Cynthia Thomason's Chatter

For the love of libraries

cynthiathomason — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:55:26 +0000

I just returned from a cruise to the Eastern Caribbean that took me to islands I’ve never visited before – St. Marten’s, St. Thomas, Grand Turk. Aside from the unfortunate fact that I caught the norovirus, this was a memorable cruise for one totally unexpected pleasure. I discovered Cockburn Town, the capital of Grand Turk, a small town that is historic, primitive and undeveloped. In 2008 Hurricane Ike blew through the island at 140 miles per hour and left much damage behind. A few decades-old buildings remain, and the most charming in my opinion is the Victoria Library, built in 1887, the year of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee.

I entered the library by climbing a set of deteriorating cement steps and going through a double wooden door. Inside I saw only one room which held several bookcases of old books. The smell was divine – the old musty, dusty scent of books well used and well loved. There was no air conditioning to alter that smell. One fan sat on a table by the front door. One clerk held her post at the minimalist counter where she did her work by hand. There was a computer as well, and when I asked to use it, she said the charge was $3.00 if I was able to get Wifi service. I did, and I happily paid her. One man sat at the only library table located in front of the single bookcase labeled “Reference.”

As I worked, school on the island was dismissed for the day. Several students, all secondary level, came in. They were dressed in uniforms. Nice white shirts and navy blue pants and skirts. Other than their uniforms, they could have been American for their huge backpacks hung heavy on their backs. I learned that a surprisingly large number of these young folks would attend college and eventually go off to earn their way.

Life on this island seems hard. Too many adults sit lazily in the sun perhaps waiting for work. Dogs roam the streets apparently without owners. Cows and donkeys parade by the main highway unhampered by fences. Cars are old and make noises I’ve never heard before. But that library – that one star in the center of a town of decaying buildings and abandoned projects, is a sanctuary, as libraries ought to be.

I would love to hear about a library that impressed you. Perhaps one from your childhood, one for its contribution to its community. Libraries are not all the high-tech oases we are used to in the big cities. But they are, every one, vital to the life of the people they serve.

I’m grateful, but still…

cynthiathomason — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 21:38:59 +0000

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I’m cooking a 20 pound turkey and I’m happy to do it. In fact, I’m thankful that I know enough people who are brave enough to come by and eat it. But still, I’m anxious about how it will turn out. I’m in fairly good health, and I’m thankful for that. But still, I feel bad for people I know and care about who can’t say the same thing. I’m not poor, and I’m thankful for that. But still, I constantly worry about money. I would really like for one of my two real estate investments to sell. All in all, it’s not a bad time in my life. My well-reviewed historical cozy mystery is up on Kindle now, and I’m thankful I didn’t screw up the upload, but still, I wish I were one of those Internet wizards who know what to do now.
I guess life is a series of “I’m thankful, but still…” moments. So I’ll close with the very real thought that I’m thankful for Walter, and John, and Yafi, and Sparky, and Doug, and Sal, and all my family and friends. And there’s no “but still…” to that one. Happy Thanksgiving every one.
Oh, you can find Stagestruck, A Jubilee Showboat Mystery, a cheap and fun read on Kindle here:

http://tinyurl.com/83cvkvn

I’d be grateful if you go take a look, but still, I’d be overjoyed if you’d buy it.
What are you grateful but still… about?

The Figures Don’t Lie – A ninc conf. update

cynthiathomason — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 19:14:20 +0000

I just returned from the Novelists Inc conference in St. Pete, Fl. It was a wonderful experience and I hope I am able to attend every conference in the years to come. I learned so much and came home energized to follow all the wonderful suggestions I heard. I plan to blog about several aspects of the conference, but first I thought I’d relate a few interesting statistics.

Almost 130,000,000 books have been published since the dawn of publishing

Almost 300,000 books are published each year. That’s a lot of eye strain if you’re determined to read them all

780 of those books reach the NY Times best-seller list.

The odds of any one author hitting the “List” is 2 in 10,000 – so my heartiest congratualtions to those who have.

One of the most interesting statistics I learned was that 28% of all books purchased are still selected through a brick and mortar bookstore. Even though I am a fan of my Kindle I still say hooray for the traditional sellers. Bookstores are still some of my favorite places to visit.

