Indoor Dining and Other Joyous Occasions by Connie Vines

We have all been social distancing, staying home, and donning masks for the past year to prevent infection. Depending on the size of your "social bubble" (usually, immediate family members), you are able to interact with others. The vaccine availability seems to have lessened stress levels of many, and for that, I am grateful. 

However, here in southern California, we have been "closed" for almost and entire year. 

Historic Downtown Upland

Even outdoor dining was only a very recent and not very frequent option.

Being an Introvert by nature, and a writer with two dogs for company, life hasn't been intolerable for me. However, the days and weeks seem to blend into one another. 

And, while my dogs were able to visit the groomer--I was not.

I am not very good at do-it-your-self hair cuts. Still, I am ambidexterous, so my nails are presentable. (Not a good trade-off, but it is what it is.)

When we were given the okay for indoor dining, I realized I have not sat inside a restaurant since Jan. 2020. 

Wow.

My favorite restaurant (Souplantation) is shuttered for good.

This gave me a chance to re-define 2021 with a tentative baby-step.  Nothing profound, mind you, but a step back into normalcy.

I do love coffee but I also enjoy a cup of Earl Grey tea every afternoon, I realized, pondering a place to dine.

I visited my hairstylist.

I was able to make a reservation at a 'newly relocated'  English Tea Room.

The Magnolia Tea Room is only 6 miles from my home. It's also located in the Downtown Historical District in Upland, California. 

I thought I'd share my joyous occasion and '1st 2021 Adventure' with you :-).

The Outdoor Garden

The Afternoon Tea setting

The scone was delicious (I didn't snap a picture)

The Ladies' Room

 

Terry, "Me" and Michael (notice my lovely hairdo)
 All vegetables and fruit are harvested from one of their two local farms.
Farm to Table is their motto.
I brought home a jar of  'honey with a touch of lavender', too!

After I click the 'publish' button for this post, I'm back at my keyboard with a pup in my lap and a cup of hot tea within reach. 

Happy Reading! (remember to mention a favorite tea in any comment you leave for me.)

Next Release

https://bookswelove.net/vines-connie/

WARRIOR WOMEN Part 1 - THE ANCIENT WORLD - by Vijaya Schartz

Find most of my BWL titles HERE

Ahhotep : Military Leader and Egyptian Pharaoh

  

Ahhotep’s burial equipment included a dagger and an inscribed ceremonial axe blade made of copper, gold, electrum and wood. The decorations were characteristically Minoan. Also found were three golden flies, badges of bravery awarded to people who served in the army.

Fu Hao: China’s First Female General:

One of the earliest records of female warriors in China comes from oracle bones found in a tomb. The bones told the forgotten story of a ruthless military general of the Shang Dynasty in 1200 BC. The warrior was Fu Hao, queen consort of King Wu Ding, high priestess, and military leader. She defended the Shang dynasty in several battles. 

At the time of her death, she was the first female Chinese soldier to be buried with the highest military honors.

Artemisia I Of Caria: Commander of Ancient Halicarnassus

According to Herodotus, Artemisia of Halicarnassus was a Greek queen in the 5th century BC, long before Alexander the Great. Artemisia wielded power during a time when Greek women couldn’t vote in Athens, the home of original democracy. She is described as a femme fatale, pirate queen, and played a role in the events of the 300 Spartans described in the movies. During the Greco-Persian wars, she fought for the Persians at Salamis and contributed her warships to the Persian Navy.

Zenobia, warrior queen of the Roman colony of Palmyra, in present-day Syria, from 267 or 268 to 272.

She was described as a conqueror. In 269-270, Zenobia and her general, Zabdeas, conquered Egypt, ruled by the Romans. When the Roman prefect of Egypt objected to Zenobia's takeover, Zenobia had him beheaded. Then she sent a declaration to the citizens of Alexandria, calling it "my ancestral city," claiming her Egyptian ancestry. Zenobia personally led her army as a "warrior queen." She conquered more territory, including Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine, creating an empire independent of Rome. After winning and ruling these Roman provinces, she was subjugated by Emperor Aurelian. She died in captivity sometime after 274.

The Amazons:

The Amazons were not the stuff of legends.

Long believed to be purely imaginary, the Amazons were the warrior women described as the archenemies of the ancient Greeks. Recently, the remains of 300 warrior women were found in more than 1,000 excavations of Scythian kurgans (burial mounds), from Ukraine to Central Asia. This spectacular discovery gives credit to the myth of the amazon warriors.

