Tag: Winter Garden

Orlando Explorer

Our most recent visit to Orlando had us visiting Epcot for the Festival of the Arts. I tasted the mushroom risotto at the Masterpiece Kitchen around World Showcase but held off eating more until we went to the Morocco café for a vegetarian platter with hummus and more.
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At Disney Springs another day, I indulged in a root beer float at Ghiradelli. We enjoyed the ambiance as we strolled through the marketplaces and past numerous restaurants. Our adventures continued at historic Winter Garden as we strolled downtown. The main street still has its old-time charm, while a brewery hall attracts a young crowd with several fast-food eating choices. Here’s a peek at the lobby of an earlier era Edgewater Hotel and an adjacent ice cream shop.
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We took walks at Disney’s Riverside and Boardwalk resorts, and gained a couple of extra pounds from dining out the entire weekend. Now we’re home, and we brought a cold along with us as a souvenir.
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Nancy J. Cohen News Update

Warrior Prince: Book One in the Drift Lords Series is nearing its release date of Sept. 21, 2012. That means all sorts of exciting things are happening this month. I talk about my new book in The Big Thrill and have giveaways at Coffee Time Romance and Night Owl Reviews.

Author Interview in The Big Thrill: http://bit.ly/NFmsvJ

Coffee Time Romance: Enter to win a Warrior Prince T-shirt and magnet, a deck of tropical drink playing cards, and a pdf copy of Warrior Prince: http://bit.ly/bGEqXD

Night Owl Reviews Halloween Hunt: My prize is a $15 gift card to The Wild Rose Press. Go to http://bit.ly/PXn9MQ

On Sept. 5th, mystery author Joanna Campbell Slan guest blogs here. She discusses correct word choices. Do you as a reader get annoyed when the same phrase keeps popping up in someone’s book? Or do you as a writer often not realize you’re using a word repetitively? If so, this article is for you. I hope you’ll visit and leave a comment.

Between Sept. 6-19, I will be posting short excerpts from Warrior Prince. Leave a comment and be entered into a drawing for your ebook choice from my romance backlist titles. Two winners!

When these excerpts are finished, it’s time for my Release Party and Blog Tour.

I hope you’ll bear with me through all this news. I’ll resume my regular blog posts sometime next month. Meanwhile, I am working on edits for Warrior Rogue: Book Two in the Drift Lords Series, which is already in production.

On a personal note, I took a break before all this frenzy and went to Disney World. We visited Magic Kingdom where we glimpsed the new attractions coming to Fantasyland. We bought fresh produce at the Farmer’s Market in Winter Garden and ate dinner at Le Coq Au Vin, a recommended French restaurant in downtown Orlando. I had the onion tart (heavenly!), beef tournedo (tender!) with mashed potatoes and apple tart (just right; not too sweet).

Farmers Market

Onion Tart  Beef Tournedo
September is Magical Dining Month in the Orlando area and many expensive restaurants participate. You can get a fixed three course meal for $30. Another favorite dining spot was Thai Blossom in the historic Edgewater Hotel in Winter Garden. Tasty choices and reasonable prices year round.

See you tomorrow for Joanna Slan’s post!

WINTER GARDEN, FL

While researching book two for my proposed new mystery series, I came across the delightful town of Winter Garden, FL.  This town, located west of Orlando, may be considered part of the greater metropolitan area, but its quaint historical buildings and small town atmosphere remain intact. While W. Plant Street, the main avenue, doesn’t last for long, you can visit the historic Edgewater Hotel originally opened in 1927 (and now a viable B&B), the Garden Theater dating from 1935, the Central Florida Railroad Museum, the Winter Garden Heritage Museum, and the   West Orange Trail. If dining interests you, stop in at the French bakery on W. Plant Street for crepes and croissants, or stay for dinner at Thai Blossom or the elegant The Chef’s Table in the Edgewater Hotel.

 

Edgewater Hotel
Edgewater Hotel

The Garden Theater itself is worth a visit. Designed inside in Mediterranean Revival style like a scene out of Romeo and Juliet, it boasts a dark ceiling full of “stars” and plush seats with cup holders like a movie theater. We saw the hilarious play, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). Need I say that my second mystery takes place in an old theater? It’s a murder mystery involving the cast and crew of a community theater production and this restored theater serves as a model for my fictional creation. So if you get tired of the theme parks, take a drive to this historic small town for a taste of old Florida.

Edgewater Hotel
Love the old typewriter!
Railroad museum
Railroad Museum
Garden Theatre
Theatre Interior
Mediterranean Revival style