I am in New Orleans for the Romantic Times Conference and am posting here some old pics of the city for you to enjoy while I’m out and about and probably too pooped to write a post!
Posted by: Author | May 16, 2014
Friday Facts- May 16, 2014- New Orleans Pics
Posted in Friday Facts | Tags: citiy pics, Friday Facts, New Orleans
Posted by: Author | May 14, 2014
Wordless Wednesday
Posted in Wordless Wednesday | Tags: Wordless Wednesday
Posted by: Author | May 12, 2014
Tuesday Tales- May 13, 2014- Mother
I’m thinking we have the word Mother this week because it’s mother’s day soon. I have no idea if that’s the reason but that’s my speculation anyway. I’m still sharing from Til Murder Do Us Part even though I finished the first draft on April 15th. Be sure to check out the other entries here.
The nurse turned on the overhead light, took Margot’s blood pressure and pulse then checked her wristband before handing her a small cup with a couple of tablets in it. “This is an antibiotic in case of infection from your wound site and a pain pill.”
“I don’t think I need anything for pain. I’m feeling all right without it.”
“Doctor’s orders.”
“I’m a doctor myself and I don’t want to take it.” Margot crossed her arms.
The nurse looked at Richard. “Doctors are the worst patients.”
“She told me the other day that her name was Miss Jenkins. Don’t doctors usually insist on being called doctor?” Richard was using that smile he seemed to save for when he wanted women to melt at his feet and it was working on the nurse. It was also working on Margot herself but she tried to deny it.
“Very funny, Detective Higgins.”
“So we’re back to our formal titles, Miss Jenkins?” He winked.
“No, you’re not to call me Miss Jenkins anymore. It’s Doctor Jenkins.”
He nodded then turned to the nurse. “Leave the pill, I’ll make sure she takes it.”
“I shouldn’t but I will. If she doesn’t take it, let me know because I’ll have to chart it that she didn’t.” The nurse hung Margot’s chart on the end of the bed and left.
“I think you should take the pain pill. You’re going to be sorry if you don’t. You’ve had a transfusion and trauma to your body. You need to follow your doctor’s orders.” Richard held up the little cup. “Please. As a favor to me?”
She smiled a little. He did seem concerned about her. She took the cup, swallowed the tablet and chased it down with water.
“What’s the deal with suddenly deciding you’re a doctor again?”
“Funny thing about that.”
“What’s that?”
“After Geneva died, I quit being a doctor because I was shattered. Both personally and professionally. I’d gone to medical school as a way of proving I was smart and capable and worthy of my parents’ love. It wasn’t because I had some burning desire to practice medicine. That’s why I chose to work in the morgue. It wasn’t about patient care, it was about proving to them that I was worthwhile.”
“Why wouldn’t they think that any way? You were their child. Of course they were proud of you.”
“There’s a funny thing about that as well. One of the things I learned from Paul Murdock in that dark place was that my parents played my sister and me against each other. It seems my mother spent her life telling Geneva how wonderful I was for being her doctor daughter and then making sure I knew how marvelous Geneva was for being an Olympic level swimmer. Neither one of us was the favored child.” Margot barked out a laugh. “When I think about all the time I spent—no, wasted—on fretting over who mom loved best and trying to earn her love, it gives me chills. I should’ve lived my life as I saw fit not as I perceived someone wanted me to.”
“And now you’ve decided what?”
“That I really did enjoy being a doctor and I want to practice medicine again but this time I want to deal with the living, not the dead.”
Richard reached over and took Margot’s hand from where it lay on the bed. He brought it to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “Bravo.”
Posted in Tuesday's Tales | Tags: mother, prompt, story, Tuesday tales, Tuesday's Tales, word prompt
Posted by: Author | May 9, 2014
Friday Facts- May 9, 2014- Syllabub
EDITED TO ADD: I am visiting Vicki Locey today – pop over and say hi and check out a few of my pictures from Puerto Vallarta. Here’s the link.
I wrote a Regency Christmas story and have it out on submission now. I wanted to share one of the old fashioned drinks from that era that I have actually tasted. It was a pretty strong drink which a lot of the ones of that era seem to be. It’s a wonder the British got anything done during that time period since they had to be at least half drunk most of the time.
