Saturday 11 December 2010

Midwinter Blogfest entry - Interlude of Solitude, a warm Christmas on Nantucket

Thanks to Marieke from Mariekes Musings for hosting this blogfest where she suggested we show what our MC in our WIP is doing for Christmas.

I wrote an interlude using my MCs from my latest NaNo novel, 'Search for the Last Cowboy.' Shakira and Byron have been to hell and back, and are now married and looking forward to their first Christmas together on Nantucket which they have made their home.

This is not my typical story - there are no deaths, no fast-paced action, no twists. I've just written a peaceful interlude into their turbulent lives especially for Marieke's blogfest. I hope you enjoy it along with your Christmas preparations, whether in a cold clime as in my story, or in a warm clime such as I experience.

And yes, I spent a long time cutting it down to just under 500 words!


CHRISTMAS INTERLUDE OF SOLITUDE


Shakira should have been exhausted after the nightmare of the ferry ride from Hyannis. She and Byron had shivered in the Fog Island Café for hours waiting to get back to Nantucket for Christmas. They were amongst the last passengers to make it.


They kept their lunch reservation at The Blue Fin, their favorite bar on North Beach Street. After some Seared Rare Yellow fin Tuna for Byron and a curried Miso and Lobster Reduction for Shakira they rugged up and began their Christmas Stroll down Harbor House Village.



The snow was falling, the wind was blowing, and the Christmas trees downtown created the perfect setting for their stroll. So did Main Street, but it was dangerous to walk on the cobblestones slick with ice. They held each other close and laughed and slipped their way down the street until it was time for dinner.

Byron had left nothing to chance. He had wanted their first Christmas on Nantucket as husband and wife to be perfect. That meant Michael LaScola’s.


Byron liked Michael’s because the menu was divided into selections from four different areas of the country - Pacific Coast, Down South, New England and Wild West. Shakira had never been to Michael’s, so Byron took her to the old home just outside of the center of town. It was wonderfully dark and romantic.


Shakira loved it instantly.


‘Oh, Byron, it’s perfect,’ she said, as he took her coat. Byron looked around. He loved the wide-beamed wood plank ceilings, the wide pane windows, the wall murals and sconces, the soft jazz music. 'Hmm,' he said, dropping a kiss on the top of her head.


After their mulled wine, Byron started with a choice from Down South - seared scallops with pulled pork, tomato and red onion marmalade in a roasted corn sauce. Shakira couldn’t resist the orange and basil butter poached lobster from New England, with baby beets and asparagus in a vanilla soubise. Both dishes tasted sublime accompanied by the NZ Sauvignon Blanc they’d chosen.

For mains, Byron had sake-glazed tuna from the Pacific Coast with a shitake mushroom slaw, avocado and wasabi puree and a sesame seed and potato gyoza. Shakira had a hanger steak in a roasted garlic jus (Down South) with buttermilk mashed potatoes and a slow roasted short rib that had an incredible flavor.

For dessert they fed each other the Key Lime pie. Then they kicked back and enjoyed a sweet dessert wine to finish.


They just made it home before the rain started.


‘Happy, my love?’ Byron asked as they lay in each other’s arms listening to the storm.


Shakira moved to his chest and whispered close to his ear. ‘Say that poem to me again Byron.’


He held her tightly and began in his best Lord Byron voice:


‘She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that's best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes:'

‘Sleep well my love,’ they whispered to each other.
 
Now let's shut the door on Byron and Shakira and go here  to read some more entries...

Oh, and if you'd like to do a twisted fairytale Christmas yarn, click Francine's button on my sidebar, or talk about your lights, tinsel and food for Christmas click on the Be Jolly badge.

33 comments:

Joanna St. James said...

oh perfect! you have made me hungry and since this piece is part of a bigger whole I hope Byron looks like the guy in that picture.

Su said...

Mmmm. Sounds yummy.

Denise Covey said...

Joanna: Yeah, I imagine he is quite the hunk!

Su: The food? Ha Ha.

Unknown said...

I love how the pictures go so well with your story. Beautiful poem at the end.
CD

Denise Covey said...

Clarissa: Yep I love my pics! Thx.

Colene Murphy said...

Awe great story!!

Denise Covey said...

Thanks Coelene!

JJ said...

Nom nom nom I want to go eat now haha. How romantic <3

Denise Covey said...

Ha, the romance of food eh? Hard to beat!

Francine Howarth said...

Hi,

That's it, I'm not going to eat for another week!

Fab food and lovely romance going down here. Poetry can be such a heart winner! ;)

best
F

Kristina Fugate said...

Wonderful story. Very romantic :) And I'm loving the pictures! (Also, I'm kind of hungry now. lol)

Thanks for sharing!

bazza said...

Hi Denise. Thanks for visiting and kindly commenting at my blog.
This looks like lots of fun; I had better come back and read some more when I have hours to spare!
Bazza’s Blog ‘To Discover Ice’

Rachael Harrie said...

OMG, you're killing me with all that gorgeous food, I think I put on 5kgs just by reading it!!! I had to laugh when I read "rugged up" - I always thought that was a particularly Oz thing to say (tee hee).

Great job with the interlude :)

Rach

Jules said...

I was happy imagining the setting and then... food!

I had to skip dinner so now I'm starving. :) Great piece!
Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow

N. R. Williams said...

I loved your entry L'Aussie. You did a good job with the description. Your food and wine stuff was great. I know very little about that. I am so used to snow, I can't imagine snow without it. So far this year, the snow has stayed primarily in the mountains.

Thanks for dropping by my blog and reading my entry.
Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author

N. R. Williams said...

I'm being interrupted by two 3 year olds..so imagining snow without snow is difficult but I meant Christmas.
LOL
Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

A Midwinter feast indeed! The poem was also a nice touch.

Lydia Kang said...

I was hungry the whole time I read this! And the mood of the piece was so lovely. Well done!

Anonymous said...

Your interlude is SO beautiful! The images so succulent! And that is one of my favorite Lord Byron stanzas. I also LOVE the gorgeous photographs: the ones in the excerpt, the ones at the top of your blog!! JUST wonderful!!!
Ann Best, Long Journey Home

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Interesting you'd also use the name of Byron. Don't see that name too often!

The Words Crafter said...

Such a restful, cozy piece. I wish I could be there, too. Good food; cold weather; warm bed....yum.

I don't often WANT to cook (not my fave thing to do) but you've made me want to. That's amazing!

Great entry!

Summer Ross said...

I had to go make something for lunch as i read this piece. LOL well written I love the feel you gave to the story, even the poem towards the end. my favorite line was "The snow was falling, the wind was blowing, and the Christmas trees downtown created the perfect setting for their stroll."

Golden Eagle said...

That's a wonderful story. :)

Denise Covey said...

Hey all you beautiful guys, I'm not going to write separate comments as I don't think anyone comes back. I'm visiting you one by one.

Thanks for loving my foodie-love story.:)

Simon Kewin said...

Delicious! Thanks for sharing.

Brenda Drake said...

Oh my goodness, my mouth is watering from your descriptions. I want to spend Christmas in Nantucket! Wonderful piece! :D

Marieke said...

So romantic! Absolutely lovely! :D

Denise Covey said...

Simon: Thank you.

Brenda; Yes, yum!

Marieke: Thanks.

Anonymous said...

I like this, it made me very hungry! ^_^
I could picture the walk on the cobblestones perfectly, I've been skating all over pavements these last few days.

Unknown said...

Yummy! And romantic :-)

Denise Covey said...

Freya: I can only imagine!

Rachel: Yummy it would be!

kerrie said...

delicious delicious and delicious
I am away to put on some toast now where's that vegemite?

DCMA101 said...

I wonder if the story is stolen just like the photographs were????