I’m sure most of you have heard of our famous university, founded in 1209, and seen pictures like the ones in this post of its wonderful buildings. Walking through the cobbled, narrow streets of the city is still like stepping back in time. You really feel you’re in a special place – as if the air is filled with learning. Everywhere you look, there is awe-inspiring architecture and around every corner, there are impressive features that take your breath away.

There is also a sense of fun. There are gargoyles and whimsical carvings. There is the Mathematical Bridge – famed for its self-supporting construction (something complicated to do with tangents!) The apocryphal story is that it was designed by Sir Isaac Newton and was built without using nuts and bolts. The story continues that students eager to find out how it worked, disassembled it and tried to reassemble it unsuccessfully, having to resort to using nuts and bolts. Sadly, much as the romance of this tale appeals to me, it isn’t the truth at all!

Then there is the famous Corpus Christi clock – which we call the Locust Clock. Personally, I think it’s the ugliest thing ever, but it’s supposed to be a wonder of chronography!

You can’t look at the drainpipes and spires without thinking of the ‘Night Climbers’ – undergraduates, postgraduates and even dons who scale the buildings and wander the roofs under the cloak of darkness. If you want to read more about the Night Climbers – there is a fascinating book about the practice called THE NIGHT CLIMBERS OF CAMBRIDGE.

In preparation for today’s post, I did some research about Cambridge – so I could give you the answers to my Quick Five questions! I thought I knew the answer to where Cambridge got its name. Kind of obvious – bridge over the River Cam. But, in reality, the earliest name for the settlement here was Grantabrycge – bridge over the Granta. The River Cam was originally the River Granta and the name later changed to match the town. There has been a bridge there since at least 875!

Given how old the university is, I assumed there had been a settlement here from at least the Roman times. Indeed, there is evidence of a 3500 year old farmstead and an Iron Age settlement! By the time the Romans got here, there was already a decent-sized settlement. Cambridge was an important trading centre at the time of the Domesday Survey and has thrived to this day.

Cambridge has so many famous sons and daughters, either by birth or who have adopted Cambridge through having been here to study. The most recent ‘adoptees’, other than me *g*, are the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

There are many things that Cambridge is famous for – punting, scientific discoveries, being more likely to be run over by a cyclist than a car – a fun one is that the rules for the modern game of football (soccer) were drawn up here in Cambridge in 1848! And, of course, Cambridge has been the setting for many books, including the medieval murder mystery series by Susanna Gregory.

So, here is today’s Quick Five:

What is the name of your town/city/village? Do you know how it got its name?

How old is the town/city/village?

Are there any famous sons or daughters?

What do you love about your town/city/village?

Tell us one fun fact or ‘did you know’ about your town/city/village. Or, is it famous for anything?

One lucky commenter will win a Cambridge souvenir!

Sometimes you know something is gone forever, but good news pops up anyways! But then sometimes you’re looking for one thing and find another! And sometimes, you find what you were looking for and it turns out better than you ever imagined!

Example #1. Baseball Tickets.

My husband and I are HUGE baseball fans. We currently have 2 favorite teams. Our #1 team is always The Cleveland Indians. (I’ve done entire blogs about the team!!) Our #2 team is the Texas Rangers, our new home team. We root for them as long as they aren’t playing The Indians. Hubby’s birthday is a few days before the annual start of Baseball season, so after we moved to Dallas, I started buying him tickets to the series of games when Cleveland played here against Texas. Yes, he was quite shocked. Every year I try to get better seats, near the field and right behind the visitors, (Cleveland)’s dugout. Well, this year the tickets came and unfortunately I didn’t put them away where I would find them.

So, after a massive search of the house and no sign of the tickets, I reach out to the Rangers ticket office. 

Ah! The lovely man on the other end of the line chuckled. “Happens all the time, ma’am. Just have your husband present the email with the confirmation at the ticket office anytime before the game and we’ll print him up new ones.” HALLELUJAH! Did I mention he was a lovely man?

Example #2. Rocky’s coat scratcher. 

A while back I noticed Rocky-the-wonder-dog’s coat was looking a bit mangy. He’s a short-haired dog, so he sheds the extra thickness in  his coat every year about this time. I went to look for his coat scratcher, It’s this metal thing with zigzag teeth that I pull through his coat and it thins out his coat, bringing all the old dead hair with it. Could. Not. Find. It. Anywhere. It wasn’t in the usual spot where I always put it when I’m done. What the heck did I do with it?  The more days I couldn’t find it, the mangier poor old Rocky looked.

