Indiana Caverns: Binkley Cave

The Binkley Connection
A year ago on Saturday, February 11th, 2012, a connection between Blowing Hole and Binkley Caves was discovered. The Binkley cave system is the 11th longest in the nation and the longest in Indiana. Their combined length totals 34.72 miles with more passageways awaiting discovery.

With this new discovery, a public entrance to Binkley Cave could now be created to allow visitors into the cave system. Previously all entrances were located on private property and restricted from access.

Panoramic Views, Waterfalls, and Ancient Bones
Experience panoramic views of Big Bone Mountain and its enormous piles of breakdown and three amazing waterfalls, one crashing down almost 40 feet into flowstone. Uncover the cave’s rich past and the animals that called it home, as you learn about its ancient bones.


Boat Ride, Cave Life, and History

Travel onward to Blowing Hole Boulevard for an underground boat trip you’ll never forget! Glimpse blind cave fish and crayfish along with other cave life amidst the beautiful brimstone dams. Learn how caves are formed, and their special role in their environment.

Why, you ask, am I posting this on my blog?

1. Corydon, Indiana, the site of this new, and exciting cave system, is my hometown.

2. My new series, Adventures of Max and Maddie, will have the area surrounding this cave as its setting for the third story!

So, there you have it. Stop back for the opening date for Binkley Cave!

Indiana Caverns Website

And don't forget to check out the first Max and Maddie adventure:

Ghost of Pine Mountain. 
Right here! Available on Ebook from these site: 

[Kindle] [NOOK] [Smashwords] [OmniLit]

Mary Cunningham Books

The Adventures of Max and Maddie: Ghost of Pine Mountain (Story 1)

It's here! The creation of a brand new series has begun, and I'm so excited about this new venture!

Teenagers, Max and Maddie, discover more than they bargain for during a visit to the Gold Museum where a mysterious old miner tells a fantastic tale, and then gives the pair a tarnished gold coin he claims has special time-travel powers. Along with the coin, comes a strange message. Wherever you decide to go, leave your destination a better place than a'fore you arrived. Do that, and your travels will continue.

Max, eager to accept the challenge, and Maddie—more reluctantly—travel back in time only to discover they're right where they started—Pine Mountain near their West Georgia hometown, Villa Rica…two hundred years in the past!

Early 1800s miners, searching for gold on top of the mountain, and American Indian villagers, thriving alongside Sweetwater Creek, cross paths with Max and Maddie when an angry mother bear, protecting her cub, threatens the thirteen-year-old best friends.

Will their first journey back in time, end with deadly consequences, or will the early settlers and natives band together to save the young time-travelers, and strengthen their prospects for further adventures?

So how, you ask, can I get in on the beginning of this exciting new series?

Right here! Available on Ebook from these site:

 

[Kindle]  [NOOK]  [Smashwords] [OmniLit]

Mary Cunningham Books

An ode to English Plurals

We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes, but the plural of ox becomes oxen, not oxes.

One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese, yet the plural of moose should never be meese.

You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice, yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.

If the plural of man is always called men, why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?

If I speak of my foot and show you my feet, and I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?

If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth, Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?

Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England . We take English for granted, but if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.


And why is it that writers write, but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? Sometimes I think all the folks who grew up speaking English should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.

In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? And how can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out, and in which an alarm goes off by going on.

And in closing, if Father is Pop, how come Mother's not Mop?


Have you read "Cynthia's Attic?" No? Do I have a treat for you!

Mary Cunningham on OmniLit

The Newest Character in "Cynthia's Attic" is...

Molly mulling over her next role in "Cynthia's Attic" # 5!

Without further ado, the winner of the Choose the next character in Cynthia's Attic (Book # 5) is...Veronika for her passionate plea for Molly to be a recurring character!

I have a feeling Molly would approve too, Veronika since you described her as pretty, clever, funny, nice, etc. :) I'm sure she's excited to be in the next book since she had so much fun in "The Magician's Castle."

Anyway, gotta get busy writing Molly's scenes along with the NEW character, Veronika!

I'll keep you posted. Thanks, everyone who participated on my blog, the Quake blog and facebook!

