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In addition to the usual blog posts on Mondays and Wednesdays (and the occasional Friday) about our eccentric 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. * * * The annual Banned Books Week wraps up today and in its honor, I selected four books from the American Library Association's list of frequently challenged books with diverse content to add to my TBR (to be read list). I was pleased to see that all of these books are available at my local library. While I might not agree with the content / themes of certain banned and challenged books, they might make me uncomfortable, or I might just find them boring, I think it's important to read banned and challenged books from time to time to get a diff...

Flashback Friday takes place on the last Friday of the month. The idea is to give a little more love to a blog post you've published before that maybe didn't get enough attention, or is something you think is still relevant or even a something that you really love and want to share again. Many thanks to Michael d’Agostino for starting Flashback Friday and inspiring me to go back and revisit some of our earlier blog posts. * * * I remember laughing out loud when I wrote this post. Sometimes, I crack myself up. I guess the person that gets your sense of humor the best is usually yourself. I laughed again when I reread it. I also noticed that I referenced being active on Pinterest. It was something I did a lot of for a while, but then it fell by the wayside. I actually started a new account which I might do more with. Anyway, this is a flashback to when we lived in New Zealand and I learned about moas, flightless birds which are now extinct. Or are they?  This post was origi...

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 have three new adorable cats at the marina. Actually, I can only confirm that two of them are adorable. I've never seen the third one, although it's a cat, so of course it's adorable. Goes without saying. 2 - The three of them used to be outdoor semi-feral cats that a lady would feed. Unfortunately, she passed away and they were relocated here. Which is a good thing as the rat population needs to be checked. 3 - One of them is super-friendly and goes to the office every morning to demand food and petting. The other one is a bit more skittish, but still loves to get cuddles. I hope the third one is okay. 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 sa...

My friend Duwan had this great idea to do a blog post highlighting some of the fun and interesting comments you all have been leaving here on the blog. She has lots of great ideas - just check out the super cool and uber-frugal way she transformed Parmesan cheese containers into funky silverware holders using socks . Yep, you read that right - socks. So here we go - some of the cool comments you all have left. I've left links to the commenters' blogs. Hop on over and say hi to them. Talk Like a Pirate Day On my post about Talk Like a Pirate Day , Alex J Cavanaugh said: "Won't be dressing up but I'm willing to discuss salty seadogs with Simon." What I love about this comment is that he's referring to my imaginary cat, Simon, who tends to make appearances on the first Wednesday of every month as part of the IWSG blog hop . Sometimes, I think Simon might actually be real and maybe I'm the one who is imaginary. Should I be concerned? Loni Townsend at Squ...

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 - Ahoy, mateys! It's "Talk Like a Pirate Day" ! 2 - We're not big on dressing up, but I know people who take every opportunity they can fin to don their pirate apparel. 3 - Did you know that the term "filibuster" has pirate origins? It must be true - I read it here . 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! Murder at the Marina - a lighthearted & humorous cozy sailing mystery - available in ebook and paperback format at: Amazon (US) | Amazon (CA) | Amazon (UK) | Amazon (AU) | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Apple iBooks | Google Play | Book Depository | Books-A-Million Find out more at ellenjacobsonauthor.com  

Last month, I offered an apology for slacking off on responding to blog comments and returning visits to all of you lovely people's blogs. Someone left a really interesting comment saying something like "some people are bloggers who happen to write, others are writers who happen to blog and you have become the latter." This blog used to be my main creative outlet, but I wonder if that's changed over the past year or so as I've focused more on writing cozy mysteries. Have I become a writer who happens to blog? I certainly haven't given this blog the love and attention it deserves, and I've even missed posting a few times (I usually post every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). It feels like my creative well has been a bit tapped dry as of late while I've been working on my latest manuscript and The Cynical Sailor has suffered as a result. Do we have a limited amount of creativity and have to choose where we invest it? On the bright side, I sent >>Bo...

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'm writing this before breakfast. I can't decide what to have. All the usual suspects sound kind of dull - oatmeal, yogurt, toast etc. What I really want this morning is Ethiopian food. 2 - We really need to learn how to make it for ourselves. It's not always easy to find Ethiopian restaurants in your travels. 3 - Want more words on your Wednesday? Hop on over to Operation Awesome to read an author interview with me. I talk about writing, living on a sailboat, and Ethiopian food. 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! Murder at the Marina - a lighthearted & humorous cozy sailing mystery - available in ebook and paperback format at: Am...

Three hurricanes in the Atlantic - Florence, Isaac, and Helene, plus something else brewing in the Caribbean which could impact Texas and Louisiana. It's pretty awful to see what's headed toward the Caribbean islands and the States right now. Especially when we just had the one year anniversary of Hurricane Irma. Fortunately, Florida isn't in Hurricane Florence's path so we and our sailboat aren't in any danger. Unfortunately, many other people are in the cone of destruction. It's just gut-wrenching to read people's updates about prepping their sailboats, moving them to secure locations (if they can get to one), hauling their boats out (if they can find a place that can take them), making plans for evacuation, and worrying where she'll strike and if their boats will survive. And that's just our boating friends - there are so many people on land in danger as well. Our thoughts are with everyone watching and waiting and prepping for what may be headed ...

We track and report every penny we spend living aboard and cruising on Tickety Boo , our Moody 346 sailboat for a couple of reasons. 1 - It helps us see where our money is going, helps us make informed choices about where to spend our money, which in turn helps us stretch our money further so that we can keep adventuring longer. 2 - We found it really useful to check out other people's cost of cruising when we were starting out, so we figure we can return favor by sharing ours. We're currently at Indiantown Marina in Florida. Scott is working overseas so the costs are lower than if he was here. He'll be back in the next month of two and then costs are going to skyrocket as we start work on the very long list of boat projects that we have to do. You can find links to other cost updates from ourselves (on Tickety Boo, camping across the States, and our previous boat in New Zealand) and others on this page , as well as on The Monkey's Fist . * * * Cost of Cruisin...

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 publishing pathway are you considering / did you take, and why?" 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 . If you want to see how I answered the question, have a look below.  * * * Image via The Graphics Fairy "Simon, get off of my laptop." I set my coffee cup down next to my computer and stare...

I was at a barbecue last night and we were talking about the no-white after Labor Day rule. I remember this being such a big deal when I was younger and having to say goodbye to my white shoes at the end of each summer. Is this still a big deal? Do you wear white shoes or any white clothing after summer is over? For those of you who are celebrating Labor Day today, I hope you have a wonderful time free of work and full of good weather. If it's just an ordinary Monday for you, I hope it's an awesome start to the week. What fashion rules do you swear by? What fashion rules do you think are outdated? Thanks for stopping by our blog - we love it when people come visit! We're also on Facebook - pop by and say hi!   Murder at the Marina - a lighthearted & humorous cozy sailing mystery - available in ebook and paperback format at: Amazon (US) | Amazon (CA) | Amazon (UK) | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Apple iBooks | Google Play | Book Depository | Books-A-Million Find...