must think me such a fool.” Her agonized whisper exposed her vulnerability. Her shame. Her absolute humiliation.

Ewan touched her arm. “Evvy—”

She whirled around. “Don’t you touch me,” she hissed between stiff lips.

Yvette knew her gaze was a mirror of desolation when she finally met his eyes. “How could you?” she whispered. “I trusted you.” She’d never make that mistake again.

He reached for her again. “Please . . .

She slapped away his hand. “Don’t.”

She clenched her teeth to still her quivering mouth and chin. Closing her eyes against the torrent of tears cascading down her face, she drew in a bracing breath.

Lord, give me the strength to walk from this room with my head held high.

On wooden legs, she stepped away from her chair.

Ewan grasped her elbow, restraining her. “Evvy, I don’t know what she told you, but . . .”

***

Highlander's Hope is available at Amazon. Thanks again for being our guest, Collette! I've enjoyed it!

Thanks for having me here today! 

Everyone please visit Collette online:

Website     Blog        Twitter       Facebook   Buy Link

Crazy is All About Finding Home - Cate Baylor - Guest Author

I am the 7th generation of my family to live in Texas. German was spoken in my grandparents’ homes. And we had annual family reunions until about 10 years ago. Then I discovered that with the passing of my grandfather’s generation, my extended family was losing its cohesion, its tradition, its legacy.

This became particularly disheartening to me as I researched my family lineage. It’s gratifying to know my family names going back 13 generations, but that black-and-white chart didn’t tell me what I really wanted to know. What were their lives really like? What was their favorite subject in the few years of school they attended? What were family dinners like? Who was responsible for doing which chores? How did they meet their spouse? What did they dream about?

These questions and this desire to recapture some of my family tradition are what inspired Crazy, the family ranch at the center of my new romance series. A place that’s more than just a place, it’s also the heart of a family. It’s not only the family’s past, but also the family’s future. The people come and go, some related by blood, some by spirit. Crazy symbolizes the hopes of past and future generations because it’s home.

A Crazy Homecoming is Daphne’s story about losing the life she thought she wanted and finding the one she least expected. So I hope you’ll join me and the folks at Crazy to celebrate home, family, community, and of course, love.

Series: Crazy, Texas
Crazy is more than a piece of land. It’s home and hope for family, friends, and even strangers, who need a second chance. Even the hardest hearts soften at Crazy, learning to celebrate home, family, community, and, most of all, love.

A Crazy Homecoming
Getting fired over a workplace meltdown was bad enough, but getting dumped at the exact same time by her boyfriend-slash-boss was the ultimate humiliation. With no real friends in L.A. and perennially absent parents, Daphne Simms has no one to turn to. To heal her heart, she runs to the only true home she’s ever known—her grandmother’s rural Texas ranch, called Crazy. She knows ranch folks will be a far cry from those she's known in L.A., but she certainly doesn’t expect to be greeted by a cranky cowboy shoving a shotgun in her face.

Mick Williams has lived and worked on Crazy for twenty years. Though he’s utterly devoted to Daphne’s grandmother, he’ll be damned if he’s gonna let a city slicker like Daphne sashay in and disrupt his nice, quiet life. When the future of Crazy is threatened, Mick and Daphne must join forces to keep the ranch afloat, but the heat of their attraction makes working together more complicated than either of them imagines.

When their physical and emotional connection deepens, Mick tries to turn away from the woman he’s convinced he doesn’t deserve, so Daphne has to pull out all the stops to convince him that the heart of Crazy is big enough for the both of them.

Excerpt:

At some point during the night, Mick pulled the covers over their bodies and they dozed in each other’s arms. He woke up with Daphne snuggled in to him with her head on his shoulder. As he watched her sleep, he’d never felt so at war with himself.

One side railed against the Mick who was lying in bed next to Daphne, telling him that there was no way that a cowboy with no roots, no real family, no ties would ever be good enough for a woman like her. The other side wanted so badly to stay here in her warm arms, wanted to believe he was good enough, that he almost convinced himself.

He closed his eyes and willed his mind to still. He’d calmed crazed cattle, lived on the streets as a teenager, and survived a druggie mother, why was he scared now?
He was as terrified of losing Daphne as he was of keeping her.

How could he possibly keep her? They had nothing in common except Missus B and Crazy. As much as he loved Missus B, he knew he wasn’t part of the family. She said he was, even Daphne had said he was, but blood runs thick. Being like family wasn’t the same as actually being family.

He was the hired help. Sissy’s jibe had hit so close to home because deep down that was how he felt. And everyone knew the hired help couldn’t live happily ever after with the princess.

Daphne stirred and snuggled into Mick, sighing as she cinched her arm around his waist. With that simple touch, Daphne wiped away any thought he had about living without her. Damn status and family, how was he supposed to walk away? But how could he stay?

“Stop thinking so loud,” Daphne mumbled.

He laughed and kissed her hair. “Sorry,” he whispered, stroking her hair and back. “Go back to sleep.”

She propped herself up on her elbow and looked down at Mick. She reached up and gently brushed his tousled hair out of his face. She trailed her fingers over his temple and down his cheek, and he couldn’t help nuzzling into her hand to accept the caress.

He grabbed her hand and kissed her fingers. “Guess I need to shave, huh?”

Her teeth flashed in the darkness when she grinned. “Actually, turns out I’m kinda into the scruffy, outdoorsy type now.”

His heart skipped a beat. Or three. “Daphne…” he started.

“Mick.” She frowned in mock severity.

Absurdly he bristled. “Are you picking a fight while we’re naked in bed?”

Daphne gasped. “We’re naked?”

He groaned and rolled his eyes. The woman never took anything seriously and he said as much.

Daphne straddled him and braced her palms on his shoulders. “You take things too seriously. What on earth has got you in such a lather so early in the morning?”

He gazed up at her, shrouded in sheets and faint moonlight, with her hair shimmering around her face, and couldn’t think of one damned reason. “I can’t think when you’re on top of me like that,” he admitted.

She leaned back with a coy smile and pushed the sheets off her shoulders, exposing herself fully. “Finally, a fault I can take advantage of.”

And she did.

BIO:

Cate Baylor has been a technical communicator for over fifteen years. When she's not writing, she suffers from hobby addiction, which includes (but is not limited to!) reading, jewelry making, crochet, knitting, scrapbooking, cross stitching, and home DIY. She lives in Houston with her geeky husband, three neurotic cats, and precocious Yellow Lab named Tex. She comes from a long line of Texan farmers who are likely rolling over in their graves knowing she’d much rather stay blissfully air-conditioned than suffer outside in the Texas heat. She's a die-hard Texans fan but hasn't decided whether she's willing to embrace the Astros as an American League team


Connect with Cate on her web site or her Facebook page. You’ll also find her author profile on Goodreads and LibraryThing.

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