Mary Cunningham Books
Amazon
Kindle
Fictionwise
Quake/Echelon Press

Choose A Character For Cynthia's Attic: Book Five!

Want to choose a character to be in the next Cynthia's Attic book? Here's how!

Listed below are 10 Cynthia's Attic characters I'm considering for a recurring role in Book Five. Leave a comment with your choice and an explanation as to why you think the character deserves to return. I'll choose one winner based on the most compelling reason.

What do you win? First is the Cynthia's Attic book of your choice. You can wait for Book Five (title coming soon!) or you can choose one of the first four titles. Now for the really fun part. If your character and comment is chosen, you'll also become a character in the book!


Choose one:

*Louis - 10-year-old ghost - The Missing Locket

*Aunt Belle - Cynthia's great-aunt - The Missing Locket

*Blackie - The evil clown - The Magic Medallion

*Jake - Cave guide and Gus's dad - The Magic Medallion

*Gabriella - The fortuneteller - The Magic Medallion & Curse of the Bayou

*Jasmine Boudreau - Mudbug's mother - Curse of the Bayou

*Samantha Connor - Cynthia's excitable great-grandmother - Curse of the Bayou

*Linus Carson - the unscrupulous antiques dealer - The Magician's Castle

*Kathryn - Sebastian's fiancée and assistant - The Magician's Castle

*Molly - The dog that helps 'dig up clues' - The Magician's Castle

You have until August 31, then I'm on my own! So, let me know your choice and why! I have to start writing!!

Mary Cunningham Books
Amazon
Kindle
Fictionwise
Quake/Echelon Press

Scout Camp Memories

After many decades, I still have fond memories looking back on my scout camp experience. I was probably 10 or 11—at that vulnerable age just shy of the terrible teenage years.

I went to camp two years in a row and the first year was, by far, the best. Although, the 2nd year taught me much more about life and relationships.

The first year, four of us friends who grew up together, went to school together and played sports together, resided for two weeks in a three-sided Gypsy Camp cabin. While there was some mild bickering amongst our quartet, we remained fiercely loyal to each other and pretty much stuck together. As I remember, we came in 2nd in the end-of-camp talent contest performing a skit to the tune of Junior Birdmen.

This is the way I remember it:

Up in the air Junior Birdmen
Up in the air upside down
Up in the air Junior Birdmen
Keep your noses off the ground

When you hear the doorbell ringing
And you have your badge of tin
Then you know, Junior Birdmen
That you sent your box tops in.

(If you have another version, please post it, or post your favorite camp song)

The 2nd year wasn't quite as much fun. We graduated to the next level; a full-size cabin with 8 scouts, one of which was the daughter of the head counselor. "Lynn" (not her real name - I'm afraid she'll find me and beat me up, again) was a real, uh...snot. It was either done her way or she ran to her mother to squeal on how mean we were being to her. Like the four of us who grew up together, "Lynn" had 3 life-long friends in the cabin with her. Only difference was, they couldn't stand her either.

As stressful as that was, I learned some valuable lessons:

1) Those in charge are not always kind to the masses.
2) Life is not always fair.
3) I'm never going to be able to get along with everyone.
4) I can rise above injustice and have fun in spite of disagreeable people.

So, to all you Junior Birdmen out there..."Keep your noses off the ground!"

I have no idea what that means, but it seems like a good way to end this blog post.

'Tween time-travel series, Cynthia's Attic.

Download the series on Kindle today!

Mary Cunningham Books
Amazon
Kindle
Fictionwise
Quake/Echelon Press

Video: Cynthia's Attic Series

Latest video for the series, "Cynthia's Attic!"

Follow twelve-year-old best friends, Cynthia and Gus, as they travel through time meeting and having adventures with their ancestors!




Mary Cunningham Books
Amazon
Kindle
Fictionwise
Quake/Echelon Press

Iggy The Iguana - Summer League

Summer League, the second book in the Iggy the Iguana Series, is packed full of excitement, suspense, and surprises as Iggy and his friends continue their adventures out on the baseball field and under the summer sun. Iggy faces the decision of keeping a secret that should have been told and runs the risks of losing everything. In the midst of overcoming his challenges, Iggy learns a few new things about himself, his friendships start to change, and he discovers that the new guy is keeping a big secret too. Each character in this story has a unique and even humorous personality of their own, making the Iggy the Iguana series enjoyable for all kids to read.

