Taste of Kiwi

I’ve always been interested in puffins. I think it’s because they’re so cute with their bright bills. I have seen puffins in the wild during our trips to Britain, but I haven’t had a close encounter so they’re still on my list of things to see one day.

Thirteen Facts About Puffins

1. Puffins spend most of their time at sea, only returning to land to breed during spring.

2. Puffins are known for their distinctive black and white coloring and their bright orange beak. The beak is actually gray while they’re at sea and turns orange when it’s time to return to land. They’re the cutest thing.

3. Puffins are strong swimmers and can dive to 200 feet. They don’t stay underwater for long.

4. Puffins eat small fish e.g. herrings.

5. On land, they live in colonies.

6. Birds usually mate for life.

7. The females lay a single egg.

8. The parents take turns feeding the chick

9. Over 60% of the puffins are in Iceland.

10. They supplement their meals by drinking seawater.

11. Puffins choose a partner when they’re around 3 – 5 years old.

12. When a couple reunite they knock their bills together. This is called billing.

13. The puffins nest in burrows and return to the same one each year.

Source: National Geographic http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/atlantic-puffin/

http://www.animalfactguide.com/animalfacts/atlantic-puffin/

Puffin with Fish © Paul Edwards | Dreamstime.com

Have you seen a puffin before?

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I’ve been in a real historical mood lately, both in my reading and my research. It’s good to be writing another historical romance. My favored time period is the Eighteenth century—pre-Regency in the 1700s, and if it has a gothic tone that’s even better.

For my TT this week I thought I’d give you terms or words you might come across while reading a historical romance or a historical fiction novel. These words are Nineteenth century words and my source is the book What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew by Daniel Pool

Thirteen Words in Usage During the Nineteenth Century

1. Trap – a small light carriage with springs

2. Turnkey – a jailer

3. Weeds – mourning garments, the word “weed” meaning simply clothes

4. Vinaigrette – a little box made of silver containing vinegar and having holes in the top. A vinaigrette was used to revive ladies who had fainted.

5. Washballs – little round balls of soap used for washing or shaving

6. Wafer – a small round made of flour and gum or a similar substances, which was dampened and placed on a letter to seal it.

7. Turtle – turtles were eaten and were a popular dish, so popular it spawned lots of imitation foods called “mock turtle”. Turtle was a staple at official banquets.

8. Tosspot – someone who drank a lot

9. Note of hand – a promissory note

10. Negus – Colonel Francis Negus cooked this drink, which consisted of sugar mixed with water and a wine such as sherry or port. It was a popular drink at balls and dances.

11. Mute – a person hired to come to a funeral and mourn

12. Season – the London social season, in which the fashionable high life of the nobility dominated the city. Although families returned from their country houses to London in February, the real season—of balls, parties, sporting events like Ascot and so on—ran only from May through July.

13. Sennight – a contraction of “seven night” meaning a week.

Are you familiar with these terms? Do you like historical romances? Do you like historical fiction? Do you have an recommendations?

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Honey has been a big topic around our house recently. It’s winter here In New Zealand and with the cold weather comes cold and flu. My husband has been sick, as have my father, sister and mother-in-law. So far, I’ve avoided getting sick. I’ve told everyone it’s all the honey I’ve been eating, and I thought honey would make a good TT topic.

Thirteen Facts About Honey

1. Honey is collected by bees. It’s a 100% natural sweetener and the bees store it in honeycombs until humans collect it.

2. Honey was the main sweetener used in cooking until the end of the Middle Ages.

3. Honey production reduced radically after Henry VIII closed the monasteries. The monks kept bees to make beeswax candles.

4. Early man collected honey by smoking out the bees. This method was illustrated in Egyptian tomb reliefs.

5. When honey ferments and is mixed with water honey ale is produced. Also known as mead, this was produced in countries that didn’t grow grapes or ale-making grains.

