Hola From Mexico

 

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In November my husband Will and I took our first holiday outside of Canada in 2 1/2 years. We flew to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on the Pacific coast, and spent our first week in Bucerias, a town on Banderas Bay north of PV and popular with Canadian snowbirds. 

Will and I have visited Bucerias before, but hadn't stayed overnight. We rented an Airbnb apartment that was a steep climb up a hill from the main street and beach. Our reward for this exercise several times a day was a glorious view from our deck of the town and ocean. 

This part of Mexico has relatively low reported COVID-19 cases, but low vaccine rates compared to Canada. We found the health protocols were pretty good. Large stores, restaurants, and crowded outdoor areas like markets had temperature-taking machines and hand sanitizer at the entrances. Mask recommendations were everywhere and observed to varying degrees. Our mostly outdoor lifestyle made us comfortable. Every day was sunny with highs around 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). Great for the beach and pool, but hot walking up that hill mid-day.

A highlight of the week was a leisurely breakfast at Karen's, a beachfront restaurant, with my writer/editor friend Marie, who moved from Calgary to Bucerias eleven years ago. I met Marie through the Puerto Vallarta Writers Group, which I joined after my first trip to the area. The group emails were a warm reminder of my sunny times in Puerto Vallarta. Shortly after I joined, the group decided to publish a short story collection and invited members to submit their writing. I was thrilled when my story, Freezer Breakdown, was accepted and appeared in the collection, which Marie co-edited. The following year the group published Coast Lines 2 and another short story I wrote made the cut. Unfortunately, the Puerto Vallarta Writers Group folded shortly afterward, but Marie and I kept in touch.

Our second week, Will and I moved south down the bay to Nuevo Vallarta, where we rented a beachfront condominium with his sister. Our first full day we took a taxi to Sayulita, a surfing/hippie town up the coast. It was Sunday and Sayulita was packed with Mexican families along with the out-of-country tourists. It was fun to watch the surfing action on the beach.   

 

In Nuevo, we rented bicycles for two days to explore our local area. We wound up exploring more than we liked when we got lost trying to find Ernesto's, an out of the way restaurant we've enjoyed in the past. It turned out to be closed. Hot, hungry and thirsty, we biked back to a traditional Mexican restaurant we'd spotted on the way, and added a new restaurant to our favourites list. 

 

Refreshed by our fajitas, enchiladas and and drinks, we pedaled 'home' and cooled off at the beach, and later with an evening swim in the pool. 

This time of year, sea turtles hatch from nests all along the beach. On a morning walk, we watched the babies crawl over the sand to the ocean.

  

On a walk back from the pool, I made a new friend.   

 

         

We're now wrapping up our trip with ten nights in downtown Puerto Vallarta. It's a change from our first two locations. Streets are crowded with people. About 100 restaurants within a few blocks of our hotel tempt us with low prices and atmospheric settings on the beach, on sidewalks or in leafy courtyards. 

Our big excursion was a boat tour to Animas, a beach not accessible by vehicle. On the way, we snorkeled at Los Arcos, Puerto Vallarta's iconic rock formation. I saw a few fish, but would have been happy just to swim by the rocks and through the rock tunnel. The trip involved numerous transitions between boats, piers and shorelines that I couldn't have managed without the guides' helping hands. Most of our fellow passengers were younger than us and Mexican. Information in English was minimal and occasionally inaccurate, which made for some surprises. They became part of the adventure and the whole day was a lot of fun, capped by Mexican party games on the return trip.  

Los Arcos

Tomorrow, my birthday present from my kids will be dinner at The Iguana Restaurant in Casa Kimberly, the former home of Elizabeth Taylor. The actress's affair with actor Richard Burton during the location filming of the movie The Night of the Iguana launched Puerto Vallarta's tourism boom. The restaurant has panoramic views of the city and bay. We've booked a table for sunset. 

