Candy Canes to Valentines - The Goodbye Lie Diaries - Breelan Dunnigan

Goodbye Lie Diaries Defined:

     Through the magic of electronics, mental telepathy and a smidge of time travel, we are able to communicate with our clan of characters in The Goodbye Lie series, from their time  in the late 1800s to ours and back. The result is The Goodbye Lie Diaries, scattered throughout this blog.

Breelan Dunnigan is the second oldest sister in the family of four Dunnigan siblings in north Florida in 1882.  Life on an island is filled with sun and salty times and she is prime in the mix in the first novel in the series, The Goodbye Lie. Her naivete does not serve her well with regard to matters of the heart. She will learn from her mistakes, but soon enough?         -Jane Marie

Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida

Circa Late 1800s

Breelan 

Breelan Dunningan writes:  Clover, friend to all children and our beloved handyman, twisted a span of heavy wire then fashioned it into two candy canes for Christmas a few years back. We hung the canes on the two palm trees in our front yard.  As walked up our drive from an hour at the beach one warm winter afternoon, I saw those canes and it came to me that, should one put them together, they would form a heart! I told Mother my intention and with her permission, and Clover's, I carried through. Grandmother Peeper told me to go through her flowerdy sack of left over yarn she keeps by her rocker. There I found a ball of white yarn. Simply wrapping each candy cane shape, around and around with the thick string, and securing the two cane together, the result was a heart. It's hanging on the front door of Dunnigan Manor this very moment in anticipation of my favorite holiday, Valentine's Day. 

***

Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida

Present Day

Jane Marie Malcolm writes:   I love your  idea so much, Breelan, I made a candy cane heart myself.  I didn't have any wire, but instead used two large candy canes I found on the curb one day, just waiting to be picked up by the trash man. As you did, my heart, is hanging on our front door.  The yarn I used has silver threads in it that add sparkle.  Thank you for being so creative and Happy Valentine's Day to you! 

                 *******  

  Amelia Island, Florida, late 1800s

🌹🌹🌹The Goodbye Lie

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                   follow the lure,                    the love, 

      the legend ...

Grammy Camp - Beading

Key Chain with Initial A by Ava

     Beading and jewelry making has many parts.  You first have to decide what to create.  Then, you must sort through the beads/embellishments to find the color, style and mix you want. Next, you lay them out on a special tray in a pattern, changing your mind repeatedly.  Finally, you string everything and finish with special tools for wire, if used.  In our case, the result is Ava's key chain, which is useful besides being decorative, where Grammy's bracelet is only decorative.  Ava wins on value points!

     Thank you to my sister, Nancy Kamp, a jewelry making instructor, who knows her craft, and thank you, Aunt Nancy, too, for our endless supply of beads!  

                                         Love, Ava and Grammy

Heart Bracelet by Grammy

Happy Mother's Day!!!

      

     Isn't this a beautiful wreath for all the mothers out there to see and enjoy? I know my mother in Heaven would love it.  To me, it represents the tender devotion mamas have for their children, no matter their baby's age.  My friend, Jolene Woods, was sweet enough to let me snap this treasure of hers.  Happy Mother's Day, Jolene, and Happy Mother's Day to ALL!

wreath hand crafted by Tammy Haya 

 Message Tammy on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tammy.haya.1

 if you'd like her to make something special for you or yours. 

Another Peeperism - Fashion

Remember this and ya best be wise.

 A low cut blouse will oft call flies.           - Peeper

 

*

Peeper**

Who is Peeper? 

    ** Mid 1880s - Peeper Clegg is the wise and beloved grandmother from  The Goodbye Lie romantic mystery/suspense series who knocked on the Dunnigan family front door one day when Mr. Michael was off to war.  There, in the tiny seaside town of Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida, she had heard his wife, Miss Ella, and little girls, Breelan and Carolena, could use help.  Pushing her way over the threshhold, once Peeper entered the home, she never left.  And everyone who knows this adopted grandmother loves her often outlandish personality, her always loving ways, her delicious forced feedings and her elixer-fixers. (That is everyone except Aunt Noreen, who lives next door, visits Dunnigan Manor far too often and raises a ruckus every time she appears.  Of course, Peeper relishes needling Aunt Noreena, as she calls her.) So, through the magic of electronics, a scattering of stardust and a fluttering of bluebird feathers, she and the others on Amelia Island can communicate from their time to ours and we can communicate back!      

* Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com - Thank you -jmm

Want more Peeperisms? 

Click here --> Peeperisms!

Valentine Chihuahua

 

Abby, our spokesdog and always willing model, is posing in her burgundy lace-trimmed daytime shirt meant for frolicking.

 She's all about the love.

Abby is enthusiastically modeling her formal Valentine gown.

💖 May sparkling hearts overflowing with love 

rain down on you forever! 💖

If you love romance,

try Jane Marie's Goodbye Lie series. 

 "Men will die for Breelan Dunnigan ..."

Let a Brooch Tell Your Story plus Goodbye Lie Diaries - Breelan

     Good friend Donna Crocker  gave me the bejewel-ed purse and heavenly angel brooches pictured here because she knows I will wear them.  

     There are so many reasons to accessorize with a brooch. With their intricate design, they often tell a tale, mood, feeling or belief.  They sparkle.  They are functional with regard to securing a scarf.  They are decorative and frequently glorify nature, flowers, birds and animals.  They are usually delicate in weight and make a good gift for mailing. They might represent a special occasion or achievement. They can be handed down through generations as a keepsake or token of love. Whether rhinestones or diamonds, wear these treasures or make a framed collage. They are meant to be shared and seen for everyone to appreciate their art. 

     Thank you, Donna.  -jmm, present day, Amelia Island, Florida

The Goodbye Lie Diaries 

Circa late 1800s

Amelia Island, Florida

Breelan Dunnigan writes: Jane Marie, did I tell you I once discovered a small horseshoe shaped brooch with a tiny gold heart on it inside my writing notebook? What a grand surprise it was. I will oft times wear it in the hope someone will slip and tell me it was their doing.  Of course, Waite is not very pleased when he sees it because he swears it is not from him. He must be telling the truth or else he would not wear that grim face when we speak of it.  He is silly jealous sometimes.  For  all we are aware, it could be from my mother or father, wishing me good fortune when I entered that short story contest.  I did find it about that same time. Or, it could be from a hopeful suitor.  Admittedly, I have been gifted with some lovely and some unual surprises from men, but we'll save those details for another time.                      

     Fall is in the air. Mother's wild red roses are glorious, their scent filling the air the moment you step through the back screen door. May they still be available as cuttings to grow your own in your time. Until our next correspondence, Breelan   

  

*****    

 

⮜   Breelan Dunnigan is the heroine in The Goodbye Lie , the first novel in the historical fiction romance series set on Amelia Island, Florida in the late 1800s. Each of the books features an adult sibling in the Irish American family.  Follow their deeds and misdeeds continued on this blog in The Goodbye Diaries as you read the other novels, Amelia Island's Velvet Undertow and Amelia Island's Mark of a Man. (available in ebook and paperback) Enjoy!

Jane Marie's Old Hollywood Faves

Dear Friends,

     Between reading the books in a romance series like ... ummm ... say The Goodbye Lie series, you may want to watch something on TV where the storyline isn't filled with explosions, drug dealers and expletives.  Enter:  Jane Marie's Old Hollywood Faves (1915 to 1963).  Since I write love stories,  I am a self-recognized expert when it comes to romantic films from that Golden Age of Hollywood you always hear about.  

     As Bruce, my husband, says, "Just because it's old, that doesn't mean it's good." He's right.  When it comes to my list, though, I can vouch for all these movies.  If you like tasteful romance with a heartfelt story, you will enjoy them. 

     Warning! You may shed a tear or two during some, but we all know a good cry can be a wonderful release.  If you don't understand that last sentence, may I suggest you tune into another episode of My Mother the Car. (Yes, that was a real television show once upon a time.)

