Cindy Bradford's Author Blog
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. [Read more…] about Promises Kept Getting Close
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… [Read more…] about Promises Kept Gone to Press
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.
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 decided before I left Ruidoso this trip I really had to see the little village of Tularosa, nicknamed the “City of Roses”, because I kept reading how quaint and pretty it was. I have driven through the tiny hamlet many times from El Paso to Ruidoso, but never really stopped to see what was advertised.
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.
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.
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.
