Summer, Painting, In-laws, and THE END!

That about summarizes what I've been up to. We finally have some nice weather around here and are getting a chance to enjoy the summer. Our typical "June gloom" in Nor Cal was pretty bad this year. Now that I've typed "THE END" on THE RANGER (yahoo!), I'm hoping to get out on the golf course and to the pool a bit more often. We've been painting the exterior of our house (boy did it need it, but talk about a very unglamorous way to spend money) and getting ready for a visit from my in-laws on Friday. Hopefully they'll get out of Houston before the hurricane hits.

We have a very fun, schmaltzy and old fashioned 4th of July parade where I live so that will be fun on Sunday. Other than that, I'm just gearing up for RomCon at the end of next week.

No big summer plans for us, a trip to Disneyland in August is about it. I'm heading to Scotland again in the fall so saving up for that. What are you guys up to? Anyone I can live vicariously through?

A new take on the bard

One of my friends (& cps) passed this on. This guy is a riot. My favorite line is about the pleated pants. There are a couple of others (Romeo and Juliet & Hamlet) that are pretty funny, too.

Hope you are all having a good week. I went to the US Open last Sunday and had a blast--got to see Tiger, Phil, et al--but otherwise it's been the computer grindstone for me. :) The end, however, is in sight.

Amazon is too Fast!

I wanted to wait until my next website update in early July for the big reveal of my new cover for THE RANGER, but since it's already up on Amazon, I guess the "surprise" factor is gone. So here it is, what do you guys think?

I'm in love. Sigh. Once again the art department at Ballantine has outdone themselves. I feel like it is getting almost embarrassing how blessed I've been by the "Cover Gods." Not that I'm complaining, believe me!

A quick scroll down the page will probably tell you why I'm even more thrilled with this one than usual. Does this cover model look like Andy Whitfield or what?!?

Hope you all are having a good start to the summer. One more week of school for my kids, which, since I have a July 1st deadline looming, is a good thing.

Robin Hood Burnout?

Hope you guys had a great holiday weekend. Despite having to work for much of it, I managed to squeeze in a little golf and a couple of movies--one of which was the new Robin Hood movie starring Russell Crowe. Now, I have to admit I'm a Russell Crowe fangirl. I know he's a bit of a hothead and a guy's guy "bloke," but there's something about him (and he looks pretty snazzy in the costume--not quite as good as he did in Gladiator, but close :)).

The movie was MUCH better than I was expecting. The reviews I read were fairly lukewarm, saying it was dark and depressing, which I don't get. Compared to the Errol Flynn version maybe, but it's a really unfair comparison as they are completely different takes on the story. The Crowe version is gritty and has a real accurate feel. Of course, it helps that it's about a hundred years before the time period of my Highland Guard series so I'm totally lapping it up. The story itself was really intriguing, and the love story with Marion was exceptionally well done. I'd heard some negative things about her character being too serious, etc., but overall I thought she was great. I had one quibble with her character at the end (going back to what we talked about a few weeks ago with the attempt to make women into superheroes), but otherwise great.

I get the feeling that it's been a bit of a disappointment at the box office though, and I'm wondering whether people just aren't eager to see another remake? Have any of you seen it? Are you interested/not interested? Do you have a favorite version of the story? I love the old BBC series, but my sentimental favorite is the Errol Flynn/Olivia DeHaviland version. I just love him.

Random Question Alert

Although I'm loathe to say goodbye to the picture of Andy, I have a random question for you guys. It's another travel related one. My husband told me that I'm the odd duck who doesn't unpack when I travel. I just use my suitcase. He insisted that most people use the chest of drawers, etc.

I think I have a deep rooted fear of leaving something behind, probably the result of the time we were camping when I was a kid and we left our bathing suits. One of those stories my mom told us hundreds of times (probably to remind us not to forget something). See how it all comes back to Mom? LOL.

So do you guys unpack in hotel rooms? In vacation homes? When visiting friends?

Hero or Heroine?

Do you read for the hero or for the heroine? No question, for me, it's all about the hero. Give me an awesome hero and I can forgive almost anything else. (This goes for TV shows, too, which gave me an excuse to put up another picture of Spartacus's Andy Whitfield--I'm stretching, I know).