Anyway, syllabub was a drink/dish made with cream and wine and was served cold. The cream was frothed and eaten with a spoon and the liquid part, which was mostly liquor as it separated from the cream, was sipped through a spout on the glass used to serve it in.
The Oxford English Dictionary calls it “a dish or drink made of milk or cream, curdled by the admixture of wine, cider, or other acid…”
If that sounds gross to your modern palate, I have to agree. When I tried it, I shuddered. LOL
Here’s a link to a recipe should you have a burning desire to try it. (FYI- castor sugar is what the Brits call finely granulated sugar- buy superfine sugar here- or use regular granulated sugar that you’ve ground in a food processor).
Posted in Friday Facts | Tags: castor sugar, cider, cream, food, Friday Facts, granulated sugar, recipe, Regency England, Syllabub, vicki Locey, wine
Posted by: Author | May 7, 2014
Wordless Wednesday
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Wordless Wednesday
Posted by: Author | May 5, 2014
Tuesday Tales- May 6, 2014- Free
Today’s word is Free. I’m still working on the story called Til Murder Do Us Part. This week, the heroine finds herself in the clutches of her former brother-in-law. Check out the other tales of the week here.
“I have friends who set me up with a campground pass and I brought her out here at three am. After that fiasco in the cemetery and my failure to grab you at the Grand, I went back to the house and forced her to tell me what was going on.”
“What did she tell you?”
“About some conversation in the ladies room at the bar. I’m pretty bright myself and figured out it could only be the arrogant doctor sister-in-law behind any investigation of me and my tragic widowhood. I called a friend in Reno today and learned some other interesting facts so it was then only a matter of finding out your hotel and coming to get you. Patricia was kind enough to let me know you were staying at the beach.”
“How did you find my room number? I know the desk didn’t give it to you.” They continued deeper into the darkness. Margot wasn’t sure she could find her way out if she did get free and if she wasn’t a little dizzy from blood loss.
“I watched you on the beach and in the water. I do have to say, Margot dear, that even though your sister was the champion swimmer that you fill out your own suit quite nicely. It makes me wonder which sister is better in the sack.”
“You’re disgusting.” Margot spat on the ground. “Don’t you dare speak of my sister.”
“I’ll do and say what I want. I’m in charge here.” He turned the corner. “Look—if your eyes have adjusted to the dark that is—here’s your friend Patricia now.”
Margot, following too close on his heels, slammed into Paul’s back. He stumbled a little but regained his balance before she could shove him to the ground. She peered around him to see Patricia seated on the dirty ground. Her feet and hands were tied and she had a rag in her mouth. Her eyes were round and terrified. They almost glowed in the dark they were so white and wide.
Posted in Tuesday's Tales | Tags: Free, Tuesday tales, Tuesday's Tales, word prompt
Posted by: Author | May 2, 2014
Friday Facts- May 2, 2014- Strawberry Letter 23
There is a record called Strawberry Letter 23. It was a 45 rpm by The Brothers Johnson that came out in 1977. It was unusual in that the label was pink and the vinyl was red and it had strawberry scent embedded in it to make the record smell like strawberries. How much fun was that? Do you remember this record? I do. 
Posted in Friday Facts | Tags: 45 rpm, records, red. Friday Facts, scent, strawberry, Strawberry Letter 23, The Brothers Johnson
Posted by: Author | April 30, 2014
Wordless Wednesday
Posted in Wordless Wednesday | Tags: Wordless Wednesday
Posted by: Author | April 28, 2014
Tuesday Tales- April 29, 2014- Flying
This week, the prompt is Flying. I’m still working on the Pensacola based story called Til Murder do us Part. Check out the other entries here. Since some folks are confused by the gaps I’m leaving in the story, Mitch is the private investigator helping Margot in her quest to bring her former brother-in-law, Paul Murdock to justice. Patricia is Murdock’s current wife. This is part of a scene after last week’s snippet re: the danger Margot faced.
The phone rang. She picked up. “Hello.”
“Checking to see if you got sucked down the drain. You’ve been gone a long time. Are you sure you don’t want to take some time and rest? I can go deliver the flowers while you take a nap.”
