Columbus Booksigning This Saturday

Tweet

I'll be signing copies of my book

Calico Canyon,

From 11 - 1 Saturday, August 30th at

Crackers to Cavier in

Columbus, Nebraska.

Read the details by clicking on the title of this post or on the link below for the article in the Columbus Telegram.

http://www.columbustelegram.com/articles/2008/08/25/news/local/doc48b2dd08c5b06866560751.txt

Scene of the Scene?

Tweet

I'm blogging today on Petticoats and Pistols about my strange habit of re-reading beloved SCENES in books. Not necessarily the whole book.

I'm just wondering if anyone else does that?

http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2008/08/27/scene-of-the-scene/

Come on over and talk to me. Maybe we can cure me. :)

Mary

Of Mice...and Murder

Tweet

First look at the finalized cover of my first Cozy Mystery
Of Mice. . .And Murder
Coming in November to the Heartsong Presents Mysteries book club.
Released in June 2009 to non-book club members.

It's a Christmas story about mice...and murder. :)

Find out more about Heartsong Presents Mysteries here:

http://www.heartsongmysteries.com/Default.aspx?purl=unknown

Or pre-order Of Mice. . .And Murder in an anthology called

Nosy in Nebraska

that will include all three of my cozies in this series Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Nosy-Nebraska-Mary-Connealy/dp/1602604185/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219439226&sr=8-1

Chance to Win Calico Canyon!

Tweet

Click the title of this blog

for a chance to win a copy of

Calico Canyon

on Carla's Writing Cafe.

Buffalo ~ I lived to tell the tale

Tweet

I'm on Petticoats and Pistols today talking BUFFALO.

Stop by:

http://petticoatsandpistols.com/

Chance to Win a copy of CALICO CANYON

Tweet

I have an interview up today on Mocha with Linda.

http://mochawithlinda.blogspot.com/

Stop by and leave a comment to get your name in the drawing for a free copy of
Calico Canyon

MIND REVIEW!

Tweet

Take you own left brain/right brain test . http://mindmedia.com/braintest.html

Here are my results. Interesting that at no point does this summary include that I am almost pathologically skeptical of online personality and brain tests. They missed that!!!!!!!!!

Mary, you are somewhat left-hemisphere dominant with a balanced preference for auditory and visual inputs. Because of your "centrist" tendencies, the distinctions between various types of brain usage are somewhat blurred. I think this is a polite way of saying, "you're boring cupcake."

Your tendency to be organized and logical and attend to details is reasonably well-established which should afford you success regardless of your chosen field of endeavor, unless it requires total spontaneity and ability to improvise, your weaker traits. However, you are far from rigid or overcontrolled. You possess a degree of individuality, perceptiveness, and trust in your intuition to function at much more sophisticated levels than most. (I am extremely fond of this sentence!)

Having given sufficient attention to detail, you can readily perceive the larger aspects and implications of a situation or of learning. You are functional and practical, but can blend abstraction and theory into your framework readily. Again, all code words for middle of the road, average, mediocre, ho-hum....

The equivalence of your auditory and visual learning orientation gives you two equally effective sensory input systems, each with distinctive features. Medium-you are the eighth dwarf, Dreary

You can process both unidimensionally and multidimensionally with equal facility. When needed, you sequence material while at other times you "intake it all" and store it for processing later. You are schizophrenic, your answer depends on which personality is in charge of your body at the moment, Sybil.

Your natural ability to use your senses is also synthesized in your way of learning. You can be reflective in your approach, absorbing material in a non-aggressive manner, and at other times voracious in seeking out stimulation and experience. You're all over the board, we are very afraid of you and our website has contacted men in white coats with very big nets. Please don't lock your doors and come along peacefully when the big van arrives.
Overall you tend to be somewhat more critical of yourself than is necessary and avoid enjoying life too much because of a sense of duty.

This is true. I'm not having near enough fun

You feel somewhat constrained and tend to sometimes restrict your expressiveness. In any given situation, you will opt for the rational, and learning of almost any type should be easy for you.

So then if I CAN'T learn anything new, does that mean the test is wrong. Or, as I suspect, does this mean that my brain filled up a while back and now I have to forget something in order to free up the space necessary to remember something new.

