It's the first day of summer

June is almost over even though it's the first day of summer.

So, my book, The Love Genie: Barbary Coast comes out Friday, June 24th, and I thought I'd see what else was going on in the month of June. 

Guess what?  It's Aquarium Month.

Now, there's a reason I didn't know this.  When my kids were little, I thought it would be fun to have an aquarium.  I had fond memories of my two goldfish when I was young.  They lived for years.  What could be so hard?

So I bought a big aquarium, got the pump, plants, water testing kid, some very cool fish and food.  All went well for about a week.

The algae and snails thrived.  The fish?  Not so much.





Especially because Tom-Tom, the cat, was fascinated by them.
(This is not an actual picture of Tom-Tom, but you get the idea.)














I gave up after a few months.  Years later, I walked into the local pharmacy and at the checkout lane, they had these mini aquariums in a 6 or 8 inch cube, all set up with fish and everything.  I couldn't resist and got one for my desk at the office.  Those were fish of a different kind.  They were hardy little buggers and I had them for several years.

So what does this have to do with my newest book?  Not much except that the story is set on a fantasy sailing ship.  Although I doubt Chris and Meaghan spare many thoughts about fish.

When Scott Eugene Anderson inherits his aunt's motel in the foothills of the White Mountains, he decides to turn it into a motel for anonymous sexual fantasies and advertises himself as The Love Genie.

Meaghan Rowe, who doesn't wait for anything, has a sexual itch and she turns to The Love Genie to get it scratched.  Chris Baxter has a treasure chest full of lovemaking expertise, but can't do commitment.  The two are matched and separately choose The Barbary Coast fantasy aboard a pirate ship.

Given Chris's expertise and Meaghan's impatience, will this relationship walk the plank or will they sail off into the sunset?

The Love Genie -- sexual fantasies with a touch of magic.

The Love Genie:  Barbary Coast will be available June 24th from Whispers Publishing.

Link to the Whispers Publishing:  http://whispershome.com/ 

Link to my web page:  http://peppergoodrich.com/ 

At Last!!!!

The sun finally came out yesterday after over a week of rainy and cloudy days.  I even had to light the fireplace a couple of times since I've turned off the heat.


Sorta looks like winter, doesn't it?  Well that's what
it felt like.

                                         

A long time ago I realized I was solar powered and it was abundantly clear this past week.  Yes, yes, I know the rain is good for the garden, but it makes the grass grow and now I'll have to mow the lawn.

To recharge myself, I spent the day on my deck.  Without the distractions of e-mail and TweetDeck, I got to do lots of writing and editing.  And sitting and enjoying the wonderful weather. 

The dogs got to play outside all day.

The birds were chirping and flying around and I even got this picture of a hummingbird at the feeder.



If you look closely, you can see him just to the left of the feeder


And today is going to be a repeat of yesterday.  Yeah!!

Summer has exploded around here.

April was chilly and damp around here.  I spent the first three weeks of May in Albuquerque visiting my son and his family.  Nice and warm and sunny out there.  I finally got warm down to my bones.

We visited the Botanical Garden on Mother's Day

Really cool plants, so different from Maine.

And here's daddy and his little girl.

We also visited the art and history museum

 Very cool Westward Ho sculpture

We went up to Santa Fe for a couple of days while No. 2 son and his wife rode in the Santa Fe 100 mile bike ride.  Being the smart one, I got to play with my granddaughter.

 Here she is, indignantly chasing the pigeons off the grass (like her dad does with the pigeons in his garden in the back yard)

Sleepy-time girl

Came back home to cold and rain.  Until last week.  Now it's hot and mostly sunny.  I've planted my "garden"

The dogs are enjoying being outdoors, too. 

Here they are, grazin' in the grass.

And my writing career is sort of exploding, too.  Pepper has a book coming out on June 24th. 

And Judi has a contract for Two Moons Rising with Crescent Moon Press.  No cover or release date yet.

Night of Turmoil is at one of my publishers for consideration. 

And Pepper is hard at work on another Love Genie story.


Okay, back to my regularly scheduled writing.

