Monday, July 5, 2010

Interview/Giveaway with Loucinda McGary

Today at the blog I have Loucinda McGary . Her latest book The Wild Irish Sea is available July 6th. Let's give her a warm welcome! :)

Hi Loucinda, Welcome to Anna's Book Blog! I'm glad to have you here. To start off can you tell the readers a little about yourself?

Hi Anna, I really appreciate you inviting me to your blog today!

The Wild Irish Sea is my third romantic suspense with paranormal elements published by Sourcebooks Casablanca. My previous books are The Wild Sight (also set in Ireland) and The Treasures of Venice (set in Italy but with an Irish hero).

I love to travel and to date I have visited 47 states and 32 foreign countries. I also like to set my books in some of the places I have visited.

You can find me online blogging with The Romance Bandits or on my personal blog, Aunty Cindy Explains It All.

The Wild Irish Sea is your newest release, can you tells us a little about it?

Parker and Amber O’Neill are twins who have shared a special mental connection all their lives. While on vacation in Ireland Parker accidentally witnesses a murder, and the killers target him as their next victim.

When Amber receives his mental distress call, she rushes to the rugged shores of Donegal to rescue her brother. In order to find him, she enlists the aid of a local reclusive police inspector, Kevin Hennessey.

In order to save Parker, Kevin and Amber must unravel the mystery of a selkie prince and face down a band of ruthless smugglers. Plus, they also discover a connection of mind, body and spirit like nothing they have ever experienced before.

What is your writing day like?

Everyone who knows me will verify that I am NOT a morning person. I function best between noon and midnight. Therefore, I do most of my creative writing (first draft stuff) in the afternoons. I usually write four of five hours every afternoon, Monday through Friday. The weekends are a bit different since my DH might or might not be around. If he’s off pursuing his interest in auto racing (March through October) then I will write from about three PM until around midnight. Generally I don’t write on Sundays unless I’m really “on a roll” with my story or I’m facing a deadline.

I do revisions, rewriting, query letters and the like before or after I work on my work-in-progress.

When you’re not writing what kind of books do you like to read?

When I’m in the midst of working on one of my contemporary romantic suspense stories, I generally read historical romances. I don’t like to read in the same genre I write because I don’t want any accidental ‘cross pollination’ to happen.

When I’m not writing (which isn’t very often) then I’ll read books with contemporary settings.

What type of research did you do for the book?

I’d already done quite a bit of research about Ireland, both modern and historical, for my first book The Wild Sight. But I did have to research some specific things about County Donegal, and I always use maps so that I know where things are in relation to each other and how far apart they are.

Ever since my niece gave birth to twins ten years ago, I’ve been interested in twins in general and read quite a bit about studies done on their relationships and differences between them and single birth siblings. I also found it extremely interesting to observe my grand-nephews. They were the inspiration that led me to create a set of twins for this book.

Legends about selkies crop up a lot in Celtic mythology. I ran into a few of them while researching The Wild Sight and read a lot more of them when I decided to incorporate selkie lore in The Wild Irish Sea. Many of the tales about selkies have dark and tragic endings, so I decided to put my own spin on them. Plus, I called a local marine mammal center and tried to incorporate some real seal behavior in my creatures.

What are 3 things that are "must haves" for you when you sit down to write a book?

When I’m working on my first draft, I must have privacy. I don’t like people traipsing in and out of my office (my son or my DH) and I get very cranky if the TV or stereo volume in the other room is too loud.

Second, I must have a thorough knowledge of my main characters before I can write my first draft. Most of the time, my story springs from my characters, so it is essential that I know a lot about them before I ever write a word. I only need sketchy details of the plot, because once I know and start writing about my characters, the plot pretty much falls into place.

Third, I really need chocolate! Doesn’t every romance writer? Nothing gets you out of a writing slump like a good piece of chocolate candy or a scoop of chocolate ice cream. When I was in college I worked part-time in a candy store, and developed a taste for dark chocolate which I still have. However, when the necessity for immediate chocolate therapy strikes, I’ll take milk, semi-sweet, whatever is handy.

