Snippet Sunday: Breakfast With Gram

Another short passage from our manuscript, this featuring Gabriel paying a visit to his grandmother in Ireland at the end of a working trip in the British isles....

Saturday morning saw Gabriel awake early. After checking out of the hotel, he drove out of Galway in a rental, along the familiar roads to Headford. It wasn’t long until he was in the town, pulling into a parking space by his grandmother’s home. Bridget was already awake, greeted him with a hug, fussed over him, and brought him back to the kitchen, where she was engaged in making pancakes. The smell of cinnamon, sugar, and flour filled the room.

“So, Gabriel,” she said breezily. “Tell me about it.” 

 

 “About what?” he asked, digging into a pancake.  

 

“Something’s changed about you,” she remarked. 

 

 He smiled. “Can’t get anything past you, could I?”

Rubbing Shamrocks And Other Misadventures

It is St. Patrick's Day today, and across many lands, partygoers will get hammered with green beer, and wake up in the morning with a stranger in their bed. We thought we would avoid that stranger in the bed scenario and just get straight to the sex. Green cupcakes and some body paint might be involved. And at one point, we might holler Erin Go Bragh in the heat of passion. In the meantime, we leave you with an image blog for the day.

If you happen to wake up with a stranger in the morning, hopefully it's someone reasonably attractive, as opposed to someone who reminds you of your despotic tenth grade English teacher. If it is your tenth grade English teacher, you might want to cut back on the green beer next year.

Snippet Sunday: Grandmotherly Advice

Another passage from early on in our manuscript, and this has Gabriel with his grandmother in Ireland, visiting the graves of his parents and grandfather, the two in conversation.

            “I just want you to be happy, Gabriel. You’re a good man, and I’m not just saying that because you’re my grandson. I’m saying it because it’s true. You’ve got a good heart, and that needs to be shared.” She paused, looking around, as if to make sure no one was close by. “Oh, good. We’re off the church grounds. I can say this without blushing. At the very least, you know... you need to get naked every once in awhile with someone you love.”

            “Gran!” he exclaimed in a tone of mock horror.

            “Oh, shush! Your grandfather and I were still....”

            Gabriel clasped his hands to his ears. “I’m not listening! La la la la la!”

            Bridget laughed. “All right, I’ll stop tormenting you. Come on now, lad. Take me to the pub. We’ll have a pint and some of that good meat pie.”

Is That A Lucky Charm In Your Pocket, Or Are You Just Happy To See Me?

It's that time of year again, St. Patrick's Day, where across the world we celebrate a Roman-British saint who may have driven the snakes out of Ireland while dispensing Christianity to the Irish... and we celebrate by getting hammered. Scarlett and I thought we'd mark the day with some amusements and some music.

We'll be spending the evening rubbing shamrocks on each other... looking for lucky charms and buried treasures. Mostly in between the sheets. If you happen to hear something that sounds like an old fashioned Irish Banshee wail, well, that's just us. No need to be alarmed or call in an exorcist.

We'll leave you then with something musically inclined... U2, performing Walk On live at Slane Castle in Ireland. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Six Sentence Sunday

Today we have another Six Sentence Sunday, and this is taken from early on in Same Time Tomorrow. One of our two main characters, Gabriel Miller, having had finished a photo assignment in Scandinavia, has stopped in Ireland to pay a visit to his grandmother Bridget, who lives there in retirement, the last living member of his family. Before going to see her, he is having a moment of reflection near a church in her hometown, Headford, in County Galway.

St. Mary's Parish, Headford, Ireland

His work kept him on the road. It also rewarded him with the chance to travel, but from time to time, he felt this way. That he was missing something, and the absence troubled him. Coming home to an empty home, lad. That’s what’s bothering me. Gabriel shook his head, banishing the thought, and walked back towards the car.

Luck Of The Irish

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day, and Scarlett and I plan to be celebrating in our usual manner. Interrupting the St. Patrick's Day parade by getting frisky, naked, and up close and personal with thousands of people watching.

We've always enjoyed having an audience. And on St. Pat's Day, there's a lot of drinking...they probably won't remember us afterward. Or they'll think we were an hallucination!

We came across this saying some days ago, and it gave us both a laugh. Then it gave us an idea for Same Time Tomorrow. You see, though Chloe and Gabriel are now married, she still hasn't actually seen his home. Her best friend Dana has pointed out, in fact, that Gabriel could have a painting of dogs playing poker on his wall.

Instead, we thought this might be more appropriate.  It does suit Gabriel perfectly.

It does! So, one more scene to write!

In the meantime, St. Pats is upon us. Some will spend the day drinking. Others will spend the day singing old Irish tunes. Scarlett and I want to try out licking green frosting off each other.

Saint Patrick is said to have driven the snakes out of Ireland. I just want to charm one particularly responsive snake-- if you know what I mean....

Oh, I do!

Before we go, we thought we'd leave you with this mistaken headline from Ireland... that gives the two of us all sorts of naughty ideas:

As if we don't come up with enough naughty ideas of our own! Like the Irish, if our eyes are smiling, we're usually up to something.... and that would be all the time! 

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone! If you hear anyone crying out where's my lucky charms, well, that's the two of us getting a little kinky.

Kiss Us, Our Character's Irish

 Well, darling, here we are. St. Patrick's Day is upon us. Isn't there a line about Kiss me, I'm Irish? Or something like that?

That's it, my love. 

I'm a little bit Irish. Shall I show you which bit so you can kiss it?

Oh, by all means. You know how much I like kissing every exquisite bit of you. I think between the two of us, the expression ought to be Sleep With Me, I'm Irish. Not that we get a lot of sleeping in.

I've never understood why anyone says they're sleeping with someone. If they're sleeping, they're not doing it right.

Of course not! And really, who can sleep with all that sex going on?

Anyway, before we get carried away with ourselves... yes, right... can't let ourselves do that, can we?

They say that St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland, and for that, we drink green beer and eat Irish stew every March the Seventeenth... Scarlett, that's not a snake.

Well, it certainly is striking at me. And I've always wanted to be a snake charmer--you know, play music for it and watch it rise out of the basket. 

Oh, will you look at that? And I haven't played a single note!

That's because it's rather fond of you.

I'm more than a little fond of it, too.

And look--it found my Irish part!

Oh, yes, so I see... It's so well acquainted with your... ahem, Irish part.

What do you suppose it is about St. Patrick's that brings out the Irish in us? Why do we feel compelled to wear green? Which reminds me, I really like that emerald green teddy on you...

I used a bit of green hair dye as well. No, not on my head, silly!

Oh really? Hmmm, let me have a look.... oh, my... yes, I do so like that! Very fetching, darling. Shall we try some of that on me too?

I was hoping you'd want to! It tastes like peppermint,

Oh, right. Where were we? Aside from shameless flirting...

I've covered our bed in shamrocks....

Darling goddess, what an idea!

In that case, shall we adjourn to the bedroom?

I thought you'd never ask!

Ladies and gentlemen, you'll have to go off and celebrate St. Patrick's Day yourselves. And if you happen to hear one of us moaning, Faith and Begorrah, we're just having a little fun. Or a lot of fun.

One of us? We're not both going to be moaning? 

Of course we will! I'm sure that let me touch your shamrock will turn up in our pillow talk moanings sooner or later.

Please excuse us...I think that darling snake is looking for a place to hide....