Goodbye Lie Silly Theme Song Video Comments

     Say hello to Pirate Ry with her pet pal, Swiney, both pictured here.  They star in The Goodbye Lie Silly Theme Song video.  Click on the link below to watch the video and read some of the comments about it sent our way.  See if you agree.

Click here:
The Goodbye Lie Silly Theme Song 

Comments:
Looks like you guys had fun making that video. ha ha ha -Linda in in Alaska

Have you all applied for the Sun Dance Film Festival yet? - LS in Florida

It Was Great!  I passed it along. Lee in Florida

Oh, I opened it and watched as soon as saw the link! VERY funny !! My granddaughter and I both laughed ! Her favorite part is the "piggy". I guffawed at your Bruce holding the paper tube to his eye patch !! LOL !!! Good work, girl! - BS in Missouri

I still get the giggles when I see this !  Annie in California

It was hysterical.  If I hadn't already read it, I would run out and buy your book [Amelia Island's Velvet Undertow]. In fact, I am going to buy one to send my younger sister.  She will love it. - Sally in Florida

It must be wild living in your crazy world! This video is just plain goofy! What with all the wonderful romance in your books, a very disagreeable Aunt Noreen living right next door to your characters to keep things stirred up, your typical family relations like in real life (families are families, no matter what era), your blog which is so diversified (in a very fun way, of course), your recipes, your Goodbye Lie Diaries, your ... Well, you're just too much, Jane Marie. We need more whimsical people like you in the world.   -Lisa G in Utah

Purchase The Goodbye Lie Series here!

Dickens on Centre, Amelia Island, FL

The first Dickens on Centre event has concluded and we hope it becomes an annual festival. In it, our small island town steps back to the time of Charles Dickens and the Victorian period, which
lasted from 1830 to 1901, the reign of Queen Victoria of England.  Anytime during the two weekends of this Christmas period celebration, with the smallest effort, you could imagine you were among the citizens of the time. All in period costume, men and woman strolled and wished Merry Christmas to passers-by, a man walked and juggled at the same time, a chimney sweep was spotted, a soldier played his drum, chestnuts were sold,  a kids' zone with movies and crafts was available, bobbies trolled for bad guys and a beef-eater, in full costume, appeared now and again. I was a participant, singing Christmas carols along with my husband, Bruce.  We strolled down our historic Centre Street and ended on the stage, invited there by the musicians playing.  I don't know if we were singing with them or they were accompanying us. Whichever it was, it was fun.

 James T. Hurley, our actual Chief of Police of Fernandina 

with Gil Langley, tourist development, as a colorful beefeater

Vendors' tents were set up on several blocks of Centre.  Food and fancies were offered and it was a great place to pick up Christmas gifts. I was there, signing my novels. For an author whose stories are set in Dickens period, the late 1800s, telling folks how the stories take place along the very street on which they are walking and with me wearing Victorian garb... Well, was a real hoot for this writer.

  

A doily pinned at the neck with a brooch, a long-sleeved blouse, a long skirt, a decorated beach hat, a velvet jacket and I found my instant Victorian costume! -jmm

   Robert Severance- chimney sweep and Keith Klawinski- drummer

 

Tiny Tim joined the carolers

 

  Jane Marie book signing on Centre Street

 Santa added to the fun!

  

Might Mr. Keith become a GOODBYE LIEr?

If they decide to make this an annual event, make plans now to attend.  You'll have a fine time.  We all did!

Something about Bobbies:
The origin of the name bobbies (taken from http://www.history.com/news/ask-history/why-are-british-police-officers-called-bobbies-) In London, the policemen were so identified with the politician [Robert Peel] who created them, that they were referred to as “Peelers” or—more memorably—“Bobbies,” after the popular nickname for Robert .

Something about Beefeaters: 

( taken from http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/beefeaters.htm)

The guards at the Tower of London are called Yeoman Warders. In principle, they are responsible for looking after any prisoners at the Tower and safeguarding the British crown jewels, but in practice they act as tour guides and are a tourist attraction in their own right. There are twelve Yeomen Warders. While their role is usually confined to the Tower of London, the Yeomen Warders do take part in one State ceremony. At Coronations, they form a guard of honour inside the annexe at Westminster Abbey.Their nickname is Beefeater.

