Now that RUBY'S LETTERS is out and my upcoming release LOVE EMERGENCY (book one in my small town romance series) is in the hands of my proofreader I've found myself with some spare time. That's kinda weird for me.
Most of my time is either taken up by my family, my husband's business or my writing. I'm making great progress with the second book in the small town series, ANGELS IN SEASHORE COVE, but every once in a while I like to take a break, relax, let me eyes refocus. So what do I do?
1. Cook: I'll wait while those who know me regain consciousness. All better? Okay, good. Ever since I started the LCHF (low carb, high fat) WOE (way of eating) I've tried to find new and creative ways to make meals interesting. Without the fillers of pasta, bread, potatoes and rice, there are only so many ways you can cook a chicken or steak without wanting to "accidentally" drop it on the floor and proclaim, "Oh, look, honey, dinner is ruined! I guess we have to go out!" It worked a few times. Hubby quickly caught on. I can no longer get away with blaming gravity for my inability to grasp dinner plates.
Happily, I've found some wonderful recipes that are not only healthy, but delicious! And no more wanting to drop plates...accidentally.
For those who want an awesome dessert, I highly recommend this low-carb cheesecake recipe. It's yummy with the almond pie crust or without. If you want a chocolate fix, just add 2 TBL of unsweetened cocoa to the cream cheese in the above linked recipe and Viola'! You've got yourself a sinfully good dessert that's not at all sinful.
2. Hidden Object Games: I've mentioned this in blogs and articles I've written before, but it really is a great way to just let my mind go off on its own while I search out all those pesky items in these computer games. If you've never played one you should a) be forewarned, they are addictive and b) start with Mystery Case Files: Madam Fate from Big Fish Games. Yes, they cost money (although, you can play them for an hour for free) but, for me, they're well worth it. You can also get a timed version on your tablet for free.
3. Clean the House: Now before you start judging, read this previous blog post. It's long, so grab a cup of tea first :)
Back? So now you see why cleaning the house--or being able to--is a huge deal for me. I still don't love housework, but I do it with flair now. Because I can. Because I want to.
4. Read: (like it needed to be said:) There were a few years where I didn't read as much as I wanted to. Now that I don't have to take afternoon naps anymore, I've found the time to turn off the "critique partner/writer" part of my brain and just enjoy being a reader.
So that's what I do in my spare time. I don't get a lot of it, with my muse, my kids and my husband constantly whispering in my ear, so when I have the precious few moments that are just for me, I use them wisely.
What do you like to do in your free time? Share in the comments below:)
Until next time, my friends, eat healthy and happy writing!
~Maggie
Writer of contemporary and paranormal romance leading a low-carb lifestyle, often trailed by my two Italian Greyhounds, Santa's Little Helper and Rosie.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Friday, October 24, 2014
Ruby's Letters - Infamous Prologue
Thank you all so much for making release day for RUBY'S LETTERS such a wonderful experience! I love my readers--I love talking to them--so I want to give a small gift in return for all you've done.
Below is the original prologue from RUBY'S LETTERS. It's long--nine manuscript pages--and many didn't think it would work in the beginning of the story, so it was cut.
And that broke my heart.
The prologue gives you a chance to see what Hilary and Ruby were like in life. It starts on the day they met--a day neither woman could possibly forget. Hilary and Ruby are, of course, fictional characters, but the events that happen in the prologue are not.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed researching it!
I hope you enjoyed this "little something extra" to RUBY'S LETTERS. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the comments section below. I'd love to hear from you!
Until next time, eat healthy and happy writing!
~Maggie
Below is the original prologue from RUBY'S LETTERS. It's long--nine manuscript pages--and many didn't think it would work in the beginning of the story, so it was cut.
And that broke my heart.
The prologue gives you a chance to see what Hilary and Ruby were like in life. It starts on the day they met--a day neither woman could possibly forget. Hilary and Ruby are, of course, fictional characters, but the events that happen in the prologue are not.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed researching it!
May 17, 1884
No, this cannot be!
Hilary
Smith ran down the narrow stairway of her Brooklyn Heights brownstone, unable
to contemplate what she had just seen from her master bedroom window. Though
strong and agile despite her age, she grew winded by the time she made it out
onto the street. She hurried along with the crowd until she came to the guardrail
that spanned the East River.
This sight
always took her breath away.
The East
River Bridge. So magnificent. Barely a year old, it had captured Hilary’s heart
from the moment the first iron probe had been imbedded into the bedrock below.
In a way, she felt the bridge was hers. She’d watched it from birth, marveled
at its growth into the grand Gothic structure that connected Brooklyn to lower
Manhattan.
“Mother, did you see?”
Hilary spun around. All three of her
daughters rushed toward her. Similar only in looks, all were lovely in their
spring dresses and golden hair styled in long swirls. Their blue eyes danced as
they watched the spectacle before them.
