Meet Aggie - Red's Newest Friend

Okay, I promised that Red and I would bring some of her new friends from the sequel, Red is an Attitude, to the Veranda and here’s the first one, Agatha Gamboni! We love her. She’s from Chicago, was badly used by her big lug of a husband, Henry and befriended by Red on the cruise to Mexico, on which she arrived by an unusual means.

Red:  (rushing forward) Aggie! So glad to see you again. You look great! (She's an older woman, is dressed in a very stylish purple flowered sundress and bright sandals, with a filmy shawl draped over her shoulders)

Aggie: (smiling widely) Red! Boy, have I missed you! Where’s Joe?

Kathy: Well, up until now, Joe hasn’t joined us on the Veranda. In fact, you’re the first fictional guest.

Aggie: (frowning suddenly) Fictional? Don’t tell me you discriminate based on living versus fictional! Lordy, I wouldn’t have thought it of you.

Red: No, no, calm down, Aggie. Kathy’s very open-minded about the fictional. If anything, she favors the fictional. Why, she even invited Stephanie Plum, but she hasn't been able to make it yet.

Aggie: Oh, I see. Well, I guess she did create me, so I should give her a break anyway, huh?

Kathy: (chuckling) I see your mojo has fully returned! Is Henry treating you right now?

Aggie: Of course. He knows full well I’m not about to take any of his guff again. How are the folks back at The Springs?

Kathy: Everyone still talks about you Aggie! Especially Blake (Agatha blushes slightly) But otherwise, everyone's fine.

Red: Can I get you a Bloody Mary, Aggie?

Aggie: Sure! What are those? (pointing to a plate of bacon wrapped broiled water chestnuts)

Kathy: Our favorite appetizers! Red said she was sure you’d like them. Here you go. (Passing the plate)

Aggie carefully picked up one of the toothpick speared treats and popped it into her mouth. Her face softened and she moaned a little as the flavor overcame her.  Then she let out a loud laugh of pleasure. 

Red: (happily watching, hands Aggie her Bloody Mary) You like?

Aggie: I like! (sipping her drink) And this too! You make incredible Bloody Marys!

Kathy & Red:  (in unison) It’s our specialty!

Aggie stayed for a couple of hours, chatting and reminiscing about the cruise. Her parting words were:

Aggie: Nice place you got here!

Next up - a bimbo we call "Barbie"!

What? You Forgot to Verandize Them?

As many of you know, Red and I have our frequent talks out on the Veranda. What is the Veranda? Well, it’s an imaginary place – I’m sure you have one like it – where the world floats by as we sip our Bloody Marys and solve the world’s problems. As I said in an old post – “Party-time is at the beach house on the patio with the natural rock edge – instant seating for all of our guests. Reflective conversations are held on the deck overlooking the pond and woods.”

So, “verandizing”! No it’s not a reading of your rights before arresting you – but almost as important! Red and I tease each other about not having invited someone to the Veranda yet.

Well, Red just returned from her cruise to Mexico – via Red is an Attitude – and the first thing out of her mouth was a complaint that I had forgotten to invite the people she met on the cruise to the Veranda!

She’s right – what better place to introduce you to her shipmates than right here on the Veranda – so next week be prepared to meet the whole bunch of them. We’ll serve munchies and Bloody Marys, margaritas and non-alcoholic punch for those of you who would rather watch us make fools of ourselves than partake.

This one will be down at the beach house and the party will probably last several days. So, be prepared to party hardy with our guest at the Verandizing Hoe-Down.

See you there!

PS – don’t need to bring a thing – just yourself.

Just Cruising Along

I’m here to tell you that the best vacation I’ve ever had was aboard a cruise ship. It wasn’t long enough. I took my daughter on one of the Royal Caribbean jaunts to Ensenada about eight years ago and I’ve been craving it ever since. That’s probably why Red ended up going on a cruise in her latest adventure.

