Mixing Romance and Murder

Malice Domestic Conference: The New Nick and Noras: Mixing Romance and Murder

Sunday morning at Malice started out with the Sisters in Crime Breakfast. It was a lovely affair where I met new friends. The Board was introduced and volunteers were thanked for their efforts throughout the year.

P1010593 (800x612) — Nancy Cohen, Ann Parker, Nancy G. West

Following this event, I attended the workshop titled above. Moderated by Stephanie Evans, the panel included Kathleen Ernst, Christina Freeburn, Barbara Graham, Elizabeth J. Duncan, and Kate Carlisle. Following are the questions posed by the moderator. Disclaimer: These interpretations are based on my notes and the paraphrasing is accurate to the best of my ability.

How does danger affect the relationship?

Kathleen: Her characters are a detective and a park curator. Danger reveals a new side to each character, i.e. protectiveness of the hero and a broken heart in the heroine’s past. Also it shows that the heroine doesn’t crumple in the face of danger. Chris says danger in her stories brings her couple back together. They have to work to restart their relationship. Barbara says her hero is the sheriff. “Danger finds you no matter where or who you are. Thing happen.” Hers is a loving couple. “Every day, if it’s the last one, it’s a good one.” Elizabeth’s hero is a police officer. He overrides his training and instincts to put the heroine ahead. In Kate’s story, the woman is a suspect but the hero grows to protect her. Danger heightens the sexual tension between them.

Does your couple need or seek out danger? If it wasn’t there, what else would they need?

Kate says her couple wasn’t brought together by murder but that murder found them. Her heroine is open, free, loving. Her hero is a James Bond, by-the-book type. He feels fear for her safety. Elizabeth’s hero is an inspector who wants a quiet, peaceful life away from work. He warns the heroine away from every case, but she’s curious and can’t leave it alone. He’s unable to keep his work separate from her. Barbara’s heroine listens to gossip and lets the hero do the detecting. They’d like to have a normal life. Chris: Finding people who need protection is their purpose. They each possess a strong protective instinct but in different ways. They are willing to take risks so that others can have a better chance at life. Kathleen’s hero doesn’t want the heroine involved but he needs the info she can provide, so she gets sucked into the situation. They each define danger differently. Solitude and wilderness don’t frighten her when she goes to a deserted island to restore a lighthouse, but he’s concerned about the isolation. So they define danger differently.

How do you work in the lightness and levity of romance with the darkness of murder?

Chris’s romances are more inspirational so they’re not graphic. The couple was married but the marriage ended over guilt from her sister’s death. Dark issues and pain are involved and they have to work out these problems. Elizabeth: Her heroine was a witness that the hero interviewed and subsequently liked, so their romance progresses slowly. In her stories, the romance offers comfort and security for people in their 50s, so it’s a different angle. Kate also writes romance for Harlequin. “A good romance has heavy conflict so I don’t consider that part to be light even though I don’t write dark, deep mysteries.” She adds humor in other ways like with secondary characters. Kathleen has an inner plot or personal conflict that affects the outer plot. Barbara has a married couple who are loyal and faithful to each other. Tender moments enter into the story on occasion.

For the cozy genre, what do you use to create the mood for sex?

In Kathleen’s stories, the relationship is progressing slowly. She says the power of suggestion can be incredibly sexy and better than spelling things out on the page. Chris’s couple needs to rebuild trust in their relationship. It’s more about caring and the “little things” the couple does for each other. Barbara’s characters long for each other when they’re apart. She agrees that it’s the little things, too. Elizabeth says intimacy can be pretty sexy, more so than overt sexuality. Her hero thinks about the heroine often. “It’s more about love than sex, but they’re inching toward it.” In Kate’s mysteries, nothing is overt. “Little moments are sweet but they can’t stop to consider them because they have to solve the crime.” You get the feeling that the relationship is growing.

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I took a break after this panel, skipping some of the events and going out to lunch with family until the Agatha Tea later that afternoon. If I’d known we would be served little sandwiches, scones, cheese and fruit, I wouldn’t have eaten so much earlier! This final event was well attended and then it was time to say goodbye.

P1010594 (800x646) — Carole Nelson Douglas and Nancy Cohen

Our drive home was uneventful except for a stop at a historic house in South Carolina and a couple of country stores where we bought Peach cider, pecan meal (ground pecans—great for coating tilapia before frying), cinnamon honey, and peach jam.

