#RomanticFridayWriters - Challenge No 40- GREENER PASTURES.

It's Friday!  Time for the RomanticFridayWriters challenge. This week all the participants are up for the Featured Writer award. For the FW award, the word count has been upped to 600, and there are particular guidelines set by the tricky Donna Hole:

This prompt is about long-term love; perhaps suffering a mid-life or 7 year itch crisis. The couple recognizes it is time for a change; but how drastic does the change need to be to rekindle the relationship?  Who wants the change; husband, wife, mutual?  Who would suffer the most from either a break up, or from the status quo?

For older lovers:  perhaps this is the retirement of one or both, or one is suffering a physical or mental health change.

For mid-life lovers:  perhaps this could be an empty nest syndrome, or a male mid-life crisis, or female menopause.

For younger lovers:  perhaps there is an unexpected pregnancy to upset the balance; or a career change –promotion or firing or company move; or the sheer boredom of routine.

What we want to see is when the romance loses it shine, and the eye wanders, but what our disgruntled lover finds so appealing in another is the qualities that the old flame has lost.  Does he/she realize this on their own?  Or does the jilted lover or new love point it out?  How is the situation resolved?  Or is it too late?

 I'm continuing my saga of Geffron and Marsilia. Since my first story, I've added the characters Luigunia and now James...I hope you enjoy my story. You might think it's a bit abrupt at times - this story wanted to be 1,000 words so I had to edit much of the life out of it...

Greener Pastures

Marsilia’s stomach clenched. She patted it gently.

Pregnant.

Ironic.

She and Geffron had been trying for three years. But for some time they both knew they were relying on a baby to save their marriage. Was it too late?

God! Why did they get married?

She’d come to London four years ago for her modelling career, not marriage.  But she’d believed in Geffron’s love – he’d followed her to Italy to win her back after his fling with Luiginia. How he’d charmed her Nonna and Madre. She’d gone along with the romantic idea of a medieval hill-town wedding, with the whole village celebrating. Craziest three days of her life.

Back to London. Once she wore Geffron’s ring he tried to smother her with his old-fashioned expectations.

Their marriage was over.

But what about the baby?

Out of bed my girl. Can’t lie here all day.

What will I do? The immediate answer was provided as she dashed to the bathroom, vomiting last night’s crackers. God! Was this being pregnant?

Washing her mouth, Marsilia stumbled to the fridge. Limp lettuce, Diet Coke and Geffron’s herring fillets. Stomach spasm.  

Ring!

‘Who is it?’ Marsilia snapped.

‘James. You’re late.’ Bollocks! She was to be at the blinking Canary Wharf.

‘It’s nine-thirty. Old Davey will have my head.’

‘I know. I know –‘.

‘Just get here sweetheart. I’ll cover with Davey. I’ll use Luigina. But hurry. I need shots of you together. The light’s perfect.’

‘Si, si.’

Dry crackers. Quick shower.

Acne skinny black jeans, Kain silk tank, Alexander McQueen black wool peplum, Jimmy Choo pumps, Row oversized sunglasses, Marni leather shoulder bag. Aha, Etro crystal-gold necklace in bag, just in case.     

In the tube, she lurched from one stinky underarm to the next, her stomach heaving.  When she reached Canary Wharf station she was feeling foul.

‘Buon giorno cara! Come va?’ Luigiana chirped as Marsilia rushed in.

The shoot was exhausting. Whose idea was it to use the financial heart of London as a location? She shrugged and strutted her stuff in front of the Canary Wharf Tower. Even though a weak sun was shining, she was shivering. The spacey short skirts and skimpy tops weren’t helping. Be easier doing covers for Parenting Today.

Luiginia cheered her. The pair of them giggled and wiggled in front of the skyscrapers. They were the Italian IT girls. I’ll no longer be an IT, Marsilia thought, I’ll be OUT.

Shoot over, Marsilia lingered.

‘Hey, Luiginia, wanna grab a bite?’

‘Sorry, got that night shoot at the Eye, remember?’

‘Crap. Well buon giorno.’

Marsilia was trudging towards the tube, when tyres screeched beside her.

‘Marsilia!’ James and his yellow Ferrari.

‘What’s up James? No chick to pick up?’

‘You’re the only chick I want. Food?…at…Amata.’

‘Amata?’

‘Yep, just googled it. New Italian place, Manchester Road?’

‘Whatever. I’m starving.’

‘What’s new? Hop in.’

‘Great idea,’ she said as she looped her gold necklace around her cheating neck.

 ***

Marsilia shoveled in forkfuls of delicious seafood pasta, smacking her lips in delight.

