Editor Says

My Amelia Island's Mark of a Man is in the final phase, with

Amelia Island's Mark of a Man
working cover

the editor.   An editor is necessary to catch typos, loose ends, consistency. The author just can't because his/her brain fills in how the copy should be, thereby, missing those typos, etc.

I'm getting excited.  I hope the editorial comments I'll pepper throughout this blog will get you excited, too, because the more readers who join us, the more feedback we get and the more fun it all will be. I just love hearing different takes on the characters, the storyline, the whole feel of a novel.  

Here is one quote from my editor: "This is the most romantic line I have ever read, so put it on the back cover with the rest of the blurb."  Time past, she longed to live solely from the air of his lungs for it would mean they were completely dependent upon one another.

Stay tuned, dear readers. Amelia Island's Mark of a Man is just off shore and will be landing soon in book stores and book sources everywhere! 

Goodbye Lie's Breelan- That's My Name, Too

Hello-

  

My name is Shannon and my daughter has the same spelling

Breelan Dunnigan

as the main character in your series. Breelan.  Being that the name is not one you see all the time, I have to ask how you came up with it?  I think it is wonderful because you have no idea how hard it is to find those little license plates for bikes with Breelan on it. LOL. I think it is great that as my daughter grows old, she will be able to purchase these books and see her name being utilized in them.  I am just tickled really.

  

Thanks from a Newly Found Fan,

 

Shannon

 

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Dear Shannon,

 

Good to hear from you and I am so pleased you discovered my Breelan, heroine in The Goodbye Lie.  As to the origin of her name for me -  It was long ago and I can't give you a definitive answer.  I wanted a soft, romantic, dreamy name and Breelan just came to me. Perhaps I had heard it somewhere but have no recollection. I also wanted something unusual yet pronounceable. I don't like to read a book when I'm uncertain how to say a name.  I like to think that everyone reading about a character in my novels is saying that name the same way. Miss Breelan fills my need and serves our stories well.  She and I are great friends, you know.  We're glad to have you and your daughter enter our world where love and lace reign.

                                                        Jane Marie
   

A Gift - B for Breelan

    Mary Jo W. from Sacramento, California,  surprised me with this handmade and very, very pretty letter B representing Breelan Dunnigan, the heroine in The Goodbye Lie! 

    "Your Breelan touched the deepest part of my heart with her self-sacrifice and devotion," writes Mary. "I wanted to do something to honor her.  Nothing fancy, nothing that Leona Visper, her rival, would appreciate, just something simple and sweet. It is a craft they might have made back in 1882, as well.  Clover could have cut out the letter and then Breelan or Carolena or Nora would crinkle the pretty paper and glue it on.  Thank you, Jane Marie, for bringing Breelan Dunnigan to life for me and all those others in the world who have come to love her, too.  And it is always great fun to read about her and the Dunnigan family, including Aunt Noreen and Peeper, in your Goodbye Lie Diaries."

 

 

Dear Mary,

   When I hear from a reader who "gets" our Goodbye Lie world, it makes me smile. The fact that you took time from your life to make this for me, well, I will treat it like the treasure it is.  I think I will hang it in my Story Central office.  Each time my eyes fall upon it, I will be reminded of my new friend, Mary Jo, who clearly has a gentle and generous spirit, just like Breelan.  I thank you for your kindness.

                                                                Jane Marie

Another Lucy Moment - Lunch

This proves I don't have writer's block because my mind is in constant whirl, often causing me not to focus on the task at hand.  So there I was serving my husband his lunch.  Mmm - Crockpot chicken drizzled in BBQ sauce, three bean salad and a third bowl, which I don't actually remember putting in front of him.
 
When he calmly asked, 'Is this cat food?', (not sure of the punctuation here, but that's what my book editor corrects), I stopped mid-stride on my way back to the kitchen and returned to look down into said bowl. By jingo, it was! 
 
Had I been paying attention  and not thinking of the book signing I was to attend that afternoon on our pretty Victorian downtown Centre Street then segueing into the phrasing for the end of chapter 21 in Mark of a Man, I'm sure I would have served him the dog's food he prefers.  

Goodbye Lie Diaries- Breelan's 5:01 Club

Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida
1880s

Breelan Dunnigan

Breelan Dunnigan writes:  Miss Becky's mother broke three toes on her left foot when she dropped a full jar of canned tomatoes on it. Grandmother Peeper has a swelling in her thumb joints.  Mrs. Branson is having severe headaches which Doctor Tackett is unable to remedy and Miss Juniata's sister lost her baby early. Because there has been such illness and sadness in our Aqua Verdi Passenger Line office, I thought it might be a good idea that some of us gather to say prayers, asking God for help. Others must have been feeling the need, too, because anywhere from three to seven of us now meet regularly at one minute after five o'clock, five being the hour when the office is officially closed.  We go into Miss Ella's office and  pull the shades, hold hands and offer up our thanks and praises.  The prayer session lasts only a few minutes, but we all leave to go home and feed our families with smiles on our lips and comfort in our hearts. We have been doing this now for several months and it seems it will become a tradition. Peeper and Aunt Noreen join us, as well.  It is a fine day when the two of them bow their heads side by side.  It pleases me and I hope what we now call our 5:01 Club pleases the Lord.