P1010597 (800x600) — Historical Museum House

P1010599 (800x600) — 250 year old live oak

P1010603 (800x600) — Stone gator at foot of tree

P1010604 (800x600) — Face in the Tree! Is it the tree god from Warrior Prince?

Writing Southern Mysteries

Malice Domestic Conference: Writing Southern Mysteries

Saturday morning at the Malice Domestic conference in Bethesda began with a New Authors Breakfast wherein two dozen newly published authors spoke briefly about their works. It was a great way to get to know these newbies and to discover interesting reads.

Writers’ conferences are often more about networking than attending workshops, but I did manage to attend three sessions. One of them was for writers by “The Poison Lady” on how to kill people using alcohol. I won’t be repeating that information here, but I’ll tell you about the other two panels for fans.

Early in the day, I greeted Dana Cameron, Charlaine Harris, Ellen Byerrum, Joanna Campbell Slan, and Neil Plakcy, among other writer friends. Besides Neil, Joanna and myself, Elaine Viets and Deborah Sharp were present from Florida MWA. We discussed marketing ideas and met new readers. I was able to display my promo materials in the hospitality suite, peruse the silent auction items, and greet booksellers in the dealers’ room.

P1010584 (800x530) — Southern Mysteries Panelists

The first workshop I attended was on Southern Mysteries. Panelists were Sandra Parshall, moderator, whose mysteries are set in Virginia. Lisa Wysocky sets her series around horses. Erika Chase’s books are set in Alabama. Leann Sweeney’s cat mysteries take place in South Carolina. Christy Fifield’s haunted shop series is located in Florida. And Miranda James (aka Dean James) writes about a male librarian in Mississippi. Following are the questions posed by the moderator. Disclaimer: These interpretations are based on my notes and the paraphrasing is accurate to the best of my ability.

What is your personal connection to the South?

Miranda grew up in Mississippi in generations of farmers. He moved to Houston and went to grad school and became a librarian. Christy married a Southerner whose family comes from Alabama. Leann went to where her husband’s job took them to Texas and hopes to move to South Carolina someday. Erika loves horses and was captivated by Southern culture. Lisa moved to the South and also loves horses. “Characters in the South are wonderful fodder for mysteries.”

What is special about the South?

Leann: “What’s so wonderful about the South is there are all these secrets.” People are very polite and courteous, and they use indirect routes of speech as opposed to Northerners who say what they mean. Miranda: People in the South beat around the bush when speaking. “How many of you know the two meanings of ‘Bless your heart’?” It’s all in how you say it. Lisa: “History in the South is so much more fascinating than in the North.” Erika: “The word southern conjures the imagination, as in southern lady or southern gentleman.”

Tell us about your settings.

Lisa’s books are set in Tennessee where “many eccentric people live.” Christy’s stories are set in a small Florida town dependent on tourism. She loves the Florida Panhandle. Sandra’s mysteries take place in Virginia, while Miranda’s are set in Mississippi. Leann favors South Carolina, and Erika’s stories are centered in Alabama. Quite a variety!

How do you deal with darker issues?

Lisa approached the theme of child neglect with humor so that the humor balances the darkness. Erika doesn’t deal with any Gothic themes beyond murder. She says secrets from the past affect her characters, who help each other through them. Leann says her editor helps her balance the light and the dark. “Secrets are dangerous, and I want the reader to feel that tension throughout the book.” She often deals with dysfunctional family issues.

Christy has a main character who is a ghost. Another character is the ghost’s acquaintance, and their relationship goes back to a more turbulent time in history. She indicates how racial relationships in the South are still a fact of life there. It’s tough to balance those elements with the lightness of a cozy. Miranda likes to make the reader forget about their problems when reading his books. So he aims for a balance between real southern issues and a lighter mystery.

How do you include accents?

Miranda offers colloquial expressions and rhythm of speech instead of heavily accented speech which can be distracting to the reader. She says to be aware that certain words may be used differently. For example, do the people in a locale say cellar or basement? Erika says the flavor of interactions is more important than the words themselves.

