first leg of our trip to Cambodia

Well how do I explain what happened on Wed. night in NYC at JFK... We arrived after a delay because of the weather and gathered our bags. we got to the area for EVA Air but had to wait till 8pm for the check-in area to open. No problem we have time, our flight wasn't scheduled to leave till 12:05AM. Finally we can check in. I have two big bags, the boys each have one. they go to other people I go way down the line, get done and come back up to stand with Pat and Kyle. Kyle finished up and came to stand with us. Pat finishes up and we are about to walk away when the ticket agent or whatever he was says "Sir" to Pat. We turn and he says, "You are only going one way? Do you have a Visa??" "No" Pat and I say in Unison, you don't need one till you enter... "Yes you do" says the man. w are standing there staring at him and I said we have never needed one prior, we are Americans, we have never needed to have a visa prior..." we went through this for about 1/2 an hour back and forth. He said since Pat only had a one way he needed a visa prior..." I said "No" So I get out my phone and call Brendan in Cambodia. I am rapid fire talking asking him if he since he always goes one way did he need to do this? "No" he tells me. he got so upset so quickly and the EVA Air said pat can't board unless he has a visa or buys a two way ticket..." I am about to bang my head on the counter, Pat is about to give up, Bren is screaming in my ear... So I hang up with him and call my daughter MaryKate who is engaged to the Prime Minister's nephew... I tell her the same thing. Like Brendan she is yelling at me to tell them they are wrong... "I did." I said. Both told me I had to be firmer... I am trying everything and "No go" for Pat. They said they would call Immigration in Cambodia to see if he could have permission. We go sit down and Pat is already given up. I am so upset but not ready to give up the ship... So the calls back and forth from Cambodia are going fast and furious. i am telling MK. "Tell Cheat(Chee-at) to call someone... with his family and connections. So finally MK starts calling back with questions and Cheat in the background. they want his passport # and ticket #... In the mean time I get on my facebook and ask friends for Prayers and positive thoughts. Anything to help. A lot of my friends respond from all over the world, Kenya, Africa, Australia, NH, California, all over. I was on the phone with a friend in Florida and texting Bob. In the meantime because brendan is still yelling at me and MaryKate is doing just about the same thing I am getting pissed. Not a good frame of mind to be in an airport... BUT pissed I am getting and I get on the webpage for the Royal Cambodian Embassy and it says "Visa upon entry... So i go armed with my ipad and run upto the manager who is handling us. I show him and tell him, just give us a waiver form. My family in Cambodia will handle it. "Wait." Says he. Me: "I'm tired and wicked hungry and I'm not going anywhere without my son." I think I stamped my foot. he said "wait" I go back, Brendan calls again and says he is sorry. I am shaking by then. I can only go so long angry.No news and then a woman is walking towards us, with an official look. She comes up and says "Miss You come with us, we get your son's boarding pass, you board the plane... We received a call from your family and the Government in Cambodia. Everything is fine..." We are looking at each other and I tell Bren we can board... So we went through security and finally were able to get on our flight. So now we sit at the gate, more Cambodian's come down to get ready to board, hearing Khmer is neat. I haven't slept in I don't know how long. I am not going to check this too much, just post and hope there aren't too many mistakes. So this Author who is also a Fire Fighter is Mother first and foremost. Who you wouldn't want to cross.

My Novella's Cover

My trip

Well I have my new iPad mini that I will be using when in Cambodia. I'm trying to get used to it before leaving as this will be my primary way of updating and telling you all about my trip. It' taking just a bit to get used to. Once I arrive there I will figure out where is best to find wi-fi also up in Siem Reap when visiting Angkor Wat.

Inside The Mind Of Wenona: Mary Moriarty-Amazing Woman, Firefighter, and Auth...

Inside The Mind Of Wenona: Mary Moriarty-Amazing Woman, Firefighter, and Auth...: Hello, my name is Mary Moriarty, author of The Kings of Angkor: Army of a Thousand Elephants which was published this June. As you can...

Medieval Times/ Middle Ages

I think my favorite time period is the Middle Ages or the medieval times. I have always loved the time of King Richard the Lionhearted or Richard Coeur de Lion. That's why it came so natural for me to find the time of King Jayavarman VII and his queens so facinating. I also feel I developed a bond of sorts. Jayavarman's 2 queens co-reigned with him in a country that was in the middle of a jungle. While the rest of the world as it was known at that time was in the dark, Jayavarman and his two queens were working for the people building road ways, schools, libraries and hospitals.It was a time of enlightenment. With each King of Angkor, each and every one left his mark on the temple which would become the largest religious structure in the world and still is. National Geographic showed a map fo Angkor Wat which is the term to include all the temples. Part of that is the Bayon and Angkor Thom that Jayavarman VII built. If you look at the size of all those temples and NYC. NYC is swallowed up.

