From the Author of The Goodbye Lie Series

I now understand the definition of a labor of love. 

Discover-ing the personal-ities of the Irish Dunnigan family, the players in my Goodbye Lie series set on historic Amelia Island, Florida, has been all-enveloping.  As I walk the beach, with the Atlantic Ocean's cool waters washing over my feet, Breelan and Carolina and Pat and Marie, the siblings featured in the novels, whisper their secrets in the passing sea breeze. I can't help but listen as they tell their stories.  Sometimes they call me out for sharing too many of their personal details, but then understand the necessity of it.  Without those details, they would hold far less interest for me or my readers.  Their actions and reactions, their deeds and misdeeds are the result of deep and sometimes dark developments in their lives. I am fascinated, intrigued and just plain curious as to where their whispers will lead me, and in turn, the reader. Please join our band of beloved friends, the Dunnigans of Amelia Island. 
                                    - Jane Marie Malcolm  


#Fernandina, #Fernadinabook, #AmeliaIslandbook, #AmeliaIsland, #Irishdrama, #Irishfamily, #romance, #historical, #smalltown, #mystery, #passion, #comic, #island, #Floridanovel

Breelan's Pear Salad - Goodbye Lie Diaries

Late l800s
Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida

Breelan writes:  If you have read Jane Marie's telling of my life story in her Goodbye Lie  novel, you will understand my feelings about food preparation. Such a thing should be as simple as reading a recipe from a cookbook.  In this regard, at times, my meals have been less than palatable ... 
 

Breelan

    However, the Pear Salad from my mother, Miss Ella, is tasty and presentable enough to be served on board the ships in our Aqua Verdi Cruise Line.
    Only four ingredients are required and they are:

• one large lettuce leaf
• a square of cream cheese rolled in 
• chopped nuts and placed on
• half a pear

     I feel sure you will enjoy the sweet and soft of the pear in combination with the cheese and crunch of the nuts.
     As Jane Marie says, "Enjoy!"

***

Present day

Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida

Jane Marie writes:  Breelan, dear. Your Pear Salad looks delightful and light.  I wanted to be sure what we call cream cheese in our time is the same cheese as you use.  So, I googled it.  Just like the way we communicate in these Goodbye Lie Diaries, through the magic of electronics, we also have the ability to find most any answer instantly on a program we call Google.  There I discovered cream cheese was invented by a Mr. William Lawrence, an American from New York, in 1872.  By 1880, his cheese was available for purchase, wrapped in foil.  That is still how we buy ours today!  Some things should never change and cream cheese is one of them.  

****

The Goodbye Lie, Amelia Island's Velvet Undertow and Amelia Island's Mark of a Man are all part of The Goodbye Lie series.

#Breelan, #GoodbyeLie, #recipe, #salad, #drama, #romantic, #island, #AmeliaIsland,  #series, #Fernandina, #Irish, #pear, #nut

Possible Aunt Noreen Quote

Aunt Noreen

See if you agree that Aunt Noreen, less than lovely neighbor to the Dunnigan family on Amelia Island, Florida in the late 1800s, and a major player in The Goodbye Lie series, might have said the anonymous quote below. Let me set the scene:  

Think back to 1882. You are on Amelia Island.  Relax as you imagine the soft sea breeze blowing off the water onto the shore.  Ladylike, you are sitting on a blanket as the sun begins its descent into the cool waiting ocean.  Your mother would not approve of the novel you are reading. She thinks it is a book of poetry.  You are glad she is a few yards down the beach, sharing the shade tent with her sister-in-law, old troublesome Aunt Noreen.  You are also glad you are not in that same tent, enduring the chatter of said aunt.  As the sea rolls, the gulls are calling. You are lulled to near sleeping until your mind snaps to attention, jarred as it is by Aunt's gruff blurting.  

   "I do not repeat gossip,

so pay attention the first time."

Click HERE to get theGoodbye Lie Series 

in E-book and Paperback

#gossip, #AmeliaIsland, #novel, #beach, #island, #AuntNoreen, #Irish, #Victorian

Tire Tribute

I spied these fun and fabulous tire planters hanging on the wooden fence of our Amelia Island Montessori School.  Of course, I asked a teacher if I might take pictures of these cleverly repurposed items, to share with you.  Permission granted, she said they got the idea from Pinterest. These days, where else?  So, don't throw away that worn out tire. With a little spray paint (meant for rubber), dirt and colorful flowers, you can fancify your gate or fence or wherever you want a shabby chic/country garden kind of look.  Happy Spring and Summer to you all!  And thank you to Montessori, too!