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Later that afternoon, I was on a panel called Living with the Seven Deadly Sins: Mysteries as Modern Morality Plays. Moderated by Art Taylor, our panel included R. J. Hartlick, Carolyn Hart, Tracy Kiely, Margaret Maron, and myself. I discussed the value of relationships among the characters in a mystery and how that’s the focus of my stories. We joined other afternoon panelists at a booksigning later.

P1010586 (800x585) — Lisa Wysocky, Maggie Toussaint, Nancy Cohen

P1010587 (800x625) — Nancy and Tracy Kiely

P1010589 (800x526) — Lorna Barrett and Nancy Cohen

P1010590 (800x572) — Nancy Cohen and Jacqueline Corcoran

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Saturday night, we attended the Agatha Awards Banquet. I didn’t take pix here, too many people, and it was a long evening.

Coming Next: The New Nick and Noras: Mixing Romance and Murder

Washington D.C.

On a chilly day in April, we visited downtown Washington D.C. the day before Malice Domestic was to begin. It was so exciting to descend deep into the ground on a steep escalator, to join the hustle and bustle of people rushing to and fro, and to hear the rumble of an approaching train. When you’re not used to cities, riding the subway becomes an adventure on its own. We bought a ticket at the Metro station next to the Hyatt Regency Bethesda where we were staying and took the red line into town. I noted the urban style clothing: i.e. darker colors than we see in South Florida, closed toe shoes instead of sandals, men in suits. It was totally a different atmosphere than back home where people wear shorts and tank tops. I rode the train with a sense of wonder. Then we emerged outside, where the sky was overcast, and the fifties temperature had prompted me to wear my North Face insulated jacket. We took a stroll around the White House and the executive office buildings surrounding it, noting the various gated entries. We passed the Renwick Gallery, an intriguing museum of decorative arts that I’d like to visit next time. And then we dined at our favorite place, the Old Ebbitt Grill.

P1010548 (800x544) — Washington Monument

P1010552 (800x600) — View from White House

P1010555 (800x600) — Other Impressive Building

After lunch, we visited the Smithsonian Museum of American History. I enjoyed the exhibit of First Lady gowns. But then panic assailed me when I realized my prescription sunglasses were missing from their perch on my handbag. We went everywhere peering at the ground searching for them. Then my brilliant niece suggested looking up. If someone had found the glasses, this person might have put them on a display case to keep them from being trampled.

She was right! She spotted them atop a glass case and I secured them. Whew! Smart tip. Remember this advice if you lose an item in a crowd.

We toured exhibits of musical instruments, historical trains and cars and trolleys, and memorabilia from the American Presidency. Tired from our explorations, we trooped outside to the Metro station and rode back to the hotel. Dinner was Italian night with relatives. We visited with family again the next day. As it had dawned into the forties, we entertained ourselves at a local mall. Friday night, I attended the Malice Domestic welcome reception. And then the conference began in earnest for me.

: First Lady Gown

P1010571 (600x800) — Michelle Obama gown

Aruba

Day 7, December 14, Tuesday, Emerald Princess 10 Day cruise to Southern Caribbean

BONAIRE

We had more time on this island than Grenada and I would have liked less. It’s 112 square miles with a population of 14,000. The land appeared relatively flat and sparse with little vegetation. It didn’t look as populated as the other islands, but my cousin took an island tour and was so impressed by the upscale housing and sights that this was her favorite island. She said there’s a very low level of unemployment. Next time we’ll have to do the island tour.

We walked down the pier to the main shopping street, passed a bunch of crafts vendors, and turned left. The shops sold the usual souvenir items plus sea salt produced here. We bought aloe lotions as they grow the medicinal plant on this island. There were no bargains and nothing else new to get. A few bars face the water where you can buy a drink and admire the view. The streets were dusty with the dried mud coating the surface and buildings with second-story balconies reminiscent of the Old West. We arrived at port at 12 o’clock. My husband and I spent less than two hours walking around. I liked this port the least but it’s probably good if you like water sports. The water was beautiful and crystal clear. We could see tropical fish swimming around right up to shore.

Day 8, December 15, Wednesday

ARUBA

We approached the main town Oranjestad on this prosperous island of 74 square miles. Aruba’s population is around 34, 000. It’s part of the Dutch Commonwealth. Aloe is its main agricultural crop. I spied numerous freighters offshore. A sandbar protects the coast by the pier and a lone tree grows seemingly in the middle of the water. We could see oil storage tanks from the Lago refinery in the distance on one side and the airport on the other. The island appears mostly flat with a hilly area in one direction.