      I have turned many onto these 20th century films.  Pay attention to the wonderful clothes, style and backgrounds plus the dialogue. Often, too, there are objects or decor supporting the plot and mood of a scene.  Fun stuff!

     Search the internet, YouTube, Netflix, Turner Classic Movies and so many other places to find these delights, many at no cost.    

     Finally, in no particular order, here are:

Jane Marie's Top 

Old Hollywood Faves

Back Street - 1961, Susan Hayward and John Gavin, heavy drama, color 💔😭

Now, Voyager - 1942, Bette Davis and Paul Henreid, drama, black and white 💘 😢

An Affair to Remember - 1957, Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr (pronounced Car), light-hearted to dramatic, color 😍😢

Pillow Talk - 1959, Doris Day and Rock Hudson,  cute comedy, color  😍

Gone With The Wind - 1939, Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, circa the American Civil War, drama, color 💚💕

Houseboat - 1958, Cary Grant and Sohpia Loren, comedy, color  😍

Gilda - 1946, Rita Hayworth and Glen Ford, heavy drama, black and white, wow story! 💓😥💚😠

Singin' in the Rain- 1952, Gene Kelly and Debbie Renyolds, romantic musical, color 🎵😘

North by Northwest - 1959, Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint, sophisticated romance/ mystery/suspense (directed by Alfred Hitchcock) 😲💕

All That Heaven Allows - 1955, Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman, drama, color 💕

The Enchanted Cottage - 1945, sweet drama, black and white 😌💕

Bonus Fave

The Quiet Man - 1952,  John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, charming, mostly lighthearted, family favorite, color 😍

Honorable Mention

Move Over, Darling - 1964, Doris Day and James Garner, romantic comedy 😍

Magnificent Obsession - 1954, Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman, drama 💘😢 

Mogambo - 1953, Clark Gable, Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly, drama in untamed Africa 💚

1940s Jane Marie image 

sent in by

Jessica R. from Dallas, Texas,

 a reader who knows I have a passion for Old Hollywood. She found my picture online and turned back time.  Far too flattering, but so much fun.  Thank you, Jessica! 

Grammy Camp - Fairy Jars /Goodbye Lie Diaries -Peeper

      It's Grammy Camp time, again!  Here is one of this year's offerings, Fairy Jars, crafted by granddaughter Ava and myself.  They are easy to make and you can be as creative as you like.  Add an on/off tea light, place by a brightly lit window or in front of a string of twinkle lights.  Here is how we did it:

You'll need:

1 glass side-resting jar with screw lid from the Dollar Store

1 cut-out fairy found on the internet, adjusted and printed to 3 inches to fit the inside of the jar

Mod-Podge clear satin sealer/glue

Acrylic white paint for interior, thinned with water

Old toothbrush to spatter the white paint inside the jar

Embellishments like plastic pine tree, sequins, glitter, 3-D paint, ribbon, tulle, netting, ribbon, lace, glass pebbles, rhinestones, etc.

   Paint clear Mod Podge on round inside of jar and press paper fairy in place at appealing angle.  Once dry, paint fairy with more Mod Podge to seal.  Once dry, thin white paint with water. With toothbrush, run finger over brush, spattering paint inside of the jar. Be sure and cover surface for over-spray. Add embellishments and trim, decorating the exterior of the lid.  Set in front of light and just enjoy or fill with your secret treasures!

 Goodbye Lie Diaries 

Amelia Island, Florida
Late 1800s

Grandmother Peeper writes:  Woo-dandy!  The

Peeper

little ones and me can make these Fairy Jars for presents.  They's always after me ta come up with ideas and this one is sweet.  Now my jars will not be such as yours.  We will be a workin' with jelly jars I use and I don't know nothin' 'bout no internet to find fairies.  We will be drawing ours with a pencil, but we've plenty of glue and fancies to pretty up each one.  Continue asendin' us your ideas, Jane Marie.  We gotta keep them kiddos outta mischief.  Did I tell ya how Jack Patrick dug up the daffodil bulbs in Aunt Noreen's front flowerbed and give them to his mother fer her birthday?  Let's just say he was doin' lots a standin' fer a few days after that particular antic.   Out of all the folks ta do that to, I'm glad it was done ta Noreena.   It warmed my heart.  Now don't got tellin' on me, will ya?

