cindyholby

cleaning house

2005-08-04T17:16:19Z

My house is a mess. I'm not talking dirty laundry and stuff, I'm talking a major mess. I feel like I'm in the middle of a Dr. Seuss book.

The piles are high
The piles are deep
There are so many piles
I can not sweep
I dare not move
I dare not stare
The piles are growing
Everywhere.

I cleaned a closet
I felt I must
I sneezed and sneezed
from so much dust
I found some things
I thought were lost
and other things
I didn't know I'd got.

I have red cups
an entire shelf full
I have some napkins
and that aint no bull
I moved some tools
and some brushes with paint
they're in the garage now
and Rob felt faint.

So I have a closet
with some shelves now free
Abby the Cat
is happy with me
That's where she eats
and she's made it quite clear
she no longer worries
about stuff falling on her ear.

Don't get me started on the basement....

Stargazer

2005-08-03T18:17:39Z

Okay, I keep getting the same thing over and over again. Colby Hodge ripped off Riddick. Nope, didn't do it. Stargazer came to me back in 2000, which is the year that Pitch Black came out but for all I knew it was a horror movie. Shaun Phoenix was a well defined character in my manuscript before I ever saw the movie.

Stargazer was the second book I wrote. I started it after I completed Chase The Wind. I sent it to my editor who suggested we sit it on the back burner until I had established myself as a writer of historicals.

The book was complete and on my editors desk before Chronicles of Riddick ever came out. When I watched the movie (I admit it, big Riddick fan) I had a sinking sensation. I knew this was exactly what was going to happen. Everyone would think I ripped off Riddick.

Also been compared to Dune and Starwars. Which isn't bad. I got a lot of inspiration from those stories. I was always addicted to Star Trek. BattleStar Gallactica (the original)and of course Starwars. I read all the Dune books and thought the Sci-Fi channel version was awesome. I loved James MacAvoy as LetoII and also the guy who played Duncan Idaho. And by the way, my original model for Shaun was Richard Hatch, who played Apollo on BSG.

We get our inspiration from different places. I just knew what I liked and tried to compile what I liked about futuristics while building a realistic world.

I've also been bashed by the reviews of historical romance for not following their set formula for what a story and characters should be like. Guess I'm in a no-win situation here.

Oh well, back to the writing....

Beach Reads

2005-08-02T16:56:10Z

I had set some books aside, just saving them for the lazy days at the beach. Of course I was most excited about the New Harry Potter. The timing was perfect and since JK Rowling seems to be doing okay without my help I'll just say that it was great.

My second book was Pawley's Island by Dorthea Benton Frank. If you are familiar with the coast of South Carolina you need to give her a read. Her books are full of current references and alive with the history of the region. The night before I started it I had dinner at a restaurant, Franks, that she mentions and I have family that lives in Debordeiu pronounced debbydoo in gullah speak so it was a fun read for me and very entertaining. She's an auto buy for me.

Nice Girls Finish First by Alesia Holliday was the best for last. A story of a nice girl and a mean girl, who help each other even out their personalities both at work and in their personal lives. I really got into the story and loved seeing how these women matured and empowered themselves. I read it in a day.

Also for something just plain fun, try Dream Guy by Candy Halliday. Just when I thought she was going over the top with purple prose she pulled out the non stop laughs with a lot of sass and innuendo.

Back to the writing world and watching my TBR pile grow again.

Vacation

2005-08-01T17:06:36Z

Just back from a week at Ocean Isle NC. The family goes every year. My parents, my sons, my Aunt and Uncle, my cousins and their children. We rent a big ocean front house and sit on the beach. Everyone takes turns cooking every night. We work puzzles and play card games. The kids love to play spoons which is a rowdy card game. Lots of screaming and laughing involved.