For me the perfect book is a yummy hero that I fall in love with and a heroine who I can identify enough with that I can "see" myself in her place. In other words, I want to be able to step into her shoes for the duration of the book. I think that's one of the reason "kick-ass" heroines don't work for me--I can't really see myself like that.

Last night I stayed up until about 2 to finish Rachel Gibson's latest, NOTHING BUT TROUBLE. Loved it. Mark was one of my favorite heroes of the year. Right up there with my all time favorites: Nick Ward (Shannon McKenna's EXTREME DANGER), Cal Bonner (SEP's NOBODY'S BABY BUT MINE), Bobby Tom Denton (SEP's HEAVEN, TEXAS), Brodick Buchanan (Julie Garwood's RANSOM), Alec Kincaid (Julie Garwood's THE BRIDE), and John Medina (Linda Howard, ALL THE QUEEN'S MEN).

So what about you...are you a hero or heroine gal? (or Both?)

Quick Update...

Just in case you haven't checked www.monicamccarty.com in a while, you might want to pop on over and check it out. I might have a little "sneak peek" surprise for those of you waiting for THE HAWK. :)

Today is one of my favorite holidays. Happy Cinco De Mayo! I guess I like to stay true to my heritage since my other favorite holiday is St. Patrick's Day. (My mom is Mexican and my dad is Irish . . . go figure, LOL). Tonight it's margs and carnitas at the McCarty dinner table.

I think I mentioned that I received a slow cooker for Christmas this year, which has become my new best friend. One of the reasons is the amazingly easy and delicious carnitas recipe. It has become a family favorite. I can even threaten my kids with it, "No carnitas for you tonight if you don't . . . "

The full recipe is here, but basically it's a couple of pounds of cut up boneless country style pork ribs, oregano, onion and salt and pepper. That's it.

What's your favorite meal to do in the slow cooker? Any recipes to share?

Columbus, Ohio, Here I Come!

I'm off to the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention tomorrow morning to pick up my award (Highland Warrior won for Best Scottish Historical--it was supposed to be a secret but since the magazine is in the stores I figure it's okay) and to attend the massive bookfair on Saturday. I can't wait! It will be my first time to RT, and I'm really looking forward to it. Heard it's absolutely wild and crazy. Hopefully I'll have some good (and publishable, LOL) pictures to share when I get back.

If any of you are attending, please make sure to stop by on Saturday and say "hi."

I think it must be Murphy's Law that right before you are traveling you get hit with a massive (blank)storm of things that have to get done before you go. I've been running around like a proverbial chicken with its head cut off all day. So much for work. I had all these grand plans of picking out exactly what I was going to where, but now I'll basically be tossing stuff in a suitcase late tonight and hoping it looks good. Sigh.

Does traveling stress you out? Do you look forward to getting on the plane so you can relax? Any trips you're taking soon?

UPDATE:

Sorry for the blurry picture, but the iphone doesn't do great in low light situations. That's what happens when you forget your camera! The ceremony was really nice and made even more special by the presence of Barbara Taylor Bradford! She was accepting a special lifetime/achievement award.

I love this!

A good buddy of mine, Karin Tabke, just posted this great blog over at Murder She Writes about some of the common misconceptions about writing and publishing.

I've received many emails along these same lines--especially regarding covers (running the full gamut from complaints about the hair color not lining up to asking me to do away with the torso covers). I'd also add that I don't get to pick the models, I don't get to meet the models and I don't get to go to the cover shoot. Bummer, I know.

Karin does a great job of pointing out some of the common misconceptions. Make sure to read the comments as well, there are some great points about choosing titles (author's have little control) and prices of books (author's have NO control). I've noticed the new trend on Amazon reviews to give authors one star reviews for kindle prices. I feel really bad for those authors. Many people don't take the time to read the reviews and just look at the overall stars.

I also appreciated the point about errors/typos. They happen. By time the manuscript is published I've read it literally dozens of times. My editor has read it. The copy editor has read it. Then two proofreaders have read it. Yet, they still sometimes slip by. As Allison points out, sometimes people have identified it and it just gets missed in production, and sometimes no one catches it. I don't see it after the proofreaders read it and sometimes they change things on their own. I've had one or two surprises (one of the reasons I don't like to read my books after they are published). For example, in The Chief dedication I had "Go Cardinal," referring to the Stanford Cardinal (the COLOR not the bird), it is not plural. The proofreader put an "s" on it. No big deal, but a BIG no-no to Stanford fans. I've already had one or two smart-a#$ comments. Sigh.

