Guest blogger Margaret Daley

Captain’s Log, Stardate 01.08.2007

Today I have the wonderful Margaret Daley guest blogging! Margaret has always encouraged me in my writing, even when she first met me on the Steeple Hill discussion boards and I was just starting out on my first manuscript (the bad book).

Margaret's latest romantic suspense novel is Heart of the Amazon

THE JUNGLE SOUGHT TO CLAIM HER. ASSASSINS MEANT TO SILENCE HER.

There was no way her brother was dead. Officials claimed the biochemist had been murdered in the Brazilian rainforest, his body fallen prey to the mists of the jungle. But Kate Collier knew Zach and couldn't leave it at that; Zach was all she had left.

Tall, dark and mysterious, A. C. Slader had a past that was as turbulent as the Amazon River. Yet he was the only one who could guide her on a journey from which many never returned. A journey that would stretch the limits of their faith in God and each other…

And now, here’s Margaret!

Heart of the Amazon is a book of my heart. I have always been fascinated with the jungle. I have read book after book about the rain forest, and then I got an opportunity to go to a jungle-first in Belize and later in Costa Rico. When I write a book, I like to be authentic and know what I'm writing about. I like to visit the country or town I locate my book in. If I can, I immerse myself in a place.

So that is the reason I found myself staying at a national park in Costa Rico on the Caribbean side of the country. Now when I go on a vacation, I like at least a three star hotel. The place I stayed in was maybe a one star hotel-and I use hotel loosely here. I felt like I was camping out in the wilds and I don't do camping well. The cabin had no air-conditioning and it was hot. Worse I ended up taking a shower with a lizard. I freaked out! I'm sure the people in the cabins nearby heard my scream.

The next morning my husband and I were awakened by a chorus of birds chirping happily in the trees outside our cabin. There was one particular bird that I think made it his mission to drive me crazy. If he slept, it was when I was gone. He probably watched me leave, took a nap or whatever birds do, then when he saw me return, he started in again with his unusual call. No doubt a lonely male looking for a mate. If I were a female bird, I would have been staying away from that one.

When I went to breakfast that first morning, what did I see on the way? A boa in the tree near the path! At that moment I didn't care that it was a baby one. A snake is a snake is a snake.

After the first day I was wondering what I had found fascinating about a jungle. There are scary animals in jungles. You sweat buckets and it is HOT! These are all things I don't like, but a writer does so many unpleasant things for the sake of authenticity in her book.

Despite my excursions into the jungle, I'm still enthralled with the rain forest. There is a beauty only God could have made. Our jungles are a vital area on this planet. There are still undiscovered plants and animals, I'm sure, in the rain forest around the world. Stepping into the jungle is like opening a treasure chest of the Lord's wonders.

I hope you enjoy my journey into God's treasure trove in Heart of the Amazon. You can read the first chapter on my web site.

Margaret Daley

Camy here: Thanks, Margaret!

I’ll be posting a review of this book sometime this week!

Yu Qian Anji Bai Cha tea review - MastersTeas.com

Today’s blog post is another review of the teas I received from Masters by Adagio Teas. Today I am reviewing the Yu Qian Anji Bai Cha green tea . See here for my thoughts on Masters Teas and its website in general. I took pictures of the tea before steeping and after steeping, but because the light is different on different days, I also included some rosemary and chocolate mint sprigs so you can compare the color of the tea. Yu Qian Anji Bai Cha: According to the website: “With its exquisite spear-like leaves, our Yu Qian Anji Bai Cha is a very young plucking. A gentle yet complex cup, it offers notes of spring flowers, sweet grass with traces of lychee. A beautiful tea for those who want the experience of a green tea without the sharp grassiness found in other styles.” “This tea contains a moderate level of caffeine. Steep at 170° for 2-3 minutes.” I put 1 heaping tablespoon of tea in 235 mL (about 1 cup) of 170℉ water for 3 minutes. Since the leaves are extremely long

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Lady Wynwood #7 early release Kickstarter

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Got my books!

