Day 5, December 12, Sunday Emerald Princess 10 Day Cruise DOMINICA We approached Dominica, a mountainous, long island of 298 square miles with a population of around 73,000. Clouds hovered over the green-coated land. White buildings clustered along the coastline like blobs of bird poop (not the nicest image, but this popped into my mind). … Read more
EMERALD PRINCESS 10 Day Cruise Southern Caribbean Day 1, December 8, Wednesday ALL ABOARD We boarded the Emerald Princess at Port Everglades. The terminal doors opened at noon. It was our first time as Platinum members of the Captain’s Circle (repeat cruisers), and I was grateful for the Preferred Check-In line that allowed us a … Read more
EMERALD PRINCESS SHIP REVIEW THE CABINS First off, note there’s no deck 13. The decks go from 12 to 14. We stayed on Baja deck 11 and it was a great location. Our balcony cabin expanded the view and prevented us from feeling closed in. The balconies are very comfortable with a soft rubbery covering … Read more
How can you make your characters sound stronger when they speak? Think of the ways authoritative people talk in terms of their word choices and tone of voice. Choose one of each: 1.A. “I think we should hit the beach at dawn. That way, we’ll probably be able to avoid the patrol boats.” B. “We’ll … Read more
As per our annual family tradition, we attended the Epcot Food & Wine Festival last weekend. The weather was perfect, delightfully cool in the morning and warming into the 70’s in the afternoon. World Showcase opens at 11am so we arrived by lunchtime, turning left toward Mexico. For those of you not familiar with this … Read more
We finally got to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal’s Islands of Adventure in Orlando. The weather, cool and sunny, was a delight and perfect for entering Hogsmeade with the “snow-covered” rooftops. The village is quaint like in the stories. The tall buildings have slanted roofs with fake snow and chimneys and … Read more
“Brainstorming on the Beach” Conference with Novelists, Inc. Here are my notes, keeping in mind this is what I heard and my interpretation. This panel was geared toward Harlequin Enterprises. Writing for Worldwide Distribution with Marsha Zinberg, Executive Editor, Harlequin Enterprises and Author Vicki Lewis Thompson Marsha: A breakdown on what’s popular with readers shows … Read more
“Brainstorming on the Beach” Conference with Novelists, Inc. Contracts and Copyrights Panelists: David Forrer, Literary Agent Alan Kaufman, Literary Attorney Carly Phillips, NYT Bestselling Author Deb Werksman, Editorial Manager, Sourcebooks Donna Hayes, Publisher and CEO, Harlequin Enterprises Chris Kenneally, Copyright Clearance Center Al Zuckerman, Literary Agent and Founder of Writers House Brenda Hiatt, Author Here … Read more
“Brainstorming on the Beach” Conference with Novelists, Inc. 2010 Wednesday, October 6, 2010 We checked in for the Novelists, Inc. conference at Tradewinds Resort in St. Pete Beach. In the lobby, I met authors Cynthia Thomason, Brenda Hiatt Barber, Thea Devine, Ruth Glick, Judy Fitzwater, Barbara Keiler, Annette Mahon, Patricia Rosemoor, and Mary Stella. It’s … Read more
Caribbean Princess Cruise to New England/Canada DAY 7: At Sea and Ship Review We joined the culinary demonstration and tour of the galley in the morning and did a wine tasting in the afternoon. The cooking demo was fun. I always enjoy walking through the galley, one of many aboard ship, and seeing the … Read more