The Cynical Sailor & His Salty Sidekick

28 November 2018

Wordless Wednesday | Turkey Vultures

Wordless Wednesday is supposed to be about posting a photo(s) without any words. But, I'm a rule breaker, so here are a few words:

1 - We've been trying to go for a walk every morning. Along the way, we often run into the neighborhood turkey vultures.

2 - I always think of turkey vultures as the thugs of the avian world. Not the type of bird you'd want to run into in a dark alley.

3 - Here's a bit of strange trivia about turkey vultures that Google offered up: "Nestling Turkey Vultures projectile vomit to defend themselves." Gross, but I guess you got to do what you got to do to defend yourself.

What words does this picture(s) bring to your mind when you look at it?

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, click here.

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26 November 2018

Life Lately At Indiantown Marina

It's been ages since I've done a "Life Lately..." post. I'd say it's about time we had one, wouldn't you? so here's a few pictures and a few words about what's been happening lately at Indiantown Marina.

We had a fun Women Who Sail get-together on Halloween (the guys joined later). I was in awe of the culinary creativity of the ladies. Why yes, that pumpkin really is vomiting guacamole.

The bats on these deviled eggs are adorable. Just make sure you don't think they're edible. A couple of people made that mistake.

Our marine toilet is broken and we've been trying to decide whether to switch over to a composting one. Our friend Sandy on s/v Ragtime Gal built one and gave us a demonstration of their system. Yes, this is the kind of thing cruisers talk about. Just normal chit-chat about pee and poo.

Boat projects are in full swing. We've in the process of redoing our portlights (three down, one to go). Goodbye leaky boat.

This guy's name is Tick Tock. Alligators don't freak me out like they used to.

Before you know it, Halloween is over and Thanksgiving is on its way. Notice the use of the palm frond for the turkey's tail? That's how you do things in sunny Florida.

The marina throws a week-long Thanksgiving celebration with music, food, and drink. Seats are at a premium, but our friend, Michele, is the best when it comes to saving seats for everyone. You know what's better than Thanksgiving turkey? Thanksgiving ham! Who would have thunk it.

What's been going on in your life lately? What do you think about composting toilets?

21 November 2018

Wordless Wednesday | Chloe The Coconut Husking Dog

Wordless Wednesday is supposed to be about posting a photo(s) without any words. But, I'm a rule breaker, so here are a few words:

1 - Say hi to Chloe, an adorable chocolate Labrador retriever who belongs to some friends of ours. Or should I say they belong to her? That's how it works with pets, isn't it? You belong to them?

2 - Chloe loves husking coconuts. I think she looks forward to coming down to Florida from Canada to get her paws on some coconuts.

3 - I'm not a big fan of coconut in cookies, cakes, and the like, but I do like it in curries.

What words does this picture(s) bring to your mind when you look at it?

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, click here.

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19 November 2018

Bodies In The Boatyard Now Available!

Bodies in the Boatyard is now available! This is the second book in the humorous and light-hearted Mollie McGhie cozy sailing mystery series. (If you're new to the series, start with Murder at the Marina.)

Remember when Scooter thought it was a great idea to get Mollie a dilapidated sailboat as an anniversary present? Well, now he has a new hare-brained scheme--sell their adorable seaside cottage and move on board. Mollie and their cat, Mrs. Moto, are less than impressed. Then, when someone gets murdered in the boatyard, things get even worse.

Ebook available at: Amazon (US) | Amazon (CA) | Amazon (UK) | Amazon (AU) | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Apple iBooks | Google Play

Paperback available at: Amazon

BLURB

Selling your house and moving onto a rundown sailboat—not a dream come true. Finding dead bodies in the boatyard—a total nightmare.

Mollie McGhie loves her beachfront cottage. When her husband announces that he wants to sell the house, downsize, and move onto their dilapidated sailboat, she’s not impressed.

When the boat starts leaking, she secretly hopes it will sink. Instead, they haul her out of the water and into the boatyard. Fixing the boat up is bad enough, but when Mollie finds someone has been killed nearby, things get even worse.