Are there any real life people that have inspired the characters in your book?

As I mentioned, my twin grandnephews first spurred my interest in writing about a set of twins. Also, their father (my nephew-in-law) wanted to be included in one of my books, so as a joke, I named a murder victim after him. I’ll bet he never asks to be in one of Aunt Cindy’s books again!

Two of your books, The Wild Sight and the latest release, The Wild Irish Sea, are set in Ireland. Now I know the pull that Ireland has, having been there myself... What made you decided on Ireland as your setting more than once?

Basically because my editor asked me to. J A lot of readers and reviewers loved my portrayal of the real Ireland in The Wild Sight and I was happy to set another story there. Having Irish ancestors myself (yes, McGary is my real name), I’ve always felt a connection with Ireland. Plus, my DH is also Irish (his grandmother immigrated in 1912) and he has relatives who live in Northern Ireland. Visiting them is what first inspired me to write The Wild Sight and set it in Northern Ireland.

Selkie stories are always fun to read. Do you have a favorite selkie story or myth?

I love the movie The Secret of Roan Inish and the story of how the main character’s ancestor married a selkie woman. Her family legend said that every generation had a “dark one” who was a throw-back to the selkie. Her little brother was a “dark one” and because of the selkie blood, he wound up being raised by seals. In The Wild Irish Sea, I play on that relationship of selkies and seals, too.

Also, The Secret of Roan Inish was filmed on location in Donegal, Ireland and has some of the most gorgeous cinematography ever! I highly recommend you rent the movie just for the scenery alone.

What is up next? Will you continue with the "wild" books or are you moving on to something else?

None of my books are actually related, except for the fact that they all have Irish heroes. They are all stand-alone romantic suspense tales with a touch of the paranormal.

My current work-in-progress is something different in that it has no paranormal elements, but is a more traditional romantic suspense. One of my favorite modes of travel is cruising. I’ve been on sixteen cruises to date (number seventeen is scheduled for November), so I decided to set my next book on a cruise ship. I hope this will be the first in a series of books centered around a fictional cruise line.


THE WILD IRISH SEA
BY LOUCINDA MCGARY—IN STORES JULY 2010

Drawn together by a force they can’t resist…
The telepathic image of her twin brother fighting for his life sends Amber O’Neill rushing to the rocky shores of Ireland. Desperate to find him, she turns to reclusive local inspector, Kevin Hennessy.

Bound together with a passion as relentless as the tide…
His past full of pain, Kevin has withdrawn from the world. But when the rain-drenched American appears on his doorstep with her wild tales of danger, something more than her sensuous beauty makes it impossible for him to turn her away.

The wildness of the sea, the mystery of a selkie prince, and a dangerous band of ruthless smugglers bring two lost souls together in a connection of mind, body, and spirit that can’t be denied...

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Loucinda McGary took early retirement from her managerial career to pursue her twin passions of travel and writing. She sets her novels of romantic suspense in some of the fascinating places she has visited. She was a finalist in the 2006 Romance Writers of America Golden Heart contest in Romantic Suspense with the manuscript that eventually became her second published novel, The Treasures of Venice. Her first published novel, The Wild Sight won the Best First Book category in the 2009 More Than Magic contest. She lives in Sacramento, CA. For more information, please visit http://www.loucindamcgary.com/
_____________________________________________________
Giveaway:

Thanks to Sourcebooks I have 2 copies of The Wild Irish Sea to giveaway. To enter leave a comment along with your email address. Open to U.S. and Canada. Winners will be announced on July 10th. Good Luck!

69 comments:

  1. Loucinda,

    Thanks for stopping by and doing the Interview. :)

    The Secret of Roan Inish is one of my favorites too.