Did you guys know all this or learn something new?

The Taxman Cometh . . .

The taxman taketh away. April 15th. My least favorite day is almost here. Anyone else depressed by the check they had to write? Is it just me or does it seem like a bigger percentage of our income is "taketh" every year? Sigh. From what I hear, I guess it's only going to get worse. And I know, living in CA doesn't help. Might be time to move to Texas . . . (no state income tax).

I took tax law many, many years ago (and my father was a corporate tax attorney), but our taxes got too complicated when my husband started playing baseball. We used to have to file 13 to 15 tax returns every year. A little known fact: you are supposed to pay taxes in a state when you work there--even if it's only for a day or two. Most people don't, but athletes and entertainers are easy targets. Even though he's been out of baseball for almost five years (hard to believe), we still have a preparer. I can't imagine trying to figure this stuff out myself (and I graduated from law school, LOL). I get a headache just going over them.

Okay, done with the grumbling. But I do have an urge to go toss some tea overboard somewhere.

Hope you guys all have your taxes ready to go and instead of writing a check are getting a nice big refund. I'll try to live vicariously. Anyone waiting until the last minute?

Spring Break!

The picture above is an ode to days gone by. In college (USC), we used to go to Mazatlan for Spring Break. Hard to believe it was over 20 years ago. Okay, now I really feel old. [As an aside: I remember going through Calexico and Mexicali on the train and have been watching the news of the earthquake closely. So glad to hear that the damage doesn't seem to be as bad as it could have been...scary.]

Alas, there is no rest for the weary at Casa McCarty. All spring break means nowadays is the kids are home for the week. Hope you guys are having more fun than I am, LOL. We'd hoped to go skiing, but looks like we'll be lucky to make it up for a day trip. How does life get so busy? (Answer: book deadlines!).

I am looking forward to my first book signing for THE CHIEF tonight at the Los Gatos Borders. It's the regular meeting for a local romance group and it's a great group of ladies. It's always really interesting to get a glimpse of what people are reading and enjoying. Borders has a number of romance reader groups like this one around the country who report back to Sue Grimshaw (Borders Romance Buyer) directly.

I've belonged to a couple of book groups over the years, but I always ended up getting annoyed by the selections--most of which I thought were a little along the "let's show how smart we are by reading a book that is supposed to be good for us." Slog-fest ensues.

But interestingly enough, I've been invited to talk to a number of neighborhood book groups. Though romances aren't usually the standard fare--most read Oprah type books--it's always ended up being a great experience. I think people love reading something different and are surprised that they aren't the "trash" that they've always assumed.

How about you . . . are you in a book club? Ever been in one? Good experience or bad?

THE NEW YORK TIMES!!!! (DOUBLE THANK YOU!)

I'm breaking out the bubbly over here. I just heard from my publisher and agents that THE CHIEF hit #24 on the New York Times list for the week of April 11th (it's done a few weeks out). I'm absolutely thrilled. Thanks to all of you who bought the book the first week and helped make it happen. What an exciting way to start the new series!

Thank You!

For all of the wonderful comments and emails I have received the past week! I'm thrilled that so many of you seem to be enjoying THE CHIEF. It's been a crazy week, but I just wanted to remind you guys to put in your guesses for Andy Whitfield (so far we know it's not Tor, MacSorley, Campbell or MacGregor). I thought this one would be easy, LOL. Think intense eyes and a little scary...

Ing asked me a question recently about whether I would be putting up info on the team on my website. Eventually, I will have a "cheat sheet" of the guys and their specialties, but on my last website update I added a "Who's Who" in THE CHIEF page to my Special Features Section that you guys might find helpful.

I've also been asked quite a bit about who will be getting books. Since the answer to that question involves spoilers (and depends on how the books do!), I can't really answer. However, I will say that not all the guys will have books--there are a few twists and turns along the way!

It's here!

I'm thrilled to (finally) be able to say that the first book in my new Highland Guard series, THE CHIEF, is in the stores. I first had the idea for this series about 8 years ago, so it feels like I've been waiting a long time to see it on the shelves.