Mollie takes matters into her own hands and investigates the mysterious death in the boatyard, along with her adorable feline companion, Mrs. Moto. While she searches for clues, she meets more of the quirky characters who live in the small Floridian town of Coconut Cove, learns about sea turtles, overcomes her fear of public speaking, and, of course, eats way too many sugary treats.

Can Mollie catch the killer before someone else ends up dead?

STAY UP-TO-DATE WITH MY FREE NEWSLETTER: Click here to sign up and stay in touch. You can expect occasional updates from me, typically about new releases and projects I’m currently working on, as well as snippets about life aboard our sailboat.

Many, many thanks to all of you for your support and encouragement! Bodies in the Boatyard wouldn't have happened without you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

14 November 2018

Wordless Wednesday | Boat On Fire At Indiantown Marina!

Wordless Wednesday is supposed to be about posting a photo(s) without any words. But, I'm a rule breaker, so here are a few words:

1 - A boat caught on fire at Indiantown Marina. There were several fire trucks, ambulances, a HazMat team, and sheriff's deputies in full force.

2 - The word on the street is that the guy was working with epoxy and using acetone to clean up. A halogen bulb fell in the area he was working in causing the boat to go up in flames.

3 - Fortunately, no one was hurt. But the boat is a total loss.

4 - The fumes from the fire smelled awful and were probably quite toxic.

What words does this picture(s) bring to your mind when you look at it?

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, click here.

Thanks for stopping by our blog - we love it when people come visit! We're also on Facebook - pop by and say hi!

12 November 2018

October In Numbers

Clockwise from upper left: (1) Early voting; (2) Creative Halloween potluck dish - a zombie made out of meatloaf and bacon; (3) Breakdown #1; (4) Breakdown #2; (5) Some of the Indiantown ladies in their awesome costumes; and (6) Yes, it's still hot in Florida and everyone is wearing sandals or flip-flops of some sort.

Cruising season is just around the bend with the end of hurricane season coming up on November 30th. People are starting to come back to the marina to get their boats ready to head on out sailing in Florida, the Bahamas, and beyond. Boat projects are in full swing on s/v Tickety Boo, along with plenty of fun social events to distract ourselves from all the money, time, sweat, and tears everyone is pouring into their boats.

Now, without further ado, here are some of the random things that happened at the marina last month in numbers:

6 - Number of books I read during October. 2 writing-related, 1 cozy mystery, 1 graphic novel, 1 literary fiction, and Deb Akey's lovely book, >>The Essence<< (read my review here).

2 - Number of times our Nissan Pathfinder broke down. Thanks goodness for wonderful friends who helped us out with the loan of their car, giving us a ride back to the marina, and helping tow our car off to the side of the road. There was also a very kind stranger who stopped by the side of the road and gave Scott a ride back to the marina the second time that the car broke down.

2 - Number of Nissan Pathfinders with Oregon plates in Indiantown. (Our boat neighbor has the other one).

3 - Number of potlucks. Good food, good company and, at the Halloween potluck, good costumes.

2 - Number of sailboats on the cover of my latest cozy mystery, Bodies in the Boatyard. A good chunk of last month was spent prepping for the release on November 19th.

16 - Number of mini-chocolate chips I've been putting into my morning oatmeal lately, along with a spoonful of peanut butter. It's like have a giant cookie for breakfast.

1 - Number of tree frogs that live in the cockpit of our boat. We call him Freddy.

0 - Number of interesting things I have left to say about the past month.

In case you missed them, here are some of our favorite posts from last month both here and on my author blog:

Hairless Cats, Living in a Simulation & Blogging Changes
Wordless Wednesday: Mail Call & UFOs
Organizing Blog Tours during a Book Release

How did last month go for you? What are you looking forward to this month?

Thanks for stopping by our blog - we love it when people come visit! We're also on Facebook - pop by and say hi!

07 November 2018

Mrs. Moto's Murder Meows & Bodies In The Boatyard | IWSG

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is a place to share and encourage, where writers can express their doubts and concerns without appearing foolish or weak. It's a great place to mingle with like minded people each month during IWSG day.