The affluent and well-kept town contains some of the same jewelry stores as St. Thomas. You can get jewelry galore along the main street, L.G. Smith Boulevard, along with tropical wear, souvenirs, and Delft china items from Holland. It didn’t take us long to walk up and down the street and stroll around the Royal Plaza and Renaissance Malls (attached to a hotel).

Diamonds International is a favorite store among cruise passengers, and Kay’s Fine Jewelry had some good prices. (In St. Thomas, check out Imperial Jewelers and Ballerina Jewelers in addition to DI).

We went back to the ship for lunch then explored the souvenir shops inside the cruise terminal. You can get last minute gifts here without going farther. Aruba is a large island, and if you can ignore its news infamy, worthy of exploration.

Tonight on the ship was the Captain’s Circle repeat members cocktail party. It was very crowded. They were generous with the drinks but not with the food. For dinner, I chose the roast rack of lamb. The show was a ventriloquist whose dummy was a shrieking duck that grated our nerves. We left in the middle of his performance.

Days 9 & 10, December 16-17, Thursday and Friday

AT SEA

We enjoyed our days at sea, sitting out by the pool, reading, eating, lounging on our balcony. Eating again. Napping. Checking out the ice cream. Getting a hot dog. Grabbing a cookie. Reading. Eating again. If you want to be busy, there are various activities going on, but this was my 25th cruise and I’d been there, done that. It was a wonderfully relaxing trip. I miss the warm weather, now that we are home again. The only solution is to plan our next voyage on the high seas.

For more photos, go to: http://bit.ly/i1wERn

And if you’re into cruise mysteries, check out Killer Knots, my latest Bad Hair Day mystery featuring hairdresser Marla Shore who solves crimes with wit and style under the sultry tropical sun, this time on a cruise to the Caribbean.

Grenada

Day 6, December 13, Monday, Emerald Princess 10 Day Cruise to Southern Caribbean

GRENADA

The day dawned bright and sunny and warm. Clouds hovered over the distant mountain ranges as we approached the famed “spice” island. I spotted a fort up on a hill, a clock tower in town, and a multitude of pastel buildings, many of which clustered up the hillside. Grenada is 133 square miles. Approximately 33,700 people live in the capital city of St. George’s which is where we docked.

We boarded an air-conditioned bus for the ship’s tour titled Grenada Explorer (the sign-up sheet says non a/c vehicles but that may be outdated). Here we drove through the insanely crowded narrow streets of St. George’s barely scraping by other vehicles. We emerged onto a road hugging the rocky coast. Sandy beaches and resorts are to the south side. We headed in the opposite direction. After a lengthy drive past many seaside villages, we turned inland toward the lush jungle interior. Wild fruit trees sprouted everywhere: tall, leafy nutmeg trees with round nuts sagging from the branches. Papayas laden with heavy green fruits. Abundant banana plants in various stages of maturity. Long cocoa pods hanging off trees. Vines aplenty. We passed some planted fields of corn and root vegetables. Most of the nutmeg, cacao, bananas are exported to Europe. It was amazing to see these fruit trees wild all over the island. I was stunned by the bountiful fruits to be found on this tropical paradise, although the standard of living could be higher.

We careened around switchback roads up and down through verdant hillsides, spotting an occasional goat. Overhead power lines strung through villages. We saw many half-built structures as though abandoned mid-construction. Men sat about watching us pass as though they had nothing productive to do. Laundry hung out to dry at many cottages. Dogs roamed the streets, and children played on open porches. Many of the homes were on stilts, without any visible air-conditioning units. Given the living conditions, I was surprised when the guide said they have cable TV with the same channels as we do.

Our first stop, an hour’s drive away, was the centuries old Dougaldston Spice Estate. The wooden buildings were faded and rundown. While I visited the outbuilding restroom, the host described the different spices grown on the island. I joined the group as he passed each spice around for us to smell: nutmeg, bay leaves, cloves, mace, ginger, tumeric, and cocoa. Small packets were available for purchase for a dollar or two each with no labels other than what spice they contained. I was disappointed; the tour description said we’d have the opportunity to buy spices here and I’d expected something more sophisticated. This hardly seemed worth the long ride, except that I enjoyed the drive through the verdant mountains to view the scenery.

