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."

Download today on Kindle or OmniLit
Mary Cunningham Books

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

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

Use The Clutch!

My first car! Okay, so it belonged to my mom & dad. And, no, neither one of those men are my dad. I just didn't have a decent picture of the real thing...okay??

"Use the clutch!" Words that still echo in my ear coming from Mr. Cato, my high school driver's ed instructor.

Clutch? I don't see no stinkin' clutch! Which is probably why the "training" car with the manual (on the steering column back then) transmission died halfway up the steep Southern Indiana hill. (In case you're unfamiliar with the terrain, the southern part of the state is known for rolling hills and valleys.)

"Put on the brake," he said, through clenched teeth. (Mr. Cato had virtues. Patience was not one)

Note 1: He was also the varsity basketball coach, known for ripping off his sports jacket and hurling it to the sidelines within 10 seconds of the start of the game.

"Now, ease out on the clutch as you push down on the gas pedal."

Clunk! Clunk! Sputter! Sputter...die....

(Sigh) "Put on the brake...again. Ease up on the clutch and give the car some GAS!!"

"Yes sir." I gulp, glancing sideways toward the passenger seat. Whew. Mr Cato is in a short sleeve shirt. No jacket to hurl toward me.

Meanwhile, Jimmy, Pat and Crissy were in the back seat, laughing hysterically...which wasn't helping my concentration. I shot them a dirty look, which brought on more laughter and a couple of snorts.

Finally! I made it up that hill, only to encounter another steeper climb on the other side. I exhaled. Can I possibly make it up a second hill? But, then it came to me. More speed! No need to use the clutch. This driving thing won't get the best of me!

I floored it! Up that hill, down another and up the next. Yep, I'm getting the hang of this.

Mr. Cato's death grip on the dash and silence from the back seat, said it all.

Note 2: Don't try this at home! Back in my day, the roads were practically empty and we had all the real estate in two counties to practice our driving skills. And, in case you're interested, here's a real picture of my first car! In black and white because we didn't take color Polaroids in the "olden days." F-85, red (see pic at top) and white Oldsmobile with red bucket seats, and automatic transmission.

Discover the Magic in Cynthia's Attic

Mary Cunningham Books

Baking with Laura Schaefer (The Teashop Girls)

CA: I'm so excited! As you may know, Gus's (and my) favorite thing in the whole world is eating! We're thrilled that our guest today in Cynthia's Attic, is Laura Schaefer, author of The Teashop Girls (Simon & Schuster, Paula Wiseman Books-Dec. 2008). But first, a little bit about the book.

The Official Rules of the Teashop Girls:

1. Teashop girls are best friends forever.
2. Tea is held every week, no matter what.
3. All tea and scones must be split equally at all times.

Annie, Genna, and Zoe have been hanging out at the Steeping Leaf since elementary school. The Teashop Girls do everything together -- at least they used to. With the end of eighth grade approaching, Genna's too busy with theater, Zoe's always at tennis, and Annie feels totally left out. What happened to tea every week, no matter what?

When Annie convinces her grandmother to give her a job as a barista at the Leaf, things begin to look up. In between whipping up chai lattes for customers, and attempting to catch the attention of her Barista Boy crush, Annie is finally beginning to feel as grown-up as her best friends. But an eviction notice spells trouble for the Leaf and unless they can turn the business around, the teashop will have to close its doors forever.

Fresh, honest, and sweet, Laura Schaefer's debut novel is sure to resonate with readers everywhere

CA: Laura has graciously and deliciously posted her Apple Cupcake recipe! You'd better believe I made them and they're amazing! So, without further delay...heeeere's Laura (and her cupcakes)!

My apple cupcake adventure started out when I had a sweet tooth attack coupled with the realization that there was no baking powder in the house. As most bakers know, it's tough to make a cupcake without baking powder. But I did have baking soda, so it wasn't long before I was googling "cupcake+baking soda" and seeing what came up. Not much. Fortunately, I did locate an apple coffeecake recipe that looked delicious and didn't call for baking powder. I figured I'd modify it a bit and see what happened. I value taste before beauty anyway and I always have yummy granny smith apples in my fridge.

I got to work on the mixture and popped it in the oven. Alas, my cupcakes did, indeed, collapse. The 'cakes actually formed nice little concave bowls in which to place the cream cheese frosting. "Works for me!" I thought. The result was truly delicious, albeit best eaten over the sink. There is nothing better than tea and cupcakes. Yum.

Here is the recipe. I added baking powder to it, in the hopes that your efforts might turn out a little more rounded. Good luck!


