About Jackie Griffey
Jackie Griffey likes to read as well as write cozy mysteries and romantic suspense. She and her family, two cats, a Chihuahua, and a couple of wild bunnies live in Arkansas where she is working on another cozy mystery. You can visit her website at www.jackiegriffey.com.
The Devil of Merrivale by Jackie Griffey (click on cover to purchase)
The Interview
Could you please tell us a little about your book?
The Devil in Merrivale is a cozy mystery set in a small town where every bit of danger or excitement ripples out to touch everyone and brings out the best (or worst) in them to keep the reader turning pages.
Did something specific happen to prompt you to write this book?
Only seeing how different ‘different’ people are sometimes treated. I have put gifted people in my series and they really make a contribution to the plot, laughs, and general well being of the town, their ‘difference’ not making a difference except for the better in some cases.
Who or what is the inspiration behind this book?
I was born in a small town with a big reputation – Hot Springs, Arkansas, and have a weakness for them.
Who is your biggest supporter?
My daughter and fellow writers in my local writing group.
Your biggest critic?
Whoever I’m submitting to. LOL. I have been very fortunate to work with great editors and welcome their input and help.
What cause are you most passionate about and why?
The cause of putting family first and of course supporting the law enforcement where you live. The community pulling together is important too in my fictional town.
In the last year have you learned or improved on any skills?
Yep, not that there’s not still room for improvement? Two of the most noticable things were run on sentences. Short sentences are easier to read and give what’s being said more impact. Then I had one editor who absolutely hates pronouns-ha! Ex: “She put on her coat to leave.” to “Laura put coat to leave.” or “She put on her coat to leave Nick’s apartment.” Someting to tell without a doubt which character the author is talking about. Good points from good editors-blessem.
Do you have any rituals you follow when finishing a piece of work?
Other than thanking God? Praying the ancillary material will go well and quickly too I guess. The main thing is make sure you have a file set up and your material organized – list of characters et cetera. Actually, Dorothy, writing the book is the easy part. LOL
Who has influenced you throughout your career as a writer?
My late husband, Jim the Gem, my local writing group and other local groups. The library in my home town, Cabot, is very supportive too and the Central Arkansas Library System also has all my books.
What is the most important thing in your life right now?
Right now I’m most interested in the Merrivale cozy mystery series. The first, The Devil in Merrivale, will be out soon and Zumaya Enigma has three more manuscripts to edit. Not to mention the other characters between my ears who are getting impatient to get in print. It’s true a writer has to write.
What are you currently working on?
Another cozy mystery and I need to update my blog too.
Do you have any advice for writers or readers?
Yes, write what you like to write. And when you shop for books don’t be afraid to try new authors you haven’t read. I find new ones every day that I enjoy.
Is there an author that inspired you to write?
Not unless you count Nancy Drew dog years ago – my favorite place was the public library.
What are some of your long term goals?
I want to write more cozy mysteries for my Merrivale series; there are a couple of other mysteries I have an idea for; and soon as I get caught up on my blog and some other things I’m going to get back to both reading and writing. I haven’t had much time lately. That’s a good new years’s resolution!
What do you feel has been your greatest achievement as an author?
Getting published and meeting other readers and writers. Sometimes I feel like ‘Alice in Cyber Space.’ LOL
What do you feel is your biggest strength?
Tenacity. I never give up on something I like and I’m going to keep writing as long as I can see the monitor. .
Biggest weakness?
I’m about an eyelash from computer illiterate and always threatening to send my computer to ‘electronic charm school.’
I’ll never forget the first time it told me I’d performed an illegal act and would be SHUT DOWN! I could picture me leaned back, foot on printer, with a glass of moonshine in my hand!
No wonder it took so long for Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote to get a computer. LOL.
What do you feel sets this book apart from others in the same genre?
It’s people feel ‘real’ and so (I hope) do their friends and families. I also hope after The Devil in Merrivale, you’ll be absolutely champing at the bit to come back to Merrivale for another visit in The Nelson Scandal where Cas and his match-making wife solve four murders, two of them more than a hundred years old.
You know the scenario – you’re stuck on an island. What book would you bring with you and why?
The Bible. No sin, no crime, no punishment goes without mention there.
If you could go back and change one day, what would it be?
I don’t want to go back. Don’t want to change anything which might have changed something else – how’s that for a novel idea?
Are you a different person now than you were 5 years ago? In what way/s?
Older of course. Missing my Darling Companion who went to Heavenly Choir Practice without me June 29, 2009. I’d have gone with him but I wasn’t invited.
What is the most important lesson you have learned from life so far?
Not to ask God questions. My Guardian Angel is still with me and I’ve got more books to write. I plan to write as long as I can see the monitor.
Is there anything you regret doing/not doing?
I guess that would be that I didn’t start writing sooner. I’m a ‘late bloomer.’ My first attempt was a reading script. Maybe if I’d started sooner I’d have time to find a agent and find someone to do a movie of it. I put it on Kindle, go look at it and a couple of others and make a comment if you want to. I’d love to hear from any readers or writers who read this.
What is your favorite past-time?
Reading; cooking; shopping with my daughter; meeting with The Penpoint Writers Group and related things. High on the list is hearing from other readers and writers.
Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
Yes! If you want to write-sit right down and wirte. Not even those scrolls in the Bible were first drafts-LOL. You can’t proof, rewrite, and compose until you have something to work with. So start now! I wish someone had told me that back in 1993. LOL.
About The Devil in Merrivale
Murder isn’t the usual order of business in the little town of Merrivale, Tennessee, so the brutal stabbing death of popular high school student Denise Davis sends a shock through the community. Sheriff Cas Larkin is determined to find the killer, and the last thing he needs is distractions like the increasing reports of missing cattle and other livestock.
But as he digs deeper, Cas uncovers another mystery–a strange “club” the members are afraid to talk about, and for good reason. One of the recruits is brutally beaten when he refuses to take the club’s activities seriously. He also refuses to talk about those activities–until they turn turn deadly.
There’s something dark and sinister going on in Merrivale, and if Cas can’t figure out what it is and put a stop to it, there’ll be the devil to pay.
The Devil in Merrivale Official Tour Schedule
Monday, Jan. 4
Interview & Book Giveaway at The Writer’s Life
Tuesday, Jan. 5
Guest blogging at Razlover’s Book Blog
Wednesday, Jan. 6
Interviewed at Examiner
Thursday, Jan. 7
Guest blogging at Thoughts in Progress
Friday, Jan. 8
Book reviewed by Readaholic
Monday, Jan. 11
Interviewed at Beyond the Books
Tuesday, Jan. 12
Interviewed at Paperback Writer
Wednesday, Jan. 13
Book reviewed at Jen’s Book Talk Rescheduled
Thursday, Jan. 14
Guest blogging at The Book Connection
Friday, Jan. 15
Interview l Chat l Book Giveaway at Pump Up Your Book
Monday, Jan. 18
Book reviewed at Rundpinne
Book spotlighted at The Hot Author Report
Guest blogging at Murder by 4
Tuesday, Jan. 19
Book reviewed at Reading at the Beach
Wednesday, Jan. 20
Book reviewed at The Wayfaring Writer
Thursday, Jan. 21
Interviewed at Personovelty
Friday, Jan. 22
Interviewed at Review From Here
Book reviewed at Peeking Between the Pages
Monday, Jan. 25
Book reviewed at The Cajun Book Lady
Interviewed at As the Pages Turn
Tuesday, Jan. 26
Guest blogging at The Cajun Book Lady
Book reviewed at Jen’s Bookshelf
Wednesday, Jan. 27
Book reviewed at Cafe of Dreams
Guest blogging at Chasing Heroes
Thursday, Jan. 28
Book reviewed at My Book Addiction and More
Book reviewed at Libby’s Library News
Friday, Jan. 29
Guest blogging and book giveaway at My Book Addiction and More
Guest blogging and book giveaway at A Book Blogger’s Diary
Writer and illustrator, Gina C. Browning, says some of the verses in her poetry book first came to her in her dreams as she was recovering from surgery years ago. 
The poems and illustrations in Moonbeam Dreams gradually evolved into “a keenly rhymed, fantastical romp through a fantasy land, with weird and wonderful characters for readers of any age to enjoy.” Her poetry truly is for the young at heart.
Browning thinks her dreams are fun and adventurous, as she always looks for the positive side to everything. Her book encourages children not to be afraid of the dark, and to believe in themselves and their abilities so that almost anything is possible. Browning says dreams can come true “either in daylight or night” if you believe in them strongly enough.
You can visit Gina online @ http://www.eloquentbooks.com/MoonbeamDreams.html
The Review
What can I say about this book except that I absolutely loved it! I am the mother of 2 little girls ages 4 and 6 and they want to read books all the time. That is fine with me, but to find a children’s book that I enjoy reading over and over again can be trying at times. This one sits on the top of the bookshelf in their room waiting to be read – they ask me to read it at least once a day.
To be honest, I am not sure which part is more captivating, the story or the illustrations. Both are extremely well done. The rhyming style the author writes in is wonderfully done and my youngest daughter has actually taken to walking around the house repeating phrases as she goes. While my older daughter enjoys the story as well, she has a true artists eye and loves looking at the illustrations and trying to draw something similar.
I highly recommend this book!
Moonbeam Dreams is an intricately rhyming bed-time story written and illustrated by Gina C. Browning. It takes the reader and listeners on a magical, Dr. Seuss-like romp to the Land of Beddie-byes, where they meet all sorts of wonderful and interesting creatures. There are butterflies with gems dripping from their wings, dragons riding in red wagons, Lycra-wearing newts skating on moonbeams, unicorns, a frog climbing a kite-string, extra large snails and cats with fish-tails, and many, many more fun creatures to meet. It’s a positive, up-lifting and fun story that encourages children that almost anything is possible if you can dream it and believe in it strongly enough. It also encourages children to not be afraid of the dark, and that they have the ability to take control of their dreams. It also encourages children to welcome the weird and wonderful things that they might see in their dreams.
It is a story with a vocabulary that a child can learn from and grow into. It is also entertaining and interesting for adults to read as well.
It contains some interesting rhyming mechanics, alliteration and 22 bright and colorful, entertaining illustrations.
“I once spied way up high a bright butterfly
looking lustrous from even that height.
It was covered in gems that dripped from the hems
of its wings- then they’d brightly ignite.
The ‘fly gave a quiver, then off with a shiver
flew all around, much like a sprite.
