10:24 PM - Change is coming........I give you.......THE AMAZING
Current mood: happy
Category: Friends

Okay so, I have a little something to share with everyone. It's about a very special person in my life. Someone that absolutely brings laughter, joy, true friendship, and a never-ending string of funny funny "OH NOOOOOOOOs"

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11:47 PM - And now a few words from the Author.....
Current mood: HONORED
Category: HONORED Writing and Poetry

Okay so I have a few things to cover in this blog, so let's get to it, shall we?

First off, Vern Firestone, owner and CEO of TRIAD Publishing Group appeared LIVE on BlogTalk Radio with Lesa yesterday morning. Joni, the PR Director was also on LIVE with Vern.

I have to say, I was floored by their chemistry. They offered an indepth look at the publishing world and at the industry as a whole. The interview was absolutely amazing!!!!!!!!!! It was not only informative, but also entertaining as frick! I was also on the air with them, and let me tell you, we laughed so hard.

Joni was also on Now that's what I'm talking about a BlogTalk Radio Show hosted by Louise Aveni last night at 7:00PM EST on a show that featured not only Joni (in the second segment) but also Ruth Baer. Joni was AMAZING!!!!!!!!! Oh, you have all GOT TO HEAR BOTH THE RADIO SHOWS that Vern and Joni were on yesterday.

But there's something else I need to stress here......I am so unbelievably thankful to the both of them and to Triad, not only for giving my books a warm and loving home, but also for the amount of support, friendship and encouragement they have shown me since day one. They truly are like no other house out there. I really mean that, and to anyone who dreams of being published, and has done their homework, I can assure you all that TRIAD is the house that is changing the face of the age-old industry that has fought to keep a tight hold on the proverbial box. A box Vern, Joni, Triad and everyone there has turned away from.

They are setting new standards in the publishing world. Standards others are now desperately trying to emulate, and failing to with much regret.

So I leave you with this. Vern was fantastic on the show! Joni was fantastic on the show! The host, Lesa, was fantastic on the show!

And now......for the BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

LIVE on the air, Vern announced to the listening world news that the much-deserved and well-earned Joni Shanburn has been promoted to Vice President for The Triad Publishing Group.

YAY! WHOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congrats to Joni, a helluva woman, a helluva a PR Director, and a helluva VICE PRESIDENT!

So let's all raise our glasses to this fantastic publishing house, to its brilliant mastermind Vern Firestone, and the the new Vice President of Triad, Joni Shanburn.

Here are the links to the shows:
The Odd Mind BlogTalk Radio Show with Lesa
Now that's what I'm talking about, with Louise Aveni

Not only are they growing by leaps and bounds, but they are also constantly trying to reach out to so many dreamers. In fact, one of their most recent Imprints, beautifully named "ShadowBox" is a division created to reach out to young authors everywhere. This, in and of itself is so AMAZING!

People, I'm telling you, if you never take to heart anything else I ever say in the future, take this and bank it......TRIAD IS GOING TO TAKE OVER THE PUBLSIHING WORLD, AND I FOR ONE STAND IN AWE OF WHAT THIS YEAR AND THE COMING YEARS WILL BRING.

GINORMOUS HUGS AND GIGANTOR CONGRATS to Vern and Joni and TRIAD.



Love and unending awe:)
You biggest fan and infinite cheerleader:)
Cindy

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1:30 AM - HERE’S YOUR CHANCE TO TALK TO THE MAN HIMSELF....VERN FIRESTONE
Current mood: excited

Okay so, I know I've mentioned VERN FIRESTONE a few times, and I've said once or twice what a fantastic publisher he is, and perhaps I've let slip how awesome they are at

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8:53 PM - LIVE on BLOGTALK RADIO....The Reaper Meets The Cackling Author
Current mood: dorky

Okay so, oh god!

disbelieving head shake....

Well, I might as well just fess up and be done with it......

Monday, May 5, my good and dear friend, author, T. G. Reaper was LIVE on BlogTalk Radio with Lesa.

