A Spooky Read For Halloween!

"11-year-old Jake McMillen wants, more than anything in the world, to play varsity basketball for the Panthers, just like his late, Grandpa Max. One big problem. While Jake inherits his grandfather's love for the game, the McMillen height passed him by.

Not only that, "old people," like his grandmother, take up too much of his precious practice time. He knows she's sick, but being dragged along to his her steamy apartment cuts into the afternoon pick-up game at the Island basketball court.

After getting totally humiliated during the game by star player, Quinn Parker, Jake gets a ghostly message that changes his outlook toward his grandmother, and inspires him to pursue his dreams."

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Mary Cunningham Books

Cynthia's Attic at Fontaine Ferry Park -

Fontaine Ferry, or Fountain Ferry as we all called it (Didn't find out differently until a couple of years ago), was a blast! We'd load – and I do mean, LOAD – two or three cars and drive the 25 miles to Louisville's old theme park at least twice every summer. The designer of Palisades Park in New York conceived the idea for Fontaine Ferry. It opened in 1905 and closed in 1969. (Oops! Guess I just gave away my age.)




The excitement from walking into the impressive front entrance was second-to-none. We'd all run to the roller coaster first (I was reminded by friend, Pat, that it was called The Comet). Or rather, Pat and everyone else would run. I'd walk since it wasn't my favorite thing to ride, but to admit I got queasy going up and down...up and down...up and around the tracks, was not an option. Besides, a snow cone would usually settle my stomach. And, if that didn't work, cotton candy would do the trick.


The place I remember most is the Hilarity Hall, the funhouse. From the crazy mirrors that made you look short and squatty, tall as a beanpole, or just plain weird, to the spinning "Sugar Bowl," and the double slides. Simple attractions, but we loved them.

Rounding out my top faves were the Skooter Cars (bumper cars), the Ferris Wheel and the Ghost Train.

By 21st century theme park standards like Disney World, Universal, and even Six Flags, Fontaine Ferry was pretty tame, but it still holds some of my fondest memories. If you have special memories of this Kentuckiana park, let us know.

Fontaine Ferry Park
WHAS Coverage and Memories
Mary Cunningham is the author of the award-winning series, Cynthia's Attic. Book Four, "The Magician's Castle" will be out in DEC 2009 (Quake - Echelon Press).

Mary Cunningham Books

Winter Sports in Cynthia's Attic!

I was born in Southern Indiana which also happens to be the setting for my series, Cynthia's Attic. Indiana is not exactly the home of Hans Brinker, Hans Klammer, or Wayne Gretzky!

Ponds rarely freeze during the winter, and ice skates and hockey sticks weren't high on my Christmas list. So, you're probably asking, "Just how did you fill those cold, rainy, Indiana winters?" With Damon Bailey, Calbert Cheney, Isiah Thomas, Kent Benson, and Steve Alford.

Still not sure? Hint: I'm from INDIANA. We play BASKETBALL! And, when we're not playing, we're watching! I'd love to have a dollar for every Friday and Saturday night I spent screaming my lungs out in a high school gymnasium, cheering on the Panthers. If you haven't experienced Hoosier Hysteria, then you've missed out.


"We've got spirit! Yes we do! We've got spirit. How about YOU?!"


Guess I have another reason for looking back so fondly on those days of hot gyms, buttered popcorn and bleachers full of screaming fans. My dad inspired my love of basketball and all sports. From the time I was about six years-old, he took me to games, home and away, and patiently explained the rules. He also explained how the men in the black and white striped shirts were mean, evil people who blew their whistles and consistently made bad calls on our team.

So, there you have it. My description of Winter Sports. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gearing up for basketball season watching Hoosier (Indiana University) games on TV. My watch list? Potato chips, dip, Diet Coke with Lime and plenty of throat lozenges for all the screaming I plan to do at the referees. Here's to you, Dad!

In the meantine, if you want to read a really good story about Indiana basketball and family relationships, you can buy "Ghost Light!"


