Posted by: Author | September 16, 2013

Tuesday Tales- Glass

This will be the last Tuesday Tale with this particular story as I have finished it and am polishing it to submit.

Today’s word is Glass. Check out the other posts here.Badge for TT - very small

Idly wishing the waiter had left the bottle of wine but knowing that it wouldn’t be good to have finished it off since she needed her senses about her, she finally flopped down on the bench seat and tried to read the Tatler magazine she’d brought along with her.

Fiona flipped through the pages. It was no good. She couldn’t concentrate. She tossed it to the floor and rose from the bench. She walked over to the window and placed her head on the cool plate glass. It was pitch dark outside but she could see some lights in the distance. Her heart lurched as those lights reminded her that the train would soon be arriving in the city and the Istanbul station. Her skin itched and she knew how a snake must feel as it shed its skin.

Tired of the house arrest and stressed out by the long wait, Fiona turned to the door. She was going to leave the compartment before she went completely insane. If they hauled her to jail, so be it. She turned the handle and flung the door open.

Lady Sarah Marchman stood there with her fist raised as if she were in the process of knocking. Fiona let out a gasp. “Oh my, you scared me. Come on in. I’m glad for the company. I was just going a little stir crazy.”

Posted by: Author | September 14, 2013

New Release – Enchanted Edinburgh

I have a new release out that came out today. You can get it here if you want.

It’s a short story and is quite affordable at 99 cents- the publisher calls them weekend reads as they are quick little tales. This one was inspired by my trip to Edinburgh last October. I took the picture on the cover, as well. Check out the original photo. IMG_0424 (2)

Blurb:

Working on her doctoral dissertation has been stressful for Jenna Monroe, an American studying at Edinburgh University. She’s writing about the mythological kingdom of Camelot which historians believe was above the City of Edinburgh at a place called Arthur’s Seat near Salisbury Crag. She hikes up to the crag for inspiration, and while resting there, meets a man in a hooded cape.

The man introduces himself as Art, the son of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere. A castle appears out of the mist and the man escorts her inside to dine. Believing it to be a vivid dream brought on by too much stress, Jenna shrugs off the encounter. She’s later shocked when she sees the man from her dream in town.

Excerpt:

“Come and eat.” The man led Jenna through a large door and to a table. He called out to a passing woman, “Bring us some roast pig and bread and some mead.” Jenna was grateful that she was a medieval scholar and could understand the dialect the man spoke.

“Yes, sir.” The woman scurried off to do his bidding.

Jenna sat in the chair the man pulled out for her. She glanced up at him. “What do I call you?”

“I’m Art.”

“Of course you are. I’m Jenna.” Jenna giggled. “Since this is my dream, it’s obvious that I’d name you after Arthur because we’re on his seat.”

“What’s it going to take to prove to you that you’re here in my castle and it’s real?”

“Give it up, medieval man. There’s no way you’re going to convince me of that. This is only the vivid dream of an overworked grad student.”

The woman came back and placed plates of food in front of them as well as two mugs. Art took off his cape. He wasn’t bald like she’d thought earlier. He had blond hair, and quite a lot of it.

After he was seated, he slid his plate toward himself and picked up a hunk of the meat. He opened his bread and placed the meat inside.

“Ah ha,” Jenna said. “The Earl of Sandwich invented the sandwich in 1782. Therefore, this has to be a dream since in your time, you would’ve never put those together. You’d have eaten them separately.”

“There’s a flaw in your logic, lass.” Art took a huge bite of his sandwich.

Her stomach rumbled, but before she took a bite, she asked, “What’s that?”

“Since I’ve been in your time, I know all about sandwiches. After all, didn’t you see me go into MacDonald’s pub today? It’s my favorite place to eat and drink. They serve a killer roast beef.”

“Okay, you know what? I’m going to enjoy this marvelous dream food and let you pretend that this is real because I’m starving and can’t wait any longer.” She picked up a large piece of meat and stuck it in her mouth. She groaned in pleasure. It was so succulent and tender. After she chewed and swallowed, she sighed. “Ahh, God, I wish this was real. I’d eat it every day. Wow. It’s the best thing ever.”

EnchantedEdninburgh_MED (2)

Posted by: Author | September 13, 2013

Friday Facts- September 13, 2013- Agatha Christie

97l/29/huty/7633/12

Tomorrow we should all drink a toast to Dame Agatha Christie. She was born on September 15, 1890 in Torquay in the UK. She’s the lady who led me to my love of the mystery genre and my love of all things British (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was the man who did the same thing- wouldn’t they have been a formidable team as co-writers?).

