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 Tortuga Thursday

In 2012, on the plains of Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love.

Each year has been an adventure since our two small family units came together to try farming...on a shoestring. It hasn't been easy, but it's been rewarding. In my author bio I have a line that says:

Together, we’ve embraced an age-old lifestyle that has been mostly lost in the United States - multiple generations living under one roof, who share the workload, follow their individual dreams and reap the benefits of combined talents.

I thought about those combined talents today while popping apart garlic to plant. By the way, we should be all done by Sunday! Yay! 

Since farming takes up a great deal of time on Tortuga Flats Farm, Lance's ability to grow comes to mind first. Is it possible for a human to be simpatico with vegetables? It does seem he has an innate sense of what that little seed needs from the moment he chooses to plant it. And since we operate with few resources, he's creative in how we accomplish our farming.

If Lance can grow it, Christie can cook it. But Christie is more than a good cook. She juggles finances and

balances some of the moodier members of our household (like me). She's a ray of sunshine on tired, gray days.

Frank is the other good cook. I for one am glad there are two people who like to cook under one roof since I don't really enjoy it. He's also our jack of all trades. We all turn to him when something won't work. He takes the lead in business matters, although we all have input. He might not like to hear it, but in some cases he's our wise elder.

I join Christie in the juggling of finances. I'm also a doer. Or so I see myself. If I notice something needs to be done, I tackle it. I like to work in the field with Lance, keep the outside of the house neat and kill weeds.

Oh, I can't forget Sadi. She's the entertainment on a daily basis. She's the future and the culmination of all our love.

That covers only how we maintain our mutual needs. We each have our own side projects and activities. It's crazy busy most of the year but we somehow find the time to meet the needs of the group and ourselves. It ebbs and flows.

Winter allows each of us to stretch our individual wings...just in the nick of time!

 

THE PROBLEMS OF ADVERTISING FOR A MATE by Andrea Downing

 MUSE MONDAY

Please join me in welcoming Andrea Downing to Muse Monday.
My latest book, Dearest Darling, is based on the premise that a love letter and a packet of tickets meant for one woman goes to quite another. The woman for whom they were meant was my hero’s ‘mail order bride,’ but my plucky heroine takes the tickets and ventures west.  Going west was an adventure; for men, there were lures of gold, huge tracts of land, wealth to be made.  Pioneer wagons did include women but few were single, and so by the middle of the 19^th Century, men looked around and found something was missing from the life they had chosen—women!  What could they do about it?  Many wrote back home for introductions to eligible women in their old communities, possibly through Church organizations or just acquaintances.  Elsewhere, clubs formed to bring young ladies west and introduce them properly.  There was the Busy Bee Club in Tucson, AZ,  begun by six wives in order to stop the arguments over the few available females.  Up in Seattle, there were the Mercer Maids, and elsewhere in Washington, one man raised money to go back east and arrange for a ship filled with brides.  Unfortunately, the ship was hardly ‘filled’ and the venture not particularly successful, but it goes to show the lengths to which men went to find matrimony.

Finally, two newspapers, specializing in advertisements for mail order brides, appeared on the market.  Advertising was already fairly common, but these weekly periodicals were dedicated to procuring marriage for distant singles.  The weekly Matrimonial News was printed both in San Francisco and Kansas City from around the 1870s through the ‘90s,  and sent out to subscribers.  The advertisements it contained had to follow strict regulations and include information on appearance—including height and weight!, the person’s financial position as well as their ‘social position’ and, of course, the type of mate they were seeking. Gentlemen were charged for the privilege of advertising, women were not unless their ad went over forty words.  Nowadays, we hear stories of internet dating that has gone awry, of potential partners who turn out to be nothing like they advertise.  Imagine, then, writing long distance, having someone travel out to meet you,  and discovering your prospective mate was a dud.  In fact, several issues of The Matrimonial News contained a notice from one Judge that any man discovering his intended had artificially enhanced themselves could call their marriage null and void!

A slightly later magazine also dedicated to ‘lonely hearts’ was The New Plan.  Ladies had to sign an agreement to answer all letters with stamps included, even if it was just to say they were not interested.  What surprised me about these advertisements was the frankness about their financial situations and what they expected to inherit.   In my book, Dearest Darling, my hero really knows very little about the woman with whom he has been corresponding for a year; he has to trust she is as she presents herself.  And therein lies a problem with all correspondents.

