Tammy Falkner's Blog, page 9

Jane Charles took Ronald to a strip club!

Ronald received an invitation from one of my writer buddies, Jane Charles, to come and visit her in Illinois.  When I envisioned him visiting Jane, I imagined him going to the theater, maybe with some wine involved.   I should have KNOWN Jane Charles would take him to a strip club.  Anyway, here’s the note I got from her summing up their travels:

 

Ronald happened to arrive during a very busy weekend and I hoped the entertainment we had planned was something he would enjoy.  Our first visit was to a local community for their annual Pumpkin Festival.  Libby’s has a plant sale in Morton and every year at harvest time they have this fun festival with all kinds of pumpkin food — from pumpkin donuts to pumpkin pie and pumpkin pancakes.  Ronald’s favorite was the pumpkin ice cream.  He wanted the recipe because he thought it would be a good edition at Gunter’s, but they weren’t giving it up. And, I didn’t have the heart to tell him that Gunter’s no longer existed in our world.  He did not particularly care for the carnival atmosphere however. There were too many kids and too many people. A few of the rides were of interest to him, but he wanted to leave as soon as he was refused because he didn’t reach the height requirement. 

Besides the festival, Morton also had the Wall of Healing, which we visited prior to going to the festival.  The Wall of Healing is a replica of the Vietnam Memorial.  He was patient and somber while we walked the line and I pointed out my cousin’s name. 

Later that evening my husband took Ronald out to a club for gentlemen.  Ronald seemed rather excited and dropped names like Whites, Boodles and such.  He anticipated a quiet evening in a gentleman’s club sipping brandy.  However, he was rather shocked at our version of a gentleman’s club.  He turned several shades of red when he caught sight of the young ladies dancing upon the stage with barely a stitch of clothing on.  I believe he sputtered several times when he informed me of what type of establishment my husband had just frequented.  I can’t remember the last time my husband went to Big Al’s but he was willing to step through the doors to show Ronald a good time.  It is a fairly well-known establishment, beyond the boundaries of Illinois. Though Ronald did not appreciate being taken to such a place, he muttered the names of a few gentlemen who would have enjoyed the display however.

On Sunday Ronald was hopeful of some classier entertainment when I mentioned we would be going to the theatre.  I took him to see the musical 9 to 5. It wasn’t what he was expecting.  It was nothing like the shows he was accustomed to and barely clapped when the show was over. 

Because I couldn’t seem to find anything to do that Ronald would enjoy, I took him by Caterpillar World Headquarters the following day.  The picture was taken from a parking deck across the street because we could get the sign and Ronald in the same shot except from further away.  We couldn’t tour a plant, but on second thought, I doubt he would have enjoyed that. We drove by the new museum being built. He wanted to go there, but it won’t open until the end of the month.

All in all, I am afraid Ronald found Central Illinois a bit of a disappointment. 

 

Note from Tammy — I highly doubt Ronald found Big Al’s a disappointment.

Many thanks to Jane for taking him sight seeing in Illinois.  And to her hubby for taking one for the team and seeing that he found his way into Big Al’s.

By the way, have you read Jane’s books?  If not, I highly recommend them!

Ronald is still looking for places to visit between books. If you’d like to host an adventure with Ronald, please let me know.

Ronald went to Canada!

Ronald received an invitation to go to Canada with a friend of mine, Sandy H,  as he just got back and has some amazing photos to share.

 

First, there was Montreal, where he visited the Botanical Gardens and the Biodome.  He got to frolic in some flowers (which just happens to be the thing that garden gnomes like most — aside from wreaking havoc and eavesdropping).

 

 

 

 

Then he was off to visit parliament in Ottawa.

(That’s him there at the top of the stairs.)

 

 

Ronald is really enjoying his mini vacations between books, and if you’d like to host Ronald, he’d love to come for a visit. Just send us a note and let us know where you’d like to take him, and we’ll send him your way.   He might just go to work with you, or out to dinner with your family, or you could take him to visit a landmark or a famous person or place.  He’s pretty easy to please, and he fits in most luggage. 

Thanks to Sandy for taking Ronald along on her trip to Canada!

 

Ronald went to visit the Sourcebooks office!

I admit it. When Ronald (the garden gnome from A Lady and Her Magic) said that he needed a vacation between books, I was  a little skeptical. Ronald has been alive for more than two hundred years, and he’s seen a lot and done even more. He also has a penchant for getting in trouble.

