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Mystery Monday: God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen, by Rhys Bowen

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The latest in Rhys Bowen's fun "Royal Spyness" mystery series.   Title: Author:  Publication Info: Source: Publisher's Blurb: Georgie is excited for her first Christmas as a married woman in her lovely new home. She suggests to her dashing husband, Darcy, that they have a little house party, but when Darcy receives a letter from his aunt Ermintrude, there is an abrupt change in plans. She has moved to a house on the edge of the Sandringham estate, near the royal family, and wants to invite Darcy and his new bride for Christmas. Aunt Ermintrude hints that the queen would like Georgie nearby. Georgie had not known that Aunt Ermintrude was a former lady-in-waiting and close confidante of her royal highness. The letter is therefore almost a royal request, so Georgie, Darcy, and their Christmas guests: Mummy, Grandad, Fig, and Binky all head to Sandringham. Georgie soon learns that the notorious Mrs. Simpson, mistress to the Prince of Wales, will also be in att

#writephoto Friday flash--Saturday Night at the Tidepool

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A little fun flash fiction this week in response to a lovely picture from KL Caley of New2Writing.com for this week’s #writephoto prompt. Here's the scoop: Every Thursday KL Caley posts a photo prompt, and you have until Tuesday to post. Any kind of writing, poetry, flash fiction, haiku, whatever the photo inspires. Since I'm pretty busy just now, mine's not quite 300 words of pure goofiness.     Saturday Night at the Tidepool Sam the hermit crab was having a great night. He’d headed on down to the Tidepool after work for a few drinks a bit of kootchie-koo, and it was working out as hoped. Heck, he’d even managed to make a date for the following night with a promising she-crab with a suggestive tilt to her shell. For a hermit crab, or really for any sort of crab, Sam was a social being. He loved to hang out with the Limpets, who were surprisingly good company if a bit clingy. The Minnows were chatterers, but made a nice background noise if you just ignored them for the mos

#IWSG: Writer Updates and Difficult Scenes

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  What is the IWSG? Read on! Purpose:   To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Posting:   The first Wednesday of every month is officially   Insecure Writer’s Support Group   day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting!   You ready? Let’s rock the neurotic writing world! March 2 question (always optional!) - Have you ever been conflicted about writing a story or adding a scene to a story? How did you decide to write it or not?   The awesome co-hosts for the March 2 posting of the IWSG are 

Middle Grade Monday: You Go First, by Erin Estrada Kelly

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Title: You Go First Author : Erin Entrada Kelly Publication Info: Greenwillow Books, 2018. 288 pages. Source: Library digital resources. Publisher's Blurb: Twelve-year-old Charlotte Lockard and eleven-year-old Ben Boxer are separated by more than a thousand miles. On the surface, their lives seem vastly different—Charlotte lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while Ben is in the small town of Lanester, Louisiana. Charlotte wants to be a geologist and keeps a rock collection in her room. Ben is obsessed with Harry Potter, presidential history, and recycling. But the two have more in common than they think. They’re both highly gifted. They’re both experiencing family turmoil. And they both sit alone at lunch. Over the course of a week, Charlotte and Ben—online friends connected only by a Scrabble game—will intersect in unexpected ways as they struggle to navigate the turmoil of middle school. You Go First reminds us that no matter how hard it is to keep our heads above

Photo Friday: Trekking Nepal, Part XI.

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It looks like we are coming to the end of this trip at last. F or those who have just discovered these photo blogs, the previous posts about my trek through the Everest Region in November 2021: Kathmandu Part I: Lukla to Namche Part II: Namche to Khunde Part III: Khunde to Pangboche Part IV: Ama Dablam Basecamp to Dingboche Part V: Chukkhung Part VI: Kongma La Part VII: Everest Base Camp Part VIII: Cho La Part IX: Gokyo Part X: Renjo La Trekking Nepal, Part XI: The Thame Valley and home Day 19 After our afternoon hiking in the thick (and cold) fog, we woke as usual to bright sunny skies. There was scenery in all directions. We came from somewhere up there. The little building was labeled "Hot Shower," but it wasn't even a shower, let alone hot. The Thame valley leads to the Nagpa La, the pass that provided one of the traditional trading routes to Tibet. International politics have led to the closure of that route, but it was the way the Sherpa people came into the Khumbu

Review: Sailing Alone Around the World, by Joshua Slocum

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Reviewing a real classic adventure narrative!   Title: Sailing Alone Around the World Author: Joshua Slocum; read by Alan Sklar Publication Info: Tantor Media, 2006. 7hrs 45 min. Originally published 1899. Source: Library digital resources Publisher's Blurb: Joshua Slocum’s autobiographical account of his solo trip around the world is one of the most remarkable – and entertaining – travel narratives of all time. Setting off alone from Boston aboard the thirty-six-foot wooden sloop  Spray  in April 1895, Captain Slocum went on to join the ranks of the world’s great circumnavigators – Magellan, Drake, and Cook. But by circling the globe without crew or consorts, Slocum would outdo them all: his three-year solo voyage of more than 46,000 miles remains unmatched in maritime history for its courage, skill, and determination. Sailing Alone around the World  recounts Slocum’s wonderful adventures: hair-raising encounters with pirates off Gibraltar and savage Indians in Tierra d

Out today--Zanzibar's Rings, Book 3 of the Viridian System trilogy

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 Launching today! The final adventure of my favorite asteroid miners!   Zanzibar's Rings: Book 3 of the Viridian System series By Jemima Pett Published Feb. 22, 2022 by Princelings Publications   A galactic crisis: the entire comms system destroyed. No waypoints, no navigation aids, no database access... and how will spaceships in flight get home - or to any destination? Dolores is stuck in warp with a very dangerous passenger, Pete gets his shuttle back home on manual. But how come anything in close contact with pure orichalcum fixes itself? Just flying through Zanzibar's Rings solves the problem - as the Federation's fighters find, as they descend on the Viridian System to take possession of the planets. Zanzibar's Rings is the third and final book of the Viridian System series. ebook links (launch offer of $2.99 is good until late March!) Amazon  ~~~  Apple iTunes  ~~~  B&N (Nook)  ~~~  Kobo  ~~~  Smashwords About the Author: Jemima Pett has been an in