“Sara! Rebecca! Mary!” she scolded, in
order of birth. “Why are you out here instead of getting ready for this evening’s
dinner party?”
“Mother, how can you even ask such a silly
question?” Sara asked.
Instead of berating her and reminding her
daughter of her manners, Hilary turned back toward the bridge. Sara was right.
It was indeed a silly question.
Everyone watched in awe as dozens of large
gray elephants, bejeweled and draped with banners, marched across the bridge. The
leader’s banner read Jumbo. The bright
flashes and snaps of the press taking pictures mixed in with the oo’s and ahh’s
of the crowd.
“What on earth?” Hilary whispered.
“P.T. Barnum.”
Turning toward the soft, cheerful voice,
she faced a woman only slightly younger than her own fifty-six years. She was
no one really, a mere lower class woman wearing a dingy white blouse, half hidden
under her crocheted, pastel-pink shawl. Her light brown hair, streaked with
gray, appeared hastily twisted into a bun atop her head. Yet her maple-brown
eyes sparkled with knowledge and life. The woman’s scent perfumed the gentle breeze with the soft bouquet of
lilacs. She was tiny and slight, looking as if a stronger breeze might take her
away.
Her tone did not ward off the tiny woman.
“Yes. Twenty-one to be exact.”
“And how do you know this, Miss...?”
“Ruby Van Leer.” Her smile brightened as
she nodded her greeting to Sara, Rebecca and Mary before turning her eyes once
again to Hilary. “I know many things, Mrs. Smith.”
Her brow furrowed. She didn’t remember ever
meeting this woman. “How do you know my name?”
The tiny woman simply shrugged. “I know of
you and your lovely daughters. I’m so sorry about your husband’s passing.”
Hilary waved away the woman’s condolences.
“Spare me your sympathies. Answer me about the elephants.”
“Mr.
Barnum is marching the elephants across the bridge to prove it is safe after
that dreadful tragedy barely a week after its opening.”
Hilary
would always remember the day the bridge opened. She was one of the first to
pay a penny to walk across into Manhattan. It had been like finally meeting an
old friend.
But six
says later, the bridge’s name would be blemished out of sheer stupidity.
“What tragedy? The twelve people trampled
to death because some fool shouted the bridge was in danger of collapse?” Hilary
sniffed in derision. Ignorant peasants. “If any of them had bothered to watch
and learn about the bridge, they’d know it is bound to stand for hundreds of
years.”
“But mother, that was so sad!” Rebecca
cried. Sarah and Mary stood beside her, tears filling their eyes.
With a snort, Hilary turned her attention back
to the marching elephants. “This is nothing but a publicity stunt
to show the circus is in town. Barnum is famous for them.”
“Perhaps," the woman interjected. "But what’s the harm if it gives
people peace of mind?”
Hilary did not tolerate contradiction,
especially by those with less class, less breeding. “Perhaps people shouldn’t
be such imbeciles. It’s obvious the bridge is sound. There are those who will
believe anything.”
The dreamy look in this woman’s eyes turned
Hilary’s stomach. She hated dreamers. Dreams were meant for gullible idiots.
“Some
things are worth believing, even if there is nothing scientific to back them
up. Don’t you think?” Ruby said.
“You mean like God?” Rebecca asked, her
eyes rounded in awe of this woman.
“Yes.” The woman’s persistent smile brightened.
“That’s a wonderful example. Another is love.”
All three of Hilary’s daughters joined the
conversation now. “I wish I could fall in love,” said Mary.
“Wouldn’t that be wonderful?” Sara replied.
With another disgusted snort, Hilary spun
away.
Ruby turned to the three young women hoping
her smile reassured them. All three were of age, but had yet to find any
suitors. She wondered if they knew it was because of their parents, especially
their mother that no man had come to call. Perhaps she could help them with
that.
Just looking
at Hilary Smith made one think of steel. Gray hair, pulled back into a tight
chignon, cold gray eyes that made a shiver run up the spine of even the
strongest of men. Her tall, able frame stood ramrod straight. In contrast to
her austerity, she smelled of the finest musk oil. Intelligent and well-read,
she considered herself more astute than most.
And she
probably was.
Hilary
was, sadly, a lost cause, but her daughters needn’t continue to suffer for her.
As the women watched the last of the
elephants march across the bridge to a whirlwind of applause, Hilary returned her attention to
her daughters. “Away! Back to the house with all of you.” She placed a hand on
Ruby’s shoulder and pushed her aside.
At the
older woman’s touch, Ruby’s blood ran cold.
March 13, 1888
Hilary stared at the frozen world outside
her window. Snow drifts lined her street. People tried to steady themselves on
the icy sidewalks, hoping to make it to work.