How do you choose your books? Do you go to the bookstore? Are you happier to browse digital titles? If you go to a bookstore, where is the nearest one? Is it a chain store or a section of a big value store like Wal-Mart?

All this info is very interesting to me at this point in my career. I hope you’ll share your preferences.

Happy reading and writing.

Heather Graham, Theresa Davant, Me, Mary Stella, Kathleen Pickering, Allison Chase

Cynthia

cynthiathomason — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 00:28:39 +0000

He likes the bed!

A romance author goes camping

cynthiathomason — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 22:07:29 +0000

Maybe this isn’t your usual romance writer topic, but it’s important to me, so I’m blogging about it. My husband and I recently purchased a very nice, used RV – a travel trailer that we are going to pull behind our large GMC van. Admittedly, my husband wasn’t totally in favor of my idea to take up where we left off twenty years ago when we sold our motorhome and decided for the sake of our son’s continuing education, we should abandon our wanderlust and plunk ourselves down at home and stay there. So while I was scouring Craigslist and other sale sites, my husband kept secretly hoping I wouldn’t find anything to buy. But I did. I found the perfect camper for us – small, nice, light, easy to pull, good bed, and room for my computer and Sparky. And after our first trip this last weekend, my husband is coming around to the wild side.

But I’ve discovered that camping now isn’t quite what it was twenty years ago. While I’ve been taking planes, trains, and automobiles, the world of RVing has changed.

Number one: The cost. Without careful attention to club memberships and passes, camping has become expensive. We are going to the Florida Keys next weekend and paying $60.00 a night for a site, and it’s not even a premier one!

Number two: Amenities. Of course we need free wifi now. And free cable TV hookup. Also, we’d like to have a table, a grill, though I bought a new compact one to cart with us. We need a pool, shade, electric for A/C (we do live in Florida!) a sewer hookup and unending fresh water.

Number three: Our ages. Sleep on a narrow bunk bed? Not me. I need a walk-around queen bed with a super comfy memory foam pad. And a comfortable sofa for watching TV. And a refrigerator big enough to hold my boxes of wine

Bottom line: I’m asking you veteran campers to give me tips: Places to stay in Florida, ways to cut costs, what are the best places for sightseers. I need knowledge! Hope you will comment on your best, and worst! camping experiences.
Happy RVing!
Cynthia

Not your mother’s romance book!

cynthiathomason — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 16:35:28 +0000

Nothing stays the same, and that includes romance books.

A week from Saturday, Feb. 12, several romance authors, myself included, will converge on the Boca Raton library for a Valentine’s Day tribute to love stories. Since I write a lot of category romance, my subject for the presentation involves changes in what editors are looking for and readers are requesting in these shorter, emotionally satisfying reads. I hope you’ll consider coming to this event.

A few years ago, while I was still working at the auction company my husband and I owned, boxes and boxes of old Harlequin books came in from an estate. Some of these books were priced 35 cents, so that gives you an idea of their age. The covers showed heroines with occupations of the day – nurses, teachers, flight attendants (called stewardesses back then) and secretaries. Those images alone could make up a significant discussion of changes in category books. There are many others. I hope you’ll join us and bring your own ideas about what you, as a reader, look for in a romance.

That’s the Glades Road Branch, 20701 95 Ave. South, Boca. We start at 1 o’clock. Refreshments will be served and autographed books will be available.

What to do when you’re waiting…and waiting…

cynthiathomason — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 02:28:43 +0000

The week before last was a pretty good week for me, and the euphoria continued into this week. I heard that I had sold a manuscript to Harlequin’s Special Edition line. Of course this made me very happy, even happier since it had been a while since I’d sold. I don’t know the pub date for the book. I don’t even know its title yet, though now I’m calling it WINNING IT ALL, and I like that title. So I thought I’d blog about what to do while you’re waiting…and waiting… for a publisher to pick up your project.

Okay, #1. Keep writing. I have several projects that are in various stages of completion. It can be hard to keep writing in the face of rejection, but for me it is a necessity.

#2. Take time out for movies. I love movies. They inspire me. But when I’m in a funk, I try to only watch uplifting ones.

#3. Try new avenues of publishing. I now have two books up on Kindle and Book Nook. Learning to go through this process was kind of fun and made my mind less of a airless vacuum.

#4. Get a dog. I suppose I can’t advise everyone to do this, but Sparky raises my spirits every day.

