Tuesday, December 22, 2009

MERRY CHRISTMAS!









The Magic Mavens would like to wish you and yours Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukka, or whatever else you may celebrate this season. Here is hoping that you and yours will be happy, healthy, warm (or cool for those in the southern hemisphere) and wise. We're so glad you've spent the past few years with us and look forward to sharing many more to come!

HUGS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

The Magic Mavens

Thursday, December 03, 2009

Welcome to December!

Looks like the weather is already turning bad and from waht was heard in the misery...errr I mean Missouri region it's going to be a bad one. What better time to curl up with an informative and fun newsletter and maybe a book or three by our four wonderful authors?

First, for the newsletter: you can find a copy by clicking here: http://magicmavens.webs.com/MMDec2009.pdf

Many people are giving or receiving ebook readers this holiday season. These readers can be easily loaded with so many fabulous titles to choose from, we hope you'lll add one or two of ours! Why not check out the line up of books the Mavens have to offer? What nicer way to say Merry Christmas than with the gift of reading? You can find all the Mavens' titles listed on their individual websites and most can be purchased from their publishers: http://www.champagnebooks.com/ http://www.samhainpublishing.com/ http://www.thewildrosepress.com/ http://www.bookstrand.com/ http://www.cobblestone-press.com/

Keep warm and KEEP READING!
Hugz
The Magic Mavens

Monday, November 09, 2009

November News

The Mavens have changed up the way they do their newsletter. The changes include a revamped format and a new website location for newsletter access!

If you'd be interested in reading the November edition of the Magic Mavens Newsletter please follow the following link: http://magicmavens.webs.com/MMNove2009.pdf

Enjoy!
Hugz
The Magic Mavens

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Tanabata

In the July edition of the Magic Mavens newsletter we mentioned several celebrations that occur around the world in month of July. One of those celebratiosn isTanabata. It was inspired by the famous Chinese folklore, The Princess and the Cowherd:

Orihime (Weaving Princess) the daughter of the Tentei (Sky King, or the universe itself) wove beautiful clothes by the bank of the Milky Way (Amanogawa). Her father loved the cloth that she wove and so she worked very hard every day to weave it. However, she was sad that because of her hard work she could never meet and fall in love with anyone.

Concerned about his daughter, Tentei arranged for her to meet Hikoboshi (Cow Herder Star) sometimes called Kengyuu who lived and worked on the other side of the Amanogawa River (Milky Way).

When the two met, they fell instantly in love with each other and were married shortly there after. However, once married, Orihime no longer would weave cloth for Tentei and Hikoboshi allowed his cows to stray all over Heaven.

In anger, Tentei separated the two lovers across the Amanogawa River and forbade them to meet. Orihime became despondent at the loss of her husband and asked her father to let them meet again.

Tentei was moved by his daughter’s tears and allowed the two to meet on the 7th day of the 7th month if Orihime worked hard and finished her weaving. The first time they tried to meet, however, they found that they could not cross the river because there was no bridge.

Orihime cried so much that a flock of magpies came and promised to make a bridge with their wings so that she could cross the river. If it rains, the magpies cannot come and the two lovers must wait till next year.

The following variation of the story is known in China and Japan:

A young farmer named Mikeran discovered on his farm a robe which, unbeknownst to him, belonged to a goddess named Tanabata. Soon after, Tanabata visited Mikeran and asked if he had found it. He lied and told the goddess that he hadn't but would help with her search. Eventually the pair fell in love, were wed and had many children.

However, one day Tanabata noticed a piece of cloth which had once belonged to her robe on the roof of Mikeran's hut. His lie discovered, Tanabata agreed to forgive him on the condition that he weave a thousand pairs of straw shoes, but until that time, she would leave him. Mikeran was unable to weave the shoes in his lifetime and thus never met Tanabata again. However, it is said that the pair meet once a year when the stars Altair and Vega intersect.

