I'm back!

And except for a bad case of jet lag and the inevitable cold (why do I ALWAYS get sick when I travel?), I had an absolutely fabulous time.

It's hard to explain how exciting it is to see some of the places that I feel like I've come to know in my novels. Walking on the same ground as Bruce and his men did over seven hundred years ago and knowing that it hasn't changed much is pretty powerful and at times very moving. The above picture is a good example of this. That's me and Veronica at the Bruce stone which overlooks the battle site of Glen Trool (which you read about in THE HAWK). It was one of the two rain days that we had, but the weather only seemed to add to the experience--note those fingers of mist on the hill behind us. Pretty evocative. Here's a photo detailing the inscription on the stone.

I'm so fortunate to have found the world's greatest traveling companion. Being able to share these moments with someone who totally gets it makes it even more special. A large part of our itinerary was devoted to the Bruce sites and places that I will be writing about in my novels, but we also visited some extreme coastlines and Aberdeen which focus in Veronica's upcoming YA Vampire series and her Clan MacAlpin Scottish historical series. We joke that she's the Isaac to my Julie MacCoy, because I love all the planning and she just goes with the flow.

When she mentioned that she wanted to see some dramatic coastlines I knew exactly where we had to go: Northern Scotland. Not only did we visit Dunnet Head (the most northerly point of the mainland), but we also visited Cape Wrath--the northwestern tip of the mainland and undoubtedly one of the most remote places you can travel in Britain. We were one of 2,500 people a year who take the ferry ride and then a 30 minute (at time terrifying) minibus drive over some of the most desolate countryside you will ever see to reach the lighthouse and cliffs of Cape Wrath. Surprisingly "wrath" doesn't refer to the fury of the wind and waves that strike the coastline, but is an old Viking word for turning point. The area is used by the British SAS (special forces) to train and is often closed to the public--for good reason as they drop bombs in the area! That's Veronica, our travel guide Fiona, and me on the cliffside.

It's hard to capture the beauty of the place--or the danger--but this picture of some absolutely crazy (aka stupid) young tourist gives you an idea. I seriously thought the girl was going to fall off the cliff. If I'd been her mother I would have wrung her neck.

Anyway, I'll be posting many more pics from the trip over the next couple months on my website and flckr pages so be on the look out! Hope you all had a nice couple of weeks. Once I recover, it will be time for me to hit the keyboard again. Good news: three more Highland Guard novels will be on the way!

All My Bags are Packed . . . (cue John Denver)

It's not a great clip, but the song is one of my favorites. And, in this case, quite appropriate!

It will be quiet around here for a couple weeks while I'm in Scotland, but I'll have TONS of great pictures for you when I get back. I'm planning to visit many of the places in the first few Highland Guard books, so you'll be able to see some of the things you've read about. Most of you already know about these, but if you are new don't miss the "picture books" on my website where I try to highlight portions of the novels with pictures.

Slainte!

And the Winner is . . .

Mari M! Please contact me here with your snail mail addy to claim your prize. If I hear from you by Saturday, it will be ready to go in the mail next week. If not, it will have to wait until I get back. Congratulations!! I know you will enjoy Veronica's book.

Would you take this job?

Talk about a perfect set-up for a gothic novel! How would you like to live in a lighthouse on a tiny island in the San Francisco bay? I heard about the job posting in our local paper. You would be responsible for running the lighthouse and small inn on the island, as well as ferrying guests back and forth to the island. The pay is good: $60-100k a year, but you also need have a commercial boating license. The good news is that there is electricity and internet. Bad news is that water is dependent on rain. Any takers?

I've always loved lighthouses (and gothic novels), but I think even aside from the job responsibilities this would be too much for me. Although it could be romantic, I think the romance would wear off for me in a couple days and stir craziness would set in.

What about you . . . does this sound like paradise or a nightmare?

And speaking of paradise, in honor of my upcoming trip to Scotland with fellow romance author Veronica Wolff-appropriately dubbed Mommy Abandonment Tour #2--I will be giving away a copy of her latest release DEVIL'S HIGHLANDER. It's the first book in her new Clan MacAlpin series (kind of a Party of Five meets the Highlands--with claymores, LOL) that you guys are going to love. I loved the first book and am already looking forward to book #2. As a travel partner, I deserve an early copy don't you guys think?

I'll pick a winner from the commenters on Friday.

USA Today and NYT!!!! (Think that's enough exclamations?)