It flew down to my finger where there it did linger,
and then at last, did alight.”
Reviews
“Be swept away into a magical, lyrical fantasy land where all your dreams can come true…Moonbeam Dreams will captivate young readers and keep them turning the pages…” — The Kids Book Connection
Tags: gina browning, moonbeam dreams
About Chuck Franklin Emery III
Charles Franklin Emery III was born in Los Angeles, California in 1956. He joined the US Navy Submarine force in 1977 and spent the following six years on Fast Attack and Fleet Ballistic Missile submarines as a Sonar Technician and Sonar Supervisor. He forged a career in commercial Nuclear Power and is now a Consulting Engineer to various electric utilities. He is an avid fisherman and hunter, enjoys working on his 1964 Plymouth Savoy and collecting colonial American coins. Drag Racing is also a passion and his 1964 Plymouth Savoy Nostalgia Super Stocker provides the needed outlet. He now resides with a Boston Terrier horde and his wife Sherry in Port Saint Lucie, Florida.
Charles’s early influences are Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes mysteries). Sprinkle in a liberal dose of Sports Afield, Popular Hot Rodding and Saltwater Fisherman magazines and that about wraps it up.
Charles always had an interest in dogs, as his father and he were avid hunters and nature lovers. Charles spent a large amount of his youth hunting and fishing the Coachella Valley in the Southern California desert. There he chased quail, dove and rabbits and fished the Salton Sea for Corvina, Sargo and Croakers.
Charles developed a love for muscle cars. He grew up in the Los Angeles suburbs in Bellflower surrounded by the raucous exhaust tones of the high horsepower years that defined the muscle car era. He is passionate about Mopars and thus his present ownership and obsession with his 1964 Plymouth Savoy.
Charles is also a mentor to various nuclear industry entities and enjoys teaching the next generation electrical power theory and relay testing techniques and regimen.
Charles owns and operates his own publishing imprint, Bunkiedog Press. The website address for Bunkiedog Press is http://www.bunkiedog.com.
Bunkiedog Press has published “Dad, Dog and Fish” & “A Man and His Maniac: The Bunkie Story” and “A Man and His Maniac: The Bunkie Story” – Second Edition”. He is currently working on the memoirs “Moondoggie and the Boston Terrier Horde”, “Gearhead” and “Bubblehead”.
The Interview
Could you please tell us a little about your book?
I wrote A Man and His Maniac: The Bunkie Story – Second Edition to commemorate the best canine friend I’ve ever had, Bunkie, a yellow Labrador Retriever. I had him for 14+ years and shared many a laugh and tear with Bunkie. The book is my way of sharing him with others and is a small tribute so that he will be around long after I’m gone. He got me through some tough times and I owed him this.
Did something specific happen to prompt you to write this book?
The realization that once you’re gone, your memories, stories and relationships go with you. Some things need to be remembered and Bunkie is one of them. I also did the same for my Dad in my book Dad, Dog & Fish. Both Dad and Bunkie deserve remembrance.
Who or what is the inspiration behind this book?
Bunkie.
Who is your biggest supporter?
My Wife and the Boston Terrier Horde.
Your biggest critic?
I’m my biggest critic.
What cause are you most passionate about and why?
Dogs and Politics. Dogs, because they rule. Politics because this country is being run into the ground by a bunch of sniveling thieves. My dogs could do a better job, at least you’d know they were honest.
In the last year have you learned or improved on any skills?
Nope. I’m not much on practicing anything at my age. My bad habits are firmly in place and will remain there until I go to the Great Hunting Grounds in the sky (or the furnace below, we’ll flip a coin).
Do you have any rituals you follow when finishing a piece of work?
Nope. I just lean back in the chair and wonder why I ever started it to begin with. Then I realize that I must be a masochist.
Who has influenced you throughout your career as a writer?
I’m not presumptuous enough to consider it a career. If I ever make enough to support my family writing, then maybe I’ll start looking at it as a career. As far as my influential writers, I defer to Samuel Clemens.
What is the most important thing in your life right now?
My family.
What are you currently working on?
Moondoggie and the Boston Terrier Horde, Gearhead and Bubblehead are current projects due in 2010 sometime
Do you have any advice for writers or readers?
For writers, all I can say is to persevere and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it. Some folks have a perverse desire to see someone fail and will act on that desire. As for readers, take a chance on an unknown writer, you may be pleasantly surprised.
Is there an author that inspired you to write?
Nope.
What are some of your long term goals?
Catch a legal sized snook. Florida set a slot limit of 24-27 inches and it’s a bear to catch one in that slot. Seriously, I have no long term writing goals.
What do you feel has been your greatest achievement as an author?
Making people smile, laugh and cry with the Bunkie Story. If that happens, then I know that they get it and I’ve done my job.
What do you feel is your biggest strength?
Keeping my feet on the ground. I have a pretty good BS detector too.
Biggest weakness?
Laziness.
What do you feel sets this book apart from others in the same genre?
Multiple story lines going at the same time. Also, Bunkie rules. Who can compete with that?
You know the scenario – you’re stuck on an island. What book would you bring with you and why?
Life on the Mississippi. Great book and I can get survival pointers from it.
If you could go back and change one day, what would it be?
Last Saturday. This time I’d pick the right Powerball numbers.
Are you a different person now than you were 5 years ago? In what way/s?