6. Egyptians used honey as a sweetener. They also used it as a gift to the gods and during the embalming process.

7. Honey is useful in the treatment of sore throats, coughs and also cuts and burns.

8. Honey never goes off. Jars of 2000 year old honey have been discovered in Egyptian tombs.

9. The flavor of the honey depends on the variety of flowers the bees collect their nectar from. There are lots of flavors available. I like clover honey, manuka honey and pohutukawa honey.

10. Honey comes in different forms – comb, liquid, or solid.

11. Honey is said to have a calming effect.

12. Honey is easily digested and it helps rid the body of foods that don’t pass through as easily.

13. Winnie the Pooh loves honey.

I like honey on toast. Do you like honey?

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I have a special guest today–Lynn LaFleur. Lynn is a fellow author at Ellora’s Cave, and she’s thinking purple in honor of her Lavender Lace series and her release, Two Lovers For Molly. Lynn is giving away a download from her Ellora’s Cave backlist today. See below for details of how to enter the draw.

Thirteen Shades of Purple

1. Heather
2. Lavender
3. Orchid
4. Lilac
5. Eggplant
6. Plum
7. Violet
8. Wisteria
9. Amethyst
10. Thistle
11. Iris
12. Grape
13. Hydrangea

Two Lovers for Molly by Lynn LaFleur
Book 3 of Lavender Lace Series

Blurb

A chance meeting with Julian Forrest changes Molly Ross’ mind about her bad luck with men. Julian is not only gorgeous, but intelligent and charming. Finally, her luck with men has changed.

Julian loves the sexy underwear Molly buys at a store called Lavender Lace that makes his mouth water every time they make love. It takes less than a week for him to know he’s falling in love with her.

Then Lane Edison comes back into Julian’s life. Despite being apart for a year, one kiss from the handsome man and Julian tumbles. He wants both Molly and Lane, but doesn’t know how that can happen…until he reads a threesome scene in a book Molly is writing.

Molly loves Julian, yet feels an instant attraction when she meets Lane. Discovering the two men were once lovers is a huge turn-on for her. When Julian suggests a ménage a trois, she’s more than willing for the two men to fulfill all her fantasies.

Purchase Two Lovers For Molly

Visit Lynn’s website

CONTEST
Prize offered: Winner’s choice of download of any of Lynn’s books. To enter the draw either ask Lynn a question about writing or her series, tell us your favorite shade of purple or mention something that’s purple.

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Greetings, all! Kris Starr here. I write erotic romance and erotica, and I am so very happy to be hanging out today at Shelley’s blog – thanks, Shelley, for the opportunity!

I am also thrilled to be a Carina Press author along with Shelley and a bunch of other absolutely fabulous folks. There are some great books available from CP, so if you haven’t checked ‘em out yet, do so! My novella is called Lovely, and it’s an erotic historical set in Paris in 1900.

But I’ll get to that shortly.

Lovely launched on June 21st, and as some of you may know, I got the best launch-day gift ever. On June 22nd, I gave birth to a gorgeous baby girl. So needless to say I am slightly brain-dead as a result, and I hope you can forgive me if this blog post meanders into the realm of “WTF is she talking about??”

Shelley suggested a baby-related TT, and I figured, that’s a great idea, and hey, how hard can it be to come up with thirteen baby items?

Um, remember that brain-dead comment from earlier?

Yeah.

But I did plug along, so without further ado, here’s your Thursday Thirteen!

1. Your brain somehow atrophies with the birth of your child. Or disintegrates. Or completely vanishes. Or, or…something. Whatever it is, I forget.

2. Time becomes like something out of an episode of Star Trek – before baby arrives you’ve got more of the damned stuff than you know what to do with. You read books! Spend time on your hobbies! Linger over lunches with friends! After baby arrives you can barely squeeze in five minutes for yourself to have a shower, toss in a (neverending) load of laundry or unload the dishwasher – and which activity you choose can be determined by whether you have any underwear left, just how gross your hair has become, or if there are any plates in the cupboard.

3. You no longer have anxiety dreams about appearing naked in your high school chemistry class, late for your final exam – you now dream about forgetting/losing/dropping the baby.