Naturally I decided to call in. And let me tell you.....(deep exhale here).....I discovered something about myself, folks. (another deep breath here too). I quickly found myself LIVE on the air as well. I actually had a VET appointment, but I decided to change it so I wouldn't miss the chance to finally talk to Thom (T. G. Reaper).

I woke up early, was all ready, excited to call in....and decided to use the hour before the show to check my Myspace inbox. Well, low and behold, my husband comes running in and well, it went something like this.....actually, it went exactly like this:

hubby runs in:

"Babe, wasn't your friend's show on at 11?"

"ON NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CRAP!!!!!!!!"

So I zipped over to the website, and it had already started! I missed the first 15-20 min or so! I typed in asking if I could call in already, and with the go ahead, I did. And oh god! My voice! The sound of my voice! And that's not all! No, someone somewhere clearly decided it would be "oh so funny" to make me make a fool of myself LIVE on the air right out of the gate during my first LIVE conversation with THOM and the listening world!

hanging head low now and cringing....

Yes, my friends, despite my conviction that I would try really really hard to be as cool and collected as I could on LIVE radio, and as much as I joked about me YAYing and OMGding my way through my own show.....when I called into Thom's show, my first reaction was:

"Hi Thom! OMG! This is so cool! HAHAHA OMG! HAHAHAHA"

deep exhale......

My voice was screechy and my laugh came off as a cackle to rival that of the Wicked Witch of the West!!!!!!!!!!!! Which only made me laugh, I'm sorry...cackle more and unfortunately louder. And to add a little salt to the cackling wound, my cell's battery died!

What fresh hell was this, I thought quite vocally. When I was finally able to call back, I even went as far as taking a stand against the way I sounded the first time. Yes, the second call entailed me holding the phone about two feet away from my mouth just so the cackles wouldn't come across so freakin' clearly this time!

But, it seems, Lady Luck had had a few too many shots of Tequila and thought it would be funny to have it be that at THAT particular moment, my cell phone clarity was on point and highly advanced in its technological quality!

Yes, it appears the guys who made the phone really got a good night's sleep that day and came prepared to dish out a great phone! Thanks guys! Thanks a lot!

At least, to ease my suffering, I was gifted a reason to smile when just as I was dialing back in, Thom was asked who inspired him.

Do you know what he said? He actually said, "C. L. Freire".

OMG! I freaked out, cackled and got through. What a great guy, Thom! Those of you who haven't yet added him have to, if you want another incredible friend in your life. I mean that....

We wound up talking for quite a while, and it was great! You guys should all go to BlogTalk Radio and check out the show, which you can catch in archives.

When it was over, I listened to it, and I'm not remotely exaggerating when I tell you that every time I heard the sound of my own voice and my "unique" cackle, I cringed, fell back on the bed and died a thousand humiliating deaths. Yeah, the nine lives of cats have nothing on me.....

Now, here I am thinking, DAMN, I HAVE TO CANCEL MY OWN SHOW! I'LL BE DAMNED IF THE WORLD IS GOING TO HEAR ME CACKLE AND ACT LIKE A TOTAL DORK LIVE ON THE AIR DURING MY FIRST ON-AIR AUTHOR INTERVIEW!!!!!!!

So I told my husband I wanted to cancel, and he laughed and said I sounded great, and that I should absolutely not cancel. Then I called my dear dear sweet funny friend, M, and I told her I was going to cancel. I told her why and we laughed and she told me not to cancel. And I swear every time I laughed with both of them, all I could hear was the sound of my cackle. And then I started thinking back to all the phone calls with Vern and the one with Joni and the one with Fran and all the ones with M and Donna and every other person who's ever made me laugh on the phone, and again, all I could think was OMG THEY ALL HEARD ME CACKLE!

deep sigh partnered with pouting tremble of lower lip.....

HOW THE FRICK AM I GOING TO DO THIS?

I mean, a lot of people have told me my laugh is infectious...my hubby, M, Joni. But when I hear it myself I think, "Yes, Infectious....Like Mad Cackling Disease." Next thing I know the CDC (Center for the Demented Cacklers) will be pounding on my door to take me away in a white coat and muzzle.