Hi everyone. I'm Gus, the athletic (ahem) half of the time-traveling, Cynthia's Attic duo. I'm so excited to have Iggy Iguana as my guest today because he loves baseball just like I do! I tried to talk Cynthia into joining me, but she was busy doing her nails, and, anyway, baseball isn't her favorite subject.

Welcome Iggy (and Melissa)! Do you have time to answer some questions that I'm sure our readers want to know? Like, why do you love baseball so much, Iggy?

Hi Gus! It’s great to meet you. Well, all of my favorite memories include baseball … like the time my Dad took me to my first Chicago Cubs game at Wriggly Field. My dad and I have also been playing catch together since I could pick up a ball. I’ve been playing pitcher for a few years now in little league.

Cynthia and I play with our neighborhood gang and we've known each other since, forever! Tell us about some of the members of your team. How did you meet?

I met Snap Shell, my catcher and my best friend, at the beginning of fourth grade. He’s a turtle and naturally a great catcher! He would do anything for me on and off the field. Buddy the Bullfrog and Kit Kat go to my school too. Buddy is from New York and a great high hopper on 1st base. Cooper the Chameleon and I have known each other for years, because we used to be on the same team many years ago before he moved to my new team, the Stars. There is a lot of competition between the two of us because he used to play pitcher too … until he hurt his arm. I just met Marc the Mouse, he moved here from Spain and is the best Short Stop ever! He’s super fast. He is really shy though, so I try to help him make new friends on the team.

Cynthia is my best friend, so tell me...do you have a best friend? Liz? or maybe, Snap? I promise not to tell the others!

It’s so hard to pick one, because Liz and Snap are both of my best friends, but in different ways. Actually Liz was my girl friend in 4th grade, but we kinda broke up.

Snap helped me get through everything so we could all become friends again. Snap is like a brother to me now … I only want the best for him and would do anything for him, because he has always been there for me. He’s a great advice giver.

Does the fact that your dad was a coach influence your love of the sport?

Definitely! My dad has always been an athlete and had a passion for baseball. It’s something we can do together. I look up to my dad so much. He just won first place at the Houston Marathon.

And, now a couple of questions for Melissa:

How did you choose Iggy the Iguana as the main character for your books?

The idea for Iggy and all of the characters came from many of my real life pets I had as a kid. Iggy was my favorite pet of them all! I used to spend so much time with him, and I basically treated him like a human. He wore clothes, lived on top of my bookshelf, and we would play outside everyday after school. He loved laying out in the sun! I even threw him birthday parties … and he got to sleep on my bed. He had his own little pillow, and I would cover him up with a blanket so he wouldn’t get cold. He usually had to sleep on a heating pad too.

I was also very creative as a kiddo, so I used to write the Iggy the Iguana story when I was eight years old. Liz, Snap Shell, and all the gang were supporting characters.

Do you have a planned number of books for the series?

I want to have at least four in the Iggy Series. I am also staring the spin off series called Turtle Town, and Snap is the main character. The new books take place in different beach towns. The first one will take place in Cardiff Beach near San Diego, California. I’m taking another two-week trip out to California to write on location. I am completely recreating the town in my story to resemble the real Cardiff Beach. Maybe the next book should take place in Hawaii, right?!

I love the diversity the characters in your books advance. Was there someone or something in particular that influenced your writing the series?

Definitely my counseling and psychology background gave me a need to implant acceptance and diversity into the storyline, and not just with cultural differences, but also with personality, health, age, and interests. I wanted everyone to have at least one character that they really could relate to. The characters needed to be real and go through real life situations that kids may experience at that age. I also wanted the readers to experience empathetic understanding toward the characters who experienced certain situations for the first time.

If you could bring one character to life, which one would it be?

Iggy! He is so cute. I love iguanas and lizards. I think they are just he cutest animals in the world!

Finally, tell your readers something funny about yourself that they may not know.