Looking down from The Iguana Restaurant

Burton and Taylor in Puerto Vallarta during the filming of The Night of Iguana

A few days from now we'll fly home to Calgary, where there's snow on the ground and temperatures around freezing. I see snowmen and reindeer holiday decorations all over Puerto Vallarta, and they seem weird in this tropical climate.     

  

              

 

Symbolism: Fact or Fiction by Karla Stover

Visit Karla's BWL Author Page for Purchase Information

Murder: When One Isn't Enough

A Line to Murder

Wynter's Way

Back when I was in high school, my English teacher was a firm believer in symbolism. She  touted it so much, the term became a running joke between me and my friends. (I was going to type "My  friends and I but then I couldn't remember which was correct, "I" or "Me".)  The one supposedly-symbolic piece of writing I remember from high school was Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." It was about death and that was that. Then, when I went to college to finish getting my degree, symbolism was out. What the author wrote was what he/she meant. However, I have since learned that symbolism is still in as far as the poem goes but that there are a lot of interpretations, to whit: the narrator is actually the horse, the traveler is Santa Clause and the horse represents his reindeer, or that since Frost and his bother both suffered from depression and his younger sister and daughter were both hospitalized with mental problems, he was suicidal. According to Robert Kennedy, his brother, John, applied the line "but I have promises to keep" to the Democratic party. It's a beautiful poem though Justin Trudeau, to honor his father, changed  

one line to read, "The woods are lovely, dark and deep. He has kept his promises and earned his sleep."

The Horror!

I'd pretty much forgotten about symbolism until I came across ideas about Alice in Wonderland in A House Unlocked, a memoir by Penelope Lively. According to her, at one time the rabbit hole was believed to represent a vagina, the pots of marmalade lubricating jell, and Alice's long neck a phallic symbol. I was dumbfounded and headed for Google. There I learned going down the rabbit hole was all about Alice being curious. Supposed, the Queen of Hearts was either Queen Victoria, or Alice's mother. The White Rabbit was a doctor to both Alice and the queen. One person wrote that "He (Carroll) used animal characters to be pessimistic influences on Alice. Another says the Mad Hatter represents "the unpleasant side of human nature." But then another says he was a guiding spirit. A book called Alice claims Alice was in an insane asylum. One essay I read said, "Alice suffers from Hallucinations and Personality Disorders, the White Rabbit from General Anxiety Disorder and that is why he keeps saying, “I’m late”, the Cheshire Cat is schizophrenic, as he disappears and reappears distorting reality."

Leaving Alice behind and soldiering on I learn that,  The “wuthering heights” in the book title are symbolic of the wild nature of the people involved in the story, Harry Potter's scar represents bravery, and that the "A" in the Scarlett Letter stands for adultery (at least that one makes sense.)

According to "industrialscripts.com," in the movie, Jaws, "The Mayor’s reaction to the shark can be seen as capitalism personified, and "the shark symbolizes the dynamic of human versus nature."

So many, opinions, so many essays: I guess, for most writers, having published a book or poem or screenplay so important so as to attract symbolism is a good thing.

A Delicious Idea for Holiday Entertaining--The Charcuterie Board #Holidayentertaining #Snacksforholidays #BWLPublishing

 

Arranging a Dream: A Memoir by J.Q.Rose
Click here to find more books by J. Q. Rose from BWL Publishing

🎄🎄🎄

A DELICIOUS IDEA FOR HOLIDAY ENTERTAINING-THE CHARCUTERIE BOARD

Charcuterie Board
Image courtesy of Lee Ann Clausen
#Charcuterie #Holidayentertaining
🎄🎄🎄

Whether you are hosting a holiday party, family dinner or friends for game night, the Charcuterie Board makes a festive addition to your snack table. Charcuterie is an arrangement of cured meats, cheeses, fruit, crackers and any fun snack items grouped on a platter, carving board, serving tray or even a rimmed baking sheet. 