Oh well, I guess the secret will be out soon....like FRIDAY on BlogTalk Radio, Friday May 9 at 8pm Eastern Stand Time.

Oh wait...scratch that......don't listen! Turn away! Cover your ears and Run! Run fast! Don't look back!

The CACKLE is Coming LIVE!

hope you ALL come...that is if you want a good cackle to blog about....call-in. I would love love love to hear from everyone here. To finally talk to you all personally.

But please, be kind and just know that no witches will be injured during the running of the show......

HUGS and CACKLES
Cindy

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5:40 PM - THE YEAR OF DREAMS......OMG OMG OMG - I LOVE 2008!!!!!!!!!
Current mood: ecstatic
Category: Writing and Poetry

Okay so, get this.......

Do you guys remember my short story, The Newcomers? The one I posted here a long time ago?

Well......IT'S GETTING PUBLISHED IN THE JUNE / JULY ISSUE OF NEXGEN PULP MAGAZINE!

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10:48 PM - The Laughing Author, The Coffee-Spitting Ravenn, and The Gothic Black Dress That Made History
Current mood: dorky
Category: Friends

Okay so, before I go any further, I must officially introduce you all to my "snevil" (Thanks Joni) alter-ego, whom I call TYPOGIRL.

Funny thing about Typogirl, she tends to come out at the most inappropriate moments in my life, and she's even worked her way into my mouth, using me like a puppet in her red-cheek-inducing game of "Let's embarass Cindy...YAY YAY!"

Needless to say, it's not a game I enjoy, simply because she frustrates me to bloody hell! But last night, I must admit, Typogirl was at her finest. It was her shining moment in the proverbial sun. And for that I will try not to condemn her to hell as much or as often. She did after all, provide me with an historic moment in my publishing career.

So there I am last night, going about my Myspace business. You know, checking emails, comments, and blogs posted by my dear and cherished friends:)

So I click over to the SHADOW OF PARADOX blog to read Ravenn's post about TRIAD PUBLISHING GROUP'S one year anniversary, which was May 1.

You see,  Ravenn posted a blog aptly titled: Happy Anniversary to TRIAD Publishing!

It was such a touching blog post. Really summoned up the warm and fuzzies. Now, realize, other people had already commented on the blog. So, naturally, I had to comment on this too, because, well, you DO know me, right?

Now, here's what I wrote: "And Ravenn:) Oh god, come on, it's RAVENN!!!!!!!! She's another VERN....Vern in a black gothic dress...:)"

At least that's what I thought I had written. And then I moved on to my business as usual....

Her comment to me was, and I quote, and if you don't believe me, check my comments on my page and you'll see for yourself:

"ROFL!!! OMG, my friend, you have NEVER made me laugh so hard! I almost spit out my coffee! "And Ravenn:) Oh god, come on, it's RAVENN!!!!!!!! She's another VERN....Vern is a black gothic dress... :) I had no idea Vern was a piece of clothing!"

….

My initial reaction was

"WHAT??????? NO! I DID NOT CALL HIM A BLACK GOTHIC DRESS! NO! NO! NO! OMG! OMG! HAHAHAHAHA OMG! OMG! breathe, breathe, desperately gasping for air, OMG! OMG! OMG! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA OMG!

And when I finally caught my breath, I went back to her page and checked for myself, thinking surely Ravenn had read it wrong because I, who vehemently try to beat Typogirl to the punch, tend to go the extra mile to make sure I don't make mistakes in my blogs.

And sure enough….THERE IT WAS…THE COMMENT TO END ALL COMMENTS.

Yes, folks, I had made the most hilarious mistake in publishing history.

