I loved stories about the Bermuda Triangle when I was a kid. Couldn’t get enough of them! So you can imagine what a pleasure it is to interview an author who actually writes stories about this enigmatic and fascinating place.

Please help me welcome today’s guest, author Marilyn Baron.

Marilyn, what can you tell us about the time period and setting for your novels?

 Under the Moon Gate, available now on Kindle and for full release on August 9, 2013, by The Wild Rose Press, is set in contemporary and World War II Bermuda and the prequel, Destiny: A Bermuda Love Story, now available on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Destiny-Bermuda-Love-Story-ebook/dp/B00D0RABAY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1369698976&sr=1-1&keywords=destiny%3A+A+Bermuda+Love+Story , is set in the 1600s.

Do you have any special connection to the period? Family history?

I am obsessed with books set in World War II, especially spy novels. So is my husband. So, if I want him to read one of my books, I have to set it during that time period.

We just have this fascination with World War II, almost as if we had lived back then, although we were both born in the early 1950s right after the war was over. We prefer the music of the ’40s, too. As far as family history, my father was a top turret gunner in a B-17, based in England, and flew some 30+ missions over Europe. I had always been surrounded by icons of the war, his pressed and plastic-encased uniform and medals, books about the period, and his personal diary from his missions. Every year, until very late in his life, he and my mother attended his bomber reunions all over the country. So the war was a big part of his life. I was very proud of and intrigued by his service and I always thought I’d like to write a book about his experience as a tribute to him. He is no longer alive, but I like to think he would be proud of this book since he was the inspiration for it. My uncles also served in various branches of service during the war and my husband’s uncle, who he never met, was killed at the Battle of the Bulge.

What appeals to you about this period?

The excitement, the danger, the human pathos, the infinite variety of stories that are told about WW II. No matter how many there have been, original stories are surfacing all the time.

How much time did you spend researching each book?

I looked back at my computer files and found that I started on these books as early as 2004. The manuscript was originally called The Bermuda Triangle: A Love Story. It was initially set in three different time periods. But it was too ambitious a project and the three intersecting love stories were unwieldy. So I cut out one love story and edited it down to two time periods. I left the project alone for about five years. All in all, it was in process for almost 10 years. Now the story will be released in two separate books—Under The Moon Gate, a romantic thriller set in contemporary and WW II Bermuda and a prequel—Destiny: A Bermuda Love Story. Both are labeled as historicals. The prequel contains the earlier romance between the 17^th century ancestors of the main characters at the time Bermuda was founded. As far as actual research time, I’d say several months although I was researching as I wrote. The book has been through many iterations, but it’s apparently a story that wants to be told.

Do you tend to research before you write, or more as you write?

I’ve been steeped in WW II history and stories my whole life so the interest was always there. In the case of these books, I did do a lot of research about World War II Bermuda before I started writing. 

I have been to most of the locations where the book is set or locations that are referred to in the book, just not in the historical time period. For example, I’ve been to Bermuda about 10 times on family vacations; Berlin; London, to The Churchill War Rooms/Imperial War Museum; to Berchtesgaden, Hitler’s retreat in the German Bavarian Alps; and Jamestown. I did not go to Dresden, but we passed it on our way to Prague. Visiting these locations gave me feel for the story.

 Do you tend to use secondary or primary research sources?

Other than my father’s stories, since the action takes place in WW II, it would primarily be secondary research. I couldn’t find any books about Bermuda during the war, so I went to the library in Decatur, Georgia, and spent a number of weeks looking up old newspapers either on microfiche or actual physical copies (The New York Times and The Royal Gazette) from the World War II time period. I took notes, steeping myself in the times, reading ads, articles, etc. and read timelines about the war from a German perspective. Of course, I couldn’t use all the research I found, but it provided a good basis. I was always warned about the danger of including too much research in your book and originally, I may have done that, but I eventually edited a lot of it out. As far as contemporary Bermuda, I relied on the many times I’d visited Bermuda. But I started the book after my last visit, so I didn’t actually do any on-site research there specifically for the book.

Any favorite sources?

I’d have to say all the WW II books I’d read throughout my life, fiction and nonfiction. And of course, the Internet is great for research.

Have you ever found out after a book was published that you made an error with a historical fact?

I hope that doesn’t happen, but of course, I have to be prepared for that. And facts change. When I calculated the value of gold in the book, gold was hovering at nearly $2,000 an ounce. Once the book was approved, the price of gold had already plummeted.

Which authors in this time period do you enjoy? Who inspires you?

The authors and their works that stand out are Herman Wouk’s Winds of War and War and Remembrance, books by Leon Uris, Ken Follett, James Michener, Alan Furst, and my favorite WW II movies, like Casablanca. Books by Hannah Arendt and other books about the Holocaust made an impression on me. And being Jewish, I couldn’t read enough books about the Nazis and what Jews had to endure through during those dark times. My husband loved to watch The World at War, a 1973–74 26-episode British television documentary series chronicling the events of the Second World War, which was a good indoctrination to the times.

What else have you published?

My books and short stories are listed on my Web site at www.marilynbaron.com.

Your story ideas seem very unique. What can you tell us about how you get your ideas?