So, while I was hunting for tickets, what do I find? Yep! Rocky’s coat scratcher, outside, behind the chest where we store the out door furniture cushions in the winter. (Why was I looking for tickets out there? I was desperate, I tell you, desperate!) So, I spent the entire morning grooming Rocky, who did the bend-myself-in-two-because-it-feels-so-good act he does when I scratch him and now his coat is smooth and he looks way happier.

Example #3. VANISHED.

 A number of years ago, I was working on a book to follow KIDNAPPED and HUNTED. I’d started the book and then for presonal reasons, decided to change the entire book. So I began again, different premise, same characters. I worked on it for some time, but my heart was never into the new pages. In the mean time I had a WADD (Writer Attention Defecit Disorder) moment or two and moved on to other projects, eventually selling The Surrender of Lacy Morgan to Ellora’s Cave. 

Then I decided to try my hand at self publishing. KIDNAPPED and HUNTED  were out, but I knew I had more books in the series. I decided to make a novella with the married brother of the Edgars’ clan, Dave and his wife Judy. That turned into SEIZED, which will be out in June of this year.  

In the meantime, I revisited the idea of Luke’s story, (the youngest brother in the Edgars’ family). Unfortunately, my old computer died a year ago and when I moved files from it to this new one…I somehow manage to lose both the new and old stories I’d started for Luke. Dang it! I was going to have to start from scratch!! Sigh.

Well, back in January, I spent an entire 3 weeks unable to talk…no voice. So one day I’m sitting in my office staring at the hutch on my desk, when what do I spy? This little box containing those 3.5″ square discs I used to save my manuscripts to. OMG! You don’t think I could’ve possibly saved that original story there? 

A quick investigation found one labeled LUKE. OMG!! Hubby opened it on his computer, because my new one doesn’t have a drive for that and then he emailed it to me. Wha-la! There it was in all it’s glory!! Hallelujah!! I sat and read it. I still loved this original beginning and now felt it was the perfect way to tell Luke’s story. 

And the best part?

It was 12,500 words!!!

The working title is VANISHED, not because I couldn’t find it, but for other reasons, but hey, if the pun fits!! And hopefully, if I work really hard on it, YOU might get to read it in the fall.

So, do you ever lose things? Ever have something turn up when you least expect it? What was the oddest thing you ever lost? What was the most IMPORTANT thing you ever lost?What do you lose more than anything? 

ALISHA WOODS!!!

Congratulations, Alisha! Please drop Deb a line at deb AT debmarlowe DOT com and let her know whether you prefer a print or e-book. If e-book, just let her know the format you want.

Congratulations and thanks for visiting!

HIS SECRET AGENDA was my third book – it’s also the third book in my Serenity Springs series. Here’s the original back cover blurb:

Dean Garret is about to break the number one rule of undercover work. And it’s all because his new “boss” is as pretty as a professional cheerleader and has a do-gooder’s heart. Who can resist that combination? Still, Dean suspects Allison Martin is hiding something behind her dazzling smile. That something being the runaway mother and son he’s been hired to find.

To get the job done, he needs to gain Allie’s trust. Only, the lawyer-turned-bar-owner isn’t cooperating. But she can’t remain immune to his good ol’ boy charm and sexy drawl forever. Because Dean never fails. And he’ll do anything to solve a case. Even if it means he has to break all the rules.

That part about Allie being as pretty as a professional cheerleader still makes me smile!

I hadn’t really planned on throwing a party in the lair (there’s a lot going on at my house right now and believe me, things are crazy *g*) but  then I realized that maybe a party is just what I need *g* The only problem with hosting or attending a last-minute-get-together? What to serve/bring!

Tell me, what’s your Go To recipe? The one thing you make/bring/buy/serve when you’re short on time but still want to serve a winner? And, just for fun, which cover do you prefer?

Tina Williams!

Tina, please email Michelle on michellediener @ gmail.com (no spaces) and she’ll let you know how to claim your prize. Congratulations!

It’s always lovely to be here with you and the Banditas, Caren. I do hope Paolo doesn’t spill a drink down my blouse like he did last time…

Well, Damon assured me they have been working with him on his serving skills. Still, he does look awfully cute when he’s embarrassed! But I digress. Deb, I long anticipated getting my hands on The Love List. Reading the novella in An Encounter At the Museum just whetted my appetite! I’ll admit, I gobbled it up when I got it and it left me wanting more! But…it also left me with some questions. First, why don’t you tell our readers the premise behind The Love List.