Rarity Arrives!

I first heard a whinny, sharp and clear.  I looked around for a horse pulling a tourist buggy.  None in sight.   My attention turned back to my book signing at Sea Jade, the best souvenir shop on Amelia Island, perhaps in the world, or so a passerby said.  Then  came a second whinny.  This time, I thought it was, perhaps, a toy pony.  I've seen such in magazines.  "Realistic sound," the ad had read.  Back to my books, again.  A third whinny and then I saw it, a unicorn standing directly across from me, on Centre Street, in historic downtown Fernandina!  How utterly sweet!  They call her Rarity, a living version of the tiny horse from My Little Pony.  She crossed the street, led by her owner from Savage Beast Farms in Fernandina Beach, Florida. Posing in front of my table of historical fiction books, it is the perfect fantasy come to life for a writer.  Thank you for visiting, Rarity.  You make everyone smile!

Jessica Savage Forbes, part of Rarity's family, is prepared for clean-up duty, just in case. (Jessica runs Retail Therapy on 8th Street in Fernandina - 904 277-1248)

For more info on Rarity and Savage Beast Farms with exotic birds and more miniature horses, call 904 557-1083.

Georgia Friends

Left to right: Sue Brown, Jane Marie, Sally Whitten

Last year I attended the annual King of Peace Bazaar in Kingsland, Georgia, not quite an hour from my Amelia Island, Florida home. I met tons of folks as you do when working a craft show. (Besides my novels, I have many handmade crafts, most of which are only available when I do a big show.  I will put some of them online for sale, when I can find the time.) I attended the bazaar this year, too. An hour into the show, two lovely ladies came up to me and told me how much they enjoyed my Goodbye Lie series. So much so, they drove from Georgia down to Fernandina to get their copy of my latest novel, Amelia Island's Mark of a Man. I told them they could have ordered it online or from their local book store, but because Amelia Island is so wonderful to visit, they preferred to come to our little town where the stories take place, and get it here, locally.

They went on to tell me how they saw an ad saying the bazaar would take place in a month's time and they made a point of attending, in the hope I would be there, with my 4th novel, Amelia Island's Sand and Sin.  I had to tell them it is written and I will begin editing it in 2016.  I was very flattered, of course, because their love of the stories was apparent.  They "get" the whole Goodbye Lie world. So, please say hi to Sue Brown and Sally Whitten.  They are faithful Goodbye Lie-rs, like the rest of us! 

Oh, please be sure and share this blog with your friends.  We do have some fun and, once in a while, informative times, don't we?

The Goodbye Lie Diaries-Aunt Noreen

1880s
Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida

Aunt Noreen Duffy

Aunt Noreen writes:  It is rare that I hear from my older brother, John, up in cold Pennsylvania. I had to write him first and he actually replied, but that reply was less than gracious, I must say.  All I did was tell him how Fernandina had a very rare occurrence. We had a hard freeze.  I just got his letter containing only one word:
AMATEURS.  He thinks he's very funny, I'm sure.
 

Aunt Noreen is a featured trouble-maker in each of the romantic historical novels of Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie Trilogy set in the 1880s on Amelia Island, Florida.  (Available in paperback and ebook form at book sources everywhere.)

National Dog Biscuit Day

Abby, our singing  Chihuahua and spokesdog for Gracious Jane Marie, our parent company, advises today MIGHT be National Dog Biscuit Day. She is at work composing a theme song for this glorious occasion and appears very busy. Well,  busy that is until it is time to take another break, where I find her in the kitchen replacing the lid on the doggie treat jar. She assures me that opening and closing said jar is good for her paw dexterity. Having  no paws myself, who am I to doubt her?

PS Abby wanted me to mention she makes a cameo appearance  in my Amelia Island's Mark of a Man. She hopes to someday star on her own novel or at least a short story like our Martha Bear, our spokesbear. (Stay tuned for Martha Bear stories. She is in each book in Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie Trilogy! Gotta keep it all in the family.)