Have a great June.

Check out the cute guy who's come to live with me.

But a word of advice.  If your hairdresser calls unexpectedly, out of the blue, you might consider not answering.  I answered, and got a new puppy.

As many of you know, I lost my little Min Pin, Jake, a year ago.  Because I missed him, and because Sassie, my little girl Yorkie missed him, too, I got another Yorkie, Mishka.

But when  my hairdresser heard Gizmo was available, she knew I loved Min Pins and offered him to me first.  How can you refuse an adorable guy like this?

Sassie has adjusted very well to being the bossy big sister.  And loves to nap with him, too, right beside my desk.

In the evening, when I sit down to watch TV, more often than not, the three of them draped all over me. 



















But it's great to have Min Pin shenanigans in the house again.




















Hey, wait a minute.  That's my chair.  Where's a girl find room to sit down to write?

How about you?  Who helps you get your work done?  Or maybe help isn't the right word.

Anyway, enjoy your furry friends

Judi

I’m Home

Okay, I’ve been back in Maine a week.  It’s COLD.  I grew up in Maine.  I lived in Minnesota for 30 years.  I’ve been back in Maine 10 years.  Who knew that in 5 weeks I’d get acclimated to being warm.

It’s snowed a foot and a half since I came home.  My poor puppies are relegated to running down a tunnel of snow from the deck to the maple trees.

 

One bright spot is that I brought home a tajine (a kind of stove-top oven) for cooking tajine (basically a Moroccan stew).  The day after I arrived, I rummaged through my refrigerator and found chicken (in the freezer), some sketchy potatoes and a winter squash.  I ‘refreshed’ the chicken in some cold water while it thawed, peeled the veggies, added a spice that I from one of the three packets of mixes I bought in Rabat with my DIL’s help (can’t remember what’s in them and can’t read Arabic), added chicken broth and a hint of white wine (definitely not in a Moroccan recipe) and Voilà! a tasty dinner with savory smells filling my house, reminding me of North Africa and my beautiful granddaughters.

 So, what’s your favorite food or recipe for cold winter days?

Judi

Très FROID au Maine

Goals for 2011

Sadly, this will be my last blog from Morocco.  I leave for home first thing in the morning tomorrow.

So, I decided to that this opportunity to post my goals rather than penciling them on a scrap of paper that I promptly lose.  So here they are.

Be content with where I am and who I am

Finish Two Moons Rising

Finish revisions on Through All Time

Finish Mirror, Mirror

Find  home for Afternoon Delights

Find a home for Two Moons Rising

Find a home for Whispers in the Heart

Work on Second Chances (Aerial's story)

Set up and maintain a regular writing schedule

Search for a part-time job

Figure out blogging/self-promotions

Remember, I always have enough time because I am always doing what I choose to do.

And for everyone who's been commenting that there are no pictures of me, here I am on the Barbary Coast of pirate fame, looking toward Rabat with Salé in the background 

Hoping everyone has a wonderful 2011

Judi

The Road to Marrakech

So right after Christmas, we spent four days in Marrakech in La Palmeraie--actually a palm grove that's an oasis.

 

Here's the patio of the apartment we stayed in.

And the orange tree just beside it.

Tuesday we went to the souks in the medina.  Marrakech is much more of a tourist destination than Rabat so there are lots of random offerings by guys of stuff to buy--and they're fairly persistently.

Wednesday we drove to the foothills of the Atlas Mountains to Terres d'Amanar, an adventure park--no rides but with adventuring activities for all ages, ranging from a zip cord traversing from one hillside to another across a valley several hundred feet below, to a kid's playground with similar activities that the girls loved.

 

The reception was housed in a reproduction of a Berber tent.

And there was a sheppard tending his flock on the grounds.

 The scenery was spectacular.  Here's No. 1 son.  You can barely see the snow-topped mountain peeking out between the hills in the foreground, the bit of blue mist merging into the sky.

 

At the end of they day, they light a fire to keep away the chill of the desert evening.

 As you might guess, the seeds of a story are planted and growing.

Wishing you une nouvelle année joyeous

Judi