As I said, I’ve always been fascinated by World War II and Bermuda is one my favorite places to vacation, so I decided to combine those two loves. The result was these two books. When I started doing research for the book, I came across this passage, which sparked the idea for the plot:

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Bermuda was surrounded by German U-boats. Although the move cut off vital supplies, the islands were never invaded.

Why did the Germans stop short of capturing that tiny speck in the ocean, when the value of controlling such a strategic possession could have altered the course of the war? Under the Moon Gate is my fictional account of why Bermuda was spared.

The title was inspired by the beautiful Bermuda moon gates – circular openings in garden walls that act as passageways – all over the island, which figure prominently in the story.

What genre do your books fall under?

Historical romance. I wrote Under The Moon Gate as a romantic suspense, but The Wild Rose Press bought it as a historical and is calling it a romantic thriller. Destiny is purely a historical. My editor at The Wild Rose Press said it has the flavor of a Jack Higgins book, especially his books set in World War II. I take that as a great compliment.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

The parallels drawn between the multi-generational characters in the two love stories; the excitement of the war; and the blurred lines between good and evil. The contemporary story is also very humorous and that’s one of my favorite things about the book.

How can readers reach out to you if they want to learn more?

My blog http://www.petitfoursandhottamales.com/
E-mail: Marilyn@marilynbaron.com
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
LinkedIn

Mary Jean Adams Blog: http://maryjeanadams.blogspot.com/2013/05/visit-bermuda-triangle-with-todays.html

Tomorrow, May 1, is the launch date for Brenda Novak’s 9^th Annual Online Auction for Diabetes. Why is that important? First, it raises money for a great cause, which is near and dear to me personally. Second, the prizes you can bid on and win represent a writers’ and readers’ bonanza. They include lunches and dinners with bestselling authors, eReaders, iPads gift baskets, trips and stays, or you can have your work read by the industry’s most influential agents and editors. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Every year, the Petit Fours and Hot Tamales are big supporters of the auction. Here, for example are my two donations.

First, to celebrate the August 9, 2013, release of my new book, Under The Moon Gate, a romantic thriller set in contemporary and WW II Bermuda, I’m offering a signed copy of my book and a Bermuda Gift package that includes:

An 8”x10” Moon Gate Print by local Bermuda artist

1 package of Rum Swizzle Mix

1 20cl Bottle of Gosling’s Black Seal Rum

One Luxurious, Embroidered Bermuda Beach Towel

Presented in a Bermuda Gift Ideas Signature Lime Bag with coordinating tissue

I’m excited to reveal the cover for my new book and a blurb about the book.

THE SPY WHO LOVED HER

Dashing sea captain Nathaniel Morgan sails into the life of prim and proper Bermuda heiress Patience Whitestone and threatens to expose her family secrets–ruinous secrets she wasn’t aware of. The two are immediately at odds when Nathaniel moors his vessel in front of her estate and refuses to leave until he finds the cache of Swiss gold he’s convinced was buried somewhere on the property during World War II. Can Patience save herself and her family’s reputation when she finds herself reluctantly drawn to this determined “pirate”? Or will someone from the past make good on his threat to destroy them both? Their fate is inextricably linked to Nazi plots and to the beautiful moon gates of Bermuda in this compelling tale of love and intrigue.

Available soon from The Wild Rose Press. Watch for an announcement on my Web site at www.marilynbaron.com. Don’t miss the prequel, Destiny: A Bermuda Love Story, which is scheduled for release in September 2013.

See a picture of the gift package at: http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/Bidding.taf?_function=detail&Auction_uid1=2895523

MURDER, THEY WROTE

My second offering relates to Murder at the Outlet Mall, a comedic mystery I coauthored with my sister, Sharon Goldman.

The item: A Black COACH “Signature C” Large, Flap Wristlet and a print or E-Book copy of Murder at the Outlet Mall.  

Here’s a blurb about the book.

Murder at the Outlet Mall

Shopping can be murder. In this soft-boiled suspense tale of love, revenge and big spenders, things get deadly when three ladies from China come to blows over a single Coach handbag at the St. Augustine Premium Outlets®. Murder at the Outlet Mall gives new meaning to the phrase, “Shop ’Till You Drop.”

Available in eBook and Print Format www.amazon.com/Murder-at-the-Outlet-Mall-ebook/dp/B00BGQLOKW

Here’s the link to the item. http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/Bidding.taf?_function=detail&Auction_uid1=2892708

Hope you’ll check out these two offerings and more and bid on some fabulous items May 1 through May 31 at www.brendanovak.com. See you online.

Night Sea The Light

By Marilyn Baron

I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be signing my latest release Murder at the Outlet Mall, coauthored with my sister, award-winning Florida artist Sharon Goldman, at the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum on Saturday May 18 as part of their Sea Your History Weekend May 17-18. If you’re in the area, I hope you’ll join us. It’s going to be very educational and a lot of fun. (Read more about the event below)

Let me tell you something about the venue, which fits in with my ongoing travel segment about St. Augustine. The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum, located in St. Augustine, Florida, is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Affiliates are partners in a bold effort to share America’s artistic, scientific, and historic heritage.

