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| Summer Travelogue |
Labor Day weekend is the unofficial end of summer, so today, to round out the series with the last of the travelogues, my friend and talented mystery author, Marsha R. West. Ending this summer series on a high note, Marsha is offering a copy of her book, Vermont Escape, to a lucky commenter. Marsha says it was an escape to Red River years ago that was the inspiration for Vermont Escape. Winner will be chosen after 9 pm EDT on Sunday.
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| Romantic Suspense |
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Red River, New Mexico Escape by Marsha R. West
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| Out West in New Mexico USA |
One of my favorite parts about staying there was the
scent in the air. It was lavender, and made me just go, “ahhhh”. I wish I could
picture that smell for you.
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| The river |
Next I loved the sound of the river. It ran right through the town, and our A-Frame
backed up to it. Sleeping with the sound at night was as good as
going to sleep to the sound of waves. Walking along beside it either on the road
or on the Nature Trial was pure joy.
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| Deer getting a drink from the river. |
Even the deer
came into town to sip
of the river.
Loved all the walking. The Nature Trail was the
closest thing to a hike I did. But family members did quite a bit of the
real thing, and so I get to share a couple of their pictures of great vistas.
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| Mountain vista, Red River, NM |
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| Mountain view, Red River, NM |
Pretty good eating options, but you don’t really go
to Red River for the restaurants. A taco stand that the whole family loves is
closing at the end of this year. The woman retired to Red River and opened up
the stand, but it’s been fifteen years, and she’s ready to “really” retire.
We’ll miss her food. One of the best taco salads I’ve ever had, I ate there on
this last trip.
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| Texas Red’s |
Texas Red’s is an institution from back before we
took the kids when they were little. It’s in a different location, but the
steaks and seafood are good and the bands play cool old country with a
smattering of new country thrown in. The granddaughters had a super time
dancing by themselves and with their dads.
Another place we ate. Small, but
yummy, downhome type food.
Then there is the shopping. A highlight for me.
(Partly because I can walk to all the stores and do so numerous times
throughout our stay.) The Bob Cat is in an old A-Frame and has been there since
before when we went with the kids. Currently, it’s run by a woman who picks up
unique pieces of Native American jewelry. Last year I bought a silver
ring there and one of our daughter’s bought her husband
a knife for his birthday.
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| Native American jewelry |
T-shirt and sweat-shirt stores abound and include
cool kid toys and New Mexican type stuff. Easy to while away an afternoon or
two.
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| Great shopping area |
The chocolate fudge store is superb. I brought back
a couple of packages for friends. Besides the river sounds, the lavender
scents, and being with family, the highlight of the visit for me is the cool
temperatures. Any place I can be to get away from our 100 degree, hot and humid
Texas summer weather, I’m a huge fan of. (This summer hasn’t been as bad as
some, but anytime you have a few days in a row with the heat index above 100,
well, that’s just not good.)
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| The lifts |
Do you have a special place for family trips? Do you
go every year or do you spread it around several places? Are you one of the
lucky few who can stay some place longer than a week? I have friends and
neighbors who do escape our heat for the majority of the summer. That has to be
sheer bliss.
I’d love to hear from you, and thanks JQ for having
me.
Mike Riley, Fort Worth homicide detective, hates that he caught this case. His sister-in-law dragged him to a theatre fundraiser where he met Addison, the first woman he’s wanted to pursue a relationship with in a long time. Not about to happen now.
Addison hasn’t ventured into romance since she caught her now ex-husband in their bed with his secretary. As a result she doesn’t do trust. How could she trust someone who seems determined to think she’s capable of murder? Or worse, thinks her kids might be involved.
SECOND ACT is Book 1 of the Second Chances Series. We meet four women, now in middle age, who’ve been friends since they met at summer camp after second grade. Whether they realize it or not, they all need a second chance.
BUY LINKS:
About Marsha:
Marsha R. West, writes Romance, Suspense, and Second Chances. Experience Required. MuseItUp Publishing released her first book, VERMONT ESCAPE, in July 2013. Marsha released the print version of the first book in the fall of 2014. Her second book, TRUTH BE TOLD, was e-released by MIU in May 2014. Both of these are now also out in print. She released (both in print and electronic) her third book, SECOND ACT, Book 1 of the Second Chances Series, in March 2015, Find out more at www.marsharwest.com She’d love to hear from you.
# # # #
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| Romantic suspense |
When a member of the board of a non-profit arts agency in Fort Worth turns up dead, the homicide detective assigned to the case looks at everyone involved in the organization, including the Executive Director.
Addison Jones Greer, divorced mother of two teens, is the Executive Director of Cowtown Theatre. When a board member is found in the costume room murdered, suspicion rests on everyone involved with the theatre, including Addie. She has angered some board members because she wants to fire the Artistic Director. Although she’s warmed him several times, he continues to go over budget for productions. Mike Riley, Fort Worth homicide detective, hates that he caught this case. His sister-in-law dragged him to a theatre fundraiser where he met Addison, the first woman he’s wanted to pursue a relationship with in a long time. Not about to happen now.
Addison hasn’t ventured into romance since she caught her now ex-husband in their bed with his secretary. As a result she doesn’t do trust. How could she trust someone who seems determined to think she’s capable of murder? Or worse, thinks her kids might be involved.
