Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Longmont Library Writers Group.

 
 
 
 
Last night I spent a wonderful evening speaking at the Longmont Library Writers Group.
 
 

 


  The room was filled with positive energy, and I felt very honored to share some of my writing adventures with such a diversely talented group of people. 


 The genres represented ran the gambit, including journaling, memoirs, Urban Fantasy, poetry, short stories, music, graphic novels, inspirational, straight historical, flash fiction, and one new to me called autobiographical fiction.   


The follow up questions were well thought out, and kept me on my toes. But everyone made me feel very welcome.


 
 


      I sold several books, which is always appreciated, and I truly hope those who made purchases really enjoy my efforts. I also hope the information I imparted was helpful and inspiring.

                                                 www.ginirifkin.com
Photo's by Kathy Brown, sister extraordinaire.





Friday, January 9, 2015

McCarty Fickel House in review 2014

 
 
Hard to believe another year has gone by.
Maybe it went so quickly because we were having so much fun! 
Here a few highlights of events at the
McCarty/Fickel house 2014 
  
 
Our January Fannie Palmer luncheon kicked off the year in style. And with Christmas decorations still in place from 2013,
 the festive mood continued. 
  
 
The next thing we knew,
 it was February and love was in the air.
 
I was kindly invited to speak about the history of Romance, 
and had my spicy historical romance novels available for those in need of a romance fix.
 
 
 
St. Patrick's day arrived with barely a skiff of snow on the ground. To be sure, we had the luck of the Irish that day.


April brought thoughts of bunnies.....


                               ...and baskets of colorful eggs.
                    A joyous occasion with the sun shining bright.


Those April showers brought May flowers. And more delicious food.





                                                           
June arrived bringing guests of various sizes.....
                      ...and an even greater bounty of beautiful flowers.
                                                                              

On the 4th of July we honored "Old Glory".


And the wonderful Red Hat Ladies joined in the celebration.

 


 In between luncheons, we had two house tours. We just love it when people come to visit. Don't be shy, come on in!

Virginia, Gini, Janice, Sandy, & Meda

****
Then it was September and time for the Annual Gala,
 and silent auction


The lovely Sandy, dressed in black lace, chats with Dorothy Almquist our guest of honor as they enjoy a moment beside the beautiful garden.




There were many interesting items donated for the auction, here we see the historic painting of Berthoud by local artist Michael Georges. 



               The serving wenches were ready with a joke and a smile
                   as they served wine and beer and good cheer.


And there was great toe tapping music to enjoy
as we ate a resplendent meal.

 
 Then as the light faded the fun began
with the live auction portion of the night.

****

 We also hosted two Victorian Teas.
One of our favorite activities.
 

 

This year's Springtime Victorian Tea included a teapot judging contest with prizes awarded to the top three winners.
 
 
In October we enjoyed a fall season ablaze with color. 
     
 
Books and apples for teacher awaited on the table as memories of back to school, wool skirts and knee socks came to mind.
 
 
         November included another delightful Victorian Tea.
Christina Hildebrandt
   We were so excited when a little angel and her harp dropped by making the occasion magical indeed.
****
 

Then before we knew it Christmas Time was here. 
 Another open house was in full swing.     

 
 
John, usually our behind the scenes hero,
is front and center today,
 greeting and guiding our guests.
 
****
 
 
Our final Fannie Palmer Luncheon of 2014 saw us hosting a packed house, filled with true joy and the Christmas spirit.
 
The Lovely Ladies of Sweet Adeline were on our guest list, and they graciously treated us to several songs. What a delightful way to end the year.
 
                                     
 
         We hope to see you walk through the door in 2015
 
"Three little maids from school are we"...
                               We'll be waiting for you.......




















































 
 
 




Monday, January 5, 2015

TCRW Romancing the 8 January 8, 2015

 
  
Happy New Year.
Welcome to the TCRW blog tour for January 8, 2015.
Here are 8 paragraphs from my historical western
                    "SPECIAL DELIVERY".


   Virgil Kincaid was a prime cut of man. Over six feet tall, he made her five-foot-seven height seem less gawky and awkward. And he was built for action, long and lean with broad shoulders—shoulders she hankered to hold onto. And with narrow hips—hips she could easily envision pressed up against her own.
  And then there were his eyes. Gray as the sky in winter, full of secrets—revealing nothing. Virgil had been the town marshal for nearly three years, yet no one knew where he’d come from, or how long he intended to stay. What would it take to light a fire in those eyes and put settling down in his thoughts?
 Her gaze drifted lower and latched onto the front of his trousers. A picture of what he might look like naked skittered across her mind, and her cheeks grew hot at the imagining.
  “You done lookin’?”
   Her gaze snapped up to meet his, the heat of humiliation replacing the lustful warmth. “Yes,” she babbled, “there doesn’t seem to be anything of interest here.”
“Really?” he challenged, with a cocky grin and a raised brow. He stepped closer and stood so near she could smell the man scent of him as she tried to ratchet her breathing down to a more normal rate.
“You’re a very unusual woman, Miss McAllister.”
 “Is that good or bad?” Mariah dared to ask.
                                     __________________

A murder and a mysterious letter sets Clover City on it's ear. Will the Marshal get his man? More importantly will Mariah get hers.  
            Pick up a copy of Special Delivery and find out.

Rated Spicey, with 5 Stars from Still Moments Magazine
 
Check out these other great authors for more
 Romancing the 8 sneak peeks.
 

Darlene Fredette