I love her stories and I was chagrined the other day to learn that her heirs have agreed to allow Hercule Poirot to return in a new novel. No offense to Sophie Hannah, the author the heirs chose, but please, some things are sacred. I loved Gone with the Wind but when Alexandra Ripley (who’s work I like) was authorized to add more to Scarlet and Rhett’s story, it was an abomination. I read it and kept saying, “Who are these people and where are Scarlet and Rhett?”

So, drink a toast with me to the grand dame of mystery and maybe even sneak in a slice of cake but don’t make me read that new book coming in 2014, okay?

Posted by: Author | September 11, 2013

Wordless Wednesday

photo

Posted by: Author | September 10, 2013

No Tuesday Tale Today

We’re skipping Tuesday Tales this week.
Stay tuned for next week’s tale.

I thought I’d share my newest cover today since I haven’t posted it here yet. I can’t wait for this story to come out. It’s a fun little fantasy inspired by my trip to Scotland last October. The background photos are mine, too!

EnchantedEdninburgh_MED (2)

Posted by: Author | September 9, 2013

The Shadowy Horses- A Book Review

I picked up this title at the RWA national conference and am so glad I did. I enjoyed it very much. It’s based in Scotland and I absolutely fell in love with that country when I visited last year. The book very much evokes the magical atmosphere of that country.

The heroine is called in to work on an archaeology dig as a finds manager. She’s in charge of cleaning and categorizing anything found on the site. The interesting twist to this story is the fact that the dig site is haunted. Add in two attractive men, a psychic little boy, interesting characters from the town and others who work at the house of the wealthy man who owns the site, and you’re got a super recipe for a suspenseful, romantic and historical story with a smidge of Gothic thrown in for good measure. I also kind of liked the fact that the romance was on the sweet side. 516-DEt5l-L__SY346_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_

I liked the author’s style and voice and will certainly be reading more of her work.

Posted by: Author | September 6, 2013

Friday Facts- September 6, 2013-Condign

This week’s Friday Fact is a word definition. I like this word a lot and although I think it happened a lot more in the past than it does now, it still happens once in a while in the present.

Condign is from two Latin root words. The first is Con which means together or with. The second is Dignus which means worthy. Something that is condign is appropriate or worthy. It is mostly used with a criminal punishment. A harsh punishment but one that fits the crime. Severe but just, if you will.

The old eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth probably comes from the principle of condign.

Posted by: Author | September 4, 2013

Wordless Wednesday

2013-05-23 18.38.28

Posted by: Author | September 3, 2013

Tuesday Tales- Building

Today is Tuesday Tales day again. This week’s word is building. I’ve finally gotten a good grip on how to tie up all the loose threads in this story that were holding me back and I’m moving a long at a steady clip now. Click here for the link to the other stories.Badge for TT - very small

“That’s a good idea. I saw them come in ahead of us. I’ll go over in a minute and see if that works. We’re running out of time. I don’t think the police will give in and not take Fiona to lock up when we arrive in Istanbul. I know Ahmet and Faruk will want to haul in their suspects if they can catch them and I feel in my gut that the heroin issue is somehow tied into the murders but I have no proof. All I know for certain is that I can’t leave Fiona in a foreign country at the mercy of a system she doesn’t understand and a language she doesn’t speak.”

“Big brother, I do believe you’ve fallen for my pal, Fi. Can it be true?” Cordelia smiled at Win over the rim of her highball glass.

“Interestingly enough, Cordelia, I think I have. It seemed that the more I saw her and talked to her the more I liked her.”

“Ahh. I get it. It was like constructing a building. Each meeting added a little more to the project?” Cordelia giggled.

“A bit like that, I guess. My feelings built as I continued to encounter Fiona. At first, I didn’t think much of her since she was so quiet and subdued but her strength as she’s gone through this ordeal has really impressed me.”

“It’s impressed me, too, mate.” Mack drained his glass. “Go on over and have that chat with the Marchmans so we can get this production underway.”

“All right. Keep an eye out and signal me if you see Abigail Perry come in.” Win stood and picked up his glass. “Once I lay the groundwork, then we can stake out Fiona’s compartment.”

“I like that plan. Until then, I’ll enjoy the lovely Cordelia’s company.”

Posted by: Author | August 30, 2013

Friday Facts- August 30, 2013-I Have a Dream

This week was the anniversary of the Martin Luther King, Jr “I have a dream” speech. It was actually the 50th year since he made that impassioned plea and even though we’ve come a long way, we still have a long trek before the dream can come true. Sadly, it’s a problem on both sides of the racial divide. I don’t like to get political so I won’t but I really would love a world where we were all judged on our character and not on color, religion, weight, and other prejudices. If we could all believe that everyone is a heart and soul walking around in different outfits, wouldn’t the world be a great place? Live and let live is truly the way I try to live.

To the great visionary, MLK, I offer a toast! and a hope for a dream come true.

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »

Categories