Judge By Its Cover

The Goodbye Lie Series Available HERE

Go ahead.  Judge my books by their covers because each of those covers in The Goodbye Lie series offers major clues as to what is inside. That, of course, is as it should be. While I like to tease an audience, it probably would not be very nice or smart to have a sweet unicorn on a cover and the contents be about an ax murderer.   

So when people ask me to tell them about each story, I start by pointing out objects and details on the cover. The following is what I say to you folks about The Goodbye Lie, the first book in the trilogy. (As you read below, refer to the photo above.):

"Most people don't realize that this is a woman's glove and this is a man's glove." (I cover the man's glove with my hand.) "Is he protecting her, is he holding her back, is she trying to get away?

"The red ribbon represents all the twists and turns in the plot.  All the book covers have these ribbons. I love it when a reader tells me they didn't see that coming.

"This is sand from our Amelia Island beach. These are flowers from my garden.

"And this little pewter box belonged to my mother.  Curiously, Victorians called it a jewel casket.  The little medallion inside is right here, I wear it everyday, and it plays a part in the story, but I can't tell you what..."

That's when I show them the medal and most seem surprised that something on a book cover would be right there in front of them to see.

Miraculous Medal reads : "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee."

 

Synopsis of The Goodbye Lie: 

Men will die for Breelan Dunnigan, the lead female player in the heart-wrenching romance and unexpected drama called The Goodbye Lie.  Jane Marie's first installment in her historical series is set in 1882 on Florida's Amelia Island. Breelan, an aspiring writer, is literally swept away, first by a tornado and then a handsome stranger, who steps into her home and into her soul. Escape to New York City brings new love, but when Breelan returns to Florida, her life has turned upside down. Strong family bonds and values are soon pitted against passion, jealousy and murder in this satisfying tale. Readers will rejoice in the clever twists of plot. Rich characters, late Victorian conventions and gentle humor flavor up the mix of romance, honor and treachery.

So there you have a taste of The Goodbye Lie. Why not try a bigger helping? (Pretty cute, huh?)  The Goodbye Lie Series Available HERE

In the Middle of the Night

sweet Abby?

Did I mention that Abby, our singing Chihuahua, and Button, our snoring cat, barked and hissed at each other at two o’clock in the morning the other day?  Thoughtless man that he can sometimes be, Bruce, my husband, had already gone to bed! While there was no actual contact between feline and canine, yet, I thought it best to separate them.  I grabbed the dog off the bathroom sink where I was combing her, looking for any fleas before she got in bed with us. With care, I gently tossed her on the bed as I told Bruce, who was still mostly asleep, to cover Abby’s eyes so she couldn't  see the cat, in hopes of defusing the animal confrontation.

Where's Button?

     He replied in his best bedroom voice, “Are you nuts?  If I try and hide her eyes, she'll bite me! My big toe is just now healing where she got me last week."  
     "Cry me a river," I sympathized. "Don't get any blood on the sheets this time!" 
     The next morning he asked, “What goes on in the middle of the night while you’re prowling the halls of our house? I had the craziest dream…”

Valentine Brownies

Shirlene Reeves, our contributing chef,  has created a simple, yet elegant, Valentine dessert. She's a scratch
baker and we all appreciate her efforts because scratch is so rare these days.  If you are unable to take the time to make scratch brownies, grab a box of brownie mix at the store.  As you can see from the picture, Shirlene had a heart shaped mini-brownie pan. Once baked, she placed her brownies on a pretty platter and gave them a light dusting of powdered/confectioners' sugar.  Add some whole strawberries as garnish and you've got a lovely holiday sweetie to share at home, work, church or to keep all for yourself (while you read a good romance novel...say something from The Goodbye Lie series, perhaps?)  Thank you, Shirlene. You've done it, again! 

If You Don't Have a

 Heart-Shaped Pan

Use one round cake pan and one square pan. When your cakes are baked, turn them out of the pans. Lay the square brownie so it looks like a diamond on a foil covered cookie sheet unless you have a large platter. One corner of the square brownie will be the bottom point of the heart. Next, take the round brownie and cut it in half.  Place a half-round at each diagonal top edge of the square brownie to form the shape of a heart.  Slather on chocolate frosting to keep it together. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and top with those fresh strawberries.  For one thick large brownie, use two boxes of mix.  For one thin large brownie, use one box. 

Super Bowl 50

As you might suspect, I know a lot about sports.  I know that innings are in baseball and tackles are in football.  With such in depth knowledge and a sweatshirt my father gave me some twenty years ago, I want the Panthers to win.  Or the other guys.  Whoever wins, wins. God bless America!

Around the World with The Goodbye Lie

I thought you might get a kick out of seeing where in the world there are other GOODBYE LIErs like us who appreciate historical novels set on Amelia Island, Florida, as well as a blog filled with miscellaneous fun, food and frivolity. 


Below are three lists of top ten countries that, according to the scientific calculations generated by Blogger, tell me how far reaching this blog is, per all time, per  this month and per this week. The lists run most hits to less, top to bottom. I'm happy to see that in my United States there are lots of silly people like us. According to the chart, we are everywhere, really!  As my Martha Bear teddy bear says, "That's a better thing."


All Time:

United States
Russia
Ukraine
Germany
France
China
United Kingdom
Turkey
Netherlands
Poland This Month: United States Russia Germany Ukraine Brazil China              Poland France Portugal Ireland This Week: United States Brazil China Ireland Germany Ukraine Russia Canada France Philippines