I love spending the week with what I call my nieces and nephews, since I don't have any brothers and sisters. Beth Ann is the oldest. She's thirteen and so breathtakingly beautiful that it makes my heart hurt just to look at her. She's a fantastic athlete and has more poise and grace that I will ever posses. Next is her brother Tyler who is an absolute hoot. You can just see the mischief in his eyes. He is on the verge of a growth spurt. I predict he'll stand well over 6 feet by the time he's done. Then comes Austin. He's the quiet, sensitive one. Always worried about everyone's feelings. Then we have Rachel. She's six and a dancer. We watched her recitals on dvd. She's way better than everyone else her age, and that's not just because she's related to me. Next comes Patrick. We call him Patch. At six years old he can throw a baseball better than most little leaguers. Of course he likes to make up his own rules when we play ball on the beach. We never let him get away with that.

On the last day we built a replica of Helm's deep on the beach. Complete with mountains. I also read Harry Potter which I'd been saving. It was a nice week but now it's time to get back to work.

I hate deadlines!

Pedicures and other addictions

2005-07-05T14:36:38Z

I admit it. I'm a pedi junkie. Every two weeks I take a break from my every day grind and sit in that marvelous chair while my feet are given the TLC that they deserve by Mandy, the sweet young miracle worker that I'd been going to for a few years(or ever since I realized that I was addicted)

At my last pedi before the cruise Mandy shocked me by saying that she was leaving. She was quite upset and had put off telling me since I was one of her fav's(Did I mention I'm a great tipper?) She had found greener pastures, a great paying job as an executive assistant to one of her customers. Now why didn't I think of that?

I buried my depression by having a pedi on the cruise. That way I knew I'd have an extra week to find a new place. My gf Debbie suggested I go to her favorite day spa and since I'd heard a lot of chatter about the place I went.

Big mistake. I was in the hands of Pedzilla. While the chair was lovely to sit in the woman who had hold of my feet was determined to scrub every inch of skin off of them. What happened to the nice massage? Where's the soothing lotion? None of that here with Pedzilla. It's file city while she told me how much her back hurt from her urinary tract infection and whoever had done my feet in the past didn't have a clue as to what they were doing. Thank goodness the razors have been outlawed or she would have done that too!

Excuse me Pedzilla. Those callouses on my big toes are there from my special Friday the 13th on sale shoes(see blog) It took me a long time to earn those.

I walked out of there with raw spots, which developed into scabs and then my entire foot peeled skin. Yep, real attractive. It's better now. The only problem is...I need a pedicure. I wonder if Mandy is available?

A Guest Blog

2005-07-05T14:04:37Z

The following is a guest entry from my dear friend Alesia Holliday

http://www.alesiaholliday.com/nicegirlsfinishfirst.cfm - link to the book page

NICE GIRLS FINISH FIRST

So one day I was thinking about today’s woman, as I often do, considering that I write funny books about the everyday (and not so everyday!) things we all go through, and I was wondering about that perpetual dilemma – the Myth of the Nice Girl.

Somehow, through a peculiar evolution of the professional environment, women today are finally recognized (mostly) as equally competent, ambitious, and dedicated as men in the workforce. (We’ll leave the “we have to work smarter and harder” argument aside for now.) But yet, we have an added burden: we have to be NICE.

Now, this isn’t really tough for most women, most of the time. We were raised to be nice. That’s what little girls do, right? “Play nice!” “Be nice!” Except, well, there are times when you can’t be all that nice . . . Boyfriend cheating? Kick him to the curb! Um, in a nice way? Opposing counsel trying underhanded tactics? Notify the judge and get him sanctioned! Er, nicely?

The idea of a character who is very ambitious and a great person, but a little bit of a tough chick on the surface, really intrigued me. And I had the perfect character in Kirby Green, newly-hired exec at the Whips and Lace Co. She’d pretty much stolen every scene she was in in AMERICAN IDLE (Double RITA finalist, how cool is that??). Then I wanted to compare and contrast Kirby with a character who was so nice that she was in danger of becoming a doormat. Brianna sprang to life. My good friend who is an opera singer (no, really!) provided some great background for her. Then I set the two of them loose to play on the pages – each helping the other learn something about life, and about herself. That’s how NICE GIRLS FINISH FIRST was born.