You might need certain ideas explained to you in order to fit them into your scheme of things, but you're at least open to that!

Not true, I refuse to be open to new ideas, where's the fun in that?

Calico Canyon ABOVE THE FOLD

Tweet

Above the fold is newspaper talk. Barbour Publishing is featuring Calico Canyon on their website right now. You have to hit refresh a few times for Calico Canyon to be up, Barbour is cycling the home page graphics.
http://www.barbourbooks.com/

Chance to Win Calico Canyon

Tweet

Stop by Favorite PASTimes for a chance to win a free copy of Calico Canyon.

http://favoritepastimes.blogspot.com/

SEEKERVILLE

Tweet

I'm on Seekerville today, Monday, August 4th.

So stop by here:

http://seekerville.blogspot.com/

And Alaska Brides is in Bookstores now. It released August 1st. It contains by book Golden Days so do NOT buy it thinking it's new work. But if you haven't read Golden Days you'll find it there, and you'll also find

Book #1 Golden Dawn, by Cathy Marie Hake

Book #3 Golden Twilight by Kathleen Y'Barbo.

And on Seekerville I'm talking about creating characters, especially focusing on the hero and heroine in my cozy mystery, releasing in November called

Of Mice and Murder.

It's book one of a three book series.

This is the not-quite-finalized cover of

Of Mice and Murder

It will look very much like this.

I've got my way with characters but I'm open to advice, so stop by Seekerville and say hi.

I'm a guest on Jaunty Quills today

Tweet

Talking about Calico Canyon of course. :)
http://jauntyquills.com/2008/08/02/guest-blogger-mary-connealy/

Two Chances to Win Calico Canyon

Tweet

I'm a guest on Lena Nelson Dooley's blog today, a fellow Barbour author.

We're giving away a signed copy of

Calico Canyon.

To get your name in the drawing,

leave a comment at

http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/

And also you can find

a SECOND chance to win

Calico Canyon

on Jennifer AlLee's blog:

http://jenniferallee.blogspot.com/2008/08/meet-mary-connealy-interview-book.html

What makes you LAUGH?

Tweet

Today is romantic comedy day at Petticoats and Pistols.

http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2008/07/29/what-makes-you-laugh/

We're talking about what makes you laugh to celebrate the re-release of my book Golden Days, in an anthology called Alaska Brides.

Stop by and tell me your favorite romantic comedy movie, TV show or novel.

I'd love to hear about a new, funny book.

Motherhood at age 65

Tweet

With all the new technology regarding fertility recently,
a 65-year-old friend of mine was able to give birth.
When she was discharged from the hospital and went home, I went to visit.
'May I see the new baby?' I asked.
'Not yet,' She said 'I'll make coffee and we can visit for a while first.'
Thirty minutes had passed, and I asked, 'May I see the new baby now?'
'No, not yet,' She said.
After another few minutes had elapsed, I asked again, 'May I see the baby now?'
'No, not yet,' replied my friend.
Growing very impatient, I asked, 'Well, when can I see the baby?'
'WHEN HE CRIES!' she told me.
'WHEN HE CRIES?' I demanded. 'Why do I have to wait until he CRIES?'
'BECAUSE I FORGOT WHERE I PUT HIM, O.K.?!!'

Diet of Worms~No, not a recipe book!

Tweet

I'm posting today on Petticoats and Pistols. About Radicals and Gutenberg Bibles and The Diet of Worms and Louis L'Amour. Stop by: http://petticoatsandpistols.com/

CBD Pick of the Week!

Tweet

CBD, Christian Book Distributors, has selected Calico Canyon as it's Fiction Pick of the Week.

http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/cms_sp?sp=1001

And here's a link that will take you

to a feature on CBD about the

ACFW Book of the Year finalists.

http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/cms_content?page=1984746&sp=1001&event=1001RNF277591001

ACFW's Book of the Year-Petticoat Ranch is nominated!

