A SPECIAL WELCOME TO OUR INAUGURAL GUEST, AUTHOR OF "ROMANCING THE SEAS," CAIT O'SULLIVAN

Today I am thrilled to be kicking off my new site with author Cait O'Sullivan. Cait and I have become acquaintances just recently, but it didn't take me long to figure out that she was a great gal and someone I knew you'd love to meet. Perhaps it is because Cait is from Ireland, the land of my ancestors. Perhaps it is because Cait is a fellow romance writer. Or perhaps it's just because she's as much as a goof as I am. Read on. 



Hi, Cait! Thanks for joining us today.  

Thanks MJ for having me here on your blog today, I very much appreciate it :).

My pleasure entirely! So, let's dig in.  Why don't we start by you're telling me when your love for writing started?


I think I was 16 when I discovered that writing essays was the best thing ever! But I forgot about it for a while and it was only when I traveled the world that I could see the effect writing had on me – for example if I sat down to email whilst in a negative mood, I would arise from the seat after writing happy again. It’s the same now, if something upsets me, writing helps settle me.

What is something you struggle with when you write?

Time! Having the time to write. It’s rare, having a day to myself. Tends to happen maybe 3 times a year, for a couple of days at a time. Not enough, in my opinion.

How do you balance the demands of your everyday life and your writing life?

I’m only muddling through at the moment, still learning. I go through phases: rising at 5 to get some writing in before my two young daughters wake, then spending a couple of hours writing when they’re out learning. The afternoons are then spent looking after them/doing homework/getting the dinner, interspersed with online networking. That’s the ideal. Holidays/sick children/other work tend to tip this fine balance regularly! But it’s what I long to get back to.

Do you have hobbies that you’d like to share?

Music and dancing – I couldn’t live without them. My current music-love is West African, I simply love love love the kora – a cross between a harp and a lute. The notes and chords created by the 28 strings sound like ‘light dissolved in star showers thrown’ (thanks to Percy Shelley for that wonderful quote). As I have the good fortune to live in London, I can find lots of gigs to fuel my soul. I go and I dance, and I dance and I dance. Come back home again all inspired and full of gorgeous creativity. It’s divine.

Another thing in common, our love for music. But I think I'd rather sing it, where you'd rather dance to it. So you live in London, where would you love to live?

Would love to live in New Zealand…although it’s very far away and I wouldn’t get my West African fix! But when travelling, I fell in love with this country – it’s beautiful and breath-taking. I spent 10 weeks hiking – or tramping as they call it in NZ – around both islands, but mainly the south. So that’s one place. I would love to go back home too, to Ireland.

Okay, now for a couple of fun questions. If you could be any animal, what animal would you choose, and why?

A lion – brave, strong and fearless. I love them.

When trick-or-treating as a kid, was there any kind of candy that you didn’t like to get?

Yes – but it wasn’t candy, it was fruit! Yup, sometimes walking the roads in Ireland, I used to get mandarins.  But it was entirely different over here then compared to in the US anyway. For a start, we had to sing a song/recite a poem/tell a joke in order to get a treat. I still ask the kids here to do something when they arrive at my door but I’m generally looked at as though I’m mad.

What was one of the best Christmas presents you ever received?

A Mickey Mouse watch when I was 18. LOL. 8 maybe.


What CD is in your CD player right now?

Baaba Maal Television.

Name your favorite children's story.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Oh, I love that one! And all of the C.S. Lewis Narnia books! I used to read them to my kids and give them to my nieces and nephews for Christmas. What is your concept of a fruitful day?

Writing, networking, spending constructive time with my girls, and having them eat a nice healthy dinner. (yeah I’m a bit of a dork when it comes to their diets – I just love it when we get the balance right – guess this counts for me too actually)

Sounds quite sensible to me. Well, thanks for joining me today. Now let's entice folks with an excerpt from "Romancing the Seas!"



She tilted her head to the side, and looked upwards at him, her eyes turquoise in the firelight. “Well done. You’ll be buying her a primrose private jet soon.”