Can we be successful as women today and still retain some of that niceness that was so valued in earlier years? I think so. But nice doesn’t mean dumb, and today’s nice girls DO finish first. They might just have to kick a little ass along the way.

Nicely.

Thanks for helping me celebrate the release of my second novel!! – Alesia Holliday (p.s. This nice girl is frantically polishing some pages due to Hollywood interest – you can see the details at http://www.alesiaholliday.com/blog/)

wandering

2005-07-04T16:18:24Z

We just got back from a mini vacation. 10 states, 2000 miles, five days. The fil turned ninety last Wednesday and we drove up to CT for his birthday and then spent Thursday on Cape Cod. We have a friend who is pitching in the Cape Cod league so we took him to lunch then explored until game time that night.

I was ready for something picturesque, quaint and charming. I never realized it was so wooded up there. We drove down into Woodshole which was a nice waterfront village but there was on place to park. We moved on into Falmouth and wanted to stop but the traffic was horrible and once again, no place to park.

Yep, that's what I remember from Cape Cod. Traffic, EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVE drivers, liquor stores and Dunkin Donuts. Maybe you need to be on a sugar high and drunk to handle the traffic. From Falmouth to Harwich on route 28 it was nothing but one big traffic jam without regard to stop signs or right aways. I guess living in the south has spoiled me.

Then we hit Chatam. Wow. What a wonderful place to spend the afternoon. Unfortunately we only had an hour so we did a quick jog through the town and checked out some of the shops. I wish I had a week to spend there, exploring, riding bikes, walking the shore, and just breathing the air.

Definitely going back. The ball game was wonderful too. Gib pitched great and had scouts looking at him. We were so proud of him and happy for him. Of course I had to give his mom an inning by inning update on the cell. I wonder if I could stow away with them when they go up to see him play. If only I didn't have this deadline...

exerwhat!

2005-06-20T22:40:58Z

I try to exercise. I actually enjoy it and love how it makes me feel during the day. I'm fairly muscular under all my...fluff. HOWEVER...I've been having motivational problems. Actually I think I need to have my motivator fixed because its not motivating me to do much of anything lately.

Oops, guess I was rambling. Anyway, exercise. I love to swim. My idea of perfection would be a pool that I could fall into from my bed every morning and just start swimming those laps. See, that's the hard part, getting to the pool. Once I'm there it's not problem, its the getting there thats holding me up.

So after the cruise and the tour I figured I'd better get back to the Y and do my swimming. I'd missed about three weeks. Boy had things changed. The pool, that I usually have to myself except for the water aerobics ladies was packed. Three lanes all full. Luckily someone was leaving just as I walked in so I claimed it in a hurry. Then a man asked if he could share.

Now I am generally an unselfish person. BUT...I swim the back stroke. I freestyle down and back stroke back. That's my routine. It works out the entire body. I can't change it. And you can't share a lane when you backstroke. You just need all the room to move your arms. So I said, "um, sorry, I back stroke." And the man agreed that it would be difficult to share so he moved to the really wide lane to swim freestyle.

So I'm in the pool and in my routine and thinking about the wip(work in progress) I really get great ideas while swimming because I'm in my own universe. No distractions, just me and the deep blue sea.

Crash. Someone was in my lane. And I plowed into them while backstroking. You think they would have told me they were jumping in. I mean that's the only polite thing to do. So now I have this really sore arm from whacking some strange guy in the head while reaching back. And the guy never said a word, just kept right on swimming while I floundered around in the deep end wondering what the heck just happened.

I'm really bummed out about it. I need my swimming time. I need to exercise. And I'm using this as an excuse...
But tomorrow I'm going back. If I can just find that lever on my bed that dumps me into the pool....

Brain dead

2005-05-18T19:02:19Z

yes I am brain dead. But can you blame me? We do have Josh's graduation this weekend. And then the cruise to celebrate. I'm keeping track of all the little details, the packing, the washing, the ironing, the shopping. Do the boys have their spending money?(so I don't have to pay for their stuff). Will Cody be okay without me for a week. (I will miss him the most)

We have a house sitter. I have to get all the phone numbers together for her. I have to show her how to work the dvd player and which remote works for each thing (digital cable) What if the power goes out and I miss recording the finale for Lost and American Idol. Which show should I record, Everwood, which is my favorite, or 24 which is Rob's. They both come on at the same time.