Goodbye Lie Excerpt- FL House

The Florida House on S. 3rd St. on Amelia Island, FL

Readers often ask me about specific places in my historical Goodbye Lie series, set in Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida. They want to know what is real and what comes from my imagination. So I did a walk about and took some photos. The Florida House is one such structure that is standing today.  Originally built as a boarding house for railroad workers in 1857, it is the longest running tourist hotel in the state.  

looking at the two story Florida House from the back courtyard

At book signings downtown here, I often point to 3rd Street and tell folks to walk to the Florida House, just a block off our historic Centre Street. I direct them to go inside and through to the back courtyard.  I have set several scenes there amongst the live oaks and pretty fretwork of the place. In the bar, in the front of the hotel, things happen.  Let's just say they are "less than friendly."  Hey, it's a bar, isn't it?

Here is an excerpt from The Goodbye Lie featuring The Florida House. The year is 1882. -

What awaits Breelan Dunnigan up those stairs?

Chapter 18

      The drive from Dunnigan Manor to the Florida House seemed especially slow despite the brisk tempo of the horse's trot. Not a word passed between the young couple. Breelan was silent in case her tears would anger him further, and he for fear she'd continue crying ...

      Despite the darkness, he was well aware of her secret attempts to wipe away the evidence of her unhappiness. He could feel her hushed sobs vibrate the carriage. What the hell was she blubbering for? He was the one who'd been tricked... He steered the buggy along side the hotel's granite stepping-stone. Helping Breelan out, he warned, "Enough of this. I won't have it. Do you hear?"

     She nodded. He was right. She straightened her skirts and inhaled a deep breath of cool river air, while he threw coins to the attendant, directing him to return the horse and carriage to the stable for the night. They climbed the steps of the long, two-story establishment and entered ...  

the trunk of an ancient live oak tree

     Breelan loved to come to the Florida House. She'd never actually stayed in any of the rooms before this, but her family oft-times ate in the dining room after Sunday morning mass at St. Michael's. Railroad folk as well as sailors, vacationers and locals all frequented it. How often had she climbed the old live oak in the back while the grownups pontificated over coffee and dessert? Now she was one of those grownups ... 

    After registering and exchanging niceties with the desk clerk,  they were shown to a second story room. It was quite lovely. The wallpaper spoke of romance with tiny bouquets of pastel flowers and a matching coverlet on the canopied double bed. The window trappings of lace would merely filter the moonlight. It could be an enchanted place if the circumstances were right.

     "I will leave you to your unpacking, Breelan. I'll be downstairs in the tavern." He caught the look of concern she cast his way. "Don't worry. I'll take heed of my drink. I won't let you go unattended in such a pretty room as this," he said caustically. 

     He quietly closed the door behind him and she breathed a sigh of self-comfort. He was gone. She was free if but for a moment. He had mistaken her look for concern. It was not. In truth, she hoped he would imbibe to excess tonight and every night, so he would never be able to ...

     The hour grew late and he didn't return to the room. Worn out, Breelan was still wide-awake. Her mind darted madly from her family, to where she would live, to her job, to the gossip, to... The cacophony in her head was generously peppered with the words and features of Waite. There was his handsome face, his hair, his eyes, his lips. In part or as a whole, the likeness was exact. It teased and tempted her until wriggling among the tangled covers of the bed a minute longer would surely bring her more tears, those of hopeless frustration. She had to get out of the room, to feel the stirring of the breeze against her hot, flushed cheeks. 

     Concealing her nightdress beneath her cloak, she descended the rear stairs, intending to refresh herself in the rain barrel out back. She splashed the cool water on her cheeks. It trickled down to her elbows, tickling her to irrational giggles. She languished in the luxury of laughter. She hadn't laughed since, since when? She couldn't remember. Resting the heels of her hands on the edge of the barrel, she hung her head. "I wish this were the ocean. I'd put my toes in the water and let the cool waves creep up my ankles. I'd ..."

     "You'd what, Breelan?"

     She heard the resonant voice seek answers softly in her ear. She responded longingly, "Oh, Waite. You'll never know how I wish you were real and with me and able to tell me all the things I want to hear. It will never happen for us. Never. I deserve to suffer... But to make you suffer, too. If what Nora says is true and you really love me, I can never forgive myself for causing you pain. I pray you find someone to fill your mind and bed. Don't waste your life pining for me, my love. If only that kiss I dreamed of on your ship had been real. If I could feel your lips touch mine, I could tolerate whatever comes. I ..."

