CADENCE OF GYPSIES BY BARBARA CASEY - BLOG TOUR

THE CADENCE OF GYPSIES

By

Barbara Casey

BLURB:  

Three high-spirited 17 year olds, with intelligent quotients in the genius range, accompany their teacher and mentor, Carolina Lovel, to Frascati, Italy, a few weeks before they are to graduate from Wood Rose Orphanage and Academy for Young Women. Carolina's purpose in planning the trip is to remove her gifted, creative students from the Wood Rose campus located in Raleigh, North Carolina, so they can't cause any more problems ("expressions of creativity") for the headmaster, faculty, and other students – which they do with regularity. Carolina also wants to visit the Villa Mondragone where the Voynich Manuscript, the most mysterious document in the world, was first discovered and search how it is related to a paper written in the same script she received on her 18th birthday when she was told that she was adopted – a search that will take them into the mystical world of gypsy tradition and magic, more exciting and dangerous than any of them could have imagined.

The author will be awarding a $25 gift card to either Amazon or Barnes and Noble to one person who leaves a comment on this tour.

EXCERPT

THE CADENCE OF GYPSIES

"Ouch!  You're standing on my fingers!"  This from the petite girl with a long, blond ponytail, wearing a nightgown, most of which was pulled up between her legs and tied into a knot at her waist to keep it from getting tangled on the limb where she was perched.   Somewhere above her the sound of a saw and splintering wood filled the darkness followed by a stream of profanity repeated in several foreign languages for emphasis.

"It doesn't look right.  It's supposed to have a rim and a dent."  Clinging to a 12-foot ladder as she pointed the flashlight first this way and then that, the heavy-set girl wearing a nightshirt buttoned at the neck offered this with a slight lisp.

The girl with the blond ponytail giggled.

"What do you mean--dent?!  Let me see that picture."  The tall black girl completely hidden aimed her flashlight toward the magazine that was being thrust upwards through the thick branches in her direction.

"And the top is supposed to be rounded--like a button mushroom," the girl in the nightshirt added, the word "mushroom" sounding more like "muthroom."

"That's because it's circumcised," supplied the girl with the ponytail, from which she removed a small twig and a handful of leaves.

"Shekoo, baboo!”  More profanity.  “Okay.  I know what to do."  The tall black girl disappeared back into the upper-most branches of the tall plant that was more tree than bush.  After several additional minutes, the sawing, crunching, and clipping sounds finally gave way to the more gentle sounds of tiny snips.  And then, silence.

"That's it; everybody down."

The petite girl, with the magazine that had been overlooked in the last confiscation and now wedged firmly under her armpit, started the perilous descent first since she was nearest to the ground, followed by the tall girl.  The girl in the nightshirt eased her way down the ladder juggling pruning shears, a hand saw, and scissors.  Once on the ground, the three girls stood back to admire their work.

"That is one honkin' Peni erecti," said the tall girl causing a fresh explosion of giggles.  "Let's get out of here."  After quickly rolling down the legs of her pajama bottoms, the tall girl grabbed one end of the ladder and, along with her two friends, lugged it and the other tools back to the shed that housed lawn maintenance equipment.  Task accomplished, they returned to their rooms, and to their individual beds, careful not to disturb the other dorm residents, the floor monitors, their suitemates and, most importantly, their slumbering dorm mother, Ms. Larkins.  Within minutes, they fell into a deep, peaceful sleep--the sleep of innocent angels.

It would soon be light; and Wood Rose Orphanage and Academy for Young Women would start another day.

