Friendship Lasting Through The Decades

Cynthia and I have been friends since our days in a baby buggy (I'm on the right). As you can see, I was happier about our "friendship" than Cynthia.


We were friends all through school, then went our separate ways. I got married and began raising a family and Cynthia went on to nursing school. Not surprising since she'd said from the time she was about six that she wanted to be a nurse.

We lost touch for about 20 years or so, until hurricanes and a job relocation brought us from Fort Myers, FL, to the Atlanta area. Cynthia and I are now less an hour from each other. Ironic considering we were both born and raised in Southern Indiana.

The first time we got together after our move, we talked non-stop for the entire evening. Our husbands just looked at us, smiled, shrugged and talked among themselves.

As you might have guessed, Cynthia is the Cynthia of attic fame. The series, Cynthia's Attic is based on my childhood playing in her attic.

I believe it was fate that brought us back together, but a the solid base on which our friendship was built all those years ago (No, I'm not going to say how many!), is what keeps our friendship going strong.

I'm the author of the 'Tween time-travel series, Cynthia's Attic.

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Addicted to Facebook

Addicted to Facebook?!? Who me? Naaaaah. Never.

Twitter, Facebook, Plaxo, LinkedIn, Gather, Authors Den, MySpace, Good Reads, Digg, JacketFlap, Nothing Binding, Red Room...

Okay, you caught me. I belong to all of these and more. I've learned to control my addiction, however, and usually concentrate on two or three a week. I don't believe I'm addicted to Facebook, but admit to snousing what my friends are up to even before I check e-mails!

From book releases to author visits to political, uh...discussions, it's all right there, simple and concise for my overloaded brain to digest.

A special benefit is connecting with old friends and classmates with the Facebook search tool. I've re-friended people I haven't seen for over 4 decades! What an eye-opening experience.

Do I look that old??

For my school friends reading this: I'm not talking about you! Just all those other classmates of ours. (ahem)

I've also joined family groups and discovered 2nd, 3rd, 10th cousins! Relatives I never knew existed are uncovered with the click of a mouse.

Social networking at its best. But, let me be clear. I will not join FARMVILLE. Not NOW, not EVER!

What are your favorite social networking sights? Has it been a good experience for you, or a bad one? Facebook addicts want to know.

On another subject, if you're addicted to ebooks, check out "Cynthia's Attic" series on Kindle!

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Mary Cunningham is the author of the award-winning, 'Tween Fantasy/time-travel series, "Cynthia's Attic," women's humor book, "WOOF: Women Only Over Fifty," and several short stories.

Gus's Unique Talent in Cynthia's Attic

Hey, everyone! And, Happy Thanksgiving (almost). Mary Cunningham was supposed to post today, but since she's busy getting ready for the big dinner tomorrow, I said I'd fill in for her since I want nothing to distract her from cooking that turkey!

For those of you who don't know me, I'm Gus. My given name is Augusta Lee, but don't call me that unless you want a kick in the shins. Other than my limitless appetite, I have a pretty special talent. I don't supposed I need to keep it a secret since there are already four – count 'em – four books about me! And, my time-traveling side-kick, Cynthia, of course.

Our latest adventure take us on a very special trip to Swiss castle in the early 1900s to look for clues in the disappearance of a magician's assistant. This may not sound like much of a challenge, but, if we don't find her then Cynthia's family could face personal and financial ruin! We can't let that happen, now can we?

So check out Cynthia's Attic: The Magician's Castle. In fact, check out the whole series! Thanks to me and my very special talent to travel from place to place through a magic trunk, you'll be glad you did.

Oh, and check out the cool video below!


Buy Cynthia's Attic Series on Amazon

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Seize The Day

A new school year already huh? My advice, enjoy every minute of it. Sure there will be the normal drama and that teacher that you don't like will surely be a little extra grumpy, but do your best to ignore those silly things.

The best part about high school is your friends. Cherish them, try to somehow hang out a little more. It's tough when graduation comes and you loose touch with these wonderful people. All of my good friends now were all friends from high school. So what does that tell ya? It means that while it sounds kind of goofy, really enjoy as much as you can. Go out, plan parties, go to football games, and do whatever is fun today. Of course I have to put the disclaimer in that you must be careful no matter what. While I'm sure you've heard that a million times, this is not a contrived disclaimer.

You will also hear this a million more times, but I'm going to say it again. These are some of the best times of your life. People say that so much because it's true. You can literally do anything with your life and make whatever it is you want come true. Doctor? Astronaut? Writer? Yep, whatever you want is all in front of you. I'm actually stoked for you just thinking about the opportunities that are out there now. Just in the last ten years think about how much life has changed. Not just your every day life, but life around us all. Is it unthinkable that in high school, we didn't have cell phones, myspace, Facebook or Twitter? Think about how much that alone connects you to the world and to endless people across the globe. It's happily mind boggling.

It's an exciting time to be in high school and an exciting time to be entering the prime of your life. If you haven't seen it, check out the movie Dead Poets Society. Yeah, it might be a bit dated (Spoiler: and a bit depressing) but the message that it conveys still rings true today. Seize the day and make it yours.