I used to make up this ridiculous voice for my pet Iggy when I was a kid, and I would pretend that he could talk. Actually, I had a voice for Molly, Iggy’s little sister, too. I created a pretend radio talk show for them, and they would interview different animals on the show. More made up voices! I was very imaginative and goofy. It helped when I landed my first voice over gig for a Japanese Anime Cartoon about eight years ago. Who knew the silly things I did as a kid would come back to help me as an adult!

Melissa M. Williams has been writing stories since the age of eight years old. Many of her stories were inspired by real-life experiences with childhood pets she owned while growing up in Houston, Texas. After receiving her Bachelor's degree in Psychology, she moved to Dallas, TX to pursue a Master's degree
in Professional Counseling. While in graduate school, she finished her first children's book, "Iggy the Iguana", and proceeded to have the book published before the age of twenty-six. Many of the ideas in this book were inspired by Miss Williams' experiences as a substitute teacher for third and fourth grade classes in the city of Dallas. In addition to writing for children, she is a published songwriter and has co-written for her younger sister’s, Misha, International Albums. Melissa currently lives in Houston, Texas and visits schools through out the entire Texas region, promotion literacy, creativity, and learning for kids. Her Literacy Foundation Read3Zero now offers children the opportunity to be published by her own publishing company, LongTale Publishing.

Iggy the Iguane Website

Read3Zero

Melissa M. Williams website

More on YouTube with Iggy and Melissa Williams

Next Iggy Blog Tour Stop - Thursday February 18 – Dana Smith (The Book Maven) shares her interview with Melissa M Williams to discuss how she promotes Iggy.

Be the most active visitor during the tour for a chance to win this Iggy Collection! Complete Iggy Blog Tour Schedule

Discover the Magic in Cynthia's Attic - Mary Cunningham Books

Family - Genealogy in Cynthia's Attic

For someone whose family has been traced back to the late 1300s, genealogy led, quite naturally, to my time travel series, Cynthia's Attic.

Wishing I could travel back in time to find out exactly what happened to my great-great-grandfather, Augustus Bulleit (Boilliat), on his ill-fated trip to New Orleans in 1860, or talk to my great-grandfather about his traveling music business, are just two stories that evolved from the series.

Curse of the Bayou is loosely based on the disappearance of Augustus during the time he took a load of produce down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. It's widely believed he was murdered for the contents and his boat, but he was never found. Being the first in his family to come to America, his death is particularly distressing because information about his French roots apparently died with him.


Great Grandpa Charles, above, is a different story (The Magic Medallion). He started a music business (Conrad's of Corydon) around 1888 and traveled throughout several counties with his horse and buggy selling musical instruments. He was even known to cart around an organ on occasion.

Many more ancestors are portrayed in my books. This is my way of making up for the fact that, when I was young I didn't ask my grandparents questions about their parents and grandparents; something I'd love to do today. Instead, I've sent Cynthia and Gus back in time to have adventures and solve mysteries their ancestors.

It's not perfect, and I'd give almost anything to be able to go back in time. I'd listen for hours and hours to tales about my grandfather's childhood, or my great-grandfather's joy at spreading the sound of music all over Southern Indiana. And maybe, just maybe I could talk Augustus out of taking that ill-fated journey down the Mississippi.

Cynthia had an attic. Not just an ordinary attic. Cynthia’s attic was magic.

Cynthia and I came into the world just three months apart. We grew up on the same quiet, sycamore-lined street, our friendship as close as our houses. Fifty years earlier, our grandmothers were best friends. However, we didn’t realize the extent of their friendship until after our experience in Cynthia’s attic. This is the story of one of our great adventures…the way I remember it.

"This wonderfully imaginative tale will delight readers. I wish I had a magic attic!" - Laura Schaefer, author of The Teashop Girls.

The award-winning series, "Cynthia's Attic" released by Quake (Echelon Imprint)! Buy all four books on Amazon or Echelon Press

Magic In Cynthia's Attic

Do You Believe In Magic?

My first encounter with magic came to a soggy ending. I was around six-year-old, attending my first (and only) magic show. My friend, Cynthia and I got front row seats for the afternoon performance in our school auditorium. Our mothers were seated behind us.

I remember nothing about the show except for the final trick. Mr. Magic would pull a rabbit out of his top hat using nothing but a magic wand and – oh, and a volunteer from the audience. "Me! Me! Oh, please, pick me!" And, wonder of wonders...he did!