Well, The Harris List of Covent Garden Ladies, a wickedly witty annual register of the city’s light skirts, was once a London tradition.  At the beginning of The Love List, as all of Europe celebrates the end of the long wars, Miss Brynne Wilmott discovers that Lord Marstoke, her malicious former betrothed, has revived the List–and turned it into a weapon.  With the reluctant help of the Duke of Aldmere, she sets out to thwart Marstoke–and discovers that his plans are more twisted and treasonous than anyone has suspected.  Yet the danger and intrigue are as nothing compared to the effect that Nathan and Brynne have on each other. . .

Okay, Deb, first I have love to know where did you the idea for resurrecting Harris’s List of Covent Garden Ladies?

I’d heard about the Harris List for years and I had a vague notion that I’d love to write a book about someone who ended up on the famous List of London’s prostitutes, but who didn’t belong there.  It wasn’t until I read some of the actual entries that I realized how witty and how tragic it really was . . . and then the idea really bloomed until the newly resurrected List became not just a sensation, but a weapon.  And I loved the idea of it being more than it seemed, so then the idea of it      being used in a more treasonous fashion came…and it fit with the real history of the time . . . so..Boom!  There you have it!

I found it a bit different from your other books, since there is quite a bit of suspense and political intrigue in The Love List, as well as a big romance. Did you set out to create a big suspense plot for the Half Moon House series or did it just evolve with the storyline of the book?

It was exactly what I wanted to write.  As soon as I read the real List, the idea came to use it in a plot.  I love a big romance with a lot of intrigue!  It keeps me turning pages when I read and keeps me writing them too!  I love to weave all the elements together into an emotionally satisfying, fun ride.

You definitely accomplished that! I know The Love List is Book 1 of your Half Moon House series. How many books do you plan to write and have you introduced any of the heroines for other books in The Love List?

The Love List is the first novel in the series.  There will be at least two more—The Leading Lady is coming next and we met Callie Grant, the heroine, in The Love List. I think readers will also be able to figure out who here hero is.  :-)  Then there is the connected novella—An Unexpected Encounter in the anthology An Encounter At the Museum.  It is set in the same world and includes Hestia Wright as a supportive character. There will be at least one more connected novella—and after that—we’ll see! 

I loved the novella. Actually, I loved all the novellas in An Encounter At the Museum and highly recommend it! The heroine of The Love List, Brynne Wilmott, is very intelligent and competent, yet she manages to conform to the expectations of a Regency miss…until she doesn’t. Was it a challenge to write such a strong heroine without tossing all the Regency mores out the window?

Actually it wasn’t difficult.  All those rules Society imposed on young girls in the Regency were meant to guarantee their safe-keeping and their happiness, at least on the surface.  (We could do another whole blog on maintaining the status quo, etc.)  Brynne followed all the rules, did as her family and Society expected—and is trapped in an unsupportable situation.  She follows the rules again, in seeking a way out—and the traditional system fails her.  At that point, all bets are off.  In my opinion, and thus hers, ( ) she is free to fight her way out by whatever means necessary.  So she does.  And if you read the book, you’ll see what a very good thing that turns out to be!

You can check out Deb’s entire bibliography and read excerpts on her website www.debmarlowe.com. Let’s check out an excerpt for The Love List:

She paused just before they reached the last door and looked up at him, her expression a stiff mix of defiance and pride.  ”It’s wonderful work that Hestia does here.  I’m proud to be a part of it, even for a short while.”  She glanced back the way they had come and then lifted her hand in a gesture that included all of the house and the people in it.  She met his gaze–and smiled.

He froze.  

Backwards.  Inverted.  Inside Out.  He didn’t know this girl.  Their acquaintance was incredibly brief and even more outlandish.  The natural order of their knowledge of each other was completely offset.  He knew how she looked when she was terrified and furious, annoyed and protective.  What he did not know was the expression she wore when she was introduced to someone, how she looked when she was relaxed and happy.  This was it, the first time he’d experienced her in a more commonplace manner–and it came with a wash of feeling that utterly shocked him.

Transformative, that smile.  It lit her from within like a burgeoning flame, starting small but climbing higher, warming her features, blending them into a perfect, gut-wrenching harmony.

Even more amazing was the effect it had on him.

I love the Duke of Aldsmere! Actually, I love all Regency Men In Boots. Speaking of which, I recall that in your About the Author bios, you mention your ongoing efforts to get one of the men in your life to don a pair of boots. Any progress on that front?

Keep working on them, Deb. I’m sure it will pay off at the end! Deb has generously offered a copy of The Love List (in reader’s choice of hard copy or e-book format) to a lucky commenter today. So here’s your question, Bandita Buddies: Do you like a little intrigue in your romance?  How about a bit of real history worked into a historical? And how about those men in boots?