Lots of nitpicky little details that are boggling my brain. My head hurts. I need chocolate.

But one week from today I will be in Jamaica. Hopefully I will have had a massage by then, and a facial. I won't have a care in the world. I will look at the happy faces of my family and realize that all the deadlines and the creative process has given us a fantastic reward.

I worked hard for this vacation. Josh worked hard for it too. We deserve it.

I hope my VCR works while I'm gone.

Friday the 13th

2005-05-14T02:29:22Z

i should have known the way this day started that it was Friday the 13th. Not that I ever pay much attention to stuff like this but I over slept and then the disasters started. First of all I felt terrible,I think I caught my husbands cold. Then an order I'd been waiting on to deliver to a meeting two hours away was late. I got a letter from the oral surgeon saying that our insurance wouldn't cover my son's bill. Before eleven a.m. my day had gone pretty much down hill.

I had to run to the mall to pick something up. I prayed the entire way. Lord, don't let me get a ticket. Lord, don't let me have a wreck...I just knew the way my day was going that disaster awaited.

Then I walked into Belks. And as I walked by the shoe department, I noticed...That the shoes I wanted desperately to wear to Josh's graduation but wouldn't buy because they cost $85.00 were on sale. Not only that but I had a coupon for an extra percentage off. Would they have my size?..........................................YES!

Isn't if funny how a little thing like buying shoes...on sale...can really make your day? It sure made mine. Not only that but my youngest son reported in with his final grades from college and he wound up with a B in a class that he was flunking at the beginning of the year. I'm really grateful for that piece of great news.

But I really really love my new shoes!

Marc Blucas

2005-05-12T12:25:16Z

Dear Marc,

I think you're hot. And it's not as if I've recently discovered you. You see I've been a member of the Marc Blucas fan club since you played basketball at Wake Forest. You know those individual pictures that Lynn Heflin had framed and hung in the basketball office? I did those. When I saw yours I said "hottie" and then followed your career. I even got your autograph. Of course if was on a newspaper with Randolph Childress on the front but hey, it was your autograph. I even watched you play in the recent Wake Forest Alumni game. Took your picture. I waited for you to come out of the locker room so I could meet you in person but somehow I missed you. By the way, number 34 for Wake is a good friend of ours. He said he met you in study hall and you were really nice.

You're the one that made me a Buffy fan. I was flipping channels one day and said, "hey, that's Marc!" I had to watch. Then there were your movies. You did really well. Then came First Daughter. Big sigh. You were awesome. So heroic. So noble. I want a sequel.

The real reason I'm writing you is because I want you to play Ian. If Chase The Wind ever gets made into a movie, then you're my guy. I think you can to it. I believe in you. And after all, I've seen your death scenes so I know you can pull that off. So start working on your Scottish accent. Hallmark is looking at the book.

Your fan

Cindy

Shopping with my son

2005-05-11T14:15:14Z

My oldest son is graduating from college next Sat. cum laude I think. He has really good grades so its one of those honors. I guess I'll find out next Sat.

Anyway he's already pursuing job interviews and looking at real estate and trying to decide where he wants to live. He knows how to go after what he wants. Because we're so proud of him we're taking him on a cruise to the western caribbean.

And because my mother is so proud of him she took him shopping yesterday. Josh took us to South Point mall which is where the rich and beautiful shop. I'm so glad I wore a skirt instead of my jeans.

Have I mentioned that my son is gorgeous by the way? Model gorgeous. He really should be one and I'm tempted to enter him in the cover model contest at RT. So here he is in the dressing room of Banana Republic trying on linen pants and tropical T-shirts and showing us the combo's and looking extremely hot. So hot that the girls that were working the store kept making trips back to check him out. Evey time he came out he looked devastatingly handsome. One time he came out in a pair of jeans and a white shirt unbuttoned revealing his buff chest and I was wondering if I should include a bat on the cruise to beat the women off of him. it got kind of ridiculous after a while. I mean no one has the right to look that good in everything they try on. We finally said stop, no more. It was a good thing too, the bill was $800.00.