Erik hit the bestseller lists today, debuting at #23 on the NYT and #58 on the USA Today. I'm absolutely THRILLED! A huge thank you to everyone who raced out to purchase the book the first week, I truly appreciate all the support. You guys are the best. I'll be toasting you tonight. :)

It Doesn't Get Much Better Than This

The hubster and I spent a relaxing labor day basking in the sun, drinking beer, and eater lobster sandwiches (delicious!) at the ballpark. As you can see, we had some pretty cool seats. They are literally right on the field--you can see how close Chone Figgins was--and come with all you can eat food and non-alcoholic drinks. Funny enough they had nothing to do with being a former player, but came though a business contact of Dave's. Wish we'd had seats like this when Dave played, LOL.

It was actually a busy weekend. Aside from the A's game today, we went to the Highland Games yesterday (always a blast) with fellow Scottish author Veronica Wolff and her family, and Saturday was the first Stanford tailgate--I mean football game--of the season. I was able to try out my new tailgating margarita machine, which, you'll be happy to know, performed beautifully.

True to form we are FINALLY getting some warm weather in NorCal. It's been pretty cold this summer, but it was gorgeous this weekend.

Anyone take in any games this weekend? Hit the beach? Do anything else fun? Labor Day always feels like the end of summer to me. Tomorrow it's back to reality. :)

Erik is in the house!

No, not that Eric (didn't Alexander Skarsgard look yummy at the Emmy's last night, BTW?), but Erik MacSorley, my half-Viking, half-Gael seafarer hero of THE HAWK, the second book in my Highland Guard series, which hits stores today! (I told you August 31st would be here before you knew it. :))

I think I've mentioned before that I grew up watching a lot of old movies since my mom was an old movie buff. If you seen the list of "My Favorites" on my website, you know that Errol Flynn is my favorite old movie star. Well, Erik is somewhat my ode to Errol in his swashbuckling pirate movies (Captain Blood and The Sea Hawk). Hint: If you've seen any of those movies pay particular attention to the end of the first scene in Chapter One of The Hawk.

I'll be anxiously (and I mean anxiously) awaiting your reactions. Book release day is always a mix of excitement and nail biting for me as I wait for the "reviews" to start filtering through. But a HUGE thanks to B.E. for the great early first returns. :)

If you are new to the series or just want a quick refresher on what's happened, I'll be posting a new section on my website today called "All About the Highland Guard" that will catch you up. But BEWARE there are spoilers for THE HAWK in some of the sections.

I hope you are all enjoying the last days of summer. My kids go back to school on Wednesday, and I've been frantically running around trying to figure out how my son is going to navigate the thousands of stairs at middle school with two casts on his feet (corrective foot surgery). Boy, do I feel sympathy for those people who need accessibility full time. It's sad how we don't think about these things until they happen to us, isn't it?

So other than getting ready for school it's been pretty boring around casa McCarty. We've also been catching up on Glee (what a great show!) and watching True Blood, Top Chef, and Pillars of the Earth. We are also really enjoying the new show Rizzoli and Isles based on the Tess Gerritsen books--she's a favorite of mine. I've also been catching up on a little reading lately, including devouring MOCKINGJAY in one day last week. If any of you read it, I'd be intereseted to hear what you think.

Finally, I'm doing a couple of blogs this week. If you have time, come on over and check me out today at RomCon's blog and Friday at the Lovestruck Novice.

And Erik Goes To . . .

Congrats to B.E.!!! Send me your snail mail address and I'll get him in the mail ASAP. Thanks to everyone for posting. I hope to be able to write all the stories you guys are looking forward to!

Hot Off the Presses!

One of my favorite days in the publishing process is opening the package that contains the freshly printed copy of my next book. Last week, it was THE HAWK, which will be in stores on August 31st (thanks to Doreen for pointing out a typo on my webpage about the release day, which will hopefully be corrected by time most of you read this).

I love the cover of this book, but wait until you see the colors. I think it's the best yet, and hopefully those vibrant purples and blues will really pop off those bookshelves.

So I want to share a little of the excitement with one of you. From now until Thursday night tell me which member of the Highland Guard you are most looking forward to reading about. (I won't be writing about all of them, but hope to write most.) A winner will be picked from the comments on Friday. As the last time, you must contact me by the following day (Saturday) or another name will be drawn so make sure to check back!

Winners!

Congratulations to Diane W. and DiP (Anonymous)! You are the winners selected by random.org! Please email me by Monday with your snail mail addy. Thanks to everyone for voting on the poll. Looks like Rory has pulled away from the pack, after running neck and neck with Tor for most of the week. Guess those first loves die hard, LOL!

So Which Team Are you On?

This blog was inspired by an email I received from a reader who couldn't decide who was her favorite: Tor or Patrick? I thought I'd do a little poll and see who's the frontrunner. I chose the four guys who have garnered the most private votes from reader email, but feel free to post in the comments if you have a different choice.