The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum was founded in 1876. Collections represent early North Florida maritime history, maritime archaeology, the Lighthouse, WW II photographs and oral histories. The Museum offers educational programs such as the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Project (LAMP), an underwater archaeology program which engages high school students with marine archaeologists. Projects involve the study of the early maritime history of the area, shipwrecks during the British and Spanish occupations of the country during the 18th century, hands-on tours, summer camps and program internships. In addition, a lecture series and annual maritime archaeological symposium is offered.

The Nation’s Oldest Port

The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum is dedicated to discovering, preserving, presenting and keeping alive the story of the nation’s oldest port. Lighthouse staff members are recognized as national experts in restoration and museum operations and as part of their ongoing preservation efforts, they work directly with government agencies to ensure that America’s castles survive for generations to come.   I like the idea of signing our book at a place where they preserve storytelling because Murder at the Outlet Mall is not your same old story (See more below).

Anastasia Island has been a strategic location for towers since the founding of St. Augustine by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés in 1565. Historic records indicate that a wooden tower on the island was built and manned by Menendez’s soldiers in order to help identify incoming ships. During the construction of the Castillo de San Marcos (1672-1695), a hermitage, like a mini-monastery, was built on the island out of durable coquina rock. Records suggest that the hermitage was never consecrated and its bell tower, by 1737, became a permanent lookout tower. Following each succession of national ownership of St. Augustine, the complex was refurbished and augmented. Its importance as an aid to navigation increased over time as the harbor became a trade destination. Within six months of Florida becoming a U.S. territory in 1821, the Territorial Council forwarded a request to President Monroe for a lighthouse to be built at Pensacola and St. Augustine. Consequently, the Spanish coquina guardhouse/watchtower was converted to a true lighthouse. On April 5, 1824, the first lightkeeper Juan Andreu lit the lamp of Florida’s first official territorial lighthouse. Joesph Andreu, the first lighthouse keeper’s cousin, was the fourth lightkeeper. He fell to his death while whitewashing the tower in 1859. His wife Maria de los Dolores Mestre took over, and became the first female lightkeeper in St. Augustine. The present brick keepers’ house was completed in 1876. Eight keepers, almost 50 assistant keepers, and their families lived in the keepers’ dwelling. In 1988, the house opened as a lighthouse museum, and in 1991, the tower opened to the public. In 1981, the Keepers’ House and the lighthouse were placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, the staff and volunteers of the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum keep the light burning.

Here are some fun facts about the St. Augustine Lighthouse:

• There are more than 270 known shipwrecks off the coast of St. Augustine and its surrounding waters. The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum is working to uncover those wrecks and preserve the artifacts brought up in order to tell their stories.
• The St. Augustine Lighthouse, with its distinctive black and white spiral and red top, is 165 feet tall. There are 219 steps to the observation deck, including the granite steps leading up to the metal stairs. Ten additional iron steps, accessible only to lens personnel, go up to the lantern inside the lens room. The observation deck is about the height of a 14-story building.
• The lens is the lighthouse’s original first order Fresnel lens from 1874. It stands 9.5-feet tall and contains 370 hand-cut prisms, including three bulls-eyes, set in brass frames.
• The lighthouse contains an estimated 1.2 million bricks.
• During WW II, United States Coast Guardsmen were stationed at the St. Augustine Lighthouse 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to protect the coastline. The lighthouse stores a vast collection of WW II artifacts, including thousands of pictures. The lighthouse also has an oral history library in its permanent collection.

For more information about the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum, visit their Web site at http://www.staugustinelighthouse.org/ and their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/St-Augustine-Lighthouse-and-Museum/84623540271

Event:  May 17-18, 2013: The Art of Boatbuilding in the Oldest Port

Friday, May 17
3 p.m. – 6 p.m. – Lost Ships Tour: Help our archaeologists unlock the secrets of long-lost shipwrecks.

Saturday, May 18
9 a.m. – Traditional Wooden Boatbuilding: Be more than a visitor as you and our artisans build a boat from centuries gone by.

11 a.m. – Smithsonian Presentation: Get to know the personalities who make the Smithsonian the world’s leader in research and exploration.

Once Upon a Time in St. Augustine: Sea St. Augustine in Murder at the Outlet Mall, a comedic mystery set in St. Augustine. Drawings for prizes include Coach, Le Creuset products, lighthouse prints and more.

Sea Your History Weekends provide unique behind-the-scenes archaeology and conservation experiences, a VIP sunrise tour, a cultural boatbuilding demonstration and an opportunity to meet and learn from a Smithsonian scholar.

For more information, call 904-829-0745.

Murder They Wrote

To commemorate the 500^th anniversary of Ponce de Leon’s discovery of Florida, and celebrate our love of shopping, my sister, Sharon Goldman, a writer and artist in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, and I wrote Murder at the Outlet Mall.    

Blurb: Things get deadly when three women come to blows over a single Coach bag at the St. Augustine Premium Outlets®. Murder at the Outlet Mall gives new meaning to the phrase, “Shop ’Till You Drop.”