 

On his list of things he wanted to see:

Ladies in bikinis and a ferry on the Atlantic Ocean
Great Falls, Montana – so he can visit a book blogger
Minot, North Dakota – so he can see where Lucie J Charles writes her books
A famous strip club in Chicago (I won’t tell you yet which famous author offered to take him here)
The Sourcebooks offices so he could meet the people who have published all of my books

Last week, he actually got to go to Sourcebooks and he had his picture taken with the cow in the lobby.  Funny story about that cow — the owner of Sourcebooks, Dominique Raccah, outbid Oprah Winfrey at an action to get that cow. I’ve seen it!  It’s a pretty awesome cow!

Here’s Ronald with the Sourcebooks cow:

 

Ronald is pretty busy, but he’s still adding stops to his itinerary. If you’d like to host Ronald and have him visit your workplace, famous attractions in your city, or just meet your family, please drop me a note and let me know!

 

Excellent Review from Yankee Romance

A LADY AND HER MAGIC

(Terra’s Thoughts)  This is an exceptionally wonderful fairy tale with spit and vinegar and loads of steamy scenes that will surly curl your toes.  Our author is a wonderful part of the known writing team of Lydia Dare and I have to say that I am really liking what Tammy Falkner has given up in this installment of her own.

Sophia Thorne is a rare beauty, enchanting, delightful and very, very outspoken.  She’s been schooled in the ways of the ton but is not looking forward to applying her lessons to real life with all the stringent ridiculous rules that must be adhered to or suffer the outcome of wagging tongues and scandal.  Her mission is plain and simple or so she thinks.

The Duke of Robinsworth is a man of scorn from the ton for the allegeded death of his wife some years past but did he do it?  A man handsome as the day is long is quite reluctant to deal with gossiping rags and miserable old bitties that wag their tongues more than a pendulum on a clock.  Is there a heart in this man of stone and ice and what will he do to keep that which is his?

The story is ripe with magic, hot with steamy scenes and paced beautifully with it’s smooth writing style.  Everything meshes easily and you zip through the story without batting your eyes.  I truly found this a breath of fresh air and I do so hope that Miss Falkner will give us much much more in the coming future.

Great review from Long and Short Reviews!

A LADY AND HER MAGIC

She’s on a mission: to remove the sadness from the Duke. She has a list of rules she cannot break and she’s determined not to. She does improve the Duke’s attitude, but she doesn’t have much luck with those rules…

Ms. Falkner writes a good story that flows well and is full of spirit, emotions, and love for the two main characters. When Sophia calms his little girl, he’s impressed. When Sophia sees him, she feels butterflies in her stomach. Nobody said he was that good looking! While Sophia works on her goal, which is to make him accept his wife’s death and stop blaming himself for it, he’s working on his goal. He wants to capture her heart. One of Sophia’s rules is that she can’t tell him she’s Fae.

The author placed Sophia in the human world with her grandmother, a maid, and a garden gnome who follows her around. Ms. Falkner gave her a difficult assignment: it’s hard to complete her mission without falling in love with the Duke. The supporting characters often express frustration with her, especially Ronald, the garden gnome. Three of the main supporting cast include the Duke’s brother who goes out of his way to have words with Sophia, their mother and a decidedly wicked grandmother. I spent time laughing about what Grandma brought up at parties; she cared not who was listening. While all this going on, the author takes me back to the world of Fae and where the grandfather is plotting. I knew something was going on, but I wasn’t sure how it would all turn out.

I enjoy stories about the world of Fae and this author does a very nice job of melding the two worlds together. She gives you fun characters with lots of quirks to make them interesting and the result of her work is magical on its own.

If you like a touch of magic in your stories, this book is for you. If you believe in the power of love, this book is also for you. And if you like a good adventure, this one will work for that, too. Why not get a copy and see what you think?

Book Give-Away!

Since I got this awesome box full of books today, I decided to…  GIVE SOME AWAY!

Here’s how it works –

To enter, all you have to do is go and “like” my Facebook page.  For every 100 likes I get, I’ll give away one book on Monday  afternoon. (7/20/12)

Don’t worry, if you already liked my Facebook page, you’re already entered to win.  So, tell your friends, family and feel free to tell complete strangers you meet on the street so they can enter to win, too!

Good luck!