David nodded to the sailors, who picked up the inboard end of the platform and tilted it. The canvas slipped out smoothly from beneath the flag to fall into the ocean’s depths with the smallest of splashes, a faint ripple showing where their shipmate went to his final resting place. “Dismissed!” Mr. Bryant told the men, who returned to their tasks, but Charley stood watching David, who was watching the men folding the flag. She asked him once if the privateers made a difference for America. [He said] "...we are not the Royal Navy with hundreds of years of ships at our beck and call. The United States is young, but we are strong because we put everything we have into the fight, especially at sea.” -- SEA CHANGE Today is Memorial Day in the United States, the day when we remember the men and women who gave their full measure to defend our nation. I was privileged to tour the USS Constitution yesterday, and felt especially glad that I could see this iconic fri...
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BLUEBERRY PIE I was at the farmers' market this week and got carried away when I saw the lovely fresh blueberries. Once I got them home I realized I'd never eat them all, so I tried making a blueberry pie. It was a huge success and a couple people asked me for my recipe. The original recipe called for 3/4 c. sugar. I cut back to a scant 2/3 and next time I'll only use 1/2 c. because I like my fruit pies tart rather than overly sweet. Note the pie takes four cups blueberries in two parts 1 (9 ") pie crust, baked 1/2 c. sugar 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch 1/4 teaspoon salt 2/3 c. water 1 cup fresh blueberries 2 tablespoons butter or margarine 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 1/2 tablespoons orange liqueur (like Curacao) 3 cups fresh blueberries Whipped cream or ice cream (optional) 1. In a large saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt and water. Mix well, then stir in 1 cup blueberries. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly...
Greetings from Jerusalem! It took me a moment to find the settings to change this to English since any Hebrew blogging I'd do would have been very short and likely incoherent. I'm here on holiday and visiting my son. Last night I had an amazing experience. We went to supper at Tmol Shilshom , a bookstore cafe in Nahalat Shiva. That was lovely, but the amazing part was afterward when we strolled around the streets and my son, who is most definitely his mother's child, ducked into a used bookstore. He called out, " Ema ! (Mom!) come here!" So I go into the store, looking at all the English language bestsellers along with the Hebrew, French and Russian books there. He says, "No, come over here. Now, look at the shelf." I did, and sitting there amongst the bestsellers were a used copy of Pirate's Price and one of Captain Sinister's Lady . I confess, I squeed with delight. The clerk, who spoke English, was thrilled to meet me (No,...
SEA CHANGE by Darlene Marshall--Summer, 2011 David Fletcher needs a surgeon, stat ! But when he captures a British merchantman in the Caribbean what he gets is Charley Alcott, an apprentice physician barely old enough to shave. Needs must, and Captain Fletcher takes the prisoner back aboard his ship with orders to do his best, or he'll be walking the plank. Charley Alcott's limited medical skills are being put to the test in a life-or-death situation, Charley's life as well as the patient's. Even if Charley can save the captain's brother there will still be hell to pay--and maybe a plank to walk--when Captain Fletcher learns Charley is really Charlotte Alcott. Historical Romance coming this summer from Amber Quill Press. ****** So there's the official announcement. I'd toyed with the idea of calling this one "The Privateer's Purloined Paramour", but wiser heads prevailed. Now I start the process of editing and revision, but this ...
OperationAuction is a fundraiser for the family of a member of the romance community whose husband was murdered in a workplace shooting. The donated items are being auctioned, and you can bid on a signed copy of The Bride and the Buccaneer here Loads of great items were donated, from signed books to critiques, and it's all for a good cause. Check it out and get your bids in while you can.
I love doing the research for my novels because sometimes I run across gems like this: "The degree of commitment to Jacobitism has indeed become the Loch Ness Monster of eighteenth-century history. The true believers are convinced not only that it existed but that it was huge...they relate the equivalent of alleged sightings, out-of-focus photographs and sonic soundings." From A Conscise History of Britain 1707-1975 by W.A. Speck
Jack unclenched his jaw far enough to say, "You're taking my money and my horse? You are nothing but a common thief!" "Sir, I protest! You are nothing but a common thief. I am an uncommon thief!" He played the last card of a desperate hand. "You can't do this! You're just a little girl!" "Are you angry someone my size was able to overcome you? I did lie about one thing. I am twenty years old, not a girl of sixteen. Here is a final lesson then for you to think about this evening--because it looks like you will have a great deal of time to reflect on your sins--treachery wins out over size and muscle almost every time, Sir Highwayman." With that she mockingly saluted him, and without another word turned on her heel and left. He yelled impotently at her to return and untie him, but as he heard his faithless ma...
