California Thursday - The California Strawberry Festival

This year the Strawberry Festival is going to be held the weekend of the 15th/16th in May. It's always held in Oxnard, California which is near Ventura and the Coast. We've gone to the festival for the past 3 years and I was planning to go again this year - we'll see. My son, Andrew, makes his 1st Holy Communion on 15 May - we'll see if we'll go later on that day or on the 16th.

What do I love about the Strawberry festival? The Strawberries of course! Some of the ripest, tastest Strawberries come out of this festival. The prices for a box of strawberries are resonable. (sp?) It's $3 for a small green plastic container and about $20 for a big case.

Another thing I love about the strawberry festival is that it reminds me of of "New England," a little bit. They offer bands throughout the day, they have plenty of food stands and serve strawberries in ways that I wouldn't think imaginable. There's strawberry pizza, nachos and even kabobs. I love the nachos. hehe. Of course, there's strawberry margeritas and even strawberry beer (which reminds me of BerlinerWeise from Berlin!)

My son, Joe, sipping a strawberry smoothie



There's a playland for the little kids called Strawberryland and one year I even met Strawberry Shortcake. hehe! (Sadly, Andrew didn't want to pose with her because she was a girl!)

There's also an area for vendors to show off their wares. From clothes to jewerly, soap and candles and woodworking you can find a little bit of everything at the festival. The price is cheap to get in $12,00 for adults and $6.00 for kids. It's a homey kid of way to spend the day with the kids.




If you get a chance, check out the festival. I love collecting the festival posters. They always promise to be colorful.

Reading Tuesday - What I'm reading

Sadly, I can't read at the house unless I have the day off and the boys are in bed. That's rare. Usually this opportunity strikes on my days. That said, I have to read at work during down time. But that can be a challenge if a I have trainee. I love my trainees, but I need my "me" time and work, if you can believe it, is my "me" time.

That said, the heaves have aligned and I have had time to read lately. I just started J Morgan's "Were Love Blooms." He's got great voice, and "Were Love Blooms" is a paranormal romance about werewolves. I'm picky about my wolves now, but J has me hooked. It's a lighthearted, fun read and I'm curious just how Madison became a wolf.

My next book I'm reading is Gail Delaney's Outcasts. It's a sci-fi speculative futurisic tale and I'm hooked. It takes place in the future on Earth where humans and an alien race called the Aerth live in peaceful coexistance. Col Nick Tanner has just found out that his son is alive after being told he died in childbirth. Guess what - something is afoot. His wife was really Aerth and didn't die in childbirth. And he just found out. I've adored Sci-Fi all my life so this is a great read for me.




Also on the Kindle - Knight of Glory by Nicole Zoltack and One Snowny Knight a medival Scottish romance.

What? You're reading books on a KINDLE? Yep. And I have to admit I LOVE my Kindle. Really love it. I think I'm going to be picky about what books I get in print now and reserve that for the books I really adore.

What are you reading?
Smiles,
Steph

Check out my book trailer for Destination Berlin!

I just want to get a shout out to Kerri Nelson, who put together my book trailer for Destination: Berlin. Kerri did a great job with the music and pics. Destination Berlin is a "sweet" romance as Cpl Sharon Cates makes her way through East Germany, the Stasi hot on her heels, with the help of an unlikely ally - Soviet Jr. Sgt. Dimitri Nagory.

Enjoy the video!
*Smiles*
Steph

History Saturday - Prince Charles and Princess Diana

Who doesn't love a fairytale come to life? In today's world, when Prince Charles married Diana Spencer, the world thought fairytales did come to life.

It's not my intent to cast the royal couple in a poor light here, but take a look at the romance that led up to their marriage.

Diana Frances Spencer was born in July 1961. Her father was the 8th Earl Spencer. She was his youngest daughter born to Frances Spencer. After her, a son was born in 1964. Her brother's name was Charles.

Diana had quite an interesting pedigree. She was related to Charles II through four of his illegimate sons.



Her parents divorced when she was young. Before meeting Charles "romantically," she received a standard edcuation and in London she took an advanced cooking course at her mother's suggestion, although she never became an adroit cook, and worked first as a dance instructor for youth, until a skiing accident caused her to miss three months of work. She then got a job as a playgroup (pre-preschool) assistant, did some cleaning work for her sister Sarah and several of her friends, and worked as a hostess at parties. It was now 1979.