    “This story is about three ladies from China who accompany their high-powered husbands on a shopping/golfing excursion to St. Augustine, Florida,” says Baron. “One of them is having an affair with the husband of another. The jilted woman and her friend plot the mistress’ murder. It’s sort of a modern-day Lucy and Ethel tale of how the women plan to dispose of the mistress and distribute her body parts at various tourist attractions around St. Augustine. It sounds grim, but it’s actually very funny and has an

About the Author                                                                                                                                                Marilyn Baron is a public relations consultant in Atlanta. She’s a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA) and Georgia Romance Writers (GRW) and the recipient of the GRW 2009 Chapter Service Award. Marilyn writes humorous women’s fiction, romantic suspense/thriller and humorous supernatural short stories. Visit http://www.twbpress.com/achoirofangels.html to read her Angel Trilogy (A Choir of Angels, Follow an Angel, The Stand-In Bridegroom and Dead Mix). The Edger, the women’s fiction she coauthored with her sister, Sharon, received a   4 ½-star rating in the September 2012 issue of Romantic Times Book Reviews magazine. http://www.amazon.com/The-Edger-ebook/dp/B006Y3P12Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1343336307&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Edger+Sharon+Goldman. Marilyn is contributor to Seasons and Seashells, a Sweet Romance Anthology at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/257449. Her romantic thriller, Under the Moon Gate, and the prequel Destiny: A Bermuda Love Story, will be released in the summer of 2013 by The Wild Rose Press. Her romantic suspense, Sixth Sense, winner of the 2012 Georgia Romance Writers Unpublished Maggie Award for Excellence in the Paranormal/Fantasy category, is also under contract with The Wild Rose Press. She invites you to visit her Web site at www.marilynbaron.com. Visit her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Marilyn-Baron/286807714666748 and follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/MarilynBaron.

One commenter will win a matted, signed print of Sharon Goldman’s St. Augustine Lighthouse http://sgoldmanart.com/landscapes_seascapes.htm.

By Marilyn Baron

Okay, it’s been a while since I’ve let those annoying spam e-mails get to me. I go along calmly erasing them and laughing, but lately so many of them have piled up, I have to share some of the more ridiculous and aggravating ones with you. Most are dead giveaways because these people can’t spell.

Dear Customer,

I got you a private appointment with an Internet millioniare, who will give you a free game plan on how to generate up to $3,264 in your first week.

If you don’t want this appointment, there’s no need to respond. It will go to the next lucky member.

But if you take it, I’ll bet you this time next week, you’ll be sending me flowers.

Sounds pretty good, huh? Why should I get this bozo flowers? Valentine’s Day is over.

Get Any Woman

If you want to learn how to turn on any woman in the world, then we will help you make this happen…get ready, because once we teach you how to do this, there is no turning back. You will be able to get any woman you want turned on!

Sorry. I’m not interested, but how did I get on their list?

Or there’s this one:

Flirt with Hot Russian Brides now

Seriously? How did these Russians get my e-mail address?

Then there’s this one:

Hi,

Your journey for life altering success is officially over.

Go Here Now and see why (I didn’t)

I discovered what you need but let’s keep it between me and you, OK?

Thank me later 

Really?

Then there’s the old standby: Someone from the Nigerian government wants to wire transfer money (funds of $10 million) to me if I just provide by mailing address, telephone, and of course, my VISA account number.

Who wouldn’t want $10 million?

Or:

You’ve been selected to begin receiving up to $4,587.12/month with our automated system, starting today. (And it tells me where instructions can be found). But I’d better hurry, because my invitation expires in 24 hours.

Congrats - see you on the other side.

My question is the other side of what? Sanity?

Or: Quit Being POOR now.

I’m not kidding just give it a try:

And to help you even further…
Go here (I didn’t).

Here’s one from the people who can’t spell “You’re:”

Your My Priority

Hey,

Your quest for long-term money is officially over.

GO Here Now and see why (I didn’t.)

Everything is always private and confidential.

And then there’s this guy Greg Montoya, who pops up on a number of emails as 
either my BFF "Greg" or "Greg Montoya." I have no idea who he is or why he’s 
spamming me. I just know I hit delete whenever I see his name.

I’m beginning to see a pattern here. Do people really fall for these scams? 
Apparently, because the scammers keep sending them. Frankly, they’re cutting into
a big chunk of my time and deleting these messages is probably bringing on a 
condition of repetitive stress syndrome. So, to all your scumbags and scammers  
out there, leave me alone!

Has this ever happened to you? What type of spam mail do you get and 
how do you handle it?

Self-publishing is a lot like childbirth. It’s hell while you’re going through it; but when it’s over, you forget about all the pain and you’re ready to do it all again. My sister and I just self-published a humorous short story called Murder at the Outlet Mall. A year ago, we collaborated on a women’s fiction, The Edger, available on Amazon Kindle, but it was only released in eBook format. We had never attempted a print version. Although many people format their own books, I knew I didn’t have the technical knowledge or the patience to do it myself. We liked the first formatter we used, but we met Kim Killion and her business partner, Jennifer, at the last M&M conference and we hired The Killion Group to do the interior book design. They did a great job. They were very reasonable, so much so that it didn’t pay to do it ourselves. Jennifer was very easy to work with and very patient. My sister, an award-winning Florida artist, created the cover, but Kim did a great design on the spine and back to tie it all together. This time we opted for Amazon’s KDP Select program even though The Killion Group supplied us with versions compatible with other publishers.