Nick Valentino wrote a Steampunk novel called "Thomas Riley" which will be out on Echelon Press in October.

In the meantime check out the brand spanking new Thomas Riley Website... hey, you can even sign up to be a sky pirate.

Or see my blog at: http://nickvalentino.blogspot.com

Or if your really crazy, check out Thomas Riley's blog written by Thomas Riley and Cynthia Basset themselves here.

Pen Pals but Without the Stationary, the Stamps, or Even the Pen

When I was in high school, I had six pen pals. Six of them. I spent most of my study halls (do they still have those???) writing to any one of my six mail mates. I was hooked on envelopes and stamps and nothing was as much fun as finding a reply in my mailbox. To date, there is at least one of those pen pals I never met. She had placed an ad in 16 Magazine, and I had answered. We sent each other Christmas and birthday presents, and wrote pretty regularly, but we never did meet.

So now I have Internet friends. As with my earlier pen pals, we share jokes and complaints, book titles and mini-movie reviews, wonders and woes and other scraps of our lives. And while the exchange doesn't have all the magic of opening that waited-for envelope, I do still get a kick from seeing the sender's name and the subject line in my in-box. Some of them make me laugh like no one else I know. All of them remind me that I don't have to deal with everything life hands me all by my one-sy. And just like my pen-pals of old, I have met all of them except one.

Do I still think Internet relationships can be dangerous? Heck, yes. But every electronic pen friend I've got came about through a shared interest, whether belonging to the same favorite author's chat board, or being introduced by another mutual friend. And while I know this doesn't necessarily mean everyone is on the up and up, I've been lucky in that all of the people I've actually met have been brutally honest about who they are.

I'm glad to have my online community. They help keep me sane. On the other hand, I do still have at least one person who sends me stuff through the post office...

Speaking of friends, see how friendship can help stop a vengeful spirit in my new story, Hunting Spirits!
http://www.echelonpress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=10_32_36&products_id=171

Not to be a cliche...

...But my best birthday ever was probably my 16th birthday. However, the circumstances were anything but cliche.

April was a crazy month for my family. The 1st was the the date of my operation to place two screws in my leg in order to hold my kneecap in place. I then took up residence in the downstairs living room, was stuck on crutches, and was then told I would not be able to walk on my own for my birthday on the 30th.

Why did I pick this as my best birthday? Because my family and friends made it the best. For school, my mom tied balloons to my crutches and one of my friends smuggled away cookies meant for a bake sale. A group of friends and I ate said cookies in Algebra and laughed our way through the math. After school, everyone piled into the car and took the party to my house. We watched movies, ate gourmet chocolate cake, raced (read: crashed) on Mario Kart Wii, and had a great time.

It may not have been on par with the parties on MTV, but I bet you that I had more fun than any of those heiresses. A giant ball with hundreds of invitees does not an awesome party make- a group of people who love you do.

So I could have told you about my tenth birthday when I competed in a horse show prior to heading to the shooting range to fire some guns with my dad, one friend, and his dad. . . But that can wait. The story of 16 was much more heartwarming.

Iris Black is the author of Just One of the Guys (now on Kindle) and can be found at any number of places, including Sam's Space, Facebook, and Twitter.

Samwise Gamgee - A True Friend (And Hero)

photo courtesy of One Wikia

In keeping with Pam's choice, of Arwen, I've also chosen a hero from my favorite trilogy, J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.

My choice is Samwise Gamgee, not for his bravery, his intelligence, or even his intuition, but for his friendship.

A gardener by trade, Sam, on the surface, appeared to be a Hobbit of plain speech. However, his love for Elves, gift for poetry, and his belief that the world contains greater wonders than most hobbits are aware of, set him apart.

He lives with his parents, Hamfast and Belle (Goodchild) Gamgee and five siblings at # 3 Bagshot Row, near the home of the first hobbit to fall under the spell of the "Ring," Bilbo Baggins. As a young hobbit, he was tutored by Bilbo, who taught him to read and gave him the desire to explore beyond his "comfort zone."

But it was his love of eavesdropping that set him off on the adventure of his life. Caught listening in on a discussion about the One True Ring, White Wizard, Gandalf punishes the hobbit by ordering him to accompany his best friend, Frodo, on the quest to destroy the ring.

This was probably the best decision Gandalf ever made. Without Sam traveling with The Fellowship, it's widely believed the quest would've failed.

Fighting fear of unknown creatures and unfamiliar lands, Sam always had Frodo's back, and was responsible for saving him, and keeping the ring out of enemy hands many times over.

The British Army term for personal assistant is "batman." Although this term is used to compare Sam's relationship with Frodo, I believe "true friend" is a more accurate description.

In case you're wondering, after the War of the Rings, Sam settled, once again, in the Shire, married Rose "Rosie" Cotton and had 13 children.

To read more on Sam: The Thain's Book

Mary Cunningham, author of the award-winning series, Cynthia's Attic.

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Watch for "Cynthia's Attic: The Magician's Castle" (Book Four) Quake DEC 2009!

This Blog Has Been Hijacked!