They were reported in the Greek writings of Herodotus as women the Greeks encountered on their expeditions around the Black Sea. They rode horses, hunted, fought, used bows and arrows, just like men. They were fierce, nomadic, and refused to remain sedentary. They lived without men, whom they only frequented for procreation. They kept the baby girls but when the boys reached the age of five, they returned them to their fathers.

Other writings relate similar stories of Amazons by travelers from ancient Persia, Egypt, and as far as China.

Warrior women of Ancient Japan:

For thousands of years, certain upper-class Japanese women have learned martial skills and participated in battles right alongside the male warriors. They were skilled with sword, spear, and bow.

These include the legendary Empress Jingu, (169-269 A.D.) She ruled as a regent following her husband’s death in 200 AD. After seeking revenge on the people who murdered her husband, she invaded the Korean peninsula, the ancestral land of her mother, who was a descendant of a legendary Korean prince.

Empress Jingū became the first woman to be featured on a Japanese banknote however, since no actual images of this legendary figure are known to exist, the representation of Jingū was artistically contrived from the photograph of a 19th Century Japanese woman.

I write about all kinds of warrior women in my novels. But if you like ancient warrior women, you may want to check out these, available in eBook and paperback on my links below.

  

Vijaya Schartz, author
Strong Heroines, Brave Heroes, cats
http://www.vijayaschartz.com
amazon - B&N - Smashwords - Kobo - FB

Are diamonds really a girl’s best friend? Tricia McGill

 

Find all my books here on my BWL author page

Not this girl’s that is for sure. I have never understood the weird fascination some members of the human race possess for shiny objects brought up from beneath the earth’s crust. Personally, the only so called precious substance I have or have ever possessed is my wedding band made of gold, and a small pendant with an opal drop purchased for me by my husband in Broome where all the best pearls come from. I think pearls are ugly to be truthful—and feel sorry for the poor old oysters forced to grow them.

As for diamonds, the ugly truth of diamond mining is the horrendous tally of folk who died over the years while working in the mines. Two of my most treasured pieces of jewellery are a dainty marquisette watch and a ring given to me by my mother and a sister on my 21^st birthday a long time ago. The watch gave up working years ago as it is one of those wind up versions, but is still tucked away amongst my other pieces of memorabilia. Marquisette is practically useless these days but these pieces are more precious to me than all your diamonds or gold.

Right, don’t get me started on gold! I watched a program on gold being processed here in Australia. A small brick of it could not be picked up by a woman and was valued at some amazingly high amount. Similar to the diamond mining, so many gold crazed men—and women—died in their quest for this shiny substance. It is just a piece of shiny rock when all is said and done.

On our voyage from England to Australia years ago, we took an unforgettable side trip to Egypt, visiting Giza and the Cairo museum containing all of the artefacts from Tutankhamen’s tomb. So much gold, it is mind-boggling. The boy’s burial chamber contained his gold throne along with his mummy and his funerary mask, plus three golden coffins (said to contain 110 kilograms of pure gold). In the Valley of Kings, it is fact that 62 tombs had already been ransacked by the time they were discovered by archaeologists. It is difficult to imagine the amount of gold that must have been taken—and just where did it end up? Ancient Egyptians called gold ‘The flesh of the gods’ and thought it possessed special powers, so presumably that was why they hoarded it in such great quantities. A British Egyptologist has

found new evidence that Tutankhamen’s death mask was in fact made for his stepmother Queen Nefertiti. Using ground-penetrating radar to scan around Tutankhamun’s tomb archaeologist Mamdouh Eldamaty has reported that her tomb may be in a space behind his burial chamber.

Back to that Australian gold mania. Edward Hargraves first found payable goldfields near Bathurst NSW in 1851. News spread like wildfire not only around Australia but around the world and by 1852, 370,000 gold seekers arrived here.  So began a series of gold rushes, which transformed the colonies here as it did elsewhere in the world. Most people have heard of The Welcome Stranger, considered by authorities on the subject to be the largest gold nugget ever found. John Deason and Richard Oates found it at a place called Moliagul here in my home state of Victoria in 1869. The nugget weighed in at 2,520 troy ounces (over 78 Kgs) and had to be broken up so that it could be weighed. Then it was worth about 10,000 pounds and in today’s market would be worth about 4 million dollars. I wonder where all those pieces ended up.