     She dreamed he was behind her. He was grasping her shoulder, turning her quickly, pulling her against his unyielding body. She dreamed his arms were around her, holding her fast to him. Then his mouth was on hers, hard. His breath rasped from his lungs. She breathed him into her and tasted his soul. His essence was all male. Every thought she'd ever had of how superb his kiss would be was surpassed in this illusion. Thank God for her dreams. They belonged solely to her. The fear of hell would never take them from her. 

     "Bree, Bree," he said against her lips.     

    And she felt strong hands on her wrists. They pried her arms from around his neck, similarly opening her eyes to reality. It was no dream. Waite's glorious face was before her in the night and his eyes danced. Here in the dim moonlight, she could only stare at him. She placed her hands on his mildly whiskered cheeks, ran her slender finger the length of his scar and kissed it. He kissed her in return, taking her lips between his. He held her again and this time she rubbed against him, making him moan from somewhere deep within. 

     Glass shattered as a disagreement broke out in the bar. She didn't care. She didn't care about anything, but kissing him. Still, the insistent tinkling of the crystal continued to interrupt her pleasure. It was taking him from her. "Don't let me go. Please, don't ever let me go," she whimpered as he pushed her away and held her off.

     "Breelan. Breelan." He had again taken advantage of her. He knew it and for that too short moment, he didn't care. He was thinking only of himself. He would pay later. He tasted her on his lips, and she was finer than he'd remembered in all the nights he'd lain awake and all the times he'd walked the deck of the Comfort. He wanted her so badly. He wasn't sure his willpower would win a contest with his loosened desire ...  

     He shook her from her splendid stupor. "Bree, you've got to hear me. With all the craving a man can endure, I want you. Do you hear? Do you understand me? I want you. Finding that you feel the same brings me such joy, I can hardly ..." Waite was unable to finish his sentence. "Knowing the truth at last was worth all the hours of agony, all the uncertainty of guessing if you cared for me. I love you and realize you love me. You do love me, don't you? It isn't merely a physical attraction between us, is it? Tell me it's more." 

     "Waite Taylor, you've got to feel my love. It's so alive in me, I think I can reach in, grab hold of it, and show you. Believe me, believe I love you. And only you." She answered breathlessly, leaning into him, trying to make him hold her again.

     "Then, when I die, I'll be smiling."

*****
All novels in Jane Marie Malcolm's trilogy, The Goodbye Lie, Amelia Island's Velvet Undertow and Amelia Island's Mark of a Man are available as ebook and paperback at book sources everywhere.  Find online or just ask at your local bookstore.

Major Announcement

Amelia Island's MARK OF A MAN - e-book

Dear Friends,
     Yes, ma'am.  Yes, sir. I promised and now that promise is reality.  Amelia Island's MARK OF A MAN is written, published and ready for the world to read!  It's the story of Pat and Marie, brother and sister, who are part of what has become the beloved Dunnigan family living on Amelia Island in north Florida.  Set in 1898, Pat has grown into quite the hunk and Marie is quite a handful.  He lives hard and loves wild and she is a beacon for trouble.  Add in the Spanish American war, the worst hurricane on record to hit Amelia Island and the fussing comedy of Grandmother Peeper versus Aunt Noreen to lighten the drama and you have MARK OF A MAN. 

As the rollout begins, it is available in paperback and e-book on Amazon.com and paperback at Barnes and Noble, with e-book to follow shortly.  I have the first copy in hand and it will soon be in local book stores and available at book sources everywhere. (Just ask and it can be ordered or easily found online.)

I want to thank you all for your patience as I crafted this novel, which is another Fernandina fancy in my GOODBYE LIE series.  By the way, all three books, THE GOODBYE LIE, Amelia Island's VELVET UNDERTOW and Amelia Island's MARK OF A MAN, stand alone and can be read out of order. 

I had my fingers crossed that Amelia Island's MARK OF A MAN would be released before Christmas and I got my wish! May you enjoy it and, once you get to know the characters, may they become a part of your family as have mine. 