4. Five straight hours of unbroken sleep is the most decadent, delightful thing on the face of the planet.

5. You can no longer go anywhere without fifteen minutes of prep time before you go out the door, and you now must lug seventy-three extra things with you. Every single time. Because if you don’t have extra diapers, wipes, burp cloths and clothing with you, you’re screwed.

6. It’s only when you’ve got the baby bundled up in a wrap/carrier that she spits up all over herself…and you.

7. Along the same vein as #6 — all known infant bodily fluids (drool, poop, pee and spitup) now become a part of your regular, everyday life and you are guaranteed to get at least one of them (more likely two or three) on you on a daily basis.

8. And along the same vein as #6 and #7 — you thank whatever higher power/spiritual being you believe in that you have access to a washer and dryer and are not required to scrub baby clothing and other items on rocks in the riverbed.

9. Just as you sit down to dinner, the baby begins to fuss. You forget just what hot food and/or eating with the rest of your family feels like.

10. Forget makeup, hairstyling and dressy clothes. Now it’s sweats and tees, ponytails or headbands and that “natural” look. For all occasions.

11. A receiving blanket or burp cloth becomes a fashion statement that goes with anything. Trust me. Bunnies, daisies and hearts are hot this season.

12. Sex? What’s that?

But most importantly…

13. There is nothing more beautiful or precious on this planet than the sweet, tiny angel asleep in your arms, and you realize every time you look at her just how lucky and blessed you really are.

And that none of the other stuff matters in the least.

Now, to Lovely…

As mentioned earlier, Lovely is set in Paris in 1900, and it’s the story of a prostitute named Angelique. Here’s the blurb:

They call me Lovely. But I know I am not.

Once I had another name. Now, as Angelique, I do what I can to please les messieurs. What would they say if they knew I felt no pleasure? To them I am wanton, insatiable. I alone know the truth.

So I am mystified by my reaction to my latest caller. Alexandre. Handsome. Well-bred. With an air of innocence that intrigues me. And true pain in his eyes. A mere kiss on the hand inflames me as never before. In moments this man disconcerts me like no other, and soon I can think of nothing, no one else. And yet, he barely touches me.

I know my true purpose is to mend his wounds, but I wonder what lustful appetites are buried deep within him. I will do what I can to discover his secrets…

Lovely is available now from Carina Press.

Well, the baby is starting to fuss in her cradle, so that means it’s time for me to wrap up. Thanks again to Shelley for having me, and I hope you’ll swing by my blog or shoot me an email and say hello or let me know what you thought of Lovely! You can also follow me on Twitter (I don’t Tweet much yet – I’m still trying to get the hang of it in general. That brain thing, y’know?).

Cheers!
Kris

Kris’ Bio:
Kris lives in the wilds of Northern Canada with her two daughters and science geek husband. She spends her time attempting to control household chaos, indulging her crafty side with various knitting, sewing and miscellaneous handmade projects, and creating stories for Carina Press and Ellora’s Cave. Kris has been writing since the age of ten, beginning with a Nancy Drew-style mystery story featuring herself and a couple of her friends. Future leanings became clear, however, when she started penning naughty stories for high-school friends, featuring Scott Baio, Rick Springfield or any member of Duran Duran.

Kris’ blog
Twitter ID
Kris’ email

CONTEST: Everyone who comments on Kris’s post will go into a draw to win a download of Lovely. Tell us about your baby memories, comment on Kris’s baby thirteen or about her new release, Lovely

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I’m off to The Food Show tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it very much because food is one of my favorite things.

Thirteen Things About The Food Show

1. See, Taste, Buy: The Food Show is a bit like Christmas, a birthday and a giant dinner party rolled into one.

2. I get to watch some of the superstar chefs doing cooking demonstrations, including Josh Emett who runs Gordon Ramsey’s restaurants worldwide, Ray McVinnie who is a MasterChef judge down this end of the world, and others.