P1000635 — Spice Estate; Beans Drying in Sun

Our bus resumed its route, making one roadside stop. The driver paid a guy to give us each a banana to eat. The tour list said we were supposed to stop at Gouyave Nutmeg Station but I don’t recall this being part of the tour.

We proceeded next to Grand Etang National Park 1900 feet above sea level for a view of the crater lake. I would have liked more time here as they had the best vendors for shopping but we only had 15 minutes. I gulped down the free rum punch which was mostly fruit juice, snapped a quick picture, and ran from one craft stall to the next. I bought spice necklaces made up of the different spices grown on the island. They smelled wonderful and I hoped they would keep until we got home and I hung one in my kitchen. I also bought nutmeg syrup and nutmeg jam plus some gift packs and individual packets of the different spices.

From here we visited Annandale Falls where we had a short hike downhill for the view. It was a minor waterfalls compared to the twin falls in Dominica. The vendors here were annoying, pushing their wares at us. We were now anxious to get back to town to do some shopping but our bus driver took us to Fort Frederick. We admired the ships in harbor in St. George below. There was another vendor up here plus restrooms.

Our bus stalled as we turned to make a sharp curve. All the passengers had to get out and several men helped push the bus backward. Then the driver aimed downhill, and we climbed back on. We gritted our teeth as we coasted down the steep decline but the engine restarted. Whew. The driver deserved our praise after the harrowing ride.

We’d begun our tour around 7:30 and got back to town around 12:30. Five hours was too long to be sitting on a bus. I would have liked a lot more time in town, especially because the ship left at 2:00 pm. This was our shortest port stop and one of the most interesting. Nonetheless, we appreciated the tour of Grenada’s natural wonders. My only suggestion to Princess would be to stay in port longer.

Frantic to buy more spices, I shopped in the Esplanade Mall next to the pier. Everything you’d want is right there: duty free liquor and perfume, souvenirs and spices, jams and jellies, hot sauces. This was a great shopping mall with crafts vendors outside. We didn’t have time to walk around the town at all. Maybe it was just as well. I’d already spent too much money and bought all kinds of spices that I didn’t know how to use.

Once aboard, we rested in our cabin then strolled around the ship. Most of the pool chairs were already taken so we enjoyed our balcony. For dinner that night, I had shrimp cocktail, a mushroom tart, roasted sliced duck, and a Grand Marnier soufflé.

For more photos, go to: http://bit.ly/i1wERn

Dominica

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). A five-masted sailing vessel glided past. Closer in toward the town of Roseau, I spotted another cruise ship at a farther pier. Signs flashed in front of me: KFC, General Post Office, High Court of Justice. Decent paved roads curved by pastel buildings, many in need of repair. Buses and vans lined up ready to receive visitors. A row of tents indicated a straw market. Across the water, I spied a squat building housing a hardware center near a series of colored umbrellas sheltering more crafts stalls. I could see the Luxury Emporium, a recommended shop by the cruise line. The Royal Bank of Scotland was near the Garraway Hotel.

Our ship tour met at the end of the pier. We took the Traflagar Falls & Roseau Highlights excursion. We boarded an air-conditioned van seating 10 people and left early as the bus was full. We drove out of town without much trouble and stopped a short distance away at the Botanical Gardens, where the guide pointed out the foliage as we walked across the grass. She showed us thick caterpillars that would turn into moths. We were fascinated by the tree felled by a hurricane in 1979 that crushed an empty school bus. Banyan trees, coconut palms, papaya trees, banana plants, pink impatiens, colorful bougainvillea, sausage trees, vibrant hibiscus, red Poinciana trees, red ixora, and crotons were some of the plants shown to us. We saw the “poor man’s” orchid tree, breadfruit trees, and trumpet flowers. Hummingbirds flittered among the branches. A hollowed out circle of bamboo provided a “bamboo house” where special events took place. It was shady inside with a dirt floor. Birds chittered overhead as the guide pointed to some parrots. She mentioned there were 365 rivers on the island, hydroelectric plants, and water treatment facilities. I was impressed by their self-sufficiency in terms of water and energy needs. The island used to hold a big lime plantation but no more.