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

Peeper Clegg adopted the Dunnigan family and moved right in on them, way back in the 1860s.  Now, she is the beloved grandmother of the lot.   Famous for her elixir fixers and funny fights with neighbor Aunt Noreen, she is a prime character in the The Goodbye Lie historical romance series <---available and="" e-books="" font="" in="" paperbacks.="">

Ribbon and Lace Curtain and The Goodbye Lie Diaries - Breelan

Where Love and Lace Reign – This phrase is a description of my historical fiction series, The Goodbye Lie, as well as my attitude toward life.  With that in mind, most anything to do with ribbon and lace will catch my eye.  This time it was on Pinterest.  There I spied photos of wall hangings, curtains and valances handcrafted from both.  Immediately, my mind’s eye searched my home as to where I might hang something similar.  I knew well I had decades of lace from attending sales at Cloth World in Jacksonville, Florida where they sold it for a-penny-a-yard.  Yes, a penny-a-yard, limit $1.00! Never mind, that I have used much of it on trim for pillows, christening gowns, quilts, baby blankets, doll dresses, ornaments, wreaths, frames, wedding trim, etc.  And there is still plenty left. If there is a place for lace, I’m in.

I decided the perfect spot in the house for my creation, about the only spot, if truth be told, would be over the sidelight by our front door.  As I pulled forth the glorious trim, memories flowed.  There was the pink embroidered ribbon I used to trim my Barbra’s burgundy vest and skirt giving her that Heidi Swiss look, the different patterned ecru lace I used to trim the Victorian Christmas stockings, the green lace that edged the cross stitched Irish tablecloth – You get the idea.

After two days of knotting together 25 six-foot lengths of mostly soft colors of ribbon to lace, ribbon to ribbon and/or lace to lace, I tied them to the top curtain rod, leaving the tails of the knots as scattered accents. While that would be quite sufficient for most, I just had to add embellishments. A pink bow from the perfume bottle from Bruce, the tiny sand dollar given to me, a miniature bell, a white silk flower from my sister Peggy’s wedding, a mauve leather bow gathered with rhinestones in the center from a beloved pair of uncomfortable yet adorable heels, these are only some of the added treasures. 

The curtain in  the photo above is the result. Bohemian would be the description some might use.  I just call it wonderful!  

If you are inclined to make something similar, and don’t have 150 feet of ribbon and lace laying about, make a much shorter wall hanging, using twine, yarn, shoelaces and just enough ribbon and lace to be the accents.  You can’t go wrong because there is no right way, just a fun way.  Enjoy!   -Jane Marie

***   

The Goodbye Lie Diaries

Late 1800s

Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida

*Breelan Dunnigan writes:  This is a fine idea, Jane Marie, and I know just the person who will appreciate it.  Grammy!  Since she taught me how to make a braided rug, she will love it and she has that sack of scraps and trim she is forever pulling from to create her treasures.  Mmm, if I make something for Grammy, I had best be making one for Peeper.  And I do not want to leave out my mother. I am sure there will be enough supplies for everyone.  I can look for the perfect dry sticks in the woods from which to hang the lengths.   Those cloth strips meant for Grammy’s rugs will work well.  When she asks where some of her trims have disappeared to, I will tell her I am working on Christmas gifts, so she is not allowed to ask any more questions.  With Jack Patrick around and the way he tears up his shirts and trousers as he does and with Marie forever ending up with only one hair ribbon, Grammy’s supply will replenish itself in short order.  I do hope each of my efforts will be presentable enough to give as gifts.

Breelan Dunnigan

 

*Breelan is the scond oldest sister in the family of four Dunnigan siblings in north Florida in 1882.  Life on an island is filled with sun and salty times and she is prime in the mix in the first novel in the series, The Goodbye Lie. Her naivete does not serve her well with regard to matters of the heart. She will learn from her mistakes, but not soon enough ... 

