~ Wish you were Beer ~ by Tam Francis Mmmmm…Beer A Wish you were Beer postcard blinked at me from a rack on the counter as we waited for the hostess to clear a table. I laughed at the card and missed my husband who was out to sea, literally, a sailor in the U.S. Navy. […more…]
~ Dance Quotes Perfect for Swing Dancers ~ by Tam Francis In my writing The Girl in the Jitterbug Dress series, Ghostoria, and Flapper Affair, I have come across dance quotes that embody the sensual, intellectual, and transcendent feel I experience when I dance and try to convey in writing. I hope I’ve created new dance quotes in […more…]
~ Make it Hurt So Good ~ by Tam Francis Up to Shenanigans I wasn’t sure what to expect as we drive by the tiny bar called Shenanigans. We’d heard Rip Carson was playing and there wasn’t a single other venue open to accommodate our insatiable Lindy lust. The joint is so small I almost […more…]
~ Memorial Day, Flags, Girl Scouts & WWII ~ by Tam Francis Another Memorial Day approaches and I find myself helping my husband (who is our county’s Veteran’s Commission Officer) put together a Memorial Day ceremony. This year he’s decided, in lieu of the cushy courthouse, to take the ceremony to its roots, or to the roots […more…]
~ The Secret Life of Dresses: Vintage Reviewer Book Review ~ by Tam Francis The Synopsis The Secret Life of Dresses (5-Spot Hachette Book Group, 2011), by Erin McKean is the story of a young college girl realizing her potential through the secret life of the dresses she begins to wear. When Dora’s grandmother unexpectedly ends […more…]
~ My Dream Vintage Girl Scout Troop ~ By Tam Francis What’s a vintage mom supposed to do when her daughter joins the Girl Scouts? Form a Vintage Ambassador Troop, of course. Here’s my story of how I went from idea to realizing the dream of a vintage girl scout troop. Getting it together It […more…]
~ Good Clean Sweat: Moments in Dance ~ by Tam Francis Embracing the Sweat I felt the beads of sweat gather, fill, and slide down the small gully between my breasts only to be absorbed by the crisp white cotton of my floral halter top. At this point in the night, the baby powder that I’d dusted […more…]
The Paris Wife: 1920s Hemingway’s Hadley Book Review by Tam Francis The Synopsis The Paris Wife written by Paula McLain (2012 Random House), tells the story of Ernest Hemingway’s first wife Hadley Richardson at the cusp of Hemingway’s writing career. The story opens with Hadley visiting friends in Chicago and meeting the pre-published Hemingway. McLain gives […more…]