Clearly, what I MEANT to say was that "Ravenn was another Vern…Vern IN a black gothic dress." But Typogirl, it turns out, had been lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce. And fortunately she won this round.

yeah, yeah, applause, applause…whoohoo (insert minor finger twirl here and a roll of the eyes)….bla bla bla…

Now some of you may say, "Hm, funny," and go on with your day. But, come on really try to put yourselves in my shoes for a minute or two and picture YOUR publisher. And try to imagine calling YOUR publisher a black gothic dress in an open forum for all the blogging world to see, when what you're actually doing is praising them.

Think long and hard about it and I think you might find the humor in this situation.

Needless to say, when I spoke with Vern today, he and I laughed so hard. And he went on to tell me that when Ravenn called him and asked him if he'd seen the comment I left, they cracked up to hell too!

So in honor of my near-fatal fashion Faupax, I leave you with this...

"DON'T ALWAYS WORRY TOO MUCH ABOUT TYPOS....BECAUSE SOMETIMES THEY CAN BE FUNNIER THAN ANYTHING YOU COULD HAVE STRUGGLED TO PUT OUT FOR THE SAKE OF MAKING OTHERS RACE TO THE NEAREST TOILET!" --C. L. Freire

Sorry Vern. But I had to do it. It was a moral imperative!

fingers crossed that you again laugh...and not growl at this blog....

HUGS, Black Gothic Dresses, and Bravos to Typogirls everywhere:)

Cindy

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11:48 AM - THE SECRET IS OUT......
Current mood: determined
Category: Writing and Poetry

Okay so, I posted a bulletin the other day announcing a BIG SECRET.

Wanna know what it is??????

Okay, okay, don't snap at my toes like that....I'll tell you. I mean, come on, why else would I put out this blog, right? Did you think I was just blowing smokey rings here? Silly! I only do that when I go camping and inhale the log's smoke...and I don't go camping....CITY GIRL ALL THE WAY. Yes, give me concrete, technology and bustling civilization please...

Oh right, the secret....

I'm glad you brought it up cuz, trust me, I could have gone on forever about how much I'm not into Nature. I mean, I'm the girl who'll go screaming through the woods, shouting "NATURE! I HAVE NATURE ON ME!" if I found a strange something on my arm.

OOPs, I did it again, didn't I?

Okay, the secret....READY?

Next Friday...that would be May 9, 08' at 8 pm, Eastern Standard Time (7 pm Central Time), I will be appearing on the ODD MIND BLOGTALK RADIO Show:)

WHOOHOO!!!!!!! OMG OMG OMG OMG YAY!

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1:44 AM - THE DAY OUR LIVES WERE FOREVER CHANGED...
Current mood: HONORED
Category: HONORED Writing and Poetry

Okay so guess what today is?

Come on, guess!

No clue?

It is my ABSOLUTE HONOR to announce that today, May 1, 2008, is the...

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6:03 PM - The Interviewer, The Book Reviewer, and The Author Who’s Awed
Current mood: contemplative
Category: Writing and Poetry

Okay, so let's chat a while, shall we? A little birdie has been whispering in my ear, and frankly what it told me kind of made my ears itch.

Why?

Well, I'm so glad you asked. I'll tell you why.

Actually, I would have told you anyway, or else this would have been a pointless blog, and do you honestly think I would have sat and thought long and hard about the blog's title if I wasn't going to back it up with an actual blog that had something to say?

Okay, now that we're on the same page....

There's a very special person on Myspace. In fact, she is so amazing that she has taken her place in my TOP FRIENDS, and trust me, she's not going anywhere.

Her name is CRYSTAL ADKINS.

Now let me pose a scenario to you all, okay? It's a scenario that anyone with a dream can really appreciate, relate to, and feel for.

Here goes:

You have a dream. It could be to become a successful author, a famous painter, a musician, a singer...someone who's main goal in their professional life is to get "Noticed". You struggle your entire life, however long it takes to see your dream come to fruition. You fight the odds, the negative comments, and the nay-sayers out there who tell you that YOU will NEVER make it, do it, or see it happen.

But you push on, scoffing in the face of rejection and the close-mindedness that can and often does run rampant in this world. You push on, and if you're lucky someone opens a door and welcomes you into the life you've always dreamed about. And then one day, someone from that world looks to you and says, "You are doing a fantastic job, and I'd like to tell the world you're coming."