Ebooks and Paperbacks in The Goodbye Lie series

 available now:

The Goodbye Lie 

Amelia Island's Velvet Undertow

Amelia Island's Mark of a Man

Honoring ALL Mothers

   

Happy Mother's Day!

    
     I got to thinking about my wonderful mother, Marie, and how special she will forever be to all her children.  And there are so many ways by which women are mothers.  One of those includes fictious mothers we may not be able to physically touch, but who are still real and vivid in our emotions.  To that end, I honor Miss Ella Dunnigan from my Goodbye Lie series.  So many

Miss Ella Dunnigan

readers tell me how much 
they admire Miss Ella, matriarch of the Irish-American family in the 1880 and 90s on Amelia Island, Florida. In reading the family's story, we soon realize she is the kind of person who sets the standard for motherhood, what with her gentle and caring ways toward her little ones, kin, friends and strangers.  She has her frustrations and regrets, like we all have,  yet doing what is right, drives her, in most matters ...   
     My sister, Peggy Brown, surprised me with the lovely Mother's Day roses pictured in the photo. Since Miss Ella is renowned for growing her own roses at Dunnigan Manor, I want to share their beauty with her (through the magic of imagination and electronics) and with you.  As human beings, we create memories every moment and those memories of our mothers are forever-cuddles to our hearts. Thank you, Lord, for such a gift.

***

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The Goodbye Lie Series 🠈available here

Checkers? Amelia Island's Mark of a Man Excerpt

Families play games and have been forever.  One of these games is checkers and so checkers is a natural choice for the fictional Dunnigan family from the late 1800s in Fernandina on Amelia Island, in north Florida. Through the magic of electronics, we offer a passage from a particular day in the lives of the loving and complicated Irish American Dunnigans.  

Amelia Island's Mark of a Man Excerpt:

Pat Dunnigan

     More hours churned past to solidify into days and no further word of Pat was forthcoming. Peeper was physically and mentally less than chipper. Her right foot, bothering her, with a single length of rope under her arch, she'd fashioned a sling. 

 Peeper

Pulling on both ends of the line to help lift her foot, it took the pressure off her aching hip. Settled in the rocker on the front porch, she cogitated upon her pet, the lad she'd alternately hollered after then rewarded ever since his birth. Until she was able to ply him with her potions and plasters, she would not and could not relax. 

     The white thread with which she sewed a mother-of-pearl button onto Pat's shirt was being difficult. "This danged thread is gonna be the death a me. If'n this string don't stop atwistin' and I git one more knot—" Frustration was all, and she set aside her labors.     

     "Come on, Peep," Nugget whined at her a fourth time. "It won't hurt any to play checkers with me. My Daddy said checker playin' is a good way to pass the time. I like to play Chinese checkers, too, but Blackie White Spots eats too many of the marbles."

Clover

     Peeper took a sip of the rose water she'd brewed earlier and concentrated on the cool of it, feeling it slither past her gullet, clear down to her empty belly. She felt only slightly better, but not enough to take away her misery.

     Clover walked past as she reminded, "Clove, put on your list that when it's time ta cut some-a them lavender spikes I been ababyin' all winter's long, you'll need ta spread 'em out on your tack room floor. It takes most a my grownin' powers ta make 'um sprout in pots, 'stead a the ground, but if'n it's the only way ta get that sweet smell fer ya, I'm awillin' ta do it. Now, the more ya walk about on the lavender, the more odiferous it 'ull be."  

     "You're so good to me, Peeper, but how about we bundle the stocks for the girls to hang in their rooms and maybe you can fill some fancy-work little bags with lavender for their drawers, too. The truth of it is the last time, it made my place and 'specially me, smell like a fancy house, for true!"

     "What's a fancy house, Clove?" asked an always-curious Nugget.

     "Ah, it's a—Peep, would you tell Nugget? You might-could describe it better."

