Cynthia's Attic: Cast of Characters - My dad

My dad was my hero. Not surprising that he would be a character in my series, Cynthia's Attic. I inherited the desire to write from my dad, so I pretty much owe him for anything I am as a writer. He was a journalist for over 40 years and my inspiration and roll model. In fact, I'd go with him, on occasion, when he interviewed an interesting character for a story, then watch said story go from interview to edit to print.

Wish he'd been around to see my books. Every now and then, when the house is quiet except for the tap, tap, tap of my fingers on the keyboard, I feel him looking over my should as I write. I hope he approves.

His character, an 18-year-old cave guide in The Magic Medallion, saves Cynthia and Gus from certain death when they are swept into an underground river while searching a Southern Indiana cave for a lost medallion. Didn't I tell you he was my hero? Cynthia and Gus think so, too.

Read an excerpt:

I went flailing into the water the split second Cynthia reached out to grab me.  I couldn't see what happened to her, but the scream I heard and the following splash said it all.

The current seemed to be moving faster and faster.  I tried unsuccessfully to grab onto the rough ledge, but instead, I floated deeper and deeper into the cave.

I helplessly tumbled over and over in the blackness and thought about the irony of the swimming trophies and scout badges I'd collected over the past three summers.  Hmmmphh.  A lot of good that did me!

With every breath, I gulped more and more water.  A feeling that I probably wasn't going to get out of this alive swept over me, and at the same time I wondered if Cynthia was faring any better.  For some reason, it was comforting to know that she was probably going to drown with me.  Oh, that's a generous thought, Gus!  Here you are feeling good about the fact that your best friend is probably drowning, too!  I knew I didn't really feel that way.  I wanted her to make it out because…well just because.  Also, so she'd be able to tell someone where to find my lifeless, broken body.

Yep, I'm dying all right…there's the bright light I've heard about.  I was being pulled straight toward a small glow in the distance as a feeling of peace began to take over.  That peace didn't last long, though, as my ears picked up the deafening roar of a huge waterfall…a real one this time!  I started paddling backwards as fast as possible but couldn't fight the current and started falling and falling and falling.  Moments after I heard screams telling me that Cynthia was falling too, I landed face down in the water. Gathering the strength to look up, I couldn't believe my eyes.  We were in a river outside the cave.  If I could only swim to that bank, but my arms were like dead weights.

"Grab onto the rope!"

I turned in the direction of the voice and saw a splash in the water just in front of me.  I reached out and held onto the rope with all the energy I had left and was relieved to feel myself being pulled toward dry ground.  As I crawled to the bank, I heard the command repeated.

"Grab onto the rope!"

Soon, an equally exhausted Cynthia lay beside me.  "Are we dead?" I gasped.
"I…don't know," she said weakly.  "I think we're alive because every inch of my body hurts.  I don't think you hurt when you're dead."

"No, you're not dead…but you are lucky to be alive," a voice lectured.  As I painfully rolled over on my back, I saw a figure in green khaki pants standing beside me, but the glare of the sun hid his face.

"How in the world did you two get to the waterfall?  There's no way to reach it through the main entrance since it was blocked off years ago, and I know you didn't sneak into the cave the back way…and what in the world are you doing exploring caves in those old granny outfits?"  He laughed.

"Who are you to criticize our spelunking attire?" I asked, indignant.  "We just didn't have time to change and certainly didn't think we were going swimming today!"

"Whoa there, Nellie.  I don't care what you thought you were going to be doing…you look silly."

That did it!  I jumped up, in spite of my exhaustion, hands on hips, and spit out a withering comeback…"Oh yeah?"

That's all I managed to say because it hit me like a pan-full of my mother's burnt biscuits…I knew this person.  Although I'd seldom seen him in a hat, the faded green scout cap looked familiar.  It was identical to the one I'd found in the tent.  He had the same smile and unmistakable twinkling blue-gray eyes.  We had made it to 1934…and the young man who pulled us out of the river…was my dad.

 Click on my website for Buy links to all 5 Cynthia's Attic series books!

Cynthia's Attic: Cast of Characters - Great Grandma Samantha

A glass jar...sitting on a round kitchen table...filled with candy sticks. That's my one and only memory of my great grandmother, Samantha.

Samantha Jane Huff was born on Nov. 1, 1865, married a man 20 years her senior (my g.grandfather, Charles Conrad) on Christmas Day, 1882. She died August 20, 1957. I suppose I can be forgiven for not remembering much about her since I was five at the time.

My cousin, Paul Conrad, e-mailed a wonderful picture of Samantha, nicknamed, Mant for no reason I can fathom. Why would you do that to such a beautiful name? She lived with Paul's mother and dad (my great aunt and uncle) after my grandfather's death in 1926, and he remembers her as a kind and wonderful person to be around. Wish I'd had more time with her. 