Tweet

ACFW's 2008 Book of the Year Finalists:
Debut Author
Bayou Justice (Robin Miller writing as Robin Caroll)
In Between (Jenny B. Jones)
Sushi for One? (Camy Tang)
My Soul Cries Out (Sherri Lewis)
Petticoat Ranch (Mary Connealy)

Contemporary Novella (*six finalists due to a tie)
A Cloud Mountain Christmas (Robin Lee Hatcher)
Finally Home (Deb Raney in Missouri Memories anthology)
Mississippi Mud (DiAnn Mills in Sugar And Grits Anthology)
Moonlight & Mistletoe (Carrie Turansky in Big Apple Christmas anthology)
Remaking of Moe McKenna (Gloria Clover in the Race to the Altar anthology)
Sweet Dreams Drive (Robin Lee Hatcher)

Historical Novella
Beyond the Memories (DiAnn Mills in Mississippi Memories anthology)
Finishing Touches (Kelly Hake in Missouri Memories anthology)
Love Notes (Mary Davis in Love Letters anthology)
The Spinster & The Cowboy (Lena Nelson Dooley in Spinster Brides of Cactus Corner anthology)
The Spinster & The Tycoon (Vickie McDonough in Spinster Brides of Cactus Corner anthology)

Lits (*six finalists due to a tie)
Around the World in 80 Dates (Christa Banister)
One Little Secret (Bottke, Allison)
Renovating Becky Miller (Sharon Hinck)
Splitting Harriet (Tamara Leigh)
Sushi for One? (Camy Tang)
The Book of Jane (Dayton/Vanderbilt)
Long contemporaryAutumn Blue (Karen Harter)
Like Always (Robert Elmer)
Taming Rafe (Susan May Warren)
When the Nile Runs Red (DiAnn Mills)
Within This Circle (Deb Raney)

Long Historical (*seven finalists due to TWO ties)
Courting Trouble (Deeanne Gist)
Fancy Pants (Cathy Hake)
Lady of Milkweed Manor (Julie Klassen)
Remember Me (Maureen Lang)
Then Came Hope (Louise Gouge)
Veil of Fire (Marlo Schalesky)
Where Willows Grow (Kim Vogel Sawyer)
MysteryDays And Hours (Susan Meissner)
Death of a Garage Sale Newbie (Sharon Dunn)
Gone With The Groom (Janice Thompson)
Sticks And Stones (Susan Meissner)
Your Chariot Awaits (Lorena McCourtney)

Short Contemporary
Heart of the Family (Margaret Daley)
The Heart of Grace (Linda Goodnight)
The Perfect Blend (Allie Pleiter)
Wedded Bliss (Kathleen Y’Barbo)
When Love Comes Home (Arlene James)

Short Contemporary Suspense (*six finalists due to a tie)
Caught Redhanded (Gayle Roper)
Her Christmas Protector (Terri Reed)
Nowhere to Hide (Debby Giusti)
Pursuit of Justice (Pamela Tracy)
See No Evil (Gayle Roper)
Vanished (Margaret Daley)

Short Historical (*six due to a tie)
A Time to Keep (Kelly Hake)
A Wealth Beyond Riches (Vickie McDonough)
Canteen Dreams (Cara Putman)
Corduroy Road to Love (Lynn Coleman)
Golden Days (Mary Connealy)
To Trust An Outlaw (Rhonda Gibson

Speculative
Demon: A Memoir (Tosca Lee)
DragonFire (Donita Paul)
The Restorer (Sharon Hinck)
The Restorer’s Son (Sharon Hinck)
Isle of Swords (Wayne Thomas Batson)

Suspense
Abomination (Colleen Coble)
Black Ice (Linda Hall)
Coral Moon (Brandilyn Collins)
Crimson Eve (Brandilyn Collins)
Ransomed Dreams (Amy Wallace)

Women’s Fiction
A Promise To Remember (Katie Cushman)
Bygones (Kim Sawyer)
Remember to Forget (Deb Raney)
The Oak Leaves (Maureen Lang)
Watercolored Pearls (Stacy Adams)

Young Adult
In Between (Jenny B. Jones)
On The Loose (Jenny B. Jones)
Sara Jane: Liberty’s Torch (Eleanor Clark)
Sarah’s Long Ride (Susan P Davis)
Saving Sailor (Renee Riva)