Let me know WHO YOU PICKED in the comments and you will be eligible to win a set of books that I brought back from RWA giveaways. I think I have enough for TWO winners to get four books each (sorry, titles will be a mystery until you open the box :). I'll pick the winners on Sunday morning so get those votes in! Winners will have until Monday night to email my their email address or I'll choose another name.

Also: Make sure to check back next week as well, because I may have an early copy of THE HAWK to giveaway on my next blog . . .

UPDATED: CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED BUT STILL FEEL FREE TO VOTE IN THE POLL!

(Christie Hunter, Therese Walsh, Barbara Samuel, Jami Alden, Anne Hearn, Veronica Wolff, moi, Sarah MacLean, Christie Ridgeway, Bella Andre)

Hanging with the gang at RWA 2010 Orlando

Well, I'm back from Disney World and exhausted but invigorated as always. The RWA national conference is a crazy, fun-filled week of publisher parties, dinners with editors and agents, booksignings, workshops and networking (most of which takes place at the bar). This year we had karaoke! My friend Jami and I also managed to hit EPCOT on Wednesday before the big literacy signing. Fun, but hot. 97 degrees and humid is like walking around in a bread oven.

RWA national conference is the one week where it really does feel glamorous to be a writer. This year you'll be happy to know that I managed to talk to Linda Howard without babbling like a fool (I think).

But to me, far and away the best part of conference is the chance to hang out with friends without interruptions (yes, I'm talking to you kids!). I feel so fortunate to have such a great group of friends. The group seems to be getting bigger each year, which even makes it more fun. A few years back, our friend and chapter mate Barbara Freethy introduced us to her long time buddies Christie Ridgeway, Barbara Samuel and Liz Bevarly (who unfortunately wasn't there this year). We have so much fun hanging out with them at RWA, picking their brains and learning from some of the best in the industry. Congratulations to Barbara Samuel who won yet another Rita (I think she has 5 or 6 and has been nominated over TWENTY--OMG--times).

A special call out and thanks to PJ for bringing some of her amazing chocolates that I shamelessly begged for. :)

When I get a chance to catch up I'll be posting an opportunity to win some of the extra books I brought back from conference. Hope you guys had a nice week and are gearing up for THE HAWK. Can't believe it will be four weeks tomorrow!

Many readers commented this year again on the covers. I know I've asked this before, but with three new ones to add to the collection, which one is your favorite?

Who Do You Write Like?

Want to know which famous writer you write like? Plug in a few paragraphs of your writing here and find out.

I read an article about this fun website in my local paper yesterday and had to try it out. Interestingly, I received pretty consistent results when I plugged in my fiction and nonfiction writing. I tried three different sections from my books and they all came back with Dan Brown. When I plugged in three different sections from my Author's Notes they came back with James Joyce. Apparently the site is the brainchild of a Russian software programmer and is based on word choice rather than style. There are only 50 authors to choose from, so the comparisons are limited. When I plugged in a couple paragraphs of Sir Walter Scott it also came back as James Joyce. Supposedly, it's going to get better as the programmer ads more books, etc.

So who do you write like? Any fun "time suck" website you've come across lately?

Treats from RomCon!

(With Melissa Mayhue and Amanda McCabe)

(With my brunette mafia buds: Jami Alden and Veronica Wolff)

This past weekend I flew to Denver to attend the first annual RomCon conference. I had a blast. Intended as a conference for readers, I think the organizers really did a terrific job. It was great to be able to interact in fun workshops with readers (my favorites: building an alpha hero, speed dating a new author, and the "scavenger hunt" with historical authors set up by Courtney Milan). Compared to RT which is similarly devoted to readers, RomCon felt more intimate, allowing for a lot more interactions with readers and authors.

I'm already looking forward to next year! Despite my carry-on only baggage, I did manage to bring back a few "treats," including a signed copy of Julia Quinn's THE DUKE (probably my favorite of her books), an unsigned copy of Julia Quinn's WHAT HAPPENS IN LONDON, a signed copy of Elizabeth Boyle's CONFESSION OF A LITTLE BLACK GOWN, and brought back from RT (I forgot to give away) an unsigned copy of Sarah MacLean's NINE RULES TO BREAK WHEN ROMANCING A RAKE.

One book per person. First person to comment wins the book of their choice. You must specify title, and make sure no one else has requested it before you post OR YOU LOSE YOUR PLACE IN LINE!!! You also must register an email so I have a way of getting a hold of you. Winners will be posted ASAP.

So have you ever attended a readers conference? Is this something that interests you?

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?)