11-year-old Jake McMillen wants, more than anything in the world, to play varsity basketball for the Panthers, just like his late, Grandpa Max. One big problem. While Jake inherits his grandfather’s love for the game, the McMillen height passes him by.




Not only that, “old people” like his grandmother, keep taking up too much of his precious practice time. He knows she’s sick, but being dragged along to her steamy apartment by his mom, cuts into that afternoon’s pick-up game at the Island basketball court.

After getting totally humiliated during the game by star player, Quinn Parker, Jake gets a ghostly message that changes his outlook toward his grandmother’s illness and inspires him to pursue his dreams.

I'm is the author of the award-winning 'tween fantasy/mystery series, Cynthia’s Attic. My series was inspired by a recurring dream about a mysterious attic. After realizing that the dream took place in the home of her childhood friend, Cynthia, the dreams stopped and the writing began.

I've also co-written the humor-filled, women's lifestyle book, "Women Only Over Fifty (WOOF)," along with published stories, "Ghost Light" and "Christmas With Daisy," A Cynthia's Attic short story.

Mary Cunningham Books

Cynthia's Attic Blog

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My secret wish is to travel back in time, have adventures and solve mysteries with my ancestors. Hmmm...sounds like a great book idea. Wait! I've already written it!

Cynthia's Attic series takes 12-year-old best friends, Cynthia and Gus (me!) through time from 1964 to 1914 and beyond. They even manage to make a trip into the future in The Magician's Castle.
A couple of reasons led to writing the books. A recurring dream I had for over 20 years about a mysterious attic was one. When realizing the dream took place in the attic of my childhood friend, Cynthia...well, you see where I'm going.

But, the main reason I've enjoyed writing the books is the ability to have adventures with my ancestors. I always regretted not paying more attention to my grandparents' stories about "the good ol' days." There are so many things I'd love to ask them, today. Unfortunately, they're all gone and many family stories died with them.

That didn't stop me from writing about the real disappearance of my g. g. grandfather who disappeared while taking a flat boat loaded with produce down the Mississippi River (Curse of the Bayou), or my g. grandfather's music store that came in handy when the circus needed an organ for the evening performance (The Magic Medallion).

I've written adventures about my dad, who was a teenage cave guide, my g. grandmother, who had to deal with running the family farm after her husband disappeared, and even my dog, Molly who died halfway through the writing of The Magician's Castle. I was so devastated over her death, that finishing the book was in question until a friend suggested I write her into the story. She quickly became my favorite character.

So, I guess my wish would be to really travel back in time and talk to my ancestors and listen to all the stories they'd have to tell. But, until someone invests a real time machine, or finds a magic trunk (besides the one in Cynthia's attic!), guess I'll be content to have adventures with them through my stories.

Coming Soon! Spring 2012 - Cynthia's Attic: Legend of Lupin Woods!

Mary Cunningham Books
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Cynthia's Attic: From the Earth To The Moon

Cynthia's Attic series is about a dynamic time-traveling duo, Cynthia and Augusta Lee (Gus). As they prepare for their final adventure, I couldn't help thinking back to one of my favorite authors, Jules Verne. His fantasy/fiction ideas have become more real as time goes by. Who knows? Maybe time-travel will be a reality one day!

Jules Verne's novels are still read and studied today. But I've always been interested in the fact that his stories are prophetic in describing modern times. Paris in the 20th Century is an often cited example of this describing air conditioning, automobiles, electricity, television, even the Internet!

Another example is From the Earth to the Moon, which, apart from using a space gun instead of a rocket, is very similar to the Apollo Program, as three astronauts are launched from the Florida peninsula and recovered through a splash landing. In the book, the spacecraft is launched from "Tampa Town." Although Tampa isn't the NASA launch site, Tampa, Florida is approximately 130 miles from Cape Canaveral.

In other works, Verne predicted the inventions of helicopters, submarines, projectors, jukeboxes, and other later devices.

He also predicted the existence of underwater hydrothermal vents that were not discovered until years after he wrote about them.

