Wiley Coyote ~ Warner Bros.

My friend, the moonshiner, sent me this icon of Wiley Coyote a couple of weeks ago, and of course it was perfect since I was introducing Coyote Smart, my third book. Only trouble is, Wiley is a goofy, cartoon character, and Maxwell Collin Ridgeway III is anything but.

Yet as Mark Twain, one of my favorite authors wrote in Roughing It, the impetus for the character that animation director Chuck Jones created for Warner Bros. in 1948, the coyote is “a living, breathing allegory of WANT.” I think you will see this to be very true in Maxwell’s character.

The icon also reminded me how important it is to reach an audience, and if it takes a silly cartoon character to do this, then I’m willing. Although the third book is very different from the first two, it also has several of the same characters. Therefore, it advantageous to have read the first two in order to fully enjoy Coyote Smart.

So before this next book is released later in the fall, please put Keeping Faith and Promises Kept on your reading list. No, better yet, PLEASE READ MY BOOKS! Hey, after all, you had all summer!!

Nicole Langan’s Tribute Books was one of the stops on the virtual blog tour. Her blog also got the most comments and the winner of the blog tour contest was from her blog. Here’s a reprint of her review of Promises Kept:

Promises Kept is a fairy tale for adult women. Cindy Bradford entrances with the love story of Faith and Tyler. For any doubters who think romance is dead, this book will reclaim their belief in dreams fulfilled. The chapters relating to their relationship are filled with details that will make ladies sigh.

The narrative encompasses a split personality. The first half deals with a court case involving a pedophile priest. Faith’s father was one of the victims and Faith is an attorney on the side of the prosecution. Tyler is a fellow attorney who is assisting her on the case. From the moment the two lay eyes on each other, things quickly heat up.

The trial rapidly reaches its conclusion and the couple starts preparing for a Christmas wedding. This is where Bradford leaves law and order behind and transports the reader to Tuscan villas and secluded cabins in the wilderness. Fantasy is readily indulged on the page.

Tyler is the quintessential leading man – and he is meant to be. No man can live up to this depiction. He serves as a vehicle of escape from unfaithful boyfriends, distant husbands, unrequited love. He is too good to be true, but that doesn’t stop women from hoping deep down that he could be.

Readers will fall in love with him along with Faith. He remodels an old house with his own hands. He takes Faith with him to pick out a puppy. He asks Faith to marry him within weeks of meeting her. He gets along great with her family. He is not threatened by her successful career. He says things like, “I could look at you forever” and “I’ve never seen you be anything but good at whatever you do.” He’s extremely tidy and helps with the housework including landscaping the entire lawn. He’s thrilled when Faith goes off the pill. He has a love of good food and takes Faith to a number of delectable restaurants. He likes to go Christmas shopping.

Things take a turn when Faith has trouble getting pregnant. At first, she thinks it’s her, but an unforeseen development occurs when Tyler discloses the results of a recent medical exam. The young couple undergoes a tragedy of epic proportions. The emotion Bradford evokes is touchingly poignant. It leaves the reader wondering if is it better to have love and lost than to have never loved at all.

Overall, this is a great book to turn to when you need your faith in love to be restored.

Cindy Bradford book signing

I have a book signing tonight at Paragraphs on Padre, here on the island. This will be my second at this location, but the first for Promises Kept. As always, I’m looking forward to it, but worried about how many will attend and how it will go.

The bookstore owners, Griff and Joni, who are so supportive and special, placed a great advertisement in the local newspaper and notified folks through the Chamber of Commerce list, but lots of locals are on vacation, and visitors are too busy putting aloe on their blistered skin and tossing back a Corona to come see me. They just don’t know what they’re missing. The sun will be down, and there’s plenty of beer on the island to last—believe me!

Nonetheless, I’m always excited and greet the event with anticipation and a positive attitude; as positive as a struggling writer can. I remind myself it’s not about how many books I sell; it’s about how the book is received by those who read it.

Of course, my perfect signing would be in New York City or Paris, with people lined up out the door, clamoring to get in, fighting over the last book. Quit snickering—we all have our dreams! I’m just willing to share mine.

If you’re in the area, drop by tonight. There will be wine and cheese, and lots of good conversation. If you are miles away, just think about me—that’s what friends are for.

If you have a relationship with a bookstore in your area, I would appreciate if you could make an introduction. I may be coming to a book signing near you. You can go to BookTour.com for my schedule or other book signings in your area.

Promises Kept by Cindy Bradford

Promises Kept is getting close, another couple of weeks. It is a little behind schedule because I made some last minute changes on the cover and title page, which slowed down the entire process. I guess I am a bit of a perfectionist, but I know what I want and I’m not willing to compromise. I must admit; however, I am getting excited. I hope you are as well.