Merry Christmas!

Jane Marie

PS  #4 in the series, Amelia Island's Sand and Sin, is written but needs editing. That's my next project.

PPS  And yes, the description still fits MARK Of A MAN:  "where Little House on the Prairie meets Gone With The Wind ..."

PPS  December 15, 2014 is the 75th anniversary of the premiere of Gone With The Wind.  My husband, Bruce, and I attended the 50th anniversary costume ball in Atlanta, Georgia.  It was an event of a lifetime.  The book, movie and ball, all, inspired my writing ... Thank you, Margaret Mitchell.

Jane Marie and Bruce Malcolm, Gone With The Wind 50th Anniversary Costume Ball, Atlanta, Georgia

 Amazon paperback:  http://www.amazon.com/Amelia-Islands-MARK-Marie-Malcolm/dp/1496944429/

Jollification of Fort Clinch & Goodbye Lie Excerpt

welcome to Fort Clinch

Fort Clinch, here on Amelia Island, invited the public to their annual Jollification.  What is this you ask?  It is just as it sounds.  A joyous celebration of Christmas inside the fort. My husband, Bruce, and I were lucky enough to help serve hot chocolate and cookies to all the visitors. There seemed to be more guests this year.  Perhaps the full moon, mild weather and clear skies enticed so many to come out.

 

Some years ago, we attended a reenactors' Christmas ball as spectators. The Fort Clinch ball was the background for a scene in my historical novel, The Goodbye Lie.  Here is an excerpt from that scene.  As you look at the photos, you might better imagine the story.



And so The Goodbye Lie goes like this:   
  
      Pulling onto the long path to the fort, they followed the lamps from preceding conveyances through the dark. Nearing their destination, they found the traffic had slowed to creeping as ladies and gentlemen alighted from their transports. 
     Single candles in each brick framed window glittered star-like against the thick, wavy glass. A huge bonfire sent sparks up into the night, swirling wild from the bitter wind off the ocean, until they burned themselves out. Even the shelter of the fortifications did little to alleviate the piercing cold.

 a tin whistle is played & Christmas carols sung as a bonfire warms

     Music was heard, softly, then loudly again at each opening of the door to the second floor common room where the dance was being held. Once inside, Breelan took it all in. The entire length of the banister of the straight wooden staircase was swagged with a pine needle garland and the garland was draped with a red and green paper chain that had been her particular contribution. The smells of gingerbread and apple cider wafted down as they climbed up into the excitement. Add the fires burning in the fireplaces at both ends of the room, their logs strewn with cinnamon sticks and dried orange peel, and Breelan was carried back to earlier, happier Christmases.

note the full moon

     Eager eyes were fixed on the entrance to see who arrived with whom and in what fashionable garb. As Trip removed her black velvet cape with burgundy satin lining, Breelan's friends found her. Tonight, she wore the prettiest dress she'd ever possessed. Her mother and grandmother had created an entire gown of horizontally sewn rows of ivory lace. The drop shoulders were edged with four-inch white fringe, which allowed her upper arms to peek out. Pink and gold silk rosebuds intertwined in a vine of ivy leaves to diagonally cross the bodice. More rosebuds sat atop pale bows scattered over the drape covering an underskirt of ecru satin. An oval coral brooch outlined with tiny seed pearls and pinned to her mother's string of pearls, was positioned at the base of her throat, her earbobs matching. White gloves only long enough to cover her forearms, an amethyst ring on her right hand overtop the glove, and a tussie mussie of small pink poinsettias in a lace cone completed the picture of loveliness that she was. The women touched her gown, admiring its grandeur and the beauty of the woman who wore it.

     Trip enjoyed the envy in every man's eyes as he proclaimed Breelan his possession by staying nearby and playing with her sleeve trim or touching the back of her neck. She wanted to swat him away like some bothersome fly.

