Travel Tuesday – A Visit to Windsor

We took a lovely train ride out to Windsor to see Windsor Castle and the quaint town nearby, also the home to Eton, the exclusive school. Weather was a bit dreary, but not too cold. Unfortunately, Her Majesty was in residence which meant we could go on the castle grounds for free, but were unable to get into any of her “apartments.” Major bummer as I was dying to see the various bedrooms, kitchens, dining areas, etc. that we had seen on the PBS special about a year in the life of Windsor Castle.

Nevertheless, we were able to walk around all the grounds and see St. George’s Chapel. The guards were patrolling all over the area and are quite attractive in their bright red coats and furry hats. Real guns — no one will mess with them.

The gardens and areas in and around Windsor Castle are lovely. Well-kept and so green thanks to the spring rains. If you see the picture of the entrance to the Moat Path in the slide show below, it is now the entrance to the gardens that have replaced the moat.

We then headed to town where we had fish and chips in a delightful pub and walked around town before returning to London. The train ride was nice and it was a good way to also get a glimpse of the suburbs and countryside around London.

I hope you’ll enjoy these pictures. If you can’t see the slide show below, you can also check them out on my Facebook page.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2058180&id=1130005412&l=877be7ad1e

Stronger Than Sin Research Part 2

This is a crazy time of year for me! I’m putting the finishing touches on STRONGER THAN SIN, the second book in the SINS series, while also visiting people to chat about SINS OF THE FLESH which will be released on October 27th! Less than a week away.

Be sure to check the calendar to the left of this blog post for the dates of my various online and in-person appearances. There are a tons of giveaways going on for SINS OF THE FLESH and you might be one of the lucky winners of a copy! Also check out the Contests page on the site for other contests that are currently in progress.

But back to STRONGER THAN SIN which I am absolutely loving. It’s about another genetically engineered patient – Jesse Bradford, a former pro football player. Once from the wrong side of the tracks, Jesse now owns a multi-million dollar home in Spring Lake (more on that town in another post).

The heroine – not spilling the name here so that I don’t spoil anything from SINS OF THE FLESH – is smart and strong, but introspective. I needed somewhere that she would feel safe and also very spiritual since she is a devout Catholic and very connected to family. After spending the summer wandering through the various shore towns, I knew the perfect place for her new home would be Ocean Grove.

If you haven’t had a chance to visit, you must do so during the summer. There is always something going on. Plus it’s a lovely landmark historical town filled with Victorian homes surrounded by carefully tended gardens. Main Avenue has an assortment of shops, galleries and restaurants you will totally enjoy. In addition, it’s just a walk over a footbridge or along the boardwalk to hit the renovated Asbury Park boardwalk and take in some of the sights there.

One of the more unique things about the town is the tent city that goes up every summer season. The tents date back to the revival meetings held in Ocean Grove. Today the tents are leased and occupied through the summer season. Here are some photos of the tents up for the season and some that have been closed for the winter.

Ocean Grove was the perfect place for my heroine and as the setting for some of the scenes in STRONGER THAN SIN which will be out in October 2010. So, I’m sharing some of the photos I took during my research and hope you will enjoy them!

If you can’t see the slideshow below, you can visit this link to see more pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2037563&id=1130005412&l=6ac91988b1