No, I’m still the same old misanthrope. I might have gained in confidence, I scare myself sometimes.
What is the most important lesson you have learned from life so far?
Never take anything or anyone too seriously, especially yourself. Life is too short as it is, get a dog and enjoy what God gave you. Help folks when you can, you can’t take it with you. Make sure the folks you love know it.
Is there anything you regret doing/not doing?
I regret my first marriage. We just weren’t suited for each other and should have waited long enough for that to become known. On the other hand, two good kids resulted from it, so maybe there was a plan. I’ll defer to the Big Guy on that. As far as not doing, well that’s a long list and all are equally important. Life isn’t done yet, so maybe I’ll get around to it. That should shake up my enemies some.
What is your favorite past-time?
Fishing, hunting, working on my car and coin collecting.
Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
Nope, just do the best you can with what you’ve got and you’ll be OK. Thanks for having me.
About A Man and His Maniac: The Bunkie Story
A Man and His Maniac: The Bunkie Story – Second Edition, is a heartfelt memoir about Bunkie, the yellow Labrador Retriever Wonder dog. The memoir contains highlights of a 14 year chronological voyage through Bunkie’s and the authors life.
It won’t take you 14 years to read it; but it’s got 14 years worth of love, laughs and tears buried within. The memoir is primarily a humor piece but has some serious components as well and deals with the positive aspects of pet ownership as well as the grief associated with losing a loved pet and family member.
Read the Excerpt!
”The dust billowed up and away as the truck made its way along the back roads behind Lake Perris. It was summertime in the Inland Empire and it was hot. A dry searing heat that radiated from the windshield into the truck’s air-conditioned cab. The truck rolled to a stop; Master and dog looked at each other. Silent communication followed and it was agreed that it was just too hot to walk around out in the brush today. So they slept.”
It was summertime and hotter than hell in the Inland Empire.
I had a 1984 Ford Ranger and Bunkie liked riding in that truck bed almost as much as he loved to hunt. Bunkie was a friend to all he met, except for ground squirrels. He hated those critters, but man did he love chasing them.
I decided to do some trap shooting on the outskirts of Sunnymead, so I loaded Bunkie up and away we went.
I’m barreling down a dirt road outside Lake Perris with Bunkie and a trap thrower in the back. I must have been doing 20 MPH or so when I feel the truck lurch.
I look back over my shoulder and see Bunkie launching out the bed of the truck after a ground squirrel.
Oh crap.
That dog had always had terrible timing. He managed to jump out of the truck at the exact same time we were passing some huge boulders; the same kind of desert boulders that you see in any of the old westerns filmed in the 30’s & 40’s. Think Gene Autry, Roy Rogers or Hopalong Cassidy westerns.
If you’ve ever seen a Coyote & Roadrunner cartoon, you can envision what happens next.
Tags: a man and his maniac, author interview, bunkie, charles franklin emery, pet memoir, pump up your book
Hi everyone,
I have decided that it is time to branch out with Review From Here and open my site to reviewers. I am looking for anyone that is interested in posting some book reviews on this site. I will also be offering some books for you to choose from, but if that doesn’t interest you I would ask that you review a book of your choice.
If you think you might be interested, just drop me an email at reviewfromhere(at)aol(dot)com and let’s talk. Thanks so much, hope to hear from you soon!
This is one of my favorite things to participate in. To find out more head over to The Printed Page.
Here are the books I received this week:
Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life-and one of her coworkers checks out….
Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn’t such a bright idea. (from Goodreads)
Since a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever can see auras, hear people’s thoughts, and know a person’s life story by touch. Going out of her way to shield herself from human contact to suppress her abilities has branded her as a freak at her new high school—but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste…
Ever sees Damen and feels an instant recognition. He is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy, and he holds many secrets. Damen is able to make things appear and disappear, he always seems to know what she’s thinking—and he’s the only one who can silence the noise and the random energy in her head. She doesn’t know who he really is—or what he is. Damen equal parts light and darkness, and he belongs to an enchanted new world where no one ever dies. (from Goodreads)
On the surface, Lena Spencer appears to have it all. She and her wealthy husband Randall have two wonderful children, and they live a life of luxury. In reality, however, Lena finds that happiness is elusive. Randall is emotionally distant, her son has developed a drug habit, and her daughter is disgusted by her mother’s “overbearing behavior.” When Randall decides that he’s had enough of marriage counseling, he offers his wife an ultimatum: “Be grateful for all I’ve done for you or leave.” Lena, realizing that money can’t solve her problems and that her husband is no longer the man she married, decides to choose the latter. Drawing strength from Tina Turner’s life story, SEARCHING FOR TINA TURNER is Lena’s struggle to find herself after 25 years of being a wife and mother. (Hachette Book Group Blog Tour)
At forty-one, Vivian Armstrong Gray’s life as an investigative journalist is crumbling. Humiliated after taking a bullet in her backside during an exposé, Vivi learns that she’s pregnant, jobless, and very hormonal. This explains why she says ‘yes’ to a dreadful job covering suburban living back home in Georgia, a column she must write incognito.
Down South, it’s her sister’s ballroom dance studio that becomes her undercover spot where she learns about the local life-and where unexpected friendships develop. As she digs up her long buried roots, she starts to wonder if life inside the picket fence is really so bad after all. (Joan Schulhafer Publishing)
After struggling for years to make it as an actress, Harper finally gets her big break—but will she have to sacrifice the love of her life to take it?