Fun Holiday Ofice Idea, Goodbye Lie Diaries w Aunt Noreen and Peeper

     Kids have Elf on the Shelf. That's the stuffed toy, which mysteriously is moved around the house during the Christmas season, and made to do harmless and funny antics to bring laughter to children anticipating the arrival of Santa.

     It came to me that adults working in an office building could have their version of Hide the Stuffie.  All you need is some smallish form of stuffed Santa, elf, reindeer, teddy, etc., that you have tucked away with the Christmas decorations or in the corner of your child's room.  Just don't borrow the child's favorite toy lest you spoil his or her chances with Santa because they are unwilling to share and throw a tantrum.
     Add a copy of my letter below, filling in the blanks to personalize it for your particular office.  Email the letter to everybody in the place and see how they respond. With delight, I hope. The idea is to get all your coworkers in the holiday mood!

TO:  Our Team of (add silly adjective here)  Employees

 

It has come to our attention that a male has been spotted hiding in various areas of our ____________ building!!! 

 

DESCRIPTION:   (example) 12 inches tall, wearing a red suit and hat, with a full tummy, black boots and a felt beard

 

Should you discover this character in your office, please email all  staff so they know his where-abouts.  Then pass him along, IN SECRET, to some other unsuspecting person’s desk drawer, closet, file cabinet, etc.,  to be found.  We have heard this little fella is one of Santa’s helpers and his job is to completely make it around our building and report who is naughty and nice to the Big Guy!  Just to be clear, everybody be on your best behavior or he’ll rat you out! 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

     By the way, this idea could be for just about any holiday as long as the stuffed item or any item you decide to hide is in keeping with your particular occasion.  Enjoy!

*****  The Goodbye Lie Diaries *****

Late 1800s

City of Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida

Aunt Noreen writes:  You mean to tell me you would enter someone's office, uninvited?  I have never heard of such poor manners.  Why, a person might be tempted to snoop and that would be most unseemly!

Peeper writes:  Noreena, only you kin turn a good-intentioned game like Jane Marie's atalkin'  'bout, into some kinda nosy-poke bad thing, faster than a goose can empty its bee-hind.  I think it's a fine i-dee and I'll be tellin' Miss Ella real quick  ta do it in her Aqua Verde office.  Hey, she can maybe start the game off by hidin' one a yur handkerchiefs ya keep aleavin' behind, just sos ya have ta come back over ta Dunnigan Manor ta sample my sugar tarts.  No.  We will find somethin' more fittin'  'cause yur handkerchiefs is too heavy-laid with perfume. Tell the truth, Noreena.  Do ya wear so much scent ta cover yur natural body odor, being too lazy ta take a bath like us cleanliness is next to Godliness kind of folks? My, oh my, how I like ta insult ya. Makes my day every time! 

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

Grandmother Peeper and Aunt Noreen are fussing next door neighbors who never quit squabbling.  They are both beloved favorites of readers in The Goodbye Lie series.

      

New Friend

St. Michael's Craft Fair was well attended and I was one of the vendors there. As usual, I met many new people. One sweet woman stood out.  Meet Emma from Chicago.  I first met Miss Emma and her husband while signing books on Centre Street in our historic downtown Fernandina Beach on the island.  She'd gotten a copy of The Goodbye Lie then. She turned up at the craft show, told me she'd also read Amelia Island's Velvet Undertow and this day took possession of the third novel in the series, Amelia Island's Mark of a Man.  It is always a treat for me to discover folks who "get" the characters and "get into" the stories.  That is always my hope and Miss Emma is one of those people. 
     I chatted with others, discussing the fact that St. Michael's church is featured in the novels because the fictional Irish Dunnigan family attended there in 1882. It struck me how my characters and I live parallel lives in so many ways.  They go to church and have craft shows and potluck dinners, the same as I do.  The difference is just a few years, 134 is all.

Uncovered Titles

I was cleaning my office.  No, can't say that.  Cleaning is much too strong a word, as are sorting and rearranging.  It was more like shuffling.  Yes, I was doing the paper shuffle dance.  To my delight, I found a manila envelope with handwritten pages from my original Goodbye Lie manuscript. (Now available in E-book and paperback. haha)  This is pretty exiting stuff for me because it has been many a moon since I last wrote out page after page of  that first book.  As a bonus, I found a list of working titles, some of which could have been on the cover instead of The Goodbye Lie.  I am pleased I settled for The Goodbye Lie.  It tells a story all by itself. 