If you haven’t read Keeping Faith you still have time to order and read before reading Promises Kept, and although it can stand alone, I think you will enjoy the second book much more if you have read the first.

I am excited because I have a month log virtual book tour beginning May 1. Now, if you are like me, I didn’t even know what that was until recently. Simply, a virtual tour is a cyber tour which is a super alternative to a “live” book signing tour, which can be expensive and time consuming. Although the blog tour does take time, both upfront and during the entire month, it is much easier to work from home and reach an even bigger audience.

The tour, which is being conducted by my blog tour manager, Nikki Leigh, includes blogs, websites, radio shows, newsletters, reviews and guests posts. There will be various websites that use themes from my books and host my comments. Additionally, various blog owners will feature me, “interview” me, and introduce me to their audience. This will be a great opportunity to get my name out there and be noticed, and hopefully get more people reading my books and communicating with me.

I will post the various websites and links to interviews as soon as the schedule is firm. As I said, this is new to me. I’m learning as I go, so I will keep you informed and up-to-date about the process. Wish me luck.

Promises Kept by Cindy Bradford

Thought you might like to know that the sequel has gone to press, and the waiting begins. No wonder my hair is falling out! Now it’s anybody’s guess when it will actually be released, but if it follows a similar timeframe as Keeping Faith, then hopefully it will be out by mid-April. Here’s another sneak preview…

PROMISES KEPT is Faith’s story—the story of an unforgettable young woman whose life’s journey has been filled with uncertainty, of searching for people and answers that others take for granted. Compassionate, courageous, strong-willed and persistent, she never gives up, showing strength, commitment and character beyond her years. It is also the story about the power of the human spirit, of family and friends and love.

Determination and grit are the two forces that propel Faith O’Brien. After finding the father she never knew and graduating law school, her only focus is bringing down the priest who abused her father as a child. She wants revenge for the demons he alone created. She wants him so far behind bars that no other young boy will ever have to fear his touch. And to do this, she, the neophyte attorney, is willing to take on a veteran, highly experienced and shrewd Boston lawyer who will go to any means to win a case. But, he underestimates her passion for justice, her fight for right against a wrong.

Because to her, there is nothing more crucial, more important, more pressing than this cause… until she meets and falls madly in love with Tyler England. Soon, her fighting instincts are called on like never before. Only this time her intelligence, perseverance and resolve may not be enough.

Promises Kept is the second book in a two-part series. It is written as a sequel, but can also stand alone.

Paragraphs Book Store

Although I was tremendously excited for my first book signing of Keeping Faith, which was held at Atticus in Ruidoso, NM, I am totally giddy about tomorrow’s signing at “Paragraphs on Padre.”

After all, South Padre is home, and hopefully, many of my friends will join me to share in my excitement. What makes it really special is my agent, Chris, is flying in from Houston as are my friends Iris and Paul.

The first signing is from 1:00-2:00, and then the owner has asked if I will return at 6:00-7:30 for book signings, discussions about how and why I wrote the book, and Q&A. Wine and cheese will be served at the evening event. If you are in the area, please stop by this warm and friendly bookstore right on Padre Blvd. It’s a beautiful, charming recent addition to the island, and a great place to find your favorite book and even enjoy it in one of the comfortable chairs. If you are miles away and can’t be here, then please wish me luck.

Saxophone on Steroids

My friend, Jan, whose last name I will not divulge to protect the guilty, is building his own still—like in, moonshine still! Jan’s favorite alcoholic beverage is the Bloody Mary, and his son told him that the very best vodka is “potato vodka.” So Jan commenced to thinking, which apparently in this case may have been dangerous because he decided to make his own still and ultimately his own vodka.

To do that, he first designed and created his own still and since he is very good at building things and figuring out projects, on first blush that seemed harmless enough. But now every time he sends me a picture of the still it has grown, not inches, but feet. It now looks like a saxophone on steroids.

I am not sure how all this works, but I suggested he think seriously about NOT operating this in his kitchen. Then, I decided to read a little about moonshine making, and I am even more convinced that Jan might re-consider this venture, that is if he likes his hair and eyebrows!!!

It appears that the common test for moonshine is to pour a small amount of it into a metal spoon and light it!!! The theory is that safe booze burns with a blue flame and tainted booze burns with a yellowish glow.

I’m not sure if Jan has used a radiator coil as a condenser, but if that is the case, practitioners say “lead burns red and makes one dead.” And I was worried about him just revving up the still itself!

Then, the next assignment is to test the proof. At this point, he’ll have to pour a little gun powder in with the moonshine and if it flames or blows up, he knows it’s “proofed.”

Early into the project, he asked me if I wanted in on this magnificent idea, and I declined. So far, I haven’t had second thoughts, but maybe he’s on to something. I haven’t seen the recipe for the vodka, and I have never tasted potato vodka that I know of, but I guess you can’t go wrong with the lowly spud.

