Mary Alice Pritchard’s Blog

Hello there! I’m Lexi Connor. Thanks to Lizzy and the gang for letting me invade some space for a while today. I’m a pre-published author of short contemporary romances set in the Highlands of Scotland. Why contemporary Scotland instead of historical? Because I wasn’t cut out to write historical (more power to all of you who can!), but Scotland is my absolute favorite place to be. In fact, I just returned from Edinburgh on Saturday and I plan to share with you some details of my writing time in Scotland.

But first, let me tell you a little more about my work. I have two completed short contemporaries, Fractured Paradise and To Catch a Falling Star, that set the foundation for my Scottish series. Fractured Paradise has done well in contests and with industry professionals, and To Catch a Falling Star has finaled in its first contest. Both are set in a fictional village, which is VERY LOOSELY based on the real village of Glenfinnan, Scotland.

Before my trip, it had been about five weeks since I’d written anything. Real life had gotten in the way and writing then was the last thing on my mind. As the weeks went by, reality came under control, yet I still couldn’t bring myself to write. When my plane landed in Dublin for the first leg of my vacation, I knew I’d write at some point. Still, the pages remained blank. Even while traipsing through the streets of Edinburgh a week later, I couldn’t get a complete sentence out. I didn’t worry. I knew I’d find the magic again soon enough.

As the train sped along the tracks leaving the busy streets of Edinburgh behind for the quiet, sparse lands of the Highlands, my mind began to relax. I knew then that I was going home. No, I wasn’t born in the Highlands, have never lived there, but I knew my heart would find peace in Glenfinnan. Then the words began to trickle out. A phrase here. One word there. And as the hills came into view, some blanketed by sunshine, others with pockets of clouds, I wrote a complete paragraph. Then another.

Last week this time, I was sitting in the pub of the Glenfinnan House Hotel overlooking the very setting of my first contemporary. And it was perfect. In my heart, I believe there’s something magical about Glenfinnan, something that speaks to me about the land, the people and the history. As I watched the mists swirl around the green hills, I wrote. When the soft, summer rains came through, I wrote. With Celtic music playing behind me and a Scottish bartender telling stories, I wrote some more. I managed to work through some of my plot problems and get the revision process well under way for the work in progress.

I moved outside to the front lawn and to the loch’s edge when the rains stopped, and the pages of my notebook began to fill. I found myself falling in love with my hero and heroine all over again. The sounds of the birds, the scent of fresh air, the breeze rolling off the loch all soothed me, allowed me to sink into my little piece of temporary heaven.

The staff treated me like a queen-sharing stories, answering questions, catering to my comforts. For them, it was nothing special. They do that for everyone. For me, it was paradise. I wrote some more. The flames of the fire in the lobby crackled and bathed me in comfort. Two new characters introduced themselves to me that day, the two who insist their story is next. Another layer of Glenhalish life unfolded before me, another chance to remember all the good things here.

As the sun set over the hills, casting the last flickers of light through the shadowed corners of the village, my eyes welled up. It had been five years since I’d first discovered this dreamland. How long would it be before I could return?

I refused to allow my heart to cry. Instead, I focused on being thankful for the chance to be there, to soak up the culture and tranquility, to replenish my soul. As the train took me back to Edinburgh, I waved goodbye to the home of my heart and vowed to return soon.

I’ll be posting more about my whole trip on my own blog (Lexi Connor) for the next week or so. Come on by and follow the rest of my journey. Leave a comment on my blog between today and midnight June 30th and I’ll put your name in a drawing for some books and a Scottish surprise! Be sure to let me know you found me through Mary Alice’s blog if you want to be entered in the drawing. Thanks for stopping by and thanks again to Lizzy and the gang for letting me hang out!

The mistress has had several requests for her manuscript, Jaguar Nights.   One is a full from Kensington.  I don’t know what that is, but she was pretty excited so I’m passing that along.  She’s also had some agents ask for partials so she’s happy about that.  I’m all for her being happy!

I asked Little Bit what a Kensington and an agent were, but he wasn’t sure either so he’s going to do some research later and find out.  Hey, if any of you out there can help us out, give us a shout!  I really hate to bother the mistress, she’s already working on book two, Leopard Dreams.  She’s typing away on the computer like a wild thing. LOL   Get it?  Wild Thing? Hmmmm

Love that she’s writing about cats.  They are our favorite subject you know. Hehehehe.  So, anyway, keep checking back to find out more about Leopard Dreams and if she hears anything about her finished manuscript, Jaguar Nights.  We’ll keep you posted.

Lizzy

Hello, Darlings.  I’m Snickers.  Lizzy has been so kind as to invite me over for a visit. 

As you can see, Lizzy.  Motherhood has not ruined my figure.  In fact, my coat is as beautfiul as ever. 

I thought I would share a few pictures of my precious kittens.

I can’t tell you how difficult it is to get six kittens to pose for pictures!  Luckily the young master helped hold them still.

Aren’t they adorable?  Oh, well, I know I’m a bit partial.  They are mine after all.

Oh, and btw.  Today was the young master’s 15th bithday.  Everyone was singing out of tune and eating cake and ice cream.  The ice cream was quite tasty, I must say.

But the cake had that brown stuff all over it.  Chocolate, I think they call it.  Not at all appetizing, if you ask me. 

It was quite an afternoon.  I do believe it’s time for a little cat nap now.  The kittens are already sleeping, and I need my beauty rest.

Thank you, Lizzy, for inviting me.  And do say hello to Little Bit, Julie, and Dippity for me.

Ta ta!

