Love's Flaming Torch

Main Characters

Mary Reily

Age: 35

Born:  April 7 1964
Ethenticity: Irish American:  Third generation

Protogonist
Ocupation:  Student at Mercy College studying for her Masters in English Literature.

    

  Mary Reilly is a pretty 35 year old college student from White Plains, NY who is studying for her Master's degree in English Literature.  Mary falls in love with Eric Garcia, the fire-fighter who rescued her friend and mentor, Paul Smith from a fire at his home, 1087 Maple Drive.

Mary Reilly is confused about love.  She is adamant in forming a relationship after recovering from a date rape in Senior year and a devastating break- up with her ex-fiance, David after finding him in bed with another woman.  Then Eric Garcia, the fearless fire fighter who rescues her mentor, Paul Smith from a fire, looks at her with his penetrating, Spanish blue eyes and ignites a fire deep within the recesses of her heart.

Eric Garcia

Age:  41

Birthday:  March 3, 1960
Ethenticity:  Spanish American:  Third generation

Died:  11 September 2001
Occupation:  Firefighter/ EMT

Eric Garcia is a firefigher who died on September 11, 2001 when he was sent to Tower South of the Twin Towers.  When Eric was fourteen he was sent to reform school for committing several acts of pyromania.  He was reformed and reintroduced to society at age 18 under the mentorship of vetran firefighter, Joseph Patrick O'Brien who took Eric in and taught him the ins and outs of firefighting.  With Patrick's encouragement, Eric got training as a ETM technician and later became a fire fighter.
Eric met Mary Reilly on 7th November 2000 when her mentor, Paul Smith's house burnt down.

As Nutty as a Fruitcake

      Christmas congures up visions of sugar plums.  That said, by the time November rolls along, after consuming the last of the Pumpkin Pies I endevour to make my annual Christmas Pudding and Christmas Cake. Steeped in tradition, the Christmas Pudding, a quissential British Christmas staple, is steamed on Stir-Up Sunday (the last Sunday in November) by many a British housewife.  The Christmas Cake is also made months in advance and feed a steady diet of brandy and placed in a tin and hidden away in a dark cupboard until it is unveiled in all its glory on Christmas Day.

    The Christmas cake, a cousin of the fruitcake, is a spicy, dense or light cake, swimming in a sea of Brandy and made with eggs, flour, brandy soaked dried fruits, candied peels, glaced cherries and almonds. The cake is then covered in a blanket of marzipan and fondant icing.  It is hard to fathom that this majestic cake, the highlight of the Christmas dinner, has in its infancy and origins, once been a porridge  made of oatmeal, plums and raisins.

   In the 16th century the porridge was re-invented; this time cooks no longer used oatmeal but flour in the recipe and with the introduction of sugar cooks no longer used honey to sweeten the cake.  It was much later that eggs and almonds were added to the recipe.

  The term, 'As nutty as a fruitcake', meaning a derranged or eccentric person, was first introduced to the English language in 1935.  The word 'nuts' to describe insanity was first coined in 1700's.

So why are we so obssessed with fruitcake?  Why are our tastebuds so craving this type of cake in December?  Why do cooks and houswives slave to make this type of cake which, consequently, takes four hours to bake plus many days to ferment only to give it away as gifts?  The fruitcake has been a topic of jokes for centuries.  Johnny Carson often cracked jokes about it.



But the proof of the pudding is in the eating....the fruitcake is a very tasty and spicy cake to enjoy this holiday.  With its sturdy composition which packs well and is great for posting in the mail, no other cake can hold a candle to the fruitcake.

Sources:  http://www.foodtimeline.org/christmasfood.html#fruitcake
               http://find.mapmuse.com/interest/fruitcakes

Nanowrimo 2011 Daily Word Count Graph

Nanowrimo 2011 Wordcount

Nanowrimo 2011

I am participating in this year's Nanowrimo.  Last year, I won with my latest Gothic Novel, The Curse of Anna Greene, which has now been published and is availiable on Amazon.  This year, I am participating again with my Novel, Love's Flaming Torch. 

         I have currently written 12,224 words as of 4th November.  It is currently in first draft stage. I hope to write 50,000 words by the end of November.  I am planning to publish it next year.  Here is my page on NanoWrimo.
My Nanowrimo Page

Autumn

Of all the seasons
I love autumn most of all...
The lovely essence of serenity...
Of watching nature's tale retold
By a lady dressed in gold;

I love to sit back and absorb
The splendor of the autumn dawn
And watch the beauty of October's sun
Cast deep shadows on the lawn.



Autumn gives off splendor
Fall leaves collapse on the ground
In shades of red, amber and crimson brown...
A kaleidoscope of brilliant colours---
Of multi-pattern hues.



Amidst the mums, pumpkins and gourds sits autumn’s queen
Reminiscing of her lost innocence,
Upon her throne of evergreens
Weaving a tapestry of reveries of younger days gone by!
When autumn’s beauty gives way to winter...

Autumn's beauty does fade and wither
Yet life goes on beyond the grave...
For even in the icy grip of death
Lies beauty and rebirth!



© Mary Aris, All rights reserved.

Character of the Month of September

Name:  Princess Mary  Rose

Date of Birth:  7th April

Parents:  The Majesties King Anthony and Queen Anne of Carlisle

Residence:  Carlisle

Occupation: Royal Princess; heir apparent to the throne of Carlisle later crowned  Queen of Carlisle

Spouse:   Prince Phillip of Aragon

Issues:  Prince Jonathan Anthony Phillip of Aragon; heir apparent to the throne of Carlisle



From the book  Princess Rose by Mary Aris
Copyright 2009  Lulu

Image copyright 2011 by Mary Aris
 All Rights reserved.