Nancy's Notes From Florida

Circle of Light – New Print Edition
May 16, 2023

I am excited to offer a new trade paperback edition of Circle of Light, #1 in The Light-Year Series. This title was originally published by Dorchester and has been revised with added bonus materials. The idea came as a dream, and when I woke up, I realized I had to finish the story. Circle of Light was my first published book and winner of the HOLT Medallion Award. If you’re in the mood for an escapist read with adventure, mystery, and romance, this is the book for you.

Circle of Light

Published by Orange Grove Press
Digital ISBN: 978-1-952886-06-5
Print ISBN: 978-1-952886-29-4
Cover Design by The Killion Group, Inc.
Interior Design by www.formatting4U.com

Attorney Sarina Bretton believes in facts, not fantasies of faraway planets. Then Captain Teir Reylock of the Coalition Defense League kidnaps her from Earth and whisks her to worlds she couldn’t have imagined. While she’s stunned at first, Sarina is even more astonished when Teir says he’s taking her to marry a member of the High Council. Through this union, she is destined to become the legendary Great Healer and save the galaxy from a devastating plague.

At the capital city of Bimordus Two, Sarina discovers the wonders of an advanced civilization. She also awakens to her passion for Teir, who is assigned as her personal bodyguard. He returns her regard, but he’s sworn to duty. He must protect Sarina from the Coalition’s enemies and from his own desire. If Sarina fails to fulfill the legend, the law decrees she’ll be executed. The only way they can be together is to unlock the legend’s secrets and expose the hidden truth.

PRAISE FOR CIRCLE OF LIGHT

“This action-packed novel will excite and satiate fans of science fiction and romance works alike. Nancy Cohen is a tremendous talent whose novel will remind readers of the Star Wars trilogy.” The Talisman

“Nancy J. Cohen is a writer whose amazing talent propels readers into a universe filled with strange new worlds, amazing technologies, and unusual species that would have made George Lucas sit up and take notice.” Affaire de Coeur

“Circle of Light is a well-constructed futuristic romance that will appeal even to die-hard Star Trek and general science fiction readers. Great plot, believable aliens, and interesting locations.” The Paperback Trader

“Nancy Cohen sparks your imagination and melts your heart with her wonderful tale of galactic adventure and star-crossed lovers.” Marilyn Campbell, award-winning author of The Innerworld Affairs series

Order Now

Amazon Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08G8N73QW
Amazon Print: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1952886295/
BN Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/circle-of-light-nancy-j-cohen/1026238160?ean=2940186571490
BN Print: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/circle-of-light-nancy-j-cohen/1026238160?ean=9781952886294
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id6445872746
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/circle-of-light-9
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=FXetEAAAQBAJ
Books2Read: https://books2read.com/CircleofLight
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1341299
Indiebound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781952886294

Booksellers & Librarians – This title is available through Ingram and at Overdrive and Hoopla.

CIRCLE OF LIGHT blends sci-fi, mystery and romance into a fast-paced, escapist tale. #spaceopera #romance Share on X

GIVEAWAYS

Reader Drawing

To celebrate this new release, I’m giving away an advance reading copy of Silver Serenade. Leave a comment here to be entered into the drawing. Winner will be selected and notified by email on May 23. In return, an honest review at your favorite online bookstore would be greatly appreciated.

Booklover’s Bench

Enter Now to win two free books from Booklover’s Bench in our monthly giveaway.

 


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Story Questions
May 8, 2023

A great way to maintain suspense in a story is to keep the reader asking questions. This will entice her to keep turning pages to see what happens next.

The Ark television series on the SyFy channel has an intriguing premise. Earth’s environment is ruined, and mankind seeks another viable planet to colonize. They send out an ark ship named Ark One. But along the way, something hits their ship. It awakens everyone from cryogenic sleep and they learn their command crew has perished.

Several questions arise at once:

What caused the disaster? Was it an impact like an asteroid, an attack, or sabotage?
Is there a saboteur on board?
Who killed the imposter posing as a crewman?
What did this fellow know about their acting captain’s past that she wants to keep hidden?
Did she murder him?
Whose influence got her on board at the last minute? What makes her so special?
Meanwhile, is anyone left on Earth? Did the other planned arks have time to lift off?
And the big question is – Will they survive?

Each time one question is answered, another disaster occurs that raises more questions.

In my Bad Hair Day series, once my main character fulfilled her basic story arc, I had to add new questions. At the end of Star Tangled Murder, book #18, a reader asked:

“With Dalton retired, is this dynamic duo hanging up their sleuthing shoes? Is Marla really going to be content working less and keeping her nose out of everyone else’s business? Will Dalton be happy with a life full of teaching, hobbies, and being a stay-at-home dad? I am very interested to see what the author has planned.”

