Wednesday, June 1, 2011

If an Author Kisses the Blarney Stone . . .



o
Monday, June 6th 1PM Pacific Time: I placed your names in my crystal bowl, gave them a swirl, breathed a prayer. And our book winner is :

GLYNNA! Congratulations! I'll be sending you a signed, personalized copy of Code Triage!
And, again, thank you all for leaving comments. Stay tuned, as we'll be doing another book giveaway in the near future!
______________________

Yes, I am back from the cruise. And, yes, that is me kissing the famous stone at Blarney Castle in Ireland--and, well sure, I did have fleeting nurse-like thoughts of the sanitary factors involved in such an endeavor. So, afterward, I wiped my lips off with my fingers--obviously, I wasn't a surgical nurse. But still . . . I did it--climbed 100 steps to the lofty top of an Irish Castle and kissed the Blarney Stone! I even have a certificate to prove it, that reads in part:

"I, Sir Charles St. John Colthurst of Andrum, Inniscarra, in the County of Cork Baronet do hereby certify that Candace Calvert of California, USA . . . is now sent forth with the Gift of Eloquence."

Eloquence? Hmm. I had to wonder . . . will having kissed the Blarney Stone add 10,000 words to my newest novel in progress? Will my editors have to beg, "Enough . . . enough already!" ?

As I write this, I'm currently starting the final "polish" on TRAUMA PLAN, due to my Tyndale House editors on July 1st. So far, I have had no urges to insert additional passages of long and flowery prose . . . so perhaps I've escaped The Stone's "gift of gab." Or maybe . . . I'm already, at this very moment, writing the world's longest blog post . . . Egads, let's nip this in the bud and do a book giveaway, instead!

So here's the deal: leave a comment below, sharing a favorite place you've traveled to, OR a place you dream of traveling to one day. And I'll put your name in for a chance at an autographed and personalized copy of my most recent medical drama, Code Triage. Keep it for yourself, give it as a gift, or donate it to your library; I'm honored to share its story of hope!
I'll (randomly) draw the winning name on Monday, June 6th. Please leave an e-mail address so that I can notify you if your name is drawn. Good luck!

Meanwhile, here's a few lines of pre-Ireland blarney from the working draft of Trauma Plan.

Snipped from Chapter Twenty-Five--welcome to Lukenback, Texas:

***

. . . . “C’mon.” Jack slid an arm around Riley's waist. “Let’s get out of here.”
He guided her through the dancers, out the huge open-air dance hall, and back toward the outdoor theatre, a ramshackle stage embellished with thousands of license plates, under gigantic spreading oaks that gave roost to chickens. There was another boisterous crowd out there, every age and all attire; from biker leather and bandanas to designer linen. Hands hoisted old-fashioned sarsaparilla bottles and long neck beers, and laughter was the common language—along with music. This time it was an aging, bearded guitar picker wearing an “Everybody’s Somebody in Luckenbach” tee shirt. And Willie Nelson braids.
Riley shook her head. “I think we’ll have to stand,” she said, her voice already hoarse. “There’s no room.”
“Not staying.” Jack tugged her hand, pointing back toward the famous wooden post office and a chrome and leather sea of Harleys. “Back to the car. Sunset time . . .”
***
It's good to be home, friends--thanks for waiting for me.

Now post a comment . . . let's give a book away!

16 comments:

Wilma said...

Good to have you back home....you can add all the words you want to your book, just that much more to enjoy! Just keep it on schedule.:)

wilmamet6atgmaildotcom

Beth said...

Can't wait to read your newest book!!! Loved all of them so far. My dream vacation would be to Hawaii. I have always wanted to see Hawaii and spend time there. Just one of the places I have dreamed of since I was a kid!!

karenk said...

would love to read 'code triage' thanks for the chance. i loved your posting/picture of kissing the blarney stone candace...i would enjoy visiting charleston, south carolina one day :)

karenk
kmkuka at yahoo dot com

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

I can't wait to read 'Trauma Plan'. Last summer my cousin and I were elbowing each other at the computer screen as we both tried to read your excerpt from 'Code Triage'. :) Your books are clean and intriguing for us teenage girls to read. We appreciate that more than you can know. Thanks for the chance to win a copy of 'Code Triage'!

hsmscholar1@gmaildotcom

Carol Moncado said...

Those snippets are way too short, darlin'.

And that's all I have to say about that.

;)

So glad you had a good time! And that you're home safely!

Where would I like to go? Europe. On a tour. Particularly SWern Switzerland and Lichtenstein [for research - yep. Really]. But all over.

I'd love to be able to afford to take all four kids to Disney sometime soon. In FL.

One of my favorite places to go in general though is St Louis for a weekend series with my honey.

carol at carolmoncado dot com

Glynna said...

I would love to travel to Bavaria. I may get my chance next Summer. I have always wanted to tour the many castles I have read about it that region of the world.

Anonymous said...

I would love to go to Ireland, Germany,and Italy!!
Beth Gillihan
rbgillihan@gmail.com

kathy T said...

In Ise, Japan about 3 hours from where I live, there are two huge rocks in the ocean. About 650 years ago, someone attached ropes between the rocks to "wed" them together, creating the "loved-one and loved-one rocks" or the "couple" as many Japanese refer to them. Also, the first cultured pearl was developed in this bay. Who doesn't love pearls!? http://www.panoramio.com/photo/3651629 In early June, you are supposed to be able to capture the sunrise between the rocks, and it has been a long time dream to go there and view it for myself. A bit difficult to catch a sunny day in the midst of rainy season. I hope this dream will be coming true within the next two weeks. There is also extreme religious historical significance to this location for the Japanese that I hope to learn about.

Jennifer said...

Good to have you back, I'm on vaca now myself and always having a good book along to read is nice... Looking forward to more new books.

jking23atkentdotedu

Anonymous said...

LOL at your post! I'm looking forward to Riley's story.

I have two places, one I'd like to visit and one I already have visited. I'd love to see the incredible beauty of New Zealand. Last fall, my family went to Oregon and hiked in the old growth forests and along the coast. It is beautiful there!

Thank you for the opportunity!
Michelle
michelle@valdes.ws

Kayla said...

I just discovered you this morning via The Vessel Project and believe that God led me here. I live at the edge of the Hill Country and would LOVE to hear you speak sometime. Can't wait to get my hands on your books. I'm an aspiring writer and look to successful women like you to lead the way. My "dream" goal is to visit all 50 states.

Kayla said...

oops! Kayla here...email address
kjwmtells@austin.rr.com

CandaceCalvert said...

What FUN to read your comments--and learn such neat travel-related things, too. Hawaii, South Carolina,Switzerland, Bavara, Italy,New Zealand and a US tour--great dreams. You guys SO rock! And, speaking of rocks: awesome information about the "couple" rock in Japan, Kathy--I hope you see that sunrise!
Nichole: Your words are a blessing; I'm truly honored to count teens as my readers--thank you.
And a BIG welcome to our new
vistor, Kayla. So good to meet you!

Good luck to you all with the book drawing!

CandaceCalvert said...

Congratulations to our winner, Glynna!

CandaceCalvert said...

Glynna, contact me at candace(at)candacecalvert(dot)com with your mailing address and I'll get that book out to you, "stat."