My daughter introduced me to them--basically a meat and cheese platter on steroids! The eye-catching loaded trays of goodies are not only attractive but tasty too. The best part is they are so easy to make. There is no way you can make a mistake. Unless you forget to put the pickles in a small dish to capture all the liquids in the bowl. You do not want your foods swimming in pickle juice.

Choose cured meats like salami, prosciutto and ham. Slice them into pieces that will fit a cracker or small toast. Choose hard cheeses like cheddar and Colby and soft cheeses like brie and goat cheese. You can buy more exotic cheeses and/or stick with your favorites. Slice them into different shapes, except for the spreads. Add colorful veggie strips of carrots, celery, peppers, cucumbers, etc with a bowl of vegetable dip, pretzels in fun shapes and sizes, grapes, orange slices, pineapple with a maraschino cherry speared on a toothpick, pickles, olives, nuts, small chocolate squares or my favorite, m & m's. You may add crackers or slices of toasted baguettes to the board or serve separately in a basket or tray.

Do you see what I mean? There's no end to ideas for serving. You are limited by the size of the board or tray you choose. And perhaps your pocketbook.

I hope you have delightful get-togethers during this holiday season. Good food and good fun. Cheers!

🎄🎄🎄

About JQ Rose: 

Whether the story is fiction or non-fiction, J.Q. Rose is “focused on story.”  She offers readers chills, giggles and quirky characters woven within the pages of her romantic suspense novels. Using her way with words, she provides entertainment and information with articles featured in books, newspapers, and online magazines. JQ combined her storytelling skills as an author of fiction and her experience as a journalist to create her "feel-good" memoir, Arranging a Dream: A Memoir.

Blogging, photography, Pegs and Jokers board games, travel and presenting workshops on life storytelling are the things that keep JQ out of trouble. She and her husband spend winters in Florida and summers up north with their two daughters, two sons-in-law,  four grandsons, one granddaughter, two grand dogs, four grand cats, and one great-grand bearded dragon.

Click here to connect online with JQ.

Happy Holidays from J.Q. Rose

On Writing a Sequel by Vanessa C. Hawkins

 

 Vanessa Hawkins Author Page

You ever look at your Disney movie library and say to yourself, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame 2? Oh hot dog! I think I'll watch that. It's totally better than the first movie!" If so then you should probably get your head checked because even if you've HEARD of that terrible sequel--let alone own it--you ought to know that it was Complete, Utter Garbage with a capital C, U, G!

Complete. Utter. Garbage! The sequel was C.U.G!

But despite the plethora of terrible sequels floating around the known universe, I am not actually here to talk about them. In fact, I am happy to say that I am WRITING a sequel, and I am really, REALLY hoping it's not going to be bad... Because as infamous as some bad sequels are, I'm no where near famous enough to profit off a terrible remake or continuation. 

We'll get George outta the way early this time... 

 So what makes a good sequel? Well, looking at all the terrible content out there, I'd say it's important to stay true to the characters and themes at least. The original Indiana Jones' movies were pretty cool. They were also mostly stand alone adventures. Rocky I to V was good: a continuation but each with an individual plot point. As well as Terminator 2... which was just awesome. 

Wait, Terminator 2? Rocky? Indiana Jones?
Oh God her age is showing...

But these are all movies! Okay, well... Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and The Witcher books come to mind... though they're all continuations of one big story outline and the sequel I'm writing already kinda... well, concluded...

And it's a romance! 

So what do I do? I suppose I could just NOT write a sequel. It's not like I'm Michael Bay producing sequels for that socks made of silk money...  

*Bad word warning in link*

But there's lots more to say about these characters! And while writing romances isn't bad, writing a sequel to a romance where the love story had already wrapped itself up in the first installment, can produce its own series of obstacles. I hate when its obvious that the author broke up their original couple only to find ways to get them back together in book two. It always seems contrived, or pieced together to keep with the theme. Misunderstandings or arguments are alright, of course--and realistic!--but there must be a better way to tell a story with a romantic subplot other than breaking them up and seeing how they get together THIS TIME. 