     ... The glowing fireplaces kept most of the cold at bay. They blazed high, casting a golden haze on everyone and everything. Passing the door in dance, Breelan felt a rush of raw wind enter the room, along with a late arriving couple. The cape the man wore was not military. She saw the woman next. The blonde hair, piled a little too high on the head, left no doubt that it was Leona Visper, a figure not seen since New York City and more importantly, not missed. Looking again at the silhouette of shoulders, Breelan realized the identity of the singer's escort. It was then that eyes met, expressions hardened and polite nods were exchanged. 

decorated mantle

decorated table

 





                                              

                                         good evening



Bruce, Mr. and Mrs. Father Christmas and Jane Marie

PS - I have to mention how very dim it was inside the candlelit rooms of the fort.  My flash on my camera phone changed the look to bright and cheery. Yes, everything has a golden cast because of the fireplaces and lanterns and candles, but it was very hard to see to read or do any needlework as several ladies in period costume were.  One woman said she had to quit sewing because her eyes were giving out. I never realized before I'd done my research how dark a home would be once the sun went down.  I guess that's why they have candlelight tours of places.  We find it fetching and cozy and intriguing, but only for a special occasion.  Once we've lived with bright electric lights, I expect there would be many a whine heard if we returned to that dark part of times past.  We are spoiled.

Oh, and one more thing.  Candle light changes colors.  Last year I commented upon the pretty purple pattern in the dress worn by a reenactor.  She told me it was green in the light of day!

 

Honey Walnut Ice Cream- Peeper Writes



Here is an easy dessert is vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt drizzled with honey and sprinkled with walnuts.  This treat is featured in my upcoming novel, Amelia Island's Mark of a Man, set in 1898 and served at the Crusty Anchor Pub.

Excerpt:

Pat winked as he returned to his table in time for a beefy waiter to deliver steaming bowls of their ordered beef stew. Uncle John, giving nary an acknowledgement of the incident, sliced the loaf of accompanying beer bread and slathered each piece with butter before passing the first portion to Jency, who still smiled in relief that there was no altercation. They ended their meal, appreciating their vanilla ice cream drizzled with honey and walnuts.

 



The Goodbye Lie Diaries:

Fernandina, Florida
1898

Grandmother Peeper writes:  Shoot. I betcha they paid a pretty penny fur that goodie.  Come on down ta my house and I won't charge ya nothin'.  Well, I think I'd have ta send Aunt Noreena a bill, just ta be mean.

Florida Fall & Goodbye Lie Diaries

Fernandina on Amelia Island
present day

4 o'clocks- A friend gave me the huge bulbs years ago and they smell delightful, too!

Jane Marie writes:
Mama Nature is wonderful in so many way.  One of them is her perennials.  You know, those plants that come up from bulbs or the ones that bloom every year. Yes, fertilizing, dead heading, cutting them back, etc., all the things gardeners should do will make for a bigger display of blossoms. But, for anyone who hasn't the time to bestow much TLC upon these garden gems, well, be grateful they don't need you very much.  The photos are proof of that since I can't be in my cottage garden as often as I'd like to be. 
 

seven  sisters roses


 

white mums from a pot that decorated the altar one
 Easter Sunday morning



yellow mums

Wild red Florida roses-very bug resistant,
and they bloom a couple of times a year.





miniature oleander bush

 


orange tree



pink mums


Gerbera daisy is an annual.  I looked it up,
 but our Florida winter has been mild enough that it survived. 
 I think this plant is at least 4 years old.

******

Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida
1880's

Aunt Noreen writes:
If you are trying to show off, Jane Marie, you are doing a masterful job of it.  It's not that you don't have some very lovely specimens, but it sounds as though you are neglecting your garden and depending upon the good Lord to make your flowers grow.  I'm sure He would appreciate you lending a hand and spending a few hours a week in your garden.  Don't be so lazy!

Aunt Noreen

The ladies in my orchid society realize how hard I work to produce the show-stoppers I do and so  I am proud to say I won second place for what I call my Emerald Eye.  The only reason I did not win first place was that Mrs. Wiseflicker tripped over a tree root when she was visiting her husband's grave and landed in a patch of poison ivy.  They judges felt sorry for her when she appeared in front of them with her hands, arms, left foot and right ear wrapped in bandages, balancing her orchid pot on her hip. The people who get their way by feigning illness ... I would never think of doing anything like that.  It's not in my nature.

Aunt Noreen is a featured player in Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie series set in the 1880s.  She is less that popular within her family and even less in the small seaside town of Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida.