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May 082017
 
Tiki Party Fun with New Cocktail Recipe Book: The Mai Tai Manifesto

First, I’ve had the extreme good fortune to be allowed a sneak peek at the new Mai Tai Manifesto recipe book from Tiki Torches band members J. Edward Preisman (writer) and R. Hamilton (illustrator). Second, I had recently seen and heard them play at my first Texas Tiki Round-up and was instantly smitten with their […more…]

Threadbare: The Traveling Show: Vintage Book Review

 Posted by on Mar 21, 2017 at 8:43 PM
Mar 212017
 
Threadbare: The Traveling Show: Vintage Book Review

Threadbare: The Traveling Show by Tam Francis The Synopsis Threadbare: The Traveling Show (CreateSpace, 2016) by Alexandra DeMers is an alternative history young adult romance set in post-World War II. The New American Republic controls a large swath of the United States, but a resistance team of subversive patriots  work to overthrow the iron-fisted regime. Our […more…]

Hot Rods and Hatters Car Show and Me

 Posted by on Feb 10, 2017 at 8:28 PM
Feb 102017
 
Hot Rods and Hatters Car Show and Me

Shumard Oak, Maple, and Pecan trees stood naked against the southern winter backdrop. In contrast, the eternally green Live Oaks looked as if they were wearing party dresses to a wake. The sky hung heavy in shades of fresh erased chalkboard, threatening rain. But for the moment, only a northern wind sent a chill through […more…]

Remembering Mama with 1940s Italian Cooking

 Posted by on Jan 31, 2017 at 9:26 PM
Jan 312017
 
Remembering Mama with 1940s Italian Cooking

Remembering Mama It’s been two years since I lost my mom and I still want to pick up the phone and ask her about a recipe, tell her about the kids, or just whine a titch like a little girl. Which brings me to today’s blog post. My mom could cook, from scratch, and I […more…]

Dec 302016
 
Hops the Atlantic: Jittterbug Dress Sequel Now on Sale

  Hops the Atlantic: Now on Sale! Time-out for Hackers I’d hoped to have the sequel to The Girl in the Jitterbug Dress Hops the Atlantic in time for Christmas and let everyone know about it, but just as it was listed on Amazon, my website got hacked. I barely eked out the post for wonderful fellow […more…]

Snoods, Lindy Hop Fiction & Renee Conoulty

 Posted by on Dec 18, 2016 at 8:54 AM
Dec 182016
 
Snoods, Lindy Hop Fiction & Renee Conoulty

Be My Guest I’m excited to welcome fellow Lindy fiction novelist, Renee Conoulty to my blog. Before we get into her wonderful guest post about vintage fashion hair accessories–Snoods–I wanted to make sure you knew about her debut swing dance novel: It Don’t Mean a Thing. I met Renee on twitter as we both found […more…]

What I Saw and How I Lied: Vintage Book Review

 Posted by on Nov 8, 2016 at 4:09 PM
Nov 082016
 
What I Saw and How I Lied: Vintage Book Review

~ What I Saw and How I Lied: Vintage Book Reviewer ~ by Tam Francis The Synopsis In my vintage book review of What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell (Scholastic 2010), we follow Evie as she comes of age after World War II and her father returning from war. Murder and intrigue […more…]

Top 10 Vintage Halloween Decorations on Amazon

 Posted by on Oct 11, 2016 at 7:15 PM
Oct 112016
 
Top 10 Vintage Halloween Decorations on Amazon

Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love the idea of being a character or someone different, plus it has all the fun festivities as Christmas without all the stress of gift-buying, party-going, and in-laws. Over the years I’ve tried to cull my decorations to have a vintage Halloween motif. I try to stay away from the […more…]