‘Amazes me how you stay stick thin. More?’

‘Can I?’

Sated, Marsilia sipped her very good Borolo. Only then did she catch the look in James’ eye. Whoops! ‘Do I have tomato smear on my face?’

‘Marsilia, you’re beautiful, outrageous and I’m way over my head. I’ve kept my hands off you till now, but I’m not sure I can any longer.’

 ‘I like Italian red wine, Jimmy Choos and American blues, how about you?’

‘I like fast cars, U2 and I love you.’

‘James, it’s too late.’

She imagined Geffron’s dinner – perfectly poached salmon, fine Pinot Blanc and wanted to scream.

 ©DeniseCovey2012

WORD COUNT - 600

FCA

Girl pics: modelmayhem.com

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Bula from Fiji!. Bollywood in Fiji, Hollywood in Fiji and free ebook!

Bula from Fiji!

MOVIES IN FIJI

If you missed him on facebook,
this is the Fijian policeman
next door. Cute uniform!

Bollywood has overtaken Hollywood as the biggest movie maker in the world and I was surprised to see a Bollywood takeover of Fiji. There are currently several productions taking place (four simultaneously) and locals count themselves lucky to be asked to play extras for the princely sum of $30 (AUD $15ish) per day. Wages in Fiji are very low, even for professionals like policemen and teachers, so the Fijians are happy to earn a little extra to be an extra (pun intended). Anything that helps a struggling economy is a positive if you can get over the fact that to most of us such low wages reek of exploitation.

I shouldn’t have been too surprised at the popularity of Bollywood movies here, as 37% of the population of Fiji is Indo-Fijian compared to 57% of native Fijians. Every day there are Bollywood movies showing wherever you go to visit or eat as most of the businesses are owned by the Indo-Fijians. There are Bollywood movies on the television if/when I turn it on during the day. Not to mention the shops and handicraft stalls where you can buy saris and look the part! (Psst, I got to try on a sari of Nas’ and report it is very uncomfortable when you’re not used to it!)

GEOGRAPHY LESSON, LOL!

Fiji consists of two largish islands, Vanua Levu and Viti Levu (where Nas lives and I'm hanging out). Vitu Levu has Nadi (the tourist capital) where Nas has her home, and Suva, (the political capital). However, these are just 2 of 300+ islands. The scenery is what most people consider paradise – golden sandy beaches, reefs, jungle-type mountains complete with waterfalls – all making beautiful locations for movie making.

Long before Bollywood invaded Fiji’s sparkling shores, Hollywood was here! Here are some movies made on the Fijian islands which you may recognize:

• ·         Robinson Crusoe (1932)
• ·         The Blue Lagoon (1948)
• ·         The Blue Lagoon (1979) - remake
• ·         The Return to the Blue Lagoon (1991)
• ·         Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004)
• ·         Cast Away (2000) – the island (Monuriki) is now unofficially called Tom Hanks Island and after a day trip there everyone wonders how Tom and his volleyball could drag themselves away. There is actually an island already called Castaway Island so they can't change it to that!
• ·         Contact (Jodi Foster’s ‘heaven’ sequence)

For the Bollywood fans, the major movie currently being shot around Suva, Nadi and the islands, is Table 21, starring Rajeev Khandelwal and Tina Desai.

The reason why Hollywood stopped choosing Fiji for locations is because of the instability of its government. Since independence from the Brits after 96 years of colonial administration , then the first steps to Fijian self-government in 1960, there have been four coups, with Commodore Frank Bainimarama in charge since he declared himself President in 2006. Democratic elections are set for 2013. Registration is currently underway. Great news!

Maybe Hollywood will return!

As will I. On our go-to list for next week:

·         Cocktails, dinner and watching the fire dancers at Denarau (an island close to Nadi Town)

·         A bus trip all the way around our island, Viti Levu – via the Queens Road to Suva, then return via the Kings Road through the mountains.

·         A full day sailing on the Seaspray 83 foot classic schooner, visiting 9 islands, including a traditional Fijian village.

Plans are known to go awry, but that’s the plan for now! As you can imagine, there’ll be some awesome snaps.

The lucky couple at Denarau where you catch the boats for the islands.

Moce (Goodbye) and Vinaka (Thank You) for reading a little about Fiji.

 FREE EBOOKS!

Carole Anne Carr is offering her ebook Candle Dark for free for three days from 6th July until 8th July. She is also offering her ebook First Wolf free for two days—July 12th and 13th. So be sure to check them out!