I'm not sure when my inhibition disappeared over the years, but in the first ten, I had no problem performing; ballet recitals, piano recitals, singing; magic shows. I was happy on center stage. But, back to the magic show. I performed my task – waving the wand over the black top hat –perfectly. Abracadabra... the magician pulled a beautiful white bunny out of his hat and placed it in my arms!

I grinned and searched out my mother in the audience. I'm not sure which was whiter; the bunny or Mom's face. I'm guessing her face. Needless to say, I was thrilled, and sat for the remaining few minutes of the show petting this adorable, silky rabbit. We didn't have a pet at that time, so this was perfect. He (or she) would sleep with me, visit my friends, and what a hit I'd be during show-and-tell at school!

I could tell that Cynthia was just a touch envious until...Fluffy (I've since named him Fluffy) piddled all over my lap. Ewww! I'd been 5 seconds away from letting her hold him. Funny how the excitement and glamour dissipated with my soaked dress.

I remember very little else about Fluffy. He went to a farm, I was told, on which he would live to a ripe old age. I imagined him scampering through Mr. Mcgregor's Garden, happily feasting on carrots and lettuce leaves; watering the ground behind him.


Mary Cunningham Books


I'm proud to announce the release of Book Four in the award-winning series, "Cynthia's Attic" was released by Quake (Echelon Imprint) DEC 1 2009! Buy on Amazon or from Echelon Press

We Have Winners! - Christmas With Daisy

Thanks to all who participated on "The Magician's Castle" blog tour!

As promised I've chosen 3 winners of "Christmas With Daisy," my new Cynthia's Attic short story!

Cynde Hammond

Cheryl

Beverly

Pat Carleson

Please e-mail me to receive your PDF download.

marycunningham 1 at bellsouth dot net

Thanks, and Merry Christmas to everyone!

(If you didn't win, but still want to read "Christmas With Daisy," you can purchase from Echelon Press!)

Buy The Magician's Castle today!

The Magician's Castle - Blog Tour!

To celebrate the release of "The Magician's Castle," (Quake/Echelon Press, DEC 1, 2009), I'm guest blogging DEC 7-17 on some super blogs! Stop by each blog and leave a comment. A winner will be chosen on each blog stop to receive a copy of the "Cynthia's Attic" short story, "Christmas With Daisy!" So, be sure to make a comment!

DEC 7 - Mayra Calvani - Interview - Blog Critics

DEC 8 - Morgan Mandel - Double M's take on Books, Blogs, Dogs, Networking and Live - "Family and Cynthia's Attic"

DEC 9 - Beth Solheim - Mysteries and Chit Chat Blogspot "Through the Looking Glass in Cynthia's Attic"

DEC 10 - Barbara Techel -Frankie the Walk 'N Roll Dog Blog - "Ghost Dogs"

DEC 11 - Laura Schaefer - The Teashop Girls blog - "Friendship in Cynthia's Attic." *

DEC 12 - Regan Black - Regan's Realm Blog - "For the Love of Softball"

DEC 13 - Bookland Heights - "The Magician's Castle!"

DEC 14 - Cheryl Malindrinos - Interview - Children's and Teens Book Connection

DEC 15 - Pop Syndicate - One Author's View on Series Writing

DEC 16 - Alyssa Montgomery - Alyssa's Area - Interview

DEC 17 - Christine Verstraete - First graphs - Candid Canine Blog

Buy "Cynthia's Attic: The Magician's Castle" on Amazon - Today!

Watch the Video!

Cartoons and Tweety Bird

From the Road Runner, Chip 'N Dale, Foghorn Leghorn, Snagglepuss, Quick Draw McGraw, Sylvester and Tweety Bird (Who can forget Granny?), Rocky & Bulwinkle foiling Boris and Natasha at every turn, to Underdog. Who doesn't love the old Saturday Morning Cartoons?

Use your imagination when reading these famous Foghorn Leghorn phrases:

"Fortunately I always carry a spare set of feathers." or the famous, "Now looka I say looka here." "Go, I say go away boy, you bother me." Can't you just hear him? I never got tired of hearing his western twang.