Can you tell I'm proud of my son? I have every right to be. I'm also scared for him. His entire life is before him with all the responsibilities and the fears that all of us faced when we take the first leap off the edge into the unknown of making a living.

On the other hand, I'm counting the days until I don't have to pay his car insurance, his gas, his cell phone, his xm radio, his health insurance...I guess you get the picture.

I have another son. He's a sophomore in college. He needs a shave and a haircut....

The next star book

2005-05-04T20:19:51Z

I'm currently working on Shooting Star, which is the second Colby Hodge book. It's about Ruben, Shaun's smuggling friend. As you know he has his secrets, or at least he alluded to some in the end of Stargazer.

Ruben loves a good story and I hope that he enjoys his. Unfortunately he's going to crash land on a planet that shuns technology. Then he see's a great get rich scheme when he's recovering at the house of a wine maker. The wine has an exquisite taste and a real kick to it. Could it be because it's tainted by a strange new drug that's made an appearance in the universe?

And why did he crash? Was it sabatoge? Things will really heat up when the Circe make an appearance. Plus he's fallen in love with a housekeeper named Tess who has a son named Blu.

Guess you'll just have to read it to find out what happens. That is if I ever get finished writing it....

Romantic Times Convention

2005-05-03T22:30:32Z

I am just back from St. Louis and the Romantic Times Convention. Romantic Times is a magazine that supports the romance writers industry by advertising books and posting reviews. Every year they have a conference that features, different publishers, workshops about the craft and a great cover model contest featuring lots of adorable hunks. There is also a huge signing with over 250 authors that goes on for four hours. I had a great time since everyone was talking about Stargazer.

The best part however was getting to meet my on line friends in person. It's funny how you can build a relationship with someone without ever seeing their face and when you get together it's great fun. Hanging out with other writers is a blast because they understand your world, your joys and your frustrations.

So allow me to recommend some new authors to you.
If you like chick lit then check out Alesia Holiday,Marianne Mancusi and Liz Maverick.
If you like paranormal then try Marjorie Liu, Susan Squires and of course, Christine Feehan.
If you want to try something really sexy (r-rated) then try Jade Lee.
If you want to read something written by real life heroes then read Susan Grant and Cindy Dees. These women were military pilots before they became writers.
For a fantasy try Joy Nash.

I'm proud to say these women are all my friends and also fantastic writers.

They have also inspired me to blog more. So check back again in a few days to see if I can.

Book Signings

2005-03-28T19:34:05Z

Some of you I have met in person and signed copies of your books. Most of you I haven't so I thought I'd share something about my book signings. I sign each copy of my Wind series with a scripture. These scriptures have each had an influence in my life and in each story.

For Chase The Wind and Wind Of The Wolf (originally one book) I use I Chronicles, 9-10 which you may recognize as the Prayer of Jabez. I was using this devotional while waiting to hear about my submission of Chase The Wind to Dorchester Publishing. I also use this scripture at the end of Wind Of The Wolf when Chase realizes that he is blessed. I guess we're lucky that he didn't name Chance Jabez instead.

For Crosswinds, I use Phillipians 4-6. To sum up, let your prayers be known to God. This was the advice Jenny gave to Cat when she was beside herself with worry for Ty.

For Windfall I use II Corinthians 5-17. All things old are new again. Kind of a life lesson for Jake.

I'm still searching for one for Forgive The Wind. I'll know it when I see it.

The biggest problem I have now is when I'm signing lots of books I lose track and don't match the scriptures to the books.

But hopefully it all comes out even in the end.

Pets

2005-02-08T17:11:32Z

It's taken me a while to get around to this entry. It's about my dog, Dauber.