Apple Cream Cheese Cupcakes

Ingredients
8 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
1 large tart apple, cored and chopped
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Prepare a cupcake pan with paper liners.
3. Cream 5 tablespoons butter and 1 cup sugar. Add egg and milk and beat well. Stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and apples. Batter will be stiff. Spoon into prepared cupcake pan. Bake about 25 minutes.
4. In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and remaining butter. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Frost the cupcakes after they've cooled. Makes 12.

"The Teashop Girl, Laura Schaefer"

CA: Yum, Laura! They look delicious, especially with those cream cheese bowls! Hope everyone enjoyed my guest today, but I gotta run! Off to bake more muffins (and to read Teashop Girls!)

The Teashop Girls - Amazon

The Teashop Girls - IndieBound

Laura Schaefer Website

Mary Cunningham

"Discover the Magic in Cynthia's Attic"

The Teashop Girls

The Teashop Girls author, Laura Schaefer will post a scrumptious apple cupcake recipe Tuesday, April 7th! Right here!

Meanwhile, here's a TV interview with Laura that's really cool.

Morning Blend TV interview with Laura Schaefer

Amazon
IndieBound

Zamora's Ultimate Challenge - M. K. Scott

Cynthia's Attic is thrilled to host author, M. K. Scott and the release of her 'Tween fantasy, Zamora's Ultimate Challenge.

About the Author:

M.K. Scott, a total book fiend and a horse lover extraordinaire, is both a children s book author and adult fiction author. She is currently writing two mystery series (the Wine Lovers Mysteries and the Horse Lovers Mysteries) for Berkeley Prime Crime. When she's not hanging out with her kids and trying to keep them in line, she teaches creative writing to middle school kids. Her love for horses keeps her busy, but not as busy as her writing. Right now she is juggling ideas for about 8,456,342 ideas for new stories to write. Her imagination often keeps her awake at night, but she doesn't mind as she is constantly meeting new people and "things" even if it is only in her mind. M.K. lives in San Diego, CA with her super-cool husband, and her equally cool three kids, two dogs, two cats, and two horses.

Synopsis:


Mason and Carter Clover only agree on two things--their baby sister Isabella is a royal pain and their favorite video game, Zamora s Ultimate Challenge, is totally awesome. But fantasy turns to reality when Zamora s evil face appears across the brothers television screen. Claiming to have kidnapped Isabella, the queen challenges the boys to a daring rescue before she takes over their
sister's soul. Zamora s plan is to use the baby as a human vessel to travel to Earth and dominate the world. Once the brothers figure out how to get inside the video game, they are hurled into the magical land of Boysen where they meet their helpful guides: a sage, a quirky mermaid, and a Pegasus (who flies them to each thrilling level of the video game).



Racing against time, the brothers search for their sister, encountering a myriad of dangerous enemies including stinging fairies, haunted Master Souls, and brutish, knife-wielding pirates. Can they beat each level of the game while being hunted by a fire-breathing dragon, stalked by a robotic shark, and terrorized by acid-poop-bombing pterodactyls? Driven by the powerful bonds that unite siblings, Mason and Carter are determined to face their fears and will stop at nothing to bring Isabella home...but first they must survive Zamora s Ultimate Challenge!

M. K. is giving away prizes! Check her site for more information.

M. K. Scott website
Quake (Echelon Imprint)

Discover the Magic in Cynthia's Attic

Zamora's Ultimate Challenge - M. K. Scott

Cynthia's Attic is thrilled to host author, M. K. Scott and the release of her 'Tween fantasy, Zamora's Ultimate Challenge.

About the Author: M.K. Scott, a total book fiend and a horse lover extraordinaire, is both a children s book author and adult fiction author.

She is currently writing two mystery series (the Wine Lovers Mysteries and the Horse Lovers Mysteries) for Berkeley Prime Crime. When she's not hanging out with her kids and trying to keep them in line, she teaches creative writing to middle school kids. Her love for horses keeps her busy, but not as busy as her writing. Right now she is juggling ideas for about 8,456,342 ideas for new stories to write.

Her imagination often keeps her awake at night, but she doesn't mind as she is constantly meeting new people and "things" even if it is only in her mind. M.K. lives in San Diego, CA with her super-cool husband, and her equally cool three kids, two dogs, two cats, and two horses.

Synopsis- Zamora's Ultimate Challenge: Mason and Carter Clover only agree on two things--their baby sister Isabella is a royal pain and their favorite video game, Zamora s Ultimate Challenge, is totally awesome. But fantasy turns to reality when Zamora s evil face appears across the brothers television screen. Claiming to have kidnapped Isabella, the queen challenges the boys to a daring rescue before she takes over theirsister's soul. Zamora s plan is to use the baby as a human vessel to travel to Earth and dominate the world.

Once the brothers figure out how to get inside the video game, they are hurled into the magical land of Boysen where they meet their helpful guides: a sage, a quirky mermaid, and a Pegasus (who flies them to each thrilling level of the video game).Racing against time, the brothers search for their sister, encountering a myriad of dangerous enemies including stinging fairies, haunted Master Souls, and brutish, knife-wielding pirates.