“No way. I love hiking, climbing even, but hey, don’t get me in the air in only a tin can. I can’t do it.”

“What do you mean?” she watched his lips as he spoke and he had to look away from her bright gaze.

“I can’t fly.” He laughed, a bright sound that took him by surprise. “Well obviously I can, otherwise I wouldn’t be on the other side of the world to where I grew up. I hardly sailed here. No, I mean I hate flying. Brings me out in a cold sweat every time. Long-haul flights are the easiest to cope with, being as there’s a stretch of time between take-off and landing, so I can attempt to relax. But short flights? Hell no. You wouldn’t catch me dead on one.”

Pippa bent her head to look at him lopsided. “I guess we all have stuff to deal with.”

The words sounded dreamily husky to him and he caught her clear, honest gaze in her upturned face, glowing in the light of the fire. She smiled at him, and he could see her genuine interest in him and what he was saying.

He cleared his throat, trying to clear the salacious thoughts that were coming hot and fast.

“Are there more blankets?” He had to get away before he did something silly. He walked around the corner, smiling to see a dark blue blanket folded neatly on the kitchen table for him. His jacket had withstood most of the wet, so his t-shirt was dry enough to leave on. But so much for waterproof trousers — they still had a way to come before they were as efficient as the jackets.

As he came around the corner, having stripped off from the waist down and wrapped a blanket around him, Jonathon paused to watch Pippa. A faint blush from the fire graced her cheeks, and her rosebud mouth shone red. Perfectly formed ringlets corkscrewed around her face, with curls alternating between a burnished bronze colour and a glowing amber. He couldn’t drag his eyes away, just wanted this moment to last forever. Something outside the window warranted her undivided attention, as her white teeth were busy chewing on her lower lip, and even from her profile, he saw she wore a small frown.

He gave a little cough, afraid that if he looked at her unawares for much longer, there would be no hiding his reaction to her. The fire crackled like a machine gun as his less than noble thoughts started charging the atmosphere.

Bio-

Cait O’Sullivan is a romance author with a love of words and magic, having had the good fortune to grow up in Ireland. The wanderlust in her blood sent her out to travel the world and now, residing in a leafy suburb of London, it is her thoughts and memories that journey far and wide in order to create her stories.

"Romancing the Seas" is now available for order from Amazon,  BookStrand or Crimson Romance

Learn more about Cait:
FACEBOOK - Come by and ‘like’ me to stay updated with my news.
TWITTER
WEBSITE/BLOG






32 comments:

  1. As much a goof as you are LOL No question about it -- only when can we go goofy together :) Thanks for having me here, MJ, I'm thrilled to be your first guest yay!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, we definitely feed off of each other! Thanks for being here, Cait. It's been such a pleasure getting to know you.

      Delete
  2. Fun interview ladies! I love listening to music, but unlike you Cait I can't dance very well and MJ, no way would I sing..unless I'm alone in my car! hehehe!

    Congrats on your book...Romancing the Seas is a wonderful read!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by Christine! You should try karaoke. It's very freeing. And it's not about being good. In fact, the worse you are, the more people love you!

      Delete
  3. LOL Christine, I never said I could dance very well, only that I do :) I do love singing too, just not very good at it but I try! Heck, the neighbours know that :) Thanks honey for coming on by!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I just got this book! I'm nearly finished writing the final installment of my trilogy. When I'm finished, I'm going to dig into Romancing the Seas. Whoop!
    -R.T. Wolfe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for taking a break from your writing to stop in, RT! Looking forward to book three! It was such a delight to interview Cait. I'm glad you could catch here today!

      Delete
    2. Woo hoo Big thanks Tanya -- you're a total honey! Thanks for coming on by :)

      Delete
  5. The kora sounds like a fab instrument - not one I've come across before. I love dancing too but never seem to get the opportunity any more; my spoil-sport husband refuses to dance! We should meet up in London sometime and get our groove on Cait :)

    Great interview ladies, there were some really interesting questions there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Christy! I think it is because Cait provided some interesting answers. I happened to be in Ireland a few years back on Halloween and Cait is right, it's a whole different thing than what we do in the States. I tend to imagine it as being the same everywhere, so it is intriguing to get another take on it. I appreciate you popping in and sharing your thoughts!