Here are the top ten reasons I love cruising:

1. You can eat as much as you want! I’m not a big fan of buffets so this seems like a contradiction. However, what I really loved was the idea that I could have two appetizers and two desserts if I wanted. I only did the double-ups once – two appetizers – but it was the idea that I didn’t have to be confined to what’s “normal.”

2. Naps between activities are so accessible! The simple fact that you can go from swimming in the pool or a land excursion to a nap before dinner by simply walking back to your cabin – heaven.

3. You can have a few drinks without worry! I’m really not much of a drinker, but I have frequently wanted just one more and knew it wasn’t a good idea because I was driving home. Viola! Onboard ship you just have to worry about going overboard – literally.

4. Ramon! Well, I realize that all cabin stewards are not named Ramon and may not even be a handsome man. But mine was! He was flirtatious, solicitous and had pretty teeth. Plus he made us those cute towel animals.

5. Meeting new people – I really love meeting people that I may never see again. You can really relax that way and be yourself in a whole other way than you do in business or personal relationships at home.

6. Your only responsibility is getting yourself on the ship! If you want to simply stay in the cabin for four days, so be it. They’ll bring you your food. Whatever you choose to do from the vast array of activities is solely up to you.

7. The food is fantastic! Really. At least it was on our ship and my daughter was a chef-in-training at the time and very picky. She still talks about the escargot and tiramisu. I’m more of a stuffed mushrooms and crème brulee kinda gal myself.

8. Being on the ocean. Looking out the dining room windows and seeing the shore slip away as you head out to sea. Wow!

9. Walks on the decks at night. Our ship was nearly deserted on the decks by around midnight, so a stroll in the cool night air was a real treat.

10. Being waited on every minute of the day. Oh, my goodness, does anything make you feel more queenly (or kingly) than that?

I just found myself craving a cruise really, really bad. Writers, be careful what you write about!

Please add to the list! I’m sure you’ve had your own shipboard adventures.

I’m Alive, Alive…

Okay, I’ve commandeered this blog! I’m so happy to have been continued! You guessed it - this is Red!

Kathy is tied up and squirming in her canvas lounge chair. Don’t worry, I’ll untie her and give her a nice Bloody Mary as soon as I’ve posted this. Oh, she overheard that and has calmed down. You can almost always gain her cooperation with a nice Bloody Mary – you know, the kind with two big fat olives in them.

Anyway… not only have my adventures continued with the publishing of the sequel (FINALLY) but her head is filling up with ideas for the next one, which she promises me will only take a few months this time. Do you know how hard it is for a character to remain in suspended animation for a whole year? Lordy, if it hadn’t been for this blog, I would have lost my mind.

Even though I knew where I was going in this book, it doesn’t really take place until the book is published, so right after I post this, I’m leaving on the cruise. My packing’s all done, and soon I’ll pop back into the novel and be on my way.

Wish me a good time! I’ll be back in time for next weekend’s post.

Kathy’s getting a little restless again, so I’ll just publish this and set her up with a Bloody Mary and her Kindle. She’ll be just fine. Really.

Bye for now!

Celebrate with Red and Me

Well, it’s been just over a year since I published my first novel, Red Mojo Mama. Regular readers will recognize that the heroine of that book, Lydia “Red” Talbot, is my co-poster here on the Musings.

After much nagging from Red, I’ve finally finished the sequel, which she’s ecstatic about. It was Red that suggested we do something special to celebrate the continuation of her life. So, we’re offering the kindle version of Red Mojo Mama free on Amazon from April 9 through April 13.

If you haven’t read RMM, we’re hoping you’ll love Red and her adventures so much, you’ll come back to see how she makes out on a cruise ship in Red is an Attitude, which will go live on Amazon on April 12th.

Oh, by the way, we’re giving away 3 paperback copies of Red Mojo Mama on Goodreads. Click through on the button above to sign up.

To our loyal blog readers, thank you so much. We started this blog in July 2011 and we’ve had so much fun doing it. We’re lifting our Bloody Marys in your honor. Cheers!