The days leading up to the unexpected blizzard
were mild and many had looked forward to an early spring. But on Monday the steady rain had turned into a heavy snow. By Tuesday
the city was paralyzed. Telephone and telegraph lines snapped, not that Hilary
cared. No one called her anymore.
The
seven-foot drifts did not mesmerize Hilary or the sounds of carriages that had
been eerily silent the last few days. No, it was memories that held her
attention. Staring out her bedroom window at the East River Bridge—commonly known as the Brooklyn Bridge now--its cables looking like strings of ice, she
remembered the day almost
four years ago when the elephants crossed its
impressive width. The day she met that
woman. The day that started the disintegration of the only joy she’d ever
had in her life.
Turning away from her gloomy thoughts, she
headed down to the garden floor. With hesitation, she opened the door. Someone had
shoveled a path. It annoyed her no one shoveled out her parlor floor entrance.
She stepped out onto her newly shoveled porch, surprised to see her carrier had
delivered the New York
Sun.
Blizzard Was King the paper read.
Hundreds dead, a near famine for those who didn’t have proper stores of food,
and coal was scarce. Even though Hilary was never in any real danger from the
unexpected storm, she was still glad to be rid of it.
Some
coffee and a bit of food might quiet her foul mood. Her maid refused to
live-in, as did the other servants. Hilary had argued and threatened to fire
them all, but of course they knew it was an empty threat. No one else would
work for her. So, Hilary had been stuck in the brownstone all alone during the
horrendous storm because none of them could make it to work.
She found
her way to the kitchen only to have her anger return full force at the sight of
the large fireplace that occupied the room. It was old and ugly, obsolete now
that she had a gas stove.
She had
hired a mason to brick it up, complaining about the draft it created. The job
should have taken only a day (she certainly hovered over him enough to make
sure he didn’t dawdle) but because of the blizzard, here it was three days
later and the work was still not complete. Brick, two rows deep, started from
the floor to halfway up the opening of the fireplace. Mason tools and supplies
still littered her kitchen floor.
Slapping
the morning post onto the counter, she pulled out her cast-iron frying pan and began
to prepare breakfast. Anger simmered like a well-cooked stew when she realized
she couldn’t have milk in her coffee. The milkman hadn’t been able to deliver,
nor had the baker. No hot buttered roll this morning either.
Heavy
knocking at her door had her banging the frying pan onto the counter. Her teeth
set on edge, she moved stiffly toward the entranceway.
The white
she saw when she opened the door had nothing to do with the snow-covered
street, but the white-hot rage that fogged her vision caused by the woman on
her doorstep.
“Hello,
Mrs. Smith. May I come in?” Ruby Van Leer asked. Her long wool cape and hat had
seen better days. Her ever-present smile was gone, replaced with a serious
stare. The sweet smell of lilacs, something Hilary learned to hate over the
last four years, engulfed her like a determined glove.
“You have
some nerve coming to my home,” Hilary spat out.
“I have
been in contact with your daughter. Please, I need to speak with you.”
A vein in
her temple threatened to burst as the woman pushed past her, without
invitation, removed her cloak and hung it on the hook by the door, then walked
toward the kitchen.
Overwhelming
fury had her slamming the door before following the woman down the hall to the back
of the house.
Hilary had
no idea they’d both be dead by lunchtime.
****
I hope you enjoyed this "little something extra" to RUBY'S LETTERS. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the comments section below. I'd love to hear from you!
Until next time, eat healthy and happy writing!
~Maggie
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Release Day!
I'm not supposed to make another post until tomorrow when I share the Prologue that didn't make it to the final version of RUBY'S LETTERS, but I couldn't stay away.
Not today.
It's finally here! RUBY'S LETTERS is out! I so hope all who read it love it as much as I do. I always wanted to write a ghost story, and RUBY'S LETTERS is the result. So I'm going to sit back with some coffee and a piece of my favorite low-carb cheesecake (you can find the recipe here) Add a tablespoon or two of unsweetened cocoa and you've got yourself a low-carb chocolate cheesecake!
If you ever get the chance to come to NYC, you must go to the Pierrepont Promenade in Brooklyn Heights. Don't worry. You won't find Emma's haunted house there. That place fictional, but the area is very real and magical!
So stop by tomorrow when I share the prologue to RUBY'S LETTERS!
Not today.
It's finally here! RUBY'S LETTERS is out! I so hope all who read it love it as much as I do. I always wanted to write a ghost story, and RUBY'S LETTERS is the result. So I'm going to sit back with some coffee and a piece of my favorite low-carb cheesecake (you can find the recipe here) Add a tablespoon or two of unsweetened cocoa and you've got yourself a low-carb chocolate cheesecake!