But to find out what happens to Daniel, you’ll have to read the book.

Blurb:  Stuck in a life of servitude to her penny-pinching brother, Emily Darling longs for a more exciting existence. When a packet with travel tickets, meant for one Ethel Darton, accidentally lands on her doormat, Emily sees a chance for escape. Having turned down the dreary suitors that have come her way, is it possible a new existence also offers a different kind of man?

Daniel Saunders has carved out a life for himself in Wyoming—a life missing one thing: a wife. Having scrimped and saved to bring his mail-order bride from New York, he is outraged to find in her stead a runaway fraud. Even worse, the impostor is the sister of his old enemy.

But people are not always as they seem, and sometimes the heart knows more than the head.

Excerpt: “Who the hell are you?” he blurted out.

The woman took a step back. “My name is Emily Darling—”

“Darling?” His eyes narrowed as his hands went instinctively to his hips.

“I received your letter,” she continued somewhat breathlessly. “I know...”

“Stop. Just tell me where Ethel is.” The blood rushed through his veins, pulling anger and uneasiness with it. “What’s happened to Ethel?”

“I know it wasn’t meant for me,” the blonde continued, “but—”

“But? But. Lady, are you telling me you received a dang letter meant for someone else, and you went and hightailed it out here with a train ticket and stage ticket meant for that someone else?”

This impostor’s eyes widened. Emily’s eyes, not Ethel’s...

“You know how the hell long it took me to save for that trip? You have any idea of the cost of all that?”

“I...I thought—”

“I don’t give a good gosh damn what the heck you thought. That money was meant for...” Total disbelief swallowed his tongue. Daniel took some paces and struggled to control his temper before he shot off his gun. “Damn!” he said at last. “Damn!” He stomped back to her. “Well, what the hell do you expect to do now— now that you’re here, may I ask?”

“Well...” Emily visibly gathered herself and straightened up. “Marry you, of course.”

Bio:  Andrea Downing likes to say that when she decided to do a Masters Degree, she made the mistake of turning left out of New York, where she was born, instead of right to the west, and ended up in the UK.   She eventually married there, raising a beautiful daughter and staying for longer than she cares to admit.  Teaching, editing a poetry magazine, writing travel articles, and a short stint in Nigeria filled those years until in 2008 she returned to NYC.  She now divides her time between the city and the shore, and often trades the canyons of New York for the wide open spaces of Wyoming. 

Links to Social Media:  WEBSITE AND BLOG:  http://andreadowning.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/writerAndreaDowning

Twitter:  @andidowning  https://twitter.com/AndiDowning

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6446229.Andrea_Downing

Linkedin:  http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=124888740&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile_pic

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE:  http://www.amazon.com/Andrea-Downing/e/B008MQ0NXS/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Buy Links:  Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Dearest-Darling-Letters-Andrea-Downing-ebook/dp/B00NGWT816

The Wild Rose Press:  http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=195&products_id=5842

 

  

It Can't Be Thursday Again

Tortuga Thursday

In 2012, on the plains of Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love.

I've tasked myself with writing a weekly blog about our move to the prairie and farming. Some weeks that day arrives and I'm not prepared...like this week. Garlic was supposed to be in the ground by now and the less hectic days of winter in progress. As it turned out, summer temps hung on too long and garlic is still in progress. I was out of town for a few days with my mom on a trip we planned months ago to meet with some of her long lost relatives.  Then Christie has been ill and we had to get her to Phoenix for some tests.

Here we are, two rows of garlic in the ground with five more to go. It's not a disaster as we could take the whole of November to plant, but we don't want to. Frank has fishing plans, and I have a book to finish. I separated gloves all day yesterday. I'll continue today but hopefully another row will go in. Lance has two ready for planting and will prepare another. Friends are coming tomorrow to pitch in and help. Hope to get some family out early next week to help.

Sweet potatoes -- most people eat them baked or gooped up with a sugary concoction. If you like sweet potatoes then try them one way we like them. Cut them into one inch chunks and saute them with an equal amount of onions and some bell peppers. Season with your favorite spices. So good!