I inherited Dauber from my cousin Steve. Steve graduated from college. Got a dog. Got engaged to a girl who was allergic to dogs. Got rid of his dog and kept the girl. They've been happily married for 16 years now.

Dauber was an English Cocker Spaniel. Black and White, or parti the papers said. He was six months old when I got him. Already trained. That was the best part, or so I thought at the time. He was only the second dog I had owned in my life time. He was the first one that was entirely my responsibility.

Our boys were young then, just starting elementary school. Boys need dogs. But Dauber, by the way he was named by Steve after the character on the tv show Coach, became my dog. Mostly because I was home full time then, raising my sons. We lived out in the country so Dauber could roam and we had a pet door installed so he could go in and out at will. He pretty much stayed by my side.

We also had cats and it didn't take them long to let him know who was really in charge. He didn't mind though. He figured out his place in the family pretty quick. It was by my side.

And that's where he stayed. For fourteen years. He slept on a cushion by my bed. When I started working outside the home, he slept next to the back door, waiting for me to come home. When I quit working several years later and began writing, he stayed right next to my chair.

Dauber started getting gray around the face. A few years back the vet said he had Cushings disease and we'd have to make some life decisions for him in a year or so. But he kept going. He romped and he played. Then he got stiff. His legs started getting weak. Arthritis had set in. I had to help him up and down the stairs sometimes. But he was determined to stay with me. Sometimes when I just had to run up or down to get something I'd close the door on him to save wear and tear on his joints. He hated that. He wanted to be where I was.

Last spring we decided it was time to get a puppy. We knew Dauber wouldn't be around much longer and my husband and I had both had doxies growing up so we got a miniature long haired dauschund named Cody. We spoiled him rotten. But we made sure Dauber wasn't left out.

And he wasn't. He romped and played with the puppy. He lost weight. He regained strength in his legs. We were thrilled. Dauber was doing great.

Then fall came. I had always kept Dauber shaved because of the heat and his coat was just unmanageable without it. I picked him up from the groomer in Oct and she met me crying at the door. She said she couldn't do him anymore because she was afraid she'd hurt him. I took a long look at Dauber that day. Without his curly hair he was nothing but a bag of bones. I took him home and weighed him. He was down from 36 lbs to 18lbs. Dauber was dying.

My husband and I had some trips planned. We canceled them. It was time for Dauber to have all our love and attention. I started watching him closely. When would it be time? I knew he'd let me know. One morning I was giving him a good rub and he climbed into my lap, trying to get closer. It was if he wasy trying to climb inside of me. I told him it was okay. He was already there and would be there forever.

During the years my dad had developed a relationship with Dauber. He adored him and spoiled him with table food. When we were out of town and had a friend pet sitting, Dad would come down and spend the night with Dauber and take him to McDonalds for a hamburger. They'd go through the dirve through and get a burger and eat in in the car in the parking lot. My dad was actually mad at me when we got Cody because he was afraid Dauber wouldn't get any attention.

When I told Dad that Dauber wouldn't be around much longer he avoided our house. He couldn't stand it.

October faded into November. It was warm here. Everyday I'd take Dauber out and he'd enjoy a good roll in the grass. Our cat Abby always sat with hiim while he rolled. They were great friends, those two. One day while I was watching him roll I broke down crying. It was so bad that a neighbor came out to check on me.

I'm just saying goodbye I told her.

We spent Thanksgiving at my parents house. My mom put sheets and newspapers down all over her floors because Dauber was having some problems. Dad fed him turkey and sausage. They had a last meal together.

Monday night after Thanksgiving my husband commented that Dauber wasn't having fun anymore.

Tuesday morning I let him out and when he came back in he acted as if he didn't know where he was when he came back in. I picked him up and put him on his bed while I showered. When I got out he hadn't moved. It was if he had forgotten what he was supposed to do. I took a long look at Dauber. I looked into his eyes. He was gone. He was letting me know it was time.

I called my husband. He couldn't get home until later that afternoon. Dauber couldn't wait. I had already made all the arrangements with the vet. I called them and put Dauber in the car.