Writing the story was the easy part. Uploading the file to Amazon was a breeze for the Kindle version. Except we had to re-upload it several times because, for some reason, my author’s bio picture showed up as a big red X in a box, even though it was correct on the proof. My husband finally fixed that and he was very proud of himself. But that was the calm before the storm. The Braxton Hicks of self-publishing.

Trying to upload the file to CreateSpace was a different story. There were complications—such as the fact that I had forgotten my password—and so many decisions to make that had to be made right there online. Paper stock color (we chose white); full color or black and white on the inside (we chose black and white inside even though my sister created a really nice two-color flower, which shows up in color on the E-version but not in the print version). That decision depended on whether you had a standard format. Write the description of the book; enter your financial information; and decide what to charge. It was nerve-racking. And that was just the tip of the iceberg. I had questions while we were on line but there didn’t seem to be a number to call, so I sent email inquiries, which incidentally were answered immediately and it turns out you can request a telephone call, which we did. That call clarified a lot of things. My husband uploaded the file and after we went through this experience (which did not bring us closer—I think it’s akin to wallpapering a bathroom) he said he’d never do it again. But when it finally came together, it was wonderful.

During the “birthing” process I wanted to kill someone. Since my husband wasn’t the father of this baby, he was out of the question. My sister, however, was my coauthor. I looked up the word for killing one’s own sister and it’s Sororicide. Just sayin’. We came close to that a couple of times. I emailed my friend, author Linsey Lanier, who had been through this many times. When I wanted to pull out my hair or jump off a building, she talked me down, via email. Girlfriends are great.

All in all, it was a wonderful learning experience. I said I’d never do it again, but when it was finally over, we had our baby: an EBook and a print version. When I held the proof of the print version in my hand last week, I was so excited. Bad as I thought the experience was while it was happening, I am ready to do it all again.

But the challenge isn’t over. Now we have to let people know about our baby. We just sent out our “birth” announcement. (See below)

MURDER AT THE OUTLET MALL IS TO DIE FOR

Shopping can be murder. Things get deadly when three ladies from China come to blows over a single Coach handbag at the St. Augustine Premium Outlets®. Murder at the Outlet Mall, a new short story by sisters Sharon Goldman and Marilyn Baron, gives new meaning to the phrase, “Shop ’Till You Drop.” Murder at the Outlet Mall is available as an eBook at http://www.amazon.com/Murder-at-Outlet-Mall-ebook/dp/B00BGQLOKW and in print format at https://www.createspace.com/4186465. It should be on Amazon.com in print format in about a week. 

Hope you’ll check out the book and read this great review we got on Amazon below:

Shop ‘Till You’re Dropped February 22, 2013

By A.J. Kirby, UK, Author of Sharkways   

Once you’ve seen one shopping center you’ve seen a mall, as the famous pun goes. In Murder at the Outlet Mall by Marilyn Baron and Sharon Goldman, the puns are flying, but this shopping-related suspense tale is much more than that. It’s a rollercoaster ride which will have the reader on the edge of their seat until checkout.

It’s a story of love, revenge, and big spenders and it is excellently written. For a co-authored story, you really can’t see the joins. Murder at the Outlet Mall isn’t the first Baron/ Goldman collaboration I’ve had the pleasure to read – I also read 2012′s The Edger – and it displays a sharpening of their already razor-sharp wit.

The location is perfect. The St. Augustine Premium Outlet in Florida is a fashion retail centre where the designer apparel is to die for (and also, there are some well-researched geographical and historical details about Florida which were excellent, especially for a Brit like me, who’s never been: this tour-guiding episode in which (spoiler alert) the duo endeavor to dispose of the ‘body parts’, reads like a comedy caper film script, and is wonderfully wrought.)

Overall, this is a fun story. It’s soft-boiled crime for the discerning reader. It captures perfectly the ‘feeding frenzy’ of shoppers, and the ‘Buyer Straits’ of a shopping mall. Madame Wang and Madame Li are lovingly created and read brilliantly. And a last word to the authors, who never lose their customary humour but at the same time, prove themselves masters of suspense. The ending is straight out of left-field and is completely satisfying for the reader. There’ll be no returns where this story is concerned!

We have a lot of exciting promotional ideas. We contacted the St. Augustine Premium Outlets in hopes of getting a signing there. In April, St. Augustine celebrates the 500^th anniversary of Juan Ponce de Leon’s landing, between present day St. Augustine –the oldest city on Florida’s Historic Coast—and Ponte Vedra. So our release is very timely, as part of our book is a travelogue of sorts about St. Augustine, where two of the women tour the city looking for places to hide the body parts of the mistress of the husband of one of the women.  

I’ve been through both processes—self-publishing and traditional publishing—and as far as stress and strain, in my opinion, doing it yourself is harder. But now that I’ve done it once, the next time will be a smoother process. There are a lot of benefits to self-publishing (turnaround time, control, etc.) and a certain sense of pride and sisterhood associated with the pains of having given birth. I hope you’ll all try it (author emits an evil laugh).   

I’m interested in hearing about your self-publishing experience. Good or bad? Do you do your own formatting? Any secrets you can pass along to the rest of us?

One commenter will get a copy (their choice of print or EBook) of Murder at the Outlet Mall.

P.S. Notice that our ASIN number begins with the letters BOOB. Do you think the universe is trying to tell us something?