Barbara Casey

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

Originally from Carrollton, Illinois, Barbara Casey attended the University of North Carolina, North Carolina State University, and North Carolina Wesleyan College where she received a BA degree, summa cum laude, with a double major in English and history. In 1978 she left her position as Director of Public Relations and Vice President of Development at North Carolina Wesleyan College to write full time and develop her own manuscript evaluation and editorial service. Since that time her award-winning articles, short stories, and poetry for adults have appeared in several publications including the AMERICAN POETRY ANTHOLOGY, the SPARROWGRASS POETRY FORUM, THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF POETRY (Editor’s Choice Award), the NORTH CAROLINA CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE MAGAZINE, THE NEW EAST MAGAZINE, the RALEIGH (NC) NEWS AND OBSERVER, the ROCKY MOUNT (NC) SUNDAY TELEGRAM, DOG FANCY, BYLINE, TRUE STORY and THE CHRISTIAN RECORD. A thirty-minute television special which Ms. Casey wrote and coordinated was broadcast on WRAL, Channel 5, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Ms. Casey's award-winning science fiction short stories for adults are featured in THE COSMIC UNICORN and CROSS TIME short story anthologies. Her essays, also written for adults, appear in THE CHRYSALIS READER, the international literary journal of the Swedenborg Foundation, and A CUP OF COMFORT ANTHOLOGY by the Adams Media Corporation.

Her two middle-grade/young adult novels, LEILANI ZAN and GRANDMA JOCK AND CHRISTABELLE (James C. Winston Publishing Co.) were nominated for awards of excellence by the SCBWI Golden Kite Award, the National Association of University Women Literary Award and the Sir Walter Raleigh Literary Award.  SHYLA'S INITIATIVE (Crossquarter Publishing Group, 2002), a contemporary adult novel of fiction, received the 2003 Independent Publisher Book Award and received special recognition for literary merit by the Palm Beach County Cultural Council. Ms. Casey’s novel THE COACH’S WIFE (ArcheBooks Publishing), a contemporary mystery, was listed as a Publisher’s Best Seller and was semifinalist of the Dana Award for Outstanding Novel. In 2007 her novel, THE HOUSE OF KANE (ArcheBooks Publishing), also a contemporary mystery, was considered for a Pulitzer nomination, and in December 2009 her novel, JUST LIKE FAMILY (Wandering Sage Publications), was launched by the
7-Eleven stores in St. Louis, Missouri. Her young adult novel, THE CADENCE OF GYPSIES (Gauthier Publications), was released in March 2011 and considered for the Smithsonian’s Most Notable 2011 Books.  It has also been selected by Amazon for its 2013 List of Best Books.  THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PRISSY (Strategic Media Books), a novel for adults, was released in March 2013 and received an IPPY Award for Best Regional Fiction.  It has also been listed as a “2013 Best Summer Read” by Conversations Live Radio and has been placed in nomination for a Pulitzer Award.

Ms. Casey is a frequent guest speaker at writers’ conferences and universities throughout the United States. She is former director, guest author, and panelist of BookFest of the Palm Beaches, Florida; and for thirteen years she served as judge for the Pathfinder Literary Awards in Florida.  She held the position of Florida Regional Advisor for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators from 1991 to 2003.

Ms. Casey is president of the Barbara Casey Agency. She represents clients nationally and internationally in fiction and nonfiction for adults. Her past and present professional associations are numerous and include being editorial consultant for The Jamaican Writers Circle in affiliation with the University of West Indies and Mico Teachers College in Kingston. She also received special recognition for her editorial work on the English translations of Albanian children’s stories.

LINKS

www.barbaracaseyagency.com

 http://www.amazon.com/The-Cadence-Gypsies-Barbara-Casey

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Thanks for stopping by!

Author Lisbeth Eng takes us to World War II Italy



Lisbeth Eng, Author

 Please Welcome author Lisbeth Eng to the blog today. Lisbeth is a genuine native New Yorker whose love of literature, history and romance led her on the rewarding path to romance writing. An English major in college, Lisbeth has also studied Italian, German and French. Besides writing, world travel is her passion, and trips to Italy and Germany have lent authenticity to her European-set World War II romance novel. Lisbeth currently lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, a stone’s throw from Central Park and Lincoln Center, and loves the fascinating pace of life in the Big Apple.


