Noting Her Passion Beaumont resident Charlee Ganny treasures her work as an author, antiques dealer RON LIEBACK -- Saturday, June 24, 2007

Author and antiques dealer Charlee Ganny of the Big Red Barn Antiques and Junque in Beaumont wrote ‘Careful What You Wish For,' a light-hearted romance set in Noxen, not too far from a 32-acre farm she calls home. Pete G. Wilcox/The Times Leader Times Leader Photo Store

Charlee Ganny.

No. That's not a typo.

There are two e's at the end.

"My father wanted to name his first child Charlie," Ganny said. "But out came a girl, so after some arguing, my parents decided on the extra e, which ""

There's more to this anecdote, but it's sufficient for now, considering the many other stories Ganny has to share, some narratives running 100,000 words.

They're not self-published narratives, though, but in print through the Penguin Group, a major publishing house.

The self-nominated eccentric is not only searching for stories; she's also on the hunt for antiques.

"I was just in town and spent $400 for 200 boxes of stuff from this man in Wilkes-Barre," the Beaumont resident said during a recent interview. "I bought them, but I don't even know what's in the boxes, but it should be fun when I find out."

Ganny, publishing under the pen name Lucy Finn, officially released "Careful What You Wish For" on May 5, a light-hearted romance set in the wooded countryside of Noxen, not too far from a 32-acre farm she has called home since 1972, which the animal lover shares with 11 cats and three dogs.

Directly across the country road from her home lies a once dilapidated barn that Ganny had restored in 1998. It became her antique shop called Big Red Barn Antiques and Junque (yes, just like her name, this is also not a typo).

"I have a passion for antiques," she said. "Writing is so lonely, totally solitary, just you and the computer; I was going stir crazy and I love to shop, so I started filling up the house with antiques. Then they eventually moved into the barn, so I just opened up a shop. I don't make much money, but I have enough for shopping."

Her writer's instinct led her to investigate the barn's history. She learned it was built in 1864 by Charles Herdman, a Civil War lieutenant whose family still resides in the area.

"My great-great-great-grandfather died in the Civil War," she said. "My mother's family has been in Noxen since the 1800s, before the Civil War, so the barn means a lot to me."

Since she's in Noxen, it's quite obvious that Ganny didn't have to look far for her new book, part of a genre called "paranormal romance."

The plot involves a handsome pilot turned genie who spent the last 60-plus years waiting for someone to release him from a bottle. The undeniably attractive genie appears from a puff of smoke in the kitchen of Ravine Patton, a smart lawyer and practical single mother who resides in the relaxed town of Noxen. All she has to do is make three wishes and he is gone, but she's not quite sure about what to wish for.

The book was well-received by the Library Association's Booklist.

"The plot is quite realistic," she said. "The lawyer gets out of Noxen, moves to Philly, gets pregnant and has nothing but unhappiness, so she comes back home to Noxen, where there really is nothing to do."

Ganny has enjoyed a rapidly expanding fan base since her first vampire book, "Beyond the Pale," written under Savannah Russe and published by Signet-Eclipse, made the USA Today best-seller list in 2005. The first in a series of six, the book was followed by "Past Redemption" in 2006, and "Beneath the Skin" in 2007. The fourth, "In the Blood," will be released on Nov. 7.

Ganny received her bachelor's degree in English from Drew University in New Jersey, and her master's in English from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.

She then received a post-graduate scholarship to Princeton University.

Co-written with Susan Collini, Ganny published "Two Girlfriends Get Real About Cosmetic Surgery," a woman-to-woman discussion about the benefits, costs and risks of cosmetic surgery. The book, published in 2000 by Renaissance Books, was rejected 38 times.

"The publishing world is tough," she said.

"It's lonely, and you must stick with it, even if it takes 38 rejections."

"I was just in town and spent $400 for 200 boxes of stuff from this man in Wilkes-Barre.

" I don't even know what's in the boxes, but it should be fun when I find out."

"The publishing world is tough," she said. "It's lonely, and you must stick with it, even if it takes 38 rejections."

Lucy Finn / LucyFinn.Com Pennsylvania For requests for media interviews, writing seminars, or book signings, please contact: Writers Unlimited Inc. 570-675-3447 E-Mail FinnFans@gmail.com

Lucy Finn says: "Follow Your Heart."

All Art Courtesy: Bob Heim