And speaking of childbirth, I’m about to give birth to a brand new Web site at www.marilynbaron.com, which should be live soon. I hope you’ll check that out, sign up for my newsletter and find out more about what I’m writing.   

Shopping at the Coach store at the St. Augustine Premium Outlets.

The Murder Weapon

As a reader, I remember the plots of many books, but only a handful of main male characters stick in my mind.

What makes a memorable hero? Is it his physical attributes? His height, coloring, or his…ah, shoe size? Is he alpha, beta or metro? For the writer, where does the inspiration for this character come from? Television, movies, books, or someone from your past?

How do you create a universal character who will appeal to a majority of readers? How do you, the writer, keep that reader thinking about that character long after the book is finished?

As a writer I like to start by picking a strong and or unusual name. As writers/readers in the 21^st century, we look for a man we can admire, one who will be as strong as we are, or stronger.

Karen Marie Moning’s main male character in the Fever series is Jericho Z. Barrons- (alluding to the wall of Jericho). In Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, she chose James (Jamie) Alexander Malcolm Mackenzie Fraser (a steadfast, noble Scot’s name-a warrior).

Once I choose a name, I add the attributes, height, coloring, and a psychological profile. Now this is where things vary. Some readers like their males to have a sense of humor (Billy Crystal) or be brooding (Mr. Darcy, Heathcliff or James Dean), cocky (Rhett Butler) or stoic (Mr. Spock).

What male character do you still think about and why?

 One commenter will win a PDF copy of my new YA, The Fifth Realm,available at  http://amzn.to/KqkmNn

Covert Art for The Fifth Realm

I’m writing to you from the closet in our new home. It’s quite a big closet since it has to hold clothes, shoes, purses and other paraphernalia for all 12 of the Petit Fours and Hot Tamales. It’s a carpeted, cedar-lined closet, with racks for all of our shoes and special compartments for our purses.  I’ve asked Miss Maggie where my winter coat is, because I’ve been looking in vain for it for hours, until I remember that I don’t have one. Well, I have the one I’ve had for years, which I still like, but I wanted a new one this winter season.

At the end of December, I went shopping for a new winter coat. By then, most of the coats had been picked over, but I found a beautiful black faux fur coat for a nice sale price.

I wore it out to dinner one night and my husband started sniffing when I got into the car. He wrinkled his nose and said, “What’s that awful smell?” Then he sniffed some more.  There was so much sniffing going on that I thought he was going to mark his territory. “It’s your coat. It smells like a chemical. You need to take it back.”

The thing about me is, I don’t have a sense of smell. So I couldn’t smell it at the time I purchased it. I called the store and asked them about it. The sales associate said it would just take time for the smell to dissipate.

“I don’t have time,” I explained. “We are about to go out of town and my husband won’t let me in the car with that coat.”

“Well, why don’t you take it to a dry cleaner and if that doesn’t work, bring it back and we can try to get the smell out,” she countered. “Then you can come back and pick it up. “

“But we’re leaving town tomorrow.”

“That’s ridiculous,” my husband objected. We’re not going to pay to get a new coat dry cleaned.”

We tried hanging the coat up in the dining room, to see if the smell would dissipate, but the smell did not go away.  

So we spent three hours fighting traffic to get to the mall at Christmas time and returned the coat. The saleswoman took it back without question. She probably thought I was insane to buy the coat in the first place.  I’m sure she and the other sales associates had a good laugh about it.

That night we went out to dinner with friends. We drove the car we used to return the coat.

“What’s that smell,” my friend asked. “It smells like dry cleaning.”

I wondered if my husband had put her up to saying that.  So we launched into our story about the Stinky Coat.

Now, I feel like I’m in an episode of the TV sitcom Seinfeld, like “The Smelly Car.” Only mine is called “Stinky Coat.”

Has anything like that ever happened to you? What are some of your funniest return stories?

It’s a new year and I’m going to try my best not to misplace things. I’m always digging around in my purse trying to find things I know are there and I can’t find them, until the next time I’m digging in my purse for something else, and I find the thing I had originally misplaced.

A few weeks ago, I lost an 8-inch All-Clad frying pan, one of the workhorse pans I use a few times a week to make fried eggs or omelettes. My husband and I looked everywhere – in the place we keep our All-Clad pots and pans, in all the other cabinets, even in the refrigerator. I thought I had not only lost the pan, but I was worried I was losing “it.” Weeks went by. I even had a dream about finding the pan, but when I woke up, I couldn’t remember where I had seen it in the dream.

My sister said the pan would be found when it was ready to be found. A few days ago, I wanted to make an omelette and I went to the cabinet where we keep the All-Clad pots and pans, and there it was, “hiding” in plain sight, in its proper place, under some lids. My husband swore he looked there three times and couldn’t find it. I guess it was ready to be found.

I also lost a pair of grey shoes. I knew they were in the house but I looked everywhere and couldn’t find them. So, I just wore my black shoes with my grey outfits. Then, this morning, I had a dream I had found the shoes, but when I woke up, I couldn’t remember where. I put on a grey outfit and hunted for the shoes again in the most unlikely places. And found them right on the shoe rack in plain sight in the closet, right where they should be. I guess they were ready to be found.