In present-day Japan, people generally celebrate this day by writing wishes, sometimes in the form of poetry, on tanzaku, small pieces of paper, and hanging them on bamboo, sometimes with other decorations. The bamboo and decorations are often set afloat on a river or burned after the festival, around midnight or on the next day. This resembles the custom of floating paper ships and candles on rivers during Obon. Many areas in Japan have their own Tanabata customs, which are mostly related to local Obon traditions.

There is also a traditional Tanabata song:

Sasa no ha sara-sara
Nokiba ni yureru
Ohoshi-sama kira-kira
Kingin sunago

Translation:

The bamboo leaves rustle, rustle,
shaking away in the eaves.
The stars go twinkle, twinkle;
Gold and silver grains of sand

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Read my Interview

Hey all, there's a new blog in town and I'm their very first interview. Check it out at the GreenBeez.

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Hey there!

I just wanted to pop over and say hello and let you all know that Becka and I are both participating in a really cool contest. It's called Get Hooked on a Series and it's being sponsored by Moira Rogers. From now until June 1st you can try you hand at winning one of 50 books! Each book is the first book in a series. If you're looking to broaden your horizons author wise then I hope you'll head over there and check out the books being offered!

It couldn't be more simple to enter: go to http://moirarogers.com/?q=node/347 then check out click on the book covers to read blurbs and excerpts. Pick your favorite then scroll down the page and check your choice.

Good luck and have fun!

Hugz!
Donica

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

ANNOUNCEMENT

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

My First Cruise!



OMG, I highly recommend going on a cruise. I think just about all cruise lines offer the same amenities. I left Galveston Port on the Carnaval Exstacy on Feb 16th and returned on Feb 21st. The entire time, I was pampered and treated like a queen. What a great escape and yes, it did give me more than my fair share of plot ideas.

Every night, they folded the towels to look like cute animals with chocolate pieces for eyes. The food riveled that of the classiest restaurant in town with a variety of flavors to choose from. Every evening, they offered an assortment of entertainment. During the day, you could choose between hanging in the casino, indulging at one of the many bars, laying out in the sun or pampering at the spa. Yeah, I was a wimp. I spent my relax time writing. LOL.

Boarding was a bit tricky for me. I forgot my credit cards and of course we traveled 3 hours to get to the port, so I borrowed my husband's cc. In order to use it, they faxed my husband a form to fill out that he faxed back. That was the only glitch in my entire trip so I was happy. I roomed with the travel agent that booked our package. This was a promotional trip for the magazine I work for. She was full of information and a joy to be with.

The next day I spent prowling the ship and getting accustomed to things. I bought one of those wrist bands to wear to prevent seasickness, and it worked like a charm.

Tuesday we docked at the Yucatan Peninsula. I'd booked an excursion to the Uxmal ruins and had a most enjoyable experience. At this Mayan city, they did not practice human sacrifice as they did in other Mayan cities. And no, the world is not ending in 2012 because the Mayan calendar is ending. The Mayans set their calendar to fit a pattern of rotation and in 2012, the rotation will end to begin anew. What a great relief. *Grin*



Can you find the iguana?

The next day, we docked at Cozumel. I was scheduled for two events, a driving tour or Cozumel and a submarine trip 100 feet down. The driving tour was very pleasant. I hooked up with an older man who needed a "photo" buddy. He had me take all sorts of photos of him in various places. At one point in time, he asked if I knew what he planned for those photos. "Why no, I don't believe I do." He replies, "I'm gonna keep a few for myself but the rest I'm sending to my ex-wife so she can see what she's missing. I invited her along so she could pay for the trip but she refused." Too funny.

On this excursion, we stopped at a tequila plant, a small operation but fascinating. It takes 10 years before the blue agava is ready for harvest and the fruit or pineapple as it's called is unbelievably large. After that tour, we were invited to sample shots of flavored tequila. I came home with coffee and almond flavored tequilas.