See what we’ve done here? As soon as one set of questions is answered or a character arc is complete, you need to immediately insert more issues. Keep the reader guessing, not only about whodunit in the mystery but also about the main characters. The questions can be external, such as who attacked Ark One? Or they can be internal, such as what may be hidden in a character’s past that we need to know?

Story Questions Raise Suspense in a Novel #plotting #amwriting Share on X

Questions create suspense, and that’s what keeps readers turning pages.

GIVEAWAY

Enter Here to win two free books at Booklovers Bench in our May giveaway!

 


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Celebrity Apex Review – The Ports of Call
April 30, 2023

Celebrity Apex stopped at four ports on our cruise – Key West, Belize, Cozumel and Grand Cayman. The only place we hadn’t visited before was Belize, so we booked a shore excursion on that island. I looked forward to shopping in the ports this time more than seeing the sites.

  

Key West

Having visited Key West numerous times, we strolled off the ship and roamed around Front St. and Duval. I picked up a few essentials at a CVS store. We found a Key West Aloe store and I bought hand creams and shower gel. It was very hot outside. I ate a super sweet, chocolate-covered Key lime pie on a stick. Who can go to Key West without eating Key lime pie? We were back onboard Celebrity Apex in time for lunch. If you visit this port and have never been here before, I suggest you do the Conch Train Tour. Otherwise, you can see the historic sites, stroll along the waterfront, and try the various restaurants.

             

Belize

We took the two-hour city tour in an air-conditioned bus for our shore excursion. At first, we drove along the coastline. Then we went inland and wove through the streets. We visited the rich side of town and then the more common side, noting a distinct difference. We also passed grocery and furniture and hardware stores, gas stations, and other commercial sites. Stray dogs roamed the streets that definitely had a third-world country vibe. The guide mentioned that the highest elevation was 4000 feet. They produce shade-grown coffee, and Mayan cacao farmers make chocolate. They also grow sugar cane on this island and make rum. We stopped at a rum factory store and at the Belize sign along the way.

     

              

Shopping by the port terminal was the best bet. There are plenty of shops and a couple of restaurants for lunch. The recommended Wet Lizard was crowded so we ate at a different restaurant with a water view. We bought bags of ground coffee and chocolate bars, which cost six to seven dollars apiece depending on the store. No gift boxes of fancy chocolates as I’d expected. It was fun shopping here for souvenirs.

Cozumel

Cozumel is one of my favorite shopping ports. We’ve been to Tulum and done the Mayan ruins, so we don’t have any need to go there again. We have shopped downtown and at their various docks, so nowadays we just shop around the port. These complexes have more than enough stores to keep you busy. We ate lunch in Margaritaville with our friends, Ann Meier and Pat Babcock.

          

Grand Cayman

We’ve also seen the sites at Grand Cayman and spent time on their famous beach, so this time we tendered into town and walked around the main shopping street which didn’t take too long. We headed back to the ship for lunch.

             

Celebrity Apex Ports of Call Western Caribbean #cruising #CelebrityCruises Share on X

This concludes my journal of our voyage on Celebrity Apex! I hope you’ve enjoyed these photos and descriptions. We’re ready to book the next trip!


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Celebrity Apex Review – The Food
April 28, 2023

The food is the best part of a cruise. You can eat all day if you want. On Celebrity Apex, you’re assigned one of four main dining rooms – Cosmopolitan, Tuscan, Normandie or Cyprus. Each one has some specialty dining items. You have to make a reservation to switch and inform your waiter. The menu has a number of regular dishes and only a small selection of new items each evening. We did not like this lack of variation. It was more fun when you stay in the same dining room and get a different themed menu each night. Specialty dining cost $60+ to eat dinner in the steakhouse, sushi restaurant, raw bar seafood place, Bistro, and others. We ate breakfast and lunch at the Oceanview Cafe. You could also get burgers, hot dogs, turkey burgers and fries at the Mast Grill between the Solarium and outdoor pool. This site had soft cream as well. You could get regular ice cream at a station in the buffet and also pizza at the rear. Lighter options were available at the Eden and Spa cafés. Here are some of the different dining rooms. Our dinner companions were my cousins Janice Sklar and David Sklar and friends Ann Meier, Pat Babcock and Jacki Beirne.