I wear rings and earrings of course I do, but none of them are worth more than a few hundred dollars, if that, but mean a lot to me as they were given to me by special people in my life and are treasured. Fact is I would be scared to walk around with expensive objects on my person. My husband bought me a really nice ring with a topaz stone in Singapore and sad to say I lost it while on holiday at Broken Hill years ago—so it seems I am not to be trusted with expensive stuff anyway, and so avoid it.

Find excerpts from my books here on my web page

 

 

Lovely Lobelias by A.M.Westerling

 

(Haha yes, I once again have succumbed to my love of alliteration for the title of this blog post!)  

Lobelia is one of our favorite summer annuals for its delicate flowers and tendency to spill over the edge of the containers, particularly hanging pots. The other thing we love about it is its vibrant blue color, especially the Crystal Palace variety. Blue flowers are rare in garden flowers, making up less than 10% of the plant world. As an aside, other blue flowers include blue hydrangea, blue sea holly, blue daisy and Siberian larkspur. However, Lobelia also comes in shades from white through pinks and purples. Sometimes the flowers will have a white dot in the middle. 

 

They are a group of flowering plants that are native to North America. There are more than 400 species that include upright and mounding lobelias, annuals, half-hardy annuals, perennials, and even shrubs and aquatic plants. Considered an annual herb, Lobelia likes full sun but will tolerate part shade. It prefers rich, moist soil.

 

My experience has been that the plants last longer in cool, wet weather. We live in a dry climate so during hot spells, I make sure to water the containers frequently. They don’t always last the entire summer, but we enjoy them while they do. I fertilize every couple of weeks with a 20 20 20 mix. They don’t need deadheading as they are self cleaning. Although I’ve never tried this, apparently you can cut them back by as much as one-half to two-thirds which will spur new growth. If you like bushier plats, you can also pinch them back. 

When filling mixed pots, I always go by the rule of a thriller, a filler and a spiller. I find Lobelia works nicely as both a filler and a spiller. These plants also work as hummingbird havens, in borders, as ground covers, along creeks or ponds and containers, especially hanging baskets. As you can see by the pictures, we really do enjoy the vibrant blues!

I was interested to discover that Lobelia has some health properties and has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries. It’s also called Indian tobacco because Native Americans once smoked the plant to treat asthma and muscular disorders. It’s also known as pukeweed as it was once prescribed by doctors to induce vomiting although high doses can be fatal. Lobeline, its main ingredient may protect against depression, improve memory and concentration and help treat drug addiction. It can treat symptoms such as coughing, chest tightness and wheezing because the lobeline may relax the airways, clear mucus from the lungs and stimulate breathing. Lobelia may also help with ADHD. However, human research is limited. For more info on the health benefits, check out this website: Lobelia: Benefits, Dosage, and Side Effects (healthline.com) For research, I used the following websites: 

Lobelia – How to Plant, Grow and Care for Lobelia Plants | Garden Design

Growing Lobelia: Tips For Care Of Lobelia (gardeningknowhow.com)

*****

You can find my books on the BWL Publishing website HERE.  Perhaps some of the miners in Barkerville were treated with Lobelia! Find Barkerville Beginnings HERE.

March Featured Author - Janet Lane Walters

Janet Lane-Walters has been writing and having her books published since the days of the typewriter. She has more than 40 novels and dozens of novellas plus four non-fiction books published. Janet lives in the scenic Hudson River valley.  She is the mother of four and the grandmother of five with two children expected to arrive soon from China. Janet writes in a number of genres - Romance from sweet to sensual and from contemporary to fantasy and paranormal. She has published cozy mysteries and medical suspense. She also has a number of YA fantasies published.

For more information about Janet's books including blurbs, reviews and purchase links, please visit her blog: http://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com

BWL PUBLISHING FREE NOVEL DOWNLOAD

Janet Lane Walters is the author of this month's free download.  Visit our website at https://bookswelove.net and click the book cover of Murder and Mint Tea to download your free copy of this first book in Janet's Mrs. Miller Mysteries series. 

 Katherine is a retired nurse and a retired church organist. The small Hudson River village where she lives in her Victorian “Painted Lady” makes her the neighborhood matriarch. Along with her Maine Coon Cat Robespierre, she guards friends and families.