Here is that list of working titles.  If you've read The Goodbye Lie, decide if I made the right choice.  If you haven't,  they may lead you in the direction of wanting to understand the meaning behind them.

Forever Once

Mended Lace

Amelia Light

Return Tomorrow

Destiny's Choice

Yesterday's Past

Yesterdays Passed

Grammy Camp 2016 Antics

Corn Husk Dolls

Annual Grammy Camp was a success, once again!  Granddaughter Ava and I tried new activities, made new crafts, cooked and ate what we cooked, and laughed more than we have ever laughed before.  That's the best part of Grammy Camp, after all. Here are some pics from the good times we shared! 

Painting Secret Pebbles

Jewelry Making   

Fine Dining

Painting Mailboxes



Painting More Secret Pebbles

 Contortions on the Beach in the Name of Physical Fitness

Cooking No Bake Cookies

History Class at Fort Clinch

Chemistry AKA Salad Dressing



Book Marks from Paint Chips

Science Experiment - Growing Crystals and It Worked!

Music Appreciation on the Spam Canjo

Drawing Class - Subject is Abby, the Singing Chihuahua

P.S. Our only activity "fail" was making our own lip gloss from a kit.  Well, in a pinch, maybe it wasn't a complete fail.  I mean, if your lips were so parched they were cracked, the lumpy wax bits, which didn't melt, might offer just enough grease to sooth any blisters.  Nah.  It was a fail. But it was still fun. 

Small Town, USA

Happy Fourth of July

Everybody loves their hometown.  After all, it's THEIR hometown.  Born there or living there by choice, we all take pride in the accomplishments, beauty and notoriety of our place.  I am no exception.  For me, Amelia Island, Florida has it all.  I often say, "History loves here."  Since I love history, I'm in the right place. A real live working seaport with a National Historic District full of Victorian homes and storefronts, this city is my definition of Small Town, USA.

Through the generosity of many, we can now brag about all the American flags hanging from street lights and telephone poles in our downtown and clear out to our Main Beach at the Atlantic Ocean.  The flags are our cherry on the top of our rich dessert of Southern hospitality smothering our Amelia Island. Next time you're able, come on down and enjoy this paradise, along with us. It's too beautiful not to share!

Makeup Discoveries

I researched 19^th century makeup for my Amelia Island's Mark of a Man historical romance novel and discovered a few fascinating things.
(Click on the link to learn about   Amelia Island's Mark of a Man   )

• Because great amounts of lead-based potions and dressings were applied to the face and hair by women and men, there was often hair loss, including eyebrows.  They used a pencil to fill in the thin spots.  That seems reasonable.  More interesting is that pet mice became popular for the single purpose of using bits of their fur to make false brows.  The glue/adhesive required was not so reliable and often times, or so I read, the glue let go, resulting in oddly shaped brows.

• The ladies would sleep the night away wearing slices of raw meat, beef preferably, lashed to their faces.  The reason is obvious, isn't it?  It reduced wrinkles.

• Because there was no real deodorant in 1858 and other bodily functions were less than sweetly odoriferous, the Great Stink of London  was named, and a sewage system was implemented. 

• Theatre folks burned corks and used the char for eyeliner.

• Finally, there was a young girl named Mabel who mixed Vaseline with coal dust to create a kind of mascara.  Her brother, T. L. Williams, thought it a fine idea, and formed the now world-renowned Maybelline line of make-up.  The name is a combination of Mabel and Vaseline!

Thank you to Jan Glazer, Beyond the Barricade, www.actingouttheatreco.org, for putting such educational things online for all of us to enjoy!  Click on the link to find out more fun stuff about the theatre.  

Trailer for Amelia Island's Mark of a Man

Here is the trailer/video for Amelia Island's Mark of a Man.  Turn up the sound and click on the lower right  corner, to the right of YouTube, to enlarge the screen.  Then click the arrow in the center of the video to start. To watch again, click on the arrow circle on the lower left of the video. Enjoy!

Click on the link below for more about Amelia Island's Mark of a Man and the other titles in Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie series. Available in e-book and paperback at book sources everywhere. Amelia Island's Mark of a Man