After struggling for years to make it as an actress, Harper finally gets her big break—but will she have to sacrifice the love of her life to take it?
At thirty, Harper fears her chances for a thriving acting career and finding true love are both fading fast. When she’s handed an unexpected role on Broadway—understudy to New York’s biggest diva––everything changes. She longs for love in the City, but when it doesn’t happen, she reluctantly signs up to an online matchmaking site. Frustration mounts when the only men Harper is interested in are on the West coast, thousands of miles away. Harper feels like an actress who doesn’t act, and a woman in love with someone she’s never met, but God’s about to change all that. (The B & B Media Group)
FBI Special agent Brad Raines is facing his toughest case yet. A Denver serial killer has killed four beautiful young women, leaving a bridal veil at each crime scene, and he’s picking up his pace. Unable to crack the case, Raines appeals for help from a most unusual source: residents of the Center for Wellness and Intelligence, a private psychiatric institution for mentally ill individuals whose are extraordinarily gifted.
It’s there that he meets Paradise, a young woman who witnessed her father murder her family and barely escaped his hand. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, Paradise may also have an extrasensory gift: the ability to experience the final moments of a person’s life when she touches the dead body.
In a desperate attempt to find the killer, Raines enlists Paradise’s help. In an effort to win her trust, he befriends this strange young woman and begins to see in her qualities that most ’sane people’ sorely lack. Gradually, he starts to question whether sanity resides outside the hospital walls…or inside.
As the Bride Collector picks up the pace-and volume-of his gruesome crucifixions, the case becomes even more personal to Raines when his friend and colleague, a beautiful young forensic psychologist, becomes the Bride Collector’s next target.
The FBI believes that the killer plans to murder seven women. Can Paradise help before it’s too late? (Hachette Book Group Blog Tour)
Tags: alyson noel, charlaine harris, chris coppernoli, dead until dark, evermore, jacqueline luckett, magnolia wednesdays, mailbox monday, screen play, searching for tina turner, ted dekker, the bride collector, wendy wax
About the Book
Mina Hamilton’s parents want her dead. (Or undead to be precise.) They’re vampires, and like it or not, Mina must decide whether to become a vampire herself. But Mina’s more interested in hanging out with best friend Serena and trying to catch the eye of the too-hot-for-high-school Nathan Able than in the vampire training classes she’s being forced to take. How’s a girl supposed to find the perfect prom date and pass third-year French when her mom and dad are breathing down her neck–literally?
The Review
Mina Hamilton has a good life. A best friend who she can share her secrets and dreams with…even if she is in a Goth stage right now, and loving parents who would do anything for her. Well, anything except be human. They’re vampires and have been since Mina was a baby, and now that the Vampire Council has found out that they have a human child it is time for her to decide – stay human or become a vampire. What a choice to make when you are only 16.
But, she agrees to at least go to the vampire classes and be sponsored by Uncle Mortie – this is a huge sacrifice already, in her mind. But even though she is creeped out by the teacher of the classes – Vampire Council member Ms. Riley, Aubrey makes it all worthwhile. He’s gorgeous and he seems totally interested in getting to know her better. And she also make a new friend in George, a boy that belongs to her high school and who she comes to see as a true friend…or maybe a little bit more. And there’s always Nathan, a boy she has had a crush on forever and who now seems to be showing an interest in her…or is he?
I really got a kick out of this book and thought it was easy to read and very clever. I loved the pros and cons lists that Mina makes throughout the book and how each chapter starts with a “myth” about vampires and how she feels about it. She is a character that I am hoping I will see again .
Tags: kimberly pauley, sucks to be me, vampire, young adult
Coffee with chicory. This is something that I have heard about for many years but had never had the chance to try. Being from Wisconsin, it’s just not something that you get around here. So, when I contacted Community Coffee to see if it would be possible to try some of their coffee I was thrilled when they agreed to let me.
For those of you that don’t know the story behind coffee with chicory, here it is:
Due to a coffee shortage during the Civil War, New Orleanians began extending their coffee supply by adding chicory, the root of the endive plant, roasted and ground. The result was a bittersweet, heavy-bodied brew. Coffee and chicory remains a New Orleans favorite today.
This really is some of the best coffee that I have tasted. And, at $5.49 a pound is extremely reasonable.
We also received a 4 pack sampler (I apologize for the picture). It included Bread Pudding, Holiday Jazz, and Pecan Praline. These were all delicious as well, but in my opinion they just can’t compare to the Coffee with Chicory, lol. Can you tell I really like that?
Included in our package was also a pound of the Cafe Special. Another delicious coffee, not too strong and appealing to most coffee drinkers, at least I would think so.
I HIGHLY recommend purchasing your coffee from Community Coffee – low prices, excellent service, and superb coffee are the recipe for a truly delicious experience!
For more information you can also visit:
FB – www.facebook.com/communitycoffeecompany
Twitter – @communitycoffee
Tags: coffee, coffee and chicory, community coffee, new orleans coffee, Product Review
About Gina Browning
Writer and illustrator, Gina C. Browning, says some of the verses in her poetry book first came to her in her dreams as she was recovering from surgery years ago.