Prince Charles was born on 14 NOV 1948, the eldest child to Queen Elizabeth. He went to Trinity College and served in the Royal British Navy in the mid 1970's. He was quite the bachelor in the 1970's and was linked romantically to several young ladies.

Charles didn't have it easy growing up. His father was very tough on him. In that regard, his "Uncle Dickie," really played a formative role in his life as a male role model. Unfortunately, he lost his Uncle Dickie in August 1979 when his boat was bombed.

Charles, the Prince of Wales made a dashing figure in his youth. In 1980 though, he was 30 and under pressure to marry. Under the Royal Marriages Act 1772, his marriage required the Queen's formal consent. Under the Act of Settlement 1701, royals must marry within the Church of England or foreit their place in the order of succession to the throne. Diana's aristocratic descent, Church of England faith, presumed virginity and native Englishness appeared to render her a suitable royal bride.




In way, I think these requirements are outdated for modern ways of thinking. I do understand wanting to marry a woman who shares the same faith as you. That's important. But really - did she have to be a virgin? And just how royal did she have to be? What about love? Isn't that important? I think these qualifications will certainlly be relaxed should Prince William propose to Kate Middleton, but I digress.

Prince Charles had known Diana for several years, (he first met her in 1977) but he first took a serious interest in her as a romantic interest, during the summer of 1980, when they were guests at a country weekend, where she watched him play polo. Diana gave him comfort regarding his Uncle's death and I think that made a very important impression on him. The relationship developed as he invited her for a sailing weekend to Cowes, aboard the royal yacht Britannia, followed by an invitation to Balmoral Castle, the Windsor family's Scottish home, to meet his family.

PRINCE CHARLES AT HIS INVESTITURE


Diana was well received at Balmoral by Queen Elizabeth II, by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the Queen Mother. The couple then courted in London. The prince proposed on 6 February 1981, and Diana accepted, but their engagement was kept secret for the next few weeks. They were married on 29 July 1981. Talk about a whirlwind romance. I watched the wedding on TV. It was pretty cool.

We all know married life was no picnic for the Wales. In the 1990's they would divorced and Diana's story ended in sadness when she died in 1997.

In 1982, a movie was made about the Romance of Charles and Diana. You can find excerpts on You Tube. And just for a small time, Charles and Diana made the world believe that fairytales do come true. It was a heartwarming time to believe.



References for this blog:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana,_Princess_of_Wales

Feature Friday - Interview with Gail Delaney

I'm tickled pink to feature an interview with author and editor, Gail Delaney. Gail is the Editor-in-Chief at Desert Breeze Publishing. And now, here's Gail

***

When I was little, whenever I said something to the effect of "I'll never--", my mother would say "Never say never, kitten."

When her first husband died, she said she'd never get married again. Two years later, she met my father - 18 years her junior and her son's best friend, mind you, but that's a story for another day -- and married him after knowing him 19 days. (I'm telling you... great story!). She said she'd never live in Maine. When I was 2 ½, they moved to Maine. Two 'never evers' that came true, in the happiest of ways for her.

As a writer, I had a mental list of things I would 'never' write, either ever or again. I'd never actually categorized them until one day -- oh, about a year and a half ago -- I realized I was writing a book that completely defied my 'never' list. And I could almost hear my mom... "Never say never, kitten".

My list is as follows:

1. I will not write another contemporary romance. 'They aren't challenging enough'.
2. I will never write a romance set in Hollywood (Said as I make a distasteful face from my freezing cold desk in freezing cold New Hampshire).
3. I will never write a romance with someone famous as a character. Not someone 'real', just a famous profession. No musicians, athletes, actors, etc. It's so cliché.
4. I will never write a novelist as a heroine. How very Mary Sue!
5. I will never have my characters kiss in the first chapter! (This coming after I read a book where the two were kissing before they exchanged names)

I think the beginning of the end happened when I left said 'freezing cold desk in freezing cold New Hampshire' and moved to... yeah... Hollywood. Okay, so not Hollywood, but Southern California just north of Los Angeles... not far from Hollywood. And heck, I think as much movie making happens right here in Santa Clarita as in Hollywood itself. I realized that Hollywood -- geographically -- might be a nice place to set a story.