Captain's Log, Supplemental Okay, I'm still at the library and Captain Caffeine sent me these pics since I wasn't home when they arrived: MY AUTHOR COPIES ARRIVED! Wow, that's just so cool. And I'm so glad Captain Caffeine sent me pics!

Tabi socks, part deux

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No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures

Romantic guys

Captain’s Log, Stardate 10.13.2006 Blog book giveaway: To enter, go to the blog links below and post a comment there. My Monday book giveaway is Thanks for the Mammogram! AND Reconstructing Natalie , both by Laura Jensen Walker . My Thursday book giveaway is Hot Flashes and Cold Cream by Diann Hunt . You can still enter both giveaways. On Monday, I'll draw the winners for the Laura Jensen Walker books and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Pick my title! I’m still holding a poll for the title of my book! Go to this blog post to cast your vote! Heroes: I’m a TV junkie, I admit it. I’m hooked on the new series called Heroes. (It’s like X-Men, but before they realized their powers and came together to become the X-Men. And without the funky costumes.) Okay, regardless of the X-Men type storyline, one of the heroines—a high school girl—is talking to a boy she likes, the quarterback of the football team. He’s sweet-talking her and being very flattering. She says

Grace Livingston Hill romances free to read online

I wanted to update my old post on Grace Livingston Hill romances because now there are tons more options for you to be able to read her books for free online! I’m a huge Grace Livingston Hill fan. Granted, not all her books resonate with me, but there are a few that I absolutely love, like The Enchanted Barn and Crimson Roses . And the best part is that she wrote over 100 books and I haven’t yet read them all! When I have time, I like to dive into a new GLH novel. I like the fact that most of them are romances, and I especially appreciate that they all have strong Christian themes. Occasionally the Christian content is a little heavy-handed for my taste, but it’s so interesting to see what the Christian faith was like in the early part of the 20th century. These books are often Cinderella-type stories or A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett) type stories, which I love. And the best part is that they’re all set in the early 1900s, so the time period is absolutely fasci

Toe socks

Captain's Log, Stardate 01.11.2008 Update: I also wrote out the pattern for a pair of tabi socks, or split-toe socks . I can't help bragging a little. I just finished my first pair of toe socks (I have an unfinished pair of toe socks somewhere, but this is my first completed pair). These are a belated (VERY belated) graduation present for one of my high school girls in the church youth group. She wanted toe socks in Slytherin colors. I had a time finding superwash sock yarn in green and silver, and you can tell these are very different types of yarn (one is merino superwash, the other is a wool/elastic blend). But they knit up at the same gauge (almost) and look quite nice, if I say so myself. They look a little creepy (almost like freaky alien hands). You can see the bump from the heel on the right sock. I used Michelle Cho's toe sock pattern Update: The previous link was taken down, but here's another that's actually a bit better: Unicornbooks.com toe socks pat

One-Skein Pyrenees Scarf knitting pattern

I got into using antique patterns when I was making the scarf my hero wears in my Regency romance, The Spinster’s Christmas . I wanted to do another pattern which I think was in use in the Regency period, the Pyrenees Knit Scarf on pages 36-38 of The Lady's Assistant for Executing Useful and Fancy Designs in Knitting, Netting, and Crochet Work, volume 1, by Jane Gaugain, published in 1840. She is thought to be the first person to use knitting abbreviations, at least in a published book, although they are not the same abbreviations used today (our modern abbreviations were standardized by Weldon’s Practical Needlework in 1906). Since the book is out of copyright, you can download a free PDF copy of the book at Archive.org. I found this to be a fascinating look at knitting around the time of Jane Austen’s later years. Although the book was published in 1840, many of the patterns were in use and passed down by word of mouth many years before that, so it’s possible these are

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Lady Wynwood #7 early release Kickstarter