So you explode with joy, scream, dance, and/or in my own case, squeal like a four-year-old and OMG yourself to laryngitis. You tell your family and friends. Hell, you even go as far as seeking out your nearest "loud sound-making" store so you can buy them out of every bullhorn they carry, just so you can climb to the rooftop of the nearest building on the busiest street and shout to the world below "I DID IT!"

And this "special person" tells you they want to interview YOU or review YOUR book.

Just sit back and really think about that for a minute or two thousand.

Someone in the industry WANTS to INTERVIEW YOU, or REVIEW YOUR BOOK! So you humbly, and with class and control, tell them you would love to. And so you do it. You are given your moment to shine for all the world to see. And the kind person who wants to share in your talent and joy does their part and goes the extra mile, not getting paid to do this, mind you, and they bring you out into the world at large.

And you wait to see what the world says, and what the world thinks of you and your work. And you wait, and you wait, and you, of course wait some more.

And nothing happens. No one is reading the interview or the review.

How would that make you feel?

I ask you this because it seems that in the quest for success, some often overlook the lonely road to that very destination.

This is where CRYSTAL ADKINS swoops in and extends the hand of friendship, kindness, and unending hope for the success of us all.

So I urge you all...as authors who want your books to reach everyone everywhere, you have to, have to, have to check out CRYSTAL ADKINS. She reviews books, conducts interviews, and offers much-needed exposure in an industry hell-bent on keeping us unknowns down.

It's time we make our own future. Form our own rules. Help one another. Give back to those who've helped us. And write our own proverbial "book". We need to stand together and make our voices heard, and listen to the ones asking for a friendly ear, if only for five minutes out of your day.

After all, it may be your interview or book review other people are not making time for. It could be YOU who is not getting heard. And it could be YOU one day wondering WHY.

Let's put that day to rest, shall we? I, for one, am going to make a stand, right here and now.

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11:32 PM - REPOST: Write in the City Treats C.L. Freire (and TRIAD) Right!!! OMG OMG OMG OMG YAY!!!!!!!!!
Current mood: ecstatic
Category: Writing and Poetry

Okay so here's a blog that's apparently going around that absolutely BLEW ME AWAY!

I can not, can not begin to tell you all how unbelievably touched I am by all of this. I mean, come on! Who am I? I'm just another author trying to bring my passion to the world at large. So to see so many people actually finding something they like in what I do, well, I'm truly amazed, to say the least. Amazed and HONORED.

Thank you everyone. My INCREDIBLE publisher, all of its authors, its amazing support team, Write in the City, and of course, all of my dear and infinitely cherished friends:)

Geez, is it me or does this sound a little like an acceptance speech at the Academy Awards?

Sorry. I can't help myself. This truly means more to me than any of you will ever or could ever possibly know:)

Now check this blog out.

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG!

There is an amazing website on MySpace that we would like to introduce to everyone. It is called Write in the City, and it was formed in the Fall by the wonderful Sherri, along with her four friends Lorraine, Tosha, Julia, and Jane. The concept was to form a site that would bring together a diversity of women, along with their interests, to share everything from good old-fashioned ranting, musings, life – and most importantly – an outlet for them to write. Later, Todd was brought on board so the men wouldn't be scared away by all the women and to help round out the site from the male perspective.

What makes them truly unique, however, is their gift of wanting to expose the world to some very talented writers and artists who might not ever get a chance to be noticed. They take the time to post links and blogs to other pages they find interesting, inspiring and that are just worth the time to explore.

It's a concept called "paying it forward".

This is the same philosophy TRIAD Publishing Group is founded upon, and we would like to salute Write in The City not only for their wonderful mission, but also for spotlighting one of our authors, C. L. Freire in one of their fantastic blogs, which you can read by clicking on:

LOOKING FOR THE NEXT J. K. ROWLING?

We invite you to get to know the special people at Write in the City. Take some time and explore their MySpace page and their OFFICIAL SITE.