We finished the tour and our guide dropped us off at downtown Cozumel with instructions to return to the van by 1:30. What!? My submarine trip started at 1:30. Needless to say, after a very tasty lunch, I had to catch a cab. I told him my group met at the end of the pier but no, he drops me at the submarine place. So, I walk three blocks and try to find the pier. No such luck. Now one could tell me how to get back there. So - I ran back to the submarine place, went inside and told them what happened. The guide there said my group was looking for me, decided I wasn't coming and were trying to sell my ticket. Anyway, he cleared things up with them and that group walked the distance to meet at the submarine place. Go figure. Anyway, the dive was perfect and the underwater scenery, breathtaking. I took a ton of photos with the expectation that none would come out with my little point and click, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The following day, Friday, I talked myself into indulging. I had my first facial and Swedish massage. OMG. So, well worth the mula and yes, I'll be repeating that experience as soon as I can round up the extra bucks. We returned home at 8:00AM the following morning. Ah, well. Back to reality.

Monday, February 16, 2009

New Release - Breaking All The Rules

I'm excited to announce a new release. Breaking All The Rules is an erotic short story, published by Carnal Passions.



Because of the level of heat in this story, I'm not going to post an excerpt, instead if you'd like to read an excerpt, visit my website. (grins)

Enjoy!

~Phyllis~

Saturday, January 17, 2009

I've been TAGGED

Celia Yearny, a wonderful author friend who has a new release out called All My Hopes and Dreams just tagged me. She came to a book signing we had in San Marcus and was our number one promoter and this before her book was out. What a doll.

Anyway, I'm supposed to list six things that make me happy. Geez, that shouldn't be too hard. I'm always happy, well most always.

My six things: 1. My hubby. He's the most wonderful man and buys me flowers all the time just because. Gotta love that.
2. My two children, both in college and both loving to try my patience, but watching them grow has been one of my greatest joys.
3. Dancing two-step at the Hall of Fame on Thursday night.
4. Chocolate. I confess, I'm addicted.
5. Writing yummy heroes and complicated plots.
6. Going on interviews for a local magazine and discovering all sorts of fun folks.

So now I get to tag six more folks:

Candace Morehouse
Big Mike Davis
Regan Taylor
Kim Lenox
Sharon Cullen
Rebecca Savage

Rules: Link to the person who tagged you (http://magicmavens.blogspot.com/)Write down six things that make you happy. Post these rules. Tag six others. Notify me that you've tagged six others--or not.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Best Review EVER


Celestial Dragon was my first published book and came out in June of 2006. Two and a half years old and it's still generating awesome comments and reviews but this one is special. Why? First because it was unsolicited and second because he obviously enjoyed the book very much. Check out the ebookguru.org for the complete review. In the meantime, enjoy a brief snippet from Trevas:

"I’ve read and reviewed some books from big name authors in the past couple months. If you read through my reviews, I’ve posted my thoughts on books from the likes of Terry Brooks, George R.R. Martin, and Mercedes Lackey. Here’s the thing though - Ciara Gold’s Celestial Dragon blows all of them away as far as reading enjoyment is concerned.

From the second page on I was hooked. I was drawn into the story, and not only was I prompted to read the book through in one sitting (as an avid read I do often do that if I find a good book), I also bought the next book in the series the next day. Really, the only thing that disappointed me is that there isn’t yet a third and fourth book in the series!"

I confess, this is a duplicate post to another blog I'm on. What can I say? I was just thrilled with this review.

SOS

I'm blogging today at the Shades of Suspense blog. Hope you'll stop by and say hello!

Hugz
Donica

Monday, January 05, 2009

Nominated for Best Historical



I just had to share. Love Romances Cafe nominated Kaitlin's Silver Lining as one of their best historicals for 2008. I'm floored. Really. Voting will be on their loop site in the polls section. There are a ton of great authors and stories listed there, so I hope you'll take a moment to browse through and vote.

Thursday, January 01, 2009

Kisses Of Fire - on sale now for only $2

Yes, you read it right. My short story, Kisses Of Fire was just released today, and is only $2.00!!!!! Unbelieveable, I know!



She needs money for her bar, he seeks incriminating evidence to close her. Will the auction be the key, or will her kisses turn his loins to fire?