CATHY P!!!

CathyP, just send me an e-mail at carencrane AT gmail DOT com and let me know what e-book format you prefer. Congratulations! 

Well, that’s that.  Disney came, Disney went, and we’re back to reality around here.  

Those of you following along at home will be delighted to know that Team Wicked Awesome  successfully completed our Disney Race.  On the left here is a  photo of me & my running buddy/trip planner extraordinaire Sarah just before embarking on the Expedition Everest 5k at Disney’s Animal Kingdom last weekend.  We’re dressed up as our favorite Disney villains, of course:  Sarah as Cruella DeVille from 101 Dalmations, me as Ursula the Sea Witch from the Little Mermaid.  I obviously couldn’t make my long, dark hair do Ursula’s bleached blonde spikes, so I settled for slapping on a light-up octopus fascinator & calling it  day.  

In addition to being adorable, however, we were also fast!   We managed to place 6th out of over 500 women’s teams.  On the right down there is me and my victory fist crossing the finish line. 

But I’m not here today to talk about my race.  No,I came home from this vacation with three key learnings.  Three vacation practices that have revolutionized my ability to take a vacation with my family & actually enjoy it.  And I’m going to share them with you. 

1)  PREPARATION/PLANNING.  

This sounds ridiculous, I know.  I mean, who takes a vacation without planning it?  But you’d be amazed at the amount of blow-back you can get from family members (who shall in this post remain nameless) who believe that trip planning kills spontaneity & therefore enjoyment.  They resist any effort to create plans, budgets, agendas, bullet points.  It is suggested–subtly–that any commitment beyond hotel reservations or airline tickets is over-thinking things. 

Ignore these people.  They are trouble.  Plan the heck out of your trip.  Don’t even bother attempting to get familial buy-in.  Pore over your guide books.  Buy attraction tickets and make dinner reservations six months in advance.  Make day-by-day agendas!  Wheeee!  You will not be sorry.  Trust me. 

However.  (You knew there was a however, didn’t you?  There’s ALWAYS a however.)  Please see #2 below.

2)  BE FLEXIBLE.

The key to all this planning?  You can’t get attached to your lovely plan.  When you vacation with family–and I was at Disney with my kids, my husband AND my parents, so we’re talking three generations–you have to be prepared to flex.  Everybody’s not going to want to do the same thing at the same time.  There are different levels of energy, ambition, interest.  Plus, what seemed totally do-able six months ago in the dead of winter when it was just you & your guide book might not be entirely feasible after three days of going hard in the summer heat.  

So when you’re building your lovely plans, make sure to build in escape hatches & loop holes.  Alternate agendas for the tired & the wired.  Opt-out clauses for golfers.  (This was key with my parents.  We bought them three day park passes as compared to our four-day passes & they went golfing mid-week rather than doing Hollywood Studios.)   Pay attention to the mood of your brood, & offer options accordingly.

Which brings me to the all-important lesson #3:

3)  VACATION IS NOT A DEMOCRACY.

Somebody has to be in charge of vacation.  If you sit around the breakfast table every day trying to achieve consensus on what we’re going to do today, you’ll likely still be sitting there at lunch, embroiled in inertia.  I know this because I am the third of four kids, & now that we all have spouses & children & dogs & such, our holiday gatherings aren’t family get-togethers so much as a week-long effort to mobilize the troops.  

Successful vacationing requires a leader.  It requires somebody who’s willing to slap an agenda on the breakfast table & say, “Here’s today’s plan.”   When/if objections arise, you then offer up your opt-out escape hatch alternatives.  But because you planned so well and so beautifully, you have those lovely dinner reservations or tickets bought in advance.  This gives your day some structure, a guidepost of sorts.  It’s very stabilizing to know that something is happening at a certain place & time, so everybody can meet back up for the day’s peak experience. 

Now I had the impression (likely from those same family members who are remaining anonymous for the duration of this post) that this sort of dictatorship was frowned upon by vacationers, but it is actually received with much gratitude.  People make decisions so much faster & more effectively when they’re presented with three distinct options rather than a whole buffet of choices.  So let them sneer at your six-months-out dinner reservation.  When the day comes, you can take your satisfaction in watching your vacation unfold like clockwork.

So there you have it.  Susan’s Simple Rules for Taking your Family on Vacation.  And all it took was 40 years & about as many vacations punctuated with melt-downs, shouting-matches & endless discussions regarding where we should eat. 

So how about you?  What are your tips & tricks for a great vacation?  I would love to add to my body of knowledge!