Add them as a friend and tell them TRIAD sent you. Subscribe to their blog and invite them to yours. We promise you will enjoy your stay!

TRIAD Family/Ravenn
__

OMG!!!!!!

GINORMOUS HUGS TO YOU ALL, EVERYONE:)
Cindy

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9:01 PM - I’VE GOT AN ANNOUNCEMENT! NO REALLY! IT’S BIG! HUGE! GINORMOUS!
Current mood: excited
Category: Writing and Poetry

Okay so, a lot of people have asked me when the book is coming out. So I posted the countdown timer to the release of The Book.

And lately, a lot of people have been asking me when pre orders are opening.

Well, I'm happy to say that....

THEY ARE OPENING ON:

COSMOS FOR EVERYONE! WHOOHOO...COSMOS!

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5:02 PM - FRIENDS YOU CAN NOT LIVE WITHOUT
Current mood: blissful
Category: Friends

Okay, so I just had to fall to my knees and get a little mushy here for a moment.

I really want to thank my husband for always standing beside me, even when I get a wee bit whiny (yes, I get whiny, and so do you...admit it!) I mean, he's put up with so much...and honey, if you read this, "I'm offended, in advance." He knows where that comes from...LOL. He is the most intelligent, creative, sweetest, most gentle and sexy man ever! He always makes me laugh and smile and think. He is my absolute BEST FRIEND IN THE WORLD! And I love him more than anything!!!!!!!!



As for my dear and cherished friends here, I have to say I am absolutely floored by what has stumbled into my life.

You see, lately, there've been a lot of Myspace pages, run by the most fantastic people, posting blogs and comments about me back and forth. Even one of my closest friends, Donna, told me today there's such a buzz filling Myspace about me, which made me laugh so hard I would have delved into the dark waters of milk-from-the-nosesitis had I been induling in a glass of that cool dairy product that I love to drink with a splash of White Chocolate Macadamia Nut creamer.

What? You haven't tried it? OMG! You have to try it! Add any flavored creamer to your plain white milk, and drink up. You'll thank me later, I promise:)



Anywho, so I can not tell you all how unbelievably touched I am...not by the milky goodness, but I mean really touched. And not in the ooky way. No, I'm talking about by honest to goodness GOLDEN HEARTED PEOPLE, people.

And so I just couldn't go another minute without telling the world how much you all mean to me. Back when I started on Myspace, I was like every other writer out there, just reaching out to the writing world at large in the hopes of possibly meeting a few people.

Little did I know what was waiting for me around the proverbial corner. I have had the absolute HONOR, and I'm talking HUGE, MEGA, GINORMOUS HONOR of making more true and lasting friendships than any one person deserves or even dreams about.

So I say this now, to all of you out there in my little corner of Myspace...YOU HAVE TO ADD MY FRIENDS TO YOUR LIST!

I MEAN IT! AND I MEAN IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!!

GO ON!!!!!!!!!

I'm waiting! They're waiting for you. And believe it or not, somewhere inside you all, you too are waiting for the extraordinary pleasure I have been HONORED with in just knowing that so many amazing friends have all stood by me. Now I want them all to stand by one another.

And if you feel a little awkward...just tell them Cindy sent you. And you know I would never steer you wrong, right? I would never recommend someone who wasn't the absolute best thing you could ever have in your life. True and honest friends for life. Not the kind who add you for the sake of number-mongering ( I love that word). But the kind that you will look back on everyday and know in your heart that your life is more blessed because you have one another in it.

I, for one, know that I am absolutely humbled to no end by the amount of support, love, kindess, laughter, great times, and utter HONOR I feel every time I jump onto my page and see all my friends there waiting to just say Hi, or Have a great week, or I'm so happy for you.

Truly, I don't know what to say...although you'd never know it by the length of this blog post. But, well, you know me. A woman of a thousand words on a short day. I want you all to know that as long as I walk this little marble we call home, I will always be here for each and every one of you. Why? Because I truly want to be:) And I really mean that, so don't shake your head at me like that!

Yes, I can see you!



