A Virtual 'Anywhere But Here' Game.......
So why is it things go wrong in BUNCHES?? Appliances go belly up, screen doors break, tires need to be replaced, mom's still in a cast and assorted other worries and or problems that you can't necessarily fix start piling up all at once.
What's a writer to do??? Well, for me, I play a quick game of Anywhere But Here. And where do I go when I'm playing this game? I take a soothing mental trip back to Scotland.
There's a small town, a village, really, that I fell in love with the last time we were there. Crail, Scotland is not far from Edinburgh, only ten miles from St. Andrews and has the most gorgeous harbor and lighthouse I've ever seen. My dh and I sat on the sea wall for an hour, just staring out at the waves crashing over the spit of land that leads to the lighthouse. Boats rock in the harbor, old wood creaking. Wind so cold and so fierce that the mailslots on the nearby houses have cloth stuffed in them to cut down on the draft, pushes at you, daring you to stay there on that sea wall. The gulls are screeching, the sun is shining and if you look straight ahead, you can stare into forever.
The picture above came from
If you're ever in Scotland, do yourself a favor and go to Crail harbor. But for now, when you play 'Anywhere But Here', where do you go??
posted by Maureen Child @ 1:37 PM
15 Comments:
At 1:45 PM,
Anonymous said…
You know, I read this yesterday and thought about it. I live in my favorite place in the world. BUT, if you FORCE me to go somewhere else, it'd be back to Tabacon Resort in Costa Rica.
http://www.tabacon.com/
It's at the base of Arenal Volcano, an active volanco. Follow the link and check it out
At 2:54 PM,
Maureen Child said…
Cyndi.......Ooooooh. Now that would be something to see!!
And how cool for you that you actually live in your favorite place in the world! You're a lucky woman!
At 4:07 PM,
Anonymous said…
If you looked at the Tabacon website, the place is really as awesome as it looks. I got a massage every day! LOL It was a hidden treasure when we went.
Watching the volcano erupt was something. We'd be laying there in bed, we'd hear a rumble, the husband would yell "Eruption", jump out of bed and fling open the curtains so he could watch the red lava flow down the side!
At 4:28 PM,
Kate Carlisle said…
Maureen, I think we were separated at birth. You know I've been thinking about Scotland all week! Very weird. But what a great place to just sit and ponder. I must've missed Crail when I took the train to St. Andrews. Must go back and see it next time!
Cyndi, I'll check out Tabacon, too! And P.S. Cyndi, you won a prize when Maureen visited Romance Bandits last month. Go see!!
At 4:30 PM,
Kate Carlisle said…
Oops, forgot. Cyndi, I announced your prize on the April 25th blog at RB.
We now return to our regularly scheduled programming! But hey, you won Maureen's books, so I think it's okay to mention it here! :-)
At 4:52 PM,
Anonymous said…
Kate - Thanks for letting me know about the win. I AM THRILLED TO DEATH! I've had my head under a rock for the last 10 days or so. Finished up something I want to submit to Nocturne Bites...I like it. It's been through CP's, but gosh, how do you KNOW it's ready to go?
BTW Maureen, this is the first "installment" in the series, Demon War Chronicles. You helped me plot another book in the series...One I haven't written yet. I thought Nocturne Bites might be a good way to build a readership for that.
Thanks again Kate...
and Maureen - Thanks for letting me and Kate talk "through you" LOL
At 6:09 PM,
Maureen Child said…
LOLOL......hey, do you two need to be 'alone'?? Too funny! Kate my love, yes, we were definitely separated at birth! I'm so glad we finally found each other!!
Cyndi, get that puppy into Nocturne!! You're too good a writer to sit on your stuff. Ask Kate what a good nag I am!!
At 6:10 PM,
Maureen Child said…
Oh yeah.....seeing my dh leap out of bed shouting 'Eruption!' would be well worth the price of the ticket!
At 6:54 PM,
Jennifer Lyon said…
Today it's Ireland.
Sorry things have been tough, Maureen. I hate those times when it's one thing after another!
At 9:14 AM,
Maureen Child said…
Hey, Jen! Thanks for that....but where in Ireland??
At 9:42 AM,
Jennifer Lyon said…
No idea, Ireland just sounded good. I hardly ever get out of Southern CA.
I'd love to go to Scotland too. And Australia.
Most days, I picture myself on a balcony over looking the ocean--that's my happy place I escape to in my head.
At 1:48 PM,
Maureen Child said…
Jen, your happy place is a good one!
I've been emailing you, but AOL is NOT playing nice.....
At 3:02 PM,
Jennifer Lyon said…
Maureen, so sorry about AOL! You can try Jenapodaca@yahoo.com I'll make a point of checking that email account.
At 8:04 PM,
Molly said…
Oooh, I'm voting for Scotland, too. I missed Crail also, but will check it out next time. My favorite spot is a little tea shop on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. It's called Clarinda's. Naturally my favorite spot is somewhere I had fabulous shortbread - among other goodies. I have no idea if the scenery was transcendental, but the sweets definitely were! . . . and hurray for men in kilts.
BTW, Maureen, I am in the middle of "A Fiend In Need", having finished "More Than Fiends" yesterday. OMG! I can't remember the last time I laughed out loud so much! My dh and the kids keep chuckling 'cause I have this running laughter going.
Just so you know, I first discovered you when I listened to a "Meet the Editors" podcast on eHarlequin. They said if we were interested in writing for their imprint, read your books, because you are one of their best authors. Then, lo and behold, out comes your very own podcast. I loved it. In the past 3 weeks, I have bought at least 8 of your books. Just adore them!
Molly in PA
At 8:01 AM,
Maureen Child said…
Hi Molly!
Don't know how I missed that tea shop in Edinburgh....but I DID find a GREAT one right here by my house.....weird, yes??
Thank you very much for all those nice words! I'm so glad you're enjoying my books! And I'm really glad that my podcast didn't scare you off!! LOL...you never know how you'll end up sounding in an interview!
But wow.....8 books in three weeks?? All I can say is Thanks!
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