Snickers

Hey Everyone!  Lizzy here with some news.  It’s not ALL bad news.
Triskelion announced they are closing their publishing doors and filing Bankruptcy so the mistress’s book, See How They Die is no longer available with them.  She’s really really hoping to receive her rights back so she can shop it with another publishing house, but that may not happen for a while.

Hey, Lizzy here and I’m issuing a challenge to Snickers, one of the mistress’ writer friends’ cats.  She had kittens not long ago and we want to see if she’s managed to get her figure back yet.  I think she had six of them, can you imagine?

Anyway, everyone, send out a call that you want to see her and find out if she’s really gotten back to her pre-pregnancy size or if she’s still carrying a few extra ounces.  I know I want to know.  Little Bit keeps telling me I’m fat but I think he’s just being mean.  I’m all muscle and toned and in shape. How else could I catch the bugs, birds and squirrels?

So, be sure and check back later this week to find out when Snickers will be here.  I’m thinking maybe on Saturday myself.  So, see you all later!

Lizzy

Hey everyone,

While Lizzy is out playing, I’m going to take the time to say hi and share a few pictures with you.  It was my birthday yesterday and I took pictures of my Baskin Robbins’ Birthday cake!   Don’t laugh, you all know I love lime green. 

To give you an even bigger laugh, notice what my father is using to cut the icecream cake….can you say electric knife?  I swear!

 It was sooooo good to!  Now I have to figure out how to stay away from more than one piece a night!  Just wanted to share and I’ll let Lizzy take over again when she manages to sit still long enough.

Mary Alice

Yes, you guessed it! It’s Lizzy here.

Little Diva huh?  I had to ask Little Bit what that meant and he said it meant a drama queen.  Hmmm so, I had to ask him what a drama queen was and he said a pricess who thinks she is the end all of all felines and expects everything to revolve around her and what she wants. 

So, guess that’s okay after all, Nita.   I do expect everyone to do what I say   I’m a really good kitty and fun to be around.  Speaking of fun, this had been the best week for catching bugs and stalking those birds.  I’m not talking about squirrels right now.  They aren’t playing fair with me.

Found out that grasshoppers jump higher and farther than crickets and some of them can fly!!!  I mean really!  They can fly.  Anyway, the other thing I found out about them is they can spit ugly stuff on you.  The mistress had to clean my face when I kept catching one and it spit on me.  I didn’t realize it had at first.  Yuck!

Oh for news! The mistress has finished a book called Jaguar Nights, part of a series about weir cats and weir wolves and such.  It’s really wild!  I have loved the parts I’ve been able to read over her shoulder, but Little Bit let’s her know when she’s working on the love scenes so she scoots me of her chair.  I mean really! I’m old enough.  Plus, I don’t read them, I skip past them anyway.  Honest!!

So, be on the look out for her to post some little blubs to get you ready for it.  She’s shopping it around as Little Bit says to find a home for it!!

Gotta go, bugs await and the old,  I mean grandfather is outside and he is always stirring up bugs when he’s there!  Tata!

Lizzy

Hey, everybody!  I’m Nita Wick.  I’d like to thank Mary Alice for inviting me over.  I hope Lizzy doesn’t feel like I’m intruding on her turf.  I’m sure Dippity, Little Bit, and the rest of the bunch won’t mind, but Lizzy tends to be quite the little diva. 

I’m not the most talented blogger around, so I’m not quite sure why Mary Alice invited me.  LOL  But here it goes.

Reading and writing are my favorite pasttimes.  I love to delve into another world, losing myself and all the stresses and trials of everyday life in the pages of a book.  Calgon has nothing on some of my favorite writers like Connie Mason, Bertrice Small, Teresa Medeiros, Victoria Alexander and so many others.  Writers like that can really “take you away.”

Mary Alice could be included in that list.  See How They Die was awesome, but let me tell you a little secret.  Sometimes she lets me read some of the stuff she’s working on and not yet published.  It only gets better!  She’s got some great stuff in the works.

Okay, sorry, I guess I got a little sidetracked there.  Anyway, I love a good story.  And I love to write my own, too.  I have a completed historical romance under consideration at a publisher right now.  It’s called A Real Husband.  In it, Angelina was married as a child to a man she hasn’t seen in more than eight years.  Now she wants a A Real Husband.  You can read an excerpt here.

I also have a fantasy romance entitled How Faerie Dust is Made.   A colony of faeries lives among the lush green forests of Roscommon, Ireland near the Arigna Mountains. Their lives would be peaceful were it not for the humans who live in the area with them. The humans dislike faeries and their magic, and the two races are often at odds. But faerie or human, love makes no distinction. And both will soon find that love is the greatest magic of all.  Conall may be human, but he is Aisling’s life mate. She’s certain of it.  After all, a faerie knows these things. Can her magic end the feud between their families? And just how is faerie dust made?

How Faerie Dust is Made was briefly published as an online serial.  The publisher of the serials (including Mary Alice’s Ghostly Mistakes) went out of business only three months after opening.  I currently have a contract offer on it.  I’m still studying the contract and learning more about the fledgling publisher before making a decision. 

To read an excerpt of How Faerie Dust is Made, click here.

My current work in progress is a western historical set along the Oregon Trail.  I’m really enjoying this one with a sexy cowboy hero and an independent, stubborn woman doctor as the heroine. 

Come on over to my site.  If at least five people sign my guestbook by Sunday, I may just have to draw a name to receive a measure of written Calgon.  Winner’s choice of romance genre — suspense, contemporary, etc.  So sign the book and direct your friends to this blog! 

Nita