Botanical Gardens

As we continued up into the mountains, I noticed electric wiring strung overhead. A big pipe followed the road to carry water. Dwellings, made mostly of concrete, had painted galvanized metal roofs. We saw trees with green beans that were Dominican grown coffee. The road was mostly paved but coated with dried mud and rocky with many switchback curves. We climbed up and up to the rainforest at Morne Trois Pitons National Park where we got out of the van and trekked through the vegetation to the famous Traflagar Falls. It’s a treacherous path with uneven, rocky steps that would be terribly slippery if wet. You need to be in decent shape to make this hike. Sweat beaded my brow and my shirt stuck to my back in the humidity. My heartbeat raced as we climbed further, but the view was worth the effort. As we approached the twin falls, the sound of rushing water grew louder. The lower falls gushed on the right, the higher falls on the left. It was truly a lush setting among tropical vegetation. I loved the rainforest and seeing the green plants and ferns and tall trees. We’d brought our rain ponchos but fortunately the weather stayed sunny and warm.

Our next stop was Papilotte Wilderness Retreat where we had an inspiring view of the Roseau Valley and a free rum punch. This was a relaxing stop where we could admire the sights.

Back in town, we shopped in the crafts market and few souvenir stores. The Luxury Emporium had leather goods, liquor, and coffee. The outdoor stalls held the usual T-shirts, magnets, carved wood boxes, flowered dresses, and beads. This island is better for scenery them for shopping but the views are spectacular.

For more photos, go to http://bit.ly/i1wERn

Cruising the Caribbean

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 speedy process. Our room was ready, and after we dumped our carry-on luggage inside and shed our coats from the forty degree weather outside, we proceeded to the Horizon Court for a buffet lunch. I ate a half of a grilled cheese sandwich with chips, a salad, and a fudge cookie. Then we explored the ship, similar in design to the Caribbean Princess we’d sailed on in September. For dinner, I chose prime ribs. The welcome aboard show that evening had singers and dancers and a comedian who was pretty good.

Day 2, December 9, Thursday

PRINCESS CAYS

At this island in the Bahamas which is Princess’s barbecue and beach stop, the weather was cool but warmer than yesterday and hot in the sun. Short sleeves sufficed as we rode the tender to the island. We strolled along the winding concrete path past native crafts stalls toward one of two grills and found a spot on the beach near a bar. I ordered a fruity frozen drink concoction and sipped it as we waited for the lunch buffet to open. We couldn’t wait to stuff ourselves with chicken, ribs, burgers, cole slaw, potato salad, beans, corn, and fresh fruit. The beautiful water spread before us in colors ranging from teal to aqua. Guests enjoyed sunning, snorkeling, and riding banana boats. We left as it got cloudy. Dinner choice was mushroom soup, Caesar salad, Rock Cornish hen. The show was a Cole Porter tribute with lively music and dancing.

Day 3, December 10, Friday

AT SEA

It rained this morning so we stayed inside, relaxing and strolling around the shops and lounges. At 11am, I headed up to the Skywalker Lounge on a top deck with a panoramic view of the ocean—a great place to read out of the wind—to meet the group from Cruise Critic. If you want to join this fun and knowledgeable group, you’ll make new friends on each ship and gather advice on tours, ports, and more. After the meet and greet, I headed to the port shopping talk to grab the brochures before lunch on deck. Reading, lounging, napping took up the afternoon. There are plenty of activities if you want to keep busy but I like relaxing on a cruise. Dinner was shrimp cocktail, eggplant and chicken empanada, lamb shank, Key lime pie, and banana fudge ice cream.

Day 4, December 11, Saturday

ST. THOMAS

I only took one picture here and wrote no descriptions because this was my umpteenth time visiting this beautiful island. It’s my favorite among all the jewels in the Caribbean. And jewels it has galore in the many shops downtown. I spent more than I’d planned but got exactly what I was looking for so came away satisfied. We lunched at the Green House restaurant on the waterfront then indulged in pizza and tiramisu back on the ship for an afternoon snack. Dinner was tigertail shrimp. The show was a comedian whose target audience seemed to be the over seventy crowd. A hypnotist was playing in the Explorer’s Lounge but we’d just seen one on the Caribbean Princess and the Movies Under the Stars had a Jennifer Aniston film but there were no seats left by the time we went up to look. You need to get a seat at any of the venues at least a half hour early. Coming Next: Dominica