In Cynthia's Attic: Curse of the Bayou, Samantha (Connor) is portrayed as an excitable, free-spirited mother of twelve children; all of whom she worries over constantly. In COTB, she is a notoriously bad cook, which is simply literary license, and is married to Cynthia's g.grandfather, Beau Connor. Okay, so I took a LOT of literary license. Confused yet? Here's an excerpt:

Cynthia's Attic: Curse of the Bayou (Book Three)

 

As promised, there was hot food waiting for us. To say that Samantha Conner was the most awful cook in the world would not be an exaggeration. I hadn't tasted anything quite as bad as her dumplings since I'd had the brilliant idea to eat my first-grade art paste.

But, to be polite, Cynthia and I ate as much as we could choke down. At least the family stories told at dinner, helped make the food a little more palatable, especially since we'd already heard bits and pieces from Cynthia's mom. Samantha mentioned that her husband was traveling, and had not returned. I could tell she didn't want to talk about his disappearance, but that didn't stop her from talking about everything else.

"Go ahead, Ma," Jay insisted. "Tell them about how you met Pa. You know you want to."

Samantha laughed self-consciously. "Oh, Jay. These two don't want to hear tales about some old couple…well, if you insist…" She went on without ever taking a breath.

I shot a sly smirk toward Cynthia, but she was already caught up in the story.

"…and so I decided that no one was going to tell me I couldn't ride across that creek. My brothers were able to cross, and they weren't nearly the bareback rider I was!"

I could see the smug satisfaction on her face, even after all these years.

"But, Ma. Tell them what happened when you did start to cross."

Her voice took on a mildly annoyed tone. "I'm getting to that. I still say my brother, Thomas, rest his soul, deliberately frightened Powder, causing that horse to buck me off in the middle of that raging river."

"Well, that's not the way Uncle Jude tells it, Ma. But, you tell it your way."

Samantha sniffed, and then continued the story. "As I was saying…that pitiful horse bucked me off into a raging current and, land sakes…I was sure I was going to drown. I went tumbling, head over applecart, until I felt my lungs were going to burst right through my chest."

Although Cynthia's great-grandmother did have a flair for the dramatic, I didn't have to imagine how Samantha felt. I knew, from my own experience, tumbling helplessly through the underground river in Big Blue Cave, exactly what it was like to nearly drown.

"But, now to the good part." Samantha laughed heartily. "I was just about to give up the ghost when I felt a hand on my shoulder." She touched her own hand to her left shoulder and smiled, sadly. "I didn't see him until he'd pulled me to land and smacked water out of my lungs with a crack between my shoulder blades. I still wonder what he saw in a girl spewing river water into his face, but I knew, as soon as I looked into those kindly, brown eyes, that I would spend the rest of my life with Beauregard Conner."

Charles & Samantha Conrad, and children

Great Grandma, Samantha, I wish I had known more about you, but I suppose there are worse things than being remembered for a full candy jar.

 

 Click on my website for Buy links to all 5 Cynthia's Attic series books!

The Missing Locket: Free!

How many got new Kindles for Christmas? Looking for great reads?

How about a FREE READ?

Here's the perfect book for you!

From the award-winning series, Cynthia's Attic, The Missing Locket (Book One) is FREE on KINDLE now through DEC 30!

Begin your Cynthia's Attic Adventure TODAY!

Magical costumes, disappearing stairs and a spooky attic filled with dusty antiques–what more could two, adventurous, young girls ask for? Best friends, Cynthia and Gus as she prefers to be called, are as "different as bubble gum and broccoli." They are, however, equal in their ability to get into trouble without much effort.

In trying to escape the "boring summer" of 1964, the adventurous twelve-year-old girls stumble upon a trunk in Cynthia's attic that has been in her family for three generations. They discover its mystical qualities when they are swept into the trunk and whisked back to 1914, literally into the lives of their twelve-year-old grandmothers, Clara and Bess.

The mystery of a missing family locket is revealed. Their quest takes numerous twists and turns, including a life-and-death struggle on a large steamship traveling from England to America. Along with perilous escapades, they make important, sometimes humorous discoveries about their ancestors, and even manage to change history–for the better–along the way.

Check out all Cynthia's Attic Series Books!

The Legend Of Lupin Woods: Meet Veronika!

Before writing The Legend of Lupin Woods, I decided to run a contest asking for readers' favorite characters. The winner would be introduced as a new characters in the book. Veronika Veren chose Molly, the little brown dog who helped Cynthia and Gus "dig up clues" in The Magician's Castle.

After getting a little information about Veronika's life, I was thrilled to learn that she grew up in France, where Cynthia and Gus visited Aunt Belle in the first book, The Missing Locket. It's no coincidence that the girls end up back in France where they meet the daughter of Amelia, proprietor of Amelia's Boulangerie…Veronika!

I had so much fun writing Veronika into the story and I know Cynthia and Gus enjoyed meeting her and consider her a friend forever. Now, to introduce you to the real Veronika!
  

