Friday, August 7, 2009

Showing Off My Brand New Brand

    posted by Aunty Cindy aka Loucinda McGary

    Turns out I have a brand! I mean, I know authors are supposed to have them, but I didn't really think I did. That is, until I attended my own publisher, Sourcebooks' Spotlight session at RWA National last month.

    My publisher and my publicist gave excellent presentations about the company in general and the romance line in particular. They gave a cool slide show of all the Casablanca authors' covers, including mine (SQUEE!). Then my editor took the microphone to talk about some of the Casablanca authors. Imagine my surprise when she started talking about MY brand!

    Mine? Really? I had to curb the urge to run for the ladies' room to see if I had somehow attained a tatoo when I wasn't paying attention! Luckily I was too close to the front and in the middle of the row to make a graceful exit, so I was obliged to sit and listen to what my editor said.

    She said here's what readers can expect when they read a book by Loucinda McGary:
    • an Irish hunk hero
    • an exotic, but very real setting
    • suspense, as in a little murder, a little mayhem
    • a touch of the paranormal, like the Second Sight, reincarnation, or mental telepathy
    Well whadaya know? I do have a brand after all! I always knew my editor was a smart cookie.

    So with a little over three weeks to wait until the release of my new book, The Treasures of Venice, let me go over that check list one more time to be sure...

    Irish hunk hero? Keirnan Fitzgerald from County Kildare, dark-haired, blue-eyed Irish charmer. Check!

    Exotic setting? Beautiful, romantic Venice (both current day and in 1485). Check!

    A little murder and mayhem? Stolen jewels, kidnappings, knives and guns. Check!

    A paranormal element? Possible past lives recreating themselves. Check!

    All that's missing is YOU, the reader! So here's a short excerpt to whet your appetite:

    A closed door blocked the top of the stairs, but it must not have been locked because Keirnan opened it after only a moment’s hesitation.

    They emerged into another corridor right on the heels of a Japanese family--mother, father and two bored teens. While one parent snapped photos, the other ran a camcorder to capture every millimeter. Within moments, they all reached Bridge of
    Sighs.

    Keirnan stepped forward and offered to take a picture of all four family members. Sam was not the least bit surprised to hear him utter some phrases in Japanese.

    “Shall I take your picture too?” he asked after the family moved on.

    She gestured at the fanny pack beneath her coat. “No camera. Besides, I was just here yesterday.”


    He tilted his head and studied her for a long silent moment. The blue of his eyes gleamed iridescent in the dimness of the narrow enclosed bridge.
    “You don’t seem to fancy this romantic Venetian landmark.”

    His open scrutiny made funny flutters kick up along the nerve endings in her spine. She wished some other tourists would show up.
    “I hardly think a bridge built to secretly imprison your political enemies is romantic.”

    His dark brows lifted in a sardonic salute. “You had an excellent tour guide yesterday.”

    “Actually, I’m a librarian so I read several books before the trip.”

    Sam turned aside to escape the probing of his too perceptive gaze and stared out the small square opening cut into the stone. Urban legend said during the Middle Ages prisoners got their last look at Venice through this window and their sighs of longing gave the bridge its name. Wintry gray walls rose up on either side, and the cold green-black water of the canal loomed far below. Nothing romantic here at all.

    “He’s a fool.”

    “Excuse me?”

    The sudden pronouncement caught Sam completely off guard. She turned to find the charming Irish rogue standing uncomfortably close. She took a step backward.


    “Whomever ‘twas that let you come to Venice alone. He’s a bloody fool.”

    Who are some of your favorite authors? When did you figure out that they had a brand? And what is it about their brand that you find the most appealing?

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