If you ever get the chance to come to NYC, you must go to the Pierrepont Promenade in Brooklyn Heights. Don't worry. You won't find Emma's haunted house there. That place fictional, but the area is very real and magical!
From NY Harbor Parks website, Brooklyn Heights Promenade |
So stop by tomorrow when I share the prologue to RUBY'S LETTERS!
Monday, October 20, 2014
10 Things You Didn't Know About "Ruby's Letters!"
With the official release of Ruby's Letters only days away, here are 10 things you didn't know:
1. Emma is very loosely based on me (and I do mean very loosely based). Once upon a time, I owned a fireplace and chimney restoration company, but I was not in the field like Emma. I stuck close to the office.
2. Emma got her maiden name and married name from my sister-in-laws, Barbara DeVuono and Kristine Hopkins.
3. Ryan Atkinson was named after the Caroline G. Atkinson school in Freeport, NY. An elementary school I attended.
4. Even though the story takes place on Brooklyn Heights, NY, the actual inspiration for Betsy Morris's home is a brownstone in Harlem.
5. Betsy Morris was named after my second son's favorite grade school teacher. She made such an impact on him, I felt I had to honor her in some way.
6. The character, Bart, is based on stand-up comedian Hugh Van Well. Yes, he is related to me, and, yes, he is that crazy.
7. Other than Bart, none of Emma's employees are based on any one person, but some of their antics did actually happen on job sites. I'm not telling you which ones :-p
8. Many of the superstitions mentioned in the story came from a book on actual superstitions.
9. Finding random items inside a walled-up fireplace is a common occurrence--very old newspapers, tools, dead animals, and, one time, a box of condoms from 1912--finding a human body, however; is not (thank God!)
10. Originally, Ruby's Letters had a prologue, but it got mixed reviews from my critique partners and beta readers. Some absolutely loved it, others felt it was too long for a prologue and/or wasn't needed. In the end, it was nixed. Personally, I loved and it was with great pain that I removed it.
Speaking of the prologue--here's a little teaser :) Find out how the pictures below tie into the prologue to Ruby's Letters in my next post!
So, there you have the 10 things you probably didn't know about Ruby's Letters. If you have any other questions, always feel free to ask!
Until next time, my friends, eat healthy and happy writing!
~Maggie
1. Emma is very loosely based on me (and I do mean very loosely based). Once upon a time, I owned a fireplace and chimney restoration company, but I was not in the field like Emma. I stuck close to the office.
Caroline G. Atkinson School. Freeport, NY |
3. Ryan Atkinson was named after the Caroline G. Atkinson school in Freeport, NY. An elementary school I attended.
Harlem Brownstone |
5. Betsy Morris was named after my second son's favorite grade school teacher. She made such an impact on him, I felt I had to honor her in some way.
6. The character, Bart, is based on stand-up comedian Hugh Van Well. Yes, he is related to me, and, yes, he is that crazy.
7. Other than Bart, none of Emma's employees are based on any one person, but some of their antics did actually happen on job sites. I'm not telling you which ones :-p
8. Many of the superstitions mentioned in the story came from a book on actual superstitions.
9. Finding random items inside a walled-up fireplace is a common occurrence--very old newspapers, tools, dead animals, and, one time, a box of condoms from 1912--finding a human body, however; is not (thank God!)
10. Originally, Ruby's Letters had a prologue, but it got mixed reviews from my critique partners and beta readers. Some absolutely loved it, others felt it was too long for a prologue and/or wasn't needed. In the end, it was nixed. Personally, I loved and it was with great pain that I removed it.
Speaking of the prologue--here's a little teaser :) Find out how the pictures below tie into the prologue to Ruby's Letters in my next post!
Until next time, my friends, eat healthy and happy writing!
~Maggie
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Cover Reveal - Ruby's Letters!!
Even though this isn't my debut novel, I've never done a cover reveal before. I hope you're as excited as I am! I love this cover. I've been dying to share it with you! So here it is:
Isn't it beautiful? My cover designer, Greg Simanson did an amazing job!
Ruby's Letters is a contemporary romance set in Brooklyn Heights, NY. It's got ghosts and suspense just in time for Halloween!
Look for Ruby's Letters October 23rd!
Come back for upcoming posts which will include:
~Maggie
Isn't it beautiful? My cover designer, Greg Simanson did an amazing job!
Ruby's Letters is a contemporary romance set in Brooklyn Heights, NY. It's got ghosts and suspense just in time for Halloween!
Look for Ruby's Letters October 23rd!
Come back for upcoming posts which will include:
- The prologue to Ruby's Letters
- 10 things you didn't know about Ruby's Letters
- Details about my upcoming small town, contemporary romance series "Love and Laugh on Long Island"
- And, of course, new posts about leading a low-carb lifestyle!
~Maggie
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