On a Thanksgiving trip to Florida, we stayed in a hotel and I lost my makeup bag. I was upset to lose the makeup, but mostly the bag contained my night guard that I wear every night because I grind my teeth. That would have been expensive and time-consuming to replace. I went days without it, called the hotel to see if it was reported in Lost and Found, scoured my condo, which we went to after the hotel and couldn’t find it. Then on the day we were to leave to go back to Atlanta, I found it under my suitcase. I’ve never been so happy to find anything. Apparently, my suitcase was closed when I put the makeup bag down on the luggage rack. When I reopened the suitcase to repack to go home, there it was. I hadn’t lost it in the hotel. I brought it back with me to the condo and then “lost it” there.

My husband is always losing his comb. I think he has a hole in his pocket and it drops through. He just bought a back-up package of black combs.

My sister wanted to know if I thought that otherworldly impish elves were playing tricks on me. I had never heard of those, but I’d say that was a possibility. She also told me that when my mother loses something (which is often) she turns a glass upside down. I never heard of that either. But apparently, it works for her.  

I’ve known people who’ve looked all over for their glasses, just to discover they were wearing them the whole time. Is it old age, forgetfulness or something worse? Has anything like that ever happened to you? What do you do to try to locate lost items? I’d like to hear about it.

One commenter will receive a copy of my E-Book, The Edger. THE EDGER, by sisters Marilyn Baron and Sharon Goldman, is a humorous mainstream fiction novel about landscape artist Alexandra Newborn’s shocking reunion with her college art professor, Nick Anselmo—once a celebrated Italian artist, now a homeless lawn man—which sows the seeds for murder, mystery and romance.

RT BOOK REVIEWS Gave THE EDGER 4 ½ Stars. “Baron and Goldman offer a bit of everything in this superb novel. There’s humor, infidelity, murder, mayhem, and a neatly drawn conclusion.”

For more information on The Edger and my other humorous paranormal short stories, visit:  www.petitfoursandhottamales.com/marilyn-baron/

Last year, I went to see Skyfall, the new James Bond thriller. At the end of the movie, they announced it was the 50^th anniversary of the franchise. I couldn’t believe it had been 50 years. How old did that make me? Don’t answer that. In going back over my records, I realized that the Petit Fours and Hot Tamales are about to enter our fifth year as a blog. Also hard to believe.

We published our first post on Dec. 28, 2008, and officially launched our new site on January 1, 2009. Back then, we had 19 members. The numbers have fluctuated. We’ve changed our look. We’ve honed our mission:

GREAT VOICES. GREAT CHOICES.

Hungry for a Great Read? The Petit Fours and Hot Tamales Blog serves up something for every taste—a selection of literary styles to satisfy any palate—from sweet inspiration to hot and spicy and everything in between. Find the voices that speak to you.

Members have come and gone for a variety of reasons, but to celebrate this special anniversary, we’ve invited some of our former members back to find out what they’ve been up to.

Nicki Salcedo. I received my second Maggie Award of Excellence; I had a baby; wrote a local parenting column for a year http://decatur.patch.com/columns/adventures-in-parenting-3;

was a RWA Golden Heart Finalist; and sold my first book to Belle Bridge Books for publication in 2013. I still blog when I can and hope to be a guest on PF&HT soon! I can be found online at Facebook https://www.facebook.com/authornickisalcedo, Twitter https://twitter.com/NickiSalcedo, or It’s Only a Novel http://www.itsonlyanovel.com/2012/11/19/the-help-rue-and-me/

Tamara LeBlanc. I’ve been very fortunate over the past few years, and have much to be thankful for. I’m married to an amazing man that I love with all my heart, have two children I adore (one in college and the other in tenth grade) and just recently I acquired one of the best agents on the planet, Nicole Riscinitti of the Seymour Agency. Best wishes to all of you for a happy and healthy New Year!

Christine Glover. Since I left the PF&HT, I’ve been super busy with my writing. I completed another manuscript, triple finaled and won the Linda Howard Award of Excellence in 2012, and have received serious editorial interest from Harlequin Mills & Boon. A wonderful published writer read one of partials and recommended me to her editor over at Harlequin Mills & Boon. And since then I’ve worked with her on one story which, while not suited to the line, led to a request for a new partial. I completed that and sent it in. Now I wait for her reply. Does she want more? I hope so. But if now, I’m already busy writing a new story for the line. It’s been very exciting.

 I’ve also taken the time to get my very own Web site set up. Here’s the link: www.christinegloversite.com. It’s basic, but it pleases me tremendously. I have also taken on the mantle of overall contest coordinator for my Southern Magic Writing Chapter. Stay tuned for more information about the 2013 Linda Howard Award of Excellence Contest!!  I miss all my PF&HT sisters and wish you continued success. Hope to be a Guest Chef one day soon. Hugs to All!!

We have an exciting 2013 planned. We’ll start off the year with our anniversary party and end with free reads in December. In between, we’re offering our regular features: Recipe for Success Write-Off ;  Travelogues; Participation in the Brenda Novak Diabetes Auction; Guest Chefs (guest bloggers) every Wednesday; and we’re going to announce some new changes in the way we communicate to you.

