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Dear
Readers,
It's July, and we're about to
celebrate Independence Day.
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My son, Jared, is a US
Marine, who came home from his first deployment in Iraq in
mid-March, and will deploy for his second tour in August.
Like every Marine Mom, I worry and fret the entire time he's
away from home, while being very proud that my son has
chosen to serve his country, and work to help resolve the
situation in Iraq so the everyday Iraqis can enjoy the same
freedoms and prosperity that we sometimes take for granted.
My mother was diagnosed with cancer,
and has been going through a very aggressive treatment schedule,
which includes 3 consecutive days of chemo, then 18 days off
before starting another 3 consecutive days of chemo. She
recently completed 3 weeks of radiation treatments, 2 times per
day (and during the first week of the radiation, also had 3 days
of chemo in between the 2 radiation treatments on those days).
And in early August, she will begin "whole brain radiation" for
10 days - a treatment they use to help prevent the cancer from
spreading to the brain (her type of cancer very commonly comes
back in the brain, as well as the bones and kidneys or liver).
Mom has small cell lung cancer. It's
vicious. It's deadly. And it's almost always found in smokers.
Over 70% of those diagnosed with this cancer are not diagnosed
until it has spread to other parts of the body - thus the reason
for the high mortality rate (there are really no symptoms until
it's advanced - Mom came down with pneumonia and coughed so hard
she coughed up blood - from a broken blood vessel, but she
didn't know that's what it was. So they did more tests than they
would have done otherwise, and found the cancer while it was
still limited to the lung. She was lucky).
Mom quit smoking, and she's doing
very well in light of the terrible effects of the treatments.
The cancer responded well to the treatments she's had so far.
And we're hoping for a complete cure.
This has basically been my personal
focus in 2008 so far - Jared in and out and almost in Iraq
again, and Mom's cancer. Though I do hope to be writing more
frequently soon. In fact,
I've been working on a historical romance that I hope to have
completed by next year, that features Francis Scott Key as a
secondary character and the Star Spangled Banner. I'm shooting
for July 4th of next year:)
On August 1st, my daughter, Jordan,
and I will be taking part in TNT's "24 Hour Theater" - she as an
actor, and me as a writer.
It's a very cool concept. At 7pm on August 1st, directors,
writers and actors show up. The actors audition and then go
home. Then the writers are divided into teams, and each team
works all night to create a 15 minute play (they are expecting 5
teams and 5 plays). At 8am the next morning, the actors and
directors show up, get their scripts and start rehearsals. Then,
at 8pm that night, they perform the plays.
Jared and Jordan have both been
active in performing. Jared played "Danny" in the school's
production of "Grease", and the father in "Bye-Bye Birdie". He
also performed at Borders and the local skating rink. Jordan
played his daughter in "Bye-Bye Birdie", had the lead in
"Footloose" and played the mean girl in "High School Musical".
I have videos of the kids that I
put up on YouTube on Jared's birthday last year so he could see
them in Iraq. They include Jordan dancing to "All That Jazz" and
singing "Hero" from "Footloose", and Jared singing a funny song
he wrote ("Mexican Lullaby"). There's even one of my youngest
singing Johnny Cash with his Uncle (they sang one song after
another and Jake knew them all - at one point he sang "Daddy
Sang Bass", and without missing a beat, launched into "Cocaine
Blues", which, of course, he had no idea what he was singing
about! Everyone listening about died laughing.)
If you enjoy watching videos of
other people's kids <g> feel free to
check
them out:)
I wanted to take a moment to
thank everyone who has read THE BRIAR AND THE ROSE.
The emails and snail mail letters I've received are very
much appreciated, because it lets me know that all the work
that went into writing this book was worth it.
The hardcover version of THE
BRIAR AND THE ROSE is out of print, but may be available
as a paperback soon. You can also order a limited edition
e-book (the purchase link is on the
excerpt page).
The Briar and the Rose, set in
late Regency Era England and
Ireland, is based on
the old and tragic ballad Barbara Allen.
I invite you to read the
reviews
and a
two chapter excerpt from the
book.
Here's some fun I put up on the
website for readers:
Listen to
excerpts of BARBARA ALLEN, the
ballad THE BRIAR AND THE ROSE is based on!
Read the
Lyrics
WMA: Windows Media
Player RM: Real Player
If you would like to purchase a CD copy of the
ballad
THE BRIAR AND THE ROSE is based on (from Amazon),
click here.
As for future books, THE
LOCKET is in the final rewrite stages, and should be
completed soon.
This story begins in the slums of
London, during the coldest winter most have ever known. Mare, an
orphan girl, near death, is found in the alley by Aidan, a young
naval officer. He plays the good Samaritan by taking her to a
boarding house, where he summons a physician, and then bargains
with the proprietor to care for her in return for a monthly
payment brought to her by his solicitor. Believing he's gone
above and beyond the call of duty, and that she's well cared
for, Aidan doesn't give the girl another thought. Little does he
know the hell the Mare endures for the next seven years, and
when a turn of events forces her to flee London, fate steps in
and reunites Mare and Aidan. He's now a captain of his own ship,
and she's no longer a twelve year old child, but a breath taking
beauty.
Aidan and Mare's story takes them
from a battle with assassins on the high seas, to the ballrooms
of London. But a secret from the past threatens to steal any
hope they may have of a future together.
After THE LOCKET is
finished, next in line to be written is either A ROGUE'S
SEDUCTION or LORD RAKE'S BRIDE.
Happy reading!
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"The emotional
pull of The Briar and the Rose
is astounding... One of the best historical
romances that I've read in a while...
definitely not to be missed.
~ Sharyn
McGinty, In the Library Reviews |
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PRESS |
Order |
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Burning Country
published a feature on The
Briar and the Rose and
its basis on the
ballad "Barbara Allen" |
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This book is now out of print and sold out at online
booksellers.
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