3. I have a chance to enter a contest to win an Electrolux fridge full of goodies to eat.

4. I’ll check out the Manuka Eggs, which are cold-smoked eggs unfused with a subtle, smoky flavor.

5. I’ll probably have a coffee, maybe one with the Heilala Vanilla syrup.

6. I’ll haunt the stall with artisan bread. They have new spicy carrot cake. Yum!

7. I might have a glass of wine. Heck, who am I kidding? I’ll have a glass of wine. Red, I think, so I can test the claim about the new wine aerator making red wine taste better.

8. I won’t be able to resist the fudge stall. Plain chocolate or flavored? Decisions. Decisions.

9. The Spice n Easy stall sounds interesting – packs of spices packed ready to use for specific dishes.

10. I won’t sample the mussels at the Omega Sea Food Stall, (Yuck!) but I might be tempted by a clam.

11. I’ll check out the Pomegranate juice stall. This is supposedly a wonderfruit used to lower blood pressure, fight stomach bugs and for its anti-ageing properties.

12. The Tasty Pot stall sounds enticing – ready made meals packed full of vegetables, whole grains, fresh herbs and spices and served in a tasty sauce. Hmmmm, healthy fast food…

13. I’ll go early to avoid the crowds and the people who use their kid’s pushchairs like dodgem cars. They run over your toes and don’t even say sorry. I don’t really like crowds.

Do any of these sound good to you? How do you like crowds?

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Blue is my favorite color, and since I returned our foster dog to the SPCA today, I’m definitely feeling blue. I figured I’d go entirely blue for this week’s Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Blue Things

1. Blue Suede Shoes – a rock ‘n roll number first recorded by Carl Perkins in 1955.

2. Blue whales – the largest known animal.

3. Sky – there’s nothing prettier than a clear blue sky on a summer’s day.

4. Sapphires – my favorite gemstone.

5. Blue moon – when two full moons fall during the same calender month, it’s called a blue moon, hence the saying, once in a blue moon.

6. You can have a blue – in this case it’s an Australian expression that means you have a fight or disagreement.

7. Smurfs – are funny little blue creatures who have a whole franchisee going on.

8. Blue jeans – my favorite apparel.

9. Ocean – you can go sailing on the deep blue sea.

10. The Na’vi in the movie Avatar are a pretty blue.

11. Blue mood – when you’re feeling a little depressed.

12. Blue man group – a theatrical group that performs music and comedy.

13. Blue Danube waltz – a romantic waltz by Johann Strauss.

Do you like blue? Do you have any blue things to add to my list?

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The subject of farts came up in our house this week. If you have children, especially boys, they probably think this topic is hysterical. Grown up boys are just as bad, and they put the blame on everyone else in the room. Not even the dog is safe. I thought – why not? So here you have a TT about farts.

Thirteen Things About Farts

1. According to the dictionary a fart is an expulsion of intestinal gas.

2. When we eat we swallow air. Some drinks are fizzy. Gas is created when food is digested. All this air and gas has to escape our body and it leaves as a fart.

3. Everyone farts. No one is immune from farting. The foster dog also farts. Picture me holding my nose this week.

4. Farts smell mainly because of the hydrogen sulfide gas. There are also other elements in foods, which make bad smells. Sulfur rich foods create smelly farts.

5. The average person creates around half a litre of gas each day – that’s around 14 farts per day.

6. Men do not fart more than women. It just seems that way!

7. Farts are actually flammable.

8. Beans do make you fart more.

9. Holding back a fart won’t do any damage.

10. A fart has a temperature of 98.6 degrees when it emerges.

11. Excessive gas is actually called flatulence.

12. The farts of dogs and cats smell so bad because of their protein rich diet.

13. The fart sound effect is produced by the vibration of the anal opening. The loudness of the fart also depends on the velocity of the gas exiting the body.

Discuss

Sources:
www.kidshealth.org
www.scienceray.com
www.fart-sounds.net

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This week, I have a special guest–Kathleen Dienne, one of my fellow Carina Press authors. When I asked her to do a guest post, she volunteered to do a Thursday Thirteen. I think road trips with children sound quite interesting… Don’t forget to check out Kathleen’s new release Her Heart’s Divide!