Caroline: It sounds as if you lead the ideal life, Lisbeth. Please tell us about growing up. Siblings? Were you the shy kid or the tomboy?



Lisbeth: I have lived all of my life in New York City in four of the five boroughs. Born in Queens, I moved to Brooklyn around the age of two, then to Staten Island when I was nine. I lived in Staten Island most of my life, until about five years ago when I moved to Manhattan after my husband died. I love living here on the Upper West Side near Central Park. I have a half-sister Stephanie who is 18 years my senior. She’s from my father’s first marriage and although we didn’t grow up together we are close. She now lives in Virginia. My brother Jonathan is closer to me in age (he’s two years older) and despite the inevitable sibling rivalry of growing up together, we have much in common. He now lives in Ohio. I’m the only one left in New York, except for members of my late husband’s family. I was on the shy side growing up, not particularly popular with my peers and a bit of a “teacher’s pet.” My parents instilled the importance of education and I didn’t dare come home with poor grades!


Caroline: Sounds familiar. I don’t know what I thought would happen, but I also didn’t dare come home with poor grades. Who are your favorite authors and favorite genres?

Lisbeth: I read everything from romance to non-fiction to memoirs. Kurt Vonnegut is one of my favorite fiction authors. I love his dry wit and use of irony. I enjoy the books of romance/women’s fiction authors Deanna Raybourn, Hope Tarr and Leanna Renee Hieber, among others. When I choose a romance novel to read, it’s usually historical, though I’ve read some good contemporaries, too.

Caroline: How many books do you read a month? What are you reading now?

From The Wild Rose Press

Lisbeth: That’s a very tough question because the past couple of years, I’ve been so busy revising, submitting, editing and now promoting my debut novel, IN THE ARMS OF THE ENEMY, that I hardly have the time or energy to read someone else’s book! But I keep buying them and they are piling up in my apartment. A few years ago, when I took a break from writing, I probably read about two or three books per month. I’m a slow reader and tend to savor ever word. The last book I was able to squeeze into my very busy schedule was Hope Tarr’s MY LORD JACK, a romance set in 18th century Scotland. Next on my to-be-read list is something totally different, BLACK EDELWEISS – A MEMOIR OF COMBAT AND CONSCIENCE BY A SOLDIER OF THE WAFFEN SS by Johann Voss. I will be giving a talk at Deutsches Haus at NYU in February on how the World War II German soldier is portrayed in romance novels. Reading this book is part of my preparation. But the main thing that keeps me extremely busy (and unable to read as much as I would like) is my full-time job in the finance industry.


Caroline: A paycheck is important, isn’t it? And I loved MY LORD JACK. When you’re not writing, what’s your favorite way to relax and recharge? Hobbies?

Lisbeth: Gee…I used to have hobbies! :) Besides writing, I like doing crafts, but haven’t had the time in ages. I repainted and stenciled a couple of old pieces of furniture a few years ago and they came out beautifully (if I may say so myself). I can also draw a little but haven’t in many years. I love to walk and am fortunate to live close to Central Park. On a nice day, a long walk in the park can be both invigorating and relaxing. I also love taking a long, hot bubble bath to relax.

Caroline: Ooooh, I love long baths, but usually settle for a quick shower to save time. Describe yourself in three or four words.

Lisbeth: Honest, loyal, detail-oriented (we’ll count that as one word) and generous.


Caroline: Would you like to share any guilty pleasures that feed your muse?

Lisbeth: I can’t think of any pleasures I feel guilty about. I’m very conscious of eating healthfully but will occasionally indulge in chocolate, ice cream, pizza or the like. But I don’t do it often enough to feel guilty about, and I don’t think it has anything to do with my muse!


Caroline: I refuse to admit chocolate doesn’t help my muse! LOL How long have you been writing?

