You are All Cordially Invited to my Marvelous Sunset Cocktail Party!

Darlings, you all look fabulous in your most glamorous party frocks and such!  Help yourself to an ice cold martini (or two!), nibble on a shrimp puff canape and join in the celebration of new found friendships!

It’s been delightful connecting with so many people — fellow writers, readers, even old friends and newly associated acquaintances who share my kitten heeled free spirit!  So many of you have shared such great stories and tales of your adventures, mishaps, highs and lows.  You’ve all been so welcoming, I’m truly touched to share our common ground.

On this road of new experiences, there have been a few bumps, even a stint in the virtual pokey for just being too fast and friendly (can that really be true of a fun-loving, bighearted Social Butterfly), but worth it.  This blog entry is dedicated to all of you, friends who have been there since before the beginning and those who are future pals.  Thank you for taking the time to share a laugh or two.

Toodles,

Barbara Jean

Happy Anniversary, Barbara Jean! What a Year It’s Been!

We couldn’t believe it when WordPress informed us that we had been writing our blog for Poppy Cove Mysteries for an entire year!  It made us stop & think about what a year it’s been, the velocity it has moved at & how much had changed, & yet how much has stayed the same.

To go back tho just over a year ago, we had just finished writing our first book, STRANGLED BY SILK & knew we had to come up with a suitable (which in this case, means fun!) pen name to represent ourselves, the stories, place & time.  Barbara Jean Coast, with a sparkling champagne personality & fun-loving half-wit was born!

Then we started looking at how to reach our future readers, getting published, going from a handwritten manuscript to a published novel, finding complete strangers who would fall in love with our story as much as we have.  We researched agents & publishers, in both new & traditional way.  We got our hopes up, got rejected, our hopes dashed, praying & visualizing our way through the process, all the while knowing we had a good tale that needed to be shared.  Then, one quiet day, an e-mail showed up with an offer from Cozy Cat Press.  We were thrilled, but took our time, considered our options & future plans & happily signed the contract.

Now we have a terrific publishing home that suits us well with a great group of writers & many new friends, a tangible copy of STRANGLED BY SILK, & to our pleasure, the start of a fan base.  We’re learning how to reach our readers better & converse through the start of interviews & questions.  Best of all, we’re still finding the time to write more of our Poppy Cove Mysteries & loving our lives.

 

Margot & Daphne’s Fabulous Fashion Tips for the Modern 1950’s Woman, Part 2

Hello, guys & dolls!  This week I’m continuing to share with you some of my STRANGLED BY SILK gals’ tips for their modern times.  All meant in fun, tongue & cheek fashion.  You decide if it shows how much we have changed & how much really stays the same in our hearts.

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The lovely new bakelite and cut glass bijoux brooches are very versatile.  Not only do they complete your look, but if you happen to spill a little on your lapel or collar, just strategically place to cover your minor inconvenience.

 

Dorothy Parker is very clever, but men do make passes at women who wear glasses–horn rimmed with rhinestone cat-eyes, that is.  They give a certain perkiness to a girl.  Just for a blast, try a pair with plain glass in them if you have perfect vision and practice making eyes over the top—it’ll send them.

 

Always leave the house in full control of your appearance.  Place a mirror just inside your front door to give yourself the once over – is your lipstick in a bright and even coat, powder giving you a natural glow, eyeliner and shadow smudged in that perfect way? 

 

Don’t forget, that as you give your hair the last coat of lacquer, a quick spritz over the face sets your make-up for the day.  Be sure to close your eyes first.

 

 

Scent makes the woman.  Many new fragances have such wonderful layering complementary products.  Before an important night out on the town, pamper yourself in a warm scented bath, followed by talcum powder and eau de parfum in the same aroma.  The men will be left breathless as you waft around the room.

 

 

Never forget your foundations.  A simple combination of the new cantilevered brassiere, girdle, garter, full or camisole and half slip, crinoline for a full skirt and stockings will make any modern girl look trim and carefree.

Hope you enjoyed just a little glimpse of knowledge in the Poppy Cove world.  To learn more about this gentile way of life, be sure to give STRANGLED BY SILK a read!

Toodles,

Barbara Jean

 

Margot & Daphne’s Fabulous Fashion Tips for the Modern 1950’s Woman, Part 1

Hello, guys & dolls!  This week I’m sharing with you some of my STRANGLED BY SILK gals’ tips for their modern times.  All meant in fun, tongue & cheek fashion.  You decide if it shows how much we have changed & how much really stays the same in our hearts.

When heading out on a picnic, choose a sleeveless shirtdress style with a fitted bodice to emphasize your shapely figure, but full skirt to allow for modesty and coverage as you nosh on the lawn.  Try one of the new mod cotton prints for fun and avoid gingham, as it may make you look like the tablecloth.

Out for a swim?  Why not be daring and try one of the new two piece suits.  Be sure it has a fully supported top and skirted bottom to show off just the right amount of  feminine assets.

Gloves are a must for social events, day or night.  Wrist length cotton are perfectly acceptable for daytime, in white or pale dove grey to best complement your ensemble.  For evening, select satin or velvet, in black, white or the same color as your gown.  Not only do they protect your delicate hands, but as a single girl, casually dropping one accidentally in the presence of an eligible bachelor could gently start the chase.  The same application can be used with married couples, to help the wife gauge if her husband is paying enough attention to her.

Is the man in your life charming, but short on stature?  Not to worry, the new fashionable ballerina flats are becoming just as popular as stillettos.

And, speaking for the men, why not help him relax and break out of his gray flannel work uniform on the weekend?  Surely the man in your life, albeit boyfriend, husband or father would certainly appreciate the weekend backyard barbeque more wearing the new modern casual look of Hawaiian prints and Hurache sandals.  Be sure to inform him that socks are not part of the new look.