When amoral Rachel moves into the first floor apartment of Katherine’s house, trouble erupts. The murder weapon is one she recognizes and makes her fear for her friends and family. Finding the killer becomes her goal.

Editorial Review
Murder and Mint Tea is a gem in its genre, combining the voice of a classic American whodunit with that of a traditional British detective novel. Murder She Wrote meets Miss Marple in a beautifully crafted tale that makes the reader want to reach into the pages and dispense justice to the villainess themselves. ~ Writer Gail Roughton

 

Here are just a few of Janet's many series published by BWL Publishing Inc.

https://bookswelove.net/walters-janet-lane/ 

 

 

Interview With A Cover Model by Victoria Chatham

Click this link to purchase Victoria's books

https://books2read.com/Hester-Dymock

At the beginning of a writer’s career, three things are made abundantly clear. First, of course, you need a great story. Next, an engaging opening line or lines with an intriguing hook. But perhaps, most of all, a great cover to attract a reader in the first place. The story comes alive in the author’s imagination. The opening hook may be honed to perfection with the help of critique partners and beta readers. And the cover? For historical authors look no further than Period Images.

As they promise on their website: ‘From custom-made attires, to hair, make-up, and set design, each shoot is fully staffed with designers, professional stylists, models and actors, to depict scenes and capture the essence of the era.’ 

The image for my book Hester Dymock comes from them and is beautifully enhanced by Books WeLove’s artistic director, Michelle Lee. What more could an author ask for? Well, a few things actually and one of Period Images models agreed to satisfy my curiosity. Please welcome Mike Foster to my blog this month. 

Michael Wayne Foster

VC. When and why did you start modeling?

MF. I started my actual modeling career in 2014 but had done fitness shoots previously.

VC. How did you become a cover model for romance novels specifically and were you ever a fan of Fabio?

MF. Fabio! I was a fan of his commercials for sure! I became a romance model because I have a sense of humor and don’t take myself too seriously. I take my work very seriously, just not myself. That served me well when I saw an ad for a modeling shoot that asked for a picture. It was for tall guys with long hair. I knew that most (if not all) of the models were going to send in the ‘duck lips’ and pouty face look, so I did the opposite. I sent a recent photo of a commercial I did for Virgin America Airlines where I was dressed up like a pro-wrestler and I was ‘hulking out.’ It kind of made me chuckle, and thankfully it made VJ and the group at PI chuckle as well. They said I had a sense of humor and asked me to come to a day shoot. That got my foot in the door and here we are talking about it seven years later.

VC. How much time do you have to spend in the gym to keep your trim look?

MF. I always do morning cardio for about an hour and then alternate between weights and yoga/Pilates for an hour later in the day.

VC. How much grooming/make-up is required for a shoot and do you use body oil with an open-shirt or shirtless photo?

MC. Because of my long hair, it tends to take a good hour to get the hair and make-up completed before a shoot.  Yes, they apply coconut oil on the exposed body parts, and I try not to break too much of a sweat and ruin my make-up when I am lifting light weights to pump up right before I go on.

VC. When you are getting ready for a shoot, do you do your own hair and make-up, or do you have stylists and make-up professionals?

MF. I have a team of amazing hair and make-up artists work on me before I shoot, courtesy of PI.

VC. What does your working day look like and what would define a perfect working day for you?

MF. Every day on set is a perfect working day for me.  I can’t think of a time I had a bad day at work.  But the perfect day?  Being in top shape for the shoot and then going to a Korean BBQ after the shoot with no care’s given.

VC. Were you ever asked to wear a costume or outfit that you refused to put on?

MF. Never.  Now, there may have been a few that didn’t fit, but that’s another story.

VC. Have you ever really disliked a book cover on which you appear, or are you not involved once the shoot is over?

MF. Once the shoot is over, I am not involved at all.  Hell, sometimes I don’t even realize new covers are released unless an author tags me.  It kind of bums me out because I know there are so many covers out there that I do not know about and I would love to help promote them but can’t because I’m unaware.