But, as much as I loved Chip 'N Dale, Bulwinkle and Underdog, my alltime favorite cartoon character was Tweety - aka, Tweety Bird, Tweety Pie - who appeared in 48 cartoons in the Golden Age of Cartoons.

Tweety is, for the most part, a good-natured character happily spending life in his cage or a nest. That is until Sylvester starts slinking around, threatening him, he can become downright devious. And, if Tweety fails to stop his arch-enemy, then it's Granny to the rescue - the little old, bun and bustle-wearing spinster whose weapon-of-choice is an umbrella.

In doing research for this blog post, I tried to pull up current favorite Saturday cartoons and couldn't find any! Are there good cartoons out there? Please, somebody clue me in. Who is the new Tweety Bird, or Mighty Mouse, or Underdog?

Leave a comment with your favorite! Meanwhile, enjoy this stroll down memory lane.

Meanwhile, check out Saturday Morning Cartoons DVD from the 1960s on Amazon

Mary Cunningham is the author of the award-winning, 'Tween series, "Cynthia's Attic," co-author of the women's humor/lifestyle book, "WOOF: Women Only Over Fifty," and has several published short stories, including Ghost Light available on Kindle, and new release, Cynthia's Attic: Christmas Daisy. Pre-order - Echelon Press

All books available on Amazon
Directly from the publisher Echelon Press
Download on Fictionwise
or visit my website: Mary Cunningham Books

Cynthia's Attic: The Magician's Castle

This is a video I'm working on for the release of "Cynthia's Attic: The Magician's Castle, coming soon!

Would appreciate feedback. Does this video say enough about the book to make you want to read it? If not, what would you like to see?

Buy Cynthia's Attic Series on Amazon

Also, coming soon the new Cynthia's Attic short story, Christmas Daisy!

Mary Cunningham Books

I won the Honest Scrap Award!

Not sure what it means to be an "Honest Scrapper," but it came from Clear Crystal Proofing, so it must be great! Seriously, I'm honored to accept.

I'm passing this award along to:

Beacon Street Books (Pam Ripling has been such a great friend and author!)

Regan's Realm (Regan Black is an amazing author and friend, or and editor, too)

The Teashop Girls (Laura Schaefer has transformed tea parties into fun events for tweens)

Frankie, The Walk 'N Roll Dog Blog (Barbara and Frankie are two of my favorite people. Okay, so Frankie's not a "people," but she's one special doggie) Frankie and Barbara will be my guest all this week!

Now, you above can choose a few bloggers that you'd like to honor. Just save the Honest Scrap picture, contact your bloggers and write down ten things about you.

Here are some other recipients from:

Diana: Women's Wednesday Weblink (Note: Both Diana I have more than one blog - including WOOF ! We do keep busy!)

Alan: A Million Blogging Monkeys

Chantele: Always something to read

Now, according to Crystal Clear, I'm to list ten things about me that you might not otherwise know (or care about). So, here goes:

Ten things about me:

- My favorite word is "Create."

- I am a certified dog lover. Can't resist a warm puppy tummy!

- I hate snakes.

- I have a terrible fear of elevators and any closed room or area. Hate to be in large crowds, too.

- I am addicted to Chocolate

- My favorite food is anything with avacados. Have you tried "bats?" (bacon, avacado, tomato sandwiches)

- I love coffee. Must have several cups before I'm conscious in the morning.

- My favorite book is "To Kill A Mockingbird." Also love historical novels, the thicker the better!

- I love movie classics, and also sports movie. Adore the Lord of the Rings Trilogy

- My favorite color is blue (for my latest book cover!).

I'm proud to announce the release of Book Four in the award-winning series, "Cynthia's Attic" will be released by Quake (Echelon Imprint) DEC 2009! Buy the first three books on Amazon and pre-order "The Magician's Castle." Echelon Press

It's Here!

I'm thrilled! Pre-published copies of Cynthia's Attic: The Magician's Castle have arrived! The cover is magnificent, and don't all four books look great together? Wouldn't you love to own these books? (heh-heh)

The series is available for purchase on Amazon (click below), any online bookstore and through the publisher. Plus, pre-orders for "The Magician's Castle" can be made today! Contact, Echelon Press.