So please, I urge you all to go add happy. And to help you out, here's a short list of those you absolutely must must must add:

EVERYONE in my TOP 40.

What? Did you honestly think I had the stamina to go through everyone's page and grab their address and code it out here? Well, for Pete's sake, they're all on one page...MY PAGE. How much more do you want?

You want names? How about this:  MY TOP 40

Plus, those not in my top 40, but don't get me started on that. I hate the fact that there are at least 50 other amazing friends who Myspace (wa wa wa) is too simple-minded to make room for. I'm telling you, my dear, devoted, and infinitely cherished friends, I'm still working on MY TOP FRIENDS LIST. One that will finally shed light on those who so highly deserve to be seen by everyone!

Hey, I may have a crappy memory at times, (sorry M), but I haven't forgotten about the list to end all lists...the one driving my campaign to make Myspace "MY"space.

But, to help you out, here's a list of some of the people you really do want to add to your friends. Trust me, I would never do this unless I truly believed in them all:

TRIAD, M, Sabrina Trump Le-Sprit, Donna, T. G. Reaper, Dawn, Julia, J, Josh (he's going to kill me), Shadow of Paradox, Write in the City (I still cant get over them calling me The next J. K. Rowling in their blog!), Sherri, John the Author, Tyrene, Nadia, Janie, Sonya, Mille, Shari...

see? Told you it was a lot. Can't say I didn't warn you...

Kimberly Curtis, Kimberly (Romance Writer), Charlotte Gledson, CSA Author Publicity, Yvonne, Louise, Fran, Ann Keller, Kim Soli, Ellina, Robin, Lisa, Richard Dean, RM Hamilton, Cat Eyes, Crystal's Book Reviews, Detra, Young Adult, Hardline Magazine, The Next Generation Writers, Next Gen Pulp Magazine, Devyn, Katie Davis, C. J. Parker, MJ Allaire, Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc, Kathy, Raen, Dahlia, and....

I mean it goes on and on. Now you see why I'm so thankful and incredibly lucky? Just add my friends, and tell them I sent you. I think they'll get a kick out of it...hehe(insert wicked hand rub here).

Honestly though, add them. You won't regret it, I promise you:) You do know you can trust me, right?

HUGS to no End, and Smiles to last a lifetime because of friends like mine:)
Cindy

and ps: If you and I are great friends and you don't see your name on the list, please forgive me. My memory is for crap, it's a long list, and as it is, I couldn't remember an email I had to send M, just seconds after I agreed to send it to her. Just know that you're in my heart, even if it doesn't seem so by this list:)

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4:16 PM - THE ILLUSTRATOR, THE AUTHOR, AND THE INFINITE OMGs
Current mood: ecstatic
Category: Writing and Poetry

Okay so, Vern called me today..and for those of you who don't know who Vern is...shame on you for not reading THE PUBLISHER OF DREAMS.

Anywho, "VERN" called me today and informed me that I OFFICIALLY have an illustrator for my book cover!

Let the OMGs roll...........

It goes something like this....OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG

See? Easy breezy.

So, Vern tells me the other day that the illustrator is really excited about doing my cover, which made me revert to the four-year lingering inside me. Yes, it did. And I'm not remotely ashamed to admit it that I squealed and screamed and YAYed my what through the call.

In the several emails I've gotten from the illustrator, he has mentioned that he is really excited about doing my book cover, and this is coming from someone who has done work for Grey Advertising, Ogilvey and Mather, Young and Rubicam, Saatchi & Saatchi, Meade Johnson, Johnson & Johnson, Calgary Stampede, Harper Collins, Simon and Schuster, Knopf, Warner Books, Disney Publishing, Kimberly Clarke.

I mean, this guy is beyond talented! No, I mean it! I mean, "WOW" just doesn't measure up here. This guy is so good I was floored by what I saw on his website! I couldn't believe his work was actual artwork and not photographs. That's how INCREDIBLE he is!!!!!!!!!! And to think he actually WANTS to and is LOOKING FORWARD TO working on MY book just BLOWS ME AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And he apparently loved the prologue and the first chapter of my book. In one of his emails he asked me to send him the first chap, so naturally, I sent him the prologue and the first chap.

