Cyndi Tefft's Blog, page 9

Hell Transporter is PUBLISHED!

The day I've been waiting for has finally arrived! 
Yep, yep, it's totally true, I'm not fibbing.
HELL TRANSPORTER IS PUBLISHED!

I am so so so so so so so so so so so excited! (I thought I'd go with that instead of overdoing the exclamation points 'cuz I'm wild that way). 
If you want an ebook, you can get one in any format from Smashwords.If you want a print book, you can order one from Createspace or from me (upper right corner).
If you pre-ordered a print book (or two), I will be getting the shipment from Createspace by Friday, March 23 (hopefully sooner, but that's the commit date). I will get them signed, sealed, and shipped off to everyone the day after I receive them, along with Aiden's Angels swag!
Additional retailers (including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple, etc) will come on board over the next couple of weeks as the files are processed and loaded. I can't give you exact dates on those, but rest assured that soon, you'll be able to buy Hell Transporter from all the outlets where Between is currently sold.
A huge thanks to Aiden's Angels who have been so excited about the release of the sequel. You guys bring me so much joy! *hug*
Now go and spread the word that Aiden MacRae is back!

Just for Aiden's Angels

I can't get enough of the awesome people who call themselves Aiden's Angels, so I had to dedicate a special page just for them. Check out the fan art from these readers who love the kilted Highlander as much as I do!

From Lisa at the Cold Moon Violet Blog, My Little Pony versions of Aiden and Lindsey! The tartan on Aiden is the ancient MacRae pattern, which is a great choice since he's 300 years old. :) And I love the music notes on Lindsey, too!


Show your passion for Aiden MacRae and I'll post your creative expression on the page.

Need some inspiration? Here's one of my fave kilted pics, definitely worth posting again. :P


I love you, peeps! *hugs*

Get Hell Transporter NOW!

Hell Transporter comes out in mid-to-late March, which is coming up soon. But not soon enough for some.

Some people want Hell Transporter NOW NOW NOW.

And I love those people!

So I've got a special deal for you if you can't possibly wait to spend some quality time with Aiden MacRae.

Pre-order a personalized paperback copy of Hell Transporter on my website (right-hand column) and I will email you a PDF of Hell Transporter NOW.

That way, you can slake your thirst for the hunky Highlander and then enjoy him all over again when the paperback copies are in.

This is my way of saying thank you to Aiden's Angels, those beautiful fans who spread the love and are a constant source of encouragement to me.

You want it now? You got it!

Photo Shoot for Hell Transporter!

The author photo on the back cover of Between is from my trip to Scotland in 2010. I'm actually leaning between the cracks in the stone at the Clava Cairns, just like any rabid Outlander fan would do. I love the picture, but it doesn't work very well for the cover of Hell Transporter (given the red flame).

And I have grown my hair out, so I don't look like that anymore.

What to do?

Photo Shoot Time, Baby!

My fabulous friend, Saskia Kidd, agreed to lavish her photography skills on me in order to come up with a new author photo. We had a grand time and ended up with a few pics I really like.

I'm not sure which will make it onto the Hell Transporter cover, but here they are. I'd love to hear what you think!

Pretty and Elegant
Fun and Friendly

Professional and "author-y"
Well, what do you think? :)
Hell Transporter is coming out in March, so it won't be long before you can have a copy in your hot little hands. Eep! I'm so excited!

You can vote for it on the Can't Wait for Books 2012 list on Goodreads!

We Did It! Burns Night Wrap Up and Another Giveaway!

I am such a Scot freak that I actually joined Ancestry.com to try and find a Scottish ancestor in my blood line. Somewhere! Anywhere! Come on, people! I spent hours and hours on the site, making family trees with more branches than the government. And finally (thank you, God!) I did it! I found my Scottish ancestor.

From the 1600s.

LOL Yep, I had to peel back the generations hundreds of years to find ONE drop of Scottish blood. But hey, I figure that one drop took root pretty hardcore, so I'm full on claiming it as my own.

I'm proud to be Scottish!

And I'm proud of this incredible Burns Night event with Team Kilt, Aidens Angels and all of you. Thank you for being a part of this awesome day!

If you missed any of the posts (which I can understand, since there has been a new post every two hours today!), never fear. Scroll on through them to get caught up. The giveaways will be open until 1/27/12 at 12:01am Eastern.

And as a very special thank you for being a part of the Team Kilt Burns Night event, I am giving away a personalized, signed paperback copy of Between! Simply complete the Rafflecopter entry below, telling me which post of the day was your favorite.

Now I'm off to find a dram of whisky and crawl into bed. Happy Burns Night, everyone!

Wear Your Scottish Pride (and sense of humor)

I'm constantly taking pictures of funny Scottish t-shirts and wanted to share some of them with you!












And one more pic to emphasize the Scots' sense of humor (and renowned penny pinching):

Hope you enjoyed them! Come on back in a couple of hours for the next Burns Night post!

Zach and Aiden Twitter Chat!

So you know how I love the SHADE series by Jeri Smith-Ready right? If not, here's my glowing 5-star review as well as my OMG-Everybody-Vote-For-Zachary post from the YA Crush Tourney.


Zachary Moore is the Scottish hottie from the SHADE series and also has his own fan site, KiltandKeeley.com, which just kicked off this month! How awesome is that?

Aiden MacRae (from my very own Between ) is going to be chatting on Twitter with Zach for one hour, starting at 7 p.m. Pacific (10 p.m. Eastern) today. You won't want to miss it!

Be sure to follow both @moore_zachary and @AidenMacRae to stay on top of the conversation. We'll be using the hashtag #FakeScotsmen. And just to avoid any spoilers, Aiden will be chatting as he is in the *start* of Between. And I'm not going to say any more than that! *grin*

If It's Not Scottish, It's Crrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrap!

I came across this awesome post by S.G. Rogers, author of The Last Great Wizard of Yden , and loved it so much that I wanted to share it with you as part of our Burns' Night celebration.

In the post, entitled "Under The Kilt," S.G. interviews Cathie Dunn, resident of Edinburgh and author of Highland Arms . S.G. asks the question:

"Is there any truth to the stereotypes about Scotsmen?  Are they really a wild bunch of red-shirted, kilt-wearing, Scotch-drinking, sword-wielding, overly-emotional men?"

I adored Cathie's answer and so will you!

Check back here in another two hours for more Scot-loving posts to celebrate Burns Night!

A Tribute to Eilean Donan Castle and the MacRaes

If you've read Between , you know that Eilean Donan Castle was Aiden MacRae's home growing up. I fell in love with the history of the castle: destroyed in 1719 by the English, then restored centuries later by John MacRae-Gilstrap. Today, Eilean Donan is the most photographed castle in all of Scotland. And rightly so, because it is nothing short of breathtaking. *swoon*

I tried to stay as close to the actual history as I could when writing Between . There is a wealth of information online about the castle's history, including captain logs from the ships who destroyed the castle via cannon in the early 1700s!



The MacRaes were inhabitants of the castle, along with the MacKenzies. Both clans were close allies with the Frasers (shout out to Jamie Fraser from Outlander- woot!). The MacRaes were known for their fighting abilities and agreed to come to Kintail (where Eilean Donan is located) in exchange for providing this service to the MacKenzies, earning them the nickname "MacKenzies' shirt of mail."

The MacRae crest features a strong arm grasping a sword and the word "Fortitudine" which is Latin for "fortitude" meaning "strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage." Quite an apt description of the MacRaes and a fitting family for my Scottish hero!

If Aiden MacRae is your idea of a swoon-worthy hunk, here's your chance to declare your love for him to the world! Giveaway time!!


Enter to win one item of your choice from the Aiden's Angels logo merchandise by answering this question, "What was your favorite part of Between?" If you haven't yet read the book, you can answer by saying what about Between most intrigues you.

Thanks for being a part of the Burns Night celebration today! Check back every two hours for more posts on the awesomeness that is Scotland!

How a True Scot Celebrates Burns Night

My friend, Jim, from Twitter (@ChauvinOn) is a Scotsman currently living in Texas, but he still carries on the tradition of Burns Night with his lovely bride, Juliet.
As a special favor, he put together a lovely recap of what Burns Night looks like for him and his family. Enjoy!
Our Burns Night

A Burns supper is generally a fairly formal occasion in both dress and structure.
Formal Scottish dress is normal for the gentlemen, for the ladies it is often an evening dress, although some will wear tartan skirts with a white blouse. With lots of formal structured, but often humorous speeches.
For us it is much less formal.
But the food is traditional and good: Scotch Broth to start, followed by Haggis, Neeps and Tatties, and of course a pudding – maybe Sticky- Toffee pudding. Since we don't drink we have Scotland's "other national drink" IRN BRU.

Piping in the haggis; is me with the iPod and speakers under my arm, playing "Scotland the Brave" or some other rousing tune. We never stick to the set speech format, but here are a few snippets.

I love "A Man's a Man" because of its clear vision of a more just world.

Then let us pray that come it may,
(As come it will for a' that,)
That Man to Man, the world o'er,
Shall brothers be for a' that.

And of course I always recite, "My Love is Like a Red Red Rose", for my Juliet.

As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry.

Unfortunately Burns was after Aiden's time or I am sure he would have sung it to Lindsey. (Cyndi's note: Awwwww! I love that!)

And what better way to end than with the following excerpt from "Tam o' Shanter".
But pleasures are like poppies spread,
You seize the flow'r, its bloom is shed;
Or like the snow falls in the river,
A moment white-then melts for ever;
Or like the Borealis race,
That flit ere you can point their place;
Or like the Rainbow's lovely form
Evanishing amid the storm. -
Nae man can tether Time nor Tide,
The hour approaches Tam maun ride;


Thank you so much, Jim, for sharing your traditions with us. What fun! And that love song... *swoon* No wonder all the ladies were in love with Rabbie! :)


Don't miss the "Ask a Real Scotsman" Q&A with Fraser McFarlane, hosted by The Mountains of Instead blog, starting at 1pm Pacific, 4pm Eastern!

Enter below to win an ebook copy of Between, just for telling me your favorite thing about Scotland!