The poems and illustrations in Moonbeam Dreams gradually evolved into “a keenly rhymed, fantastical romp through a fantasy land, with weird and wonderful characters for readers of any age to enjoy.” Her poetry truly is for the young at heart.
Browning thinks her dreams are fun and adventurous, as she always looks for the positive side to everything. Her book encourages children not to be afraid of the dark, and to believe in themselves and their abilities so that almost anything is possible. Browning says dreams can come true “either in daylight or night” if you believe in them strongly enough.
You can visit Gina online @ http://www.eloquentbooks.com/MoonbeamDreams.html
My Australian Heart
I was unimpressed with any talk of moving, until the day my husband came home and asked how I felt about moving to Australia. I said, “Pack your bags! Let’s go!” I’d always dreamt of going there, and moving there was even better.
We’d been married for not quite 6 years, and we’d just gotten our newly adopted son, when my husband left on May 12, 1989. Ryan and I stayed in the States for another 3 months while I took care of business, and spent time with family and friends before heading for the cobalt skies over central Australia.
Since Ryan was only 16 months old by this time, I decided I wanted to do the trip in ‘steps’, so I arranged to stop in Hawaii before continuing on. The first day in Hawaii, the company secretary called to inform me that there had just been a pilot strike in Australia and they wouldn’t be able to fly us to Alice Springs, but they could get us there via the trains…from Sydney, to Melbourne, to Adelaide, to Alice. Oh, and did I mention that it was just me, with a 16 month old baby plus 10 other bags/items to carry? Count with me: stroller, portable cot, toy bag, diaper bag, my purse, my carry-on, and 4 checked bags. (This was before the advent of limited carry-on’s, thank goodness.)
The train journey was memorable, to say the least. In Melbourne, we had to change trains which departed from different platforms; up some stairs, down a ways, around the corner, and then down some stairs again… So little old me, all by myself, had to take half of our things, plus the baby in the stroller, to the next platform, leave them behind while I went to get the rest of the things; all of this with hundreds of people streaming in all directions, going to their respective destinations. What a nervous wreck I was! But it all worked out, thank goodness!
The scenes from the train window were wonderful. Alternating with stands of gum trees scattered on rolling, green pastoral hills sprinkled with sheep or cows, there were residences and towns, houses too close to the tracks … (I wouldn’t want to live there…) and after we headed north from Adelaide, it became a whole bunch of wide open “nothingness”. All total, the train trip took 3 days, and we saw a lot of Australia, all at once!
Alice Springs is a very small, friendly, and somewhat transient town, with a population of about 25,000 and 5 minutes outside of town, you’re in the ‘Outback’. The gorges, gaps, and chasms of the rust-red weathered desert mountains and rocky out-croppings have forever left their impression on my soul. The colors of the desert, contrasting with the deep blue skies, and the green scrub and gum-trees makes my mouth water! This is the absolute heart of Australia and it has made its way absolutely into my heart of hearts.
We have now lived here, (and loved it) for a total of 13 years, combined, (from 3 different moves). Our lives have been forever changed and we are better people for having had these wonderful experiences.
About Moonbeam Dreams
Moonbeam Dreams is an intricately rhyming bed-time story written and illustrated by Gina C. Browning. It takes the reader and listeners on a magical, Dr. Seuss-like romp to the Land of Beddie-byes, where they meet all sorts of wonderful and interesting creatures. There are butterflies with gems dripping from their wings, dragons riding in red wagons, Lycra-wearing newts skating on moonbeams, unicorns, a frog climbing a kite-string, extra large snails and cats with fish-tails, and many, many more fun creatures to meet. It’s a positive, up-lifting and fun story that encourages children that almost anything is possible if you can dream it and believe in it strongly enough. It also encourages children to not be afraid of the dark, and that they have the ability to take control of their dreams. It also encourages children to welcome the weird and wonderful things that they might see in their dreams.
It is a story with a vocabulary that a child can learn from and grow into. It is also entertaining and interesting for adults to read as well.
It contains some interesting rhyming mechanics, alliteration and 22 bright and colorful, entertaining illustrations.
Book Excerpt
“I once spied way up high a bright butterfly
looking lustrous from even that height.
It was covered in gems that dripped from the hems
of its wings- then they’d brightly ignite.
The ‘fly gave a quiver, then off with a shiver
flew all around, much like a sprite.
It flew down to my finger where there it did linger,
and then at last, did alight.”
Read what reviewers are saying about Moonbeam Dreams!
“Be swept away into a magical, lyrical fantasy land where all your dreams can come true…Moonbeam Dreams will captivate young readers and keep them turning the pages…” -The Children’s and Teens’ Book Connection
“Moonbeam Dreams is such a positive and wonderful book for children and people of all ages…It is sure to bring continuous smiles for years to come!” – Café of Dreams
“If your child likes to dream and take fantasy journeys then this would be an excellent book for them to get their hands on.” – 4 the Love of Books
Tags: gina browning, moonbeam dreams
Barbora Knobova is a writer, relationship coach and expert in Delicious Life. A world traveler, she is one of those rare world citizens who live everywhere and nowhere. Barbora is a firm believer in female friendship, loyalty and bonding. She writes hilarious, sharp-witted, caustically apt, ironic, moving, true books for strong, independent, smart, fearless women. Barbora has also written several self-improvement books and teaches women about the importance of self-love in relationships and life in general. Barbora speaks eight languages and has found her home away from home in New York, London and Milan. She is always on the move, accompanied by her beagle Brinkley, the nasty dog from Tales for Delicious Girls. You can visit her website at www.barboraknobova.com.