I hope you get a chance to pick up a copy--and, as always, let me know where you are seeing it. I love those grocery store/airport sightings. :)

Don't forget to chime in on who Andy Whitfield might serve as inspiration for. Here's a hint: he has a decent size "part" in The Chief, but he's not Tor.

UPDATE: Laurie who is a familiar face around here did an interview of me for her blog today. If you get a chance, pop on over and say "hi."

And here's a picture of that cute custom Sigg water bottle for the first person to figure out who was inspired by Andy Whitfield (it says "Are you reading the Highland Guard?"):

Happy St. Patty's Day!

It's one of my favorite holidays of the year! May the luck of the Irish be with you today! We'll be celebrating tonight at a local pub where my daughter will be performing with her Irish Dancing troop. Hope you all have some fun plans.

I'm blogging over at Border's True Romance today, so pop on over and say "hi." Oh yea, there's giveaways, too. :)

Until then, here's my favorite Irish toast to help you celebrate tonight:

May your glass be ever full.

May the roof over your head be always strong.

And may you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead.

My Latest (Slightly Unhealthy) Obsession

Move over Gerry, there's a new sheriff in town and his name is Andy Whitfield (insert sigh here). The yummy Welsh born actor plays the lead role in Starz's new series: Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Even beyond the obvious beefcake eye-candy factor, it's a fantastic show. Both my husband and my current favorite on TV as a matter of fact, well above #2 Lost.

Here's a preview of the series:


Basically, if you liked the movie 300 or Gladiator this one is for you. I was able to get Starz for free for 12 weeks from my satellite service, so check your area, it's well worth it. I think you can watch the first couple of episodes online. If you don't love the first episode stick with it--the series really starts to pick up after that.

I know, I know, there is something pathetic about a 42 year old happily married mother of two acting like a teenager. My only excuse is I'm always looking for inspiration for my heroes. And you won't be surprised to know that Mr. Whitfield is definitely doing that.

With THE CHIEF coming out next tuesday (can you believe it!), I thought I'd let you guys see if you can guess what member of the Highland Guard is going to look an awful lot like a certain Welsh actor, LOL. The funny thing is my critique partner Jami Alden who also watches the show thought exactly the same thing. Here's a hint: it's not Tor MacLeod.

The first person who figures it out and posts it in the comment section will win a very cool, eco-friendly, custom "Highland Guard" Sigg water bottle. It's super cute--if I get a chance I'll post a picture.

Until then, who's your star crush?

Monica & Julia

Since watching the movie Julie & Julia, I've been wanting to try my hand at Boeuf Bourguignon, using Julia's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Although I've owned the cookbooks forever (I'm a huge Julia fan). I've never really followed a recipe--mostly using it as a guide. Her "Way to Cook" is my definitive basic cookbook. So with a long night of OSCAR watching ahead of me (see below), I thought it was a good time to try it.

What a project! The recipe itself isn't that difficult, but the side dishes (pearl onions, mushrooms, peas and noodles) didn't let me sit down for nearly the entire 4 hours. But it really was worth it. It turned out fantastic and more importantly delicious. My ten year old and thirteen year old must have said "this is so good" twenty times each. They're already talking about next time. I hate to break it to them, but this is NOT a regular meal, LOL. Next time I do make it though, I'm going to do potatoes instead of the noodles. The sauce was incredible and the noodles didn't sop it up as well as the potatoes would.

I used to be quite a cook, but after kids I just didn't have the time. My biggest experiment before this was to make my own sourdough using Nancy Silverton's La Brea Bakery cookbook. You basically grown your own starter from grapes. I kept it up for about two years, making everything from weekly sourdough bread to my own bagels and sourdough waffles, pancakes, etc. You can freeze the starter for a while, but I can't tell you how many bags of flour I went through in those two years!

Those were the days. I barely have time to get pasta on the table nowadays, LOL.

So what did you think of the OSCARs last night? Sandra Bullock looked amazing. Her dress is probably one of my all time favorites. Gorgeous.

I was fine with Hurt Locker winning, although hubby and I didn't *love* it was much as the critiques. Here's my take on the best picture nominees:

Hurt Locker: Very good, but IMO didn't quite live up to the hype. I've seen much better war movies.