"Early in their journey this morning they passed a burnt-out homestead, its brick chimney all that remained of a family’s dreams. Vines were already encroaching and moving in, but there had been a gardenia bush in bloom near what must have once been the front door, and Sophia paused to snip off a bloom. The lush fragrance filled her senses, but it was also a reminder of the dangers lurking in paradise." --The Bride and the Buccaneer Spring has arrived in North Florida, though I understand other parts of the country are still suffering. I'm sympathetic. We're not so far south that we don't see the seasons change, so we get that whiff of new beginnings each March, along with a ton of pollen dropping from on high. I should, in fact, have wiped down all the horizontal surfaces on my porch today since I can't plop myself down without a cloud of yellow pollen poofing up. Instead I went out and repotted a couple of rose bushes because the roses are do...
BOSKONE 48 or "How I Spent My Winter Vacation" I arrived in Boston a couple days before the convention to spend time with my son, who's in grad school in Cambridge. We had a lovely visit, even though my credit cards were smokin' and begging for mercy by the time I kissed him goodbye and headed to the Westin Waterfront. I didn't have any program items Friday afternoon so it was an opportunity for me to see some old friends, many of whom were working the convention, and get unpacked and ready for the festivities. The weather in Boston through Friday had been more than tolerable--highs in the 60s, and lots of slush and melting ice. That all changed Friday night. We were walking back from supper and about four blocks from the hotel a storm hit us sideways. It was a combination of winds clocked at over 40 mph, driving sleet and hail. One of our party had her glasses knocked off and blown away, another was a petite woman nearly blown off her feet! ...
“I’ve never been a husband, Mandy. Sharing someone’s life in this manner is all new for me.” “You already know the most important things about being a husband, Morgan. You are protective of me, you provide for my welfare, and you love me. Judith told me of an old proverb: ‘Love is good. Love and noodles is better.’ And that is what there is to being husband and wife.” ---Captain Sinister's Lady Happy 35th Anniversary to my dear husband, who still provides me with love and noodles.
Pompom paused at the sight of a blue-tailed skink sunning itself on a rock, his entire body stiffening. The two humans watched the dog, who was totally focused on the lizard. “If he was only a little larger, Pompom could hunt for us, Dr. Murray.” Alexander started to say something snide about the animal, then stopped himself. “Would he bring us a deer, do you think?” Castaway Dreams c. 2011 (WIP) The bichon in my WIP (work in progress) may not have been able to bring down a deer, but I once had a hound who could. I was pleased this morning to read the news about Westminster Dog Show and see that the Redbone Coonhound is now recognized in the competition. When I was growing up we lived for a time outside Naples, Florida near to the sawgrass and hunting country. One morning we awoke to find a dog on our doorstep, hungry, footsore, gun-shy and pregnant. We couldn't find an owner, and the dog adopted us. She was a huge Redbone hound a...
"If you give me your heart, I can give you mine, and I will be as true to you as the needle to the pole, darlin'."--Smuggler's Bride Today is Valentine's Day. It's a day to celebrate love and healthy relationships. Be sure to hug your sweetie, and if you don't currently have a human sweetie, maybe you can do something special like donate or help out at your local pet shelter. Love comes in all forms, and nothing says "I love you!" quite like wet doggy kisses or a cat purring in your lap.
My Boskone 48 Schedule, Part Deux: Here's the updated schedule with program item descriptions and moderators: Saturday 12noon Southern Vampire Mystery Woman -- The Charlaine Harris Interview Charlaine Harris Darlene Marshall She's the prize-winning, internationally best-selling author of almost thirty mystery novels. What's she doing at a science fiction convention? We suspect it starts with the day Charlaine Harris asked herself, "What kind of person would date a vampire?" and kept thinking until she had created Sookie Stackhouse. But we've got plenty of other questions about the resulting Southern Vampire Mystery series (running on TV as the acclaimed /True Blood/ HBO series) -- as well as about her Harper Connelly "grave reader" books, her 20-plus-years-in-the-making overnight success, and how she manages to write like the hilariously dark daughter of Anne Rice and Connie Willis. Saturday 3:30pm Reading: Darlene Marshall (0.5 hrs) Dar...
Over the weekend I learned what my heroine's dark secret is. Now that I know it (and it's not what the hero or I expected!) I'm back at work. I must say, this new information has made writing today much more fun. I wish she'd revealed this information to me sooner. And if this all sounds a little like you should be calling the boys in white coats to take me away, don't worry. It's a writer thing. I see fake people, and they talk to me. Sometimes it takes a while before they really open up. But I'll have my revenge before I'm done, and then she'll learn what happens to characters who withhold information from me! Bwahahahahaha!
My Boskone 48 Preliminary Schedule Saturday12noon Southern Vampire Mystery Woman -- The Charlaine Harris Interview Charlaine Harris Darlene Marshall Sunday 10am The Spirit of the Place Laird Barron Charlaine Harris Alexander Jablokov Darlene Marshall Margaret Ronald Consider when scenery is so much a part of the fabric of the story that it almost becomes ...