“I’ll be down in a few minutes, Mitch. I had a hard time getting my shoes on and tied. It hurts to bend as far as I need to for that task.”
“I could’ve helped you. You could’ve called me to come up.”
“I got it. I’m on my way now.”
Downstairs, Mitch sat on the couch waiting for Margot. When she saw him, she walked over and said, “What took so long?”
“Isn’t that supposed to be my question?” He stood and picking his fedora off the seat beside him, shoved it on his head. “Is there a solid plan or are we flying loose and free?”
“I think we take me to my car and then I drive on to the park. You take the flowers we’re going to buy at the grocery store we have to go past to get to the Murdock house. Once I leave the neighborhood, you ring the doorbell and hope Patricia opens the door.”
They moved out of the hotel through the automatic double doors and to the parking lot. “Saddle up, then. Let’s go.” Mitch led her to his car and unlocked the passenger door.
“First you ask if we’re flying then you tell me to saddle up. I don’t know if I’m in the old west or at an airport.”
“Check it out, Margot. You’re at the beach.” Mitch waved his arm in the air as he ambled to his side of the car.
As he slid inside, he laughed. “You know, you really should’ve been a lawyer or something as much as you like to come back with a sassy remark.”
“Look who’s talking.”
“Off to the grocery store for the flowers.” Mitch backed out of his parking spot and they headed toward town.
Posted in Tuesday's Tales | Tags: flying, Pensacola, prompt, Tuesday tales, Tuesday's Tales, word, word prompt
Posted by: Author | April 28, 2014
Special Guest- V. L. Locey
Jillian: Today, I have V.L. Locey here as my guest. She and I share a publisher (even though her work is much hotter than mine) and we are also buddies on Tuesday Tales. She’s an awesome writer and a great friend. I hope you like her excerpt and blurb.
V.L.: Before we get to chatting, I`d like to thank Jillian for having me here. I love dropping by and spending time visiting with my online friends! My name is V.L. Locey and I`m a mulitgenre erotic romance author.
Do you use pet names, or endearments for loved ones? How about funny foo-foo names for your dog or cat? I`ll admit it. I do. I always call my husband ‘Wilbur’ although his name is William. I don`t even recall why I began calling him that, but somewhere in our almost twenty-three years of marriage I thought it sounded cute. My dog`s name is Tinker, yet we call him ‘Bobo Baggins’. And then there are my cats. I`m not sure we really need to hear this, but since I started it I might as well come clean. I call my female cat, Lu-Lu, ‘Pretty NuNu’ and my male cat, Lucius, is known as ‘Handsome Yellow Boy’. And those cat names must be spoken as if you`re talking to a three month old infant. How embarrassing.
Ah, those endearments. They really aren`t too bad if you take them in stride. Tender nicknames are a way of expressing emotion without having to be too shamefaced. In A Most Unlikely Countess, Veikko Aho, my leading man and starting goalie for the Philadelphia Wildcats, comes up with an adorable pet name for Liz Argon, our lovely yet shy storyteller. At first, Liz isn`t too keen on the playful endearment the famous athlete gives her, but over the course of the story it seems to grow on her. Sometimes we can`t shake those pet names no matter how hard we try. And sometimes we grow to adore the nickname nearly as much as we do the loved one using it. Do you have a nickname? I`d love to hear what it is, if you`re willing to share!
How about we have a short blurb? Then we`ll have an excerpt that deals with Veikko`s nickname for our Liz.
Blurb
Painfully shy Liz Argon probably shouldn`t be dreaming of Veikko Aho, star goalie for the Philadelphia Wildcats. As she works side by side with ‘The Count of the Crease’ on his memoirs, she finds herself falling for the handsome goaltender. His tender ways with her and her mentally fragile mother are slowly claiming her heart. If only Veikko wasn`t already engaged to a woman far better suited to move in to ‘The Count`s’ world. In book two of the To Love a Wildcat series, we`ll see if a glass slipper can survive in the rough and tumble world of professional ice hockey.
~*~
Excerpt
He was at the baby grand, his head bowed as he played each note with perfection. Lord Elton John would be proud of how well Veikko was playing Someone Saved My Life Tonight. The keys were hit with passion and agony. I lingered in the doorway of the living room as he lost himself in the song, or so I thought.