The Interview
Could you please tell us a little about your book?
Tales for Delicious Girls is a humorous, ironic book about men and women and about female friendship. It deals with dating and relationship mishaps and funny situations that actually happened, no matter how incredible it may seem. Its main purpose is to entertain but when you read it you realize the book also shows women that the relationship they have with themselves is much more important than their relationship with men and other people who surround them. It helps them love themselves more, appreciate and respect themselves.
Did something specific happen to prompt you to write this book?
I’m a relationship coach and I work only with women. Every day I see that no matter how strong we are, how educated we are, how great our career is, sometimes we just get lost in the complicated web of relationships. I wrote Tales for Delicious Girls because I would like every woman to see herself as the pillar of her own life, her best friend. I would like every woman to truly love herself. I hope that my book makes women laugh and also helps them deal with any personal and relationship issues they may have.
Who or what is the inspiration behind this book?
It’s simple: All the wonderful women I know, love and respect.
Who is your biggest supporter?
Definitely my mum. She’s my biggest fan. She has always supported me in all my endeavors.
Your biggest critic?
Definitely my mum. I appreciate her criticism because she’s right (most of the time). But she can be pretty harsh.
What cause are you most passionate about and why?
I actively support women in need, that’s the cause I’m really passionate about. I sponsor three little girls in India and I hope that thanks to my support they grow up to be educated, self-sufficient, independent women. I also support Women for Women International, an organization that helps women survivors of war. And as a member of Amnesty International I support SWAW – Stop Violence Against Women. In a few days I’m launching Delicious Path, an incredible personal development website for women that will support and encourage women to find and develop their inner strength and empower themselves. I’m a woman and I always look for new ways to work with and for women, to provide them with advice, help and guidance in various ways.
In the last year have you learned or improved on any skills?
Yes! I enjoy learning new skills, I’m a very restless person and I would hate to feel that I’m stagnating. I’ve become a better writer. I’m also learning the craft of copywriting which I find very exciting and interesting. I’ve taken up yoga. I’ve learned about new meditation techniques. I’ve learned to create and maintain my own websites (very useful!). I’ve become a better coach thanks to a series of amazing courses and workshops that I’ve attended. I’m more balanced, I know myself better. I’ve learned a lot about effective goal setting thanks to Jack Canfield and his seminars. I’m learning exciting new things about internet marketing thanks to Kathleen Gage and her VIP program. I’ve learned so much about book marketing from Dorothy Thompson, Kelly Wallace and Nikki Leigh. I’ve taken up Greek, my 9th language. I could go on and on. How much time do we have for this interview? 
Do you have any rituals you follow when finishing a piece of work?
Maybe not rituals, I prefer to call it a system. Last year I realized that if I wanted my work and my life to be really effective, I needed a system, a plan, and stick to it. I have weekly and monthly schedules and at the end of the day I plan the following day. Once you get into it and develop your own time-management system, you earn so much time and time is the most precious commodity. I’ve never had so much free time! I’ve learned to put my time above everything, to plan, prioritize and outsource. It’s invaluable and it’s changing my life every day.
Who has influenced you throughout your career as a writer?
My grandfather who was a writer and my parents. I was born into a family of book lovers. I learned to read and write at the age of four and I’ve been in love with books and writing ever since.
What is the most important thing in your life right now?
At this very moment it’s DeliciousPath.com, the personal development website that I’ve mentioned before. I love working on it and I want to make sure that it’s a place where women can gather and get valuable help, advice and guidance.
What are you currently working on?
I have just finished a new book, Delicious Girl’s Guide to Self-Love, which is on the way to Amazon.com, other online retailers and bookstores. It’s a guide to self-love and happiness that teaches women about the importance of self-love and helps them start loving themselves in only three weeks. In a way it picks up where Tales for Delicious Girls left off. It’s a complete step-by-step system, easy to use and understand. It helps women find themselves, respect and appreciate themselves and accept themselves. I’m finishing another book of tales, this time about life enjoyment and little pleasures that we all should learn to indulge in. I’m preparing two new self-development books for women. I’m a busy girl and I’m loving it!
Do you have any advice for writers or readers?
Love yourself and accept yourself the way you are. You are the only person you can always trust and rely on so treat yourself as such!
Is there an author that inspired you to write?
Yes, Marina Mayoral, a Spanish writer. I read her book Recóndita Harmonía a couple of years ago, it’s a novel about female friendship. It’s funny, moving, inspiring, and it really shows how powerful we women are and how incredibly strong our bond can be. She inspired me to write about women and for women.
What do you feel sets this book apart from others in the same genre?
Tales for Delicious Girls is a unique book. It’s somewhere between fiction and non-fiction, it’s entertaining, based on real-life stories and so much fun to read, but it’s also a self-improvement book that helps women discover their relationship patterns and deal with them. The concept of the book is exceptional.
What is the most important lesson you have learned from life so far?
The way we live, think and behave today influences our tomorrow. Our present is a reflection of our past actions and beliefs. If you want to change your life, change what you’re doing and thinking right now. There’s no destiny and nothing that happens to us is circumstantial. We create our own life and it depends only on us. I’ve learned to take 100% responsibility for my life. Today I know that happiness is a choice. Things don’t just happen, it’s us who make them happen.