 

This beautiful restaurant was for more exclusive passengers:

   

Breakfast was our favorite meal. Everything you could want to eat for this meal was available. I had smoked salmon every day. My husband enjoyed the herring. You could have eggs made your way, omelets, or eggs benedict. Or hard boiled eggs were offered, albeit with shells on. There was French toast, pancakes, waffles, muffins and Danish, fruits, potatoes, breakfast meats, and more.

 

Lunches included light fare in the Eden and Spa cafes, a full international buffet at the Oceanview Cafe, pizza, or the Mast Grill with burgers and hot dogs. And the desserts! Here are some, but we’ll get to the rest later.

     

Day 1 Dinner at Cyprus

Greek Appetizers
Braised Lamb Shank
Greek Custard (like Crème Brulee)
Apple Pie a la Mode

Day 2 Dinner at Cyprus

Shrimp Cocktail
Braised Short Ribs
Sacher Torte with Vanilla Ice Cream

 

Day 3 (Belize) Dinner at Normandie

The lighting where we sat was dark and the service very slow. But I enjoyed my meal of melted Brie, seared duck breast, and apple crumble a la mode.

Day 4 Dinner (Cozumel)

Pumpkin Salad
Eggplant Bruschetta
Turkey Parmesan with Spaghetti
Cherries Jubilee

Day 5 Dinner (Grand Cayman)

Caesar Salad
Beef Short Ribs
Chocolate Lava Cake

Day 6 Dinner (Second Dressy Night)

Shrimp Cocktail
Lobster Tail with Rice and Broccoli
Leg of Lamb
Baked Alaska

If this isn’t enough, these amazing desserts were on display at the lunch buffet near the end of the cruise. Cut up slices were served upon request.

Celebrity Apex Review - The Food #foodie #cruising Share on X

Are you hungry now?


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Celebrity Apex Review – The Ship Part Two
April 26, 2023

Each day, our newsletter listed tons of activities that you could do on board Celebrity Apex. But some were lacking that you could find on other ships. There wasn’t any bingo, which is a big draw elsewhere. No cooking classes that we would have enjoyed. You could do arts and crafts, take dance classes, go to the art auctions, or attend various seminars but nothing to do with culture or history. Even the Destination Talk was lacking. It showed the highlights of each port and gave important information but there wasn’t any colorful display of what you could buy with giveaways, shopping recommendations, maps or coupons.

ENTERTAINMENT

The evening entertainment was excellent. We enjoyed the production shows the best. The Tree of Life reminded us of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The theme appeared to be changing seasons. The singers and dancers wore street clothes, which didn’t impress us as much as the spectacular special effects and the huge movie screen with changing scenery in the background.

 

We liked the Crystallize show better with its superb aerialists. The theater itself is in the round, a new concept on a cruise ship. You have a good view from nearly anywhere with no columns obstructing the line of site. However, seating was limited, and you had to arrive at least twenty minutes early to guarantee a space. The second-floor seating, so I was told, was for higher tier guests. Showtimes were 7pm and 9 pm. Being early risers, we never made the additional late-night shows.

   

We particularly enjoyed the pianist who gave a concert one night. Accompanied by the ship’s orchestra, he played variations of popular movie themes. He ended with The Mandalorian, a Star Wars TV show that we watch. There were also a violinist and a guitarist on board, both of them talented professionals.

CAPTAIN’S CLUB

As repeat cruisers at Elite level, we enjoyed certain benefits. Aside from the free bag of laundry and Internet minutes, these included free drinks from 5 to 7 every evening except embarkation.  We could get them at any lounge but not in the restaurants. We shared the same status as our friends, Ann Meier and Pat Babcock, so it was fun to meet them at each event.

The Welcome party at Eden included an aerialist performing a sample of their show. We didn’t sign up in time for the Backstage Tour, so we missed that one. We did attend the Senior Officer’s Party where servers brought around drinks and appetizers. Below is the ship’s captain.

    

The Music & Mixology event was fun and unusual. A talented bartender juggled his wares as he mixed three drinks. If I recall, they were a Manhattan, Mai Tai, and Spiced Pimms.

      

A Wine Tasting was held in the Tuscan Restaurant. I took a photo of the bottles since we were not given printouts of the wines with room for notes as in the past.

In the mornings from 8 to 10am in the Bistro lounge, we could get a free Mimosa, Bloody Mary or Bellini along with a choice of light menu items. I liked the fruit and chocolate croissants.

We appreciated our benefits and felt as though our loyalty was properly recognized. This was a fun part of the trip.

Celebrity Apex Ship Review Part Two #cruising #CelebrityCruises Share on X

Coming Next: The Food and the Ports of Call


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