#5. Think of a new business venture (if you don’t have a day job). I’m launching my free lance auction enterprise. Everyone has a talent or skill that might be turned into a paycheck. No paychecks yet for me, but I’m hopeful.

Oh. one last bit of advice. Don’t frequent too many casinos.

Happy writing everyone.

Cynthia

My love/hate relationship with Facebook

cynthiathomason — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 14:31:58 +0000

I must admit, until two weeks ago, I was becoming a Facebook junkie. I went on the site several times a day, kept up with friends’ news and words of wisdom, laughed at jokes and videos, and contributed my own gems of daily activities. Harmless fun. I still feel that way about FB but now the startling reality of hackers has interrupted my free-flowing sharing of news and views. Two weeks ago a hacker chopped into my account, told friends that I, Cynthia-Cindy, was stuck in London and needed money. Though more money is always nice, the whole scenario was false. Someone reported the spamming to Facebook, and without warning, without contacting me, BAM! my account was “disabled.” Not suspended. DISABLED. Gone, whammo. Outta here. I spent two weeks suffering from a cold aggravated by Facebook withdrawal, trying to get reinstated. I wanted to wish all my FB buddies a Merry Christmas. I wanted to see their Christmas trees, their kids in Santa hats, their dancing penquins. All to no avail. Facebook “at this time” does not offer phone support, so you can’t call them. All you can do is respond to emails, which I did, daily. But no response from them. So, ultimately I had to start all over with a new email address, password, etc. I have lost hundreds of “friends” and that’s the worst part. I want you back. If you know of anyone who might want to be my friend, please tell them to “friend” me. I have a long mountain to climb.

And you can be sure I’ll be more careful with my privacy settings.

Just wondering, has this happened to anyone else you know of?

Anyway, HAPPY HOLIDAYS and HAPPY NEW YEAR! At least I’m in time for that one!

Cindy

Thanksgivings to remember

cynthiathomason — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 15:09:16 +0000

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. Makes me reflect on past holidays, especially three from years ago. My husband and I had a lovable miniature Schnauzer named Shaney. She was a wonderful dog. We loved her dearly. But she was prone to overeating (made worse by overindulgent parents). One Thanksgiving when Shaney was perhaps five, my husband fed her scraps from the table (I know! don’t do that!) Three hours later, my family is crashed in front of the tv and the dog becomes horribly sick. Trip to emergency vet, a strong lecture, and we bring Shaney home. The next year, I reminded my husband not to feed the dog from the table. He didn’t, remembering the enormous bill from the vet. But someone else did. Three hours later, back to the emergency vet. And, as if you couldn’t guess, the next year, our young son made the same mistake and we were off to the vet’s again. Yes, we sound like terrible puppy parents, but Shaney lived to the ripe old age of 16 despite our poor management of her diet once a year. And, somewhat amusing, the vet at the emergency clinic, the third year, remembered us from the year before. “Hey, I know you guys!” Certainly not a reputation to aspire to! So, moral to the story – turkey and Schnauzers don’t mix. Or maybe it’s stuffing, or cranberries, or gravy. Anyway, NO TABLE SCRAPS no matter how convincingly the little darling begs.

I would love to hear your stories, amusing or otherwise. I’m sure we could all write a book – maybe we should!

Cynthia

Scary writing comment on HBO’s Bored to Death

cynthiathomason — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:48:52 +0000

I don’t usually watch the show, Bored to Death, an HBO original series, but it was on last night and I was vegging out on the sofa and saw it. It’s a funny show, actually. I may start watching on a regular basis. Apparently it’s about the publishing industry to some extent. Ted Danson, who plays a major character, edits a magazine and he was giving a lecture to a writing class. He said, among other things, “Books are dying, magazines are dying, newspapers are dying, print is dead.”

Now, if you’re in the writing biz like I am, I’m sure you’ve heard this before, though maybe not so blatantly uttered. But still, it’s depressing because many fear it is true. Luckily the other major character in the series countered Danson’s undeniably bleak comment by saying that nothing just merely dies. It takes years for trends to take hold, and print will be around for a long time.

So, I’m just wondering…what are some of you doing to prepare? Do you think techie devices are taking over? I’ve heard that even ereaders will be a thing of the past as more and more people download books on more compact smart phones. Here’s a simple question: Do you or does anyone in your family have an e-reader device on your Christmas list this year?