"Cynthia's Attic: The Magician's Castle" will be released by Quake (Echelon Imprint) DEC 2009!

Buy the first three books on Amazon

Mary

Cynthia Is Being Roasted!

Well, not exactly Cynthia, herself.

I'm visiting today at The Book Roast. Stop by and read an excerpt from the latest installment of the adventures of Cynthia and Gus.

Cynthia's Attic: The Magician's Castle will be out around DEC, 2009 (Quake). Get a sneek peek today and maybe win a copy of Cynthia's Attic: The Magic Medallion.

Meanwhile, here's where you can buy the series.

Amazon

Echelon Direct

Going Home Can Be Fun!

In case you can't read the sign, that's my name at the bottom!

Last month, I was asked to present Young Author writing awards at Corydon Intermediate School (4-5-6 grades) in Corydon, Indiana (Southern Indiana, in case you're wondering). Despite having a lot of fun going back to my hometown and being included in an event that is near and dear to my heart-young writers and readers-it was also a little strange because CIS used to be the old high school.

Hate to tell you how many times I attended basketball games, played volleyball, sat through boring school assemblies, or danced at post-basketball game sockhops in that same gym!

Never, in my wildest dreams did I imagine I'd ever stand on that gym floor, in front of people-filled bleachers and have to talk! Yikes! Quite an experience.

I also had the privilege to speak to my dear friend, Barbara Smith's 4th grade class. I spent almost an hour answering questions about my series, writing in general and just having fun...in the same room where I sweated through (barely passed) Algebra I!

Barbara (we played together as kids and went to high school together) saw the irony, too. We had a good laugh over the strict atmosphere of that same class. In fact, she frequently mentions our old Algebra teacher to her students and tells them if they aren't quiet, Miss Eskew's spirit just might have some choice words for them!

I'll post more pictures of my visit in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, "neener-neener-neeeeeeener, Miss Eskew! I spoke for an hour in your classroom, and lived to tell about it!

Mary

If you want to check out my series, go to Quake
or, my website: Mary Cunningham Books

Read an E-Book - Save A Tree!

In honor of "Read An E-Book" week, I've gathered some great reasons to do just that!

* Ebooks promote reading. People are spending more time in front of screens and less time in front of printed books.

* Ebooks are good for the environment. Ebooks save trees. Ebooks eliminate the need for filling up landfills with old books. Ebooks save transportation costs and the pollution associated with shipping books across the country and the world.

* Ebooks are portable. You can carry an entire library on one DVD.

* Ebooks defy time: they can be delivered almost instantly. Ebooks are transported to you faster than overnight shipping: in minutes or in seconds.

* Ebooks are cheaper to buy.

* Ebooks make reading accessible to persons with disabilities. Text can be re-sized for the visually impaired. Screens can be lit for reading in the dark.

* Ebooks, with their capacity for storage, encourage the publishing of books with many pages, books that might be too expensive to produce (and purchase) in paperback.

* Ebooks -- thanks to the simplicity and speed of publication and feedback -- allow authors to experiment in many themes and styles.

* Ebooks are good for paperbook publishing. By setting an example for diversity and freedom of expression, ebooks may motivate the stagnant book publishing industry towards the renewal of small presses, the end of the blockbuster-bestseller publishing mentality, and a healthier balance between the needs of commerce and culture.

Here are some great links :

Echelon Press

Quake

Fictionwise (Children's Books)

Cynthia's Attic on Fictionwise!

Kindle, Baby!

I've zoomed into techie land! From trying to figure out how to post a blog a few short years ago, to having my own book up on Kindle, I'm rocketing through cyberspace on Amazon's Whispernet!

Take a look at Curse of the Bayou, now up as a Kindle download. Do they still call them downloads? Or, have they been renamed? Maybe Time-Travel Tomes. (Now, that's just stupid!). Catcher In the I(pod)? (Help! I'm losing my I-Brain!)

Anyone out there have a better name than "downloads?" C'mon people. There's gotta be a more current phrase!


Meanwhile, Save a Tree - Read an Ebook!

And, read "Cynthia's Attic: Curse of the Bayou!"

Amazon

Fictionwise

Quake

Mary Cunningham Books