Lisbeth: My first attempts at creative writing were in high school but I didn’t get serious about writing until about nine years ago. Though I was an English major in college, my entire career has been in the finance industry. IN THE ARMS OF THE ENEMY started out as a fluke, you might say. I was fooling around at the computer one day and the words just started coming out, unplanned.

Caroline: Don’t you love when that happens? Where do you prefer to write? Do you need quiet, music, solitude? PC or laptop?

Lisbeth: I write at my full-sized desk at home on a full-size Mac with a full-sized keyboard. I even bought a special keyboard for my Mac because the one that came with the computer was too “flat.” I need to feel the keys beneath my fingers. I also have a pull-out drawer for the keyboard so I can type in a proper typing position, with my elbows at my sides. Otherwise, my shoulders hurt. I can’t imagine typing an entire novel on a laptop. And I prefer complete silence when I write. If I play music, I find that my mind drifts and I become unfocused.


Caroline: I also prefer writing at my desk although I listen to classical music while I write. Are you a plotter or a panzer?

Lisbeth: I am definitely a panzer. I write whatever scene pops into my head and figure out how it will fit into the book, if at all, later. With IN THE ARMS OF THE ENEMY, I knew how it would begin and end but it took months to figure out the middle, as I was writing it. I’ve written scenes that were never used, though I may recycle them for another book. :)

Caroline: Do you use real events or persons in your stories or as an inspiration for stories?

Lisbeth: IN THE ARMS OF THE ENEMY deals with the Italian Resistance to German occupation of northern Italy from 1943 to 1945. I was inspired by one of my Italian professors in college (I minored in Italian Studies and spent the summer between my sophomore and junior years in Italy). Professor Azzi told us stories of the Resistance (he was in Italy during the war) and it planted a seed, which grew into my Italian-set World War II romance novel twenty years later.


Caroline: He sounds fascinating. Do you do your research before you begin a new project, or as you go along?

Lisbeth: With IN THE ARMS OF THE ENEMY, I did research along the way. As I said, I didn’t start out with a plan to write a novel, I was just fooling around at the computer. But as it began to take shape, I realized that if I were going to seriously pursue this as a complete work, I would need to learn a lot about World War II. So the fiction writing and research (which involved reading books about the war, as well as watching WWII movies and TV documentaries – I became a fan of the History Channel – and surfing the internet) went hand in hand. If my next novel involves a different historic period (I’ve ideas for a few) I think I will approach it the same way, though I may do more research at the “front end.”

Caroline: Tell us about your writing schedule. Do you set goals? Do you write daily?

Lisbeth: Since I work full time (actually, I sometimes work up to 12 hours a day at my regular job) I write mostly on weekends and some evenings, if I’m not too burned out from my day job. No, I don’t set writing goals. Now that my debut novel is out, I will write the next one at my own pace and not set any time limits. My day job comes first, but I also need balance in my life, which means time for socializing and relaxing, and I even do some volunteer work. A full night’s sleep is also essential for physical and mental health. So right now, writing has to be less of a priority.

Caroline: I don’t know how you’ve found time to complete your book. Obviously you are excellent at time management! Tell us about your day job.


Lisbeth: I am a registered representative for a brokerage firm. I have my broker’s license but have never had my own clients. I work primarily as a sales assistant to four portfolio managers, which involves both client relations and entering trades. A few months ago, I was asked to help out in another department, which was short of staff. So I’m really doing a job and a half, which is why it’s more than an eight-hour workday, much of the time. I’ve been with the same firm my entire career. I am grateful for the opportunities they’ve given me and dedicated to doing the best job I can. The past couple of years have been difficult in our industry (and in the economy in general) and I work very hard to keep the job I have. It pays the rent and everything else – until I win the lottery or sell the movie rights to my book!

Caroline: Wouldn’t either winning the lottery or selling movie rights be terrific? Of course, I never remember to buy a lottery ticket, so there's no chance I'll win. Actually, I think with my luck there's about as much chance as if I bought a ticket. LOL What do you hope your writing brings to readers?