My name’s Gus. It’s really Augusta Lee (after my grandfather, Augustus Leander), but if you aren’t looking for a kick in the shins, you better call me Gus.

Nope, I’m not a teenager, yet, but I’m almost there and I’ve been reading Teen-Seen for awhile and feeling a little left out. I’m up to here with Zamora’s Ultimate Challenge. So what if a couple of kids are sucked into a video game? And puh-leeze spare me anymore problems with those annoying Pixie Chicks. If you're Searching for A Starry Night? Not gonna find it here, so go dig somewhere else, Petey.

Like it or not, I’m hijacking this blog for the day. So there.

BFF, Cynthia, and I grew up together on the same sycamore-lined street. We even sat in the same baby carriage (See pic.)

Guess who’s who. Hint: I’m not the one squalling my head off. (I swear I didn’t pinch her!)

We took dancing lessons when we were little, and had to wear these awful tutus. I cringe thinking of our first (and only) recital when we had to dance and pretend to water crepe paper flowers with pink sprinkling cans, but I did learn the value of taking bows!

Still, I would’ve been much happier in jeans and a t-shirt playing baseball in the neighbor’s vacant lot.

We did have a lot of fun, though, especially exploring Cynthia’s awesome attic.

I’ll never forget the rainy summer day we discovered “the trunk.” It looked pretty ordinary when we first opened it. Ya know, dusty, smelly (I’m starting to sneeze just thinking of it!) old clothes. Just your usual old-trunk-in-attic, look. But, looks can be deceiving as we found out the next time we opened the trunk and were sent back in time to 1914!

I’m here to tell you that Cynthia and I have had some strange adventures and met some cool people in our time travels. Ancestors, including our 12-year-old grandmothers, a ghost-kid named Louis, a gypsy named Gabriella and Blackie, a bad-breathed clown, to name a few. But, if I have to pick a favorite (I know, I know. Nobody said I had to...but I am ‘cause this is my blog. Today!) it would have to be Mud Bug, our old Louisiana Cajun guide. He not only saved our lives on a couple of occasions, he has a very unusual talent. Would you believe he can...Hey! I’m not gonna tell you that! Read Curse of the Bayou and find out for yourself!

Read the Cynthia’s Attic series and find out why I’m so *popular.*

Who's your favorite character? Hmmm? Me?

Your new BFF,
Gus

P. S. I will not give up control of this blog until a ka-zillion Curse of the Bayou books have been sold!

Discover the Magic in Cynthia's Attic
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Cynthia's Attic: Curse of the Bayou

Curse of the Bayou is book three in the award-winning young reader time-travel series, Cynthia's Attic.

Hope you enjoy reading page 59!
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Twelve-year-old best friends travel through the magic trunk in Cynthia's attic to a 1914 Louisiana bayou searching for Cynthia's great-grandfather, Beau Connor. Discovering a connection between Beau and Buzzard Jack LaBuse, the meanest, orneriest pirate this side of the Mississippi, leads to a heart-stopping confrontation to recover a long-lost treasure and lift a family curse.
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Curse of the Bayou: Page 59

How do you reckon they got here, son?"

"Like I told you, Ma, I found them here in the hayloft, all nestled down like they were fixin' to take a nap."

"Well, what do you suppose we should do? Wake them, or let them sleep? I hate to disturb those angelic faces…oh, my heavens! Jay! You don't think they're dead, do you?"

I heard the word, dead, and sat straight up. "No! We're not dead, and who are you?"

"Now, listen here. I'll do the talking if you don't mind."

A tall, thin young man in overalls, resting one arm on a pitchfork, looked down at us. With that deadly weapon in his grasp, I decided to shut my mouth…for the moment.

"What? Where are we?" Cynthia regained consciousness and did a double-take.

A plump, older woman in a huge white apron answered, "You're on the Conner farm, dearie. I'm Samantha Conner and this is my son, Jay.

No wonder Cynthia was speechless. I wasn't too familiar with her mother's family, but their name was Conner, and I'd heard mention of Samantha, Cynthia's great-grandmother. Her grandfather was nicknamed Jay by his dad who thought that 'John Joseph' was too showy for a farmer's son. This might also explain why the man we were looking for, her great-grandfather, Aloysius Beauregard Conner, went by Beau.

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And that's a sampling of Mary Cunningham Books

To purchase Cynthia's Attic: Curse of the Bayou, click here

Fun in Decatur!

Saturday afternoon. I was dead tired. Really dragging at the Decatur Book Festival in Decatur, GA. Would the day ever end??

Then I heard the music.

"Dad! Dad! It's Cynthia's Attic! It's Cynthia's Attic! There's the new book!!"

Two of the sweetest girls came running into our tent, their dad dutifully in tow. They grabbed copies of "Curse of the Bayou," Book Three in my series, and jumped up and down. I remembered them from the year before. So excited when they bought the first two books.

My feet stopped hurting, my calves stopped aching and tirednesss evaporated from my bones. Those two young fans energized me and carried me through the rest of that day and the next.

They made my weekend. Can't wait for Decatur '09!

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