INSIDE
- --Q&A with copy editor Judy Steer
- --Vote: Which classic Hollywood romantic hero makes your DVD player purr?
- --Contest: Win a "Hollywood Legends" DVD Romantic Movie Box Set
- --Falcon Cam: Catch them before they fledge!
- --Spotlight on Garen DiBartolomeo
Well, folks, it's been a good May. The weather finally warmed
up in Pittsburgh (my wild irises are blooming over Memorial Day
weekend, the latest blooming ever); I just got back from a great
Springsteen concert where he sang "Thunder Road" as well as
"Youngstown,"
not to mention a rousing rendition of "Like a Rolling Stone," which he
and the band performed for the first time ever in concert; and I'm
going
with a friend to hear my favorite detective novelist, Michael Connelly,
speak in another week. I mean, how great is that? Two artists at the
top of their game. Nothing more inspiring. And inspiration is something
I can use in bucketfuls.
I'm writing this from the dining room, having been aced out of my
favorite front porch chair by Kitten, our thirteen-pound tom cat. When
we adopted him from a shelter, he was little slip of a thing, with a
breastbone that stuck so far, it looked like he hadn't eaten for a
month. He was also missing a foot. The vet thought his mother's
umbilical cord might have been wrapped around it in the womb. But
Kitten gets along pretty well on his three legs and a stump. He walks
with a limp, but he runs like Secretariat. Even with a bell, he's
managed to honor us more than once with unexpected offerings, both live
and dead (and, trust me, the dead ones are better when we're talking
our bedroom floor.) 
It seems like I've been writing non-stop, which is a good thing, since
I've got
a calendar full of deadlines. I turned in the official outline for my
fourth book (working title, Mapping
the Past). I'm writing a short
story entitled "The Key to Happiness" for The Mammoth Book of Time
Travel Romance (Trisha Telep, editor, Constable, UK; Running
Press/Perseus Books, US) which
should be out in December. I'm working on the edits to my third book,
Stripped Bare (still the
working title.) Stripped Bare
and Mapping the
Past (or whatever they're finally called) will be out in April
and
October of 2010, respectively. I've finished the proposal for a
fifth book, a totally fun
literary mash-up in the tradition of Seducing
Mr. Darcy. And in the last day or so, thanks to the inspiriation of a particularly good French actor, I've settled on the general idea for book #6, which doesn't even have a working title at this point.
Whew!
I still have two presentations to finish--"Chasing Joy: My Long and Winding Road to Getting Published," which I'll be giving at the annual Mensa gathering in early July and "The Serendipitous Spark," which author and friend Elaine Knighton and I are delivering at the Romance Writers of America conference in mid-July. If you're not a member of either group, please feel free to swing by the romance author panel at the Bethel Park Borders in Pittsburgh on August 22. It's a pretty nifty set of writers, including Madeline Hunter, Holly Jacobs, Gaelen Foley and Susan Gable. We'll gab and sign.
TRUST ME, THERE'S ONLY ONE "O" IN "CUCKOLD."I have a special treat for you, folks. Judy Steer, copy editor extraordinaire, has agreed to sit down with me for a little Q&A. Click here for an interview that will give you some insight into the amazing world of editng, er, editing.
MR. DARCY ON TOP
Colin Firth vs Clive Owen? It was a hard choice, but you made it. The crown in the last month's ultimate, winner-take-all British hero contest goes to (drumroll, please) Colin Firth! It was a very close race at the start, with votes split 50/50 during the first week. But Colin, as we know, has some staying power. Clive peaked halfway through, leaving Colin, shall we say, a good half foot out in front. Final tally: 187 votes cast; Colin, 60%, Clive, 40%.
VOTE
Click here to cast your vote to cast your vote for the most romantic Hollywood hero from the 40s, 50s and 60s. Who makes your DVD player purr?
CONTEST
Win a signed copy of RITA®-nominated Seducing Mr. Darcy (did I mention I'm RITA-nominated?) and a "Hollywood Legends" romantic movie DVD box set that includes To Catch a Thief ("Would you like a breast or a thigh?"), Roman Holiday and A Place in the Sun. Just click here to enter.
FALCONETTE UPDATE
The baby peregrine falcons are cute as can be. There are four in the nest at the top of the Cathedral of Learning (that nest is positively overflowing, folks) and two in the Gulf Tower nest. They'll be fledging in the next week or so.
I'M READY FOR MY CLOSE-UP, MR. DEMILLE.
A number of you have been kind enough to tell me how much you like my author photo. I'd like to take a moment to shine a spotlight on Garen DiBartolomeo, the über photographer who did that picture as well as the other headshots of me you see around my website. Garen is both a commercial photographer and an artist whose work has appeared in many galleries and shows. I don't know about you, but I'm the sort of person who knows it will be easy to pick the one photo to use out of a session because there will only be one that doesn't make me want out a window.
But not with Garen. He made me feel totally at home in front of the lens, and I ended up liking almost every photo he'd taken (and for the ones I didn't like, I have only my genes to blame.) He's located just outside of Pittsburgh. In addition to fantastic portraits, he does studio and location work for advertising, fine art, editorial and annual reports. You can find him here.
GWYN CREADY HAS SUGGESTED A NEW FRIEND FOR YOUFan me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.
It's the day before Memorial Day, a day that evokes many wonderful childhood memories for me. Let me leave you with a holiday haiku:
Clutching my mom's sleeve
Drums rumbling in my chest
The parade enthralls.
Peace,
Gwyn
www.cready.com
gwyn@cready.com
