THE TRUTH ABOUT THE TRIANGLE: Guest Blogger Marilyn Baron

Hi Everyone! Please welcome back my special friend Marilyn Baron who has a new book debuting with the WILD ROSE PRESS this August and a lot of cool information about the Bermuda Triangle. I hope you enjoy her blog post today as I share the Veranda with her. 

Author Marilyn Baron

The Truth About The Triangle

By Marilyn Baron

People can’t seem to stop talking about The Bermuda Triangle, but not many people are aware of the other things Bermuda has to talk about. I’ve spent many wonderful vacations in Bermuda, which is why I chose Bermuda for the setting of my new novel, Under the Moon Gate and the prequel Destiny: A Bermuda Love Story.  The place is almost a central character in the book. So, courtesy of the Bermuda Department of Tourism, I thought you might find these little known facts about Bermuda interesting.

1. Bermuda is NOT in The Bahamas. Contrary to popular belief, Bermuda is not in The Bahamas. It’s located 650 miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras, N.C. and is less than a three-hour flight from Atlanta. It stretches for 21 miles along turquoise waters and is surrounded by a 200-square-mile coral reef plateau.
2. Pink sand beaches. Bermuda’s signature pink sand comes from a combination of crushed coral, calcium carbonate, and foraminifera. There’s a picture on my Web site.    
3. Bermuda is the oldest British colony.
4. Visitors cannot rent cars in Bermuda. Tourists can rent motor scooters, but if you’re not careful you’ll get a bad case of road rash. 
5. Bermuda does have its own currency, but Bermuda dollars are only usable on your Bermuda vacation, so it’s a non-exportable currency. Bermuda dollars are pegged to the U.S. dollar at a 1:1 exchange rate.
6. If golf is your game…Bermuda is home to more golf courses per square mile than anywhere in the world.
7. Love-Love. Thank you Bermuda for introducing tennis to America. 
8. Bermuda has a rich literary heritage. Bermuda has attracted and inspired Mark Twain, Noel Coward, James Thurber, Eugene O’Neill and John Lennon. Before publishing The Secret Garden in 1911, Frances Hodgson Burnett stayed at the Princess Hotel, giving rise to the rumor that the secret garden was located somewhere in Bermuda. William Shakespeare’s The Tempest was inspired by a shipwreck that occurred near St. George in 1609, the year before he wrote the play. That shipwreck was also the inspiration for my book Destiny: A Bermuda Love Story, which will be released in September. Michael Douglas, one of my favorite actors, and his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, have a home in Bermuda. In fact, he is a shareholder and board member of Ariel Sands, a resort on Bermuda’s South Shore, whose property has been in his mother’s family since the 1840s.
9. Bermuda Shorts. Bermuda shorts, made of Irish Linen, are an acceptable part of the everyday wardrobe in Bermuda and are worn by most businessmen. 
10. Bermuda remains the world’s number one wreck diving destination.

Moon Gate Pendant

Best buys in Bermuda include Bermuda cedar, Bermuda Longtail Jewelry, Bermuda Moon Gate Jewelry and Bermuda Rum Cakes.

If you haven’t been there already, I hope you get a chance to go one day. But reading my book is the next best thing to being there.

Here’s a blurb about Under the Moon Gate, a romantic thriller set in contemporary and WW II Bermuda, now out in e-book form from The Wild Rose Press at AMAZON. The book will be available in print format August 9.

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.

Now the prequel to Under the Moon Gate, Destiny: A Bermuda Love Story, a historical, was just released on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Destiny-Bermuda-Love-Story-ebook/dp/B00D0RABAY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369666497&sr=8-1&keywords=Destiny%3A+A+Bermuda+Love+Story 

Here's the blurb: 

Destiny: A Bermuda Love Story

Prequel to UNDER THE MOON GATE

The relationship of star-crossed lovers Elizabeth Sutton and Edward Morgan founders off the coast of Bermuda with the shipwreck of the Sea Venture in the seventeenth century. Edward is seduced by the captain’s daughter and trapped into an unhappy marriage, but he and his new wife continue the voyage to Virginia to rescue the starving Jamestown Colony.

Elizabeth, still in England and pregnant with Edward’s child, receives Edward’s letters telling of the shipwreck but knows nothing of his marriage. When her child is old enough, Elizabeth follows Edward as far as Bermuda. Will he return and will the lovers be reunited, or will their eternally entwined souls search forever to fulfill their destiny?

If you want to read more about my other books and stories, please visit my new Web site at http://www.marilynbaron.com/.

Break Out the Bubbly & the Dark Chocolate: Celebrating Jerrie Alexander's Debut Novel THE GREEN-EYED DOLL

Debut Novelist Jerrie Alexander

Hi Everyone! It's getting close to the holiday season and I'm celebrating the gift of an other friend selling her first novel. Please join me in giving Jerrie Alexander a big welcome to the Veranda cheer as we celebrate her debut novel THE GREEN-EYED DOLL. *Pop*Pour*Sip* 

Christine, thank you having me over. I appreciate the opportunity to meet your friends. 

And I am so glad you joined me today. Tell me, are you a plotter or do you follow the muse?

Maybe I'm what you'd call a planner. I do tons of research, create each individual's back story, a character profile, lay out their internal and external conflicts, and go as far as finding pictures for the main players. I even give the book a working title. Then I let the characters and the muse take over.

Your process sounds a lot like mine. How do you relax after a writing day after you plan all those great books?

I love to bake and I try to read a little at night. We occasionally play poker with friends. These are real high dollar games, where we could lose twenty dollars!

Oh, I had better guard my quarters when I get to your house to play poker! What do you read? What are your favorite genres? Who are your favorite authors?