They were so kind there. Understanding. They took Dauber out and put an IV in his leg. Then, with me holding him, they gave him a shot. And just like that he was gone.

They had to give me some time alone with him. I tried not to cry but I couldn't help it. The vet said there's nothing more you can do for him. He died in the arms of someone who loved him. What more could any one ask for?

That was November 30th. It's been two months. I thought I could write a tribute to him without crying but gues what, I was wrong.

To own a pet is a great privelege. They love us unconditionally. In their eyes we are perfect. And as I write this a dog named Cody is lying at my feet, chewing on something, just waiting for me to get up so he can follow along beside me.

I also have a cat walking across my keyboard....

cindyholby @ 2005-01-13T12:03:00

2005-01-13T17:14:48Z

New Years Resolutions

Yes, I was planning on doing this every day. Or at least once a week. But here it is, halfway into the month and I am just now getting around to it. What can I say, Life gets in the way. There's the decorations to bring down, my sons, home from college who even though they are adults still need lots of tlc. The house is a mess, I have a deadline that I'm way over on and the end is still not in sight. But I am making progress. Most of the decorations are put away, although I am afraid to move in the Christmas closet for fear of boxes falling on my head and breaking some of the things that I was too lazy to wrap up safely. I'm sure I'll regret it next December when I pull them out again. I have my taxes organized and I'm just waiting for my w-2's although I'm dreading hearing what the accountant has to say. The house is clean for the most part, except for my closet because my clothes rack fell on New Year's eve and even though it's back up (thanks Rob) I still haven't stacked everything back on the shelf.

Somehow I manage to let all these little nagging jobs get in the way of my real job, which is writing. Isn't if funny how we let life manage us like that? It's almost as if the writing is a reward for getting everything else done when it should be my number one priority.

Of course this book has been a problem from the start. It's about Zane, which should be enough said, because as we all know, Zane is a bit of a trouble maker, or as I say, he just likes to stir the pot...

But I've found out that Zane has layers. He uses his charm to hide his real self. He has insecurities and secrets and each layer reveals a bit more about him. It's been a real learning experience. After writing Caleb's book, Forgive The Wind, which is coming in June, I thought, hey, this is easy, I've got this thing down to a science. I wrote the book in ten weeks time. But then again, Caleb wears his heart on his sleeve so it was easy to write about him because he's easy to know. Not Zane. He's probably laughing at me right now because I'm doing this instead of learning more about him.

What a trouble maker. Maybe I need Jenny to give him another swat with the mop. Of course I've got him hooked up with a rather impetuous School Teacher who has a thing or two to teach him about life and love.

I hope I get him done soon. I have another book to write....

Cindy

Covers

2004-12-06T18:53:39Z

Do you judge a book by it's cover? As most of you now know, the cover for my newest book Windfall was changed at the last minute. The orginal cover is posted on my main page and hopefully both covers will be posted here for you to compare. Let me know which one you like better. I know I have my favorite.

The process of creating a book cover involves a lot of work. First of all the author fills out a questionaire that tells what the hero looks like, the heroine, the type of clothing they wear, the period, the weather and the location. And what do we think the cover should look like? Usually on your first book you will get a recycled cover, one they have used before with some minor changes. Sometimes they get them right, sometimes they don't. If they don't you're stuck. The original cover for Chase The Wind featured a brown haired heroine. They changed it when I pointed out to my editor that there wasn't a single person in the book who looked like that.

After the questionaire is filled out, models are scheduled to go to a photographers studio and pictures are taken in period clothing. The photos are then sent back to the art director and she arranges them over background shots and adds the print. The cover for Wind Of The Wolf turned out exactly as I envisioned it, even down to the wolf in the sky on the back.

Crosswinds was also true to my vision, although there was more skin than I like on my covers. Don't get me wrong, its very nice skin and the man on the cover, Stefan, is a real nice guy. Please drop by his website at www.stefanas.com and see some of his other work. I've had several readers comment that because of the look of the cover they would not normally pick up Crosswinds, except that they knew it was a continuation of the series. The problem we have is that we're marketing a family saga in a market geared towards romance, hence the sight of skin.