Then I had a dream. Now I won't go into the details of the dream (blushing cheeks), but the next day I wrote the dream down to share with Jenifer - my BFF and business partner. As it often goes with dreams -- as many writers will attest -- I kept rolling around concepts and ideas in my head, and I kept writing down notes. Next thing I knew, I'd written down Chapter One, and then Chapter Two... and next thing you know... I'm writing the book I said I'd never write. In every way possible.

Point One - No Contemporary Romances

Yep, this book is a contemporary romance. No evil bad guy, unless you count the dastardly, bastardly ex-husband who rears his horned head. No car chases, no murderers to catch. Just a romantic story of love. Oh, and one fist fight. Never gonna do that again... yeah, right.

Point Two - No books set in Hollywood.

I think I've pretty much covered that, but if you need confirmation... yeah, the book is set in Hollywood and near by Santa Clarita - which, ironically enough, is where I now live. * wry grin *

Point Three - No books with famous-type characters

David Bishop is the hero of this romantic tale, and were he a real man, he'd be the romantic hero in many a woman's dreams. In my little world, he is the hottest, sexiest, most sought after bachelor and celebrity in Hollywood. Okay, maybe not THE most... but he's right up there. And if you must ask... I know you're wondering... yes, he's 'modeled' after an actor whom I find sinfully delicious.

Maybe I'll tell you who... if you ask nicely. 

Point Four - Never write a novelist as a heroine.

Andrea Parker is not only a novelist, but she's a bestselling novelist. Her science fiction romances are so loved by the general population that they've been opted for film. And you guessed it... David Bishop will play her leading man.

Point Five - Never let them kiss in chapter one!

Yeah, well... I find there are ways around this little 'never'.

For about half the writing of this book, I referred to it as 'The book I'm not writing'. Finally, I gave in and admitted that yes... I'm writing this book... yes, it's got all the things I said I'd never do... and yes, I absolutely love it. I honestly believe that Something Better is easily the most 'romantic' of romances I've written. Fluttering hearts and deep sighs will abound as you read... and yet, it won't be easy for these two. It wouldn't be an interesting novel if things were easy.

I hope you might be intrigued enough to check it out and read Something Better.

Here's a link to the book trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uHKKi7hmzE

***
Thanks for popping in, Gail! I'm definately intrigued to read it!

California Thursday - The San Fernando Mission

I don't know a lot about California history, but every week, I discover something new. This week though, I thought I'd look at something in my backyard - the Missions - and today, specifically, the San Fernando Mission.

I'm not quite sure of the dates, but early in California's history, and I believe this occured in the 1700's several Catholic priests traveled up from Mexico and wherever they stopped, they established a mission. The mission trail is called "El Camino Real" and there are a lot of missions that go up and down the California coast from San Diego all the way to San Fransiciso.

THE INTERIOR OF THE MISSION
(NOTE: A couple years ago I had a chance to attending a wedding here and I was very touched by the service.)


The San Fernando Mission is in Mission Hills in Los Angeles, about 20 minutes south of my home. The pictures of it capture that authenthic old style feel of past. I love to visit there because they have a Catholic store and I can go get my religous books and items there. I bought both my son's baptism candles there. The Mission also hosts wedding and quineneras (probably spelled wrong - but it is a Hispanic custom where a 15 year old girl is recoginzed as an adult, similiar to the sweet 16 custom that is more known about)


THE HISTORY OF IT:
Mission San Fernando Rey de España was founded on "The Feast of the Birth of Mary" (September 8), 1797. The prime location the padre selected, located along the principal highway leading to the Pueblo de Los Angeles, had been occupied by Francisco Reyes (then Los Angeles' mayor). However, after brief negotiations construction of the first buildings was soon underway (Mission records list Reyes as godfather to the first infant baptized at San Fernando).

INTERESTING NOTE: In 2003 comedian Bob Hope was interred in the Bob Hope Memorial Gardens.




The goal of the missions was, above all, to become self-sufficient in relatively short order. Farming, therefore, was the most important industry of any mission.

Information for this blog entry was taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_San_Fernando_Rey_de_Espa%C3%B1a

Excerpt Monday - Destination: Berlin

Stuck in a routine job in Cold War Germany guarding nuclear weapons. U.S. Army Corporal Sharon Cates thinks she is going to Berlin to attend an orientation tour. Unknown to her, the briefcase she carries contains top-secret information that the Stasi and KGB are willing to kill for.