Cassidy O’Malley needs money to save her bar…hoping auctioning off her waitresses and herself for a night of pleasure might do the trick. How can she protect her heart when a gorgeous hottie bids on her and all she wants to do is kiss him…endlessly.

Mark Carrington is on a mission—to find some incriminating evidence to help his father close down the bar. For years, the Carrington’s have tried to get this land from the O’Malley’s, and Mark is determined to win. But when he gets to know the sexy co-owner he wants more than the bar. He wants her body and soul.

**excerpt**
“Do I hear six hundred and fifty?” Joan called out. No more bids were voiced, just the cat-calls and whistles from the horde of anxious men.

“Okay, six hundred going once. Going twice...”

“One thousand dollars.”

The voices in the room silenced. Gasps and clinking glasses were the only sounds. Cassidy pressed her hand to her chest. All heads turned to the voice on the other side of the room.

Joan waved her hand. “I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t see you. Would you mind standing and repeating that bid?”

The man rose and the scraping of the chair’s wooden legs echoed through the suddenly silent bar. Cassidy recognized the wannabe cowboy who’d ogled her so openly when she’d first entered. Why would a man so gorgeous want to bid that high on her?

Even from across the room, she could spot a drunk, and this particular hunk was not one of them. So why did he bid that amount? His blank expression didn’t tell her anything about what he expected. Yet, by the heated gleam in his earlier gaze, she figured she already knew.

“I said, I bid one thousand dollars.”

Joan laughed. “Sold, to the gentlemen in the corner.” She motioned her hand. “You can come and collect your prize.”

Cass swallowed a lump of fear, yet anticipation rose in her chest. Suddenly, an image popped into her mind of her and this man in a lover’s embrace while his mouth moved passionately over hers flashed through her head.

Impossible! She would definitely not let that one happen.

The man swaggered toward her. Damn, even his walk was sexy. All he needed was cowboy boots and a hat. He still looked too business-style for that.

Keeping his focus on her, he stopped at the bar and handed a wad of bills to Joan. Her cousin didn’t hesitate to take the money, even giggled once the bills were in her grasp. That was when Mr. Cowboy Wannabe smiled, and it was all for Cassidy. Her knees melted. She scolded her body. He could try and charm her all he wanted, but now she knew his plans and she was not going to let him win!

He reached out to her. She really didn’t want to go with a man who thought she was a hooker, but her body didn’t listen to her panicked mind, and she slipped her hand into his. Warmth from his body speared through her, creating havoc like she’d never known. Her throat turned dry, but her blood pumped faster and hotter through her veins, yet she followed him as he guided her down the stairs and to his table.

Too many people in the bar doused any idea of their first meeting to be private, and Cassidy was now pleased with the auction’s great attendance.

He pulled out her chair. Her jaw dropped as she sat. Where was he from? Nobody did that any longer.

The grin stayed on his face as he sat across from her. “Would you like a drink?”

She shook her head, planning to deny, but found herself answering, “Yes.” Damn her lonely hide.

He chuckled and signaled to one of the bartender. She didn’t take her attention off the stranger to see which one of her cousins served them.

“What would you like?” the strange man asked.

For you to go away. “White wine.” Now where in the hell did that answer come from? She didn’t want to drink with him, and she definitely didn’t want to drink something with alcohol. But his sensuality disturbed her. She didn’t know how to handle her dizzy feelings.

He turned to the server and nodded. “You heard the lady.” Linking his fingers, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “Well, Cassidy Hilarion, what have you planned for our date tonight?”

To escort you home and make you take a cold shower. She knew what he wanted.

She swallowed hard. “Are you going to introduce yourself?”

“I’m Mark Carey.”

“Well, Mark Carey, I thought we’d start out with dinner tonight.” The audible squeak in her voice horrified her and she cleared her throat.

He grinned. “And how do you plan to end the date?”

Dumping ice down your pants.



To purchase ebook ($2 only!!) - click here

I hope everyone had a great New Years! I know my year is starting out great already!!

~Phyllis~