For those of you in the Prescott, Arizona area, Winter Farmers' Market opens this Saturday in the parking
lot of Walgreens on Willow Creek Road. Come by for some Pirate Pickles and Relish.

Heaven and Hell by Kayden Claremont

MUSE MONDAY

Please join me in welcoming Kayden Claremont to Discover Yourself. 

Thank you for having me visit your blog today, Brenda.

Tell us a little about your new book.

Hell’s Bounty is the first book in my Heaven and Hell series. It is a paranormal erotic novella, and it’s published by The Wild Rose Press.

Blurb:
Raven Hart, a succubus bounty hunter for Hell, is on a hunt. With her query in sight, she hits a brick wall, or rather the very hard chest of a giant sexy man. She might have lost the prize for now, but she's a winner when the hottie wants to get physical. Marcus Dionysius, a Nephilim working for Heaven, has one mission—to prevent Hell’s beauty from stealing souls meant for the higher plane. But he soon realizes he’s met his sexual match. She’s naughty enough to tempt his senses, but her innocence means he can’t walk away when she needs him most. Working together to discover who’s snatching souls.
Buy Link

http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/wildcatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=182&products_id=1013

What were you like when you were in school?

Oh, this is such an easy question. I was a geek. I was the girl in the library doing research for projects or just reading. Not sure how I ended up marrying the captain of the football team, but it’s still working out.

What was the last movie you watched?

The November Man with Pierce Bronson. It was a great story...and it had Pierce Bronson in it.

What is your favorite quote?

Live, Love, Laugh. That sums up my life.

Was there any particular inspiration for your characters or story?

This is a funny story. I was sitting in a coffee short working on a romantic suspense story when two men sat down beside me. They were talking about how their wives suck the life out of them, and they were trying to outdo one another so the stories became interesting. Before I knew what had happened, I had a scene where the character literally sucked the life out of a sleazy politician. 

Years later, I was in a critique meeting and we were talking about the weirdest scene we’d ever written. I told my friend about this scene and they both said, “That’s a succubus.” I went home and looked it up and sure enough they were right. I liked the character so much I built the book around her.

Excerpt

She’d never liked Stephen, but she didn’t want a new partner. Especially not Marcus Dionysius, the giant who had taught her the true meaning of animalistic lust.

            Even though he stood a distance away, she could smell his raw sexuality, and her libido kicked in. Damned, she couldn’t afford to react like a silly schoolgirl. She was sure he hadn’t recognized her. All she had to do was control her sexual urges and act normal around him.

The captain glared at her as if he read her lusty thoughts, and she turned away from him, watching the floor.

He faced the group of detectives. “Let’s get out there and keep the citizens of this fair city safe.” He hurried away before she could get to him.

Raven walked over to her desk and sat down, wondering what she should do. She’d been trying to talk to the captain for the last few days, but he had been locked behind closed doors and she knew he was avoiding her. Grabbing her phone, she pretended to call her informants, but all she wanted to do was get the captain alone and demand that he tell her what in hell was going on.

Marcus approached her desk. His scent made her breasts ache for his touch and her sex hot and juicy. “Detective Hart?”

 He held a file in his enormous hand, and she yearned for the pure bliss those fingers had given her last night. Desire grew deeper inside her body.

Marcus pointed to the file he held in his hand as he cleared his throat. “Nothing like a stiff to make Saturday night special.”

Raven watched the dark humor shining in his angelic eyes, and her clit stiffened. “That’s what I always say.” She stood on shaky legs, grabbed her leather jacket from the back of her chair, and followed him out of the squad room. Waving at the desk sergeant as they walked past, she followed Marcus out of the precinct station, his scent driving her wild.

Kayden’s Bio

Kayden is hooked on Paranormal Romance. She loves writing about the roller coaster ride of demons, angels and watchers and the consequences they must endure when they fall in love.  Her sensuous style drives the characters in lustful romps.

Kayden is a member of Sisters in Crime International; Sisters in Crime Toronto; Romance Writers of America, Toronto Romance Writers.

When she’s not at her day job she’s crafting more tales of love, crime and the supernatural or spending time with her husband and children.

She lives outside of Toronto with her husband.

You can contact Kayden at:

• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/kayden.claremont
• Twitter: Kayden Claremont
• Email at: Kayden Claremont@bell.net