September 27, 2016

Eugenia Price Quote

Joy might be God - in the marrow of our bones.       -  Eugenia Price

September 22, 2016

Festive Flamingos


I think of myself as a rebel. Not just any rebel, but a responsible rebel. By that, I mean I am happily different.  Not so different that they call the round-up squad from the local loony bin, but just enough that I have been known to deliver to folks a chuckle, chortle and, perhaps, the occasional guffaw.
    Yet, sometimes, I strive for something deeper than hilarity because I want to be well rounded. Okay, admittedly, perhaps I am more an oval than a perfect circle.  Whatev.  Keeping in mind, taste is in the mouth as surely as it is in the eye, you decide if my attempt at sprucing up our resident flamingos is a success.  My plastic bird buddies have stood sentry at our mailbox for many years.  With such dedicated service and their fake feather striations of color fading, I figured a few cans of half-empty spray paint from the garage sale down the block was certainly worth my $2 cash investment.  Plus, that investment is tax deductible since I'm sharing their photos on this blog.  Here at Gracious Jane Marie, you now have proof that we are fiscally responsible. Additionally, we forever advance not only the rich romance and mystery that is the Goodbye Lie series of historical novels I write, but we imbue your senses with art. What a deal!   

September 16, 2016

Goodbye Lie Diaries, Pat Dunnigan Quote?

Pat Dunnigan, Amelia Island's Mark of a Man
    It is 1898 in the small seaside town of Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida. Pat Dunnigan, our hero, (or is he?) is tossing one back at the Strathmore Hotel on the beach.  Watching the Atlantic Ocean's swells beat out their steady tease and retreat, this intense thought might have entered his partially focused brain. Turning to the barkeep whose black head hair and white ear hair bring the face of a panda bear before Pat's eyes, he asks the man with the worn towel in hand, "Hey, Stompie. Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?"
    At the small square table across the tavern, his Aunt Noreen is seated beside her husband, Clabe. "These are the only chairs available to see a view as lovely as this. And here we have to listen to more of your  noxious comments, Jack Patrick Dunnigan."  Notorious for her show of decorum concerning all matters, except those of her own caustic tongue, she is unable to refrain from remarking.  "Yet again, sir, you have shamed and disgraced the good Dunnigan name with your indelicate sentiments. I shall instruct my Warren Lowell to disassociate himself from you completely!"
     Pat laughed aloud, then his gay expression vanished.  "Don't make him choose, Auntie, or you may find yourself without a son."

***
The quotation in bold lettering above is anonymous to my knowledge. If you know the creator, please alert me and I will credit him or her. But our Pat Dunnigan is just the kind of fellow who would say such, for his own entertainment and those around him, worldly enough, to his mind, to appreciate his quick wit. 
   You can survey Pat's ascension into manhood by reading The Goodbye Lie  series of novels.
Amelia Island's Mark of a Man is part of that series set in the late 1800s and tells Pat's personal story as a wild young man facing many challenges, physical, mental and emotional. It is not a smooth ride for anyone ...
 

September 11, 2016

September 8, 2016

A Writer's Tote


     Look what came in the mail from my ever-wonderful brother, Bob.  He saw it and thought of me.  I like the way this guy thinks! 
                                             Thank you, Bobby

September 3, 2016

Hermine Damage on Amelia Island

Some of us had a bit of trouble from Hurricane Hermine this past week.  Our screen door was twisted off its hinges. The blinds in the screened patio were shredded. We have a leak in the ceiling of our front hall and palm fronds and debris were scattered all over our yard. 

I certainly will not complain.  Our friends in Tallahassee, Florida  continue to be without power for another week and the upper Atlantic east coast is bracing for a dangerous water surge. Instead of grousing over some minor repairs and clean up, I am sending up prayers of support and safety for those who have experienced far worse than I and those who are in the path of this storm. Please join me in my prayers.
   - Jane Marie