If it's well written, I'm a fan of most genres. If I had to choose, romantic suspense is my favorite. Christy Reese and Cindy Gerard write great stories. I'll sneak in a historical romance, especially one from Elizabeth Hoyt or Jade Lee.  

Christy Reese is a dear friend and fellow Southern Magic Romance Writing chapter member. Love her books. And I adore Cindy Gerard's as well. Historical Romances are a great way to read about sensual tension. What is your current project?

I'm in the rewrites stage of His to Lose. It's the second installment in The Lost and Found, Inc series. A large portion is set in the jungle in Colombia, which required tons of reading and research. Then I'll start on the dreaded synopsis.

Ah, the dreaded synopsis. I am total accord with the adjective "dreaded." Any new releases?

My debut romantic suspense The Green-Eyed Doll released December 7th. To be honest, I didn't have a big kick off that day. December 7th is the day we remember all the lives lost at Pearl Harbor, I asked Goddess Fish to set up a blog hop and to start it on the 10th.

Here is a blurb from the book:

Catherine McCoy is running from her past. She's been on the move for a year, hiding the secret and guilt in her heart. When she lands in small-town Texas and meets Sheriff Matt Ballard, he ignites a flame she thought lost forever.

Matt has scars of his own. He left the big city after an undercover operation went bad and his partner was killed. Now, as Matt hunts for a serial killer who paints his victims like porcelain dolls, Catherine becomes a safe haven for him. Two tortured souls finding comfort in each other's arms—until he uncovers her secret, and their bond of trust is broken.

When Catherine disappears, Matt races to find her, fearing the murderer has found his next green-eyed doll. But the killer has a surprise coming. Catherine will fight to the death before she'll be a victim. But will her determination be enough?

Intrigued? Here's an excerpt....

His anguish, more than she’d planned for, hit her hard. His dedication and concern, traits she admired, shook her conviction that no man could be trusted. His tenderness, something she’d never had, touched a long-neglected place in her soul.

In that small space of time, where no one else in the world existed, Catherine’s heart found hope. Tears, she’d promised herself never to shed again, slid unchecked down her cheeks. But these tears weren’t because of her pain or grief. She cried because Matt suffered and grieved for the missing woman. She slid her arms around him, stroking his tense muscles.

“Hey, yourself.” He leaned back and studied her face. The warmth behind his eyes returned as he wiped away her tears with the pads of his thumbs. “Were those for me?”

She nodded and emotions swirled in her head. Catherine struggled to regain her perspective. “I have to remove no more tears from the Never list.”

“Why would you hold yourself to such a never?”

“The only thing crying gets you are red eyes.”

“Okay, tough guy. Maybe someday you’ll trust me enough to explain. Why’d you break a rule for me?”

       “Stop, Catherine. I’m nobody’s hero. I failed miserably in that department.”

“The worry for Annie Travers in your eyes broke my heart. I’ve never known anyone with your compassion and dedication.”

“Careful.” The corners of his mouth lifted. “You’ll be calling me John Wayne again.”

  “Same soul.” She pushed a lock of black hair off his face. He caught her wrist in his hand.

I am so glad to be part of the BLOG HOP and to help bring out the word about your new book THE GREEN-EYED DOLL. Where do you get your ideas for your stories?

A riveting cover!

That question would bring laughter from my critique partners, friends and family. I envious of authors who have tons of stories rolling around in their head, dying to be told. When I finish a book, I'm absolutely positive I'll never have another original idea. I'll fret, complain, and agonize. I dig through research published by FBI profilers. Read case studies and do the 'what if' method. Then something clicks, and I'm working again.

Wonderful way to find a new story! I think we all fret about finding a story. Then we fret about writing it and selling it. Speaking of selling, how long were you trying to get published before you got the “call?”

Almost five years. I thought my genre was contemporary romance. Three books later, I figured out my heart belonged to romantic suspense.  

So often we have to try different genres before we find a match. Was the “call” an actual phone conversation or an email or a snail mail?

I received an email. Actually, I received two offers on the same day. How wild is that?

Fantastic!! That is super wild. What encouragement can you give writers who face rejection?

Everybody has dealt with some form of rejection, and it stinks. I agree that you have to develop a tough skin, but give yourself a minute to grieve and move on. You cannot please everyone. And remember Margaret Mitchell's Gone With The Wind was rejected 38 times.

I'll hang onto that advice the next time I get a big R letter in the in-box. What is the most surprising thing you discovered after you received the call?

That marketing is incredibly difficult. Reaching out to potential readers is a challenge. It's not my nature to draw attention to myself, and I take comfort in hearing most writers tend to be introverts.

http://www.JerrieAlexander.com

http://www.twitter.com/jerriealexander

http://www.facebook.com/jerriealexanderauthor

http://www.goodreads.com/jerriealexander.com

Here are the buy links for The Green-Eyed Doll. I'm sending the full link and the Google shortened link.

 

http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=191&products_id=5067 OR

 http://goo.gl/WJSpb

and

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=jerrie+alexander+

http://goo.gl/XIu6q

My book video is up on Youtube...use if you want. Just thought I'd include the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhhR7fDgCNE&feature=youtu.be

A student of  creative writing in her youth, Jerrie set aside her passion when life presented her with a John Wayne husband, and two wonderful children.  A career in logistics offered her the opportunity to travel to many beautiful locations in America, and she revisits them in her romantic suspense novels. 

But the characters went with her, talked to her, and insisted she share their dark, sexy stories with others.  She writes alpha males and kick-ass women who weave their way through death and fear to emerge stronger because of, and on occasion in spite of, their love for each other.  She likes to torture people, make them suffer, and if they’re strong enough, they live happily ever after.

Jerrie lives in Texas, loves sunshine, children’s laughter, sugar (human and granulated), and researching for her heroes and heroines.