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  2. Loved the interview and the book is very interesting, especially since I don't see many Selkie type books.

    lilazncutie1215 @ yahoo.com

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  3. I enjoyed the interview and I'm looking forward to reading The Wild Irish Sea very much.

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  4. Loved the interview, that was a great blog. Sounds like a very interesting book and I would love to read it.

    miztik_rose@yahoo.com

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  5. I loved Ireland when I visited and I'm always surprised that more books aren't set there. Please enter me.

    jen(at)delux(dot)com

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  6. Great interview! This book sounds awesome :)
    throuthehaze at gmail dot com

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  7. Wow that is a lot of countries you have visited! Ever been to Finland?

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  8. This was a great interview. I had a couple of friends visit Ireland last year, and they told me how much they liked it. I have always wanted to go there. I love that the books take place in Ireland.
    twoofakind12@yahoo.com

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  9. Looks like an interesting book! I'm posting a link to this giveaway on my blog: http://romance-aficionado.blogspot.com/

    ~Lindy
    aromagik@gmail.com

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  10. I've been hearing alot about this one, sounds good! tWarner419@aol.com

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  11. Great interview and this would be the first romance novel that takes place in Ireland for me.
    kr_moreau(at)doglover(dot)com

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  12. Hi Aunt Cindi!!! You and Anna did a great job on the interview and as you well know I love your books. Will have to get this one and then decide which one I like the best. I know better than to ask you as they are your babies and mom's can't pick one over the other. Keep up the good work!
    huggs,
    Terra

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  13. Morning Anna!
    Thanx again for hosting me today. Yes it is still morning here on the west coast... just. ;-) Told you I was NOT a morning person!

    Happy to hear you like The Secret of Roan Inish too. It is one gorgeous film!

    AC

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  14. Hi Jeanette8042,

    I haven't seen very many books that have selkies in them either.

    I hope you enjoy The Wild Irish Sea.

    AC

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  15. Hi again, Barbara E!

    Great to 'see' you here this morning!

    Please do let me know how you liked TWIS once you finish reading it.

    AC

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  16. I'm a night owl.. hate mornings. :)

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  17. Hi Mary,
    My what in interesting avatar you have. ;-) I'm afraid you won't find any fangs like those in The Wild Irish Sea, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

    AC

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  18. JenM,

    I must confess that I think Ireland one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Of course, I could be just a wee bit biased. ;-)

    AC

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  19. Nice to 'see' you, Throuthehaze!

    Geez, if I'd known Anna had so many late night visitors, I'd have popped on last evening before I hit the sack!

    bleary eyed,
    AC

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  20. Hey, Blodeuedd!

    Thanks for dropping by! Nope, haven't visited Finland yet, but it's on my list. ;-)

    AC

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  21. Hey Debbie,

    As I'm sure your friends told you, not only is Ireland a beautiful country, but they have some of the friendliest people ANYWHERE! You show up at a B&B to spend the night and live the next day an old friend. :-)

    Hope you enjoy TWIS,
    AC

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  22. Thank you aromagik/Lindy!

    Appreciate your support!

    And yes, Anna, I seldom fall asleep before midnight, which is why I'm such a late riser. :-) Who needs morning anyway?!?!

    AC

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  23. HUGS tetewa!

    So nice to "see" you here!

    I hope you enjoy this one.

    AC

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  24. Katia,

    I hope you like The Wild Irish Sea, and if you enjoy the Irish setting, you can also read my first book, The Wild Sight. ;-)

    AC

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  25. TERRA! HUGS!!

    So nice to "see" you hear and I can never thank you enough for all your support of me and my books!

    Nope, I could never pick one because there are certain things I love about all of them. ;-) I ALWAYS love my heroes! And Kevin is definitely the most tortured, so it is really satisfying when he finally earns his HEA.

    You'll have to tell me which one YOU liked best and why when you finish this one.