Insecure Writers Support Group - Writing with Passion. I'm passionate about Fiji and shouting out for bloggers like Roland Yeomans...

Hello! Happy Independence Day, Americans! You're very passionate about your nation, so I've chosen Passion as my topic today seeing the founder of IWSG is Alex J Cavanaugh, American citizen.

This month I'm talking about passion. Who can live without passion? Passion for life, passion for food, passion for family, passion for friends, passion for God, passion for travel and passion for writing. Well, you can put them in order to suit yourself. Each one of us will have a different priority. But if you're reading this, chances are somewhere in the hierarchy you have a Passion for Writing. And you therefore need passion to permeate your writing...

Here are some quotes on passion from brainyquote.com.

It is a fact often observed, that men have written good verses under the inspiration of passion, who cannot write well under other circumstances.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.
Oprah Winfrey

Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion.

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

It is obvious that we can no more explain a passion to a person who has never experienced it than we can explain light to the blind.

T. S. Eliot


Roland Yeomans:


Someone with a huge passion for writing is our friend Roland Yeomans. Roland has a competition going and there's just 1 day left to enter his End of Days contest..


Basically all you have to do to be entered in the contest is to post about the contest.  However, if you have read his novel End of Days and post a review on Amazon, you will also be entered into the contest.  Do both and you're entered twice.

The prize:  A signed Robert Downey Jr poster, or a signed hard copy of The Art of Michael Whelan.

See Roland's blog for complete details, and for links to all his published novels, including the latest New Orleans Arabesque.

So at the moment I'm in Fiji. Many of you know I'm passionate about travel. I'm visiting with blogger friend Nas Dean from Romance Book Paradise. Now I know Fiji is a paradise. Thanks Nas for having me and trusting me with your home while you head to the U S of A! Bon Voyage. I'm able to spend a lot of uninterrupted time writing in paradise.

Nas and I on Wailoala Beach, Nadi, Fiji

Sharing Indian nibblies for morning tea in Nadi, Fiji.

So I'll be combining my passion with travel - meeting new people, experiencing new cultures - with my passion for writing . Can't wait to set some of my stories in this Fijian paradise. 

Sunset over Denarau, Nadi, Fiji. 

• What are you passionate about? Where does your passion for writing fit on the hierarchy?
• Thanks for visiting my blog. Click on the IWSG badge to find more posts on various topics.

#RomanticFridayWriters - Challenge No 39 - STUCK IN THE MIDDLE!

Ah, the joys of technology. This is pre-scheduled to publish when I'm in the air, a couple of hours from Fiji. No way I could miss my RomanticFridayWriters post. I had great comments on my Geffron and Marsilia story last challenge for the Perfect Ex prompt, so I continued the saga to suit this week's prompt but I don't exactly adhere to the specific guidelines, sorry Donna. Some readers said they loved the names Geffron and Marsilia - Geffron is an early English name and Marsilia is a traditional early Italian name and today's new name, Luigina, means 'famous warrior' in Italian and that's how I see her.

You're most welcome to check out the challenge at RomanticFridayWriters website and you may have time to pen a story for us this weekend (Linky closes on Sunday) or in two-week's time for the special prompt, Greener Pastures.

So, my On the Streets of London story continues with the addition of one character...

Crowded House

‘I’m back! Miss me?’

Geffron heard the call he’d been waiting for. He listened to the familiar clop as her bags hit the floor.

‘Geffron? Are you home, honey?’ He caught the uncertainty in her voice and smiled. Underneath all that blather she was a vulnerable child. Oh, he’d missed her!

She’d be pacing the hall, checking out his hated Escher prints. He’d not been game enough to hang them until she'd left, taking her graffiti-inspired abstracts with her.

He heard the clump of leather boots on the polished floor. She’d be angry that he’d ripped up the ugly purple carpet. Plop! She’d sunk into his new yellow leather chesterfield – he’d tossed out her ridiculous hippie-esque orange bean bags. She’d be looking around, waiting for him to come running, faithful puppy that he was.

‘Geffron! Where are you?’

‘Marsilia? What a surprise!’ He tugged the belt on his smoking jacket and closed the bedroom door.

 ‘Geffron! Why are you dressed like that at 5 o’clock in the afternoon?  Are you ill?’ He loved her delicious concerned frown.

‘Things have changed around here Marsilia. Since you’ve been gone –‘

‘New floor, new carpet, new lounge. What else is new?’

‘I am.’

Marsilia looked like she was going to vomit. How satisfying that the sight of another woman distressed her so.

‘Who’s this?’ He cringed a little from her furious purple eyes.