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Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida
Present Day

Jane Marie writes:  What a wonderful idea.  I know several people who may be interested in something like that.  After a hard day of work, be it in an office or outside in the field, saying prayers for needs of family and friends would certainly sooth the people saying them and anyone overhearing. Where there are two or more gathered in His name... Thank you, Bree.

Breelan Dunnigan is the featured player in Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie, a Victorian romantic drama, part of Amelia Island's Trilogy by Jane Marie Malcolm.

My Dogs by Guest Blogger Ava

Coco and Nina (left to right)

 

 

Hi everybody!

 

It's Ava, Jane Marie's granddaughter. For a week in the summer, I always come to my Grammy's house for Grammy Camp with my two dogs, Coco and Nina.  I am going to tell you a story about how I got my dogs. One day, my mom went to the shelter.  She doesn't normally go in there but she said she had a feeling. When she was in there, all of a sudden, a dog started scratching, trying to get to my mom. My mom asked if she could hold the little doggie.  After everything, she ended up getting him.  We call him Coco. In 2011, we went to a parade and he won an award for the Smallest Holiday Package!

 

My other dog, Nina, was in foster care when we got her.  We were walking by the pet store and there was a booth for dogs.  I asked if we could go in there.  My mom said we could but just for a little bit. There we found a little dog the size of Coco.  My mom asked if we could buy her. Now we have two dogs. I'm glad we have Coco and Nina. 

 

Then we got another dog named Abby. We had three Chihuahuas at one time!  The trouble was that Abby liked my dad more than me and growled when I went to hug him. So we asked Grammy if she would take Abby.  She did and now Grammy calls her Abby, the Singing Sensation, and they make videos together.  My Grammy is lots of fun and we are always laughing.  Abby likes that, I think.  She doesn't growl so much anymore so everybody is happy and I don't have to worry about her chewing on my shoe laces.  Abby, I mean, not Grammy.

Apple Cherry Salad



While attending a potluck lunch in Hoboken, Georgia during a Sacred Harp Sing, I tasted a recipe with apples and nuts and a mystery flavor.  I couldn't put my finger on what the particular flavor was that stood out, but my husband, Bruce, could.  It was cherries!  Not knowing who prepared the unusual dish,  I was unable to ask for the recipe. I came up with my version and here it is.  By the way,  I took my dish to a church potluck and got raves over it.  Enjoy!  -jmm

 

Apple Cherry Salad

 

You'll need:

1 cup no fat, plain yogurt

1/8 to 1/4 cup maraschino cherry juice to taste after you add the sweetener

2 packets of natural sweetener like Truvia

1 large apple, sliced into bite-sized pieces

8 or so maraschino cherries, sliced in half

1/3 cup pecan pieces

 

Mix yogurt, cherry juice and sweetener.  Add apples, cherries and nuts.  Serve at once or keep refrigerated for up to two days.  Makes 2 large servings.



 

This MUST Happen

What better time to alert you to the effort being made by a two tours of duty Vietnam veteran, Steve Holota.  Our local American Legion Post 54 in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida is heavily involved. Click on the link below to see what this is all about.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/videos/news/local/2014/07/01/11929285/ 

HAPPY JULY 4TH! 

 

MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS US ALL!

 

Fernandina's flags over the war monument at the foot of Centre Street by the docks

 

 

Thank you to First Coast News of Jacksonville, FL for their video clip.

 

 

The Goodbye Lie Diaries- Pat's Favorite Picture Eggs

Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida
1880s

Pat Dunnigan writes:

Pat Dunnigan

I generally don't write down recipes.  I leave that to my sisters, mother and grandmothers.  This time is different.  Ever since I can remember, Grandmother Peeper has been making Picture Eggs especially for me, her Bird of the Earth.  To this day, she'll ask if I'm hungry and when I tell her yes, the first thing she offers is Picture Eggs. I'm putting pencil to paper to remind my wife, whoever she turns out to be, to make them for the children we'll someday have.

Pat's Favorite Picture Eggs

Here's what you do to make a single serving: 

Get out the large skillet for just one won't be near enough. Butter both sides of one slice of bread.  Take a round cookie cutter or glass and cut out a circle right in the middle of the bread. Put the bread and the cut out circle in the hot pan. Crack a raw egg and drop it into the hole, frying the circle at the same time. Flip it over after a minute or two and brown the other side of the bread. Don't overcook the egg if you want the yolk to be runny.  Add a smidgen of salt and pepper. Dip the toast circle into the egg juice or spread with jam and as Jane Marie says, "Enjoy!"

Pat Dunnigan is a featured player in Amelia Island's Mark of a Man, an historic suspense novel in Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie series, set in Victorian Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida in 1898.

**************

Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida   

Present Day                                                                           

Jane Marie writes:

Thank you for the wonderful idea, Pat.  I tried one and quickly gobbled it down. I think Picture Eggs would make a great all-American breakfast to serve on the 4^th of July or anytime!

Picture Egg and Toast Circle