Toodles,

Barbara Jean

Who are the People in your Neighborhood?

This week we celebrated Daphne Huntington-Smythe’s birthday.  She’s one of our two main heroines in STRANGLED BY SILK & we realized that to us, she feels real, flesh & blood, just like the rest of our characters & it gave us much thought about what goes into creating the people in our world.

The Poppy Cove Mysteries are strongly character driven; the stories colored with details of plot & description.  We started with the concept of a cozy murder & our victim was born, ironically just to die.  Still, we needed to know her background & why it would happen, her behavior, her experiences & nature.  Then the heroines who would solve the mystery and become our amateur sleuths.  The two of them would have a long term presence & relationship, & each be distinct enough to be their own people, but have enough in common to be copacetic.  They need to balance & bring things out in each other in a realistic & believable manner.  Then comes the suspects & a supporting cast of characters, some one offs, some continuing, evolving & growing as anyone does.

We have reams of paper, binders of details regarding birthdays, places, milestones, characteristics, both physical & emotional, of where our people have been & where they’re going.  Also, their hobbies, interests & passions for people & things, as well as their strengths & shortcomings, as they tell them to us.  The learning curve itself is fascinating, with the art of consistency being its own challenge.  The more we get to know the Santa Lucians, the more the stories unfold, telling us where they go from here.

Thank you all for your interest into our world.  Sharing these people with you makes the process complete.  If you like what you’ve read here, be sure to check out STRANGLED BY SILK!

Toodles,

Barbara Jean Coast

aka Andrea Taylor & Heather Shkuratoff

The Allure of the Cozy

When we started writing STRANGLED BY SILK under the pen name of Barbara Jean Coast, it became apparent to us that it would unfold as a cozy mystery & before long was shaping into a series.  There was so much to tell about our fine people & place that one book would not suffice.

Cozies harken back to Agatha Christie & Ngaio Marsh for the adults & Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys & Enid Blyton stories for the younger set to just name a few.  They’re a gentle read with a sense of humor, quirky characters & bucolic settings.  The reader is spared graphic gory details, lazy use of foul language & explicit sex & are treated to intelligent entertainment & witty dialogue, with a black sense of the human condition in a fun & fast pace.

Currently, there are many great authors of the category, all with their own take & so many really talented ones that it feels difficult to just name a couple — we tried to, but every time we felt that we had left someone out & also publishers of the genre — from independent authors, small presses (such as ours, Cozy Cat Press), & big name established print houses.  Sometimes the sleuth is involved in detective work, but quite often the leads are entrepreneurs, housewives, generally happy folks minding their own business, who have accidentally tripped into a deadly situation, drawing the readers’ curious nature into their lovely worlds of small towns & light romance, set in the past or present.  Cozies are more about the mind behind the murder than the violent act itself & written in such a way that the loyal reader turns into follower by getting so attached to the place & people, & can’t wait for the next tale, a visit into another world.  Often the heroine is a woman, but there are some great new male mystery sleuths rounding out the picture.

Getting STRANGLED BY SILK published by Cozy Cat press this year was a dream come true.  We feel so honored to have joined the ranks of such fine storytellers in this classic genre.  So pull up a chair, pour yourself a drink & get cozy with one of the many great series out there!

Toodles,

Barbara Jean Coast

aka Andrea Taylor & Heather Shkuratoff

 

The Marriage of Writing & Mystery, or How Does One Become Cinderella?

Oh, the it’s the writing life for me!  Last week, my darlings, we discussed the path of true love, both in romance & writing.  Why not put on your favorite Sinatra record & have a gander at how to keep the love alive?  Over the threshold we go!

Ah, the honeymooners — eyes glazed over, so in love, the world stops just for you.  In that dreamy state of recently wedded bliss, you can do no wrong, there’s no plan too big, you are invincible.  Just like when your first start promoting your book.  Your friends & fans love you, you think you’ve written the best story ever & the world will feel the same, the future is boundless, how can it not be the bestseller of all time?  Even your mother approves.

Shortly after, you come home & settle down, the newlywed phase.  Setting up house, getting used to each other & let the squabbles begin.  Don’t forget the cap on the toothpaste & better pick up your socks off the living room floor, mister!  And how were you to know that he didn’t like ‘squash surprise’ or that he was going to home lat and the casserole would be ruined?  So goes writing & promoting of your beloved tale — your ideas don’t flow on the new story, sales stall, crickets are the only creatures who come to your events, your clever comments are met with rejection.  What is a naive girl to do?

And we are tested to be made of stronger stuff — we flash out in the new filmy negligee, use your department store charge account for the fire engine red lipstick, to be met with, “Ah honey, I’m watching the game,” & “How am I supposed to pay this bill?”  You set yourself down on the couch, romance novel & bonbons at hand, trading feather mules for fuzzy slippers.  The same as going back to the pencil & paper, setting the timer to write out the time, one word, one letter after another, not looking at reviews or rankings, surrendering over your heart to what you really want, the love & comfort of the tale.

Then the magic really kicks in.  You stay the course — he tucks your hair behind your ear, gives you ‘that look’ out of the blue, says thank you unprompted.  Your heart awakens & every moment becomes worth it.   You understand a little more about commitment — love takes over, sees you through & shows you how good the adventure has already been.  As in writing when the stories & the characters see you through the trying times, bringing new & loyal readers who care about your plot lines & people as much as you do.  They are eagerly awaiting your latest novel.  A glowing review shows up that once again makes your heart beat faster.  Time to put on a warm smile, pick up the pen, take a deep breath & write happily ever after!

Toodles,

Barbara Jean