He’s been thinking about names, and I’m going to suggest, “Half Moon Vodka.” After all, if he doesn’t move quickly, that may be all he has left of his backside. Let’s wish him luck, lots of luck. We’ll toast later, Jan, after all the kinks are worked out of the radiator coil and your hair has grown back!

I can honestly say that whoever does public relations for the village is really good. It is advertised as:

“Nestled at the bottom of the Sacramento Mountains, Tularosa is the gateway to Ruidoso and the Mescalero Indian Reservation, home of the Inn of the Mountain Gods. The village lies northeast of White Sands Monument, north of Alamogordo, east of White Sands Missile Range and west of Lincoln National Forest.”

Sounds beautiful doesn’t it?

I know that there is a certain beauty in everything, and I certainly don’t want to offend any of the three thousand folks who live there, but on the cold, dreary day I visited, I just didn’t see the ultimately gorgeous place that the brochures defend.

Instead, I saw tumbleweeds, sad little houses, and the cleverly named Elite Repeat consignment store. Yes, the St. Francis de Paula Church, built in 1865, is as pretty as some I have seen in small, remote places in Europe, and the little winery there, Tularosa Vineyards, is really trying. And maybe on a warm summer day, I could sit at one of the picnic tables there and enjoy a glass of Black Muscat or a taste of their Mission wine, made from the heirloom grapes that were brought to New Mexico more than 370 years ago when the first grapes were introduced to the new world by Franciscan fathers. I’m trying to develop a taste for the New Mexico wines, and they are growing on me.

Courtesy of www.VillageofTularosa.com

But back to Tularosa, I really tried to find more to see there, but besides the Tulle Freeze and Coffee and More, which didn’t seem to have much more, I just couldn’t find that much to keep me interested. But, life is all about experiences, and I can add that visit to my list. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the people in this little community, named after the rose-colored reeds growing along the banks of the Rio Tularosa, should nonetheless be proud of the place they call home.

Atticus Books & Teahouse

In all the holiday excitement, I almost forgot to share my book signing experience with you. Obviously, I was excited and a little nervous. After all, it’s not every day someone has a book signing. I should not have worried because most of the people there were locals who apparently hang out at Atticus Books and Tea House to drink tea, eat scones and hear the musicians, but it wasn’t a complete bust, and I did finally get to sign.

The musicians were good, the crowd jovial, except for one cranky old woman who said my book was depressing and so was the music!!! She didn’t even read the back of the book, much less the inside, and the music was a wide mixture, including some upbeat Christmas. I was glad when she left, and everyone else probably was too. But before she left, she was bragging about being a Sagittarius who spoke her mind, and then I found out we share the same birthday!!! Urggggggggg!

As you can see from the photo, the place is quaint. The inside is quite Bohemian, with all sorts of “bookish things” one might not find elsewhere—a fun, cozy place for a cold, Saturday afternoon in the mountains.

Cindy Bradford's first book signing at Atticus

Cindy Bradford with Social Media Friends

Saturday was a nice extension of Christmas because I had the opportunity to make new friends because of Keeping Faith. It all started back in early December on Twitter when a young teacher from the Austin area saw my “follow” and wished me a happy birthday. She then indicated on Facebook that she was going to be in Ruidoso for Christmas, but would miss my book signing at Atticus. As we continued to communicate via FB, we planned a meeting, but of course, the snow had other ideas for us since her cabin is on a shady hill and mine is similar. Too much snow and too little sun rendered us both home bound or not venturing out very far.

So, it wasn’t until the 26^th that I was able to meet her, her husband, and her aunt at Starbucks, where they bought two books and we visited. And what a nice time it was! As it turned out, Hope Melayne is a kindergarten teacher in Buda, and an award-winning one at that. In 2004, she was named Texas Exes Elementary Teacher of the Year, Teacher of the Year for her campus, and for Buda ISD. And I can see why—she is bubbly, enthusiastic, and personable. And Rob, her husband, was such a sweetheart to come and listen to three woman talk about school. He’s an avid golfer, tennis player, and engineer, so I know if the truth be told, he was bored out of his skull. But he was, nonetheless, pleasant and patient.

Also joining us was Hope’s Aunt Linda, who was a long time educator and a retired principal. She also served at Texas Education Agency for awhile as well as holding other administrative assignments. She lives in Ruidoso part of the year and is super interesting.  We even knew a couple of the same people from the education field. You can imagine how much we had to talk about, and could have continued but Linda had a skier visitor arriving from the Dallas area, and Hope and Rob had a bathroom to paint at the family cabin. So, we said good bye and promised to stay in touch. What a nice way to continue a Christmas weekend.