“Come sit beside me, Piglet,” he said, jarring me from my appraisal of him, the piano, the muted light in the corner, and the tumbler of liquid sitting within easy reach. Whiskey, if the smell was any indication. Not sure if I liked his nickname for me or not, I nonetheless moved closer to him. He glanced up, his long fingers never missing one key, then he jerked his head to indicate the bench. I moved behind him to sit primly at his side. Yes, it was whiskey in the tumbler. The smell was a thick fog around the man. So he had drunk his dinner tonight. That boded well.
“Tell me, Piglet, have you ever had a man break your heart?” he asked his accent slightly thicker from the ingestion of who knew how much Jack Daniels.
“Sure.”
“I get no other details than that?” His hands moved across the keyboard smoothly, leaving me in yet a deeper hole of disbelief. I had come into this job with a massive number of misconceptions about athletic types. Veikko was shattering all my stereotypes. Not only was the man not dumb, he possessed all his teeth, he was a lover of fine art, a philanthropist, a highly skilled pianist, and a deeply emotional human being who was now begging, in his own masculine way, for me to commiserate with him. Maybe it was the booze that had him beseeching in as manly a way possible for heartache tales.
“He was a college guy.” I sighed, hearing the lyrics written by Bernie Taupin clearly in my mind. “I was sixteen, he was twenty-one. He got what he wanted and I never saw him again. Typical, right?”
He said something unpleasant in one of his two native tongues that if translated might have made a sailor gasp. It sounded really vile.
“Hey, it was years ago, but thanks for getting all big brother about it, Pooh.”
His snort surprised me. As did the gentle elbow he pushed into my side. “Shy little Piglet needs a burly Pooh to defend her honor from time to time.” He chuckled, obviously a bit drunker than he should be given he had to play tomorrow night. “I am sorry he hurt you. You have such a good soul, kind and caring, not filled with conceit and self-absorption.”
Well, what did a person say to that? Going with the usual response I have ready for random acts of kindness, I muttered thanks while wishing I had let my hair down.
The music stopped. I found myself being drawn to look at him, even though it would make me flushed and unable to speak properly. He was too close. His eyes far too hooded.
“Sing for me,” he whispered. “I wish to hear the words. They are good words for tonight, don`t you think?”
Wetting my lips my eyes roamed from his face to the whiskey. Maybe I needed a few fifths as well.
“I`m really sorry about things, how they happened, I mean. You and she seemed…looked so good together, well, I think if you want me to sing you need to play.”
“Thank you, Piglet.” He exhaled, pressed his lips to my cheek then started at the beginning of the song once again. My lips were rather disappointed that I didn`t turn to catch his mouth with mine. I could have. I should have. It would have been so simple: just a turn of the head at the wrong, or right depending on your POV, moment. His lips on mine, just for a minute in a startling kiss that would lead to something hot, carnal, and as everlasting as the peaks of Mardavia.
Those kinds of moments don`t happen for skinny, shy chicks though. Closing my eyes, I began singing about east end nights, slip nooses, and thanking God for music that pulls us through.
~*~
You can find Liz and Veikko`s book, A Most Unlikely Countess, here: (It is recommended that you read the series in order)
You can find Pink Pucks & Power Plays, the first book of the To Love a Wildcat series, here:
V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, belly laughs, anything romantic, Greek mythology, New York Rangers hockey, comic books and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.) She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, a steer named after a famous N.H.L. goalie, a pig with the same moniker as a famous President, and a flock of assorted domestic fowl.
V.L. is a self-published and conventionally published author. She is a proud Torquere Press and Secret Cravings Publishing author. When not writing romantic tales, she can be found enjoying her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in hand, writing, or cheering on her beloved New York Rangers. She can also be found online on Facebook, Twitter, and GoodReads.
I love to meet new friends and fans! You can find me at-
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/pages/VL-Locey/124405447678452
Twitter- https://twitter.com/vllocey
Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5807700.V_L_Locey
My blog- http://thoughtsfromayodelinggoatherder.blogspot.com/
Posted in guests | Tags: A Most Unlikely Countess, book, Erotic, erotic romance, guests, romance, SCP, Secret Cravings Publishing, Tuesday tales, V.L. Locey
Jillian Chantal 