Ceci Giltenan, Author

Some of you who have “liked” me on facebook have seen the recent post about some strange things that have been happening at my new home in Florida. By the way, if you haven’t “liked” me on facebook, feel free to do so. 😉

Briefly, we moved in permanently this past September but my husband returned to NJ for a while to finish some work. While he was gone, I began to notice things that I couldn’t explain.

1. I came home from Mass one Sunday and a rosary that I hadn’t seen since our move was lying in the middle of my bed.
2. Later that week, I brought in mail and put it in the middle of my kitchen table. I went out for a while and when I came back, all of the mail was on the floor EXCEPT Columbia magazine which is a publication of the Knights of Columbus (a Catholic men’s organization to which my husband belongs). Interestingly, the rosary that appeared is one that was given to him, for me, by the K of C.
3. I went away for about 1 week in early October. When I returned, the remote for my garage door opener didn’t work. My parents who kept my dogs at their house, but brought in the mail and fed my birds every day, said it didn’t work for them and they didn’t know why. I found a “lock” switch in the garage which is intended to be used when you are away to prevent the door from being opened. Cool, but none of us knew it was there until then, so who locked it?
4. The latest activity was this past Sunday night. My husband and I were out for several hours and our dogs were with us. When we came home, the TV was on (we rarely watch it and it hadn’t been on all day). Most of the couch cushions in one room were on the floor, and a folder and some papers that had been on a table in the dining room were on the floor.

I’m sure there could be a logical explanation for this, but I’m having trouble figuring out what it is. If it is a ghost, it doesn’t really bother me; after all, he locks up. 😉 Still, it’s all a bit odd. Do you believe in ghosts?

A couple weeks ago, I shared a review of Highland Solution by Tin, of Love Saves the World. Today she has posted an interview with me on her blog, http://www.lovesavestheworld.com/2013/11/an-exclusive-interview-with-ceci.html.

This interview is a tad different from others which I have done so far as it has a holiday them. Oh, by the way, I mention you in the interview, so go take a quick look at it. 😉

Ceci

For those of you who have been waiting to purchase Highland Solution to read on your Nook, it is finally available on Barnes and Noble!

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/highland-solution-ceci-giltenan/1117341467?ean=2940045370394

I truly hope you enjoy and that it was worth the wait. 🙂

Ceci

Today I am fantasy author Graeme Brown’s “Author in the Spotlight.”

Author in the Spotlight: Ceci Giltenan

I like the interview format when I am a guest on someone’s blog. An “interview” is usually a set of written questions provided by the blog owner. Frequently there are 20 to 30 questions and the person interviewed is instructed to answer 8 to 10 of them. Wouldn’t that have been nice in college, only answering the 8 easiest questions on a test?

Graeme’s interview was different. It contained 7 questions, period. I had to answer them all. For a moment it was as if I were in college again and I had walked into a test expecting multiple choice, only to find all essay questions. To make matters worse, they were very like the questions I had skipped on the other interviews (because I found them difficult to answer). They required a lot of thought. “What authors influenced you and how?” I have loved reading since I was a little girl but which of them influenced me? He may as well have asked, Describe the metabolic pathway known as the Kreb’s cycle including the substrates, products and catalytic enzymes at each step.

Take a deep breath, Ceci. You can’t get this one wrong, you just have to think about it. The mental exercise was well worth it. Once I took the time to really examine what authors influenced me and how, the answer became obvious and I was a little surprised by it. The author who most influenced me was…no, I won’t give away the answer. Pop over and read the interview.

Ceci

I am thrilled to announce that I will be back in New Jersey and signing copies of Highland Solution and chatting with readers at Booktrader of Hamilton on November 24, from 2:00 to 4:00.

Booktrader of Hamilton
2421 Nottingham Way
Hamilton, NJ 08619

Refreshments will be served, maybe even some of my grandmother’s shortbread. Please stop by, even if it is just to say hello.

More details can be found at https://www.facebook.com/events/176518269214574/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming. Please join me there!

I am feverishly working on edits for Highland Courage, not to mention the day job. I will share a bit more about it later this week.

Until then, I am going to share a quick read with you that I really enjoyed. A Dangerous Dance is a romantic novella by Jude Johnson

A Dangerous Dance (Save The Last Dance)

Who hasn’t fantasized about meeting a celebrity on whom they have a crush? Maggie, a beautiful woman with strong values gets that chance. She has the evening of a lifetime with the gorgeous actor she admires. In the process she rediscovers who she is and learns to appreciate her inherent value. There is an almost metaphysical connection between Maggie and John that makes this brief brush with temptation electrifying. The writing is beautiful with brilliant foreshadowing and the characters are vivid. Altogether a great quick read!

Marriage Isn't For You.

It gives me great pleasure to announce that Highland Courage, the next book in my medieval Highland series is scheduled for release in April 2014.

Highland Courage picks up the story of Tadhg Matheson, who we meet in Highland Solution. He is betrothed to Mairead MacKenzie, the youngest daughter of Cathal MacKenzie, the laird of a neighboring clan. Mairead has a secret that she has never shared. Painfully shy and ruled by fear for years, she is sure when Laird Matheson learns her secret he will not want to marry her. However, when she tells him, he chooses to marry her anyway. In Highland Solution, we see the transformative nature of Katherine’s love for Niall. Will Tadhg’s love and faith in Mairead have the same power? Can she find her own self-confidence and the courage to face her demons?

Stay tuned for more details on Highland Courage in the coming weeks.

Today a review of Highland Solution is featured on the blog, Love Saves the World http://www.lovesavestheworld.com/2013/10/review-highland-solution-by-ceci.html. Tin provides a very thoughtful summary and review. She clearly understands Niall’s trust issues and the precarious position in which he finds himself. She states “Niall comes across as a bit stubborn and somewhat blind to his wife’s troubles with his stepmother, but he is aware of his failings.” Although his attitude is frustrating she recognizes “Besieged within his own household and threatened outside, Niall has no choice but to trust his instincts.” This is exactly the picture I intended to paint and it thrills me that Tin captured it so succinctly.

She also shares one of my personal frustrations with the story stating that she would like to have had the fate of the Ruthvan holdings more fleshed out. She remarks, “It didn’t sit very well with me that Katherine’s evil uncle gained ownership of Cotharach Castle just like that.”

As a fair-minded woman, living in the Twenty-first century, it didn’t sit well with me either. I would love to have ensured that Lord Ruthven got what was coming to him. However, this would have strained my ability to suspend disbelief. The sad truth is, the king ordered the marriage and gave Katherine’s lands and title to her uncle. What the king wants, the king gets. It was perfectly legal, if despicable, and was an inequity that I felt could not be believably resolved. In the second chapter, Katherine ponders the events of what turned out to be her wedding day:

She took stock of the day. Aye, her king had all but forced her to marry a stranger. In fact, the rather large man she had married frightened her a bit, but, as she had boldly admitted to him earlier, she believed him to be a vast improvement over her uncle. Tomorrow she would lose her beloved Stormy, but Niall had assured her the gentle grey would be well cared for. She worried about those of her father’s people left under her uncle’s tyrannical rule, but she had managed to keep Tomas, the most vulnerable of them all, safe. All things considered, she told herself she had every reason to feel hopeful.

Given the circumstances, there was little else anyone could do. Frustrating? Yes, but also historically accurate.

I would like to thank Tin of Love Saves the World, for this wonderful and insightful review. She has asked me to appear on her blog in the near future and I am really looking forward to the opportunity.