VC. When you are not working, what are your favourite sports or hobbies?

MF. Skiing is my favorite thing to do.  I am terrified of heights, so I decided to try skiing and overcome that fear.  I not only overcame, but I got hooked on the sport.  Plus, it’s like getting a workout inside of a Bob Ross painting.  It’s always so beautiful in the happy little mountains.  I am a foodie and love cooking and trying new recipes (especially on the grill).  Traveling is also something I enjoy, and I started a YOUTUBE channel based on exploring our American culture and I call it America’s Pit Stops.  I go by the moniker the AmericanSIZEDTravelGuide.

VC. Is being a model a full-time career for you? If not, what other career interests do you have?

MF. I am a full-time actor that also models.  Acting is the reason I am in LA and modeling is a “happy little accident.”  See what I did there?  (If not, see above.)

Next, I asked Mike some fun questions.

 VC. What have you always wanted? Did you ever get it?

MF. I wanted to be a teacher like my dad as well as actor as long as I can remember.  I wanted to do action and WWII movies.  I taught high school English for nine years and I have achieved so much in my acting career that I can’t help but to be proud of accomplishing what I had always dreamed about as a kid.  With the upcoming WWII movie, Wolf Hound, coming out soon; mission accomplished.

VC. What is the best or most memorable compliment you ever received?

MF. My freshman year of college I just started lifting weights.  I was a fat kid my whole life, so I always got the OPPOSITE of compliments.  I was hanging out with a girl watching TV and as I sat on the floor and had my arms behind me, she felt my triceps and said, “Wow, you have really nice arms!”  Needless to say, I didn’t miss a workout ever again.  I’m not a victim or going to cry about being bullied or teased because of my weight.  It made me the man I am today (sympathetic to the bullied) but I sure liked hearing a compliment much more than “Fat Foster.”

VC. What holidays do you most like to celebrate?

MF. HALLOWEEN.  Everything else is a distant second place.  It might stem back to my childhood because my birthday is November 2^nd, so Halloween was always a good time of the year for me.  Plus, I love scaring the bloody hell out of people.

VC. Are you a glass half full or half empty kind of person? Or is the glass just malformed?

MF. I don’t deal in glass or stemware.  I deal in lemons.  When I have a basket full of lemons; I make lemonade.

VC. Which of the four seasons do you like/dislike the most and why?

MF. I LOVE the fall.  It probably is because my favorite “holiday” is smack dab in the middle of the fall.  The leaves changing colors, the cool temperatures and apple fritters and cider all are part of why I love the fall so much!

VC. If you were marooned on a desert island and could only have four things, what would they be?

MF. I feel like I am on Naked and Afraid with three bonus items.  Probably a knife, a pot to boil water, a gun and a cannabis plant. (for medicine, clothing, oil/fuel, food, rope and many other uses.)

VC. What is your idea of perfect happiness?

MF. Being with my family and close friends, a bonfire and light beer.

VC. What is your greatest extravagance?

MF. I’m not a big spender of stuff.  My motto on my IMDB page is “I’ve never seen a hearse with a luggage rack.”  I drive a Chevy, wear my old clothes and shop at the Grocery Outlet.   I would do all of this even if I was a billionaire.  I suppose I spend the most money on 80’s themed T-shirts.

VC. Which do you prefer and why – the city or the country?

MF. COUNTRY ALL THE WAY!! (but I like the cuisine in cities).

VC. You are offered a free vacation, one a beach destination, the other a sight-seeing tour, which would you choose and why?

MF. A week in the Italian Alps or the Chilean Andes skiing would work just fine as sightseeing.  I have always loved the beaches of Alabama and Florida’s panhandle.

And now for some straight(ish)speed questions. Yes/No answers, qualify with a few words if you wish.

Annoyed a photographer by goofing around?  Gee…I’m not sure.  I’d like to hope not.  I always do what’s asked of me, so I think that’s a NO.

Called in sick to work when you weren’t sick? YEP (yeah students, Mr. Foster played hookie to go to a concert.)

Won a contest? Yes.

Locked yourself out of your house? Frequently.

Gone paragliding? No.

Taken an enormous risk? Yes.

Prefer cats or dogs? Dogs.

Surprised a friend or family member with a gift when it wasn’t their birthday or Christmas? Yes.

Been to Peru? No.

Worn odd socks? Frequently.

So now we all know a little more about Mike, I'd like to thank him again for taking part in my Q & A and also Period Images for the photographs. And here is my latest cover which I love, featuring Period Images model, Rachel. Thanks to Books We Love's artistic director Michelle Lee for once again working her magic.