      Delete
    2. Christy -- you're on! Come and hear some beautiful Kora music played by some beautiful Senagalese men...it's a totally different world that anything you know, AND it's very inspirational! Thanks for popping on by!

      Delete
  6. I do a little dancing and singing to my favorite music, too, but only in the privacy of my own home where I'm in no danger of frightening anyone but my dog. :)

    Fun interview, ladies, and I'm eager now to read "Romancing the Seas!"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do that whole 'dance like no-one is watching' thing and after 2 years believe it :) Thanks Juli, I hope you enjoy RtS :)

      Delete
    2. It has to be a good song for me to want to dance. I hate it when a girlfriend drags me out on the dance floor and I discover I can't dance to whatever song is playing! Thanks for joining us, Juli!

      Delete
  7. Congrats on your new site Mary! And great interview and excerpt Cait! We had two houses that always gave us fruit while trick or treating. If we'd been asked to do something for our treats we'd probably have done a trick--like TPing their house. Just kidding. :-) Where in Ireland are you from? I've been tracing my Irish rellies for the past 6 years and have been there 3 times to meet them all. They are in Westmeath, Mayo, Belfast, and Dublin.

    Congrats on your release and good luck!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Eliza -- yeah where do they get off giving you fruit? Mad. I'm from Ireland, my mum is from West Meath so whereabouts are your relations? We could well be related!! Thanks for the well wishes too :)

      Delete
    2. My Coffeys & Flanagans were from Collinstown & Taghmon Westmeath and my Dalys & Cullens were from Kilbeggan and Rofortbridge(?). Oh, and I had Lynches from Old Castle Meath just north of Collinstown. My rellies now live in Mullingar.

      Congrats again on the release!

      Delete
  8. There was one house when we were kids that always had a party. You had to come into the living room, stand in the middle of a circle of adults, and do your trick. Talk about pressure! We also had neighbors who always got Dunkin' Donuts and had apple cider in a punch bowl. Funny how you never forget that stuff! Thanks for taking the time to visit with us today, Eliza! Have a great one!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL MJ -- have you checked to make sure no-one filmed and you've all ended up on You've Been Framed (do you have that over there, home clips of silly/funny home videos?) But pressure is right...maybe they thought they were turning you into film stars or something!

      Delete
    2. No You've Been Framed, that I know of. But we've got America's Funniest Videos, which is probably pretty much the same thing.

      Delete
  9. M.J., huge congrats on your inaugural interview - wonderful questions. And Cait, I loved your answers. It's so nice to get to know you better. I am going to listen to some kora music now, because the Shelley quote was inspiring! May you have oodles of sales in 2013!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah thanks Deborah! Oodles of sales sound fabulous thanks. I love Shelley too :)

      Delete
    2. That was pretty! Thanks for popping in, Deborah, and best of luck with your time-travel trilogy, "Love, Eternally," "After the Fall," and "Return to Me." I've been enjoying the first in the series immensely!

      Delete
  10. Dear Eliza, no Coffeys or Flanagans in my family, we're all O'Sullivans or just Sullivans. I will check with Mum though. It's a lovely part of the world and I reckon we're distantly related!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I've had great fun hanging out with you MJ, and your guests. Am still very honoured to be your inaugural interview too! Thanks xoxo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I loved having you, Cait! You'll have to come back and visit with us again when your next book comes out. Best of luck with "Romancing the Seas" and all of your adventures!

      Delete
  12. Wonderful interview. Great questions and great answers.
    Congrats on your release!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for joining us today, Brenda! Hope you'll wander back this way soon!

      Delete
  13. Replies
    1. Thanks, Rowena! And we'll see you here tomorrow!

      Delete
  14. Replies
    1. Thank you, Sara, and we appreciate you stopping by today.

      Delete

Share your opinion!