#I'vebeenmarriedfor18yearsromancenovels

So I've concluded to just develop the characters more. For example, Scarlet Fortune is a 1920's cop vampire, and Shad is a 400 something year old dragon bootlegger... so there are bound to be some funny anecdotes and hijinks even AFTER they've tied the knot. I also believe in a good antagonist. Going back to The Hunchback of Notre Dame 2--because I had to watch it the other day with my two year old and am still crusty about it-- how do you compare a circus ringmaster narcissist with Monseigneur Claude Frollo: a judge--because Disney couldnt really make him an Archdeacon, the movie was already risky enough--who sings about his lust for Esmeralda: a member of an oppressed minority group?

You can't. 

So I'll make a good villain that will extend on the themes of the first book. Because themes are important and so too are villains.

Eh... not really. But the theme of the meme fit the context.

I'm also trying to tie in some things from the first book. Reuse some old characters that may have been floating around the plot of book one. Facts and places barely used before, could be backdrops for more important things later on. The sequel is pretty much stand alone, I don't think you NEED to read book one to enjoy book two, but I mean, it's more fun if you do. 

Of course, I'm only speaking from a matter of my own opinion, and I am writing this sequel with my co-author who contributes HEAVILY to ensuring there are no continuity errors... but...

SEQUELS ARE HARD! 

And I promise all--or any *cries*--fans out there... That I will honor the original work to the best of my ability and not create C.U.G.

I said I promise I won't write C.U.G!

 

A new tradition? by J. S. Marlo

 

 

 

 

The Red Quilt

"a sweet & uplifting Christmas story"

is now available 

click here

J. S. Marlo's BWL Books

For as long as I remember, Christmas and the Holiday Season have blended together to describe the two weeks between from Dec 20 to Jan 3. This is a festive time when the younger kids are mostly off-school, when the older college kids drive or fly home to enjoy home-cooked meal and free laundry services, and when family and friends get together for indoor or outdoor activities. This is also the time when I get to clean and decorate the house from top to bottom, inside and outside, and to cook and bake my kids' favorite food.

 This year was different. Yes, I did say "was", because this year, Christmas and Holiday Season don't go hand to hand.

I have a daughter who lives oversea. I hadn't seen her in two years, but even before Covid-19, flying to Canada during the holiday season was a long, expensive, and not always pleasant adventure, especially when Mother Nature threw snowstorms in her path, cancellations lit up the airport boards in red, and her suitcase stayed behind. I also have another daughter with a husband and seven-year-old daughter who live ten minutes away, and a son with a new wife who live in a different province. Spending festive time with both sides of respective their families and working shifts is a juggling act for all of them.

So this year, we decided to have an early Christmas on the first weekend of December. It allowed the kids to fly at a more reasonable price before the holiday rush, it made scheduling time off and time with their in-laws easier on them, and it gave my daughter and new daughter-in-law a chance to meet in person for the first time.

Mother Nature outdid herself. She dumped more snow in the last two weeks in November than I wanted to shovel. That's usually my husband's job, but he fell on the ice coaching our granddaughter's hockey team and broke his elbow. No shoveling for him until January.

For three wonderful days, they were all here in town. It also happened that my granddaughter had a hockey game and a one-day swim meet last weekend. So, lots of catching up done in the bleachers, board games and puzzles at home, walks in the snowy trails, favourite meals ready to heat or reheat, gift exchange, and lots of new memories made during the weekend.

 Now the house is empty and all the kids are back where they belong. Yes,  Christmas and the Holiday Season are still approaching, but now hubby and I will just relax. We already had our Christmas. It was early and unconventional, but it was also wonderful, and I'm hoping this is the beginning of a new tradition.

Enjoy time with your family, whenever you can, because those precious moments are timeless.

Happy Holiday & Stay Safe!

JS

 

 

J. S. Marlo's Website