Starting in February, join us in our new Southern Plantation home, where Magnolia Peach, our ‘house mama’ (Miss Maggie), the matriarch of the house, likes to fuss over guests and entertain. Miss Maggie will be offering a comfy chair, a willing ear and a tall glass of sweet iced tea to go with a steady supply of Hot Tamales, Petit Fours and a few delicious fixins in between. So stop by each day, enjoy our famous Southern hospitality and join the conversation. Pull up a chair on our verandah where love is always in the air. Stick around. Sit a spell and help us watch the kudzu grow. We’re storytellers, eager to share our space with friends, old and new.

We are so grateful for our wonderful readers and we’re thankful you are taking this journey with us.

One lucky commenter will receive a$10 Amazon gift card.

We arrived in Prague after a five-hour train trip from Berlin. It was a comfortable ride in the first-class cabin and we had lunch in the dining car. We stopped at the Dresden station, but didn’t go into the city.

The October weather was overcast and cold for almost our entire visit, but I’m sure in the summer, the atmosphere is wonderful.  The guidebook describes Prague as a magical and melancholy city and when you’re in Old Town you feel like you’re in a fairy tale because the winding, picturesque cobblestone streets and well-preserved historic buildings add to the city’s renowned beauty and mystique. The jaw-dropping night views of the Charles Bridge and the Prague Castle when the city is lit are beyond words.  In fact, you can’t adequately capture it with a camera. One night we ate at a wonderful Continental restaurant called Bellevue and my window seat provided a picture-perfect view of Charles Bridge and Prague Castle. Thirty Baroque statues adorn the bridge. Touching one is supposed to make your fondest wish come true and ensure that you’ll return to Prague. I hope I do return and I’d highly recommend it to anyone.

The good news was my husband used his Starwood Points to get a free hotel stay. The bad news was the hotel was not centrally located and we had to take cabs to get the popular sights and restaurants in the Old Town Square.

Prague cabs are the city’s dirty little secret. Cheating customers is their way of life. In fact, our concierge even apologized and called them thieves. Our first experience with Prague cab drivers was at the Prague train station. We walked up to a driver and he charged us 500 crowns or korunas—about $10 too much, we later learned, for the short ride to our hotel.  There is no negotiation and there are no meters. We had forgotten that the Czech Republic is not part of the Euro zone, so Euros aren’t used in Prague. You are warned never to take a cab from Old Town Square.  So I recommend you stay in Old Town and eat there and you will only have to take a cab to and from the airport or train station. We asked the concierge to call a cab when we needed one and the restaurants call their own drivers to take us back to the hotel at a preset rate.  The hotel and restaurant drivers are very courteous and the cars are in good shape.

We took what was billed as a 6-hour walking tour, which turned out to be a 7 ½-hour tour and it was so comprehensive it covered what the guidebooks recommend seeing in four days. And for an out of shape person like me, it was torture. But it was really a great tour. It started at the Astronomical Clock in the town square. It was a fascinating experience. On the hour, a skeleton rings the bell, 12 Apostles come out of two windows, a gold cuckoo chimes and a live trumpeter plays. We had been warned that this is a perfect time for pickpockets, since everyone is looking up. But the crowds weren’t that bad, since it was fall.  

We learned that throughout history, the Czechs have been experts at torture. They even have a Museum of Torture. As our guide explained, people have been drowned in the Vltava River, the Czech Republic’s longest river, thrown out windows from the castle (defenestration) or shot in the Town Square for religious reasons. Not to mention they “rewarded” the man who designed the town’s premier tourist attraction, the Astronomical Clock, by blinding him so he could never recreate anything so unique for another town. No good deed goes unpunished. Remind me never to invent anything in Prague.

Then we toured the Jewish section and saw the exteriors of six synagogues and the Jewish Cemetery. There are only about 1,600 Jews left in Prague. We saw the Franz Kafka House (he’s the local hero) and a neat statue based on one of his short stories and his museum is supposed to be great. We strolled down Parizska Street (without the accents) (as in Paris) home to trendy, expensive and well-known designer boutiques and restaurants, patterned after the Champs Elysee.

We took a romantic 40-minute boat trip on the Vltava River to Prague’s Little Venice, had lunch in a Medieval restaurant dating from the 15^th century to sample a typical Czech meal (Czech, please), took the bus up to Prague Castle and walked back down to the Charles Bridge. Many movies are filmed in Prague.

We bought some Bohemia crystal jewelry as gifts (Prague specializes in garnets and amber) and some Czech chocolate and a painting. The guidebooks say if you’d like a painting of Prague that isn’t a cheap knock-off bought from Charles Bridge… and my husband elected to buy a cheap knock-off, but we thought our painting looked pretty good. There’s also a neat store, called Manufaktura, which sells 100 percent Czech-made products.

During World War II, the Allies mistakenly bombed Prague, because from the sky it looked like Dresden and they later apologized for the navigational error, but not much damage was done, compared to the destruction to Dresden, the intentional target.

Sites not to miss include:

• St. Vitus Cathedral

• The Prague Castle
• Schwarzenberg Palace
• Astronomical Clock
• Old Town Square
• The Franz Kafka House
• Wenceslas Square
• The Lennon Peace Wall. Near the Lennon Wall is a small pedestrian bridge that crosses over a canal. Legend has it that when you find  your true love, you carve your names on a lock and lock it onto the gate over the canal and throw the key into the canal.