We all like to think, of course, that our books are beloved, but we were very flattered when visitors came from as far as the Caribbean. 

Yes, Jack Sparrow stopped by to browse Lyn LaCoursiere Miller’s Lindy Lewis Mysteries. 

And it appears he was overcome to get a signed copy of Blue Bells of Scotland!

Also present today to sign books:

Genny Zak Kieley, author of Hot Stamps and Green Pants: Growing Up in the 50′s and 60′s and three books on Northeast Minneapolis.

Ross Tarry, author of four mysteries.

Many thanks to Lorrie Link at the Maple Grove Arts Center for a good day!

Stay tuned for Monday’s announcement of the giveaway of Druidsong’s Rebels and Rogues.

I am lucky enough to have Druidsong’s latest CD, Rebels and Rogues, courtesy of Druidsong and Radio de Danann, available as a give-away.  Druidsong, aka Bruce Golightly, does Celtic music primarily of Ireland and Scotland, on 6 and 12 string guitar, bodhran, and tin whistle.  He has been performing since the 1960′s in and around Pittsburgh.  He currently has three albums out, Johnny Jump Up, Druidsong, and Rebels and Rogues.  Rebels and Rogues includes The Ballad of Rory McGuinness, written by Nan Hawthorne, host of Radio de Danann and author of the medieval novel, An Involuntary King.

Stay tuned for your chance to win!

Blue Bells of Scotland is currently on a virtual book tour.  This past week, I ‘appeared’ at:

• Fiona Ingram’s Word Magic: Articles and Tips for Authors.  Fiona is the author of the children’s book, The Secret of the Sacred Scarab.
• Ami Blackwelder’s Hot Gossip, Hot Reviews  Ami writes science fiction, paranormal, and romance, including the recent The Hunted of 2060.
• Louise Wise’s Wise Words.  Louise is the author of Eden and many other novels and short stories.

Please stop by and leave a comment, and check out their books and the many great books they’ve reviewed and promoted!

Future stops are:

• Cate Masters, July 19
• Literary Magic, July 28
• A Moment With Mystee, July 29 and 30

If you happen to live in the Twin Cities area, stop by the Maple Grove Arts Center this Saturday, July 17, say hello, and pick up a signed copy of Blue Bells of Scotland.  I will be there between 10 and 2 with Night Writers authors, Ross Tarry, John Stanton, Genny Kieley, and Lyn Miller LaCoursiere.  We have a variety of books, including non-fiction, mystery, adventure, science fiction, and more. 

But it means I have been shamefully remiss and dropped a few things I’m juggling.  So, first, my apologies to Jennifer for the delay, and second, my thanks to Jennifer for her review at her book blog, Rundpinne.  Jennifer keeps a very active blog covering a variety of genres in both fiction and non-fiction.  Recent reviews include cookbooks, a book on digital photography, a memoir on dealing with a child’s illness, and a novel that delves deep into two women’s decisions about pregnancies.  (This is from another Minnesota author, Joy DeKok, whose website I will definitely be visiting.)  Jennifer’s blog is well worth following if you love reading.

Jennnifer posted her review of my book on December 4, giving it 5 coffee cups (equivalent to stars, of course!)

Some excerpts from her review:

“The story line sounded promising and Laura Vosika does not disappoint….  

A delightfully intricate tale of time travel, life lessons, challenges of faith, and redemption…. 

I found the story moving, witty, and captivating. This was indeed a page-turner and I look forward to finishing the trilogy. I highly recommend this novel to anyone. It makes for a fantastic read and would make an excellent gift.”

Now seems like a perfect time to add a comment on the characters to whom people are drawn, and why.  Jennifer says in her blog that she is more drawn to Niall, because he actually cares what happens to people, and thinks through the effects of his own actions on others.  Among the members of my writing group, Night Writers, there are those who prefer Niall– because he’s a better man, because he’s all we hope for in a man or hope our sons would grow up to be– and those who prefer Shawn. 

Why would someone prefer a self-centered, drunken, gambling womanizer?  One member of my group said, tongue in cheek, because he’s taking notes on Shawn’s methods!  A member of the audience at Tuesday night’s talk also brought this issue up, noting how Shawn got all of the attention that night.  She thinks it is partly because rogues fascinate us, as they get into all sorts of scrapes we would never dream of.  They live lives that sound fun, exciting and daring, but which our own better natures and common sense prevent us from emulating.  We live vicariously and safely through literature’s rogues.  And partly, Robin said, we love rogues because we can look at someone like Shawn and feel better about ourselves, seeing we’re really pretty decent people after all, in comparison.  I think she made a good point about human nature.

I enjoy hearing people’s views on whom they prefer and why, in part because I’m pleased to find I’m conveying exactly what I’d hoped to!

Amy and her staff put in a great deal of work to make each year’s Author’s Tea unique, and had a very nice set-up in the high school cafeteria, with decor reflecting Genny’s book.  The food service staff had prepared a nice array of bars, fruits, and hors douvres for the 68 women who came out in our first real snow of the season. 

I spoke about my book and the influences that brought it to life, including my background as a musician, and Genny spoke about the 50′s and 60′s: spoolies, home permanents, swimming caps, muscle cars, house dresses, and more.  The audience seemed to really enjoy the evening.  I enjoyed meeting many of the women and talking to them afterward.  The whole night was a real pleasure, and, once again, Amy deserves a great deal of credit for putting on such a nice event.

I was especially excited to be speaking at my alma mater, and to any Osseo alumni, yes, the blue tiles are gone!  The school is largely remodeled and refurbished. 

In other news, November and December have been particularly busy months.  I now have my blog on RSS feed to my author page at amazon.com.  So if you are reading it there, please stop by www.bluebellstrilogy.com/blog to read more on medieval Scotland, and books related to Scotland or time travel.  

I have two more events coming up in December: Tuesday night’s appearance at the Maple Grove Library at 7 pm, and next Saturday’s book signing at the Maple Grove Byerly’s, both with other Night Writers.  The Byerly’s event also features live music and our Rescue an Abandoned Book, so stop by and pick up a free used book that needs a new home.  And in the meantime, I expect to get back to blogging about medieval Scotland.  I will be focusing on medieval and Scottish Christmas and New Year’s traditions throughout December.

A brief excerpt from Mirella’s review of Blue Bells of Scotland:

[Shawn and Niall] evolve and change in a touching, sometimes heart-wrenching manner. It is this, along with a richness of detail, that makes this story larger than life.

And, of course, please stop by her site to read the rest and see what other great novels are out there!

On Sunday, Bridget at Readaholic posted the first virtual tour review of Blue Bells of Scotland, along with an author interview and a giveaway, open until November 19.  Read Bridget’s Review and sign up for the giveaway by clicking on the link. 

If you are busy but love books, you will especially enjoy Bridget’s site.  She is a prolific reader, who specializes in short reviews, not only for the sake of not giving away too much, but because many of us simply do not have time to read lengthy reviews.  Please check out her site.  Enjoy!  And thank you, Bridget!