Lisbeth: In my European-set World War II romance novel, I portray people on both sides of the battle lines as human beings. There are no “good guys” or “bad guys.” I intentionally avoid the stereotypes one sometimes finds in fiction. Most World War II romances I’ve read depict Germans in a two-dimensional way. I’d like my readers to see that people of all nationalities can have a mix of positive and negative qualities, just like real folks. I want to break through preconceived notions and bias. And of course, I want my readers to enjoy the book and care about the hero and heroine (though you may not identify who the hero is right away).

Caroline: Portraying a human Nazi without embracing his cause must have been extremely difficult. You chose a really tough period to write! What advice would you give to authors waiting for publication?


Lisbeth: There are many things I could say but perhaps the most important is to believe in your work and to have perseverance. It took me years to find a publisher who would offer me a contract. I also advise attention to detail and care with grammar and usage. I’ve been in several critique groups and notice that many aspiring authors have less than a satisfactory grasp of grammar and punctuation.

Caroline: The cover for IN THE ARMS OF THE ENEMY is very well done. Tell us about your latest release.

Lisbeth: Here’s a blurb for IN THE ARMS OF THE ENEMY:

Isabella Ricci has pledged her life for the cause – to free Italy from Nazi oppression. Her mission for the Resistance, to seduce a German officer into revealing military secrets, could be deadly. Can she complete her assignment before losing her heart…or her life?

Massimo Baricelli, commander in the Resistance, and Isabella’s ambitious lover, charges her to uncover intelligence that the Allies need to vanquish the Nazis. But can he hold onto his woman while sending her into the arms of another man?


Günter Schumann is handsome, chivalrous, romantic…and a captain in the Army of the Third Reich. When he meets Isabella, he falls for her instantly, never imagining that she is a spy and he her unwitting target. What will he do when forced to choose between love and duty?


How much must be sacrificed for the cause of freedom? Will love survive the cruelest betrayal?


Caroline: All right, Lisbeth, you’ve hooked me. Please give readers an excerpt.


Lisbeth: Although my book is sensual, here’s a PG excerpt:

Before she could make sense of what was happening, the men were there inside the room. She wanted to scream, to flee, but she knew the slightest movement could be her undoing. She shook and her eyes filled with tears. But she discovered that if she concentrated on each breath, her lips tightly sealed, no sounds would escape. Crouched beneath the desk, she pressed her hands and feet against the floor to keep them from knocking against anything.
 The two men spoke casually to each other, almost lightheartedly, in contrast to the deadly terror she felt. Though she struggled to comprehend what they were saying, she couldn’t decipher all the words. She thought about reaching for the dictionary that lay by her side, but that was too risky.

Every second was agony, as if death might come at any moment. But she admitted to herself that a swift demise would be easy compared to her fate if discovered. She would face humiliation, torture, and then finally, mercifully, death. The thought made her throat constrict painfully, as if a noose were being tightened around it. Was this what Marco felt when he died? Fear evolved into despondency. Just breathe...slowly, deeply...focus only on that—don’t think about anything else. Concentrate only on breathing.

Caroline: Wow! That excerpt was intense! IN THE ARMS OF THE ENEMY sounds like a real page-turner with great characterization. I want to read more. Where can readers find your books?


Lisbeth: They can buy my book as a paperback or as an e-book at The Wild Rose Press http://www.thewildrosepress.com/lisbeth-eng-m-748.html and also at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and other online booksellers. It is not in “brick and mortar” bookstores.

Caroline: How can readers learn more about you?


Lisbeth: They can visit my website at http://www.lisbetheng.com/ and contact me from there if they wish. I love to hear from readers!


Caroline: Thank you so much for joining us today, Lisbeth. Best of luck with book sales for IN THE ARMS OF THE ENEMY—and in selling to the movies and winning the lottery. LOL

Me posing for my newsletter
Sure, that's how I really
look, why do you ask?

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