Back to terms of time... Dark Ages were the early Medieval period in Western Europe. Approximately between the years 476-800. There was no Roman Emperor or Holy Roman Empire.It also meant Intelectual Darkness. Middle Age period, no not the time when you hit your 40s...but starting around the 5th century ce and going to the time of the beginning of the Renaissance which depending on what part of Europe could have started as early as the 13th century, 14th but no later then the 15th. It was during this time that Angkor Wat was being built starting around the years 700 or 800 and collapsed around the time of the beginning of the Renaissance. The two kings that I focus on are Suryavarman II and Jayavarman VII. Below is a link that you can copy and paste to read about the queens and how they helped shape a King and their nation. http://www.devata.org/2010/09/ancient-queens-who-shaped-an-asian-empire-indradevi-and-jayarajadevi/

writing like a crazy person...

Just a real quick post to say I am getting super excited about my future trip to Cambodia next month. Three of my children are back there now. Also I have been writing like crazy. The words are just pouring out which is wonderful. I can't even explain it. For those who write you can understand. Those who don't write they look at me, and some try to understand but they can't. To have the thoughts and scenes in my head and to be able to just write and get them out Well I am really happy and in love. I am following in love with the characters, especially the males of my story. They are Alpha males and want to love and protect those who are in their lives and they love. All I can say it's awesome! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Future books

I have a favorite author and she is a favorite of many and has been. On her blog she has a list of books that are in the works or maybe. She has a sequel down but it's below this line that states anything under that line may never get done. Lately she has been working on other things and that 'maybe book' hasn't moved. I want to see the sequel as I am sure many other readers do too but we don't have a personal in with this author and even though she is real sweet in answering back. That future book hasn't moved on the list. Well here is my list. Now mind you I am not going to give you a title yet for most as they are not written in stone yet but the book is in the works and the title is the general idea. Also it if it is not connected with TKOA (The Kings of Angkor) it could move up and down on the list. Further explanation will be coming soon. #2 in the Kings of Angkor -Release, sometime 2013. Novella, title yet to be decided, Paranormal - Release sometime early 2013. The Lioness/Return to Me, finished eons ago, need to really work on it. Contemporary Romance set in Cambodia, Afghanistan and Iraq. Only three to my knowledge have read parts of it when I was posting snippets of it on my older blog. I titled it "Return to me" my son Brendan titled it "The Lioness" because of a phrase said in the manuscript. I am going to have it worked on and maybe get it out. I truly fell in love with the characters when writing it. It has a sound track like all my books, more definitive then some, if you get a chance to read you will see. I would like it to see the light of day. Release, maybe sometime 2013. Sequel to the Novella, as I was listening to AC/DC yesterday the minor character of the Novella were taking shape soooooo maybe. "The Ghost and Katie Thayer" A ghost story, Paranormal Romance set on the coast of Maine. "The Missing Statues of Koh Ker" ,Mystery/Romance takes place in Cambodia in the 1920s. "Cowboys and Angels" ,Setting, present day Texas or out west almost finished, it's another novella.

Welcome

Well if you are looking for my new Author's blog... you aren't the only one... I was working on a post and something happened to that one and all of a sudden while looking for that one I was looking at my original one it too disappeared ... GRRRrrrrr So anyway. Here you will find post about anything I happen to be writing about and hopefully it won't disappear...

Welcome to my author blog.

Well you might wonder why I would create another blog. It's here for me to tell you about whatever I am writing about. Whether it be The Kings of Angkor Series or another book that is in the works that takes place in Cambodia in the 1920s or the novella I just finished yesterday. I will also keep you posted on updates on my online activity that's in regard to my work. Trying to learn the ropes of an author's online presence is not all that easy or maybe it is BUT with the lack of time I am learning slow. So as of yesterday I had the novella done, another manuscript that has been done for some time BUT is on the back burner. Then I have the 2nd in the series of The Kings of Angkor that is in the works. With the holidays coming up and then my trip to Cambodia right after Christmas I have a lot going on. Today started early as always got the kids off to school and then was working away... That's when it happens. Off in my own little world and the tones went off (My pager vibrates then a shrill Beep,Beep,Beep. Since I live in a black hole as dispatch calls it, I don't always get the tones or communication from the county dispatch. I got the tone, nothing else. Grabbed my phone and pager and ran. Got down stairs and the text from dispatch came in... "structure fire" That notches my heart rate up that many more beats. We ended up going back to the house which was really just a chimney fire. Second time working on cleaning out the chimney. I was part of a three man team down in the basement. So that's what this author does in her spare time. Besides taking care of my family, cooking and of course writing I am a fire fighter for my town. I'm on call 27/7 unless I turn my pager off. That doesn't happen often. So stay tuned to here or my other blog The Kings of Angkor which will be about anything Cambodia and my series that is dear to my heart.