‘Luigina. I met her after you walked out on me.’

‘She is me, Toad.’

Luigina strolled to Marsilia’s side. ‘Ah, so you are Marsilia.’ Her eyes raked Marsilia from her curly red mane to her green thigh-high boots. ‘Geffron, now I see why you confused me for Marsilia.’

Geffron reclined on the chesterfield, admiring the picture his two girls made. Same height, same fabulous hair, same Mediterranean skin. He was one lucky hipster.

Marsilia raised her green boot and kicked him, hard.

‘Ow! What was that for?’

‘I’m not going to be stuck in the middle here. What was I thinking? I didn’t miss you at all.’

‘You can’t leave me again, Marsilia! I need you!’

Luigina raised her pink Dr Martens boot.

‘Don’t you need me?’ Her boot caught his shin bone. Oh, the pain!

‘Oh God! Of course, Luigina. I need…I love…both of you.’

‘Geffron, baby, you love yourself. You don’t need anyone else. Ta rah.’

‘Wait up, Marsilia!’ She clattered down the stairs.

©DeniseCovey2012

WORD COUNT: 396
Full Critique Acceptable
(I may want to use this story in the future).

HERE IS THE LIST OF PARTICIPANTS FOR THE CURRENT CHALLENGE. ADD YOUR LINK HERE!

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Reading, 'Riting and tRavelling in Fiji, lucky me!

‘I love to go a’wandering along the mountain track

And as I go, I love to sing, my knapsack on my back.’ 

…so the song (Happy Wanderer, Scout Songs) goes. And so do I. It’s time for me to go a'wandering again – this time to Fiji.

I haven’t been to Fiji before, have you?  My wanderings usually take me far, far away into the Northern Hemisphere. I've been saving the Pacific Islands and Asia for when I can no longer stand 20 hours on a plane! 

But for this trip I decided to explore closer to home, one reason being I wanted to meet someone who lives there – someone who invited me to check out the Fiji islands some time ago. This time the planets aligned, and I emailed that special someone who said – yes, yes, yes, come on over, but you’re not just staying a week (as I’d planned) you have to stay 6 weeks as we’re going away and we need a house sitter! 

This caused some consternation as you can imagine – man, who wants to stay in a tropical paradise in a beautiful home with 330-ish islands in close proximity for 6 whole weeks? What will we do to fill the days? Huh? Oh, that’s right, great idea! So my mid-year jaunt turns out to be a surprise to me at least – all of July and half of August in Nadi, Fiji.

And who would be this mysterious someone who set this mid-winter tropical tryst in motion, you ask? I know, you want in on the action too! You want to peek into my address book! Well, this mysterious someone you probably know, that most generous blogger in the bloggerverse, Nas Dean.  Not only does she tirelessly promote romance writers on her RomanceBookParadise blog and collaboratively review romance titles on her Romance Reader blog, she tirelessly gives of her home and her resources to introduce writers to her hometown, Nadi, Fiji.

So, dear jealous followers, I leave for Nas’ on June 29^th (gulp, that's this coming Friday, friends, better get cracking!) and return to my sub-tropical Queensland paradise on August 19^th. Fiji – ah, a pretty good ‘summer place’ to spend winter and winter is being a bit nasty here on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland ATM - bleak, Scotland-type winter days with oppressive clouds. 

   

Nas assures me her home is wi-fi’ed to the max so there should be no break in my blogging and hosting of RomanticFridayWriters schedule. If you'd like to write flash fiction/poetry for RFW check out the 2 upcoming challenges in my right sidebar or go here to the RFW site. My RFWer stories will take on a romantic paradise setting I’m sure. I imagine grass skirts (and that’s just on the men!), palm trees dipping into the pristine blue waters and glorious sunsets over the Pacific – except for grass-skirted men, much the same as home, but with an exotic flavor.

My plans always go awry, but at this stage I hope to catch up on my Kindle reading list, do lots of writing and lots of island hopping, not necessarily in that order! I'll miss my Writing Group. We're collaborating on a high fantasy novel, but have our own Facebook page so I should be able to continue to add my bits and pieces.

I hope you’ll enjoy my little photo essays during my time in the wonderful Fijian islands.

Thanks Nas, blogger extraordinaire!

Found this recent photo of Nas and her daughter on the
Romance Reader blog.

And I’ll fill my incoming suitcase with books for your libraries and schools and do my bit for the retail economy on the return journey.

Until I have my own fab photos to post, I'm using one from google images which is supposed to be copyright free, fingers crossed. 

• So do you know Nas? Have you been to Fiji or any of the Pacific Islands?