So the look was established for my books. The orginal Windfall cover fell into the same mode. The model is Teddy Sears who played Chad Bennet on All My Children. At the last minute the publisher decided to try something different and give my covers the Big Book look. Something that indicates saga instead of romance. I think they caught the mood of the story really well.

Jake looks exactly as he did in my mind. I see Shannon has having straight heavy hair and she looks like she might be a bit cold in that dress but the overall feel is good. I hope it encourages you to pick it up and read it.

Please let me know what you think. I'll post the responses here at a later date.

I'm going on the road to do some book signings. I'll be in Morganton NC on 12-8, Monroe on 12-9, Lewisburg WV on 12-10, Lebanon VA and Princeton WV on 12-11. I'm also planning on being in Spartanburg, SC on 12-16. All appearances are at Wal-mart. Please come and see me if you're close by.

I hope you enjoy Windfall. It's a great story for the holidays.

Cindy

cindyholby @ 2004-10-04T14:53:00

2004-10-04T18:55:21Z

http://www.cindyholby/09_29_0JPEG

cindyholby @ 2004-10-04T12:11:00

2004-10-04T16:34:12Z

My first blog. I guess this is exciting. I haven't decided yet. I think I'm more excited about having a public forum to spout my rhetoric. I'm also trying to learn how to update my website to keep it current so you, my fans can keep up with what's going on with my books and my life.

So lets start at the beginning with Chase The Wind. The story of Jenny had been in my head since my early high school days. I would pull it out evey now and then (in my mind) and work on it, add things, take away things, but Jenny always remained the same. I never really thought about writing it down. I just didn't think I knew how. I didn't have the proper education to be a writer.

Isn't it funny how life works? One day the furthest thing from my mind was being a writer, even though I had always dreamed of a journalistic life in some form. God has a way of putting angels in our paths. One of these angels was Elizabeth who started working part time in the art gallery I had been working in for eight years. When she wasn't working, she was getting her masters. She wanted to be a writer.

Most of our conversations during the days were about writing. At about the same time, Jenny began haunting me again. It got to the point where she was all I thought about. You see, she needed someone to tell her story. She knew if her story got written down then her parents and brother would live forever.

She really kept bugging me and it got to the point that it hurt my heart. I had to write. So with Elizabeth's encouragement I sat down and wrote her story and the rest, as they say, is history.

So lets talk about Ian and Faith now. People get so shocked. You killed the hero in the first third of the book! (I'm assuming that if you're reading this blog, you've also read the book, if you haven't, sorry about giving it away) But it's not Ian and Faith's story, its Jennys! She had a wonderful family. And believe me it was hard to kill them off, especially Ian. He just appeared on the first page and took over the story. He taught me how to write by letting the characters tell the story instead of me.

So instead of telling you that Jenny had a wonderful family and she lost them tragically, I let you experience it with her. And of all the people who've read Chase The Wind, I've only had three really complain about it. There might be more, but they haven't let me know about it so I'm going with the majority here.

The original manuscript for Chase The Wind actually ended with the birth of Chance and Fox but the publisher asked if I would mind making it into two books. I said of course. Anything you want. You are, after all bringing Jenny's story to the public. I was also excited about this prospect because it really let me develop Chase's character, something that I felt I didn't do enough in the original manuscript. Getting into Chase's head was quite an experience for me.

I never knew in the beginning the Jenny's story would grow so much, but as each of the characters were introduced I realized that they all had their own stories to tell so I've been going down the line, telling them. You've read about Ty and Cat in Crosswinds. Jake's story, (tricked ya) Windfall will be released on December 7. Caleb's story, Forgive The Wind, will be released next June(I think I channeled that one) and I am currently working On Zane's story, Whirlwind. Zane is giving me a headache, but that's just Zane.

Okay, I'm done blogging for the day. I'll try to be regular about doing it. If there's anything you want to know about, email me at cindyholby@aol.com and I'll see what I can do.

Cindy