For more photos, go to http://bit.ly/i1wERn

Emerald Princess

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 on the floor, two chairs, a small round table, and a glass partition for protection and as a wind guard under the rail. Be aware your neighbors can hear you clearly when you’re outside. Indoors, the soundproofing seemed very good unless we had unusually quiet guests on either side. We had a separate closet with hangars and shelving so there’s plenty of room to unpack. The bedding is comfortable like in premium hotels. Alas, the bathrooms can always use improvement. We had enough shelf space but you could sit on the toilet and brush your hair in the mirror at the same time. If you’re really tall, you could probably brush your teeth too. As for the shower, forget shaving your legs in there. It has a curtain that doesn’t try to grab you, but the space is small especially if you drop the soap. The controls are better than most and easy to use and the force just right. Our thermostat worked fine in the room, too, although the LCD light glared at me every night in the dark. Guests get shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and round soaps. They all smell good but the conditioner and lotion are too thick to pour. The tissues are too rough and the toilet paper is single ply and too thin. They could upgrade their quality here although this is probably one of their cost cutting arenas. Rating on the cabins: Very Good.

THE FOOD

To the detriment of my weight, I love the food on Princess cruises. The menus are consistently good, with appealing alternate choices, and we feel no need to pay extra to go to the specialty restaurants. If you’re an early bird like us, you can get coffee and Danish and cereal in Café Caribe until the Horizon Court buffet opens at 6am. Here you have a huge array of fresh fruit, cereal and yogurt, eggs scrambled and fried and omelets and hard boiled, bacon and ham, pancakes and waffles, breads and pastries, etc. It’s making my mouth water to think about it. I liked the individual fried eggs under the heat lamp where you don’t have to wait around for a chef, and a different prepared omelet choice each day. The croissants are good, but the really secret place where I got an almond croissant was down on deck five at the International Café. Here you can pay for specialty coffees and teas but the food is free: yogurt parfaits, pastries, and quiches for breakfast, salads and sandwiches for lunch, desserts nearly all day. And there’s always the choice of the main dining room for sit-down service.

Lunch usually found us at the Horizon Court because I loved their make your own salad with just about every ingredient, plus a choice of hot foods, sandwiches and soups, interesting side dishes, and the usual fruits, breads, cheeses, and sweets. I miss the different type of seeds and nuts they put out each day to sprinkle on my salad. A few items stand out in my memory: a goat cheese and artichoke souffle, the cooked eggplant medley with onion and tomato, a delicious vegetarian lasagna, the brown rice with oranges and dates. Sometimes we ate pizza at the outdoor grill. At another grill, you could get hot dogs, burgers, and chicken with French fries. Soft ice cream with or without sprinkles is available next to the the pizza bar. All this is included in the cruise price. You can eat your way to Nirvana.

Dinner in the dining room consisted of several courses: appetizer, soup, salad, entrée, dessert. You can have as many or as little as you choose. My selections ranged from prime ribs to lobster tail to jumbo shrimp to duck and Rock Cornish hen. If you’re not a meat eater, you have plenty of appealing choices as well. And the desserts, well, need I say more? Oh, and if you’re sitting by the pool in the afternoon, don’t miss the bow-tied guys in uniform wheeling around a cart and serving fresh baked cookies and milk to guests. Rating on the food: Excellent.

THE SHOWS

The ship’s troupe of singers and dancers are competent and energetic, but except for the last show, I wasn’t blown away by the performances. They lacked a “Wow” factor. I liked the final show featuring rock music and hip hop dancing but the older crowd liked the Motown music and Cole Porter acts. I don’t like jugglers or ventriloquists so passed on those guys. The vocal impressionist was excellent. He imitated many famous voices, ranging from country to opera, and was multi-talented in his own right. One comedian was great; another didn’t appeal to me. But this is subjective. I’ve probably become jaded from going on so many cruises but not many of these acts stand out in my mind. The hypnotist we saw on the Caribbean Princess was memorable. The other annoying thing was that you have to reserve your seat for a half hour to forty five minutes ahead of time. There’s no band playing so nothing to do except twiddle your thumbs while you wait. This comes after sitting an hour and a half at dinner, then you sit for another half hour to claim your seat, then you sit through an hour show. My legs got restless. I picked up the daily Sudoku puzzle in the library and worked on that while I waited. Or bring a book. You’ll need it unless you have someone to talk to in the interim. It’s nice when other cruise ships have live music on stage you can listen to before a show. So my rating for the entertainment would get an Average.

