My new book, Love Above All, available February 4th.
Monday, December 24, 2012
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Excerpt from THE UNQUIET HEART
Kojiro glanced in her direction, hoping to catch her eye, but Libby was peering out the car window at the colored lights pulsing faintly in the distance. Situated brazenly on the lonely stretch of road, a love hotel, illuminated with strings of glowing lights and flashing red neon hearts, loomed out of the mist like a mirage.
Kojiro eased his foot off the accelerator as they approached the entrance. The 'hotel', filtered through the charitable lens of the fog, looked like a whimsical Disney castle that had been uprooted from the Florida swamp and transplanted to the wilds of northern Japan. Libby leaned forward for a better look.
She knew all about love hotels. Charlie had gleefully filled her in on the prurient details. They were like little theme parks--for adults only--where couples could go for an hour or more of uninterrupted pleasure.
The proprietor never showed his face. Rates were posted on the door and payment was deposited in a small box that could be accessed from the inside and out. Guests parked their cars under the portico adjoining each room and their license plates, after being carefully recorded in the manager's ledger book, were screened from passers-by. Americans looked upon the love hotels with amusement or dismay. But to the Japanese they were a practical solution to the problems of privacy and space that vexed their lives.
"You wouldn't think they would get much business way out here," Libby said. "It's miles from Hachinohe."
On closer inspection, the 'castle' which from a distance had looked so enchanting, was a disappointment--the Medieval facade like a cardboard cutout, tawdry and insubstantial.
Kojiro grunted, yea or nay, she wasn't sure which. He had been so quiet the last half-hour, Libby had given up trying to talk to him and let him concentrate on his driving. For all that it had been an enjoyable evening, she was relieved it was almost over. She wondered if he would ask her out again. She hoped not. She didn't want to be put in the position of having to make a decision one way or the other.
Libby needn't have worried. A second date was out of the question. By the time they reached Misawa they were no long speaking to one another.
THE UNQUIET HEART
Available on September 10
Kojiro eased his foot off the accelerator as they approached the entrance. The 'hotel', filtered through the charitable lens of the fog, looked like a whimsical Disney castle that had been uprooted from the Florida swamp and transplanted to the wilds of northern Japan. Libby leaned forward for a better look.
She knew all about love hotels. Charlie had gleefully filled her in on the prurient details. They were like little theme parks--for adults only--where couples could go for an hour or more of uninterrupted pleasure.
The proprietor never showed his face. Rates were posted on the door and payment was deposited in a small box that could be accessed from the inside and out. Guests parked their cars under the portico adjoining each room and their license plates, after being carefully recorded in the manager's ledger book, were screened from passers-by. Americans looked upon the love hotels with amusement or dismay. But to the Japanese they were a practical solution to the problems of privacy and space that vexed their lives.
"You wouldn't think they would get much business way out here," Libby said. "It's miles from Hachinohe."
On closer inspection, the 'castle' which from a distance had looked so enchanting, was a disappointment--the Medieval facade like a cardboard cutout, tawdry and insubstantial.
Kojiro grunted, yea or nay, she wasn't sure which. He had been so quiet the last half-hour, Libby had given up trying to talk to him and let him concentrate on his driving. For all that it had been an enjoyable evening, she was relieved it was almost over. She wondered if he would ask her out again. She hoped not. She didn't want to be put in the position of having to make a decision one way or the other.
Libby needn't have worried. A second date was out of the question. By the time they reached Misawa they were no long speaking to one another.
THE UNQUIET HEART
Available on September 10
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Juliet McCarthy-Author: THE UNQUIET HEART
Juliet McCarthy-Author: THE UNQUIET HEART: My novel THE UNQUIET HEART available on September 10th.
I am inspired to write my first blog after attending the Air Show in Hillsborough, Oregon in order to see the United States Air Force Demonstration Squadron "Thunderbirds." It was a blisteringly hot afternoon—100 degrees plus on the tarmac but my husband and I rarely pass up an opportunity to see the aerobatic team perform. For sentimental reasons—my husband flew the F-16—and for the visceral thrill of watching the electrifying performance.
I am inspired to write my first blog after attending the Air Show in Hillsborough, Oregon in order to see the United States Air Force Demonstration Squadron "Thunderbirds." It was a blisteringly hot afternoon—100 degrees plus on the tarmac but my husband and I rarely pass up an opportunity to see the aerobatic team perform. For sentimental reasons—my husband flew the F-16—and for the visceral thrill of watching the electrifying performance.
The squadron is made up of 120 men and women commanded by the lead pilot. Altogether, there are eight pilots—the six who fly the demonstration, the Operations Officer—the spare, in case of mechanical problems with one of the airplanes or illness and the Advance Pilot-Narrator.
The show in Hillsborough, as always, was an impressive display of precision flying by the dedicated team, including in the number 3 slot, Major Caroline Jensen. A graduate of the Air Force Academy, she has more than 2,500 hours of flying time—200 of which were in combat in the F-16.
I was reminded of the heroine in The Unquiet Heart, Libby Comerford and heartened by the success of women pilots in the armed forces. For more on Major Caroline Jensen, married and the mother of a young son link to Meet the Thunderbirds http://www.aopa.org/sunnfun/2012/120331meet-the-thunderbirds-number-3-pilot.html
Friday, August 10, 2012
Friday, July 6, 2012
About Me
Juliet McCarthy
I am the author of Unquiet Heart, to be published by Crimson Romance in September 2012. In 1993, I was an award winner in the UK's prestigious Ian St James Awards and my story, "Moira Flaherty" was published in the collection Flying High by Harper Collins. My passions are literature (reading and writing), Medieval English history, Japanese art and travelling.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)