    AC

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  26. Enjoyed the interview and the book sounds great! Thanks for the giveaway!!

    myra0502@yahoo.com

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  27. Would love to be entered. Thank you for the contest!

    robin [at] intensewhisper [dot] com

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  28. Hi Aunty Cindy,
    Congrats on the new release. I hope to hear more about your contemporary romantic suspense story you're working on.

    janie1215 AT excite DOT com

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  29. Great interview AC and of course fantastic book I loved it.

    You write such magical adventures that draw me in love your characters and settings I always feel as if I have visted Ireland after reading your book.

    Have Fun
    Helen

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  30. Loucinda's book sounds good. Pretty cover.

    Crystal816[at]hotmail{dot}com

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  31. I love stories set in Ireland!
    Enjoyed the interview.

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  32. It sounds like a terrific read. Please enter me in contest. Thank you. Tore923@aol.com

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  33. Hi Loucinda and Anna, very nice interview.

    Loucinda, I read The Wild Sight and just could not put it down. I lost sleep over that one and was so happy I did. If you could have heard the *sigh* after finishing, I didn't want it to end.

    I look forward to reading the Wild Irish Sea.

    armiefox at yahoo dot com

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  34. Hi Anna and Loucinda! Thanks for the interview. I enjoyed reading it. Please enter me in the contest. It sounds like a great book.

    forwhlz at gmail dot com

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  35. MyraC and RobinK,
    Best of luck and I hope you enjoy The Wild Irish Sea!

    AC

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  36. Hi Jane!
    (Aunty waves furiously at her loyal fan)

    Thanks for 'popping' by! As for my WIP, I hope to soon be able to tell you that it is SOLD. ;-)

    AC

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  37. HUGS, Helen!

    (Aunty blows kisses to her #1 fan)

    I'm so happy you LOVED Amber, Kevin and Parker's story. THANK YOU for spreading the word.

    AC

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  38. I would really enjoy this read. Thanks Anna.

    dorcontest at gmail dot com

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  39. Great interview. Please enter me!

    meredithfl at gmail dot com

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  40. CrystalGB,
    Thank you for the compliment on the cover. I can take no credit, it was all done by the Sourcebooks Art Department.

    Tore,
    Best of luck in the contest and I appreciate you dropping by!

    AC

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  41. My mom would love this! And I'd love to win it for her :)

    adrianecoros(at)gmail(dot)com

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  42. Estella,
    Always good to find another fan for Irish stories! I hope you enjoy The Wild Irish Sea, and my first book, which is also set in Ireland, The Wild Sight.

    AC

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  43. Armenia,

    Telling me that you lost sleep because you couldn't stop reading on of my books is truly music to my ears! So glad you loved The Wild Sight (yes, Donovan was indeed sigh worthy! ;-)) and I hope you enjoy The Wild Irish Sea equally as well!

    AC

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  44. Sandy Jay,
    Thank you for dropping by. I had lots of fun with Anna's interview and I'm glad you enjoyed it. I hope you also enjoy The Wild Irish Sea! ;-)

    AC

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  45. Dor,
    I do hope you enjoy the story!

    Meredith,
    Thanks so much for stopping by!

    AC

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  46. LAMusing,
    What a nice daughter you are! Best of luck in the contest and I hope you and your mom both enjoy my book.

    AC

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  47. Hi, AC!! Hope you had a great 4th! You mentioned chocolate being a must-have for the romance writer--it's a must-have for the romance reader, too :)

    Can't get enough of those delicious Irish heroes! Will your cruise series feature them as well, or will you be breaking new ethnic ground? ;)

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  48. Hello Anna & Loucinda
    wow sound like an awesome story. I too adore the movie The Secret of Roan Inish & CHOCOLATE.
    I have never been to Ireland shocking really I lived in Scotland for many years Go home to visit my MOM often but still haven't taken the time.
    I hope to someday I know my heart beats faster swells with love & pride when I step off the plane my feet hit the dirt in my heartland I know Im at peace it's where I belong.
    Great Interview Ladies.
    Have a good one.
    Ann

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  49. Hi Fedora!