When I was twelve, the same age as Cynthia's Attic time-traveling best friends, Cynthia and Gus, I lived in France and went to an impressive old school made of stone and creaking wood, that used to be a monastery in the 13th century. I Had very long blond hair, big green eyes and was the perfect miss Straight-A! The nose always in a book (and the hand in mid-air), like Hermione Granger. Guess my nickname back then?

I was very interested in divination, runes, ghosts and paranormal phenomenon and had a good friend who was persuaded me she was a werewolf and learned elven!?

My days were spent learning, reading (after a while, there was nothing left in the school library), and writing short stories and poems about incredible worlds. I  Also wrote letters to my favourite magazines (and got some of them published).

Now I'm traveling the world, still reading, still dreaming, still writing (expect an official e-release soon ;)

I'm still the "12-year old Veronika". Only taller.

Oh, and I got involved in the contest because I'm a Mary Cunningham fan, read her books and her blog, and have been following her writing career since the very beginning, on my blog Veronika Asks.  Plus, Molly is my fave!

Yes, I'm impatient to read the book and am very happy to be close friends with Cynthia and Gus.

Veronika Veren (Veronika Asks Author Interviews)

Veronika's New Website

Btw, Veronika is also an author and a very successful blogger and book reviewer!

So, now that you know more about the real Veronika, I know you'll love her character in The Legend of Lupin Woods (Book Five)!

Cynthia and Gus have solved a lot of mysteries across time, but something is seriously wrong and things are beginning to unravel.

Aunt Belle is missing…again! Cynthia’s great-grandfather, Beau, was never found! And now they are wondering if Blackie is still making life miserable for Lilly and Annie.

This time, the twelve-year-old girls journey into a strange woods full of frightening creatures and dark secrets in search of answers.

From Aunt Belle's cottage to a small village in France, they meet new friends and discover a connection to New Orleans that may lead to the devious source behind these alarming developments. Or bigger trouble.

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(check back for paperback buy links)
Meanwhile, Click on Mary Cunningham Books to BUY The Missing Locket, The Magic Medallion, Curse of the Bayou, and The Magician's Castle - paperback or ebook!

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Cast of Characters: Grandpa Charles

It's been one hair-raising, fun-filled adventure after another for twelve-year-old best friends, Cynthia and Gus. I've penned (okay...typed) five...count 'em...FIVE books taking the girls through a magic trunk in Cynthia's attic back more than 50 years to the Louisiana Bayou, Switerland, France, a steamship crossing the Atlantic, and even Southern Indiana, the original setting. They even traveled forward 50 years, meeting another pair of best friends.

Leading up to the release of the final book in the series, Cynthia's Attic: The Legend of LupinWoods, I'm highlighting some of these colorful characters (my relatives!).

Great Grandpa Charles:

 As one of the early music teachers in Southern Indiana, he was a pioneer in his field. His enthusiasm for all things music inspired others to make it their chosen field.

He was also one of the first to turn his passion into a business, Conrad Music; still going today! He's shown in this picture driving the buggy he'd use to transport musical instruments he sold throughout Southern Indiana.

His love for music, and the fact that I've heard through many stories what a loving and generous man he was to his family and the community, is the main reason I decided to showcase Grandpa Charles in Cynthia's Attic: The Magic Medallion. 

In this story, Grandpa Charles is taking an organ to the circus for the evening performance. What he didn't know until after he delivered the organ, is that his daughter, Bess (earlier post), her friend, Clara, along with Cynthia and Gus, hitched a ride.

Excerpt:

      Stepping outside the main tent, we spotted Papa Charles leading a procession consisting of two muscular men pulling a 4-wheel cart that held the organ.  Bess and Clara followed sullenly behind.

I pulled Cynthia behind a deep fold in the heavy canvas seconds before the procession marched by, and as we watched, it was pretty obvious from the pained look on Bess's face that her father hadn't been at all pleased with the unexpected company he'd found hiding in the crate.

Before I had a chance to voice my concern to Cynthia, my attention was drawn to the far side of the tent where an excited man dressed in a red tuxedo coat, shiny black pants and boots, and carrying a top hat–obviously the ringmaster–ran toward my great-grandfather.

"It's about time you got here!  The show starts in forty-five minutes!  Can you get the organ set up by then?"

We heard Papa Charles tell the excited man not to worry… that he'd have it set up and ready to play by show time.

He then turned to Bess and Clara and wagged his finger.  "You two have caused me enough trouble already.  Don't get into any more.  Can you imagine how worried your mother's going to be, Bess?  Not to mention the fact that it will be all my fault!"

Bess and Clara hung their heads and mumbled something as he spun around and started preparing the organ for the evening performance.  The lecture didn't have any long-lasting effect though, because as soon as his back was turned, we saw the girls take off for the food stands.

Coming Soon! Cynthia's Attic: The Legend of Lupin Woods!

Mary Cunningham Books