Is there anything you regret doing/not doing?
It’s another thing that I’ve learned. I never regret anything. I’ve forbidden myself to use the words “should have” and “shouldn’t have”. Everything that happens, good or bad, is simply an experience and a chance to learn and grow. There are no mistakes and obstacles, just challenges. And challenges are good because they help you become a better person.
What’s in a word? Anything you want there to be! D for daring, E for enchanting,
L for loving, I for inspiring, C for captivating, I for intriguing, O for outgoing, U for unique, S for sophisticated: DELICIOUS.
Twenty-five exhilarating real-life stories about delicious women, eccentric men and stubborn dogs.
This book is meant to entertain you. It will make you laugh until there are tears in your eyes. It will become your faithful companion, and will help you find yourself. It was written for you because you’re delicious – the most delicious girl in the world.
Tales for Delicious Girls offers witty, refreshing, clever and ironic insight into relationships between men and women from all points of view. The book is a modern relationship manual, providing answers to the most pressing dating and friendship questions that strong, independent, modern women want to know. “Tales for Delicious Girls” deals with wishes, desires and dreams – as well as hilarious mishaps and dating disasters.
However, Tales for Delicious Girls is not simply a humorous book. In addition to entertaining the readers, the tales will inspire women to think about their own life and relationships, see themselves through different eyes and realize that they are their own best friend, the pillar of their own life, and the only person they can always count on. “Tales for Delicious Girls” encourages women to love, respect and appreciate themselves, to live the life they have always wanted, and become aware of their true uniqueness and deliciousness.
Tales for Delicious Girls contains over fifty beautiful, original illustrations by Nela Vadlejchova.
(supposing I withhold a few unimportant details that I prefer not to admit even to myself).
However, some women have tough luck with the word “almost”, as it seems to avoid them. It keeps jumping back, hiding and reappearing. And from the heights of its own elusiveness, it laughs at them and mocks them. In the upshot, many of us end up with an empty bank account, with an empty apartment, with empty hands and hitting rock bottom. At the best, with bruises on our soul. At the worst, with bruises even on the soul’s outer wrapping.
Nevertheless, this chameleon syndrome implying “I will be what you want me to be” probably affects only women. If you know a man who, because of “the love of his life”, gives up his job, his family, his fat cat whose hairs you are allergic to, and his disgusting high school sneakers that are “as good as new”, introduce him to me. Introduce him to me and I will have him submitted to a thorough psychological examination as an absurd natural phenomenon.
A man is simply an inadaptable creature. A man goes to bed when he is sick, even if a windstorm takes away the roof above his head and his boss threatens to fire him. A man eats what he likes, in the pub that he has adored since college parties. A man does not pretend that his biggest dream is to spend the evening with you and your bitter high school friend “whom you can’t stand
anyway, you told me that last Wednesday”. He does not walk your beagle if he hates dogs. And he does not join you on a guided tour in Madrid if he is all but enthusiastic about the gems of architecture. And a man does not care if you like it or not, if you fume with rage, cry or get mad and stop talking to him. He does not care what the others think of his decisions, choices and wacky opinions. He couldn’t care less, and actually, he wouldn’t even think of worrying about it because it’s a loss of time and especially of energy that needs to be saved for much more meaningful and much more entertaining stuff.
And that’s the point. Why do women trim their sails while men remain in their comfort zone? Why do we push ourselves to the limit, live on our nerves, give up our soul, our personality, the little things we love? Why do we pretend, fake, lie blatantly to ourselves and on top of that manage to become convinced that it’s making us happy? Why do we rigorously get rid of everything that makes us unique? What for?
Let’s try to put an end to it once and for all. Let’s try to love ourselves unconditionally; let’s protect ourselves and everything that belongs to us. Let’s not conform to the needs, ideas or demands of relationships in which we cannot be ourselves and in which we don’t even recognize ourselves anymore. Because men, lovers, admirers and potential (sometimes even real) fathers of our children come and go; some stay for awhile, some stay a little bit longer and some might stay forever, but that’s something we never know in advance. The only thing that stays forever is us. So don’t ever give up on yourself, because you are your own most precious possession.
“I have five daughters and want them all to read this book. I want them to remember that you are your own best friend, and when the rest of the world seems against you, when love has given you the dirty end of the stick, you should be able to look in the mirror, hold your head up, and smile right back. Why? Because every female is a Delicious Girl = D for daring, E for enchanting, L for loving, I for inspiring, C for captivating, I for intriguing, O for outgoing, U for unique, S for sophisticated: DELICIOUS!”
–Kelly Wallace
“The most important lesson that the female reader learns from this book is set out in the first chapter; this being that you are fantastic the way you are and shouldn’t change for anyone, and that you should love yourself. If you manage to form this relationship with yourself then the likelihood is that the right man will come into your life. You can’t change people, so why should you change yourself for them, whether it is your hair, what you enjoy doing or more serious parts of you that make you so very special.”
–Sarah Pierce
“This book is delish! sweet and adorable. I felt as though I could conquer the world after I finished it. It was such a nice twist over the usual self-help books that are always telling me (us) that we need to improve, develop and grow.”
–Bookshipper