    Thanks so much for dropping in to Anna's lovely blog!

    Guess what I have as a special treat for my book launch party on the 11th? TIM TAMS!!! You'll only need to drive a couple of hours... I'm just sayin'!

    As for the new series... matter of fact, the hero of the first book (my current WIP) is called simply The Irishman. Maybe I'll write a non-Irish hero someday, but not yet! LOL!

    AC

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  50. Alba/Ann,
    I'll confess, I've never been to the Highlands either (only Edinburgh). I really want to go one of these days!

    And I know what you mean about there being "something" you feel when your feet touch the auld sod. :-)

    Thanks for dropping by and glad you liked the interview.

    AC

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  51. I really enjoyed reading about Loucinda. I love the bit about naming a murder victim after your nephew-in-law! He got to be in 1 of your books!

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  52. Wow....sixteen cruises....That's awesome. I've not been on one yet...but my day is coming.

    I love the premise of your new novel...Twins, Selkies, Ireland, Romance....Sounds intriguing.

    I'm looking forward to reading it...and Congrats on your new release of The Wild Irish Sea.

    mitzihinkey at sbcglobal dot net

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  53. Great interview! The book sounds really good. You are a new to me author, which I love finding. Please enter me for a chance at it.

    I follow on gfc

    mlawson17 at hotmail dot com

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  54. Hmmmm, it appears Blogger "ate" my last 2 posts.

    Honest Fedora and Alba/Ann, I answered both of you!

    Fedora, I invited you to my in-person launch party because I am serving Tim Tams!

    Alba/Ann, I've never been to the Highlands, but I'd dearly love to go!

    Thank you both for dropping by.

    AC

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  55. I enjoyed reading the interview with Loucinda McGary and I would love to read The Wild Irish Sea. Thank you for the chance!

    blondie_31971(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  56. Please count me in.

    simplystacieblog at gmail dot com

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  57. This one sounds great! Thanks for the chance to win!

    jenny.maurer84 at gmail dot com

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  58. Ohhh, a new selkie book!! I so can't wait to read this one. Thanks for stopping by today. Congrats on the book!!

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  59. Sounds like a wonderful book, and I would love to read it. Please enter me. Thanks!

    ayancey(at)dishmail(dot)net

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  60. Sounds like an interesting book - I'd love to read it! Also, it's good to see that there are others who aren't morning people & who function best in the afternoon and evening. Good luck with your book!

    megalon22 at yahoo dot com

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  61. This sounds like a great book! Enter me, please! =)

    angelgirl122193 (at) aol (dot) com

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  62. I love the cover and cant wait to get my hands on a copy. Please include me in your giveaway.
    Thanks
    Debbie
    debdesk9(at)verizon.net

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  63. I enjoyed hearing about some of elements that went into the creation of this story. The sea is said to be the last undiscovered frontier. The Irish Sea sounds like a great backdrop to this romantic suspense novel and I like the blend of the paranormal as well.

    alternate email from blogger
    magenta 2 red [at] gmail [dot] om

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  64. Very interesting interview. The book sounmds so very good!
    pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

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  65. The Wild Irish Sea sounds a book to put on my must read for summer list.

    I found the interview very interesting, and thank you for hosting this giveaway. i would love to be one of your two lucky winners.

    terrymac1a at hotmail dot com

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  66. Hi Loucinda, Loved your interview. I enjoy learning the why, where, how you decided to become an author and chose your story. Thanks for stopping by to chat. I have added you to my new authors list.

    misskallie2000 at yahoo dot com

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  67. I would love to win this book. Thanks for the chance.
    peacelily_2006(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  68. I enjoy reading but unfortunately cannot afford to buy books! Please enter me!

    aveggiemom@yahoo.com

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  69. I enjoy reading but cannot afford to buy books! I would love to win! I love the idea of your blog!

    Please enter me.
    aveggiemom@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete

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