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Saturday Spotlight | Jinx Schwartz, Author Of The Hetta Coffey Mysteries

In addition to the usual blog posts every Monday and Wednesday about our travel adventures and day-to-day life living aboard a sailboat, I also occasionally post on Saturdays, focusing on things related to writing such as cover reveals, book launches, reviews, interviews with authors etc. So if you're a bit of a book nerd like I am, check in on Saturdays - you never know what might pop up. Today, I'm featuring an interview with Jinx Schwartz, USA Today bestselling author of the Hetta Coffey Mysteries. I first discovered Jinx and her books through the Women Who Sail Facebook group and quickly fell in love with her main character, Hetta, a sassy woman with a snazzy yacht who isn't afraid to use it. Jinx has a great sense of humor and her books have me laughing out loud from start to finish. The fact that they have a boating focus is the icing on the cake (and we all know how much I like cake). When I set out to write my own sailing mystery series , Jinx was one o...
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Wordless Wednesday | Found Objects

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 walks each morning. I keep an eye out for traffic while Scott keeps his eye on the ground in search of treasure. 2 - One morning, he spotted this sad little plastic bighorn sheep. We placed it on the pedestal of the barrier at the railway crossing. Every morning, we wave hello to it. 3 - I wonder if its owner misses it? 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! The latest Mollie McGhie cozy sailing mystery is now available! Pick up a copy of >>Bodies in the Boatyard<< at: Amazon (US) | Amazon (CA) | Amazon (UK) | Amazon (AU) | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Apple iBooks | Google Play Paperback available at: A...

Cost Of Living Aboard A Sailboat & Not Going Anywhere | 2018 Recap

Although I post regularly on our cost of cruising and living aboard Tickety Boo, our Moody 346 sailboat {see our How Much It Costs page} I thought it would be useful to do a recap of how much we spent during all of 2018. That way you can see the total picture including yearly spend and average monthly spend by category. So let's cut to the chase - we spent $20,567 during 2018 , which comes out to a monthly average of $1,714 . That's around $4,000 less than what we spent the previous year . If you want to see the breakdown behind those numbers, have a read below. Be warned, it's a long post so I'll throw some random pictures in to jazz things up. By the way, you'll notice that I titled this post, "Cost of Living Aboard a Sailboat and NOT Going Anywhere." That's because our boat didn't move out of her slip in 2018. Well, actually she did, but it was just to go to the other side of the marina to be hauled out. We had hoped to be in the Bahamas ...

Wordless Wesnesday | Rubber Duckies

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 - I love my mom's sense of humor. When I was visiting her last month, we set out these adorable rubber duckies around the spa pool at her building. 2 - I suspect that the rubber duckies are meant for when grandkids come visit their grandparents, but we're both young at heart. 3 - Which one is your favorite? I think the pirate ducks is pretty cute. 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! The latest Mollie McGhie cozy sailing mystery is now available! Pick up a copy of >>Bodies in the Boatyard<< at: Amazon (US) | Amazon (CA) | Amazon (UK) | Amazon (AU) | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Apple iBooks | Google Play Paperback available at...

December 2018 In Numbers

Clockwise from upper left: (1) Bob the Pirate Dog; (2) I read 100 books in 2018 as part of the Goodreads challenge!; (3) Having German food and beer in Portland; (4) The annual good luck New Year's pig gifts from my mom; (5) the line-up at the Christmas Eve potluck at the marina; and (6) Tickety Boo being moved into the workyard. What can I say about December. It was a month of highs and lows. I got to visit my family in Portland for a week - that was a high. We hauled our boat out of the water to assess the crack in our hull - that was a real low. It's bad. We had some cool weather in Florida - a high. I had freezing weather in Portland - a low. My sister has adorable cats that I got to play with - a high. .  .well, let's just leave it there with a crazy cat lady high, shall we? Okay, so onto the recap of last month in numbers. Basically, the really random numbers that pop into my head as I write these monthly posts. 4 - How many quarts my slow cooker holds. I made baked b...

Stop Being So Nosy! | 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: "What are your favorite and least favorite questions people ask you about 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. * * * "I'd like to ask you some questions if you don't mind," Simon said with a smile on his face. "But first, let...

Life In A Tree House, Or Stuck In The Boatyard With A Hole In Our Boat

We used to live on a sailboat in the water. Now, we live in a tree house. Well, not exactly a tree house. We still live on our sailboat, except now it's on land and you have to clamber up a ladder to get onto it. So it feels like a tree house, except it's a lot less fun. My mom is going to have a heart attack when she sees this picture. Yes, mom, we climb up and down this several times a day. So far, no broken limbs. We had always planned on hauling Tickety Boo out of the water and into the boatyard to do the bottom paint and take care of a few other things. But the plan was to do that after this season in the Bahamas. Not before. We were busy getting ready to head off. Boat projects were coming along nicely, provisioning had begun in earnest, and I dug out my swimsuits. Then we discovered a crack in our hull. No bueno . Could it be that my latest book, Bodies in the Boatyard, is coming to life ? Finding a leak on their boat is exactly what happened to Mollie and Scooter. Let...