Every month there's an optional question which may prompt folks to share advice, insights, a personal experience or story. Some folks answer the question in their IWSG blog post or let it inspire them if they're struggling with what to say.

This month's question is:

"How has your creativity in life evolved since you began writing?"

Check out how people have answered this month's question, as well as the other insecurities and writing topics they may have shared by visiting the IWSG sign-up list here. You can see how I answered the question below. This month's co-hosts are Elizabeth Seckman, Ann V. Friend, JQ Rose and myself.

* * *

EDITOR'S NOTE: I found Simon the Time Traveling Cat batting around a crumpled up piece of paper the other day. When I unfolded it, I discovered that it was a diary entry written by a Japanese bobtail cat named Mrs. Moto. By the way, Simon's at the vet today. He sends his warmest regards. Wait, who am I kidding - all he did was growl and hiss when I mentioned that it was the monthly IWSG blog hop. So here's what Mrs. Moto has to say instead.

Thursday, February 14th

Dear Diary,

Humans are weird. I should know - I live with two of them. One of them is tall and wears glasses. People call him Scooter. He's good with a can opener. A very important skill. Those cans of Frisky Feline's Ocean's Delight aren't going to open themselves.

The other one is named Mollie. She's constantly complaining about her frizzy hair. I don't know how many times I've demonstrated my beauty regime to her. Wet your paw (or hand) with your tongue, wipe all over, and, voila, you have smooth, glossy fur (or hair) in no time. Instead, she uses these things called straighteners and then complains when she burns her ears.

But back to the weirdness of humans. The frizzy-haired lady believes in aliens and UFOs. Talk about your crazy ideas. I heard her tell a friend the other day that she thinks her experience writing about unexplained phenomena has made her more creative in other parts of her life. She rambled on for a while about how she thinks about art and music differently now.

It got to be a really boring conversation. So I knocked a glass off of the table. That livened things up.

If she really wants to know what true creativity is all about, she should check out where I deposited my latest hairball. Possibly the most creative spot I've come up with to date. I wonder if she'll scream when she finds it.

The humans are going out for a romantic Valentine's Day dinner tonight. I hope they bring me back something good to eat. Fish would be nice.

* * *

This month's question was an interesting one. I'm not sure that I'm more creative in other aspects of my life, but I think I'm much more appreciative of all that goes into other people's creative pursuits. When I'm listening to a song or looking at a painting, I feel like I have a better idea of all of the hours, days, months, even years in some cases, that it took the artist to transform a germ of an idea into a final product.

* * *

Exciting news!!! >>Bodies in the Boatyard<< is now available for pre-order!!!

Okay, that was probably more exciting for me than for you. But I'm sure you'll excuse my enthusiasm and excessive use of exclamation points because you all are nice that way.

So, yeah, can you believe it, I've about to release my second cozy mystery on Monday, November 19th! {Sorry, yet another exclamation point slipped out.} If you'd like to pick up a copy and find out what Mollie, Scooter, and Mrs. Moto have been up to since they bought their dilapidated sailboat, Marjorie Jane, you can pre-order ebooks at:

Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | Amazon (CA) | Amazon (AU) | Kobo | Nook | Apple Books | Google Play (coming soon)

Paperback and large print will be available closer to the release date.

Find out more on my author site.

BLURB

Selling your house and moving onto a rundown sailboat—not a dream come true. Finding dead bodies in the boatyard—a total nightmare.

Mollie McGhie loves her beachfront cottage. When her husband announces that he wants to sell the house, downsize, and move onto their dilapidated sailboat, she’s not impressed.

When the boat starts leaking, she secretly hopes it will sink. Instead, they haul her out of the water and into the boatyard. Fixing the boat up is bad enough, but when Mollie finds someone has been killed nearby, things get even worse.

Mollie takes matters into her own hands and investigates the mysterious death in the boatyard, along with her adorable feline companion, Mrs. Moto. While she searches for clues, she meets more of the quirky characters who live in the small Floridian town of Coconut Cove, learns about sea turtles, overcomes her fear of public speaking, and, of course, eats way too many sugary treats.

Can Mollie catch the killer before someone else ends up dead?

How do you express your creativity? Has your creativity changed over time?