Russian Junior Sergeant Dimitri Nagory is an assistant to a high-ranking Soviet officer in his country’s embassy in England. Dimitri isn’t expecting a great adventure as he boards the duty train for a routine trip to headquarters in Berlin, and he certainly isn’t expecting to meet any Americans.

The Stasi derail the train in the middle of East Germany, expecting to take the information from Sharon’s dead body. The sparks fly when Sharon and Dimitri meet. When the sudden explosion hurls Sharon and Dimitri from the train and into each other, he too becomes a target. With Sharon nursing badly bruised ribs and branded by her country as a traitorous thief for stealing top-secret documents, Dimitri goes against everything he’s been trained to do when he offers to help her to Berlin. Can Sharon trust Dimitri or will he break her heart?


Author Bio: New Hampshire native SG Cardin (also writing as Stephanie Burkhart) spent more than seven years stationed overseas in Europe as member of the Army’s Military Police Corps. Currently she lives in California and works as a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. She’s married with two boys, 7 & 3.


“A tautly written military adventure.” – Midwest Book Review


There's a little bit of everything mixed into this story. There's history, adventure, suspense, romance and of course so military jargon. The author does a good job though, of simplifying the military lingo, so that it never becomes a burden to understand. The story flows well, and moves along quickly. If you're looking for a good story to keep you occupied for a night or two, I'd highly recommend this one. – Book of the Moment Reviewer

Destination Berlin is a military thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. - Starrstruck


EXCERPT:

Spies. Espionage. Danger. The Berlin duty train hinted at it all, as it carried the four allies between the West and occupied Berlin. Corporal Sharon Cates was high on the potential thrill, but her military common sense kept her anchored to the fact that hints rarely ever gave way to facts.

She walked through the doors and into the duty train’s dining car, wearing her class “A” uniform. It was relatively empty. A lone concession window was open selling coffee and brötchen. She bought a cup and sat down next to a window. It was dark outside, and she couldn’t see much. Glancing at her watch, she saw that it was two o’clock. Sharon knew she should be asleep, but she was too excited. Soon she’d be in Berlin, and she was thrilled. Going to Berlin would be stepping into living history. She put her briefcase on the table and took out a guidebook to Berlin, thumbing through it as she drank her coffee.

A faint creak pierced the air. When Sharon looked up, she spied a Soviet soldier also buying a cup of coffee. A warm shiver slid down her spine. After all, she knew the Soviets also used the duty train; she just thought she’d never see one. He was tall and filled out his uniform well. From the markings on his uniform, she gathered he was a non-commissioned officer, but that was all. To her surprise, he approached her booth.

“Good morning, Corporal. I am Junior Sergeant Dimitri Nagory of the Soviet Army. May I join you?”

Sharon looked up. He was talking to her—in English! She motioned to him to have a seat.

Dimitri sat down and smiled. “If you don’t mind my asking, what’s your name, Corporal?”

“ Sharon,” she answered, as distantly as possible. She never thought she’d meet a Soviet soldier on the Berlin Duty Train. This felt like a page out of a LeCarre spy novel. “Sharon Cates.”

“Is this your first time on the duty train?” he asked.

Sharon stared at him. Nosey Soviet. Cpt. Heathers had cautioned her about them during her security briefing.

“Because it is the first time I have seen you,” Dimitri continued, sipping his coffee.

“Ah, yes,” Sharon finally answered. Should she finally entertain those thoughts of espionage and secret spy scenarios? “It’s my first trip to Berlin,” she added.

“I see. Are you attending the Berlin Orientation Tour?”

“How did you know?”

“Most of the Americans I see on the train travel to Berlin for that purpose,” Dimitri explained, grinning.

“If you don’t mind my asking, why are you on the train?” Despite the desire to keep her composure, her lips curved into an inquisitive smile.

“I work in the Soviet embassy in London. My headquarters are in East Berlin. I travel between London and Berlin every two weeks,” he answered.

“And you can tell me that?” she asked, raising a surprised eyebrow.

“It’s common knowledge,” he added.

“Do you make it a habit to talk to Americans on the train?” Sharon asked.

“No, I don’t. I usually sleep in my train car, but I haven’t had much to eat today so they let me out to do that,” he replied.

“Touché,” she said curtly. “So, Jr. Sgt. Nagory, what do you do in your army?”

*****
Destination: Berlin is available at: http://www.amazon.com and http://www.iuniverse.com