     Not missing a beat, she explained straight away, "A fancy house is where men goes ta drink whiskey and dance with girls and it's no place fur ya ta ever set foot in. Remember we was awalkin' downtown Tuesdee last and I went ta coverin' your eyes? That was when we crossed afore one-a them places.  They shoon't allow such sinful spots in our town. You do like I'm atellin' ya now!"

     "Yes'm, Peep," Nugget said, remembering they'd passed the loud banjo music and sour smell of whiskey coming from what he thought might be a fancy house. Uncle Pat liked to drink whiskey. If whiskey was good for Uncle Pat, he would give it a try when he got bigger. Peeper just worried too much.

     Peeper looked to Nugget, the boy in whom she saw the same coloring and sweetness as her Bird of the Earth, Pat. She turned her head away so he would not see her crying. He did. "Git your Peeper a hankie, would ya, lamb. My glass is adrippin' onta my skirt. Then I'll play ya one game and I'll be abeatin' ya in half a dozen moves. I wanna be red.  Red's my faver-rite color." 

     So happy Peeper was willing to play, Nugget was gone in a shot to get her the requested handkerchief. Rushing up the stairs to her room, he wondered why she didn't use the one tucked in her belt or the one stuffed in her sleeve.

     Peeper dried her eyes with the pink edged hankie from her cuff.  In these difficult times, she needed the security of an extra handkerchief. She gathered up her sewing once again and as she struggled to re-thread her needle, her eyesight no longer sharp, she decided she had no business sniveling like Aunt Noreen. "Enough of this here silliness," Peeper scolded herself.  "Don't give up, old gal. Jack Patrick  'ull come home. I know that certain. He just has ta." She squeezed her eyes shut and when she opened them, there stood Nugget, holding out a linen napkin, watching her.

     "Glad you found your sleeve hanky 'cause I couldn’t find your pile in the u  sual spot. I snatched up this thing from the table so I wouldn't be so long."

      "Thank ya, kindly." Setting her sewing back into the pine needle basket on the side table, she said seriously, "If you're afinished lolly-gaggin', I'd like ta win me a game a checkers."

     "Yes, ma'am!" They were still setting up the board, when Nugget announced, "I'm gonna have more king-mees than you, Peep!" His wide grin showed straight baby teeth, a precursor of what would be a beautiful but impish smile.

     She smiled back.  "Just like my Pat."

     From his office window, Michael watched his grandson and Peeper engrossed in activity. Ella, Carolena and Breelan were with him, discussing the drop in passenger revenue, due directly to the Spanish madmen. Although Pat's name was not mentioned, he was uppermost in all thoughts.      

*********

Ebooks and Paperbacks in The Goodbye Lie series available now:

The Goodbye Lie 

Amelia Island's Velvet Undertow

Amelia Island's Mark of a Man

Charming Storm Drain

As I was walking back to my car after a book signing at Sea Jade's*, an old Florida souvenir shop,  extraordinaire, and home of my Goodbye Lie historical romance series, I came across this small image on the curb. I had to snap a photo of it to share with you.  Only in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida might you spy a pink shrimp wearing a pirate hat and eye patch.  This is just one more example of the charm of our lovely Victorian island town. 

*Sea Jade is located in the middle of Amelia Island's historic district at 208 Centre Street, Fernandina Beach, FL.  904 277-2977.  They have everything you didn't realize you needed and a lovely staff to help you find it!

Amelia Island's Mark of a Man Excerpt- Pat Dunnigan

Amelia Island's Mark of a Man,
part of The Goodbye Lie Series

      Jack Patrick is a little boy in 1882 in The Goodbye Lie, the first in my trilogy set on Amelia Island, Florida.  He gives his Irish family, the Dunnigans,  headaches and worry and lumps in their throats, but his intentions lean, for the most part, to the honorable. As the years go on, he uses his charms to his advantage when he must. He has a potent sense of right versus wrong, most of the time ...
     The third novel in the series, Amelia Island's Mark of a Man, features Pat, the name he prefers to be called as an adult.  Here is an excerpt from that book, likewise set in the Victorian seaside town of Fernandina. The time is 1898.