OVERALL IMPRESSION

I enjoyed this ship and would sail on her again. The three story atrium is always lively, with entertainment every evening. Different lounges have live music for dancing, so you have several places to go after the show. Often there are two shows each night to choose from in different locations, so if you’ve seen the production show, you can catch the comedian or an outdoor Movie Under The Stars. Other cruise lines take up lounges with karaoke and art auctions and bingo, but these aren’t pushed in your face here. There are the usual trivia contests and game shows but if you’re not a fan, you can listen to a country band, practice your ballroom dancing, or rock the night away. The food is enough of a reason to return. Plus the ship is well maintained. We saw crew brushing anti-rust goo on the joints out on deck, applying fresh varnish, and sanding down wood trim. Everything appears clean and polished. So I remain a fan of Princess and will doubtless return to one of their ships in the future.

See more cruise photos here: http://bit.ly/i1wERn

Make Your Characters Stronger

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 hit the beach at dawn so we can avoid the patrol boats.”

2.A. “It is my belief that it would be best if we took the right-hand path.”

B. “Let’s make a right-hand turn.”

3.A. “I suppose I could agree.”

B. “I agree.”

4.A. “Oh, dear, perhaps this yellow dress would be more suitable. It brings out the highlights in my hair, and I do want Butler to notice me.”

B. “The yellow dress complements my hair, so I’ll wear that one. Butler has to notice me tonight.”

5.A. “I guess it would be all right if you borrowed my bracelet, but if you don’t mind, please see if you can return it tomorrow.”

B. “You can borrow the bracelet, but I’d like it returned tomorrow.”

If you chose any “A” answers, you’re making your character sound weak. To strengthen your heroine, have her sound positive and determined. Characters should focus on their goals, not on their appearance or performance. Avoid phrases such as I think, I guess, I suppose, dear me, maybe we should, It is my belief that, I don’t know.

Of course, exceptions to the rule do exist. Just make certain your character doesn’t sound wimpy when he speaks or has an introspection. Cutting extra verbiage can help. Aim for precision of speech, but avoid curtness. Remember that dialog should further your plot or reveal character. Phrases that reveal hesitation or self-doubt may indicate places that need revision unless you purposefully want your character to act this way.

Strong heroes appeal to readers, so take out your pen and get to work. Good luck!

Epcot Food & Wine

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 event, each country has a little pavilion where they offer samples of food and drink for a fee.

Here are some photos from previous years. I didn’t bring a camera this time; too busy eating.

We passed on the entries at Chile, Brazil, and Puerto Rico but stopped at Argentina for the grilled beef skewer with chimichurri sauce and boniato puree ($4.75 per portion) and a glass of Kaiken cabernet ($5.50). Delicious. Next came Mexico. They have a whole new area across from the pyramid with a dine-in restaurant and counter service café with outdoor seating under cover. Our kids got the taco at their festival pavilion. We went past Poland, then came to China and just had to get their barbecue chicken stick. This was a generous portion and very tasty. We skipped South Korea, although the honey ginger tea sounded good.

At South Africa, the seared beef tenderloin with mango barbecue sauce and sweet potato puree is a good choice. I had to taste the shrimp cake with noodle salad at Singapore next ($3.50 each). Another tasty dish. Am I making your mouth water yet?

By now I was full, so I strode by Germany, Italy, the U.S., Japan, Australia and Morocco. I’d had some of these foods at previous forays anyway. Belgium was new and there was a long line. The baked Belgium waffle with berry compote and whipped cream was to die for. Very luscious and reasonably priced at $2.75. The Godiva chocolate liqueur iced coffee was expensive at $7.25, but I had to try it. Lip-smacking good.

Too full to eat more, we passed by Spain, resisted the chocolate crème brulee at France and the warm chocolate lava cake at Ireland, even the maple glazed salmon at Canada. Would have loved to try the items at Greece or the lamb slider at New Zealand, but we’ll save those for next year. My stomach always gets satiated halfway around World Showcase.

Category: Blog

Mixing Romance and Murder

Writing Southern Mysteries

Washington D.C.

Aruba

Grenada

Dominica

Cruising the Caribbean

Emerald Princess

Make Your Characters Stronger

Epcot Food & Wine

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