Thirteen Things I Didn’t Know About Road Trips With Small Children

by Kathleen Dienne

Hello, Shelley readers! Your hostess, whose mountain of marvelous books is impressing the socks off this beginning author, was corresponding with me over author resources. She kindly invited me to contribute to this community.

To be honest, I’m kind of awkward in new communities. I didn’t used to be this way, but I decided to go pro with my writing (http://kathleendienne.com) at the exact same time that my sweet and tractable baby decided to become a toddler. As all you working moms (and if we’re moms, we’re working!) can attest, your world can get a little narrow when you’re trying to keep up with everything. I sure appreciate Shelley bringing me out of my cave to meet you :)

After my first book launched last month (Her Heart’s Divide), my husband and I decided to go on a family vacation. We hadn’t taken one since our son was born. We love road trips and living history, so the inaugural family trip was an eight hour drive to Dearborn, Michigan, and the Henry Ford museum and village.

All of you experienced parents are already laughing.

For those of you with no kids, read on.

1. Raisins seem like a wonderful car food, but they are not.

2. Anything that becomes sticky when you grind it into upholstery is a bad car food.

3. Especially bananas.

4. One should not feed a diaper-wearing toddler nothing but fruit for two hours.

5. If a small toy is dropped, you can find it by identifying the one spot no one in the car can reach without pulling over.

6. Every rest stop in Ohio looks identical. This will comfort your toddler and cause him to associate the graceful little dome with “getting out of the car.”

7. A child who sees the little dome as it passes by his window can be astonishingly loud.

8. There are a lot of eighteen-wheelers on our nation’s highways, and a toddler can say “Bye bye big truck!” to every… single… one of them.

9. You don’t think you can sing Old MacDonald’s Farm more than twenty times in a row until you’ve done it.

10. A child who wakes up if an ant sneezes can sleep through a storm beating down so hard that every vehicle on the road is forced to pull over and stop on the shoulder.

11. The hotel’s minifridge is just as fascinating as a costumed interpreter running a loom.

12. It is good to make time for a toddler to just run across a big lawn and shriek with glee.

13. If you’re genuinely trying to keep your kid happy and behaving well, pretty much everyone in the world wants to help you… so let them.

What are your favorite tips for toddler travel? Got any good disasters to share?

Her Heart’s Divide

Lila was a faithful, loyal wife.

Ryan was her sexy, loving husband.

And so was Jack…?

Jack, however, was her boss, not her husband—why was he claiming her as
his own? Lila had been passionately happy with Ryan for more than
seven years. Yes, there’d been a moment when she’d first been attracted to
Jack, but then she’d met his best friend, Ryan. They’d fallen in love and married.
Jack claimed that in his world, their attraction had led to the altar.

And now she was caught between two men—two husbands—in the wildest situation Lila could ever have imagined. But what she wasn’t imagining were the two men touching her, pleasing her, caressing her…

Purchase from Carina Press

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Today I was pondering this week’s Thursday Thirteen. The first word that came to my mind was green. A perfect topic, I decided, and I started my list.

Thirteen Things That Are Green

1. Emeralds – much prettier than diamonds in my opinion.

2. Limes – perfect for cooking and adding to drinks.

3. Shrek – the most famous ogre of all.

4. Greenland – green in name but not in nature.

5. Kermit – my favorite muppet (apart from Miss Piggy) from The Muppet Show

6. Jealousy – an emotion that’s often called green.

7. Grass – good for cows.

8. Green Eggs and Ham – of Dr. Seuss fame.

9. Ireland – the Emerald Isle.

10. Guacamole – avocado goodness

11. Green Park – one of London’s many Royal parks

12. Greenwich, London – the home of Greenwich Mean Time or GMT

13. The theme color for my website and blog – explore and wallow in the green.

What are your favorite green things? Do you have anything green to add to my list?

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