Can they beat each level of the game while being hunted by a fire-breathing dragon, stalked by a robotic shark, and terrorized by acid-poop-bombing pterodactyls? Driven by the powerful bonds that unite siblings, Mason and Carter are determined to face their fears and will stop at nothing to bring Isabella home...but first they must survive Zamora s Ultimate Challenge!

Check back on Apr. 2 for "The Story Behind The Story with author, M. K. Scott!

M. K. Scott website



Zamora's Ultimate Challenge - View the Trailer on M. K.'s Blog!
Oh, and while you're there, find out how to win a fun-filled trip to San Diego, CA!

Buy Zamora's Ultimate Challenge Today!

Amazon


Discover the Magic in Cynthia's Attic
"The Missing Locket"
"The Magic Medallion"
"Curse of the Bayou"

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

Gus's First Interview!

Cynthia's Attic meets Starry Night!

Sam takes a break from her sleuthing in Searching For A Starry Night, to talk to her new pal, Gus, about what's going on in her life.

Check out the Candid Canine to see how Gus handles her newfound fame!

It's COOL to be a TWEEN!

Tweens. They're a hot market, they're complicated, and there are two in the White House: Sasha and Malia Obama.

What do tweens consider cool? Music was at the top of the list, followed by going to the movies. "Being smart" ranked third tied with video games followed by electronics, sports, fashion and protecting the environment, according to a report.

Read the article in USA Today

Are you a tween? Have a tween in your home? What do YOU think is cool?

Check out some really cool TWEEN BOOKS at QUAKE!

Cynthia's Attic Series for Tweens

MEME! 6 Book Things About Me!

My childhood best friend, Cynthia and me, cruising down the Ohio River

Chris, at Candid Canine, tagged me with Today's Meme:

Name 6 Book Things About Yourself:

So, here goes:

1. My series, Cynthia's Attic was inspired by a recurring dream I'd had for over 20 years about a mysterious attic! Once determined that the attic was in the home of my childhood best friend, Cynthia, the dreams stopped! Fortunately, the writing began!

2. I was also inspired by wanting to write stories about my ancestors. I so regret not talking more to my grandparents and finding out about their early years; What they did for fun; who was their best friend; stories about their parents and grandparents. So, I decided to write time-travel books that would let me go back in time and have adventures with my relatives.

3. My hometown library was within walking distance, just a couple of block from my house. My all-time favorite "reads" as a kid were sports biographies. A devoured the complete set from Hank Aaron to Babe Didrikson Zaharias.

4. Speaking of my hometown library...I have the honor of doing my first booksigning there on Nov. 22! Should be a lot of fun. I hope I get to see friends that I haven't seen for 20 + Years!

5. I'm busily writing Book Four in my series: Cynthia's Attic: The Magician's Castle. I think this is going to be the best one, but I thought that about the last one, Curse of the Bayou, too. :-)

6. I'm also working on two adult mystery books. Some writers don't like to go back and forth between genres, but I find it a refreshing (and much-needed!) change.

** Your Turn: Share some book-related things about you. Be sure to comment here so we know to go visit your blog and see what you wrote.

Tag! You're It! Leave a comment that you've posted your 6 book things so we'll know to check them out!

Shannon Greenland
Janet Muirhead Hill
Anne Carter

Hidden - A treasure for 'tweens

Hidden, By Dotti Enderle
Illustrated by T. Kyle Gentry
Pelican Publishing Company (August 15, 2007)


Hidden is a treasure.

"You can learn a lot from dead people. You just have to know where to look," says twelve-year-old Fiona, the day after her grandmother's funeral. She's none too happy about being recruited by her mother to help sort through Grandma's worldly possessions. That is, until underneath the drawer of an old cash register, Fiona finds an intriguing anniversary card to Millie from Don, with a strange message about having found "a new hiding place." A new hiding place for what?

Unable to draw her mother or dad into the mystery, she turns to a newfound friend named Eugene who seems to appear at the drop of a hat, and disappear just as quickly, especially when Fiona wants to introduce him to her parents. They work together to interpret the clues hoping a valuable treasure will be found. The mystery turns deadly when Grandma's house is broken in to and searched, or as Fiona observes; It looks like the house puked.

Hidden is a real page-turner. I know that's an overused expression, but I couldn't stop reading! A very enjoyable story for 8-12 and beyond. This adult reader enjoyed it immensely. Dotti Enderle's writing is funny, family-friendly, descriptive and concise. No words are wasted in this 'tween mystery. T. Kyle Gentry's illustrations are an added bonus. I'd recommend it for all.

Dotti's Website

Amazon