     "Mrs. Ickles has two tummies," announced six-year-old Nugget, "but Aunt Noreen wins 'cause she's got five!" 

Pat Dunnigan

      Agreeing with his nephew, Pat  Dunnigan wore a grin until, in the shadows beneath the stairwell, he spotted Marie, fingering the lapel of the cornet player. And she was whispering in his ear! But this reality was not what Pat perceived. No, he saw a stranger bent over an innocent--his innocent--slobbering onto her neck. Then he saw red! Without a word, with no hesitation, he grabbed the man's arm, spinning him off his sister. A solid left fist followed to the violator’s mouth. He damn sure wouldn't be nuzzling necks or puffing on horns any time soon, not with both lips split. 

Amelia Island's Mark of a Man, part of The Goodbye Lie Series

Musical Discovery

Source: Reprinted from Words for Worship, 2018 Augsburg Fortress.

     I love old-timey hymns, as you might suspect. Along that line, we were in church one Sunday morning singing The Great Thanksgiving, as pictured above.  Mind you, I have been going to church my entire life and playing handbells forever, all the while reading the music to the best of my ability. Never did I notice this particular something until a friend, Katherine Swafford, pointed it out.  Look at the ties or curved lines connecting some of the musical notes. The way they are laid out, your can magically see two black eyes and a wide smile grinning back at you. In the three sets of notes with the ties, you can even see a little nose with the eyes. - And what a perfect place to find them, in this Great Thanksgiving! How simple, sweet and wonderful!!! Thank you, Katherine.- jmm

Our Version of Jack in the Box

     Lucky us at Gracious Jane Marie!  You never know when a dog head will appear, so we like to call this week's version Abs in the Sleeve.  Here we have Abby Lou in the cuff of a sweatshirt sleeve, which is part of a pile of clean laundry needing to be folded.
     
     P.S. Abby, our spokesdog for this blog, is pulling double duty as Director of Security for our Goodbye Lie historical romance series.  Since the former director, our bird named Bird, is now flying with the angels after 20-plus years on earth, the Abster is our overly zealous protector.  Her big dog mouth filled with incessant barking at the first rustle of a leaf, squeak of a door or gate hinge or the dreaded, on our part, ringing of the doorbell, is enough to drive away bad guys, plus reduce every ones ability to hear.  

Why and How of Writing

 Goodbye Lie series

Two questions I'm oft times asked at book signings are:

What made you write books?   
     It is always much fun for me to meet new people, especially those who like historical 

fiction. 

     The quick version to why I write is my husband lost his job (the company downsized) and we moved to Arkansas to open a fine dining restaurant with friends with money. (We were the sweat equity.) I was heartsick over leaving Fernandina.  I thought writing a book would be a great way to remember the town. Well, you're supposed to write what you like to read, i.e., historical romance/suspense. Since I'd already taken docent training at the local Amelia Island Museum of History and Victorian Amelia Island was the perfect setting, I began writing one book,The Goodbye Lie to put in my granddaughter's hope chest, for posterity. It was much fun for me and so involving, I had to find out what happened to the other members of the fictional Dunnigan family. That's why I wrote two more with the forth in the works. Oh, after the first book, we moved back to Amelia Island, and my husband, Bruce Malcolm, became the mayor!  

Where do I begin to become a writer?

     So many people have stories to tell and they want to do so, but don't know how. I can only give them my experience, so I simply say, "Just go ahead and give it a try." Begin with short stories. If they are related, they could turn into chapters in a book.  A whole book can be daunting, so try this way.  Find a good friend you trust enough to read your efforts and ask him or her for suggestions on improving your writing and story-line. If you agree, follow their suggestions. If not, and you think the words are best left as originally written, just keep going. Remember, you have to have a thick skin. Remember, too, not everybody will like your style or subject matter.  If you're extremely lucky and determined,  you may eventually get your story out there for the public to discover. But, the bottom line is: Write for the love of the sport. That's what I do.