Happy St. Patrick's Day! (And "Kevin Sketch" Winner!)

Okay!  A million years later…I'm still trying to catch up, but doing a little better!

First things first:  The winner of the A Little Piece of THS History (the copy of the Kevin Sketch) is…Sherylin Porter!  Thanks to everyone who entered!  Everyone is sooooooooooo fun and kind to me!  So Sherilyn, e-mail your address to me so I can get your copies shipped to you, okay?

Second things second:  A good number of friends and readers have been writing concerning the release date for The Trove of the Passion Room.  So, I thought I'd give you a little update.  I don't think it will make it in March, but it will be available for certain in April!  There are a lot of changes where my books are concerned in play just now, and it's pushed everything a little behind!  However, I hope you'll hang in there with me…not give up on me too soon, because The Trove of the Passion Room is one of my personal favorites!   I can't really put my finger on just why that is…but I LOVE it!  I'll try to see if they'll put the cover up on my website for you next week…just to see what you think, okay?  Would a tidbit help ease the frustration of the delay?  Okay…hmmm let me choose one….here's one…an excerpt from the first chapter:

"Gwen and Sharla enjoyed a good giggle at their beloved mother's expense for a moment. Louisa Dickens was nothing if not entertaining. Her love of history and literature was evident in everything she did—even in the names she'd chosen for her children. Sharla's sister, Gwen, was actually named Guinevere after the ill-fated queen in the tales of Camelot. Sharla's older brother Cratch's full name was Cratchit—in tribute to the beloved character from Charles Dickens's famous work. Her younger brother, Cris, was in truth christened Cristo after Dumas's legendary count. Even Sharla herself owned a version of history in her own name—Sharlamagne. Though she was rarely addressed by her full name, just as her siblings were rarely addressed by theirs (for in truth, few people outside of the family were even aware of the Dickens children's names in their entireties), she secretly liked her name. It was unusual—and she thought it was pretty. To Sharla, her name sounded rather melodic and eccentric—like her mother's very nature.

As a small child, Sharlamagne had spent hours and hours each summer's day, playing outside beneath the old lilac bushes at the back of the family's house—pretending she was not a human girl but a fairy. Her sister, Gwen, would often join her—imagining that she was, in truth, the child-princess Guinevere—destined one day to be King Arthur's bride.

As Sharla and Gwen grew, however, they began to settle into the reality of the world—just as all children sadly do. This was particularly true when their father was tragically killed in a car accident. Sharla had been only five when her father had died. Cratch had been six, Gwen four, and Cris just a baby. The family was devastated at the loss of Gregory Grinkov—cherished husband and loving father. Sharla could still remember how the smile had vanished from her mother's face that day—her sincere smile anyway. Though she'd only been five when her father had been killed, Sharla knew the pain and gaping hole branded into her heart by the loss of her father would never truly be healed.

In truth, it had taken Sharla several years to accept her stepfather, Van-Dyke Dickens—to even call him "father." Louisa Grinkov had married Van-Dyke Dickens three short years after the loss of her first husband. Sharla had been eight, and still desperately loyal to her biological father's memory. In fact, all the Grinkov children had been somewhat resentful when their mother had remarried. However, Van-Dyke was patient and very loving—though careful not to press the children—and after several years (which Sharla later realized must have been far more difficult for Van-Dyke than she ever understood at the time), the Grinkov children had fallen well in love with their new father and agreed to allow him to legally adopt them. Thus, the surname of Dickens was lawfully bestowed upon Cratchit, Sharlamagne, Guinevere, and Cristo."

So there you have it!  I know, I know…it's not an exciting excerpt my any means…just one to give you an idea of some of the eccentricities in the book!  I LOVE it!

Next things next:  Happy St. Patty's Day!  Are you wearin' the green?  Dancin' a jig?  Leapin' about with the little leprechauns?  Saints preserve us!  Now, as ye already know…I'm a bit behind in me St. Patrick's Day bloggin'!  I meant to run this contest last week, I did…but things and events did not allow it!  But I'm back on track now, I am…and this week's contest on me blog is far a copy of The Quiet Man on DVD.  Ahhh, who doesn't love a movie where the lad drags his hot-tempered and stubborn lassy off a train?  So, just post a wee little somethin' (anythin') here or on me Facebook wall, or toss me an e-mail, if ya favor it…and be entered to win the DVD!

Thus, as my friends Amy Lilly and Tigger always say, "Ta Ta for now!"  Enjoy the happy feel of St. Patty's Day!