SECOND ACT is Book 1 of the Second Chances Series. We meet four women, now in middle age, who’ve been friends since they met at summer camp after second grade. Whether they realize it or not, they all need a second chance.
BUY LINKS:
Amazon Kindle http://amzn.to/19TAB4B
Amazon Print http://amzn.to/1NiKvcb
About Marsha:
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| Author Marsha West |
18 comments:
Thank so much for being my guest this week, Marsha. Great photos and info. Now I'm all geeked up to head West!!
J.Q., I've enjoyed your summer travelogue series. Thank you for featuring all of these wonderful trips.
Marsha, it’s great that your entire family took a vacation together. I enjoyed your beautiful photos and their narration. :)
Hi Marsha, This sounds like a terrific place. The photos are great. Anne and I are getting ready for our own trip. This has whetted our appetites.
Ken Hicks
Hey, JQ. Thanks so much for having me. I've really enjoyed your summer Travelogue series. I especially like how you've put the borders on the photos. Make's them look like an old time family picture album. You are quite talented. :)
Hey, Susan. Thanks for stopping over here. It's been my pleasure to take part in JQ's Travelogue. You could do a post like this from your Epcot trip and cruise. :)
This is only our second trip for the whole family. We had to wait for our youngest grand to be able to enjoy it. She was almost 3 last summer and almost 4 this summer. This year was definitely better. Hope we get to have many more.
Hey, Ken. Look forward to seeing pics from your trip. I so enjoy your NYC pics. Thanks for stopping by here. Look foward to hearing about Anne and your trip.
Hi, Marsha.
New Mexico is definitely on my To Do list. I've severely neglected the western half of the US in my travels. And you're right about J.Q. Rose's travelogue. It's a great idea.
Susan, The travelogue series has been a joy to do. Love traveling and getting to know my guests better--not to mention getting to meet folks who visit too.
Hey Ken, hope you have a wonderful trip. You're welcome to bring some pictures to share over here too. I think I'll make the travelogue a year round feature because so many folks are enjoying the authors photos and narratives. I hate to see it end.
Hi Marsha, glad you're here and glad you like the photos, but I can't take credit for the display. Blogger does it for me automatically. I like the snapshot look too.
Hi Eric, I'm afraid we have neglected the Texas, Arizona, New Mexico area of our great country too. I think Marsha has inspired us all to go and visit.
Thanks for the fascinating post, Marsha. I've learned so much from JQ's travelogue series. What a great idea it's been. I find it so interesting that you escape the heat of home during the summer. Here, it's the total opposite. Everyone gets away from England in the summer to try and find some sunshine! Your holiday (vacation) looked a fabulous time. Thanks so much for sharing. (I have a copy of Vermont Escape already, by the way, and I loved it. I still haven't written a review but will try and do that soon as I can.)
Hey, Eric. New Mexico/Arizona must be an acquired test. People either love all that flat desert type land with the pueblos or not so much. I love the mountains, but don't care so much for the land you have to cross to get there. (Some of which is through the high plains of Texas--just bleak.)
We're lucky to get to take vacations and we get added enjoyment by sharing our experiences after. Thanks so much for stopping by.
Hey, Helena, Yes, I'm all about getting out of the summer heat. Are people escaping the rain in the summer, Helena? I would've thought your summer's were mild.
I do think it's unanimous. JQ's Travelogue is a huge hit. I hope you continue it, JQ.
So glad you enjoyed VERMONT ESCAPE, Helena. I had a neighbor stop me when we were walking Charley recently. She told me she couldn't not put the book down! Whoopee! No better words. Thanks for stopping and sharing.
Hi Helena, In our case we leave the snowy cold winters in Michigan to find sunshine in FL. Then we escape the hot humid summers of FL by going north to Michigan. We are snowbirds and so blessed to get the best weather in each region. What time of year do you like the weather in your part of the world, Helena? Your photos of the moors are gorgeous. That's what I would like to see in their prime time.
So glad you like the travelogue. It's so much fun, I will continue them, but not on a weekly basis.
I think my favourite time of year is probably August, JQ. That's when the heather is blooming purple on the moors. I also like May, too, when everything is just starting in bloom.
Marsha, our summers are very mild. In a lot of warmer cities in Europe, you can sit outside cafes and restaurants, and I love that culture. Here, it's too chilly most evenings - even in summer - to sit outside in the evening. That's why a lot of English people travel abroad in the summer - to lie on a beach and soak up some sun.
That's a great story about your neighbour. What a lovely compliment!
And so glad you're continuing the travelogue, JQ. I'm looking forward to more interesting posts.
I think my favourite time of year is probably August, JQ. That's when the heather is blooming purple on the moors. I also like May, too, when everything is just starting in bloom.
Marsha, our summers are very mild. In a lot of warmer cities in Europe, you can sit outside cafes and restaurants, and I love that culture. Here, it's too chilly most evenings - even in summer - to sit outside in the evening. That's why a lot of English people travel abroad in the summer - to lie on a beach and soak up some sun.
That's a great story about your neighbour. What a lovely compliment!
And so glad you're continuing the travelogue, JQ. I'm looking forward to more interesting posts.
Congratulations to Eric, the winner of Vermont Escape!
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