So I should be talking with him in a few days to begin the process of making me squeal again and again. I can't wait to see my book cover!!!!!!!!!

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG

You can check him out at DORON BEN-AMI.

Here's a mere sample of what this ARTIST has done

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8:46 PM - PROLOGUE of THE BOOK
Current mood: ecstatic
Category: Writing and Poetry

Okay, so  here's the Prologue of my book, which, as many of you know is coming out on Oct 1 08'. A lot of people have contacted me, asking me if any excerpts were posted in my blog here. So I felt bad about pulling them a while back, and as it goes, I decided to repost the opening of the book.

I hope you enjoy it:) And, please, feel free to leave your thoughts in your wake:)

HUGS and Happy Reading:)
Cindy

The man frantically threw back the hood of his black cloak and lifted the crying baby from the wooden crib. Closing his eyes, he brought the baby close, unable to look down at the mother's cold, accusing stare. He ran from the nursery, struggling to ignore the family smiling at him from the photos that floated against every wall he passed, as he made his way into the living room. It felt as though a cold, dark shadow had just taken over the house. The man threw the front door open and paused. With one glance back, he knew—when the night's harsh wind slapped his skin—that he had just abandoned everything he had ever stood for.

No time to run.

Heart thundering, he chanted, "Levitae," lifted off the ground and flew away.

The thick clouds parted overhead, giving way to the fullest moon ever to shine down on Elder City. The baby's tears glistened in the moonlight, bringing the man shame and guilt over what he was about to do. And he couldn't help but ask himself if he could really do it—leave an innocent baby in a strange world where magic was only myth and their kind was only legend. The boy would never fit in. Of that the man was certain. A churning sickness rose from within his gut at the mere thought of what the boy's future would bring him.

But the man forced himself to push those thoughts aside when his small cottage came into view. Panting, he muttered, "Anlevitae," landed on the ground and burst through the dark green front door. He slammed it shut and ran through the living room, mindfully avoiding the judgment he was feeling from the photos of his own family.

He made for his bedroom without pause and came to an abrupt halt beside the bed. After gently placing the child down, he quickly grabbed a small cobalt blue orb from the collection sitting in a wooden bowl atop his dresser. The orb hovered over the palm of his hand, growing and transforming into a cobalt blue fireball. When it stopped, the man began reciting a message—one he hoped to his very core would remain hidden until found by only one person. His hand shook as the words escaped him.

"Please forgive me," he whispered, a tear trickling down his cheek. 

On his last word, he waved his other hand over the cold blue fire. He looked upon it with a quivering chin as the fireball dissolved into a pile of glittery dust. The dust lifted off his hand and floated over to the family photo album, which was sitting on the shelf that had been its home since he himself was a child.

The man breathed softly, "I hope this finds you," as the powdery remnants of the orb glided into the spine of the album,

He looked down at the still-screaming baby. It was as though the boy knew something was wrong. But at only a few months old how could he possibly? And yet his cries seemed far from empty. The man scooped him up, cast his eyes upon the mirror once more and thought of only one destination. In a split second they both disappeared into the mirror and left all they knew and loved behind.

COMING, OCT 1, from
TRIAD PUBLISHING GROUP

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11:45 AM - LOOKING FOR THE NEXT J. K. ROWLING?
Current mood: HONORED
Category: HONORED Writing and Poetry

Okay, so there I am, strolling through my blog subscriptions and I see this blog called, Looking for the next J. K. Rowling? So out of curiosity I clicked on it. Needless to say I started screaming when I saw the blog post, which was posted by such an amazing page here called, Write in The City.


Hugs and Undying Honor
Cindy


Here's the link to the blog. I gotta say people, you have got to add this page to your friends. I know first hand it is an incredible page, run by incredible people. And have I ever steered you wrong?




LOOKING FOR THE NEXT J. K. ROWLING?

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