In the Mysterious Island Verne predicts the development of Hydrogen engines. A group of castaways discuss what will happen when the world's coal reserves are used up, when one of them exclaims, "Water [will replace coal]. Water broken down into its component elements by electricity. . . the hydrogen and oxygen of which it is constituted will be used to furnish an inexhaustible source of heat and light. One day, the holds of steamships and the tenders of locomotives will be filled with those two compressed gases, powering their engines with an incalculable calorific force."

Wish he'd predicted the use of other renewable energies like solar power and wind power to replace our dependence on oil! Hmmm...maybe he did.


To read more about this fascinating author, visit Jules Verne Wikipedia page.

Coming Spring 2012 - Cynthia's Attic: Legend of Lupin Woods!

For more Cynthia's Attic Books - Mary Cunningham Books

Adopt A Shelter Dog Month - A Tale of Two Shelter Dogs

It's been almost three years since we lost our sweet "Molly-Girl." The 20-lb, chocolate brown mix  adopted us in 1995 after her two-week "vacation" at the Miami Animal Shelter. We were put through hoops before the dedicated shelter workers let us take her home to Fort Myers, but the thirteen years we had with Molly were the best.

Our hearts broke when we lost her. As many of you know, having the courage to euthanize a beloved pet is probably the most difficult decision we animal lovers face. I stayed with Molly in the vet's office until the end. My husband could not. Just a difference between the two of us. I wanted to be there to hold her when she slipped away. Her "dad" had to wait outside. I didn't blame him because, after all, he was the one, those many years ago, who comforted the anxious, three-year-old terrier-mix on the long trip across Alligator Alley to her new home. He simply couldn't bear the pain of letting her go. I was relieved by his decision because that meant I could focus on Molly and not have to worry about any other dynamic in that room except the bond she and I shared.

We left the clinic that day vowing it would be a long, long time before we could again face the pain of watching another little buddy grow ill and slip away.

The first anniversary of her death came and went. The second anniversary passed, but a strange thing happened that next spring. I started researching pet rescue sites on the Internet, clicking on picture after picture of small dogs that needed a forever home. I e-mailed a friend who was devoted to dog rescues and fostering. I gave her an idea what we were looking for figuring it would take months to pair us with a new furry family member. Was I ever wrong!

A couple of days had passed when I opened up an e-mail saying I'd been tagged with a link to a photo on Facebook. I clicked open the picture and called my husband into my office. "What about this one?" My heart pounded at the sight of the little black and white fur ball. "Let's get her," he announced. And, he wasn't kidding. I had been first to consider the idea of another dog. He was still enjoying the freedom that being "pet-less" provided. Still, when I mentioned the idea, he had been on board as long as we took our time, did our research and "didn't rush into anything."

Two days?? That's not rushing into anything? I was a little shocked by his instant passion for a dog we knew nothing about, but when he saw Lucy's picture, it was love at first sight. For once, I was the pragmatic one; refusing to allow myself to love that little girl until I had her in my arms.

The next day was rough. First we had her, then we didn't because she had to be spayed. Then we had her again when we signed an oath in blood and swore on our mothers' graves to have her spayed here in Georgia. Then we didn't because there was no way to get her from South Florida to our home.

Enter our pet angels. Through karma, good luck, coincidence, whatever...1 Lucky Dog Rescue (the fantastic place who took Lucy in after she was abandoned) discovered that one of their contacts was coming to Atlanta that weekend and he'd be happy to transport Lucy straight to our front door. The stars aligned, and she was in my arms Saturday morning, less than 36 hours after we'd seen her picture.

I suppose this post is more cathartic than entertaining, but sometimes we just have to "get it out." I'm not dreading the third anniversary of Molly's death so much. Not because I don't still miss her, terribly, but, I think she'd approve of our decision to save another South Florida dog. Lucy makes us laugh every day. Even the day she decided that Dad wouldn't miss just one bite off his pizza slice. Oh, she put on an academy award-winning innocent performance...except for the glob of pizza sauce on the end of her nose.

Yes, Molly would definitely approve of her little sister.

October is Adopt A Dog Month!

Don't Shop - Adopt!

10 compelling reasons to adopt a shelter dog from Dogster, For the Love of Dog Blog