Avatar: Haven't seen it. Sam Worthington is a hottie, not sure I want to see him all in blue. :)

Inglorious Basterds: Coming from Netflix as we speak

Up: The single best love story I've ever seen in 20 minutes. Seriously, beautiful. Highly recommend.

The Blind Side: Absolutely loved this movie. Heartwarming. Inspiring. Funny. I would have loved to see it win. :)

District Nine: Good, but another one of those that didn't quite live up to the hype for me. I can see why it was nominated though.

An Education: Didn't see. Not sure I will.

Precious: Ditto. Subject matter is way too depressing.

A Serious Man: Didn't see.

Up in the Air: Haven't seen, but definitely want to.

I think I got them all.

So lots of questions today: Cooking or OSCARs take your pick. Are you much of a cook? What's the most intimidating cooking project you've ever taken on? Did you watch the OSCARs? Favorite gown? Did your movie choice win?

New Cover Alert!

I was going to hold off on the grand unveiling until THE CHIEF hit stores, but since the cover is already up on Amazon, I figured I better not wait!

So . . . ta-da! Here it is, the cover for book #2 of the Highland Guard series, THE HAWK. The hero is Erik MacSorley, the best seafarer and swimmer in the Highlands (basically, he's my Navy SEAL). I'll be posting a blurb on my website soon.

I'm thrilled with how it turned out. Strapping lad in plaid, sword, cool lion rampant emblem, ship in the background . . . perfect!

But I do want to know how they keep coming up with different poses! LOL.

What do you think?

Olympic Fever

Are you guys as caught up as I am in the Olympics? I *love* the winter olympics--especially the skiing and skating. My favorite events are the moguls and ice-dancing, but really just about any skiing or skating event will have me glued to the TV. I was thrilled to see Bode get the bronze yesterday, and very exciting to see the women's moguls have two American finalists. I even turn into a snowboarding fan around the Olympics, LOL.

My one complaint: the delayed and extremely LATE coverage of the main events. I really don't get it. Why can't NBC start at 6 or 7 and end by 11. Last night the skating didn't end until midnight!

What about you...are you watching the Olympics? What are your favorite events? Are you a summer or winter fan?

Too Much Reality

Last night my husband and I were watching one of our guilty pleasure shows, the Millionaire Matchmaker. Patti just cracks me up. But I have to say last night's episode really bothered me.

Here's the summary, but you can get the gist from the video. Patti (the Matchmaker) brought a woman millionaire back from last season to try again. Shauna is a 42 year old (same age as me, BTW) millionaire business woman (I think she owns hair salons) who likes to date younger men. Cougar is a frequently used term on the show. I usually don't like the term, but Shauna fits. Patti tried to get her to date older guys last season, but Shauna of the too-much-botox wouldn't do it. She was back this season to allegedly give it a try after dating a younger guy who wanted her to pay for everything (shocking!). Personally, I don't get the younger guy thing. A couple of years on either side works for me--although I'd make an exception for Alexander Skaarsgard.

So in last night's episode Patti gives Shauna some older (and younger) guys to choose from. Shauna eventually picks a fifty plus year old guy who was INCREDIBLY good looking. Very rugged masculine type with chiseled face. My husband and I both thought he was way too good for the unappealing Shauna. The guy arrives at the hotel to pick her up for her date, after sending her a gorgeous dress (that she made fun of), and arriving in a limo to take her to Spago. What does Shauna do? She takes one look at him and goes running back into the hotel, screaming like a madwoman that she won't date someone who looks like her grandfather.

I was appalled. This is where reality TV really bothers me. I didn't need to see that. It was beyond cruel to the guy and utterly unwarranted. We were forced to watch the poor guy eat alone at Spago while he wondered what the heck had happened. It was VERY uncomfortable. Shauna would have been lucky to go out with this guy, I hope he finds someone wonderful soon. I guess I think the show went a little too far. Kind of like when the TV crews stick the camera in the face of some guy who just lost a big game and is really emotional. I don't need to see it.

If you can't watch the video the show shots are here.

I don't watch nearly as much reality TV as I used to, and I think this is why. Now that the newness of reality shows has worn off, the producers are looking for ways to push the envelope and don't seem to know where to draw the line.

So what about you. Do you still watch reality TV? Have you had an experience like mine where you get a little disgusted with the show for going too far?